Merlin 3.02

[corilannam]

Camelot under siege! Knights in a real battle! Leon kicking ass! SO AWESOME.

So now we know for sure that Arthur's ring was his mother's - love it when fanon becomes canon. And it's always satisfying to see Uther sniveling.

I'm glad the Slash Dragon and Merlin seem to be on good terms again. And how awesome was Merlin's face right before he said he had no intention of walking? COLIN'S FACE, OMG.

Really, really want Morgana and Morgause to figure out what exactly they're dealing with in Merlin. So, so much.

Ah, Gwen. Useless as usual. Can't even help Merlin find Gaius. Surprisingly, I almost liked the A/G scenes this week, though. Poor Arthur has so few people to support him emotionally.

Okay, so it's really the Arthur/Merlin I want to talk about. I was all flaily at how badly Arthur wanted Merlin at his side ALL THE TIME and how cranky he gets whenever Merlin's not where he's supposed to be (next to Arthur).

How adorable was it that Merlin's chief concern preparing for a siege, with everything else going on, was to make sure that Arthur would remain well fed? Merlin's not dealing with a cranky prince on top of everything else, oh no!

I don't even know what to say about the Big Emotional Scenes, except that I really enjoy how Merlin has taken to telling Arthur the bald truth about protecting him and about his destiny, even though it doesn't seem to make any sense without the context that Arthur doesn't have. And Arthur accepts it and seems to feel the truth of it even if he doesn't know why. It keeps an honesty and an intimacy in their relationship that gives me hope for when Arthur eventually finds out about the magic.

Or maybe it's just the brain damage from all the concussions. Who can say?

Comments

[chicaintcheap.livejournal.com]

So now we know for sure that Arthur's ring was his mother's

Oh, we do? :O I must've missed that!

I really want to know how dumb Morgana and Morgause are exactly if they can't figure out how Merlin broke out of the magical chains.

And then, this:

Merlin: I do understand what you're going through, Morgana :(
Morgana: It's not like you have magic!
Merlin: ....

I just wanted to facepalm.

[corilannam.livejournal.com]

Yeah, when Uther had the vision of Ygraine this time, they had a nice little close-up of her hand with the ring on it. Not too long after, they gave us a nice look at Arthur's hand with the same ring. I was kind of expecting it to come up again, but that was probably expecting too much. *g*

Poor Merlin. No one believes him on anything. "I was dying! I do understand!"

[mistressd1971.livejournal.com]

Me thinks they be playing up the slash aspects now that there is no denying it. I am mildly annoyed, however, at Arthur's apparent bipolar disorder when it comes to Merlin. Either he's whining because Merlin is not there, or he is giving Merlin endless shit when he is. It's the equivalent of pulling Merlin's pigtails, I suppose.

Also? WTF is up with these magical people having absolutely NO IDEA about each other?? The show's writers seem to be doing a pick-and-choose thing when it comes to how magical abilities can be sensed or guessed at. Makes me shake my head but I guess I can live with it if it moves the plot along.

My biggest issue so far? Katie McGrath consuming scenery like it's an all-you-can-eat buffet on Senior day. I really think she's a better actress than that. I hope she is, anyway.

All nit picking aside, I'm loving what I see. The amazing chemistry between Colin and Bradley keeps me invested. The rest of the cast does ok too, I guess. ;)

One final note: Does Bradley James now have a contract like that dude from Twilight, where he must remove his shirt every ten minutes? Not complaining, mind you. Just curious.

[corilannam.livejournal.com]

I'm mostly okay with Arthur's behavior in these episodes, more than I was last season since now there seems to be more of an underlayer of respect and affection. They do give each other a lot of shit, but that just seems to be the way they interact. Plus, Arthur goes through a tremendous amount of stress in this ep, so it's not too surprising that he would lash out a bit, with Merlin being the safest person to do that with.

I do wish the magic laws were more consistent on the show, even down to whether people need to speak spells or not. I also really wish Morgause and Morgana knew about Merlin -- it could be so much more interesting! And I'm not sure Katie McGrath is a better actress than that, but she could certainly stand to tone it down a notch or two. I'd blame the director, but everyone else seems to manage okay.

Does Bradley James now have a contract like that dude from Twilight, where he must remove his shirt every ten minutes?

OMG I HOPE SO!

[geministargrl16.livejournal.com]

And Arthur accepts it and seems to feel the truth of it even if he doesn't know why. It keeps an honesty and an intimacy in their relationship that gives me hope for when Arthur eventually finds out about the magic.

THIS. The underlying/unspoken trust they have for each other is why I love them so much and why they're so great to ship.

[corilannam.livejournal.com]

Yes! Even when they can't show their feelings/tell the whole truth, they still have that odd trust and understanding. *hearts them*