Yaaaaaay
nani1986 was kind enough to inform me that another Arthurian-legend-based TV show is going to be filmed, The Tudors-style. While I had issues with how most of The Tudors was either made up, sped up, or anachronistic, I had NO problems with the overwhelming amount of pretty costumes and good acting (and fine men). Besides, historical accuracy is hardly going to be a problem for a show centred around a legend (I know that I'm going to regret saying that).
Now that I can't really enjoy a Merlin episode without my jaw falling open in horror at the characters' complete lack of consistency, I definitely can't wait for a more grown-up, serious take. Of course, there's always a risk that the people over the pond might seriously mess up their British history, but to be fair they at least cast a British person as Henry, so they can't be all bad. Also, the fact that they're filming in IRELAND should also ring a couple of warning bells, but I'm biased in favour of Ireland for its pretty, so I'll just wait and hope.
So many of Merlin's problems could be resolved if the writers didn't decide to use the path of least resistance EVERY SINGLE TIME. If they stopped trying to shove fairy-tale morals down our throats and paint black-and-white pictures of what's right and wrong, and focused instead on going down more intriguing and complicated routes (making Morgana an enemy of Uther but not Camelot, showing the Gwen/Arthur/Lancelot triangle as a thing of tragedy -- as it was meant to be -- rather than a sappy all-is-pink romance), things would be so much more interesting. As it goes, however, we learn the same moral every episode: magical people are drawn to the dark side, Uther is evil because he kills magical people, and Merlin is a Good Guy even though he helps Uther kill his own kind. See, Gaius is morally ambiguous but Merlin? He is a SAINT. He does the Wrong Things for the Right Reasons, and he Makes Mistakes, whereas Morgana just does bad things for petty, not-well-thought-out reasons. Merlin tried to KILL Mordred and Morgana, AND freed the dragon, but Morgana's the evil one?
Of course, all that makes sense if you apply the "children are watching this" logic. Merlin is Good because children are watching it. Morgana is Evil because children are watching it, and god forbid they be intelligent enough to understand the complexity of her character. Gwen and Arthur marry because they're True Love and not because unfortunate circumstances draw them together/they have to marry out of necessity. Children simply Do Not Understand these things, and parents don't want to expose them to them. They want perfect PG stories where Princes rescue Maidens and every loose end is tied in a shiny pink knot, however unrealistic, archaic and sexist it may be.
While I understand that sex, drugs, and violence must be kept out of children's TV AT ALL COSTS, must The Powers That Be so severely underestimate children? Is it not acceptable for primetime TV to contain SOME material that might go over the little ones' heads? Is it really okay to defile beautifully symbolic legends weaved in mystery, allegory and tragedy for the sake of bland, cliche-ridden Good Entertainment that asks nothing of the audience and gives nothing in return? Merlin showed such promise, but between seasons the writers just did a complete u-turn and threw originality out of the window. Gone were the subtle twists to the legend; everything was flattened by the big They're In Love and Merlin Is Always Good deus ex machinae.
Well, suffice to say, I'd love a new version of Merlin. It sounds like they have a big budget and big money is what a big legend like this deserves :) I hope that it rises up to expectations. Speaking of which, a remake of Mists of Avalon, anyone?
Now that I can't really enjoy a Merlin episode without my jaw falling open in horror at the characters' complete lack of consistency, I definitely can't wait for a more grown-up, serious take. Of course, there's always a risk that the people over the pond might seriously mess up their British history, but to be fair they at least cast a British person as Henry, so they can't be all bad. Also, the fact that they're filming in IRELAND should also ring a couple of warning bells, but I'm biased in favour of Ireland for its pretty, so I'll just wait and hope.
So many of Merlin's problems could be resolved if the writers didn't decide to use the path of least resistance EVERY SINGLE TIME. If they stopped trying to shove fairy-tale morals down our throats and paint black-and-white pictures of what's right and wrong, and focused instead on going down more intriguing and complicated routes (making Morgana an enemy of Uther but not Camelot, showing the Gwen/Arthur/Lancelot triangle as a thing of tragedy -- as it was meant to be -- rather than a sappy all-is-pink romance), things would be so much more interesting. As it goes, however, we learn the same moral every episode: magical people are drawn to the dark side, Uther is evil because he kills magical people, and Merlin is a Good Guy even though he helps Uther kill his own kind. See, Gaius is morally ambiguous but Merlin? He is a SAINT. He does the Wrong Things for the Right Reasons, and he Makes Mistakes, whereas Morgana just does bad things for petty, not-well-thought-out reasons. Merlin tried to KILL Mordred and Morgana, AND freed the dragon, but Morgana's the evil one?
Of course, all that makes sense if you apply the "children are watching this" logic. Merlin is Good because children are watching it. Morgana is Evil because children are watching it, and god forbid they be intelligent enough to understand the complexity of her character. Gwen and Arthur marry because they're True Love and not because unfortunate circumstances draw them together/they have to marry out of necessity. Children simply Do Not Understand these things, and parents don't want to expose them to them. They want perfect PG stories where Princes rescue Maidens and every loose end is tied in a shiny pink knot, however unrealistic, archaic and sexist it may be.
While I understand that sex, drugs, and violence must be kept out of children's TV AT ALL COSTS, must The Powers That Be so severely underestimate children? Is it not acceptable for primetime TV to contain SOME material that might go over the little ones' heads? Is it really okay to defile beautifully symbolic legends weaved in mystery, allegory and tragedy for the sake of bland, cliche-ridden Good Entertainment that asks nothing of the audience and gives nothing in return? Merlin showed such promise, but between seasons the writers just did a complete u-turn and threw originality out of the window. Gone were the subtle twists to the legend; everything was flattened by the big They're In Love and Merlin Is Always Good deus ex machinae.
Well, suffice to say, I'd love a new version of Merlin. It sounds like they have a big budget and big money is what a big legend like this deserves :) I hope that it rises up to expectations. Speaking of which, a remake of Mists of Avalon, anyone?