Merlin 5.03
Oct. 20th, 2012 11:28 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
corilannamSettle in with a cuppa, 'cause I may have a lot of feelings about this episode.
I...HOLY SHIT YOU GUYS. I've always thought that whole "SHAKING AND CRYING" trope from a while back was pretty stupid, but here I am. This was, I think I can state with complete confidence, my favorite episode of the entire show. It was everything I hoped it would be and more.
Where the fuck do you even start with this episode? I've been in love with Arthur Pendragon since the first episode of the first season, but I just fell a million times more in love with him tonight. GIGANTIC HEARTS IN MY EYES.
Okay, let's just start at the beginning, with Arthur and Merlin having a private little hunt through the woods. No knights, no guards, just them. And of course, Merlin is scaring off the game like usual, so I think we're safe to say that this was always intended to be less a hunt than an excuse for Arthur to spend a few days frolicking through the woods with Merlin. Scene after scene, this episode makes it clear that while Gwen may be Arthur's Queen, it's Merlin who is actually Arthur's life partner. Really, really clear.
And then. AND THEN. And then they see an old woman about to be burned at the stake for sorcery. AND ARTHUR RESCUES HER. And he has never been more kingly, ever. And then even after it's pretty clear that the old lady is, in fact, a magic user of some stripe, Arthur still comforts her as she dies from Plotholenus Syndrome.
And gives him a magical artifact. And he deliberately, consciously, purposefully uses it.
Arthur. uses. magic.
Holy crap.
That's huge to me. It didn't seem that huge to Merlin and Gaius, but I suppose in fairness they were pretty busy at the time trying to keep Uther from killing everybody he didn't like in the castle. And honestly, I'm a little surprised Uther didn't bring it up himself. But still. He used magic.
I was expecting to get one big, meaningful, emotional conversation between Arthur and Uther. Instead, I got at least two.
So the first one, when Arthur steps beyond the veil - wow. Oh, baby. I wanted to hug Arthur so badly. He still desperately wants Uther's approval, even in death, maybe even more so now. He wanted to hear that even though he was ruling differently than Uther, his father still thought he was doing a good job. I mean, how could he expect any other answer from Uther? But we're all so blind when it comes to our parents, and Arthur is a king who is also a son still hungering for his father's love and desperate to prove himself.
But what an amazing scene. Arthur, tears in his eyes, haltingly trying to express why he's done everything that he's done, trying to justify himself to Uther in a way that Uther will understand. Of course, Uther isn't capable of that understanding. He "knows his own mind" to the point where he cannot listen to anyone else (although as we saw during his reign, that also made him easy to manipulate and very weak willed in the end).
Arthur doesn't back down, even with tears streaming down his face. How fucking proud was I of my king in that moment? Not nearly as proud as I was later, but pretty damn proud, let me tell you.
And Uther still loves his boy. Even after everything, after all the harsh words, he will always love him, in his own, fucked-up way. I hope Arthur remembers that, after all of this is done.
Then Arthur has a little heart-to-heart about it with his husband around the campfire, as you do. So beautiful. And also, this seems like a good opportunity to note that Colin Morgan was looking exceptionally gorgeous in this episode. When Arthur asks him who thinks Arthur is an arrogant ass and Merlin just gives that cheeky little shrug, all sprawled out in the firelight... well, it's no wonder Arthur was in a hurry to get to his bunk.
I absolutely love that they have Round Table meetings that are so stultifyingly boring that even Arthur almost dozes off. I'm pretty sure the chandelier was Uther's way of saying, "Kiddo, if I had to stay awake through boring council meetings my whole life, you sure as hell better look lively, too."
"Why does it always take you twice as long to change out of your armour?" "Because I'm twice the size of you, little man." *squee!* So adorable. I ship them so hard. And I love all the knights joshing around in thelocker room armory. And although I felt bad for poor Percy getting nailed by Uther's petulance (or his petu-axe, to be accurate, HAR HAR), I think that's more lines in one episode than THop has had in the entire rest of the show put together. Yay, Percy!
Also, Merlin with his jacket sleeves pushed up like that? YES PLEASE. Hello, forearms and amusing unintentional Duran Duran flashbacks.
Poor Gwen. But I knew she'd end up in Merlin's bed sooner or later. Woo!
The scene where Merlin asks Arthur if he looked back at his father... I don't know why it hit me so hard, but I think this is one of my favorite scenes, ever. Merlin pushing and pushing, sorry to be hurting Arthur but determined to make him see the truth. Arthur's denial slowly crumbling against what he already knows in his heart is true. Bradley James, your face owns my life.
And even as he finally accepts that this is Uther doing all these things, he just doesn't understand how Uther could try to kill the woman Arthur loves. Arthur can't even comprehend that, which out of everything in this episode, probably demonstrates most perfectly why Arthur is nothing like his father.
One of the things this show suddenly started doing really well last season was interspersing these lovely scenes of comic relief into an otherwise dark and tense episode. The whole bit with Merlin, Arthur, and the mouse was cute (the hand signals are back!!), and then WHAM! Creepy Gaius out of nowhere! And both boys (looking very boyish) trying to pretend that they didn't just jump out of their skins.
