Merlin S04E01 - The Darkest Hour Part 1
We were promised darker and more intense than ever before, and I think we did get that. More than that, the production values are better than ever, but not in a way that overwhelmed the best charms of the show. This episode made good use of (most of) the cast, managed to squeeze a lot of story into not a lot of script pages, and even made thoughtful use of sound, lighting, and color. I fully expect that Part 2 will have more of the characters who didn't get much screen time, which is about the only complaint I have so far.
Stole the screencaps from puchre, here. If you want to discuss this episode, dive right in! =D
Here There Be Spoilers
Spooky Stuff!
I love gothic, spooky, ghosty stuff. LOVE IT SO MUCH. I was super into the haunted village, in particular the sound design (less is more!) and washed-out cinematography that made everybody look dead - especially Merlin, nice foreshadowing there. The spirits of the dead were a little generic, but I guess not everything can be Fatal Frame.
I also loved Morgana's vision of Ragnarok, although I didn't really get her reaction to it. Well, Morgana, is it what you want? I would like to see more some any consideration from Morgana about whether she's doing the right thing. Uther was sure he was doing the right thing by executing all the magical people in Camelot too, hon.
Uther
With minimal spoilage going into this season, I was hoping to do a series of reviews over at Uthercentric...alas, there's hardly enough material for that, so I'll reorganize and COME BACK STRONGER THAN BEFORE...unlike Uther. Morgana's betrayal has left him completely broken, but I think it's worth remembering that this is hardly the first assault on his psyche that he's endured - not even the first at her hands. During the course of the show, we've seen Uther open up to just three people - Arthur, Morgana, and Catrina - and all three of them tried to kill him. (Not to mention any number of visitors.) On top of the burden of guilt of the Purge, he is also partly responsible for Morgana's successful coup. His best efforts at protecting himself, his family, and his kingdom all failed spectacularly. And he wasn't Mr. Keep Calm and Carry On even in his younger, stronger days, he was always Mr. Flip My Shit and Kill Some Guys.
All that considered, it's not surprising that Uther has simply given up, nor that the only thing that can move him now is Arthur's love and Gwen's kindness. I would really love to see Gwen be the daughter Uther never had. Meanwhile, I loved the scene between Arthur and Uther. Arthur's simple, heartfelt words and loving kiss, and Uther's desperation breaking through his depression. And Arthur manfully wiping away his tears and making Gwen smile. 60 seconds of pure ♥ ♥ ♥
Agravaine and Morgause
WTF Agravaine. It seems like he's another one of Ygraine's brothers, so why is he plotting with Uther's love child to kill Arthur? I've been kicking around the idea that Arthur's isn't really Uther's son, only Ygraine's, due to the spell. In any case, Arthur is for sure Ygraine's son and Morgana is for sure NOT her daughter. So again, WTF Agravaine? If he's Uther's brother...um, I still don't get it. We'd better get some explanation for this, not like that time Morgana turned evil because it was cloudy outside or whatever.
Oh, Morgause, I was just enjoying hating you! Although I don't sympathize with her, I found Morgause interesting and I hope we learn more about her even though she's dead. Then again, with the veil torn, maybe that's not the career ender it once was?
And the Rest
As someone who found the Knights of the Bland Table less than 100% compelling in the past, I'm excited that several of them were given little scenes to themselves. Gwaine and Percy stealing the chicken, Percival carrying the children and Elyan backing him up: adorable. Also, CHAINMAIL CANNOT CONTAIN PERCY'S GUNS. I'd love to see each of the knights get their own signature style somehow. I've always been a fan of the slightly modified uniform in school-based anime.
Loved seeing Gaius comfort the refugee girl. He's really better at caring for people than giving advice, and I like seeing that side of him. His goodbye scene with Merlin was also lovely.
What is it with Arthur and Merlin and self-sacrifice? ARTHUR YOU ARE THE KING. YOUR JOB IS TO SACRIFICE OTHER PEOPLE FOR THE GOOD OF THE KINGDOM, NOT YOURSELF. Especially not without an heir! That's borderline irresponsible. I'm not sure if they meant it to come off that way, but Arthur's immediate "why don't I die?" response actually seemed less like nobility and more like an easy way out of a hard situation. Looks like Arthur is still a bit naive.
