Hm.
I.) Last night I was at the opera. This year, the Munich opera did the entire Ring and last night they showed the final part, the Götterdämmerung. Unfortunately, after the three previous productions were all well sung and imaginatively staged (the first production in which bringing masses of people who aren't in the script on stage actually worked
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Which is absolutely baffling. Merlin spoke up for Gwen in 4x09, was apparantly the only one to see her off, kept speaking up for her and in 4x11 after realising what must have happened went looking for her and saved her life. (It also seems sending her to his mother was his idea, though I could be wrong, I'd have to rewatch his dialogue with Hunith when he asks how Gwen is.) As for Arthur, while I'd agree that banishing Gwen was wrong, it's not even in the same league of wrong as taking her consent away and essentially mindraping her which is what Morgana did to her when using the love spell. And changing her into a hind so she'd be hunted and killed was the type of powermad sadism that's straight from the Greek gods and Ovid.
Incidentally: not that I expect it to happen because she's an expensive guest star, but speaking of other good female characters for Gwen to interact with, I'd love for Lindsay Duncan to come back as Queen Annis and have scenes with her. (Also Elena, Alice and Hunith, while we're at it.) The Annis and Morgana scenes were terrific and just the kind of thing fanfic rarely if ever would give us because Annis does not share Morgana's own image of herself.
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Arguments: yes, I've seen them. I also think Arthur was wrong to banish Gwen but don't think the narrative approves - note that the knights (who all, like everyone including Gwen herself, believe she acted of her own volition) when discussing Elyan in "Herald of a New Age" believe it would be understandable if he turned against Arthur because of Gwen's banishment - none of them says "ah, but she deserved it/it was the right thing to do because..." Re: Merlin not making the link between Shade!Lancelot and Gwen's behavior, well, Morgana's spell is far subtler than the show's previous love spells or possessions. Gwen doesn't walk around acting differently from the way she normally does in her interactions with others during the episode (whereas in the cases of Uther and Katrina, Arthur and Sophia and Arthur and Vivian there was definite ooc behaviour involved, plus they were incapable of thinking of anyone but the person the love spell was for. (Which makes sense since in all these cases, the love was a new, artificial emotional generated by the spell, whereas what Morgana did with Gwen was to reawaken old feelings and push them to the maximum.) Moreover, Merlin could see during the big discovery scene that Gwen reacted horrified and in anguish, clearly fearing for both men, whereas with the previous love spells, anything but concern for the spell's benefiter was driven from the subject's mind. So I don't believe he should have known Gwen was under the influence.
Mind you: the whole thing generated a plot bunny still nibbling at me, about Merlin fighting with himself whether it would make things better or worse to tell Gwen it hadn't been the real Lancelot and ultimately, some time after her coronation, deciding to tell her. And then Gwen (remembering "Lancelot" gave her that gift) puts it all together. And then I write the Gwen, armed with this knowledge, reencounters Morgana scene I always wanted to read but couldn't find.
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Jumping in to say, yes! This! Consider me equally baffled. (I am also fairly sure sending Gwen to Hunith was Merlin's idea, which is both politically astute--it gets her out of Camelot, but not out of reach, for one--and compassionate.)
And in addition to all the points you eloquently assemble, there's the larger context of 1) the deep Merlin/Gwen friendship, which you have to willfully ignore to read his treatment of Gwen in 4x09 as malicious, and 2) Merlin's entire arc in S4, which is about screwing up and failing to save the day as he previously could. Morgana's victory in 4x09 fits into a larger pattern of Merlin not being effective.
And ditto, ditto, ditto on the narrative disapproving of Arthur's banishment of Gwen. There are a lot of cues that this is a mistake, and the largest of all is that we the watchers know Arthur is meant to wind up with Gwen, and that banishing her (and all the resulting misadventures) is a step away from the destiny he's supposed to be working toward.
And ooh, ooh, ooh! I would love to see that plot bunny developed at length!