And of course Merlin is going to take the potion with Arthur. OF COURSE. *flails some more* I just love their faces so much through that whole scene.
POETRY. OMG. I'm sorry, I can't discuss this scene. I might actually hurt myself. Yes, Leon now thinks Merlin and Arthur wander around the castle at night reciting poetry to each other like (what was it you said, Arthur?) "love struck girls."
Oh man, I love, LOVE Merlin emphasizing to Arthur that Arthur's always done what he believed was right, even when Uther didn't approve. And that he can come right out and say that Camelot is a better place now. "It counts for nothing if you don't believe in yourself." Well, maybe, but it's pretty obvious that Merlin believing in Arthur counts for a whole lot with Arthur, too.
I would love to discuss the amazing confrontation between Uther and Arthur in the throne room, with my brave, strong Arthur, but it was completely wiped out but what happened right after.
Because Uther was about to kill his own son.
And then.
"Get. Away. From him. Uther."
HOLY SHIT. OMFG.
"You are nothing but a serving boy." "I am much more than that."
Holy fuck. Merlin deflects Uther's attack with no more than a single glance. And the LOOK on Uther's face -- on both their faces. Horror and triumph.
"Even while you were king, there was magic at the heart of Camelot." My God, Merlin has been waiting so long for this moment. And it is FUCKING GLORIOUS. "Arthur is a better and more worthy king than you ever were."
And then. AND THEN.
"You've had your turn. Now it's mine." YES!
"Merlin has--" Whoops! Ah, that was the most satisfying reveal tease/side-step ever. Only problem is that now it's going to seem even more ridiculous that Merlin doesn't just tell Arthur everything after this. I really hope we at least get to see Merlin wrestling with that decision a bit.
And then their faces. OMG, their teary faces as they gaze at each other. Surely Arthur went to free Merlin and then they shared a very, very long embrace after that.
This episode had only flaw, IMO, and that was the return of Arthur smacking Merlin around. They *almost* made it work there at the end when Merlin got to smack Arthur a good one, but then they blew it again. I really feel like they (meaning show and characters) should be beyond that by now. The bit with the shadows was pretty funny. And I am glad that Merlin got to point out that Arthur needs to treat him as fairly as everyone else - you could kind of tell from Arthur's face that he hadn't thought of it that way before. Merlin has never been "everyone else" to Arthur, and while usually that's a blissfully good thing, it does have its bad points, too.
But whatever. I'm going to take that final shot as a promise that Merlin is in for a good fisting, and that works just fine for me.
And that seems a good note to end on and remind you to go write a little something for![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
magnolia822's MERLIN SEASON 5 COMMENT FEST
I...HOLY SHIT YOU GUYS. I've always thought that whole "SHAKING AND CRYING" trope from a while back was pretty stupid, but here I am. This was, I think I can state with complete confidence, my favorite episode of the entire show. It was everything I hoped it would be and more.
Where the fuck do you even start with this episode? I've been in love with Arthur Pendragon since the first episode of the first season, but I just fell a million times more in love with him tonight. GIGANTIC HEARTS IN MY EYES.
Okay, let's just start at the beginning, with Arthur and Merlin having a private little hunt through the woods. No knights, no guards, just them. And of course, Merlin is scaring off the game like usual, so I think we're safe to say that this was always intended to be less a hunt than an excuse for Arthur to spend a few days frolicking through the woods with Merlin. Scene after scene, this episode makes it clear that while Gwen may be Arthur's Queen, it's Merlin who is actually Arthur's life partner. Really, really clear.
And then. AND THEN. And then they see an old woman about to be burned at the stake for sorcery. AND ARTHUR RESCUES HER. And he has never been more kingly, ever. And then even after it's pretty clear that the old lady is, in fact, a magic user of some stripe, Arthur still comforts her as she dies from Plotholenus Syndrome.
And gives him a magical artifact. And he deliberately, consciously, purposefully uses it.
Arthur. uses. magic.
Holy crap.
That's huge to me. It didn't seem that huge to Merlin and Gaius, but I suppose in fairness they were pretty busy at the time trying to keep Uther from killing everybody he didn't like in the castle. And honestly, I'm a little surprised Uther didn't bring it up himself. But still. He used magic.
I was expecting to get one big, meaningful, emotional conversation between Arthur and Uther. Instead, I got at least two.
So the first one, when Arthur steps beyond the veil - wow. Oh, baby. I wanted to hug Arthur so badly. He still desperately wants Uther's approval, even in death, maybe even more so now. He wanted to hear that even though he was ruling differently than Uther, his father still thought he was doing a good job. I mean, how could he expect any other answer from Uther? But we're all so blind when it comes to our parents, and Arthur is a king who is also a son still hungering for his father's love and desperate to prove himself.
But what an amazing scene. Arthur, tears in his eyes, haltingly trying to express why he's done everything that he's done, trying to justify himself to Uther in a way that Uther will understand. Of course, Uther isn't capable of that understanding. He "knows his own mind" to the point where he cannot listen to anyone else (although as we saw during his reign, that also made him easy to manipulate and very weak willed in the end).
