corilannam | Merlin 4.12-13 -- Sword in the Stone

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Merlin 4.12-13 -- Sword in the Stone

Okay, I finally got to watch the two-part season finale of Merlin. Anyone still interested in talking about it?

So that was enjoyable to watch, but... kind of empty? But it had a lot of great moments that were a lot of fun if you didn't look at them too closely or tie them to the larger context of the episode or, you know, think. So I feel kind of like I just ate a big bag of my favorite potato chips -- yummy, but I'm still craving something of more substance.

Some random thoughts about both episodes:

* The opening belt scene is just perfection. Not a single complaint there. Perfect encapsulation of their relationship. And Percy, you have no business laughing at Arthur's waistline considering that they had to put extender belts on your chainmail.

* Seriously, the mind control spell was Gaius's idea? That seems so unlikely somehow. Also kind of unlikely that Merlin would know that spell off the top of his head, but whatever, I like the idea that Merlin can just make shit up as he goes now. Derpy enchanted Arthur is just adorable -- yeah, there were some pretty big consent issues there, but I'm just going to read it as acceptable as part of the unquestioning trust between them. I can't really blame Merlin for also enjoying a few moments at Arthur's expense. I also don't blame him for putting Arthur into a tight little belly dancing outfit. Gratuitous abs! I love that this show has finally figured out its core audience.

* Merlin is surprisingly effective with a crossbow, given previous evidence to the contrary. Love them fighting side by side!

* Tristan and Isolde certainly weren't what I was expecting, but it's kind of cool to see some of citizenry of Camelot who don't think Arthur is the bee's knees. And they're not even magic users! Adds a nice touch of complexity to this rendering of Camelot. And I do love Ben Daniels (he's my favorite thing about L&O UK, even over Jamie Bamber). But overall, although I liked them, I didn't feel like they added much to the story -- certainly nothing necessary -- and in fact took up time I would have rather spent in Ealdor with Hunith (and yes, even Gwen).

* "It's as good a place as any." Really, Gwen? Can't give Merlin a little bit of credit for finding you someone to take you in? And Hunith doesn't get a thank you? Or any acknowledgement from the king?

* One thing I really, really liked? Merlin's confrontation with Agravaine. It's like Merlin has just had enough -- he's had enough of Agravaine's shenanigans, he's had enough of people hurting Arthur, and he's had enough of not getting any damn respect. He's just like, nope, sorry, done with you now. I loved how grim and almost... disassociated he was. I can't decide if it would have been more satisfying for Arthur to have been the one to kill him. Hmm. Probably not, but I'll enjoy thinking about it.

* Half naked knight combat -- completely pointless, but I appreciate the eye candy. So... what knight pairings are we ending with? I think I'm seeing Elyan/Percy and Gwaine/Leon. Although I could still be happily convinced of Percy/Gwaine or Percy/Leon. Apparently Hopper really hops.

* I'm kind of bored with Arthur's angst now, and as a diehard Arthur girl, that's an odd statement. But although his Gwen issues are tiresome, the kingly self-esteem issues are even more so. I get that Agravaine's betrayal hurts, but how many times does Merlin have to bolster Arthur's self-esteem in one season?

* That being said, I AM SO HAPPY that it was Merlin (the REAL Merlin) who led Arthur to the sword in the stone and ~~made up~~ told him the significance of it. I had convinced myself it was going to be Dragoon. SO HAPPY, OMG. All the people of Camelot watching! OH ARTHUR'S FACE. MERLIN'S VOICE IN HIS EAR. THE WAY MERLIN COULD TELL WHEN ARTHUR FINALLY BELIEVED. YAY HE FINALLY HAS EXCALIBUR. Okay, the self-esteem issues were worth retreading just one more time. "I believe in you. I always have." *happiness*

* Isolde killing Helios to save Arthur was nice -- but that should have been Gwen, dammit. But as we see a few seconds later, Gwen is still pretty useless. I would have loved it if she got to kill Morgana. *sigh* Just let her do one damn thing, for crying out loud! At least she got to hit a guy in the nose with her sword?

* And seriously, it's Isolde's death that convinces Arthur to forgive Gwen at last? Not anything Gwen did? The hell? But she looked very pretty. And she got a very pretty crown. And Merlin got to wear a very pretty new jacket.

