Merlin 4.05 His Father's Son
In which Lindsay Duncan is awesome and season 4 continues its efforts to become my favourite season so far.
For those of us keeping score, it's nice to see that Alice - female, middle aged, magic user, opposed to Uther, portrayed in a positive way and surviving her episode last season - wasn't a fluke; Annis the Queen of Carleon (female, middle aged, powerful, honorable antagonist) even ups the ante in that as opposed to Alice, she is (and remains) in a position of independent power and our protagonist has to prove himself to her. And then there's her interaction with Morgana, which is as much about Morgana herself as it is about Arthur. Well done, show. Keep at it.
This is the first (but presumably not the last) clash between Agrivaine and Merlin as Arthur's official and unofficial advisors, and I continue to approve of the way the show presents Agrivaine as a villain. The advice he gives Arthur really isn't that different from what Uther would have said, and Arthur knows it. The question The Wicked Day left us with was whether Arthur's love, grief and respect for his father, not to mention the fact he was raised by Uther with one particular mindset, would prove stronger than his own instincts and the lessons he learned during the course of the show. It's interesting to compare this with the s1 episode that has also Arthur doing first the wrong and then the right thing, The Labyrinth of Gredref. Back then, killing the unicorn triggered a malady for the entire kingdom until Arthur volunteers for sacrifice which saves the kingdom. While Arthur has matured and grown as a person since then, but that actually makes the original offense worse, not better. Killing the unicorn was part of a hunt, and he had no way of knowing the negative consequences it would have. Killing the King of Caerleon came after a sleepless night of thinking about it and with the emotional awareness it was wrong, and going through with it anyway. If the original offense is worse, the penance/atonment/self-drawn consequence for it is better. Back in s1, Arthur first went through various vain attempts to defeat the sorceror of the episode before agreeing to submit to the later's condition. This time, he works out himself what the responsible course of action should be, and he does it before, not after, anyone else loses their life. Merlin's role, too, has changed. In both cases, he's sure Arthur feels bad about the original loss of life despite Arthur denying it. But back in s1, he prompts and prods through the episode, has to cajole Arthur to even consider bargaining with a sorceror, and is the go between. This time, he is far more restrained, follows Arthur when Arthur negotiates with the offended party rather than initializing negotiations himself, and while evening the magical playing field after Morgana's intervention doesn't stop Arthur from undergoing the trial to begin with (as opposed to s1 when he tried to take it upon himself). The question of what makes a good king keeps popping up through the show and of couse is a big theme in this particular episode, and so far the answer seems to be that while a good king should acknowledge and use the support of his friends, the responsibility for decisions good and bad must rest with him.
Another crucial quality: the ability to admit of being in the wrong, to rethink options rather than stick to one course instead of admitting for the possibility that a mistake may have been made, which of course was a quality Uther was missing. I love that the episode shows this in a double way, not just hrough Arthur but also through Annis, who while being the original injured party and wanting revenge is far from those other kings/antagonists we're used to on this show, like Odin or Hengist; she responds thoughtfullly throughout the episode to the evidence presenting itself to her, like Arthur does not want to get her men killed if there is a way to avoid it, and is the most responsible monarch we've seen so far on this show. As mentioned before, this episode also uses her for some excellent Morgana characterisation. Morgana invoking Gorlois in her first conversation with Annis works on several levels; it's a good tactic (to win Annis as an ally), but it's also what Morgana sincerely believes; Gorlois as the one betrayed and probably killed by Uther and her real father in terms of emotion rather than blood. So when Annis in her last conversation with Morgana points out that Morgana is behaving like Uther, not Gorlois, and is Uther's daughter in spirit as well as in flesh, it really hits home with Morgana, and painfully so. (Plus it's always nice to have one's fanfic validated by on screen text, she says smugly.) The inability to let go is of course a quintessential and fatal Uther trait, which Morgana has, and Arthur partly has, though it manifests itself differently in him. What Arthur needs to let go isn't the need for vengeance combined with an inability to admit being wrong oneself - which is/was Uther's and Morgana's problem, but not Arthur's, who is able to admit being in the wrong. No, what Arthur needs to let go in order to become completely the king he needs to be is Uther and Uther's values. If he doesn't, it can have fatal consequences as this episode points out; Agrivaine is only able to influence Arthur because a part of Arthur still believes in having to live up to his father's, rather than to his people's needs.
