In a time of myth and magic...
Apr. 13th, 2012 10:58 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
selenakA few days ago kalypso posted that this was the first Easter without Doctor Who on tv since the series got relaunched. While this caused a brief emotional tally on the lines on "huh, true; I don't miss it, though; am looking forward to the next season in the sense of expecting to be entertained, but the emotional distance to all characters factor has not changed, so there is no "I want more, and I want it now!" on my part".
However, you know which show I really, really miss, so that I grabbed my shiny dvds of same and rewatched episodes and wish there'd be new ones already even though they won't be on screen for months and months? Merlin.
What I started my rewatch with, btw, wasn't the start of the show, or the most recent season (4) of epicness, but s3, which I remembered as a mixed affair, with parts I loved and parts that made me headdesk. Said impression didn't change. Unfunny slapstick violence still extremely unfunny: check; lovely Merlin and Gwen friendship scenes: still extremely lovely and shiny. And so forth. Seriously, not only is the Gwen and Merlin detective duo friendship one of my favourite things about the show but it makes for an immediate disconnect if any fanfic (usually of the Merlin/Arthur kind) tries to sell me on Merlin secretly seething with jealousy and resentment. Or vice versa. They adore, respect and tease each other (and oh, btw, fully support each other's respective relationships with Arthur) and it's lovely to watch, so after grumbling "where's the fanfic" I decided that the next thing I'm writing in this fandom, whenever that will be, will focus on the Gwen and Merlin relationship.
While several aspects of s3 remain frustrating, one writerly decision I continue to be grateful for and regard as very rewarding is not to push the reboot button re: Kilgarrah. . After s2 ended there were some expectations that a meagre excuse would be found for the dragon to end up in the dungeon again so he and Merlin could have their weekly exposition chats, but no. With the result that every time the wily old beast does show up, I'm delighted beyond words. Basically in s3 and s4, the show treats Kilgarrah as Neil Gaiman once said he treated Death in the Sandman comics, as an expensive guest star only brought back when it's really important, and therefore not overexposed and treasured. On that note, it's also fascinating to look back and see how the dragon got from a flimsy exposition device at the start of the show to a trickster character in his own right. I think the first time Kilgarrah showed actual personality was in the late s1 episodes, from the Mordred one onwards, and by later s2 we were at a point where the writers built in some quirks like the one comic relief scene in the extremely angsty Fires of Idrisholas, when the dragon pretends to be asleep at first when Merlin shows up (plus Colin Morgan does some great facial acting to GCI when Merlin realises Kilgarrah is faking it). But really, the dragon at large puts the whole thing on another level, not least because it makes those chats with Merlin, when they do happen, far less predictable. In terms of the overall mythology of the show, Kilgarrah being both capable of help and destructivenes (and of course manipulation) provides always quite illuminating scenes for how Merlin relates to magic, full stop.
Something that's only possible to wonder about with the knowledge of s4 events to come is Uther in s3. Now back when I marathoned the first two seasons, one fandom complaint I agreed with was that the excuses the show found to keep Uther around were increasingly flimsy on a Watsonian level for the Doylist "we love having Tony Head in the cast". Given that the show did, to great effect and surprise, kill off Uther after all in the third s4 episode (and kept him dead), we now know they were willing to go there. So - should it have happened earlier? Rewatching s3 made me conclude that no, it shouldn't have. Not just because yes, ASH = always an asset. Even leaving the unfunny violence slapstick aside, Merlin early in s3 doesn't yet have the unofficial advisor status with Arthur he has in s4, and Arthur in s3 goes from the point blank refusal to take his father's place in the season opener to verbally acknowledging "my father is wrong" in Gwaine (something he felt in the s1 equivalent episode Lancelot but never would have said out loud, let alone in front of Merlin and the not-yet-knight in question) to agreeing with Gwen at the end of Queen of Hearts when she says he will (have to) be a different king than his father. This doesn't mean he's rejecting Uther, or that in some ways he doesn't still want to be the king Uther wants him to be (see also: Agrivaine getting some millage out of this in s4), but it's the development that enables him to become de facto king at the end of s3 before Uther's death finalizes it in 4.03.
