Merlin 3.05 The Crystal Cave
Oct. 11th, 2010 09:05 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
selenakCatching up with my tv missed for book fair reasons, here I go.
Firstly, Gaius might have said that Taliesin lived several centuries ago, and yes, he coooooouuuuuld remember Arthur not dying via a crystal vision of the future, but between the blue eyes and the facial structure, methinks we're dealing with old Merlin here, helping out his younger self (and choosing a handy pseudonym; also, in some legends Taliesin and Merlin are the same though in others they're seperate). Which incidentally AUs any "Merlin won't age" scenarios and confirms he will end up in that cave.
Making a prophecy come true by trying to prevent it isn't just a genre trope but something Arthurian (Mordred killing Arthur in the version that involves a lot of dead babies comes to mind), so it's not surprising they'd go there. Best episode of the season so far, and without things to nitpick. Though she has only one scene (brief glimpses aside), Morgause reaffirms her place as my favourite antagonist in the way said scene underscores the difference between her and Morgana. Morgause might have good reason to hate Uther, but she seems to think first and foremost politically; her first attempt in Sins of the Father was to get Arthur (aka the future king) at her side, the second was via an alliance with Cendred; hearing the genetic news this episode, she sees the political advantage (Morgana having a claim on Uther's throne; apparantly the Merlinverse does allow for female succession, which is nice to know) at once. While Morgana is all about hurt feelings: Uther not acknowledging her openly means he doesn't love her enough means he deserves to die again. It ties right with last season's reply as to why she didn't kill Uther in To Kill a King ("I thought he cared for me, but he only cares about himself") and emphasizes Morgana's increasing self-centredness. By now, her perspective has narrowed down to a spectacular degree. It's not any longer about Uther's tyranny, it's utterly and completely about herself.
Re: the paternity news: since the season opener and its heavy hints, I've been waiting for that shoe to drop, though before that I hadn't thoughtzahrawithaz was right about Morgana being Uther's daughter. Uther, of course, being another case of "the universe revolves around me and my feelings and when I feel bad, I'm going to make everyone suffer for it", with more genocidal consequences (so far). Incidentally, I'm worried for Gaius now because I think Uther's current gratitude for the supposed magical healing of Morgana is going to make way for good old paranoia again, and he'll inevitably blame Gaius for corrupting his anti-magical principles. Never mind that he was the one who asked for magical help (as he did re: Nimueh and Ygraine, of course). Note that Gaius, who knows Uther, did at no point either attempt to heal Morgana magically or to ask Merlin to do so. Methinks he has his reasons, and they're not Morgana's potential future deeds.
Merlin throughout was nicely shades of grey - he hadn't intended to kill Morgana (this time), and the "for the greater good" line didn't work for him evidently even while he was saying it afterwards, but I also didn't get the impression he saved Morgana for either her own sake or solely because of his own responsibility for her state, though that was a factor. Mostly he saved her for Gwen's and Arthur's sake. And the scene with Kilgarrah was another case in point (I so love their scenes, and my, haven't we moved from the days when the Dragon was solely there as a clumsy exposition tool?), because this was the first time Merlin used the power he had over him strictly against Kilgarrah's will. (True, telling hiim to stop the torching of Camelot last season was superimposing his will, too, but in that case he asked to stop something, not to do something, and arguably the Dragon had mixed feelings about his revenge path anyway. Calling him for help in 3.02. was fine with Kilgarrah.) As with Uther assuming Gaius cured Morgana by magic, I think there will be a backlash. Oh, and speaking of Kilgarrah, if he's known Morgana is Uther's daughter, it helps a bit to explain his unrelenting hostility towards her, though why he managed mixed-to-positive feelings about Arthur if that's the case is another issue. (Obviously I like my own fanfiction explanation, but speaking strictly in show terms.)
Arthur and Gwen comforting each other was a lovely little scene and a good example of how you can show a relationship progressing despite little screentime due to the focus of the episode being elsewhere. (It also helped that the episode remembered to let Morgana say something nice to Gwen earlier.) Also, the Merlin and Arthur interaction this episode was without the painfully unfunny incidents in earlier episodes this season and well balanced, from Merlin's version of a "don't die" speech via the "I'm the one giving the orders" - "Yes. Let's go!" exchange to Arthur praising Merlin in front of Uther. And to round it off, Arthur's fondness for Morgana came across very well, too, from his choice of gift to the reaction to her (nearly) dying. I just wish we'd gotten any indication how Morgana feels about him, because even with the increasing self-centredness, I would be disappointed if she simply switched from "kill Uther" to "kill Arthur" without batting an eyelash, precisely because she's never about the big picture and all about personal feelings, so what would make sense for Morgause would not do so for her.
Lastly: Alice Throughton came up with some gorgeous imagery for this episode, didn't she?
