In which I'm allowed to have feelings
Getting this out there before I read anyone's reviews, lest I be swayed.
As a casual viewer, I thought this ep was great. The acting was great (Angel especially) and the twist on the legend was fresh.
As a fan? I'm really disappointed they went in this direction. More specifically as a shipper, I should clarify, because it's great that in this retelling, the woman, Gwen, isn't the root of all evil. But Gwen leaving with Lancelot was my happy place as a Merlin/Arthur shipper because that's always been my head canon - Gwen betrays Arthur, Merlin sticks by him and somewhere down the line they fall in love (only then Arthur dies but yay reincarnation). I know that's not what the show wanted me to get from it, but I've got a careful shipper heart and I only ever really ship something that could be a real possibility. Again, not because I thought the show would actually go there, but because it could be real; that it was no stretch of the imagination (in my point of view) that feelings could develop between Merlin and Arthur. If I thought about it it my head, it would all make sense in terms of what the show has showed us and what we knew of the rest of the legend.
It appears now though, in this story, that this is the great betrayal and I think we can guess that it will all be fixed by season's end.
So how, as someone who finds joy in fic that adheres to canon, can I look at this Merlin and Arthur the same? How can I believe that Arthur will ever find love with Merlin, if he's got no reason to ever move on from Gwen?
I could have lied and said I cared about the integrity of the legends. But I don't. I just want these boys in love.
On another note, as a fan in general: I have defended this show a lot and a good chunk of that has been in the defence of Gwen. She's been called a Mary-Sue and rightly so, but I always thought they did that because she had to be perfect, she had to be: how else would viewers ever like someone they knew was going to commit such an awful betrayal down the line?
So, salt to the wound, not only is she still pure and perfect, but the irrational Gwen haters had a point. I fucking hate that.
On a final note, I put it to you: Agravaine - ultimate creepster?