Merlin 4.13
Dec. 26th, 2011 01:26 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
selenakYuletide and Christmas tv simultanously make it difficult to remain up to date with one's reviews. Here's the one for the finale for what has become my favourite season of the show so far.
As most often, I start with the nitpicks, indulging my need to end on a high. While I had hoped Tristan and Isolde would both make it into the next season, I was afraid one of them might die, because, well, however unlike the precedents, they're Tristan and Isolde. (Tragic lovers tm). Still, couldn't it have been Tristan? He does die first in the various versions of the myth, you know, and given the show's cheerful anachronisms are us attitude, it would have been great to have a female knight on the Round Table. Especially given that the team of three fighting she, Tristan and Arthur undertook before that was terrific, and I do appreciate Isolde was the one to kill Helios (and save Arthur while she was at it), but curses, show, for killing her off then.
As mentioned in my review of the previous episode, I'm on board with no spell explanation as far as the Arthur and Gwen relationship is concerned (more about that aspect of it when I get to Arthur) but not as far as Gwen herself is concerned. She deserved to know she had been mindmessed with for her own sake. I was so hoping Morgana would let it slip during their encounter, but no. Then again, the one ongoing complaint about the show I have is "needs more Gwen".
On to everything else, which I loved. Yes, including the fact there was no big magic reveal. I might have mentioned once or twice (ahem) that Merlin coming out as a sorceror to Arthur isn't that important to me, as opposed to most of the fandom, and I always hoped/wanted what fanfic would never give me, Arthur changing his attitude about magic first, and not based on his feelings about Merlin. And this season made some great steps in that direction. One of which was a cut scene between Arthur and Gwen, grrr, argh, but on screen and shown were the Arthur and Gaius conversation, the subsequent haunted-by-druids episode ending in the first big law change, and now, in this episode, the scene I've been waiting for all season: Arthur and Morgana coming face to face again, for the first time ever in the full knowledge of deeds and being on both sides.
It's seriously one of my favourite scenes of the show, full stop. What I appreciate most about it is how layered it is and both of them get to make points, not just one of them. I love that it starts with Arthur, instead of an accusation, asks "what happened to you, Morgana?" I love that Morgana does admit instead of denying it that the friendship/love between them used to be mutual. I love that she is finally given an on screen vocalized reason for her volte face re: Arthur, and that it ties in the earlier druid ghost episode and what I appreciated so much about said episode, i.e. that it's important for Arthur to admit his own culpability in the persecution of magic users instead of blaming it all on Uther. I loved that neither Arthur nor Morgana gets to use Uther as an excuse for their respective actions. Yes, he formed them, but they're adults now, and whatever they do, good or bad, is their own responsibility.
The later Gwen and Morgana confrontation, while not what I'd hoped for, nonetheless brought up something important, character-wise: Morgana's reply to Gwen's "whatever did I do to you to make you hate me so much?" question. Because said reply - that it's not about Gwen, but what Gwen represents (i.e. the vision of Gwen as queen in Camelot, though Morgana does not add that) - showcases that Morgana has stopped seeing Gwen as a person a good while ago. And may have never seen her as such, rather than as her sweetly supportive maid, sad to say.
Speaking of support, I continue to adore the little but much appreciated touches that make the knights people instead of cue suppliers, such as Elyan's "I've been locked in a cell with Gwaine for a week, what do you think?" joke to Percival when they're rescued.
If the Arthur and Morgana confrontation was one characterisation highlight for me, Merlin's last confrontation with Agrivaine was another. Note that Merlin in this episode uses some rather dark magic - the puppet to give Morgana nightmares and make her own magic ineffective, i.e. the very instrument Morgana used on Uther in season 3, and the blast of lethal power that kills Agrivaine's followers (and finally Agrivaine himself). (For those of us tuning in longer, that's what Mordred did in 2.11, and he didn't kill nearly as many.) I don't think Merlin took that many lives before on one occasion, and the way the scene plays out you can see the ambiguity of his nature highlighted: he knows he lured them to their deaths, and that he'll kill them. He isn't gloating or triumphant about it, but neither is he angsty or repentant. And then Agrivaine gets one last blow in with his admiring observation that he and Merlin have a lot in common, what with deceiving and lying to Arthur all the time while being at his side, only Merlin is better at it. Ouch. And also, true. Yes, Merlin's purpose is different. But... Agrivaine still has a point.
