Merlin: 5:03 The Death Song of Uther Pendragon
I don’t know. I should probably admit that I was expecting/hoping for a different episode than the one we got, so I’m actually reviewing the wrong thing. I know too that I’m stlll wearing my Traumatised By S4 Pt 2 goggles. But I can still see that there was alot to appreciate. We were given the, now rare, treat of an episode centred almost entirely around its two main characters, with a role for Gaius - thus the three strongest actors by far (imo) given a free rein. Added to that, the return of the fabulous Tony Head as Uther, the bad-guy-who-wasn’t-sometimes (ie a character with depth). We were given a tiny reprieve from a Plot of The Week; granted a blessed holiday from Morgana, Mordred, and Mary Sue. All told, a fabulous chance at real drama with the best actors, and an opportunity to move the show on at long bloody last in the cleverest form possible.
And that’s my problem. On the one hand I feel incredibly churlish turning a beady eye over an episode that gave us so much glorious onscreen chemistry in all directions, much apparent fan service and really fabulous comedy and dramatic acting. But on the other… I cant help bewailing the huge lost potential and the Scooby-Doo script, even as I feel a total mug for ever hoping they might finally take a risk and fulfill some of it.
We got set up, possibly incidentally, for something special, and in the end we got an entertaining filler episode that as usual ran away like a little child far and fast from the issues it created itself. When the end credits rolled I just thought- is that it? It felt ridiculously short; startlingly shallow. I expected too much. I thought Id got over that.
I think actually that ‘Merlin’ is the first drama show I’ve ever observed in any depth, in which it feels as if the producers have no real interest in the potential they have to hand, beyond getting 45 minutes out there and never having to change anything important (sort of a soap producers mentality born out of churning out hundred of shows a year). Frustratingly, this episode showed how great the potential still is and that the ideas are still there but there’s a real fear of fulfilling them. Bringing Uther back as a shade could have been a brilliant dramatic gambit, fleshed out so much plot and character, and what a climax there could have been. What if Uther’d actually been concerned about Arthur, fearful for him against Morgana, regretful of his own mistakes, if he and Merlin and magic could ultimately have come to some kind of uneasy terms? If they’d given Uther closure instead of turning him into a fairground bogey man? Or even if they’d let Arthur find out about Merlin via Uther?
What was it they say so often? More mature? Not a kids show? Ah well…
Anyway - I’m crying for the moon again. I hadn’t realised how much I’d missed old Uther till I heard those classy honey tones, oozing over his first lines. Tony Head is a quite simply brilliant; when he played him he gave Uther character depth and complexity and occasional humour - he gave Uther humanity rather than creating a cardboard villain. But so much depends on the script, as we just saw.
The first scenes he had with Bradley in 5.03 were great - they really lifted the episode to another level I thought and mostly because Bradley played it entirely as the son who worships his father and cant let that go. Uther was back to what he’d been before Morgana broke his heart.
Except - ultimately, he wasn’t really. This turned out to be a new version of Uther; the 2D version after having several months remedial training at the Nasty Uncaring Bastards Seeking Power training school in the afterlife. Uther was given a significant character reset to suit the plot (yes yes imagine! I was shocked too.). Was that actually meant to BE Uther- the man who died for his son? Who faced the Black Knight for him? Who loved his two children so much Morgana broke him by her betrayal? Yet there he was, ready to kill Arthur without a qualm to try to take the throne back into his own (very dead) hands, because his son was over-fond of peasants? Puuhllease. I actually resent that this is how we’re supposed to remember Uther now after his complex, sympathetic exit.
Because lets face it they actually didn’t need the spirit to be Uther really, since all they apparently wanted was a haunted house theme to revisit the Druid Boy ep last season. After the first very short confrontation, he wasn’t really Uther at all, with Uthers patterns of behavior and concerns - he was a poltergeist doling out petty vengeance then a scary monster with Uther’s face, complete with scary monster roar. He could have been any old CGI ghost.
