Merlin 2x04 and general musings
I enjoyed this episode, I really did, but the thing is that when think about it, the joy about it (and somehow the whole season) diminishes. But first things first, on to 2x04:
One of the first things I noticed (because I'm shallow) was that Kendrick had inherited Kanen's jaw-necklace.
I loved Morgana trying to look shy before the bath and how she fought Kendrick's men. I love Gwen and Morgana's relationship and how well they understand each other.
I also loved Morgana's speech in front of Uther and Arthur's worried glances followed by Morgana's tirade while he was packing.
The rats were scary (mainly by what the camera did not show), and Hengist and his men were great as barbarians! (also, have you seen the pic of the beer cans???? I was done in purpose, it had to).
I loved Gwen as Morgana, she was as defiant as Morgana would have been.
I also loved Gwen and Lancelot, the chemistry between them is fantastic. I'm sorry that some people have been saying that Gwen is a slut because I think that's pretty unfair. I saw that episode the last episode as "I like Arthur but I love Lancelot whom I thought I would never see again". The only thing I missed in this episode was a Gwen and Arthur talking about it (or at least Gwen trying to talk Arthur about it, because Arthur would probably refuse to acknowledge feeling anything for Gwen).
Arthur telling Merlin (and Merlin noticing!) about his feeling for Gwen was a big step for "the prat" and shows that deep inside, he trusts Merlin. I also imagined that Merlin was not that happy about the ARthur/Gwen (hey, I can imagine stuff and I haven't re-watched this episode yet). I enjoyed seeing them travelling together for a (short) while and I liked the scene with the berries and the "big baby rats", which lead us to n-th remake of that Alien scene and then to the boys climbing up the castle walls. At this point I expected Merlin to use his magic to cheat a bit with his magic, but... he didn't.
Wet!Colin is almost as good as Colin in chain mail and it only serves for distracting purposes.
The rescue was ok (but please writers: don't use a lamp on someone's head again), and I loved the part about Merlin using his magic in front of Lancelot (though things would be waaaaay easier if he used it in front of Arthur).
And I have to say that I went all "awwwwwwwww" about Arthur when he realised what was going on between Gwen and Lancelot. Yes, he's a prat and has a ton of issues, but Bradley's face there... killed me. Lovely work through the last episodes Bradley (not because you were doing a bad job before, but now you have more things to do).
The end felt rushed to me. I kept staring at the screen thinking, is it over? Mainly because I expected Gwen to try to talk to Arthur (she must have seen the pain in his face).
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And on with more general stuff:
After watching the episode I realised that Merlin is pretty useless there. In fact, he's been pretty useless since he killed Siegan in 2x01 (yes, he's thrown a couple of spells around) but in this episode he came as very powerless. Why is he scared of the "giant baby rats"? Because he looks scared of the things not of having to kill them with a fireball and then to explain Arthur about his magic.
Dan's Media Digest (thanks
gealach_ros for the link) nailed the problem:
(Merlin is) "in danger of becoming the least interesting character; forever lurking in the background and saving Arthur's neck with object levitation. Morgan ensures he's an affable hero and Merlin's banter with Arthur can still be good fun, but the arc for his character is unclear."
And I have to say I'm glad that the girls are getting more time on screen, mainly Gwen which was extremely underdeveloped in Season 1 (we can discuss if her mostly being a love-object is an improvement). But I'd like to see more Merlin based episodes (and unless I got the plot wrong of the upcoming episodes, there's only one I can think of).
So, yes, even though I enjoy the episodes by themselves, I can't help but thinking this is not the show "I signed up for" which I know is lame in some level, but I can't help but to be annoyed by it. One thing that adds to that impression is the romance. Season 1 was about adventures, magic, fights... and this one has a stronger focus on romance. And even though I like the pairings, I'd prefer all that other stuff to kisses and love declarations, mainly when the episodes feel rushed (except 2x03).
Also, I have the feeling this is not going anywhere (except for Mordred and Morgana) because the whole Lancelot/Arthur/Gwen looks to me like something that will be kept unresolved for a long time to toy with us (and I hope I'm wrong, as I hope they won't kill Lancelot because that would be very low).
