Vid: Man on Lockdown {Merlin BBC - Arthur character study}

[silviakundera]

Hey keewick, I finally made that songvid about my issues with Arthur.

Title: Man on Lockdown
Fandom: Merlin (BBC)
Music: "Love Lockdown" by Kanye
Focus: Arthur Pendragon
Length: 3:45 minutes
Spoilers: 103, 112, 207, 303, 310, 311, 312
Summary: The only necessity for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.
There are battles for which Arthur will risk everything. These are not those battles.

Downloads: Large (163MB wmv - sendspace); Large (163MB wmv - 4shared); Medium (80MB wmv); Medium (80MB mov) (mov file has poorest quality)



(note: YouTube version is better quality)

Click to view

Vidder Notes
The primary narrative of the vid centers on what I consider to be a very problematic element of Arthur's characterization: his tendency to protect his position of privilege at the expense of others. Through all 3 seasons we see Arthur refusing revolution even when innocents are suffering. Arthur feels little culpability, justifying this passivity by viewing himself as unable to act, prevented from acting. But these constraints are largely an illusion -- self erected barriers. He's constrained by self-preservation, by the desire to keep his status & Uther's approval and to validate his father's regime. I decided to narrow the focus for this video to the individuals we'd generally assume any empathetic person in Arthur's situation would have protected, excluding adults to which that Arthur has no personal connection.

A subtle secondary narrative I tried to weave into the background of the vid is a query to Merlin: is he too guilty of inaction, when it comes to his prince? should his excuses & passivity in the face of Arthur's behavior be questioned? Is he, unlike Arthur, allowing love to cloud his better sense?

I don't honestly know if I'm a good enough vidder to tackle this subject adequately (I'm still learning), but after 3x10 I decided that I had to give it a try. I just could not stand to watch Arthur's despondent sulking in his room as Gwen's death was being prepared -- no daring escapes, no breaking down doors, no shattering windows, no planning, no appeals to loyal knights, no overthrow of his father, NO ACTION... contrasted with how Merlin would not rest until Gwen could be freed. And then back to yearning for his father's approval yet again in the next episode, back to sumptuous family dinners with the man who was going to burn her alive.

Lyrics
I'm not loving you, the way I wanted to
What I had to do, had to run from you
I'm in love with you but the vibe is wrong
And that haunted me, all the way home
So you never know, never never know,
Never know enough, 'til it's over love
'Til we lose control, system overload
Screamin' No! No! No! N-No!

I'm not loving you, the way I wanted to
See I wanna move, but can't escape from you
So I keep it low, keep a secret code
So everybody else don't have to know

So keep your love locked down
Your love locked down
Keepin' your love locked down
Your love locked down
Now keep your love locked down
Your love locked down
Now keep your love locked down
You lose

I'm not lovin' you the way I wanted to
I can't keep my cool, so I keep it true
I got something to lose, so I gotta move
I can't keep myself, and still keep you too

So I keep in mind, when I'm on my own
Somewhere far from home, in the danger zone
How many times did I tell ya 'fore it finally got through
You lose, you lose

I'm not lovin' you, the way I wanted to
See I had to go, see I had to move
No more wastin' time, you can't wait for life
We're just wastin' time, where's the finish line

So keep your love locked down
Your love locked down
Keepin' your love locked down
Your love locked down
Now keep your love locked down
Your love locked down
Now keep your love locked down
You lose

I'm not lovin you, the way I wanted to
I bet no one knew, I got no one new
I know I said I'm through, but got love for you
But I'm not lovin' you, the way I wanted to

Gotta keep it goin', keep the lovin' goin'
Keep it on a roll, only God knows
If I be with you, baby I'm confused
You choose, you choose

I'm not lovin' you, the way I wanted to
Where I wanna go, I don't need you
I've been down this road, too many times before
I'm not lovin' you, the way I wanted to

So keep your love locked down
Your love locked down
Keepin' your love locked down
Your love locked down
Now keep your love locked down
Your love locked down
Now keep your love locked down
You lose, you lose
You lose, you lose
You lose