One down, two to go...
We`re nearing the end here and while this Season has been pretty much a big disappointment and I have no doubt the utterly clueless producers of this show are going to ruin Christmas for anyone who still watches (even when you can see the truck coming at you and brace yourself for it, that doesn`t mean the impact won`t still hurt), I kinda liked this episode.
Nope, it wasn`t a very satisfying turn for Mordred. But still better than any of the other numerous other shit they could have pulled.
Thing is, Mordred was a great and likeable character played by a wonderful actor. I really felt for him here as well. We know why Merlin distrusted him every step of the way but he never did. I fully felt his frustration and hurt when he asked Merlin why no matter what he, Mordred, did, Merlin would always assume the worst.
Morgana of all people might have had a point about him when some weeks back she called Mordred dangerously naive. He was/is. Throwing in with Morgana now won`t bring him happiness either and never would have but he can`t navigate those waters yet. Very tragic character indeed.
Apparently, Arthur is cool with the druids then? I wish they had made that more clear. His entire stance on magic has been infuriatingly inconsistent this Season. Sometimes he saves magic-users, sometimes they get hunted. Up, down, in, out. And what is this clusterfuck with him not knowing who Mordred is? He knows the boy was a druid in Season 1. So, he might have assumed he didn`t have magical powers as apparently some druids don`t (daughter of that guy back in the Season Opener).
The only thing I know for sure is that magic per se is still outlawed. As for sorcerers, I guess they are not being hunted for sorcery in the first place but for something they have done with it when caught?
I actually really liked Arthur`s portrayal here and wish we would have seen more of him being that King. Jettison the whole Evol!Gwen arc of pointlessness and make his relationship with the magical community clear. Thing is, I don`t have a problem with him not going "hooray, magic, come on in", seeing as magical troubles and people have tried to destroy Camelot for years on end. I also don`t have trouble with imprisoning/even executing magical people who abuse their powers for evil purposes.
We could have seen that peaceful magical users could live in the kingdom and be perfectly left alone and still could have had a fanatical subgroup of Morgana`s that went "kill, kill, kill, we want the POWER". And restore the nice rituals where high priestesses torture and brutally kill normally people because hey, they are useless vermin, there for the magical folks taking.
But then there wouldn`t have been a reason to keep the big stupid secret with Merlin going, would there? Urgh.
As it is, with everything so murky, people like Kara may have a point but Kara in this episode was way too fanatical. She was bascially like reverse-Uther. Morgana is the same. I can imagine vividly how much "fun" the non-magical people would have under HER reign.
Eh, chances are 99,99 % that it ends with NO reveal, Arthur dead and having fulfilled no great destiny whatsoever, Merlin living on through the ages to walk through our modern times for shits and giggles and also not having fulfilled anything. Morgana and Mordred will probably die as well. And Gwen will Mary Sue on on the throne of Camelot.
And hopefully the Beeb will be flooded with complaints from irate parents whose small children (there are still those watching the show) had their effing Christmas ruined by watching a show whose moral was what? All things go to shit without point or purpose? I think children CAN deal with the deaths of their hero characters in fictionary tales but not when it was completely and utterly without a point.
There is pretty much one moment that I would like to see though: we had Morgana`s cries of anguish when she believed Morgause had died, we had Mordred`s tears here followed by another cry of anguish when Kara died. There was a moment in the trailer that had Merlin screaming in rage and despair. I believe Merthur deserves that epic moment of Merlin screaming and magically blowing up a mountain over the death of the one HE loves the most.
Can I at least get that, beeb? For Christmas?