Re: the Athur and Gwen breakup and reconciliation within one episode: I would say Gwen takes Arthur back too easily if I didn't expect what he does here to have long term consequences, along with her guilt re: Lancelot, once Lancelot comes back. Gwen for a long time was hesitant to commit herself to Arthur because she fully expected him to do just what he does in this episode, and this time he's not under a spell, or forced by his father. So I think remembering his actions in this episode (which shows, among other things, there is still an imbalance of power between them - Arthur can declare their relationship to be over unilaterally and there is not anything she can do about that) together with how guilty she feels about her request to Lancelot and her old attraction will all combine once the most noble of nights comes back from the otherworld.
Arthur and Merlin, otoh, are doing well; note that Merlin here for the first time unprompted and without jest calls himself Arthur's friend when talking to him (and isn't refuted), and Arthur later calls Merlin "old friend" (second time he calls Merlin "friend" without the guise of sarcasm or qualifications on screen). I think Merlin more than anyone after The Wicked Day is aware that instead of becoming the once and future king, Arthur could simply become Uther Mark II and while he hopes fervently for the contrary, he's also painfully aware there is nothing he can do to avoid it (giving advice has no guarantee it will be taken) - Arthur has to make those decisions himself. By the end of the episode, his faith in Arthur, which isn't of the blind variety but comes with the awareness of Arthur's flaws, is validated, but so is the awareness that Arthur is still a work in progress, and he'll have to keep on making those choices.
This entry was originally posted at http://selenak.dreamwidth.org/724481.html. Comment there or here, as you wish.
For those of us keeping score, it's nice to see that Alice - female, middle aged, magic user, opposed to Uther, portrayed in a positive way and surviving her episode last season - wasn't a fluke; Annis the Queen of Carleon (female, middle aged, powerful, honorable antagonist) even ups the ante in that as opposed to Alice, she is (and remains) in a position of independent power and our protagonist has to prove himself to her. And then there's her interaction with Morgana, which is as much about Morgana herself as it is about Arthur. Well done, show. Keep at it.
This is the first (but presumably not the last) clash between Agrivaine and Merlin as Arthur's official and unofficial advisors, and I continue to approve of the way the show presents Agrivaine as a villain. The advice he gives Arthur really isn't that different from what Uther would have said, and Arthur knows it. The question The Wicked Day left us with was whether Arthur's love, grief and respect for his father, not to mention the fact he was raised by Uther with one particular mindset, would prove stronger than his own instincts and the lessons he learned during the course of the show. It's interesting to compare this with the s1 episode that has also Arthur doing first the wrong and then the right thing, The Labyrinth of Gredref. Back then, killing the unicorn triggered a malady for the entire kingdom until Arthur volunteers for sacrifice which saves the kingdom. While Arthur has matured and grown as a person since then, but that actually makes the original offense worse, not better. Killing the unicorn was part of a hunt, and he had no way of knowing the negative consequences it would have. Killing the King of Caerleon came after a sleepless night of thinking about it and with the emotional awareness it was wrong, and going through with it anyway. If the original offense is worse, the penance/atonment/self-drawn consequence for it is better. Back in s1, Arthur first went through various vain attempts to defeat the sorceror of the episode before agreeing to submit to the later's condition. This time, he works out himself what the responsible course of action should be, and he does it before, not after, anyone else loses their life. Merlin's role, too, has changed. In both cases, he's sure Arthur feels bad about the original loss of life despite Arthur denying it. But back in s1, he prompts and prods through the episode, has to cajole Arthur to even consider bargaining with a sorceror, and is the go between. This time, he is far more restrained, follows Arthur when Arthur negotiates with the offended party rather than initializing negotiations himself, and while evening the magical playing field after Morgana's intervention doesn't stop Arthur from undergoing the trial to begin with (as opposed to s1 when he tried to take it upon himself). The question of what makes a good king keeps popping up through the show and of couse is a big theme in this particular episode, and so far the answer seems to be that while a good king should acknowledge and use the support of his friends, the responsibility for decisions good and bad must rest with him.
