Merlin 4.07 The Secret Sharer
Nov. 13th, 2011 10:02 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
selenakIn which the pay off lies in two particular scenes near the end that made me go from "well, not bad, but we've done that before, so compared to the other eps this season, what is the point?" to "Ahaaaaaa! Well done, show!".
To get the ongoing complaint out of the way first, I still have a hard time buying why Merlin and Gaius don't just tell Arthur they've seen Agrivaine with Morgana beyond the Doylist "Agrivaine needs to stick around in Camelot a while longer, it's not time for the season finale yet". Though I suppose I can fanwank it on a Watsonian level that they don't think their word against Agrivaine's would be enough after this episode's events in particular.
Now, on to the rest of the episode: again, given it's not time for the finale yet I thought for the majority of the episode that the Macguffin was a bit tiresome because there was no way Morgana would find out Emrys was Merlin at this point. (Well, okay, given the surprising way Uther was killed off I wasn't 100% sure anymore, but 90%.) However, then two scenes happened: first our sorceror/priest of the day changing allegiances once he has new facts, concluding Merlin is a better bet for a magical future in Albion than Morgana, which is a parallel to Annis' actions re: Arthur and Morgana a few episodes earlier, though more clumsily written, because what makes Atala (spelling?) change his mind isn't Merlin himself but Gaius' loyalty to and predictions about him. This is a far cry from the season 1 days where magic users coming to Camelot were out for personal vengeance (no matter how understandable) and didn't care what happened to the rest of the people as long as Uther got hurt. By now, they're increasingly portrayed as a diverse community with individual goals and the welfare of other people in mind, and this is a very welcome change.
Both better written and just as important, if not more so, was the final scene between Arthur and Gaius. I was expecting an apology scene but what I got was so much better. During the last four years, any number of great and not so great Arthur-finds-out stories were written, but what increasingly bothered me about this fanfiction was that the "Merlin has magic" after intial shock leads to "Merlin is good, therefore magic can be good" and Arthur then going on with a magic-tolerant or pro-magic attitude. And this just even taking into account the narrative frame work of this particular show is far too simple for me. Which is why as opposed to many a fan I've gone increasingly off wanting a big reveal right now; what I want instead is Arthur gradually changing his mind set, which is both more hard work and more realistic. ( Sidenote: one of many reasons why I wish they'd kept that scene from the leaked "Wicked Day" script where Arthur confides to Gwen about his doubts re: magic because that shows he has them independent from one particular magic user being able to do something for him on that occasion (and also of course because it says something about his relationship with Gwen, and Gwen's own attitude to magic).) Anyway, when the conversation between Gaius and Arthur moved beyond the apology level to Arthur asking Gaius point blank about what was bothering him (and had swayed him to Agrivaine's side), the fact that Arthur knew Gaius was lying about the "old sorceror"'s whereabouts, I sat up. And when Gaius then used the opportunity not for a standard denial in reply but to make a point to Arthur about the diversity of magic users intentions in general and the fact that Uther's death had not been this particular magic users fault in particular, and Arthur took that in (very well played, Bradley James) and thought about it, I practically cheered. Because the issue here isn't "magic user X" (be he Gaius or Merlin) "is not evil, therefore I should be nice to him and magic is good" but "magic per se is neutral a nd every person should be judged on their own merits". This elevates the Gaius-gets-framed plot from a filler story to an important stepping stone for Arthur's overall mentality change.
(Incidentally: for what it's worth, I think Arthur's reaction when the framed Gaius supposedly fled (aka was kidnapped) in the middle of the night - stopping Agrivaine from ordering pursuit and letting Gaius go instead - is probably what he would have done if Merlin had been revealed ca season 2.)
My standard complaint: MORE GWEN PLEASE, applies to this episode, but I am glad we finally got a scene just between her and Merlin again, showing their friendship and her attempt to comfort him. The show continues to make a community of friends an important plot point for both Merlin and Arthur; here, it's Gwaine whose friendship for Merlin is crucial in the saving Gaius stakes (and once more as often this season, hooray for emotional continuity and the use of the knights). Gwaine's showdown with Agrivaine was very good, emphasizing the later's quick thinking and ability to improvise (always useful in a villain) but also leaves you with the impression Gwaine isn't completely swayed, just putting Gaius' life first, and will be an important ally against Agrivaine among the knights.
By contrast, Morgana is increasingly unable to form human connections; she has Agrivaine's loyalty but isn't giving him anything in return, and loses her second temporary ally in a row because they consider her the worse choice when compared her self chosen enemies. That she's willing to buy Atala's allegiance with Morgause's first gift to her - the bracelet that stopped the torment of her dreams, carrying the magic of healing - only to find that bracelet discarded in the sand by the end of the episode has a haunting symbolism. Morgause making Morgana the instrument of her death has left a wound that is still not healed, and Morgana's increasing tunnel vision means that while she seeks new allies/partners, she either eventually repels them or is unable to connect to them.
To get the ongoing complaint out of the way first, I still have a hard time buying why Merlin and Gaius don't just tell Arthur they've seen Agrivaine with Morgana beyond the Doylist "Agrivaine needs to stick around in Camelot a while longer, it's not time for the season finale yet". Though I suppose I can fanwank it on a Watsonian level that they don't think their word against Agrivaine's would be enough after this episode's events in particular.
