More Merlin 3x10--Guinevere Vidspam
I should be NaNoing, but the epicness of last night's Merlin is overwhelming me; more importantly, the HQIC Guinevere owns me like completely.
All vids clipped & edited by me as I take any excuse to what the glory that is Angel Coulby's acting.
This scene opens up the episode, and it is majestic and a far cry from how Guinevere was first introduced in the series. Here she is regal and royal instead of regal and a servant; and I love Guinevere is still "what am I doing here?" throughout the whole thing even as Merlin has his shipper smile and tears in his eyes, so proud and happy for her, and Arthur is smug as hell. But then Guinevere straightens her back, squares her shoulders, and she's so "game on" that I'm LIVING for it and WANTING it RIGHT NOW. The only problem I have with this scene, and it isn't Gwen related actually, is Merlin is still wearing his servant's uniform. I choose to believe since this is a "nightmare" and Morgana still has no idea Merlin can do magic, too, she can only "foresee" based off the information she already has. And the information she has is Arthur/Gwen/Merlin are the biggest OT3 in the land.
Remember how in 3x06, Gwen all but confirms she and Arthur have feelings for each other? I suppose we are supposed to handwave that because in this episode, Guinevere keeps her mouth shut, and I love it. Morgana is yapping away and Gwen is a.) confused as to why Morgana is pressing the point and b.) pleading the 5th before it's even been written. And then here comes poor transparent Arthur doing his level best to expose them and Gwen is staying in her lane and doing her job. Her professionalism is impressive and one to be admired, because Gwen knows about "times and places" for everything. Dinner with his father RIGHT THERE ain't the time NOR the place to be copping innocent feels, Arthur. You have the benefit of royalty; she does not. But Arthur will the learn the ramifications of that later on in the episode. Besides, Gwen knows now about Morgana's bizarre interest in her feelings for Arthur and vice versa; it wouldn't be the wisest thing to give her ammunition.
I included the bit with Arthur because he is very similar to his father with regard to Morgana. He has a severe blind spot when it comes to her and no filter. He basically tells Morgana what Gwen wouldn't, and since we're handwaving 3x06, Morgana lies and says Gwen is always talking about Arthur and gossiping and LOL not even in S2 was Gwen doing that, back when they were still at least friendly and Gwen's feelings were starting to grow. But again, the juxtaposition of these scenes is actually quite glorious because Gwen, despite her feelings for Arthur, still lives in the real world knows she'll be ass out if this doesn't end well; and I'll admit I was a little annoyed by how cavalier Merlin was "Arthur's willing to take the risk..." Of course he is; he's the damn crown prince! Way to ignore class and gender roles, Merlin. But then Merlin does the puppy eyes and the cute smile and Gwen can never deny him anything (she said so in S1's "Excalibur")--even if it is for the benefit of his boss. Not only that, this is the first time I think ever we see Gwen do something for GWEN, and I am so proud of my girl for this. Everything up to now has been for someone else, but she's decided to give herself one afternoon to pretend she is just a girl who likes a boy who likes her back. The amount of courage that takes for someone in her position...*huggles her*...and I really do like Merlin telling her it's okay to embrace a bit of happiness. That is what friends do, and I am LOVING their BFFness. They are so ride or die with each other I want to squish them.
And then this girl is such a terrible liar. If they try to line her up with the more popular versions of the legend (i.e., the adultery), they're going to have to do serious character assassination for both Gwen AND Arthur to the point of making them both unrootable and completely unrecognizable...or blame it on magic, which seems to be the most convenient scapegoat ever.
Guinevere is adorable. That was the very first thought that entered my mine when this scene appeared. Then I realized just how unusual this all must be for her. She's confused by Merlin's speechlessness, not because she'd never been noticed for her beauty before (Lance/Arthur/Gawaine have made it perfectly clear about that) but the fact this is probably the first time she's gone out of her way to be "pretty" for someone that she feels very self conscious about it, as if she'd tried too hard. Gwen doesn't put on airs; she is as natural as they come, so her response to Merlin's compliment is endearing. And maybe there is a bit of residual crush from S1, not in the sense she wants him, but more maybe of "oh NOW you notice?" lol, oh well.
Meanwhile, Arthur is apparently as vain as the day is long, and the BFFs clown him for it. I LOVE THESE THREE! ♥ Yet he's speechless and Gwen knows what to do with that, and I choose to believe it's because her BFF gave her confidence in her appearance earlier...and that "Go Half" look Arthur always sports when he looks at her helps too.