Merlin orchestrating Arthur pulling out the sword from the stone and coming up with the "only the true king" story while he's at it to boost Arthur's confidence is one thing which I imagine some viewers disliked, but I didn't. This season we've seen a lot of Arthur coming into his own as king (stumbling included, but also advances), but somewhat less of Merlin coming into his own as once and future sorceror, though we saw him more and more as Arthur's advisor. But here he's confident (correctly) and manipulating events, and the idea of making the whole sword-out-of-a-stone story both a truth and a lie at the same time pleases me because that's such a fitting description about so much about Merlin. Also I loved that Arthur was halfway between believing and not - that he wanted to but also suspected Merlin was making things up as he went along.
Arthur deciding that Gwen's supposed betrayal doesn't matter to him anymore - indeed the whole fallout and reconciliation story this second half of the season - is probably foreshadowing of how things will go down with Merlin once Merlin does come out with the truth or is discovered. For all that he has a dark side (and guilt) of his own, one of Arthur's strengths that he is capable of forgiveness of real or perceived betrayal. (For example, I think he'd forgive Morgana despite everything she did if she asked him to; but a) Morgana won't forgive him, and b) Morgana is unable to see her own culpability, either.
Lastly: making Aithusa Morgana's rescuer made me chortle with glee, because it was such a neat twist to the "omg baby dragon!" fluffyness of the earlier episode's ending, and it's such a lovely irony/counterpoint to Kilgarrah condemning her long before she actually did anything. Love you, show!
As most often, I start with the nitpicks, indulging my need to end on a high. While I had hoped Tristan and Isolde would both make it into the next season, I was afraid one of them might die, because, well, however unlike the precedents, they're Tristan and Isolde. (Tragic lovers tm). Still, couldn't it have been Tristan? He does die first in the various versions of the myth, you know, and given the show's cheerful anachronisms are us attitude, it would have been great to have a female knight on the Round Table. Especially given that the team of three fighting she, Tristan and Arthur undertook before that was terrific, and I do appreciate Isolde was the one to kill Helios (and save Arthur while she was at it), but curses, show, for killing her off then.
As mentioned in my review of the previous episode, I'm on board with no spell explanation as far as the Arthur and Gwen relationship is concerned (more about that aspect of it when I get to Arthur) but not as far as Gwen herself is concerned. She deserved to know she had been mindmessed with for her own sake. I was so hoping Morgana would let it slip during their encounter, but no. Then again, the one ongoing complaint about the show I have is "needs more Gwen".
On to everything else, which I loved. Yes, including the fact there was no big magic reveal. I might have mentioned once or twice (ahem) that Merlin coming out as a sorceror to Arthur isn't that important to me, as opposed to most of the fandom, and I always hoped/wanted what fanfic would never give me, Arthur changing his attitude about magic first, and not based on his feelings about Merlin. And this season made some great steps in that direction. One of which was a cut scene between Arthur and Gwen, grrr, argh, but on screen and shown were the Arthur and Gaius conversation, the subsequent haunted-by-druids episode ending in the first big law change, and now, in this episode, the scene I've been waiting for all season: Arthur and Morgana coming face to face again, for the first time ever in the full knowledge of deeds and being on both sides.
It's seriously one of my favourite scenes of the show, full stop. What I appreciate most about it is how layered it is and both of them get to make points, not just one of them. I love that it starts with Arthur, instead of an accusation, asks "what happened to you, Morgana?" I love that Morgana does admit instead of denying it that the friendship/love between them used to be mutual. I love that she is finally given an on screen vocalized reason for her volte face re: Arthur, and that it ties in the earlier druid ghost episode and what I appreciated so much about said episode, i.e. that it's important for Arthur to admit his own culpability in the persecution of magic users instead of blaming it all on Uther. I loved that neither Arthur nor Morgana gets to use Uther as an excuse for their respective actions. Yes, he formed them, but they're adults now, and whatever they do, good or bad, is their own responsibility.