Another crucial quality: the ability to admit of being in the wrong, to rethink options rather than stick to one course instead of admitting for the possibility that a mistake may have been made, which of course was a quality Uther was missing. I love that the episode shows this in a double way, not just hrough Arthur but also through Annis, who while being the original injured party and wanting revenge is far from those other kings/antagonists we're used to on this show, like Odin or Hengist; she responds thoughtfullly throughout the episode to the evidence presenting itself to her, like Arthur does not want to get her men killed if there is a way to avoid it, and is the most responsible monarch we've seen so far on this show. As mentioned before, this episode also uses her for some excellent Morgana characterisation. Morgana invoking Gorlois in her first conversation with Annis works on several levels; it's a good tactic (to win Annis as an ally), but it's also what Morgana sincerely believes; Gorlois as the one betrayed and probably killed by Uther and her real father in terms of emotion rather than blood. So when Annis in her last conversation with Morgana points out that Morgana is behaving like Uther, not Gorlois, and is Uther's daughter in spirit as well as in flesh, it really hits home with Morgana, and painfully so. (Plus it's always nice to have one's fanfic validated by on screen text, she says smugly.) The inability to let go is of course a quintessential and fatal Uther trait, which Morgana has, and Arthur partly has, though it manifests itself differently in him. What Arthur needs to let go isn't the need for vengeance combined with an inability to admit being wrong oneself - which is/was Uther's and Morgana's problem, but not Arthur's, who is able to admit being in the wrong. No, what Arthur needs to let go in order to become completely the king he needs to be is Uther and Uther's values. If he doesn't, it can have fatal consequences as this episode points out; Agrivaine is only able to influence Arthur because a part of Arthur still believes in having to live up to his father's, rather than to his people's needs.
Re: the Athur and Gwen breakup and reconciliation within one episode: I would say Gwen takes Arthur back too easily if I didn't expect what he does here to have long term consequences, along with her guilt re: Lancelot, once Lancelot comes back. Gwen for a long time was hesitant to commit herself to Arthur because she fully expected him to do just what he does in this episode, and this time he's not under a spell, or forced by his father. So I think remembering his actions in this episode (which shows, among other things, there is still an imbalance of power between them - Arthur can declare their relationship to be over unilaterally and there is not anything she can do about that) together with how guilty she feels about her request to Lancelot and her old attraction will all combine once the most noble of nights comes back from the otherworld.
Arthur and Merlin, otoh, are doing well; note that Merlin here for the first time unprompted and without jest calls himself Arthur's friend when talking to him (and isn't refuted), and Arthur later calls Merlin "old friend" (second time he calls Merlin "friend" without the guise of sarcasm or qualifications on screen). I think Merlin more than anyone after The Wicked Day is aware that instead of becoming the once and future king, Arthur could simply become Uther Mark II and while he hopes fervently for the contrary, he's also painfully aware there is nothing he can do to avoid it (giving advice has no guarantee it will be taken) - Arthur has to make those decisions himself. By the end of the episode, his faith in Arthur, which isn't of the blind variety but comes with the awareness of Arthur's flaws, is validated, but so is the awareness that Arthur is still a work in progress, and he'll have to keep on making those choices.
This entry was originally posted at http://selenak.dreamwidth.org/724481.html. Comment there or here, as you wish.