It was undeniably a fun watch, but it wasn’t in any way the seminal episode it could/should have been with the return of the character who created just about all of the issues they’re now facing. There were no new lessons learned or information gained or events/tropes changed. There was no indication at the end that Uther’s behavior as a ghost had changed Arthurs love for him or respect for his memory and magic policy. The ghost may as well have been Agravaine. Or any dead pissed-off person Arthur’d wanted a chat with.
Did you notice that there were no real conversations between Uther and Arthur, after that first brief exchange going over only old ground (but so incredibly well played by both Bradley and Tony)? There were no conversations between Uther and Gaius, nothing meaningful between Uther and Merlin, or hell even Merlin and Arthur… what we got was poor old Merlin having to trot out the same old reassuring platitudes…’great king … people believe in you… … got to believe in yourself …yada yada” The exact same stuff he was required to repeat at the end of S3 and the end of S4 in fact, and every few episodes in between.
Because I believe that, even if TPTB had been able to see the dramatic possibilities at their fingertips, they couldn’t take them. Any one of these obvious conversations would have moved things forward, and that is the last thing they want. What they wanted and got was an episode that kept everything and everyone running on the spot. It felt in retrospect like a kind of fun treat for us and for Tony.
YET - for all I’m seriously curmudgeonly over the wasted potential and waste of Tony, there was a lot to enjoy. Bradley knocked it out of the park in his scenes with Uther, and that last scene where he banishes his father back behind the Veil… well Howard Overmann may have been writing for Shaggy and Scooby, Uther may have been turned into a Halloween Monster (those pesky kids), but Bradley persisted in playing it as if the script deserved strong emotion. He and Colin made Uther’s defeat a heartbreaking moment - he was showing real grief and pain, and the last part of the scene after he blows Uther back beyond the veil as he and Merlin gaze at each other in agony, saying everything wordlessly, Merlin crying with and for Arthur - that was really, really fantastic. How often do those guys and their chemistry save the show?
Bradley’s fantastic at action, comedy, high emotion… and with Tony, and especially with Colin, he’s flawless IMO. I’ve said it ad nauseam but he and Colin are such screen gold; their comedy scenes together are perfection, and the wordless emotional communication they manage…. Having so much of Arthur and Merlin together onscreen was a huge, huge treat - it really was. Honourable mention to Richard too; his comic timing is second to none.
Colin is somehow, through his own interpretation I sometimes feel, continuing to suggest a man instead of a boy now, even though nothing has changed at all in the writing of Merlin the character. I cant help feeling its all him, taking his character into his own hands.
Acting aside though, I wonder if the episode intended to show us what it did of Arthur’s attitude to his relationships after 3 years of marriage and kingship.
He is of course required to say he trusts Gwen more than anyone, then goes on to prove that he actually trusts Merlin more than anyone (telling not showing Howard). He shows that the one person he feels comfortable showing his vulnerabilities and weaknesses to is Merlin, the one he relies on to accept him and love him and shore him up when he crumbles. That episode confirmed that the person he’s closest to in the world in fact, is Merlin.
Arthur reaffirms his absolute trust of Gwen just before he orders Merlin to keep this huge thing he’s doing from her. He could have kept it from Merlin too - he could have gone alone. But he didn’t. He almost never goes alone if he can bring Merlin. In this he suddenly needs his fathers support so badly, he needs to see him so badly that he uses magic, and yet - he cant tell her. What does that say? He behaves around his wife with polite affection but he doesn’t trust her to see who he truly is; his insecurities, his bad temper, his emotional underbelly. Do they realize that’s what they’re suggesting when they have him say that after 3 years of marriage and a queen beside him on the throne, he still feels 'so alone'?
I almost think they must, because at the same time as they were showing just how much Arthur needs and trusts Merlin, how entwined they now are, they bizarrely brought back the comedy violence last seen in S3 and 4.10. To me it felt a very deliberate and self conscious addition this week, - and a different relationship to the one written by Julian Jones in the first two episodes, though once again the absolute trust and mutual need between them was apparent. The way the A/M relationship veers all over the place in fact according to the whims of the week and/or season is just one more reason to mistrust the writers. But while I suspect Howard Overman is much more comfortable writing obvious, uncomplicated relationships like the Disney romance - I wonder if he really believes that ‘banter’ and slaps and Merlin shoring up a bad tempered Arthur is all that they’re about? That ‘banter’/abuse is the only way they communicate?.