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Yes indeed. Even before the next episodes with Merlin repeatedly bringing Gwen up etc. confirmed this, it never occured to me to read his presence at her house when she leaves as anything other than supportive (especially given in combination with his "Gwen is a good person" conversation with Arthur in the very same episode), so I was well and truly stunned when I saw people interpret it as "slut shamming". What the hell? thought I. You really have to ignore every scene between Merlin and Gwen ever, and every scene relating to Gwen which Merlin is in ever, until that point, to make that assumption.
Morgana's victory in 4x09 fits into a larger pattern of Merlin not being effective.
s3 and s4 having declared that Morgana and Merlin are sides of a coin and each other's destinies as well, it occurs to me that they both share a prophecy-and-person related flaw. After getting the Emrys prophecy, Morgana immediately sees all her failures as being caused by this nemesis of hers in epic battles, whereas the viewers know that, pointedly in 4.02., her defeat is actually due to various factors coming together (Gwen asking Lancelot to protect Arthur, Lancelot sacrificing himself, Arthur and the knights being on the island to begin with despite obstacles because Arthur is set on ending the catastrophe with his life), not because of Merlin. Conversely, it doesn't occur to Merlin that Morgana could be scheming for something other than Arthur's life, because that has been the pattern so far, that the Shade!Lancelot could be there for another reason than to assassinate Arthur, because he's still thinking too much like a magical bodyguard and not enough like a councillor of the realm, not to mention that he ignores how much Gwen's then impending queendom goes against what Morgana considers to be hers.
re: plot bunny: my main impediment is that I'd have to find a reason why Morgana doesn't kill Gwen in their confrontation scene. Her powers by now are so advanced she could do it easily, or change her shape as she does in 4.11. And Gwen would know that. Of course, if she also knew Merlin's secret she could ask him for back-up or at least a variation of the power draining spell he used in 4.13, but she doesn't, and I don't want to make it into a reveal story because that would distract from Gwen working through the Lancelot revelation and facing Morgana theme as a main issue. Given Gwen has grown closer to Gaius over the last few seasons, there is perhaps the possibility she could ask him (since she knows about his magical past and abilities) whether he has something to prevent Morgana from using her powers so she could talk to her, but then I have the problem that no way would Gaius let Gwen go off on her lonesome to confront Morgana, which brings us back to Merlin again.
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Yes! Exactly! I was really shocked as well. (Especially when it led to "Gwen should dump both boys & hook up with Morgana," who has actively been trying to kill Gwen for over a series now.) You also have to ignore everything we've ever learned, ever, about Gwen's intense sense of privacy and disinclination to show her vulnerabilities, even to people she's close to, to read Merlin's farewell as antagonistic instead of respectful.
I really like your point about Morgana & Merlin both having a blind spot of too-narrow focus. Arguably in Morgana's case, it's a self-fulfilling prophecy, because while her conviction that Emrys is thwarting her is very far off-base at the beginning of the series, she's actually right in the finale (with "Servant of 2 Masters" serving as a crucial turning point).
And Merlin arguably learns from his mistake in 4x09, by saving Gwen's life twice afterward, especially in the finale, when he saves her rather than Arthur, who needs Isolde to save him...and also thinking in councilor terms, as you say, in setting up the sword in the stone...hmmm. Wow, this is making me rethink the character arcs in this series quite a bit! Thanks much for this--the point that Merlin screws up because he's following an old script is a great one.
Re plot bunny: The problem you mention is a serious one, and I agree that making it a reveal story would deflect too much attention to Merlin (besides, having him struggle & then reveal a smaller truth to Gwen is much better characterization fodder, like you did in the Arthur/Merlin/Freya story).
There is always the Shakespearian out of having Gwen confront Morgana in disguise, magical or not, though that might curtail some of the emotional impact. The show would almost certainly solve the problem by having Gwen get an enchantment from "Emrys," though that poses the problem of whether Gwen is pro-magic enough to trust him. (I am a bit fascinated by the fact that "Emrys" & Gwen have never met, because his interactions with Arthur, Uther, Morgana, the knights, etc. are so much about him saying what he would never dare say; I do wonder how that would work with Gwen, though I doubt it would be as comic.)