Firstly, Gaius might have said that Taliesin lived several centuries ago, and yes, he coooooouuuuuld remember Arthur not dying via a crystal vision of the future, but between the blue eyes and the facial structure, methinks we're dealing with old Merlin here, helping out his younger self (and choosing a handy pseudonym; also, in some legends Taliesin and Merlin are the same though in others they're seperate). Which incidentally AUs any "Merlin won't age" scenarios and confirms he will end up in that cave.
Making a prophecy come true by trying to prevent it isn't just a genre trope but something Arthurian (Mordred killing Arthur in the version that involves a lot of dead babies comes to mind), so it's not surprising they'd go there. Best episode of the season so far, and without things to nitpick. Though she has only one scene (brief glimpses aside), Morgause reaffirms her place as my favourite antagonist in the way said scene underscores the difference between her and Morgana. Morgause might have good reason to hate Uther, but she seems to think first and foremost politically; her first attempt in Sins of the Father was to get Arthur (aka the future king) at her side, the second was via an alliance with Cendred; hearing the genetic news this episode, she sees the political advantage (Morgana having a claim on Uther's throne; apparantly the Merlinverse does allow for female succession, which is nice to know) at once. While Morgana is all about hurt feelings: Uther not acknowledging her openly means he doesn't love her enough means he deserves to die again. It ties right with last season's reply as to why she didn't kill Uther in To Kill a King ("I thought he cared for me, but he only cares about himself") and emphasizes Morgana's increasing self-centredness. By now, her perspective has narrowed down to a spectacular degree. It's not any longer about Uther's tyranny, it's utterly and completely about herself.
Re: the paternity news: since the season opener and its heavy hints, I've been waiting for that shoe to drop, though before that I hadn't thought
zahrawithaz was right about Morgana being Uther's daughter. Uther, of course, being another case of "the universe revolves around me and my feelings and when I feel bad, I'm going to make everyone suffer for it", with more genocidal consequences (so far). Incidentally, I'm worried for Gaius now because I think Uther's current gratitude for the supposed magical healing of Morgana is going to make way for good old paranoia again, and he'll inevitably blame Gaius for corrupting his anti-magical principles. Never mind that he was the one who asked for magical help (as he did re: Nimueh and Ygraine, of course). Note that Gaius, who knows Uther, did at no point either attempt to heal Morgana magically or to ask Merlin to do so. Methinks he has his reasons, and they're not Morgana's potential future deeds. Merlin throughout was nicely shades of grey - he hadn't intended to kill Morgana (this time), and the "for the greater good" line didn't work for him evidently even while he was saying it afterwards, but I also didn't get the impression he saved Morgana for either her own sake or solely because of his own responsibility for her state, though that was a factor. Mostly he saved her for Gwen's and Arthur's sake. And the scene with Kilgarrah was another case in point (I so love their scenes, and my, haven't we moved from the days when the Dragon was solely there as a clumsy exposition tool?), because this was the first time Merlin used the power he had over him strictly against Kilgarrah's will. (True, telling hiim to stop the torching of Camelot last season was superimposing his will, too, but in that case he asked to stop something, not to do something, and arguably the Dragon had mixed feelings about his revenge path anyway. Calling him for help in 3.02. was fine with Kilgarrah.) As with Uther assuming Gaius cured Morgana by magic, I think there will be a backlash. Oh, and speaking of Kilgarrah, if he's known Morgana is Uther's daughter, it helps a bit to explain his unrelenting hostility towards her, though why he managed mixed-to-positive feelings about Arthur if that's the case is another issue. (Obviously I like my own fanfiction explanation, but speaking strictly in show terms.)
Arthur and Gwen comforting each other was a lovely little scene and a good example of how you can show a relationship progressing despite little screentime due to the focus of the episode being elsewhere. (It also helped that the episode remembered to let Morgana say something nice to Gwen earlier.) Also, the Merlin and Arthur interaction this episode was without the painfully unfunny incidents in earlier episodes this season and well balanced, from Merlin's version of a "don't die" speech via the "I'm the one giving the orders" - "Yes. Let's go!" exchange to Arthur praising Merlin in front of Uther. And to round it off, Arthur's fondness for Morgana came across very well, too, from his choice of gift to the reaction to her (nearly) dying. I just wish we'd gotten any indication how Morgana feels about him, because even with the increasing self-centredness, I would be disappointed if she simply switched from "kill Uther" to "kill Arthur" without batting an eyelash, precisely because she's never about the big picture and all about personal feelings, so what would make sense for Morgause would not do so for her.
Lastly: Alice Throughton came up with some gorgeous imagery for this episode, didn't she?
no subject
Date: 2010-10-11 07:47 am (UTC)It's a bit like having a sitcom with Stalin as the grouchy neighbour. The show acknowledges Uther's evil and yet the heroes - Merlin and Arthur - are not forced to confront this. Instead you get vague for the stability of the kingdom lines.