You can take the servant out of Camelot, but...this scene right here shows exactly what kind of Queen she will be. She's not longer in a service capacity but she's still serving, to the point Arthur must remind her she's on a date (and at the end of this clip, she tells him thank you for him serving her! Gracious future queen is so gracious.). And she is smiling. Her smile is radiant and so wonderful to see. She's not had much to be happy about for three seasons, mind, so this relaxed!Gwen is glorious. She's also relaxed enough to gently tease Arthur, this boy who's become a man groomed to be a king, dreams about being a farmer. That...won't end well for him, and she laughs when he says he'll bring Merlin because poor boy thinks he'll be in any kind of position to tell anyone what to do if he were a simple farmer. That laugh was so, "perhaps you might want to ask him first, but bless your heart." So, clearly, you can take the prince out of Camelot, but...
I also want to mention her reaction to his wish about leaving. She seems surprised and almost wistful. Her brother was able to travel the world; Arthur has desires to do the same. But she, as a single woman, she can't just pick up and leave like that on her own. It's very subtle, but in light of what happens later in the episode, I would like to suspect that was a bit of foreshadowing as well.
And here is Gwen being the responsible one. Again. Lord, Arthur needs her and Merlin to help run his Kingdom, obviously, because he is shite at paying attention to details. But Angel's acting in this particular is so awesome. She just does slight expression shifts to convey her thoughts and moods. She grows wistful when Arthur says "it's just a dream"; she grows afraid when he says to stay still; and she barely MOVES or SAYS anything and you GET THAT all from her. An actually she, Bradley, and Colin have some of the most wonderfully expressive faces. They are a joy to watch when they share scenes.
And then my girl takes CHARGE! I think Arthur's Very Pleased (TM) expression (and every time I see it I burst out laughing) was so adorable Gwen couldn't do anything else but kiss him; and, hell, if this was probably the last time they'd have this opportunity, she's coming away with a kiss and Arthur wasn't making a move. The confidence she had to just go for it, and not only that, caress him made me so proud of her! You're seeing her becoming empowered by not only his feelings for her, but her feelings for him, owning them, embracing them. I love it.
And I'm going to mention the A/G dynamic here too. When Arthur tells her to stay still, she doesn't question him. When he goes onto the "attack", she immediately curls her body into him. When Uther and Morgana come a-cockblockin', Arthur shoots STRAIGHT up and starts to curl his body around Gwen just in case it is a bandit this time. And as for the actual kiss, Arthur has his hands gripping his neck and his belt because this dude knows if he TOUCHES her they're going half on a baby. She trusts him to protect and he'll be damned if anything happens to her.
♥
Reason #94324 Guinevere is better than I am. This woman is worried about the king's ward, who is certainly in NO kinds of danger, when she's about to be ass out (which is what she'd TOLD Merlin back when he was being Camelot's eHarmony). And I'm loving Merlin for getting REAL salty about her care for someone who doesn't deserve it, forcing her instead to think about HER predicament, because Gwen's plight>>>>Morgana's all day right now. This woman still needs to work on putting herself first sometimes. It's okay, and sometimes very necessary. Oh, irony, Arthur's dream is to leave Camelot and be free of pressure, which is the same as her current nightmare. But here's Gwen allowing herself a mini breakdown before sucking it up and even giving her BFF a smile. This woman. Epic.
This is the once and future queen right here. RIGHT HERE! She owned Uther Pendragon with both hands tied behind her back. Remember the last time she was prone in front of him, back in "The Mark of Nimueh" and she was begging and pleading for her life? Now, oooh, now my girl is "bring it". My girl didn't hide behind aging magic or secret familial relations to tell Mr. Pendragon about himself. She looked him dead in his eyes. And when this jackass slapped her, did she scream or cry? No, ma'am. Twice this episode we saw Guinevere kneeling before a king, but I think it is this scene where she is at her most queenly. Here is where we see her all of her growth up to this point come to fruition. She'd had practice speaking her mind to Arthur since the end of S1, and now she's testing out her chops here, when all looks to be lost for her. She'd already said in "To Kill the King" Uther means nothing to her, so why should she temper her tongue. She was as good as dead when Uther produced the poultice, she had nothing to hide. And not one time did she say or do anything that indicated she was waiting for Arthur to swoop in to save the day (like a damsel in distress no doubt would have done). She kept it about her and Uther, and I'm about ride or die with my girl Guinevere because of it. Courage isn't just about wielding a sword, people. It's about standing up for justice and principles when that's all you have as weapons. Camelot needs a leader like that so very, very desperately. And then when Uther proves her point by claiming Gwen would seek "revenge" on Uther by making his son fall in love with her (God forbid LOVE is the way revenge happens...), all Gwen does is shake her head instead of gloat. Because I would've gloated right there about how far he missed the point.