Also, keeping Uther alive through s3 (instead of, say, killing him off at the start of s3 as he will be killed off in early s4) allows for two more confrontations and a non-confrontation to happen which needed to. Queen of Hearts provides a startling contrast/parallel scene to 1.03 when Gwen is again brought before Uther and wrongly accused of sorcery. In s 1, she was understandably terrified. In s 3, she is winning her confrontation with Uther with just two sentences, not shouted, spoken in her quiet, fierce way, that are far more effective a condemnation of Uther than many a "Why and how I hate Uther: let me count the ways" monologue by many a guest star, first her reply to Uther's "why else would my son fall for someone like you?" - "I wouldn't expect someone like you to understand" - and then her "My father was a good and innocent man, and you murdered him". The same episode also offers Merlin, taking on for the first time the disguise of his old self, the chance to speak to Uther without inhibition. Which he has never had until then. S3 also started to change the show's format from the previous two seasons, where the guest stars who were opposed to or actively striking against Uther usually always hurt a lot of other people besides, thus necessitating them ending up dead (unless they were long term antagonists, like Morgause) at the end of their story. S3 introduces Gwaine as a sympathetic and heroic character who unequivocally states he doesn't want to serve a king like Uther (and sticks to that; Gwaine doesn't join Camelot until Uther is out of comission); Alice, who while being used by her episode's villain survives her episode and has her general opposition to Uther based on the sound grounds of his magical persecution, not the villain's devices (Alice is also important because she's a might have been for Gaius in more ways than one; she's the magic user who fled instead of staying around and compromising; and because she's female and of Gaius' age, characterised as sympathetic throughout, and again, exits her story alive, sane, and still sympathetic.) And Gilly, who is a might have been for Merlin, and not, as, say, Edwin in s1 a villainous one, but a genuine alternative; again, a sympathetic magic user who makes it out of his story alive, unvillanous and sane. (Long term wise, I think it's also telling that Merlin is far more open about his resentment of having to hide his magical accomplishments after his encounter with Gilly. It's increasingly an issue for him in s4 which makes for great storytelling irony because s4 is when he gets more and more open credit about his unmagical accmplishments.)
Then there's the whole matter of the Uther-is-Morgana's-father reveal. While I still wish Morgana in s3 had been handled more subtly (smirks: still grating, and if they really wanted the paternal revelation to be the straw which broke the camel's back for Morgana, they should have let her act differently before it, instead of as identical before and after in s3), Uther's side of that story was something that needed to be seen. Something I also noted as useful for the overall characterisation this time around is that when Uther tells Gaius (and comatose Morgana) the truth in The Cystal Cave; he explicitly says he could never go public with this and had to keep it a secret because of Arthur (and Arthur's right to the throne, because in this fantasy realm apparantly there's not a problem as such with women inheriting, or illegitimate children), which gives Morgana later a credible motivation to turn against Arthur, not just Uther (or I should say a motivation in addition to the one made textual in their scene together in s4 finale, i.e. Arthur's participation in Uther's anti-magic policies). Uther in The Crystal Cave demanding that Gaius should help Morgana via magic (while still merrily continuing his anti magic policies in general) harks not only back to the past (i.e. the original fall/crime with Ygraine) but provides a great parallel/contrast to Arthur in The Wicked Day; illustrating the way Arthur is and isn't like his father. It even provides an answer, imo, to one of the big what if questions, i.e. what if Morgana had told Uther the truth about having magic in s2? (The answer being that nothing would have happened to her - because Uther's love for his children is definitely stronger than his hate for magic - but it wouldn't have changed a bit for any other magic user in the kingdom.)
