Merlin 5.08 and 5.09
Soo. I enjoyed both eps but found they had unsatisfying bits and continuity problems.
In 5.08 I did enjoy Merlin being off doing his own thing - or rather, someone else's thing - but I did find it a bid odd given that A) he knows Gwen is the traitor at Arthur's side, and B) he knows that there's a big fierce warrior who eats people of all shapes and sizes for breakfast coming for a casual visit. The Sarrum's story of how he tortured Morgana and Aithusa is absolutely horrible and even Arthur was going a bit green around the gills on hearing it.
Sometimes I think Colin Morgan is doing everything he can to fight against the fandom sighs about how pretty Merlin is, with the awkward falls and the spitting up foam and the contorted facial expressions. Hee. I like that Merlin's magic was all sputtery and fizzly from whatever Morgana gave him - some of the same black tarry goop she dipped the mandrake in, perhaps? And I like Daegal coming back to save him.
This episode was full of people treating others as they themselves are treated, or perhaps acting on what they see in other people's hearts. Morgana wants Gwen to make the Sarrum suffer as she did, and she poisons Merlin as he poisoned her; Gwen convinces the Sarrum to help her with every intention of not fulfilling her promise, and he helps her with the same intention to double-cross her; Daegal, crucially, comes back to help Merlin because Merlin was good and kind to him.
Loved Merlin's badassery. "You don't even have a sword!" "I don't need one." Take THAT, bandits.
Loved that even though Gwen is an able dresser, Arthur is all WANT MERLIN BACK WHERE IS MERLIN.
Now, 5.09. I am going to be in the minority when I say I cringed a bit at Colin's sorceress routine. He settled down after a little while but the first few minutes were all a bit too much campy lisping drag queen for my tastes, although I have no doubt that he had tremendous fun doing it and that they all enjoyed doing those scenes tremendously. The bit I did laugh out loud was the "You look familiar, sorceress." "Oh? Really?". But overall I felt it was just a bit too much Hilarious Fun for what was a very serious episode.
Apart from that, I really enjoyed this one. I loved that we cut straight to the chase without half an episode of Merlin persuading Arthur to suspect Gwen. I loved what a bad actor Arthur is when trying to seem normal in front of Gwen, bless him; the little nods between Arthur and Merlin while Arthur's making up his mind what to do; and Arthur's acceptance of Merlin's "funny feelings" and the way he connects Merlin and Mordred through that characteristic. I really do think that he's worked out there is something magical about Merlin. The way he's been questioning him this season - the "You feel all that?" a few eps ago and now the questioning about where Merlin thinks his "funny feelings" come from - I think Arthur is putting two and two together and coming up with, perhaps not four, but at least 3.5.
I especially loved Old Merlin going into see the Dochraid and being serious Emrys rather than comic Dragoon this time. The quiet power and the threat, the slashing at her with the sword - he really does not mess about at all, does he?
The scene between Morgana and Mordred was haunting and it showed Morgana's increased paranoia/fear/obsession/insanity and Mordred's sincere and utter belief in what he says about love and compassion and loyalty. I feel for Mordred, as he really has no idea why Merlin is being so suspicious of him. He's been beautifully done with really very little screentime.
Altogether I enjoyed both eps, despite my grumbles. I absolutely loved most of them and the bits that annoyed me don't really matter in the light of that :)