Also, I shall completely disregard the kink that has entered my brain since the trailer aired wrt Uther/Gwen at the beginning of this scene. Thank you.
I'm sure Gwen has noticed these smirks, but probably thought little of them because Morgana and Arthur stayed taking the mickey out of each other and Morgana has a history of contentious relationships with Uther. Not only that, she'd been gone for a year, and Gwen was probably giving her space to readjust to her life in Camelot. But when that smirk is directed at her, and Gwen's done nothing to warrant it, alarm bells go off. That coupled with Morgana's earlier interest in her feelings for Arthur and vice versa, this girl is not dumb, ladies and gentlemen. Not only that, Gwen is much more willing to see things as they are. Her position in life doesn't allow for rose-colored glasses, after all. Again, easy for Merlin to say not to give up hope when his father hadn't been executed for the very reason and the very way she was about to be (incidentally, that was exacerbated by Morgana too); but notable again that as she's watching the agent of her demise being built, she is still concerned about Arthur. Although I'm a bit annoyed she doesn't mention Elyan (continuity glitch, ahoy) and I still don't think she quite realizes just how much Merlin adores her to ask if he will be okay when she's gone. Last time she was in the dungeons ("The Mark of Nimueh") she asked him to remember her, and then stayed giving him outs about not having to do that. Gwen, honey, more than one man unrelated to you is allowed to love you.
Reason #983482 Gwen wipes the floor with Arthur when they play poker. This girl is again SILENT and lets Morgana think whatever she wants in this really heart-wrenching scene here. I believe the last time they truly hugged was 2x04, back when Morgana really did give a modicum of a damn about Gwen; and now this chick was ready to have her loyal servant roast over a nightmare. Banishment wasn't good enough; no, death. WAT? And this heffa here comes strolling in with her fake hug and care and Gwen's return hug is flimsy, her hand clutching the laundry, Gwen counting the seconds until she's granted freedom. Gwen is so damn sharp; she would make the perfect wingwoman in council negotiations; because while she's a poor liar, she can definitely sniff one out better than Arthur can it seems.
Oh, look, Guinevere going about her job again. And there's Arthur skulking about yet being obvious again. And hi, shoutout to ep 2x02, but this time both parties are much more optimistic and both parties are talking about each other, and not the overall consideration of Camelot; but Gwen still reminds Arthur he WILL be king; and after this current experience, she is now more invested in Arthur taking the throne than ever. But then there goes Arthur's "Go Half" face once more, and Gwen touches him on her own volition and Arthur's really not listening to her now. But she wants some sugar before she goes...damn door. Damn Arthur's eyes sucking her into "Going Half" with him. Family show, Bradley; tone it down a little. In fact, all three of them need to tone it down (but not really, bc it's making ficcers v. happy). But Guinevere, my girl, knows about timing where Arthur, inexplicably does not, for all his knight training. I think their interactions are why I think Guinevere is older than he is; she's more savvy despite her lower station, and not naive at all; whereas Arthur painfully is sometimes.
Honestly, the real and true joy of his episode wasn't solely the wonderful A/G relationship progressing or the evolution of an OTP to an OT3 with Arthur, Guinevere, and Merlin; it's that for the first time in three seasons, our girl is front and center; and all of her background epicness over the course of three seasons is here for everyone to see, unavoidable--both as the viewer and as the other characters on the show. Gwen stood up to Uther and all but told Morgana (without saying a word) "I SEE YOU." She didn't put any overt expectations onto Arthur, willing to take their "date" as the only date, but what was happening to her made Arthur put up or shut up. And then Gwen tells him to get a grip and some perspective. It's not just about them. And here is where they will balance each other out; Gwen is selfless to a fault and Arthur is selfish to a fault. Gwen is practical and responsible while Arthur can allow space for dreaming and capriciousness. Gwen will never forget there is a need to serve while Arthur will never forget there is a need to lead as well. And then when you bring in the overarching protector that is Merlin, whether by destiny in the case of Arthur or by choice in the case of Gwen, this Camelot BBC is trying to build will be BEYOND epic.