* So I'm happy enough to see Gwen as Queen of Camelot. Just wish they'd let her do a damn thing to deserve it.

* AITHUSA BABY WHAT ARE YOU DOING??

* I cannot believe I forgot to squee about "You're my only friend and I couldn't bear to lose you"!!! SQUEEEEEE. How great was that? Arthur pretended to be all sarcastic, but he totally meant it and Merlin totally knew that he meant it.

Okay, bring on the hiatus fic, bitches. What's the speculation for S5?

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I'm still interested! I haven't even finished writing a post yet because, you know, RL OMG. However, I loved it completely; I didn't have that 'had my snack, where's the meal?' feeling at all. And I had thoughts that you didn't have! But maybe they're better off in my brain.

Re Arthur's self-esteem...I had no problem with it, for reasons I can't go into here, but I buy it. I mean, you know, being king is turning out to not be all the things he thought it would be. Instead it's turning out to be vipers and BEARS and mistakes and LIONS and betrayal, and he was just barely ready, and anytime you make that many big mistakes in judgment, you're bound to be like, FUCK THIS -- MERLIN, WE'RE GOIN' TO EALDOR TO SHAG, I QUIT. Sometimes what one really needs is a persistent voice in the ear, saying -- nah, shagging is overrated, get in there and be kingly!

*stops torturing the metaphor* Maybe I'm not tired of the Arthur angst because I skipped the last half of season 2 and all of 3, so my exposure is lower? Heh.

I see Elyan/Gwaine (tho I don't want to) and Percy/Elyan and Gwaine/Merlin. What do you mean, you weren't asking about Gwaine/Merlin? It's what I've got. *g*

HI, I <3 this show. :D PS, by the time I hit 'post comment' you prob will have fixed it but you have errant strikethrough in the last half of your post.

LOL! I guess it's not the Arthur angst itself that I'm tired of, because really, I never get tired of that, but there's something about the way it manifested in this episode that just didn't quite click for me. I wish I could put my finger on it. I like your metaphor, though -- and it makes sense that if Arthur's own family want to take him out, and this common guy hates him, he would feel like everything he had done was a failure. Maybe I need to watch it again!

If you had thoughts I didn't have, you should definitely share them! That is what discussions are for! *g*

And Gwaine/Merlin is a given at all times, which is the only reason why I didn't mention it. *g*

This is all the speculation I've been able to come up with so far. :P

http://hardticket.livejournal.com/177078.html

And oh the fic that is to come.

Interesting speculation! I can't wait to see what happens.

(though even more, I can't wait for the fic)

Two things annoyed me the most. The lack of reveal of Agravaine's motivations for hating Arthur. And Hunith just disappearing (cut scene maybe).

I really see the Percy/Elyan. That reunion! :OOOOO

Yeah, the lack of motivation from Agravaine has always been a big problem, and letting him die without that revelation is a bigger problem. A missing scene on the DVDs is not enough explanation, and I really regret that Arthur never got the opportunity to confront his uncle about his perfidy.

And I just wanted more in general with Hunith. They could have at least invited her to the wedding!

Yeah, that tender reunion was quite something. I was like o.O! Hello, boys!

I agree that a lot of it felt empty - unlike the episodes at the beginning of this series which I loved. There were great moments and also moments when I went 'wth???'

Loved the Merlin Agravaine fight. Merlin was really showing off that he has magic and doesn't even need to learn spells. I'd been wondering where this powerful Merlin had gone.

However, while I thought it was amusing that Merlin made up the Excalibur story, it also leads me to wonder just who the hell Merlin is. Is he this 'I've a destiny to do and damn it I'm going to do it' or is he more the master manipulator lying and using everyone to get what he wants? I'm not sure. I know the Camelot show Merlin was highly manipulative and in some ways that seems to be the way our Merlin is going - which while intriguing isn't the Merlin I signed up for.

That's an interesting question about Merlin as master manipulator. The Excalibur story was certainly very manipulative, but I didn't see it in a bad light. More like that he believes so powerfully in Arthur that he's determined to make everyone see him the way Merlin does -- including Arthur himself. So I tend to think that he's just determined to fulfill their destiny any way he has to, like usual.

