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.
Yup, Arthur has had the lesson about responsibility drummed into him but he's still learning the one about support. That makes sense to me because Uther seems to have ruled without support from friends or queen for all of Arthur's life. The only exception to this might have been Gorlois but Arthur can't have been very old when he died.
Yes. The closest person to Uther during the time Arthur would remember was arguably Gaius, and other than on medical matters, Uther did not listen to him. And wrote him off twice within the first two seasons. Which makes the table round model a new one for everyone involved!
Lovely review. I hope you're right about the long-term consequences of this week's Gwen plot, because the speed of it didn't sit well with me. Otherwise, I was very happy, especially with all the emotional dynamics you describe so brilliantly.
I also thought it looked gorgeous: Arthur on the cliff, the surprise of Merlin in knight's clothes. All this and Lindsay Duncan too! :)
I didn't even know they had Lindsay Duncan as a guest star this season, and now I don't have to angst in advance wondering whether they'd write her a good role; instead, I'm bouncing with glee that they did!
For a cotton candy show, Merlin really attracts fantastic actors! Their main cast is splendid (with the possible exception of Ms. McGrath, who may be merely good), and now Lindsay Duncan!
I think the A-plot of this episode was the best this show has come up with yet. Annis was a compelling and intriguing character and the plot was a well-done take on the "antagonist who you deal with, not by conquering, but by winning their respect" story. And they did something interesting (and revelatory of her character) with Morgana, so extra points for that.
They still criminally underuse Gwen, which makes me all the gladder for Annis, because she pushes back slightly against a fictional world where the powerful woman who has her own agenda is evil and the good woman is a powerless love-interest who never drives the plot with her own agenda.
I am only belatedly getting to see reactions to this episode, and this is such an excellent write-up. I love your comparison with the Labyrinth episode, which illustrates so much about how Arthur, Merlin, their bond, and even the show itself have matured.
And really good point about how Morgana believes the story about Gorlois she tells Annis, and how hard Annis's observation hits her at the end.
Plus it's always nice to have one's fanfic validated by on screen text, she says smugly
Nice but not really surprising, considering how well and in-character you've always done Morgana!
I very much hope you are right about there being lasting consequences to the Arthur/Gwen breakup this episode; it certainly worked for me emotionally as a setup for the Gwen/Lancelot plot, but it didn't occur to me that it could work that way for the characters as well.
second time he calls Merlin "friend" without the guise of sarcasm or qualifications on screenI'm pretty sure it's actually the 3rd time, because I think Arthur really meant it when he
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I hope I'm right re Arthur/Gwen as well; but this season keeps making me so very happy that it's hard not to be optimistic and see set up instead of clumsiness!
Can't wait to read your take on the most recent episode. Oh season 4, how do I love thee, let me count the ways.
Can't wait to read your take on the most recent episode
OMG how so amazing, show? How so amazing?
Seriously--a great Morgana episode, and a great Arthur/Merlin episode, and everything Gwen did made me very happy. It's probably my favorite S4 episode so far (though admittedly that's a hard call). Write up in progress...
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Yup, Arthur has had the lesson about responsibility drummed into him but he's still learning the one about support. That makes sense to me because Uther seems to have ruled without support from friends or queen for all of Arthur's life. The only exception to this might have been Gorlois but Arthur can't have been very old when he died.
Great review as always.
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I also thought it looked gorgeous: Arthur on the cliff, the surprise of Merlin in knight's clothes. All this and Lindsay Duncan too! :)
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I think the A-plot of this episode was the best this show has come up with yet. Annis was a compelling and intriguing character and the plot was a well-done take on the "antagonist who you deal with, not by conquering, but by winning their respect" story. And they did something interesting (and revelatory of her character) with Morgana, so extra points for that.
They still criminally underuse Gwen, which makes me all the gladder for Annis, because she pushes back slightly against a fictional world where the powerful woman who has her own agenda is evil and the good woman is a powerless love-interest who never drives the plot with her own agenda.
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And really good point about how Morgana believes the story about Gorlois she tells Annis, and how hard Annis's observation hits her at the end.
Plus it's always nice to have one's fanfic validated by on screen text, she says smugly
Nice but not really surprising, considering how well and in-character you've always done Morgana!
I very much hope you are right about there being lasting consequences to the Arthur/Gwen breakup this episode; it certainly worked for me emotionally as a setup for the Gwen/Lancelot plot, but it didn't occur to me that it could work that way for the characters as well.
second time he calls Merlin "friend" without the guise of sarcasm or qualifications on screenI'm pretty sure it's actually the 3rd time, because I think Arthur really meant it when he ( ... )
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Can't wait to read your take on the most recent episode. Oh season 4, how do I love thee, let me count the ways.
Reply
OMG how so amazing, show? How so amazing?
Seriously--a great Morgana episode, and a great Arthur/Merlin episode, and everything Gwen did made me very happy. It's probably my favorite S4 episode so far (though admittedly that's a hard call). Write up in progress...
Reply
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