All vids clipped & edited by me as I take any excuse to what the glory that is Angel Coulby's acting.
This scene opens up the episode, and it is majestic and a far cry from how Guinevere was first introduced in the series. Here she is regal and royal instead of regal and a servant; and I love Guinevere is still "what am I doing here?" throughout the whole thing even as Merlin has his shipper smile and tears in his eyes, so proud and happy for her, and Arthur is smug as hell. But then Guinevere straightens her back, squares her shoulders, and she's so "game on" that I'm LIVING for it and WANTING it RIGHT NOW. The only problem I have with this scene, and it isn't Gwen related actually, is Merlin is still wearing his servant's uniform. I choose to believe since this is a "nightmare" and Morgana still has no idea Merlin can do magic, too, she can only "foresee" based off the information she already has. And the information she has is Arthur/Gwen/Merlin are the biggest OT3 in the land.
Remember how in 3x06, Gwen all but confirms she and Arthur have feelings for each other? I suppose we are supposed to handwave that because in this episode, Guinevere keeps her mouth shut, and I love it. Morgana is yapping away and Gwen is a.) confused as to why Morgana is pressing the point and b.) pleading the 5th before it's even been written. And then here comes poor transparent Arthur doing his level best to expose them and Gwen is staying in her lane and doing her job. Her professionalism is impressive and one to be admired, because Gwen knows about "times and places" for everything. Dinner with his father RIGHT THERE ain't the time NOR the place to be copping innocent feels, Arthur. You have the benefit of royalty; she does not. But Arthur will the learn the ramifications of that later on in the episode. Besides, Gwen knows now about Morgana's bizarre interest in her feelings for Arthur and vice versa; it wouldn't be the wisest thing to give her ammunition.
I included the bit with Arthur because he is very similar to his father with regard to Morgana. He has a severe blind spot when it comes to her and no filter. He basically tells Morgana what Gwen wouldn't, and since we're handwaving 3x06, Morgana lies and says Gwen is always talking about Arthur and gossiping and LOL not even in S2 was Gwen doing that, back when they were still at least friendly and Gwen's feelings were starting to grow. But again, the juxtaposition of these scenes is actually quite glorious because Gwen, despite her feelings for Arthur, still lives in the real world knows she'll be ass out if this doesn't end well; and I'll admit I was a little annoyed by how cavalier Merlin was "Arthur's willing to take the risk..." Of course he is; he's the damn crown prince! Way to ignore class and gender roles, Merlin. But then Merlin does the puppy eyes and the cute smile and Gwen can never deny him anything (she said so in S1's "Excalibur")--even if it is for the benefit of his boss. Not only that, this is the first time I think ever we see Gwen do something for GWEN, and I am so proud of my girl for this. Everything up to now has been for someone else, but she's decided to give herself one afternoon to pretend she is just a girl who likes a boy who likes her back. The amount of courage that takes for someone in her position...*huggles her*...and I really do like Merlin telling her it's okay to embrace a bit of happiness. That is what friends do, and I am LOVING their BFFness. They are so ride or die with each other I want to squish them.
And then this girl is such a terrible liar. If they try to line her up with the more popular versions of the legend (i.e., the adultery), they're going to have to do serious character assassination for both Gwen AND Arthur to the point of making them both unrootable and completely unrecognizable...or blame it on magic, which seems to be the most convenient scapegoat ever.
Guinevere is adorable. That was the very first thought that entered my mine when this scene appeared. Then I realized just how unusual this all must be for her. She's confused by Merlin's speechlessness, not because she'd never been noticed for her beauty before (Lance/Arthur/Gawaine have made it perfectly clear about that) but the fact this is probably the first time she's gone out of her way to be "pretty" for someone that she feels very self conscious about it, as if she'd tried too hard. Gwen doesn't put on airs; she is as natural as they come, so her response to Merlin's compliment is endearing. And maybe there is a bit of residual crush from S1, not in the sense she wants him, but more maybe of "oh NOW you notice?" lol, oh well.
Meanwhile, Arthur is apparently as vain as the day is long, and the BFFs clown him for it. I LOVE THESE THREE! ♥ Yet he's speechless and Gwen knows what to do with that, and I choose to believe it's because her BFF gave her confidence in her appearance earlier...and that "Go Half" look Arthur always sports when he looks at her helps too.