The thing is that Merlin might not even know he's doing it but as he becomes better at it and sees it as a tool for achieving that damn destiny of his, he might fall into the trap and become something else.

I'm in for the ride anyway!

That's really how I felt about the episode too. It wasn't... filling. I'm trying to ignore all the things that bug me because I know they'll just make me angry with how arrogant the producers have become (What we're just supposed to be bowing at your feet because you brought Hunith back for us? She disappeared for no good reason! Like Merlin wasn't even going to make sure his mother was safe! And the A/G! You build up to this wedding for HOW LONG and it gets exactly 7 seconds on screen?! I'm not even an A/G fan and that was pathetic!)

Anyway, I have to learn not to get invested in this show, they're just going to disappoint me. I watch for Colin/Merlin and that's it (even if they can't even be consistent on who the show is about oh look! Let's have a show about Merlin but really it'll be about Arthur and his knights! HAHA FOOLED YA!) I think you've just started my opinion post....

I was really disappointed that the wedding was so brief. I felt the same way about the coronation earlier in the season. I love pageantry and I would have loved to see a bit more of it. Plus, there was so much potential for adorable wedding comedy, but we got nothing, because Gwen is not allowed to be a character for more than 7 seconds at a time.

I think the main source of dissatisfaction for me in this episode is the feeling that they just tried to cram too much into two hours, so nothing felt completely satisfying to me.

They didn't have too much for any good writer. They had too much for them to handle because they won't go into good depth for anything. They assumed the A/G wedding would be enough payoff for the season, it wasn't, not even for the A/G fans because it was cheated so badly, so they rushed that at the end. They created a problem (an awful problem that a dumb thirteen year old could have written there way out of better) they couldn't fix so they ignored it. Watching this show is like reading a charming but poorly written fanfic. You like where they started and where they were headed but they got lost along the way.

There were a thousand better ways to handle the finale.

*sigh* Why do I watch this show?

I just wish we'd seen Merlin getting promoted. But that was like, a silly wish on my part haha. I didn't LOVE LOVE LOVE this episode but I enjoyed the hell out of it despite them doing way too much in one episode and Tristan and Isolde being hella silly even for this show.

Aw, show. I will miss you.

Aithusa, you are fired. Except for how not really because I still love Morgana.

(Ha, poor Agravaine. Such a poorly written bad guy and not even mourned by his lady love.)

I'm thinking that Aithusa was just like, oooh, pretty magical Pendragon lady is hurt! I can help! Daddy will like that, Daddy helps Pendragons all the time!

Yeah, I enjoyed it a lot, too, despite the weaknesses. It would have been nice to see Merlin get promoted, but honestly I can't see that happening until there's a reveal. In the meantime, he's Arthur's everything and there's really nowhere to go from there!

I'm not bugged out by the wedding either, though I'm SERIOUSLY craving fic where Gwen is like, GUYS, guys. Guys. I know. OKAY? It's all right. I know. And they're all relieved and everyone bones a lot.

(Also, yes, re: Aithusa. I will be SHOCKED if S5 makes Aithusa full on bad because I just saw it as friendly little dragonkid being like AWWWWWW SHE NEEDS HELP, HERE YA GO LADY.)

(I'm also like /o\ cause I had this elaborate Aithusa comes in at the last minute and heals somebody plot bunny. I guess I can still write it but I'm like AW MAN, SHOW. Hahaha.)

In unrelated conclusion, I want to watch episode 6 about 400 times.

In unrelated conclusion, I want to watch episode 6 about 400 times.

Yeah, I think this has been my main problem with the back end of the season -- I want everything to be episode 6 again!

Sorry, I just finally finished watching the last ep, and I'm stalking reaction posts.

So, I might be crediting the writers with too much sneaky here, but was it ever established exactly what Morgana knows Gwen is going to do that she has to stop at pretty much any cost? Because being Queen is the obvious answer, but I can't help but wonder whether there's something else that will happen later. That might be partly because I just don't want Morgana to be randomly evil and stupid.

I like to think that Aithusa healed Morgana because Merlin doesn't really want her actually dead, even if he is really angry with her.

And by the way, did anyone else find the burnt-head poppet under the bed deeply creepy?

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Merlin 4.12-13 -- Sword in the Stone

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