One more s3 thing about Uther and his messed up parenting and value system in a worth-to-keep-ASH-for-one-more-season-for-this-alone way: his reaction to the Gwen news in regards to Arthur, going from amusement (as long as he thinks it's just sex and Arthur having a fling with a servant, which isn't just one of the show's few vague nods to historical likelihood but entirely in tandem to Uther's behaviour re: servants in general) to outrage and chilling determination to get rid of Gwen in no time flat as soon as he realizes Arthuir is serious about her (even before Morgana provides him with the excuse of accusing Gwen of sorcery) to one is one of the most intense and creepiest and therefore one of my favourite Uther moments - stroking Arthur on the cheek while telling his son Arthur will be grateful once Gwen is dead.
Something else that occured to me when rewatching s3 episodes it that this is a show which definitely sides on the self-fulfilling part of "are prophecies reliable?" Both for Morgana and Merlin. Merlin as opposed to Morgana doesn't have a natural gift of precognition and thus needs artificial aid for future visions, and The Crystal Cave, one of the two occasions where he does get a look at the future via such means, to use a bad pun, really crystalizes the idea that such visions are dangerous when used as a guide line and his actions to avoid them are in fact what makes them come true. Morgana's Gwen as Queen (and may I repeat, I'll always be grateful that what she sees isn't Arthur's and Gwen's wedding but explicitly Gwen's coronation as queen, because Gwen not "just" being a consort but a queen for Camelot is such an important part of the Gwen and Arthur relationship) similarly cause actions that in the end all contribute to making that vision come true, and of course her response to being told "Emrys" is her nemesis has a similar effect. It's hard to say whether or not ther Merlinverse is one where the future is actually predetermined because in all these cases, you can always argue that the characters choosing to ignore the future visions instead of actively seeking to avoid them would have left them unfulfilled. Or, as Vir puts it in a (prophetic) dream of Londo Mollari's on Babylon 5, maybe prophecy is a guess you make come true and otherwise a dream stays just that, a dream.
Lastly: someone give the directors and camera guys awards already, because even haters would have to admit this is one of the best-looking shows around.
kalypso posted that this was the first Easter without Doctor Who on tv since the series got relaunched. While this caused a brief emotional tally on the lines on "huh, true; I don't miss it, though; am looking forward to the next season in the sense of expecting to be entertained, but the emotional distance to all characters factor has not changed, so there is no "I want more, and I want it now!" on my part". However, you know which show I really, really miss, so that I grabbed my shiny dvds of same and rewatched episodes and wish there'd be new ones already even though they won't be on screen for months and months? Merlin.
What I started my rewatch with, btw, wasn't the start of the show, or the most recent season (4) of epicness, but s3, which I remembered as a mixed affair, with parts I loved and parts that made me headdesk. Said impression didn't change. Unfunny slapstick violence still extremely unfunny: check; lovely Merlin and Gwen friendship scenes: still extremely lovely and shiny. And so forth. Seriously, not only is the Gwen and Merlin detective duo friendship one of my favourite things about the show but it makes for an immediate disconnect if any fanfic (usually of the Merlin/Arthur kind) tries to sell me on Merlin secretly seething with jealousy and resentment. Or vice versa. They adore, respect and tease each other (and oh, btw, fully support each other's respective relationships with Arthur) and it's lovely to watch, so after grumbling "where's the fanfic" I decided that the next thing I'm writing in this fandom, whenever that will be, will focus on the Gwen and Merlin relationship.