Stole the screencaps from puchre, here. If you want to discuss this episode, dive right in! =D
Here There Be Spoilers
Spooky Stuff!
I love gothic, spooky, ghosty stuff. LOVE IT SO MUCH. I was super into the haunted village, in particular the sound design (less is more!) and washed-out cinematography that made everybody look dead - especially Merlin, nice foreshadowing there. The spirits of the dead were a little generic, but I guess not everything can be Fatal Frame.
I also loved Morgana's vision of Ragnarok, although I didn't really get her reaction to it. Well, Morgana, is it what you want? I would like to see more some any consideration from Morgana about whether she's doing the right thing. Uther was sure he was doing the right thing by executing all the magical people in Camelot too, hon.
Uther
With minimal spoilage going into this season, I was hoping to do a series of reviews over at Uthercentric...alas, there's hardly enough material for that, so I'll reorganize and COME BACK STRONGER THAN BEFORE...unlike Uther. Morgana's betrayal has left him completely broken, but I think it's worth remembering that this is hardly the first assault on his psyche that he's endured - not even the first at her hands. During the course of the show, we've seen Uther open up to just three people - Arthur, Morgana, and Catrina - and all three of them tried to kill him. (Not to mention any number of visitors.) On top of the burden of guilt of the Purge, he is also partly responsible for Morgana's successful coup. His best efforts at protecting himself, his family, and his kingdom all failed spectacularly. And he wasn't Mr. Keep Calm and Carry On even in his younger, stronger days, he was always Mr. Flip My Shit and Kill Some Guys.
All that considered, it's not surprising that Uther has simply given up, nor that the only thing that can move him now is Arthur's love and Gwen's kindness. I would really love to see Gwen be the daughter Uther never had. Meanwhile, I loved the scene between Arthur and Uther. Arthur's simple, heartfelt words and loving kiss, and Uther's desperation breaking through his depression. And Arthur manfully wiping away his tears and making Gwen smile. 60 seconds of pure ♥ ♥ ♥
Agravaine and Morgause
WTF Agravaine. It seems like he's another one of Ygraine's brothers, so why is he plotting with Uther's love child to kill Arthur? I've been kicking around the idea that Arthur's isn't really Uther's son, only Ygraine's, due to the spell. In any case, Arthur is for sure Ygraine's son and Morgana is for sure NOT her daughter. So again, WTF Agravaine? If he's Uther's brother...um, I still don't get it. We'd better get some explanation for this, not like that time Morgana turned evil because it was cloudy outside or whatever.
Oh, Morgause, I was just enjoying hating you! Although I don't sympathize with her, I found Morgause interesting and I hope we learn more about her even though she's dead. Then again, with the veil torn, maybe that's not the career ender it once was?
And the Rest
As someone who found the Knights of the Bland Table less than 100% compelling in the past, I'm excited that several of them were given little scenes to themselves. Gwaine and Percy stealing the chicken, Percival carrying the children and Elyan backing him up: adorable. Also, CHAINMAIL CANNOT CONTAIN PERCY'S GUNS. I'd love to see each of the knights get their own signature style somehow. I've always been a fan of the slightly modified uniform in school-based anime.
Loved seeing Gaius comfort the refugee girl. He's really better at caring for people than giving advice, and I like seeing that side of him. His goodbye scene with Merlin was also lovely.
What is it with Arthur and Merlin and self-sacrifice? ARTHUR YOU ARE THE KING. YOUR JOB IS TO SACRIFICE OTHER PEOPLE FOR THE GOOD OF THE KINGDOM, NOT YOURSELF. Especially not without an heir! That's borderline irresponsible. I'm not sure if they meant it to come off that way, but Arthur's immediate "why don't I die?" response actually seemed less like nobility and more like an easy way out of a hard situation. Looks like Arthur is still a bit naive.