1x13: Le Morte D'Arthur
Okaayyyyy so Merlin is over for a year (A YEAR - WHAT AM I GOING TO DO ON SATURDAY NIGHTS NOW?!?!?! Oh yeah. Get a life.) and I am feeling:
1) a little bereft; and
2) slightly underwhelmed
Some things I enjoyed:
1) Merlin/Arthur bickerings in the forest. Some people complain that Arthur is being too mean to Merlin but I say PAH to that. This is their schtick! This is what they do! They are manly men (well, one of them is a manly man) - they don't really go in for declarations of affection unless one of them is dying and even then it is coded in machismo. I LOVE IT.
2) Arthur going back to save Merlin from his terminal case of clumsiness.
3) Morgana and Gwen's little moment in Morgana's BED. (There was FACE STROKING; also HUGGING.)
4) Colin Morgan's acting skillz particularly his little face of anguish over Arthur & his blind determination to sacrifice his life for everyone he loves. This episode showed that it wasn't just about destiny any more, it was something far greater than that. His face. The hope when he first found out that he could save Arthur simply burned in his eyes and then when Arthur was cured! That look of pure joy was incredible. It was sort of awe inspiring - and slightly frightening - to see how much he was willing to give to save his "friend". (They are so much more than friends. And I don't even mean that in a sexy sex way. This is something that goes far beyond the lines of friendship).
5) Uther. Because once again we got a glimpse (more than a glimpse) that he is not just a tyrant. That he is all too human. When he picked Arthur up and carried him through the courtyard, and when he couldn't carry him any further. This was not a king. This was a father grieving for his son. Oh my HEART.
6) The lovlieness of the Arthur/Gwen moments. In my heart of hearts I am all about the slash but I am beginning to think that this is a canon pairing that I can really get behind. Because she does not fumble her words when she speaks to him. Because he does not just see a servant girl when he looks at her. Because he says her name. I like them. I really do.
7) ... and back to the slash. Merlin going to Arthur's rooms (without knocking, might I add) and basically telling him that he loves him in Boy Language. Arthur's utterly non-plussed expression when Merlin compliments him. Merlin's need to give him some kind of blessing almost. And then, of course, the insults, the "royal prat" thing harking back to the day they met (he remembered their first conversation! how romantic!)These BOYS. How I love them.
8) The dragon turning out to be a manipulative old sod, not that it wasn't obvious. I am curious about where this will leave Merlin in the next series. Who will he go to for guidance now?
Some things I didn't:
1) All the shilly-shallying about who was going to die got a little trying after a while. Blah blah Merlin's mother, blah blah Gaius, blah blah Merlin racing about on a horse. They basically told the same story over and over again and it just wasn't interesting because there was no real danger. The ending was far too happily resolved for my liking. (And yes, okay, it is a family programme but the writers have already shown that they can do Dark when they have to. And Doctor Who isn't exactly one for happy endings.)
2) Morgana was sadly underused - her little plotline was rather underdeveloped. Yeah, she had some nightmares but so what? Nobody paid attention to her & nothing was made of the fact that nobody paid attention to her. She grabbed Merlin to warn him but this had no significance either. I WANT MORE MORGANA & I want some character development PLEASE. We already know that she is a seer - it's now time to see how that affects her and how it affects the people around her.
3) The killing of Nimueh seemed a little pointless. It wasn't her who made the rules - she only acted by them. If it wasn't her it would have been somebody else. Merlin had a fit of pique and blasted her and suddenly now everything's okay? She was beginning to be an interesting character - I would have liked to have seen that developed in some way. I would also like to see Merlin realise the consequences of his actions and maybe show some remorse (just a little bit would do) for the people he explodes in such a cavalier fashion, on such a regular basis. ALTHOUGH: it did seem like something of the sort was about to happen right at the end. We shall just have to wait until next year to find out....
In conclusion: A decent enough episode but not one of the strongest (that particular honour goes to Moment of Truth.) and, as a series finale, rather disappointing. Next series I would like: much more Gwen, much more Morgana, CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT, a willingness to explore the dark side of things when necessary and more of Merlin being made to account for his actions.