A Herald Of The New Age: Merlin 4x10 meta/review
WANDERING EYES
I personally find Elyan rather boring, and Adetomiwa's voice drives me crazy - through no fault of his own - so I wasn't particularly looking forward to this ep. As it happened, I paid almost no attention to Elyan when he was on screen, but the rest of the characters had me thoroughly entertained. That is, after the boys-being-boys water flask teasing was over.
BROODING SUITS YOU
I really liked Merlin and Arthur's reactions to the shrine, which was only amplified on a second viewing. The first time around, I thought that Arthur somehow could sense the spookiness of the shrine just like Merlin, but I like it even better knowing that Arthur was reliving past horrors. Unfortunately this puts a bittersweet spin on Arthur's moodiness the rest of the episode. Is he brooding about Gwen or is he brooding about his past atrocities? :/ I'd like to think that Arthur was enjoying his time out with the guys because it was business as usual, but when he returns to Camelot things aren't the same as they were without Gwen there to greet him. Yet he was silent the whole way home from the shrine. So then I have to speculate that he was upset about the shrine and Merlin reminding him of Gwen only made it worse, so he lashed out and went on brooding for days. *shrugs* Arthur was broody about something and I liked it.
THERE WERE NEVER SUCH DEVOTED SIBLINGS
Elyan was the obvious choice as a plot device for the possession story line. He's the only knight who could conceivably have any reason to want to kill Arthur, which was at least a nod in the general direction of the major events of the previous episode. I get the impression that Percival had a sister who was killed by Cenred's immortal army because he seemed to be the only character who honestly believed that Gwen's banishment could possibly upset Elyan that much (except for Agravaine, whose own sister was murdered by Uther. But he wants to kill everyone in Camelot, so I'm not sure his reaction counts).
BACK TO THE CLASSICS
In the series four opener, Gwaine was sadly torn down from the flirtatious, hair swooshing pedestal I had him on. Handsome and heroic do not mix very well with foolish and unhygienic. The Secret Sharer redeemed him a teeny tiny bit when he took Merlin's side on Gaius's betrayal/kidnapping and showed some intelligence when he caught Agravaine trying to talk his way out of having a dagger at Gaius's throat. Sadly, Agravaine was too good a liar. But this episode gave us classic Gwaine back. He knocked Elyan out and shrugged his shoulders when Percival gave him a WTF look, then raised his eyebrows when Percival knocked Elyan out later. Better still, he was cute and loyal to his friend, trying to protect Elyan from suspicion early on in the episode, and boldly coming to the rescue when Elyan was whimpering on the floor. But now I really, really, really want to meet Gwaine's "evil old toad" of a sister. Pretty please? This would be the first random family member to pop up out of the blue that would actually make sense considering Gwaine's formerly nomadic lifestyle. I'd also like to see everyone find out that Gwaine's a nobleman by birth; not that I expect to, because that's pretty much become a non-issue on the show.
MOVING MOUNTAINS IS HIS SPECIALTY
I was skeptical about Percival early on, but as series four approaches its finale, I find that I've grown rather fond of him. Introduced as nothing but a well-muscled giant, Tom Hopper's line delivery has convinced me that Percival A) has a brain and B) has a heart, that he's not just some dumb jock that followed Lancelot mindlessly across the country to be a pack mule. I'm pretty sure that Tom's accent has something to do with this. It's not what I expected. I'm not English, so I have no idea where it comes from or what that says about him if I did. All I know is that when Gwaine told the knights to pick on Percival and Percival responded "Why me?" it was adorable and I thought, "Yeah, why him?" So, I guess Gwaine sort of lost his adorable-hot-guy reputation for Percival's sake. Since then, Percival's friendship with Leon has also won me over. Whenever I see them chatting, I always think of them as the Tall Guys' Club, like that somehow explains why they would be such good friends, because they literally see eye to eye. Don't ask. It doesn't make sense to me either.