But isn't it possible to have Gwen & Morgana meet in circumstances in which it's not in Morgana's best political interest to harm Gwen directly--say, a conference at Queen Annis's court at which Morgana & Gwen are both seeking allies and all are sworn to a temporary peace? A little open political rivalry could replace murderous magic, at least for a time.
(This is totally not a blatant attempt to get you to write Queen Annis. *whistles innocently*)
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How does this work for you: shortly after Gwen's coronation, Camelot receives a message that Annis is marrying her daughter to Prince X., and invites various Albion royalty for the festivities. The invitation to Arthur and his new wife is a gesture of politeness; while Arthur gained her respect, he did kill her husband and the bride's groom, and so he's supposed to decline. However, someone has a brainwave. If Gwen goes instead of Arthur who is detained by plot device X in Camelot anyway (or simply needs to supervise rebuilding after the most recent war), it will allow her to strengthen relationships with Annis' kingdom, perhaps even build up a genuine friendship with the Queen, her daughter and Prince X the likely next king (Gwen didn't do anything to any of them, is good at making friends, and Arthur knows Annis is an honorable woman who will judge Gwen on her own merits), and this will introduce her to various Albion royalty as Camelot's new queen under Annis' tutelage. (Snub her, and you snub your hostess.) So, a win-win scenario.
Merlin comes along with Gwen (they also need at least one of the knights as an escort - I wanted to add Elyan, but given they have to impress nobility, it would make sense for it to be Sir Leon), and the journey provides the first occasion for the two of them to talk about the last year at leisure. Which is when Merlin after some to and thro decides to come out with the truth about Shade!Lancelot. (Maybe because they're passing the lake?) Gwen is stunned, and after a while puts two and two together with the bracelet, working out the spell part, and that Morgana must have been responsible.
Turns out Morgana is at the wedding, too, recovered from her wounds thanks to dragon breathing, still in need of a human ally and also in need of making a second, better impression on Annis. Or maybe she's given up on Annis and is going for Annis' daughter and/or Prince X instead, trying to persuade them to overthrow Annis as she overthrew Uther? Just to keep with the generational theme and Morgana's ability to project parental issues. Anyway, this is why she doesn't kill Gwen (or Merlin) on sight. Gwen is determined to have it out with Morgana and ask her again why, with more of an explanation than "it's what you represent", but she hasn't forgotten that she's now queen and here to forge new connections, either, hard as it is. So the story would have Gwen on the one hand working through her emotions (the realisation she has been mind-messed with, her feelings about Morgana, and her past exile in this new light) and on the other squaring off against various Albion royals, many of which would be pre-determined to snub her if they can get away with it, and sympathize with Morgana, having to see her former maid as queen etc. (maybe Morgana presents the story as Gwen having caused a rift between her brother and her in order to become Queen?), which gives Morgana the opportunity to make allies. In the end, Gwen's diplomacy and determination wins out re: most of the guests, she and Merlin get to polish up their detective act by sussing out the conspiracy between Morgana and Annis' daughter and/or prince X against Annis, and Gwen returns home with the knowledge of what really happened, some measure of air cleared between her and Morgana, and some new allies besides.
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Love the brainwave about sending Gwen to the wedding (something I can imagine the OT3 coming up with in combination); the massive potential for Gwen showing her queenliness, and of course the divide between how she feels and her duty, which is so Gwen, in many ways; Gwen being a detective on two counts; the prospect of Merlin & Gwen, the last people to have seen Morgana, encountering her again; Morgana continuing to plot; the potential for Gwen/Merlin friendship; and of course Gwen finally getting the resolution she so richly deserves. Plus, Queen Annis + Queen Guinevere = A+!
I really hope you write this!
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