The beginning of the end - Merlin 4x12
It’s not the best episode in S4, but it’s a very nice setup for the final episode. I wasn’t bored one single minute and I loved that not just the leads but also most of the regular characters got a moment of their own, and something very specific to them. (GWAINE! Welcome back! You were missed!)
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YES! I got the same vibe, but then I can't imagine Arthur not saying anything about it or openly confronting Merlin - he's a man of action, and after everything that's happened to him this season, I don't think he'd be able to contain himself. But the idea is certainly fascinating. It would be cool if they did a bit of a Lois & Clark cliffhanger - Merlin tells him he needs to speak to him one evening and being in an obviously serious, shaken mood and Arthur just telling him equally seriously "Is this the moment where you tell me about your magic?" or "Who is asking - Merlin or Dragoon? Or is it Emrys now? I've lost sight of your many identities..."
It's also my number 2 problem with the reveal is that it makes Arthur look STUPID.
The biggest problem with Merlin not trusting Arthur enough to tell him about his magic and Arthur still not cottoning on is that it's unfavorable and disgraceful to both characters - both come off badly. Arthur has been shown to be quite observant and sympathetic throughout the season - the only reason why he didn't see Aggravaine's duplicity was because he didn't want to believe it because he cared for him. That might be the reason why he doesn't see Merlin's magic. After all the strange things happening he should at least suspect something by now, though - but if that's the case, we need to stop with the "you're such an idiot/cowering in the cupboard again" things and replace them with some speculative, piercing looks, maybe even have some gentle prodding.
Merlin comes off even worse: I get that his biggest fear is to lose Arthur, and my heart is breaking for him, but it seems more and more that he'll do anything to keep his magic hidden from Arthur, any means necessary. On one hand, he's sacrificed so much already and is willing to sacrifice more, on the other hand, he's quite selfish in keeping the secret to this extent (letting Camelot fall and leaving Ealdor under attack without at least trying to do some magic?) and that is not the Merlin I've come to love. He won't even give Arthur a chance to decide for himself! The more they drag it out, the worse it paints both of them. We need a reveal NOW. Please, please, please!
Morgana's hut: Yeah, I don't know why he hasn't done anything about it either. The only explanation I could come up with is that he was still under the influence of the snake-thingy when he was released and went back there as Dragoon. After he destroyed the mother-snake and had the other part removed, the knowledge disappeared along with it. God, I'm starting to become good at this fanwanking and twisting the facts until the fit me stuff ;)
I think the merits of this episode entirely depend on what happens in the next, because they seemed to have set up things well but I need to know how they play out
Yes, the set up is actually fantastic the more I think about it! It's far superior to 3x12, IMO - it's like they revisited the S3 finale and fixed all the things that didn't work out the last time to get it right - I'm really, really geared up for this one, even without a reveal - the reveal would only be icing on the cake. :)
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The more they drag it out, the worse it paints both of them.
I completely agree with all these and your three paragraphs on the matter, delaying the reveal is not just a matter of suspense and keeping a secretive childish air. It's slowly destroying the show from the very heart - the main characters.
Twisting canon until it resembles logic is good fun. And I much rather try to do so instead of writing the whole thing off as bad, as many people do - because I want to enjoy it after all!
But if there is no reveal I'll have to reevaluate that.
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Heeeeeee... ;D I tend to get... carried away? And those boys don't exactly help matters - I could gush and/or rant about them all day. If it gets too much, you need to stop me! I herewith give you the right to veto :)
Twisting canon until it resembles logic is good fun. And I much rather try to do so instead of writing the whole thing off as bad, as many people do - because I want to enjoy it after all!
Maybe I've just been desensitized and trained in twisting reality during my time as an X-Files fan. Chris Carter was a genius, but was also considered the spawn of Satan due to his teasing and somewhat questionable plots. He didn't just use words like "obfuscating", he lived them, LOL! In the end, he overdid it with teasing the fans about finally answering some of the longstanding questions and resolving some plot points and they really got pissed off and turned away. I really don't want this to happen with "Merlin", but on the other hand, compared to Chris Carter, the Merlin writers are choir boys, really. ;)
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Wow really? I never knew the X-Files was like that. :O So many people love it and consider it obligatory I thought it was some flawless well thought out thing, but heh, since when is anything flawless.
I stopped watching Lost for similar reasons, though, I got sick of there being more questions than answers and after a while it felt like they didn't even have answers just ~yay mistery~
Merlin, from episode 1, was slightly childish a bit, and they grow out of it generally but it's the general mood and message they try to convey is what's keeping me there. Like, it never tried to be SHERLOCK. It's bit a of a fairytale, really.
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With Merlin, it was all just harmless (but extremely gratifying)fun in the beginning, a bit of guilty pleasure and a lot of gushing over cute boys and their antics. I fell in love with the series as much as I fell in love with the cast behind the scenes - I blame the video diaries for that. ;) It's only with S4 and all the feelings and conflicts 4x03 brought up that it got more serious for me. And here I am now, ranting about characterization and motivation and repercussions in the future in the middle of the night. I've been ensnared! ;)
I have to say, as childish as it may be, I've never liked any telling of the Arthurian legend as this one - not due to the compelling writing, but due to how everybody breathes life and something very unique into their character. Arthur is not a naive goody-2-shoes but still manages to incorporate all the goodness of heart you'd expect of Arthur, I prefer this down-to-earth and kind version of Gwen to any others I've encountered and Merlin is just overwhelming in every way, even when you want to shake him for making a wrong decision. It's a universe I really like to immerse myself in. :)
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