You can take the servant out of Camelot, but...this scene right here shows exactly what kind of Queen she will be. She's not longer in a service capacity but she's still serving, to the point Arthur must remind her she's on a date (and at the end of this clip, she tells him thank you for him serving her! Gracious future queen is so gracious.). And she is smiling. Her smile is radiant and so wonderful to see. She's not had much to be happy about for three seasons, mind, so this relaxed!Gwen is glorious. She's also relaxed enough to gently tease Arthur, this boy who's become a man groomed to be a king, dreams about being a farmer. That...won't end well for him, and she laughs when he says he'll bring Merlin because poor boy thinks he'll be in any kind of position to tell anyone what to do if he were a simple farmer. That laugh was so, "perhaps you might want to ask him first, but bless your heart." So, clearly, you can take the prince out of Camelot, but...
I also want to mention her reaction to his wish about leaving. She seems surprised and almost wistful. Her brother was able to travel the world; Arthur has desires to do the same. But she, as a single woman, she can't just pick up and leave like that on her own. It's very subtle, but in light of what happens later in the episode, I would like to suspect that was a bit of foreshadowing as well.
And here is Gwen being the responsible one. Again. Lord, Arthur needs her and Merlin to help run his Kingdom, obviously, because he is shite at paying attention to details. But Angel's acting in this particular is so awesome. She just does slight expression shifts to convey her thoughts and moods. She grows wistful when Arthur says "it's just a dream"; she grows afraid when he says to stay still; and she barely MOVES or SAYS anything and you GET THAT all from her. An actually she, Bradley, and Colin have some of the most wonderfully expressive faces. They are a joy to watch when they share scenes.
And then my girl takes CHARGE! I think Arthur's Very Pleased (TM) expression (and every time I see it I burst out laughing) was so adorable Gwen couldn't do anything else but kiss him; and, hell, if this was probably the last time they'd have this opportunity, she's coming away with a kiss and Arthur wasn't making a move. The confidence she had to just go for it, and not only that, caress him made me so proud of her! You're seeing her becoming empowered by not only his feelings for her, but her feelings for him, owning them, embracing them. I love it.
And I'm going to mention the A/G dynamic here too. When Arthur tells her to stay still, she doesn't question him. When he goes onto the "attack", she immediately curls her body into him. When Uther and Morgana come a-cockblockin', Arthur shoots STRAIGHT up and starts to curl his body around Gwen just in case it is a bandit this time. And as for the actual kiss, Arthur has his hands gripping his neck and his belt because this dude knows if he TOUCHES her they're going half on a baby. She trusts him to protect and he'll be damned if anything happens to her.
♥
Reason #94324 Guinevere is better than I am. This woman is worried about the king's ward, who is certainly in NO kinds of danger, when she's about to be ass out (which is what she'd TOLD Merlin back when he was being Camelot's eHarmony). And I'm loving Merlin for getting REAL salty about her care for someone who doesn't deserve it, forcing her instead to think about HER predicament, because Gwen's plight>>>>Morgana's all day right now. This woman still needs to work on putting herself first sometimes. It's okay, and sometimes very necessary. Oh, irony, Arthur's dream is to leave Camelot and be free of pressure, which is the same as her current nightmare. But here's Gwen allowing herself a mini breakdown before sucking it up and even giving her BFF a smile. This woman. Epic.
This is the once and future queen right here. RIGHT HERE! She owned Uther Pendragon with both hands tied behind her back. Remember the last time she was prone in front of him, back in "The Mark of Nimueh" and she was begging and pleading for her life? Now, oooh, now my girl is "bring it". My girl didn't hide behind aging magic or secret familial relations to tell Mr. Pendragon about himself. She looked him dead in his eyes. And when this jackass slapped her, did she scream or cry? No, ma'am. Twice this episode we saw Guinevere kneeling before a king, but I think it is this scene where she is at her most queenly. Here is where we see her all of her growth up to this point come to fruition. She'd had practice speaking her mind to Arthur since the end of S1, and now she's testing out her chops here, when all looks to be lost for her. She'd already said in "To Kill the King" Uther means nothing to her, so why should she temper her tongue. She was as good as dead when Uther produced the poultice, she had nothing to hide. And not one time did she say or do anything that indicated she was waiting for Arthur to swoop in to save the day (like a damsel in distress no doubt would have done). She kept it about her and Uther, and I'm about ride or die with my girl Guinevere because of it. Courage isn't just about wielding a sword, people. It's about standing up for justice and principles when that's all you have as weapons. Camelot needs a leader like that so very, very desperately. And then when Uther proves her point by claiming Gwen would seek "revenge" on Uther by making his son fall in love with her (God forbid LOVE is the way revenge happens...), all Gwen does is shake her head instead of gloat. Because I would've gloated right there about how far he missed the point.
