Who says I never finish things?
michaela0823
With 2010 nearly upon us, let's put these Merlin reviews to bed, shall we? Will I do series 2? Eh. If it airs here, maybe.
Happy New Year, everyone!
This is the series 1 finale, the deceptively titled, "Le Morte d'Arthur." Reminder: Highlight to read my Editor's notes FROM THE FUTURE.
This season finale episode begins with the arrival of the Questing Beast. Where’s Sir Pellinore when you need him? Oh, wait…
It turns out that the Questing Beast is particularly dangerous because it’s a creature of the Old Religion, which is interesting if for no other reason than that I think this is the first time magic is called a religion in this series. Isn’t it? It seems the last time the Beast was seen it heralded Igraine’s death, and if it bites you there is no recovering.
Morgana dreams of the Beast biting Arthur, and spends the rest of this episode in, like trance-hysterics. The poor girl really does play the Cassandra of this series, doesn’t she. She freaks and comes running out to try to get Arthur not to go out after the beast, and at her general lack of propriety in attire and the showing of emotion, Arthur looks really embarrassed. “Morgana, what are you doing? You’re outside in your nightgown… in front of everybody… stop making a scene, they will all think we’re fucking. Or that you’re batshit. Or both.” [Editor’s Note FROM THE FUTURE: I still maintain that this was a big instigator of the distance between Arthur and Morgana in the second series. Especially since that nightmare came true and, well, what is he supposed to do with that?]
Naturally, Arthur does get bitten by the Beast, yea verily, and there is a sad scene of Uther, like, keening over him, and I hate it when the show makes me feel sorry for Uther. And aww-the people of Camelot hold a candlelight vigil for their prince. Aww. It’s been an eventful year, hasn’t it? Merlin, Morgana, and Arthur have each been at death’s door at some point.
Merlin goes to the Dragon for help saving Arthur, and the Dragon tells him the Questing Beast cure can be found on “the place men call the Isle of the Blessed,” not adding, “because we used ‘Avalon’ already. Probably we should have just called that place Tir na n’Og and this place Avalon. Didn’t think that one through. Oh, well. Don’t fuck up.”
Merlin gets to the Isle of the Blessed by getting into a fairy boat, kind of, which is a nice touch. I mean, fairy boats steer themselves and Merlin made this one steer itself with magic but, you know, still. The Isle itself looks very cool. Very desolate. Very “Lady of Shalott,” actually. I really love the location where they shot this-Raglan Castle in Wales-and I want badly to go there someday. And who do we meet on the Isle but my girl Nimue! She tells Merlin that Arthur can be cured with water from the Cup of Life-o hai, Holy Grail, good to see you, say hi to your mother for me-but that THERE WILL BE CONSEQUENCES. Merlin makes a rash promise to accept these consequences, assuming it will be his life for Arthur’s. He is wrong.
Back at Camelot, Gwen tends to Arthur and wills him to live with these prophetic words: “You’re not going to die, Arthur. I’m telling you. Because I know that one day you will be king. A greater king than your father could ever be. It’s what keeps me going. You are going to live to be the man I’ve seen inside you, Arthur. I can see a Camelot that is fair and just. I can see a king the people will love and be proud to call their sovereign. For the love of Camelot, you have to live.” Aw, what a long way we’ve come since the pilot, and what a lot Arthur’s rare acts of kindness have meant to Gwen. And how much his killing of her father must have made her hate Uther.
As for Arthur, I love his face when he wakes up. Like, “Well… that was weird.” He remembers what Gwen said to him, and he calls her “Guinevere” again, which I really love. He liiikes her. He likes that there’s somebody who sees worth inside him. Don’t tell Morgana! I have a feeling she would not take this news well. [Editor’s Note FROM THE FUTURE: Actually, as of the end of series two, she remains one of the few people-along with Uther-who is oblivious to the Arthur/Gwen thing. Which is a pity. I’d have liked to see her struggle with it.]
At this point we get an interesting scene in which, as Arthur’s recovering, Morgana grabs Merlin, pulls him into a corner, and whispers, “This is just the beginning.” Merlin is like, “…?” Which begs the question: Does Morgana know what’s up with Merlin-what he’s been doing? Does she suspect? Or is it just Trance Morgana who knows, because she does not seem quite herself at this point? I DON’T KNOW. SO CONFUSING.