The later Gwen and Morgana confrontation, while not what I'd hoped for, nonetheless brought up something important, character-wise: Morgana's reply to Gwen's "whatever did I do to you to make you hate me so much?" question. Because said reply - that it's not about Gwen, but what Gwen represents (i.e. the vision of Gwen as queen in Camelot, though Morgana does not add that) - showcases that Morgana has stopped seeing Gwen as a person a good while ago. And may have never seen her as such, rather than as her sweetly supportive maid, sad to say.
Speaking of support, I continue to adore the little but much appreciated touches that make the knights people instead of cue suppliers, such as Elyan's "I've been locked in a cell with Gwaine for a week, what do you think?" joke to Percival when they're rescued.
If the Arthur and Morgana confrontation was one characterisation highlight for me, Merlin's last confrontation with Agrivaine was another. Note that Merlin in this episode uses some rather dark magic - the puppet to give Morgana nightmares and make her own magic ineffective, i.e. the very instrument Morgana used on Uther in season 3, and the blast of lethal power that kills Agrivaine's followers (and finally Agrivaine himself). (For those of us tuning in longer, that's what Mordred did in 2.11, and he didn't kill nearly as many.) I don't think Merlin took that many lives before on one occasion, and the way the scene plays out you can see the ambiguity of his nature highlighted: he knows he lured them to their deaths, and that he'll kill them. He isn't gloating or triumphant about it, but neither is he angsty or repentant. And then Agrivaine gets one last blow in with his admiring observation that he and Merlin have a lot in common, what with deceiving and lying to Arthur all the time while being at his side, only Merlin is better at it. Ouch. And also, true. Yes, Merlin's purpose is different. But... Agrivaine still has a point.
Merlin orchestrating Arthur pulling out the sword from the stone and coming up with the "only the true king" story while he's at it to boost Arthur's confidence is one thing which I imagine some viewers disliked, but I didn't. This season we've seen a lot of Arthur coming into his own as king (stumbling included, but also advances), but somewhat less of Merlin coming into his own as once and future sorceror, though we saw him more and more as Arthur's advisor. But here he's confident (correctly) and manipulating events, and the idea of making the whole sword-out-of-a-stone story both a truth and a lie at the same time pleases me because that's such a fitting description about so much about Merlin. Also I loved that Arthur was halfway between believing and not - that he wanted to but also suspected Merlin was making things up as he went along.
Arthur deciding that Gwen's supposed betrayal doesn't matter to him anymore - indeed the whole fallout and reconciliation story this second half of the season - is probably foreshadowing of how things will go down with Merlin once Merlin does come out with the truth or is discovered. For all that he has a dark side (and guilt) of his own, one of Arthur's strengths that he is capable of forgiveness of real or perceived betrayal. (For example, I think he'd forgive Morgana despite everything she did if she asked him to; but a) Morgana won't forgive him, and b) Morgana is unable to see her own culpability, either.
Lastly: making Aithusa Morgana's rescuer made me chortle with glee, because it was such a neat twist to the "omg baby dragon!" fluffyness of the earlier episode's ending, and it's such a lovely irony/counterpoint to Kilgarrah condemning her long before she actually did anything. Love you, show!
no subject
Date: 2011-12-27 07:23 pm (UTC)I really loved the Merlin and Agravaine confrontation as well but I wish there had been more to it. Agravaine was delighted at Merlin's deception and Merlin was ruthless and I wanted more of both.
Everything you said about betryal and forgiveness is what I was trying to say in my review but didn't quite get across.
no subject
Date: 2011-12-29 03:11 pm (UTC)I've been meaning to do a season rewatch anyway, to see it all play out in a marathon. (With the privilege of fast forwarding through all the boring scenes in Lamia.) It's thrilling to read
no subject
Date: 2011-12-29 03:43 pm (UTC)In about a week, Merlin season 4 will start airing in the U.S. on the cable station Syfy, and I plan to do a rewatch with the benefit of closed captioning--the downloaded versions don't have closed captioning embedded, and I still haven't figured out a way to play the avi versions on my TV with captions added.
I'm not hard of hearing, but sometimes I just can't make out what television characters are saying, that having that available should help me analyze stuff in a little more depth.
no subject
Date: 2011-12-29 03:58 pm (UTC)http://zahrawithaz.livejournal.com/35111.html
no subject
Date: 2011-12-29 05:18 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-12-29 11:56 pm (UTC)