Arthur doesn't back down, even with tears streaming down his face. How fucking proud was I of my king in that moment? Not nearly as proud as I was later, but pretty damn proud, let me tell you.
And Uther still loves his boy. Even after everything, after all the harsh words, he will always love him, in his own, fucked-up way. I hope Arthur remembers that, after all of this is done.
Then Arthur has a little heart-to-heart about it with his husband around the campfire, as you do. So beautiful. And also, this seems like a good opportunity to note that Colin Morgan was looking exceptionally gorgeous in this episode. When Arthur asks him who thinks Arthur is an arrogant ass and Merlin just gives that cheeky little shrug, all sprawled out in the firelight... well, it's no wonder Arthur was in a hurry to get to his bunk.
I absolutely love that they have Round Table meetings that are so stultifyingly boring that even Arthur almost dozes off. I'm pretty sure the chandelier was Uther's way of saying, "Kiddo, if I had to stay awake through boring council meetings my whole life, you sure as hell better look lively, too."
"Why does it always take you twice as long to change out of your armour?" "Because I'm twice the size of you, little man." *squee!* So adorable. I ship them so hard. And I love all the knights joshing around in the
Also, Merlin with his jacket sleeves pushed up like that? YES PLEASE. Hello, forearms and amusing unintentional Duran Duran flashbacks.
Poor Gwen. But I knew she'd end up in Merlin's bed sooner or later. Woo!
The scene where Merlin asks Arthur if he looked back at his father... I don't know why it hit me so hard, but I think this is one of my favorite scenes, ever. Merlin pushing and pushing, sorry to be hurting Arthur but determined to make him see the truth. Arthur's denial slowly crumbling against what he already knows in his heart is true. Bradley James, your face owns my life.
And even as he finally accepts that this is Uther doing all these things, he just doesn't understand how Uther could try to kill the woman Arthur loves. Arthur can't even comprehend that, which out of everything in this episode, probably demonstrates most perfectly why Arthur is nothing like his father.
One of the things this show suddenly started doing really well last season was interspersing these lovely scenes of comic relief into an otherwise dark and tense episode. The whole bit with Merlin, Arthur, and the mouse was cute (the hand signals are back!!), and then WHAM! Creepy Gaius out of nowhere! And both boys (looking very boyish) trying to pretend that they didn't just jump out of their skins.
And of course Merlin is going to take the potion with Arthur. OF COURSE. *flails some more* I just love their faces so much through that whole scene.
POETRY. OMG. I'm sorry, I can't discuss this scene. I might actually hurt myself. Yes, Leon now thinks Merlin and Arthur wander around the castle at night reciting poetry to each other like (what was it you said, Arthur?) "love struck girls."
Oh man, I love, LOVE Merlin emphasizing to Arthur that Arthur's always done what he believed was right, even when Uther didn't approve. And that he can come right out and say that Camelot is a better place now. "It counts for nothing if you don't believe in yourself." Well, maybe, but it's pretty obvious that Merlin believing in Arthur counts for a whole lot with Arthur, too.
I would love to discuss the amazing confrontation between Uther and Arthur in the throne room, with my brave, strong Arthur, but it was completely wiped out but what happened right after.
Because Uther was about to kill his own son.
And then.
"Get. Away. From him. Uther."
HOLY SHIT. OMFG.
"You are nothing but a serving boy." "I am much more than that."
Holy fuck. Merlin deflects Uther's attack with no more than a single glance. And the LOOK on Uther's face -- on both their faces. Horror and triumph.
"Even while you were king, there was magic at the heart of Camelot." My God, Merlin has been waiting so long for this moment. And it is FUCKING GLORIOUS. "Arthur is a better and more worthy king than you ever were."
And then. AND THEN.
"You've had your turn. Now it's mine." YES!
"Merlin has--" Whoops! Ah, that was the most satisfying reveal tease/side-step ever. Only problem is that now it's going to seem even more ridiculous that Merlin doesn't just tell Arthur everything after this. I really hope we at least get to see Merlin wrestling with that decision a bit.
And then their faces. OMG, their teary faces as they gaze at each other. Surely Arthur went to free Merlin and then they shared a very, very long embrace after that.
This episode had only flaw, IMO, and that was the return of Arthur smacking Merlin around. They *almost* made it work there at the end when Merlin got to smack Arthur a good one, but then they blew it again. I really feel like they (meaning show and characters) should be beyond that by now. The bit with the shadows was pretty funny. And I am glad that Merlin got to point out that Arthur needs to treat him as fairly as everyone else - you could kind of tell from Arthur's face that he hadn't thought of it that way before. Merlin has never been "everyone else" to Arthur, and while usually that's a blissfully good thing, it does have its bad points, too.
But whatever. I'm going to take that final shot as a promise that Merlin is in for a good fisting, and that works just fine for me.
And that seems a good note to end on and remind you to go write a little something for
magnolia822's MERLIN SEASON 5 COMMENT FEST
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Date: 2012-10-22 03:04 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-10-22 04:49 pm (UTC)