SOMEONE FORGOT TO TURN OFF THE FAUCET IN THE UNDERWORLD
I was really confused why all ghosts in Camelot have to be dripping wet. The first time around it made sense because Uther drowned that little boy. It made less sense when Igraine was also sopping wet, and now a druid boy slain with a crossbow bolt or sword in the middle of the woods is somehow drenched in the afterlife? Maybe he just took a tumble in the River Styx and swam back to the shores of the living? Or maybe he stepped out of the Lake of Avalon? Or that other lake - what was it? The Pool of Nemhain? - you know, the one where Morgana found Lancelot. Or maybe... Nah, it makes no sense. The directors just think it's the best way to be creepy. And it's a convenient way for Arthur to tell that something is seriously wrong with Elyan even before his voice reverts to a prepubescent stage. That being said, I really liked the thing about salt warding off evil spirits. The writer set it up well, and I loved Gaius's reaction, "With a pile of salt? That's utter nonsense." lol.
COUNSELLORS
Arthur's abuse of Merlin didn't bother me as much this episode. Usually Arthur torments Merlin for the fun of it - a more painful version of the water flask monkey-in-the-middle and pretending to eat all of the camp food - but this time it seemed more like a natural reaction for Arthur as he tries to avoid his own feelings, or at least talking about his feelings. Arthur was also quick to believe Merlin that Elyan was possessed. Better still, he accepted the counsel of both Agravaine and Merlin, and then deceived his uncle - pretending to go along with him, but secretly seeking the counsel of Gaius and Merlin instead. Points for Merlin!
ATONEMENT
My absolute favorite part was Arthur's confession of guilt. Bradley brought so much emotion to that scene with the way his voice cracked and the slight panic as he braced himself for the druid boy's judgment. His explanation made sense in view of the rest of the series and it sheds a new light on the Arthur we met in the pilot. To quote a non-LJ message board:
This event that Arthur is referring to said he was young and really was his first mission from his father. I took that to mean pre show, when Arthur may have been around 16 or 17 and eager to impress Uther as he states. He has no control over his men because he hasn't established himself at the time. - rtms
I just love picturing this 16-17 year old Arthur and the panic and horror on his face as his first mission ever is savagely raging into chaos. It makes the weeping, seasoned warrior so much more compelling to watch as he confronts his past. I was really glad that Merlin was there to witness this moment. Merlin's shock when he found out exactly what Arthur had done was riveting. It's the first time I can recall that we have found out something about Arthur's life that pre-dates Merlin (I'm excluding Arthur's birth, because even Arthur didn't know about that). More importantly, Merlin was a witness to Arthur's vow regarding the druids, which signifies hope for Merlin and also keeps Arthur accountable.
ETA: I just remembered that we have discovered pre-Merlin events before: Arthur killing King Odin's only son in a duel. It was possibly Arthur's very first kill, though I think not, because Arthur seemed to be more seasoned than Odin's son at least. Arthur regretted that moment as well, but this event with the druids was much more compelling IMO.
HERALD OR HIJINKS?
I have mixed feelings about Merlin's playful teasing at the end. On one hand, Arthur just took a significant step towards the future that Merlin has dreamed of and Merlin is making fun of Arthur for it, which irritates me. On the other hand, Arthur tends to deal with his feelings by burying them and Merlin's teasing is a lighthearted way of reminding Arthur that Merlin was a witness of his vow to the druids and he won't let him forget it.
Merlin's final "ow" in the episode - although seemingly innocuous toward any character development - actually felt rather significant to me. Merlin didn't just tolerate Arthur's boyish attack, he encouraged it. At that moment, it occurred to me that Merlin lets Arthur hit him. Not to say that he enjoys it, but it reminded me that Merlin is this extraordinarily powerful warlock who, even as an 80 year old man, took out all the knights of the Round Table with zero effort. He can't do that to Arthur without exposing his magic, but it reminds me of the deleted scene from 4x02 when Merlin is stoking the fire and Lancelot asks, "What do you do that for when you could just..." use magic. I keep picturing Arthur's awe when Merlin finally unleashes his power against an enemy in front of him and Arthur realizes just how humble and incredible Merlin really is. *squee!* I can't wait! Even if it doesn't happen this year (which I doubt it will), I know that we'll be seeing it soon. I just hope they reveal Merlin's magic before the series 5 finale. I want to see the shift in dynamic early enough so that I can imagine what "normal" will look like in this new Albion.
ETA: As if Arthur seeking out the druid to admit guilt, accept judgment, and desire forgiveness wasn't evidence enough that he's nothing like his father, he listened to a commoner's advice, didn't pass a death sentence on a man who obviously tried to kill him, and did nothing when one of his own broke a condemned man out of prison and then lied to his face.