Also, I shall completely disregard the kink that has entered my brain since the trailer aired wrt Uther/Gwen at the beginning of this scene. Thank you.
I'm sure Gwen has noticed these smirks, but probably thought little of them because Morgana and Arthur stayed taking the mickey out of each other and Morgana has a history of contentious relationships with Uther. Not only that, she'd been gone for a year, and Gwen was probably giving her space to readjust to her life in Camelot. But when that smirk is directed at her, and Gwen's done nothing to warrant it, alarm bells go off. That coupled with Morgana's earlier interest in her feelings for Arthur and vice versa, this girl is not dumb, ladies and gentlemen. Not only that, Gwen is much more willing to see things as they are. Her position in life doesn't allow for rose-colored glasses, after all. Again, easy for Merlin to say not to give up hope when his father hadn't been executed for the very reason and the very way she was about to be (incidentally, that was exacerbated by Morgana too); but notable again that as she's watching the agent of her demise being built, she is still concerned about Arthur. Although I'm a bit annoyed she doesn't mention Elyan (continuity glitch, ahoy) and I still don't think she quite realizes just how much Merlin adores her to ask if he will be okay when she's gone. Last time she was in the dungeons ("The Mark of Nimueh") she asked him to remember her, and then stayed giving him outs about not having to do that. Gwen, honey, more than one man unrelated to you is allowed to love you.
Reason #983482 Gwen wipes the floor with Arthur when they play poker. This girl is again SILENT and lets Morgana think whatever she wants in this really heart-wrenching scene here. I believe the last time they truly hugged was 2x04, back when Morgana really did give a modicum of a damn about Gwen; and now this chick was ready to have her loyal servant roast over a nightmare. Banishment wasn't good enough; no, death. WAT? And this heffa here comes strolling in with her fake hug and care and Gwen's return hug is flimsy, her hand clutching the laundry, Gwen counting the seconds until she's granted freedom. Gwen is so damn sharp; she would make the perfect wingwoman in council negotiations; because while she's a poor liar, she can definitely sniff one out better than Arthur can it seems.
Oh, look, Guinevere going about her job again. And there's Arthur skulking about yet being obvious again. And hi, shoutout to ep 2x02, but this time both parties are much more optimistic and both parties are talking about each other, and not the overall consideration of Camelot; but Gwen still reminds Arthur he WILL be king; and after this current experience, she is now more invested in Arthur taking the throne than ever. But then there goes Arthur's "Go Half" face once more, and Gwen touches him on her own volition and Arthur's really not listening to her now. But she wants some sugar before she goes...damn door. Damn Arthur's eyes sucking her into "Going Half" with him. Family show, Bradley; tone it down a little. In fact, all three of them need to tone it down (but not really, bc it's making ficcers v. happy). But Guinevere, my girl, knows about timing where Arthur, inexplicably does not, for all his knight training. I think their interactions are why I think Guinevere is older than he is; she's more savvy despite her lower station, and not naive at all; whereas Arthur painfully is sometimes.
Honestly, the real and true joy of his episode wasn't solely the wonderful A/G relationship progressing or the evolution of an OTP to an OT3 with Arthur, Guinevere, and Merlin; it's that for the first time in three seasons, our girl is front and center; and all of her background epicness over the course of three seasons is here for everyone to see, unavoidable--both as the viewer and as the other characters on the show. Gwen stood up to Uther and all but told Morgana (without saying a word) "I SEE YOU." She didn't put any overt expectations onto Arthur, willing to take their "date" as the only date, but what was happening to her made Arthur put up or shut up. And then Gwen tells him to get a grip and some perspective. It's not just about them. And here is where they will balance each other out; Gwen is selfless to a fault and Arthur is selfish to a fault. Gwen is practical and responsible while Arthur can allow space for dreaming and capriciousness. Gwen will never forget there is a need to serve while Arthur will never forget there is a need to lead as well. And then when you bring in the overarching protector that is Merlin, whether by destiny in the case of Arthur or by choice in the case of Gwen, this Camelot BBC is trying to build will be BEYOND epic.