*Merlin* /dragon voice

[rane_ab]

I'm so curious to see everyone's reaction to this one, because I have no idea how much seeing it on the big screen/with surround sound/with a bunch of fangirls affected my perception.

I'm surprised to say I liked it just as much on the small screen than I did on the big one. Weirdly, some of the CGI looked better to me on the big screen, but that might have something to do with my fairly crappy reception of the Beeb.

• I'll say up front: my one complaint about the entire ep is that I like my Merlin to be a little less, er, scared. I guess it makes sense after he discovers his powers don't work, but he's looking frightened even before that happens, and while I understand it was probably just playing into the general feel of the episode and upping the tension, as a matter of personal taste, I like him a bit more bad-ass. *g* But, OK, that's splitting hairs, and I have to say I really loved the ep overall. Hands down the best series opener since S1 (because that one contains some of my favourite M/A moments, silly as it is), as far as I'm concerned.
  
  
• I think they did a pretty brilliant job at keeping the creepy atmosphere up during the entire ep. Full disclosure: I love this kind of thing, so maybe I was looking for it, but the ep just looked really pretty in a dark kind of way. I remember thinking that the background to the Isle of the Blessed sacrificial place looked almost hand-drawn as opposed to real to me, but I mean that in the best kind of way, because it absolutely worked for me. In fact, I didn't even notice how cheesy the ghosts look until someone else pointed it out. They work in a weird way for me, because they're not supposed to be really human, I think?
  
  
• Morgana looks like a cliché in her get-up, but damn, does it look good on her.
  
  
• So much love for Arthur in this ep.
  
  His smile after teasing Merlin about the speech (and yay Merlin writing Arthur's speech! I kind of love how this shows how Arthur's putting more trust in him without really taking Arthur down too much - I can imagine this holiday isn't all that significant to him personally and wouldn't have him at his most inspirational; and I think it's a sign of the series' growth, too, because I'm pretty sure that scene would have ended without that smile last series...), the way he said "Thanks" to the witness, his admitting his fear to Merlin (hearts in my eyes, seriously), his general bravery, his willingness to sacrifice himself for his people.
  
  S3 was all about telling not showing how Arthur was going to be a great king for me, and it made me pretty D:. And, yeah, rationally, sacrificing himself is not necessarily the best thing to do for his people (unless he really has a lot of faith in Agravaine; of course, we're secure in the knowledge he won't die just yet *g*), and I guess Arthur still has that lesson to learn sometime when he's king, but at this point? I love what it says about him as a person, what he's willing to do for his people, that he gets once again to show he really does care.
  
  
• Similarly, so much love for Merlin's speeches to Arthur in this. I remember being all :/ about the speeches in 3x01 (3x02?) because they struck me as just... words, with no particular meaning or personal connection, but in this ep, oh. I love Merlin's "together". Together they can do this. It might take a while, but they will.
  
  
• Loved the Lancelot/Merlin relationship in this. I'm so glad someone knows about his magic, and I pretty much love any hint of the relationship between Merlin and the knights. I certainly hope there's more to come. On that note, yay knights! :D
  
  
• Merlin's insistence that he's there to "protect Arthur, damnit," (er, not an actual quote) always makes the slasher (and, OK, friendship-shipper) in me perk up. Because if you take a step back for a second, you realise that Merlin's job is to make Albion and the return of magic happen, which does involve Arthur, but is a bit more than that, and would probably require him to stay alive a bit longer. But nope, all Merlin takes from this is that he's supposed to protect Arthur. It's like he's got a personal interest or something...
  
  Actually, I didn't understand what Merlin said the first time, and I didn't catch it any better this time around. Anyone know what he says to Gaius after, "I'll gladly die knowing that one day, ???" Thanks, Dee!
  
  
• Agravaine. I was spoiled for him and all set not to like him overly much, and after seeing him play nice at the beginning of the ep, I expected them to spell his turn to evil out further on in the series, so I was pleasantly surprised at just how well he's playing his two-faced role. Turns out I like him already. *g*
  
  
• I also liked the way they dived straight into that Morgana & Morgause storyline without giving details. Given how their last attempt at skipping a year turned out, I think it actually pretty well, here, without jarring the viewer, and yet contributing to the mystery. I like it.
  
  
• "He's is your destiny... and your doom." My inner Merlin/Morgana shipper has been flailing pretty enthusiastically at this line since the BFI. Ah, Merlin, you have destinies with a couple of people, it seems. I like the contrasts, there, as ostensibly simple as they seem - his destiny with both an ally and an enemy, and possibly the good/bad contrast between Merlin and Morgana themselves, if she is indeed as powerful as he is at this point: I'd love it if they were as strong as one another, but with that contrast between them. Although I'd mainly love it because it leaves so much room for blurring the lines and complicating things once you've established that supposed starting point. *g*
  
  
• I really can't wait to find out what Arthur's reaction to Merlin's sacrifice is going to be. Given that we have at least two entire series to go, probably not entirely what I want it to be, but still. *g* And like I said, I loved that moment between them.
  
  
• It's a two-parter, so presumably the plot's going to be wrapped up next ep; at the BFI, for some reason, I half-expected it to go on for most of the series, because there's just so much potential there, with the world of the dead being opened - could have been the start of an epic storyline. I assume the Merlin/Morgana bit will continue for some time, hopefully, but still, I'll be waiting for the fanfic with an epic instead of a brief ep 2.:D
  
  Still, so excited for next week! We've been waiting long enough, haha.
  
  ... That's the first time in eight years I've posted three entries in one day, I'm pretty sure. *g* Um, sorry?