I personally find Elyan rather boring, and Adetomiwa's voice drives me crazy - through no fault of his own - so I wasn't particularly looking forward to this ep. As it happened, I paid almost no attention to Elyan when he was on screen, but the rest of the characters had me thoroughly entertained. That is, after the boys-being-boys water flask teasing was over.
BROODING SUITS YOU
I really liked Merlin and Arthur's reactions to the shrine, which was only amplified on a second viewing. The first time around, I thought that Arthur somehow could sense the spookiness of the shrine just like Merlin, but I like it even better knowing that Arthur was reliving past horrors. Unfortunately this puts a bittersweet spin on Arthur's moodiness the rest of the episode. Is he brooding about Gwen or is he brooding about his past atrocities? :/ I'd like to think that Arthur was enjoying his time out with the guys because it was business as usual, but when he returns to Camelot things aren't the same as they were without Gwen there to greet him. Yet he was silent the whole way home from the shrine. So then I have to speculate that he was upset about the shrine and Merlin reminding him of Gwen only made it worse, so he lashed out and went on brooding for days. *shrugs* Arthur was broody about something and I liked it.
THERE WERE NEVER SUCH DEVOTED SIBLINGS
Elyan was the obvious choice as a plot device for the possession story line. He's the only knight who could conceivably have any reason to want to kill Arthur, which was at least a nod in the general direction of the major events of the previous episode. I get the impression that Percival had a sister who was killed by Cenred's immortal army because he seemed to be the only character who honestly believed that Gwen's banishment could possibly upset Elyan that much (except for Agravaine, whose own sister was murdered by Uther. But he wants to kill everyone in Camelot, so I'm not sure his reaction counts).
BACK TO THE CLASSICS
In the series four opener, Gwaine was sadly torn down from the flirtatious, hair swooshing pedestal I had him on. Handsome and heroic do not mix very well with foolish and unhygienic. The Secret Sharer redeemed him a teeny tiny bit when he took Merlin's side on Gaius's betrayal/kidnapping and showed some intelligence when he caught Agravaine trying to talk his way out of having a dagger at Gaius's throat. Sadly, Agravaine was too good a liar. But this episode gave us classic Gwaine back. He knocked Elyan out and shrugged his shoulders when Percival gave him a WTF look, then raised his eyebrows when Percival knocked Elyan out later. Better still, he was cute and loyal to his friend, trying to protect Elyan from suspicion early on in the episode, and boldly coming to the rescue when Elyan was whimpering on the floor. But now I really, really, really want to meet Gwaine's "evil old toad" of a sister. Pretty please? This would be the first random family member to pop up out of the blue that would actually make sense considering Gwaine's formerly nomadic lifestyle. I'd also like to see everyone find out that Gwaine's a nobleman by birth; not that I expect to, because that's pretty much become a non-issue on the show.
MOVING MOUNTAINS IS HIS SPECIALTY
I was skeptical about Percival early on, but as series four approaches its finale, I find that I've grown rather fond of him. Introduced as nothing but a well-muscled giant, Tom Hopper's line delivery has convinced me that Percival A) has a brain and B) has a heart, that he's not just some dumb jock that followed Lancelot mindlessly across the country to be a pack mule. I'm pretty sure that Tom's accent has something to do with this. It's not what I expected. I'm not English, so I have no idea where it comes from or what that says about him if I did. All I know is that when Gwaine told the knights to pick on Percival and Percival responded "Why me?" it was adorable and I thought, "Yeah, why him?" So, I guess Gwaine sort of lost his adorable-hot-guy reputation for Percival's sake. Since then, Percival's friendship with Leon has also won me over. Whenever I see them chatting, I always think of them as the Tall Guys' Club, like that somehow explains why they would be such good friends, because they literally see eye to eye. Don't ask. It doesn't make sense to me either.
