Camelot 1.5-1.7
Wow, some of this was actually almost good. Though, if they kill Ygraine at the end of the season (which I suspect they’re leading up to) I’m probably gone. While Morgan is unsurprisingly my favorite, I’m judging the show more harshly when it comes to Ygraine, and having her still be around for the main story and not just disappearing after giving birth and having her child(ren, given that a lot of versions have Morgan and Morguase being sent away with Merlin urging Uther to kill Morgan because she'll be trouble) stolen is pretty much my main incentive to watch.
Also, Gawaine, Kay and Leontes can stay, but please, feel free to get rid of the rest of the men. Actually, I'd prefer it if you would.
-So, it was nice to see a show take a firm stance on rape, institutionalized or otherwise. Too bad it was mostly the men commenting on it, and the woman in the show with a history of not only being raped but forced to live with her rapist for years after it happened was completely isolated from that plotline and was busy trying to take care of the man who facilitated her rape.
-So, Gawaine’s mother was raped. Do we want to make bets that Lot raped his mother and is his father? He certainly suppressed a Reaction when Lot was mentioned before?
-Speaking of people’s pasts, did anyone else think Ygraine was hiding something when Merlin was asking her about her past? I’m actually starting to wonder if Morgan’s mother was related to her.
-After 2 ½ episodes of not being a loser judgey stalkery douche, I was going to reconsider hating Arthur was he was finally actually nice to his mother, and then we had another “Guenevere! We have feelings and should explore them! By which I mean, sex.” “Hello! Married now! How many times do I have to say no?” “But we have feeeeeelings! Why won‘t you dump your husband for me?”
-Speaking of which…uhm…what was the point of the Arthur/Guenevere roadtrip? Was it to make her look stupid and him look stupid AND irresponsible? I mean, they go on and on about raiders, and then not only does she run off alone, but THE KING runs off after her into territory he’s unfamiliar with, with no backup or protection at all instead of sending a couple guards or sending a messenger after HER HUSBAND.
-Are they doing Bridget/Kay? I don’t think I’d object. They’re going to do romances anyway (I swear, it’s like a CW show with nudity) so they might as well throw in one that doesn’t seem likely to annoy me.
-And then there’s Ygraine/Merlin. I…you know, when we have Merlin bringing Ygraine food and seeking her thoughts and looking a bit annoyed at Arthur not being nice to his mother and sneaking looks and Ygraine is kinda grateful and snarky about his mysterious manpain and getting in little digs about Uther and baby stealing, I can tell myself that that they’ll be doing Courtly Love of Doom with him always trying to make up for it but never really succeeding and her appreciating the effort but being all “Sorry dude, a little too much water under the bridge there,” but then they have the scene in ep 5 that makes it pretty obvious that it’s going to be Epic Love with Ygraine as his weakness and I’m all “WTF NO NOT LIKE THAT!” and am sad. Then they have him referring to her as Camelot’s “Queen of Hearts” and I’m kinda “I hate you, show, for making me hate him too much to appreciate that.”
-Ygraine/Morgan scenes! With snark and both using sneaky double speak! And a Morgan/Guenevere scene! Sadly without snark. Also, knowing the bulk of the people on my list who watch this show, I suspect there were a lot of high pitched squeaking sounds when Morgan stroked Ygraine’s cheek.
-Also, Morgan/Arthur foreshadowing like whoa. I…have a bad feeling that it’s going to be Morgan raping Arthur by taking Guenevere’s shape and seducing him.
-Team Evil remains the only true way to go on this show. It has a ruthless evil nun! And lots of women! And focuses on mothers being important! However, I hope we don’t have to have that conversation about how you don’t get brownie points for casting POC if they get few lines and don’t do anything but support white people. Also, except for Ygraine and Gawaine, Team Evil has all the intelligent people, as far as I can tell.
-Also, I’m pretty sure we’re supposed to be seeing Morgan as someone who’d be a terrible ruler? But I get more ruthless than bad. And really, her public face is far more suitable for that society than Arthur’s. But then, the show’s idea of a good ruler is very much that of conservative modern American egalitarianism. Which means (A) white (B) male (C) Christian (D) with a stated but not necessarily enforced tolerance/respect for other faiths, and (E) democratic, as long as you fall in line.
-So, I…am wondering about Morgan not killing Ygraine, but holding her prisoner. I’m guessing her plan is to somehow make Ygraine forget about the imprisonment and set her free later? Actually, it’s probably so that they can have Merlin realize that it isn’t Ygraine and rescue her. But just holding her prison for no reason doesn’t seem to be Morgan’s style. I mean, Morgan’s a vicious piece on work, but she’s not even there to gloat (if she’s even a gloater) and has to feed Ygraine and, oh yeah, risk some servant or guard panicking when they start to think about what might happen when the king finds out that they’ve been helping to keep the king’s mother locked in the dungeon.
-Speaking of things that don’t quite fit, does anyone else find it weird that Leontes was so loyal to Uther, and seems to have a high opinion of him? Uther seems to have been the kind of ruler Leontes would hate.