Well, regardless, Trance Morgana is right, because Merlin’s mom crawls into Camelot, and while Arthur just had an attractive fever, Hunith has, like, the plague. Merlin goes and whines about this to the Dragon. It’s not fair, he didn’t understand the rules, he’s not playing anymore, etc. During the course of their exchange, he calls the Dragon his friend-Really? You thought the giant riddle-spouting CGI dragon was your friend?-and the Dragon calls him his kin. Wait. Merlin and the Dragon are related? [Editor’s Note FROM THE FUTURE: What I thought was just a bizarre throwaway line is actually foreshadowing for “The Last Dragonlord!” Well played, show.] “We will achieve great things together, you and I,” the Dragon promises, to which Merlin replies, “YOU WILL NEVER BE RELEASED! For what you’ve done, I’ll make sure you never see the light!” It’s an exchange that actually reminds me weirdly of Elphaba’s confrontation with the Wizard in Wicked. “You want to know my heart’s desire? It is to FIGHT YOU UNTIL THE DAY I DIE!” Merlin says the Dragon won’t see him again. I doubt that’s true. [Editor’s Note FROM THE FUTURE: It is not.] Although hopefully Merlin now knows that in a way he’s more powerful than the Dragon, so hopefully that will have some good effect. [Editor’s Note FROM THE FUTURE: Not really. The Dragon does have the advantage in that he can get all up in Merlin’s head, going “MERLIIIINNNNN!” until he gets what he wants.]
Merlin determines to go trade his life for his mother’s, but first everybody gets a goodbye goodluck except for Morgana. She just has lots of visions and stares out lots of windows. But seriously, the farewells to Arthur and Gwen are very touching. As is that to Gaius. Aw, Gaius, your bloodhound eyes. But the worst is his goodbye to his mother. Does she know what he’s going to do? Augh, how can he still do it after he hears his mom say, “But I’ll miss you,” Augh. That hits me in my mommy’s girl heart.
But then. Gaius decides to head Merlin off and give his life instead. Awww, Gaius. Awww. I love his scene with Nimue. I wonder what the nature of their dealings was in the past. But Merlin finds out about this and takes off to stop Gaius, although how he gets to the Isle is a mystery to me, because Gaius took the fairy boat. He gets there to find Gaius already dead, and he and Nimue proceed to throw down. Merlin scores the first hit with, “It is not the Old Religion that has done this, it is you.” Nimue parries with, “We’re too valuable to each other to be enemies.” Nimue says she just wants to take Uther down and make Arthur king. Merlin: “I will make Arthur king. But you will never see that day.” And then they have a Jedi fight. Like, blasting colored light at each other and Force-throwing each other and stuff. This cues Nimue to begin with the, “Join me and together we can rule the galaxy Camelot as sorcerer and sorceress!” Merlin: “You think I would join forces with such a selfish and cruel magic?” So Nimue blasts Merlin to kingdom come and turns away scoffing that it’s a pity: “Together we could’ve ruled the world.”
Then Merlin stands up. “YOU SHOULD NOT HAVE KILLED MY FRIEND.” And he explodes Nimue into pixels. Just like that. And Gaius wakes up, and it is heartwarming, but still. I refuse to believe that she is really dead. If she is… YOU SHOULD NOT HAVE KILLED MY GIRL. I’m so much more interested in her story than Gaius’s. I’d have been happier with Gaius dying. I mean, it would have been sad, but it would have made sense for Gaius to die. He’s the Wise Old Man, Merlin needs to make it on his own, he even passed on his rabbit’s foot totem to Merlin! Come on! [Editor’s Note FROM THE FUTURE: I’m still not convinced that she’s completely dead. But I am happier now, after the events of “Last Dragonlord,” that Gaius lives. Poor Merlin.]
The very last scene of the season is the Dragon’s outrage at Nimue’s death, and Morgana starting awake, like, “What?! There’s a fucking dragon underneath the castle?!”
Fin.