SOMEONE FORGOT TO TURN OFF THE FAUCET IN THE UNDERWORLD
I was really confused why all ghosts in Camelot have to be dripping wet. The first time around it made sense because Uther drowned that little boy. It made less sense when Igraine was also sopping wet, and now a druid boy slain with a crossbow bolt or sword in the middle of the woods is somehow drenched in the afterlife? Maybe he just took a tumble in the River Styx and swam back to the shores of the living? Or maybe he stepped out of the Lake of Avalon? Or that other lake - what was it? The Pool of Nemhain? - you know, the one where Morgana found Lancelot. Or maybe... Nah, it makes no sense. The directors just think it's the best way to be creepy. And it's a convenient way for Arthur to tell that something is seriously wrong with Elyan even before his voice reverts to a prepubescent stage. That being said, I really liked the thing about salt warding off evil spirits. The writer set it up well, and I loved Gaius's reaction, "With a pile of salt? That's utter nonsense." lol.
COUNSELLORS
Arthur's abuse of Merlin didn't bother me as much this episode. Usually Arthur torments Merlin for the fun of it - a more painful version of the water flask monkey-in-the-middle and pretending to eat all of the camp food - but this time it seemed more like a natural reaction for Arthur as he tries to avoid his own feelings, or at least talking about his feelings. Arthur was also quick to believe Merlin that Elyan was possessed. Better still, he accepted the counsel of both Agravaine and Merlin, and then deceived his uncle - pretending to go along with him, but secretly seeking the counsel of Gaius and Merlin instead. Points for Merlin!
ATONEMENT
My absolute favorite part was Arthur's confession of guilt. Bradley brought so much emotion to that scene with the way his voice cracked and the slight panic as he braced himself for the druid boy's judgment. His explanation made sense in view of the rest of the series and it sheds a new light on the Arthur we met in the pilot. To quote a non-LJ message board:
This event that Arthur is referring to said he was young and really was his first mission from his father. I took that to mean pre show, when Arthur may have been around 16 or 17 and eager to impress Uther as he states. He has no control over his men because he hasn't established himself at the time. - rtms
I just love picturing this 16-17 year old Arthur and the panic and horror on his face as his first mission ever is savagely raging into chaos. It makes the weeping, seasoned warrior so much more compelling to watch as he confronts his past. I was really glad that Merlin was there to witness this moment. Merlin's shock when he found out exactly what Arthur had done was riveting. It's the first time I can recall that we have found out something about Arthur's life that pre-dates Merlin (I'm excluding Arthur's birth, because even Arthur didn't know about that). More importantly, Merlin was a witness to Arthur's vow regarding the druids, which signifies hope for Merlin and also keeps Arthur accountable.
ETA: I just remembered that we have discovered pre-Merlin events before: Arthur killing King Odin's only son in a duel. It was possibly Arthur's very first kill, though I think not, because Arthur seemed to be more seasoned than Odin's son at least. Arthur regretted that moment as well, but this event with the druids was much more compelling IMO.
HERALD OR HIJINKS?
I have mixed feelings about Merlin's playful teasing at the end. On one hand, Arthur just took a significant step towards the future that Merlin has dreamed of and Merlin is making fun of Arthur for it, which irritates me. On the other hand, Arthur tends to deal with his feelings by burying them and Merlin's teasing is a lighthearted way of reminding Arthur that Merlin was a witness of his vow to the druids and he won't let him forget it.
Merlin's final "ow" in the episode - although seemingly innocuous toward any character development - actually felt rather significant to me. Merlin didn't just tolerate Arthur's boyish attack, he encouraged it. At that moment, it occurred to me that Merlin lets Arthur hit him. Not to say that he enjoys it, but it reminded me that Merlin is this extraordinarily powerful warlock who, even as an 80 year old man, took out all the knights of the Round Table with zero effort. He can't do that to Arthur without exposing his magic, but it reminds me of the deleted scene from 4x02 when Merlin is stoking the fire and Lancelot asks, "What do you do that for when you could just..." use magic. I keep picturing Arthur's awe when Merlin finally unleashes his power against an enemy in front of him and Arthur realizes just how humble and incredible Merlin really is. *squee!* I can't wait! Even if it doesn't happen this year (which I doubt it will), I know that we'll be seeing it soon. I just hope they reveal Merlin's magic before the series 5 finale. I want to see the shift in dynamic early enough so that I can imagine what "normal" will look like in this new Albion.
ETA: As if Arthur seeking out the druid to admit guilt, accept judgment, and desire forgiveness wasn't evidence enough that he's nothing like his father, he listened to a commoner's advice, didn't pass a death sentence on a man who obviously tried to kill him, and did nothing when one of his own broke a condemned man out of prison and then lied to his face.