Merlin 4.05 - It's Not Easy Being King

[corilannam]

Okay, I know that's not really the title, but I don't remember what it actually was and I haven't read my flist yet and I'm so late on this because yesterday was my BFF's bday and I was fete'ing her into the wee hours and my thoughts are so teal this week that probably nobody's going to read it anyway.

And on that note....

Comments

[corilannam]

NOOOO, I love your reviews! I like yours better because you're much more concise than I am and always pull out the great moments that I kick myself for not mentioning.

I think it has been much too long since we saw any naked parts of Merlin. I mean, come on, Colin's face is filling out so nicely, I want a look at the rest of him, too!

I really love how lost Arthur has been and how much he still clings to the nearest father figure to tell him the right thing to do. It's so human. I'll be interested to see what might happen if Agravaine tries to turn Arthur against Merlin -- after this episode, I'm honestly not sure he would be able to.

YES, I LOVED IT WHEN ARTHUR LOOKED UP AT MERLIN! And it was fantastic when he deferred to Merlin - it felt like there was a definite significance to that moment, like Arthur is demonstrating whose opinion matters to him now.

I can't believe I forgot to mention cabbage head. *hearts SO MUCH* They definitely had incredible sex in that bed. No doubt.

DUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUDE.

[corilannam]

No, consistency is often a problem, which goes right to your point of how they break the stories and assign the writing (and who is actually making the full-season character arc decisions). This season has been more consistent in terms of characterization than the past couple, but I am very hesitant to get my hopes up week to week (but it is hard not to get my hopes up for BDSM, angst, and silliness).

FRANTIC WAR SEX IS THE BEST. And that is a damn good tent and bed to have it in. At first I was kind of disappointed that Merlin slept outside, but then I remembered that Arthur was still doing his Fortress of Solitude thing, so in normal times I bet Merlin TOTALLY sleeps in Arthur's bed tent.

[destina]

*"Old friend" -- this phrase just never works, unless the people involved are at least Uther-age.

LET US DISCUSS THIS AT LENGTH. OK, here's how I see it, from inside Arthur's shoes. He has no friends of any type who have been with him for as long as Merlin has. Those enabling jerks from the pilot went away as fast as they appeared. His knights are not really his friends, and even if he considered them so, they're pretty new to his sphere of influence. Percy's been around like five episodes now. Gwaine, about eight? And so forth. (Those old knights were his father's people. They are not friends.) Gaius: teacher and doctor, not friend. Gwen and Arthur: definitely not friends these days, heh. Morgana, whom he's known longer than anyone else: traitorous bitch and definitely not a friend.

So...in Arthur's world, three years of close friendship with one person without that friendship changing significantly into something else isn't just old, it's ancient. And I loved that they acknowledged that explicitly

[destina]

HI! So much yes to the weird phrasing. I was noticing this episode that even when he's saying things he knows other people won't want to hear, he's not coming across as unkind about it anymore. He's learned how to modulate his voice in such a way that he doesn't sound like an arrogant jerk, or as though he's being cold; even each of the three or so times he told Merlin to mind his own business, he was not unkind about it. And that makes me love him with a fiery burning love.

All that domesticity, gah, YES. And Merlin being there with him before, during and after most conversations; his access to Arthur has never been more explicitly unique.

Everything about Merlin makes me so happy right now. :D

[giselleslash]

Your reaction and my reaction to this ep should get married and have lots of babies because they are very compatible.

So, like, basically I'm waving my arm all over your post and going: THIS!

:D

[corilannam]

*flails all over you* Arthur! Merlin! *squee!*

[kerryblaze]

AND THEN HE DID. AND I WAS SO PROUD. Oh, my Arthur.

Me too!

And Elyan as the SpokeKnight! Love it!

Campaign tent! I was so glad we finally got that! So regal and pretty.

One of my favorite moments was when Morgana gave Annis 'that's Arthur who would give up his life before his men' speech and Annis had that look like, "wait and you want him dead because..."

[corilannam]

Oh yeah, that was a great character moment for both of them. Morgana clearly considered it a sign of weakness that Arthur would do that. I would pinpoint that as the moment when Annis began to really change her mind about both Arthur and Morgana.

[riventhorn]

a card-carrying Arthur-holic

*checks wallet* Yep, I've got one, too. :D

And I was very excited about seeing the campaign tent, too! It sort of took me a minute to get it, and then I was all "Eeeee! Arthur's king and he has an awesome tent!"

I love the moment when Percival steps forward to say he'll be the champion and all the others do, too.

And I also loved Merlin falling over into the tent. I LOL'd. :)

Oh, and I also really like Arthur's bare feet. Unf. And when he's sitting in the chair early in the ep when Agravaine comes to tell him to give up Gwen...he looked so incredibly gorgeous in all those shots.

[corilannam]

It was so exciting that Percival had A LINE! I was so pleased for him.

Merlin falling over into the tent was awesome. I have such a soft spot for Merlin being clumsy.

Bare feet. UNF, indeed. Whoever is directing Arthur's look this season is a wonderful person and I want to buy them a drink.