Now, on to the rest of the episode: again, given it's not time for the finale yet I thought for the majority of the episode that the Macguffin was a bit tiresome because there was no way Morgana would find out Emrys was Merlin at this point. (Well, okay, given the surprising way Uther was killed off I wasn't 100% sure anymore, but 90%.) However, then two scenes happened: first our sorceror/priest of the day changing allegiances once he has new facts, concluding Merlin is a better bet for a magical future in Albion than Morgana, which is a parallel to Annis' actions re: Arthur and Morgana a few episodes earlier, though more clumsily written, because what makes Atala (spelling?) change his mind isn't Merlin himself but Gaius' loyalty to and predictions about him. This is a far cry from the season 1 days where magic users coming to Camelot were out for personal vengeance (no matter how understandable) and didn't care what happened to the rest of the people as long as Uther got hurt. By now, they're increasingly portrayed as a diverse community with individual goals and the welfare of other people in mind, and this is a very welcome change.
Both better written and just as important, if not more so, was the final scene between Arthur and Gaius. I was expecting an apology scene but what I got was so much better. During the last four years, any number of great and not so great Arthur-finds-out stories were written, but what increasingly bothered me about this fanfiction was that the "Merlin has magic" after intial shock leads to "Merlin is good, therefore magic can be good" and Arthur then going on with a magic-tolerant or pro-magic attitude. And this just even taking into account the narrative frame work of this particular show is far too simple for me. Which is why as opposed to many a fan I've gone increasingly off wanting a big reveal right now; what I want instead is Arthur gradually changing his mind set, which is both more hard work and more realistic. ( Sidenote: one of many reasons why I wish they'd kept that scene from the leaked "Wicked Day" script where Arthur confides to Gwen about his doubts re: magic because that shows he has them independent from one particular magic user being able to do something for him on that occasion (and also of course because it says something about his relationship with Gwen, and Gwen's own attitude to magic).) Anyway, when the conversation between Gaius and Arthur moved beyond the apology level to Arthur asking Gaius point blank about what was bothering him (and had swayed him to Agrivaine's side), the fact that Arthur knew Gaius was lying about the "old sorceror"'s whereabouts, I sat up. And when Gaius then used the opportunity not for a standard denial in reply but to make a point to Arthur about the diversity of magic users intentions in general and the fact that Uther's death had not been this particular magic users fault in particular, and Arthur took that in (very well played, Bradley James) and thought about it, I practically cheered. Because the issue here isn't "magic user X" (be he Gaius or Merlin) "is not evil, therefore I should be nice to him and magic is good" but "magic per se is neutral a nd every person should be judged on their own merits". This elevates the Gaius-gets-framed plot from a filler story to an important stepping stone for Arthur's overall mentality change.
(Incidentally: for what it's worth, I think Arthur's reaction when the framed Gaius supposedly fled (aka was kidnapped) in the middle of the night - stopping Agrivaine from ordering pursuit and letting Gaius go instead - is probably what he would have done if Merlin had been revealed ca season 2.)
My standard complaint: MORE GWEN PLEASE, applies to this episode, but I am glad we finally got a scene just between her and Merlin again, showing their friendship and her attempt to comfort him. The show continues to make a community of friends an important plot point for both Merlin and Arthur; here, it's Gwaine whose friendship for Merlin is crucial in the saving Gaius stakes (and once more as often this season, hooray for emotional continuity and the use of the knights). Gwaine's showdown with Agrivaine was very good, emphasizing the later's quick thinking and ability to improvise (always useful in a villain) but also leaves you with the impression Gwaine isn't completely swayed, just putting Gaius' life first, and will be an important ally against Agrivaine among the knights.
By contrast, Morgana is increasingly unable to form human connections; she has Agrivaine's loyalty but isn't giving him anything in return, and loses her second temporary ally in a row because they consider her the worse choice when compared her self chosen enemies. That she's willing to buy Atala's allegiance with Morgause's first gift to her - the bracelet that stopped the torment of her dreams, carrying the magic of healing - only to find that bracelet discarded in the sand by the end of the episode has a haunting symbolism. Morgause making Morgana the instrument of her death has left a wound that is still not healed, and Morgana's increasing tunnel vision means that while she seeks new allies/partners, she either eventually repels them or is unable to connect to them.
no subject
Date: 2011-11-14 06:59 pm (UTC)Yes, exactly.
The more I think and talk about this episode the more I realize how important it is that Gaius was the center of it because it's his policies about handling Uther that have shaped how he and Merlin handle Arthur and those need to change. The truth needs to be spoken, as Gaius did at the end with Arthur, to affect real change. Gaius, I think, is beginning to see that need. Also, for someone who is such a secret keeper to give away one of his most dear and largest secrets under torture must be very damaging to sense of self and his psyche. Even if in the end it might be the best thing for the future of everyone involved.
Boo, I have no Gwaine icons here
Date: 2011-11-14 09:50 pm (UTC)I also see no reason why he might not have figured out Merlin's magical abilities based on his fight with burly naked guy.
no subject
Date: 2011-11-15 06:28 am (UTC)Re: Boo, I have no Gwaine icons here
Date: 2011-11-15 06:30 am (UTC)