And no, I'm not talking about the skewed morality of the show, but I wished someone threw the question at Johnny Caps at the Expo.
One of the first things I noticed (because I'm shallow) was that Kendrick had inherited Kanen's jaw-necklace.
I loved Morgana trying to look shy before the bath and how she fought Kendrick's men. I love Gwen and Morgana's relationship and how well they understand each other.
I also loved Morgana's speech in front of Uther and Arthur's worried glances followed by Morgana's tirade while he was packing.
The rats were scary (mainly by what the camera did not show), and Hengist and his men were great as barbarians! (also, have you seen the pic of the beer cans???? I was done in purpose, it had to).
I loved Gwen as Morgana, she was as defiant as Morgana would have been.
I also loved Gwen and Lancelot, the chemistry between them is fantastic. I'm sorry that some people have been saying that Gwen is a slut because I think that's pretty unfair. I saw that episode the last episode as "I like Arthur but I love Lancelot whom I thought I would never see again". The only thing I missed in this episode was a Gwen and Arthur talking about it (or at least Gwen trying to talk Arthur about it, because Arthur would probably refuse to acknowledge feeling anything for Gwen).
Arthur telling Merlin (and Merlin noticing!) about his feeling for Gwen was a big step for "the prat" and shows that deep inside, he trusts Merlin. I also imagined that Merlin was not that happy about the ARthur/Gwen (hey, I can imagine stuff and I haven't re-watched this episode yet). I enjoyed seeing them travelling together for a (short) while and I liked the scene with the berries and the "big baby rats", which lead us to n-th remake of that Alien scene and then to the boys climbing up the castle walls. At this point I expected Merlin to use his magic to cheat a bit with his magic, but... he didn't.
Wet!Colin is almost as good as Colin in chain mail and it only serves for distracting purposes.
The rescue was ok (but please writers: don't use a lamp on someone's head again), and I loved the part about Merlin using his magic in front of Lancelot (though things would be waaaaay easier if he used it in front of Arthur).
And I have to say that I went all "awwwwwwwww" about Arthur when he realised what was going on between Gwen and Lancelot. Yes, he's a prat and has a ton of issues, but Bradley's face there... killed me. Lovely work through the last episodes Bradley (not because you were doing a bad job before, but now you have more things to do).
The end felt rushed to me. I kept staring at the screen thinking, is it over? Mainly because I expected Gwen to try to talk to Arthur (she must have seen the pain in his face).
---
And on with more general stuff:
After watching the episode I realised that Merlin is pretty useless there. In fact, he's been pretty useless since he killed Siegan in 2x01 (yes, he's thrown a couple of spells around) but in this episode he came as very powerless. Why is he scared of the "giant baby rats"? Because he looks scared of the things not of having to kill them with a fireball and then to explain Arthur about his magic.
Dan's Media Digest (thanks
gealach_ros for the link) nailed the problem:
(Merlin is) "in danger of becoming the least interesting character; forever lurking in the background and saving Arthur's neck with object levitation. Morgan ensures he's an affable hero and Merlin's banter with Arthur can still be good fun, but the arc for his character is unclear."
And I have to say I'm glad that the girls are getting more time on screen, mainly Gwen which was extremely underdeveloped in Season 1 (we can discuss if her mostly being a love-object is an improvement). But I'd like to see more Merlin based episodes (and unless I got the plot wrong of the upcoming episodes, there's only one I can think of).
So, yes, even though I enjoy the episodes by themselves, I can't help but thinking this is not the show "I signed up for" which I know is lame in some level, but I can't help but to be annoyed by it. One thing that adds to that impression is the romance. Season 1 was about adventures, magic, fights... and this one has a stronger focus on romance. And even though I like the pairings, I'd prefer all that other stuff to kisses and love declarations, mainly when the episodes feel rushed (except 2x03).
Also, I have the feeling this is not going anywhere (except for Mordred and Morgana) because the whole Lancelot/Arthur/Gwen looks to me like something that will be kept unresolved for a long time to toy with us (and I hope I'm wrong, as I hope they won't kill Lancelot because that would be very low).
And no, I'm not talking about the skewed morality of the show, but I wished someone threw the question at Johnny Caps at the Expo.