While several aspects of s3 remain frustrating, one writerly decision I continue to be grateful for and regard as very rewarding is not to push the reboot button re: Kilgarrah. . After s2 ended there were some expectations that a meagre excuse would be found for the dragon to end up in the dungeon again so he and Merlin could have their weekly exposition chats, but no. With the result that every time the wily old beast does show up, I'm delighted beyond words. Basically in s3 and s4, the show treats Kilgarrah as Neil Gaiman once said he treated Death in the Sandman comics, as an expensive guest star only brought back when it's really important, and therefore not overexposed and treasured. On that note, it's also fascinating to look back and see how the dragon got from a flimsy exposition device at the start of the show to a trickster character in his own right. I think the first time Kilgarrah showed actual personality was in the late s1 episodes, from the Mordred one onwards, and by later s2 we were at a point where the writers built in some quirks like the one comic relief scene in the extremely angsty Fires of Idrisholas, when the dragon pretends to be asleep at first when Merlin shows up (plus Colin Morgan does some great facial acting to GCI when Merlin realises Kilgarrah is faking it). But really, the dragon at large puts the whole thing on another level, not least because it makes those chats with Merlin, when they do happen, far less predictable. In terms of the overall mythology of the show, Kilgarrah being both capable of help and destructivenes (and of course manipulation) provides always quite illuminating scenes for how Merlin relates to magic, full stop.
Something that's only possible to wonder about with the knowledge of s4 events to come is Uther in s3. Now back when I marathoned the first two seasons, one fandom complaint I agreed with was that the excuses the show found to keep Uther around were increasingly flimsy on a Watsonian level for the Doylist "we love having Tony Head in the cast". Given that the show did, to great effect and surprise, kill off Uther after all in the third s4 episode (and kept him dead), we now know they were willing to go there. So - should it have happened earlier? Rewatching s3 made me conclude that no, it shouldn't have. Not just because yes, ASH = always an asset. Even leaving the unfunny violence slapstick aside, Merlin early in s3 doesn't yet have the unofficial advisor status with Arthur he has in s4, and Arthur in s3 goes from the point blank refusal to take his father's place in the season opener to verbally acknowledging "my father is wrong" in Gwaine (something he felt in the s1 equivalent episode Lancelot but never would have said out loud, let alone in front of Merlin and the not-yet-knight in question) to agreeing with Gwen at the end of Queen of Hearts when she says he will (have to) be a different king than his father. This doesn't mean he's rejecting Uther, or that in some ways he doesn't still want to be the king Uther wants him to be (see also: Agrivaine getting some millage out of this in s4), but it's the development that enables him to become de facto king at the end of s3 before Uther's death finalizes it in 4.03.
Also, keeping Uther alive through s3 (instead of, say, killing him off at the start of s3 as he will be killed off in early s4) allows for two more confrontations and a non-confrontation to happen which needed to. Queen of Hearts provides a startling contrast/parallel scene to 1.03 when Gwen is again brought before Uther and wrongly accused of sorcery. In s 1, she was understandably terrified. In s 3, she is winning her confrontation with Uther with just two sentences, not shouted, spoken in her quiet, fierce way, that are far more effective a condemnation of Uther than many a "Why and how I hate Uther: let me count the ways" monologue by many a guest star, first her reply to Uther's "why else would my son fall for someone like you?" - "I wouldn't expect someone like you to understand" - and then her "My father was a good and innocent man, and you murdered him". The same episode also offers Merlin, taking on for the first time the disguise of his old self, the chance to speak to Uther without inhibition. Which he has never had until then. S3 also started to change the show's format from the previous two seasons, where the guest stars who were opposed to or actively striking against Uther usually always hurt a lot of other people besides, thus necessitating them ending up dead (unless they were long term antagonists, like Morgause) at the end of their story. S3 introduces Gwaine as a sympathetic and heroic character who unequivocally states he doesn't want to serve a king like Uther (and sticks to that; Gwaine doesn't join Camelot until Uther is out of comission); Alice, who while being used by her episode's villain survives her episode and has her general opposition to Uther based on the sound grounds of his magical persecution, not the villain's devices (Alice is also important because she's a might have been for Gaius in more ways than one; she's the magic user who fled instead of staying around and compromising; and because she's female and of Gaius' age, characterised as sympathetic throughout, and again, exits her story alive, sane, and still sympathetic.) And Gilly, who is a might have been for Merlin, and not, as, say, Edwin in s1 a villainous one, but a genuine alternative; again, a sympathetic magic user who makes it out of his story alive, unvillanous and sane. (Long term wise, I think it's also telling that Merlin is far more open about his resentment of having to hide his magical accomplishments after his encounter with Gilly. It's increasingly an issue for him in s4 which makes for great storytelling irony because s4 is when he gets more and more open credit about his unmagical accmplishments.)