When I see Gwen framed as falling in love with Arthur, I feel sick. His father murdered her father on false grounds, as he had done for so many, and Arthur did very little to prevent that. I can't imagine a Gwen positioned as courageous and moral ever looking at Arthur with anything less than disgust.
I am moving towards actively loathing the show for making genocide a handy plot point, and not - Uther killed BABIES.
It's foul.
no subject
Date: 2010-10-11 08:00 am (UTC)Otoh, if the show had wanted to use it to make us feel sorry for Uther, they'd have limited the appearances to Ygraine (and even then there's be a question mark). Instead of showcasing the child in a very obvious homage to Banquo's ghost appearing to Macbeth, a reminder to the audience that Uther is not a harmless middle-aged man going Lear on us. Since he's not in a position to do anything vile in the episode, this was a reminder of what he had done. Which is why I would use Macbeth rather than Stalin as a comparison. Macbeth, too, killed children. And yet it's possible to occasionally feel for him during the play even though he is completely responsible for his own downfall and for all his misdeeds.
no subject
Date: 2010-10-11 11:33 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-10-11 01:46 pm (UTC)On the Uther subject, I think it's interesting that a show like Merlin decided to portray him losing his mind and yet simultaneously remind the audience of his past horrific acts. It creates quite nice eddied waters, but I think most of us only sympathised with Uther in flashes, before recalling what he did and continues to do. It's quite fitting that his torture is simply a mirror. He looks into that mirror and is unable to bear what he sees there. The Macbeth comparison is also what came to mind for me when that ghost boy appeared, but I felt far more sympathy for Macbeth than I did for Uther, simply because the audience gets to see Macbeth before he really taints himself. We get to see him before he hears the prophecy, and before he begins taking action, so we see the reasons behind his fall and we're with him every step of the way, even if most of us are disgusted with him around the middle. The first time we see Uther in the first episode of Merlin, he's having someone killed, if I remember correctly...and although we get flashes of sympathy for him here and there (this episode was one of those, I think) we more often see his narrow mind and distasteful acts. (It was particularly amusing in the earlier episode, when Gwaine had just saved Arthur, and the crowd were cheering...only for Uther to suddenly shout, 'seize him!', the cue for much sighs and face-palming around the world.) Anthony Head has said that this season is notable for being the one where the 'turkeys are coming home to roost' for Uther, so I'm quite interested to see where this goes.
On the subject of the episode, I agree, it was easily the best of the season so far. (Those LotR style statues at the beginning gave me pause, though.) I love the fact that Merlin had another one of his moral dilemmas, and the way his seemingly innocent action resulted in cracking Morgana's skull and unleashing a wave of misery around the castle. The scene with Arthur and Merlin walking through the field was great, as was the one with them and the belt. Merlin even got a good scene with Uther (the first I've ever seen between those two, I think). The way in which Morgana and Morgause's reaction to the big news was also great in how it highlighted their differing personalities, I agree. The scene where Morgana implicitly gives Uther the chance to admit that he's her father was also a nice touch, from a character perspective...even after all that, Uther still cannot admit it to her. I find it a bit odd that Morgana went directly into murder mode, though...I wanted to see more conflict there. I'm not very confused about her family tree and how she can still be Morgause's half-sister...my mind is in knots trying to work it all out. The music was also pretty good, if I recall correctly. Good ep.
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Date: 2010-10-11 01:49 pm (UTC)Gah, should be: 'I AM very confused', haha.
no subject
Date: 2010-10-12 01:10 pm (UTC)Merlin and Uther: they had two previous memorable ones, one in Excalibur when Uther takes Arthur's place in the duel and Merlin tries to find a way to get the sword back, in vain, and the other in Sins of the Father when Uther shows up at Gaius' to thank Merlin for his intervention and to threaten him ("if you ever tell anyone what happened between me and Arthur, I'll have you hanged"). But I think that's it.
Uther not being able to admit it to Morgana: I think for the same reason why he can't admit to Arthur what he did re: Ygraine and Arthur's birth. It would mean admitting having done something shameful that caused their existence; he needs their love and admiration for him as who he wants to be in their eyes. (That he doesn't have that from Morgana anymore is another matter. It's even more satisfying, though, if she loves him without having to do so for biological reasons.
Family tree: oh, I'm very curious how she and Morgause are still sisters as well. However, checking for the exact phrasing, neither Uther nor Gaius say at any point Morgause is Gorlois' daughter. Nor does Morgause say so herself. Gaius says that she wears a bracelet with a sign no one but Morgana would have reason to wear, "of one of the great houses, the house of Gorlois"; Uther then says "I've been given to understand the child died". The obvious conclusion was of course that Morgause was another daughter of Gorlois, but I suppose she could simply be another daughter of Gorlois' wife Vivian (father unknown so far).
no subject
Date: 2010-10-12 07:28 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-10-12 01:12 pm (UTC)