Then there's the whole matter of the Uther-is-Morgana's-father reveal. While I still wish Morgana in s3 had been handled more subtly (smirks: still grating, and if they really wanted the paternal revelation to be the straw which broke the camel's back for Morgana, they should have let her act differently before it, instead of as identical before and after in s3), Uther's side of that story was something that needed to be seen. Something I also noted as useful for the overall characterisation this time around is that when Uther tells Gaius (and comatose Morgana) the truth in The Cystal Cave; he explicitly says he could never go public with this and had to keep it a secret because of Arthur (and Arthur's right to the throne, because in this fantasy realm apparantly there's not a problem as such with women inheriting, or illegitimate children), which gives Morgana later a credible motivation to turn against Arthur, not just Uther (or I should say a motivation in addition to the one made textual in their scene together in s4 finale, i.e. Arthur's participation in Uther's anti-magic policies). Uther in The Crystal Cave demanding that Gaius should help Morgana via magic (while still merrily continuing his anti magic policies in general) harks not only back to the past (i.e. the original fall/crime with Ygraine) but provides a great parallel/contrast to Arthur in The Wicked Day; illustrating the way Arthur is and isn't like his father. It even provides an answer, imo, to one of the big what if questions, i.e. what if Morgana had told Uther the truth about having magic in s2? (The answer being that nothing would have happened to her - because Uther's love for his children is definitely stronger than his hate for magic - but it wouldn't have changed a bit for any other magic user in the kingdom.)
One more s3 thing about Uther and his messed up parenting and value system in a worth-to-keep-ASH-for-one-more-season-for-this-alone way: his reaction to the Gwen news in regards to Arthur, going from amusement (as long as he thinks it's just sex and Arthur having a fling with a servant, which isn't just one of the show's few vague nods to historical likelihood but entirely in tandem to Uther's behaviour re: servants in general) to outrage and chilling determination to get rid of Gwen in no time flat as soon as he realizes Arthuir is serious about her (even before Morgana provides him with the excuse of accusing Gwen of sorcery) to one is one of the most intense and creepiest and therefore one of my favourite Uther moments - stroking Arthur on the cheek while telling his son Arthur will be grateful once Gwen is dead.
Something else that occured to me when rewatching s3 episodes it that this is a show which definitely sides on the self-fulfilling part of "are prophecies reliable?" Both for Morgana and Merlin. Merlin as opposed to Morgana doesn't have a natural gift of precognition and thus needs artificial aid for future visions, and The Crystal Cave, one of the two occasions where he does get a look at the future via such means, to use a bad pun, really crystalizes the idea that such visions are dangerous when used as a guide line and his actions to avoid them are in fact what makes them come true. Morgana's Gwen as Queen (and may I repeat, I'll always be grateful that what she sees isn't Arthur's and Gwen's wedding but explicitly Gwen's coronation as queen, because Gwen not "just" being a consort but a queen for Camelot is such an important part of the Gwen and Arthur relationship) similarly cause actions that in the end all contribute to making that vision come true, and of course her response to being told "Emrys" is her nemesis has a similar effect. It's hard to say whether or not ther Merlinverse is one where the future is actually predetermined because in all these cases, you can always argue that the characters choosing to ignore the future visions instead of actively seeking to avoid them would have left them unfulfilled. Or, as Vir puts it in a (prophetic) dream of Londo Mollari's on Babylon 5, maybe prophecy is a guess you make come true and otherwise a dream stays just that, a dream.
Lastly: someone give the directors and camera guys awards already, because even haters would have to admit this is one of the best-looking shows around.