Arthur and Merlin were onscreen a lot but weren’t actually allowed one meaningful, original conversation when you look at it. Arthur asks Merlin if he’d use the horn given the chance, to see his father (but I imagine we weren’t supposed to notice he doesn’t’ offer him the chance) and Merlin gets to churn out some more of the same old Good King banalities (though the scene was beautifully played again - that flirty shrug and smirk by Colin - wowzers!). Luckily Colin and Bradley gave a depth and warmth and comedy to scenes that on the page might have seemed borderline spiteful. And for all Arthur flung out the usual verbal put downs, the fact Merlin flung them back and could behave as he did, suggested Arthur is all bark.
Merlin’s role in Arthur’s life we’re shown, isn’t diminished, at least in this episode; in fact to all appearances Arthur spends a lot of time on his own, in his rooms and/or with Merlin which is interesting.
I loved the poetry scene and the bowl scene (both showing Arthur and Merlin's essential ease and equality, I thought, again) and the chemistry and acting once more in both were fantastic, oh and the potion scene of course, but the rest - well I know we weren’t supposed to take it seriously, but it was Fawlty Towers slapstick right down to the spoon. I don’t think we we're really meant to believe Arthur was going to punch Merlin after the titles (or indeed do other unmentionable things) with his leather glove at the end. Colin and Bradley played that one purely for laughs (Merlin apprehensive; Arthur deadpan- it WAS funny) But I still don’t think were supposed to take from the episode that Arthur hits Merlin regularly, simply that it was The Episodes Big Joke. (Which I personally could actually have done very well without but then I’m not 13). Just as well really, that Bradley and Colin can fill in the gaps and deliver the goods- and so the message given past Howard's comedy japes was of Arthur’s huge trust in, and need for Merlin, and Merlin’s patience with and care for, Arthur.
As ever looking at the logic of the script is a bit of a fool’s game. But I’ve never claimed to be wise so…
Illogicalities:
Why would a village elder defy the king as opposed to falling to his knees in awe at meeting him (and was he Saxon or are all hairy obstreperous violent blokes Scottish?) Massive suspension of disbelief required in that scene.
How could Uther have seen all that was going on in Camelot but not know Merlin had magic? GLARING!
Why did no one notice the fact Arthur casually used magic and magical knowledge to get something he wanted? Uther didn't seem to bothered either.
Why would Arthur be surprised Uther would hurt Gwen, given he certainly had a solid go at it while alive?
Best not ask.
Looking at it purely as a bit of Halloween fun, the effects were great and the Shock! set pieces jump-worthy or funny. I thought the Gwen-scaring scene was especially good - the moment she was dragged backwards by invisible hands was really effective. We knew she wasn’t really going to be hurt, but that moment was surprisingly powerful. I also adored the Gaius scares the crap out of Arthur and Merlin scene - they all played that so, so perfectly; Bradley and Colin absolutely attuned and that Gaius’ eyebrow to cap the scene… Really one to remember.
And that was my I Heart Scooby Doo moment. Over now.
The episode left Arthur pretty much as we found him; as I said earlier, there was no indication that his confrontation with Uther had any more effect than to reinforce his platitude quotient. All that matters apparently is equality and justice for all except Merlin (as Merlin pointed out) and for magic users (which no one pointed out). We were obviously supposed to forget that Arthur is an oppressor too. Just a nice, compassionate one.
Then there was the awkward realization for me as Uther was making Arthur cry at the start (Bradley can really break my heart), that actually he was right in just about everything he said. And while I know we weren’t meant to think that - we were meant to agree that a king should be open and trusting and fluffy - he really shouldn’t. Uther was right - Arthur shouldn’t be always ready to do what others tell him to do; he should trust his own judgement, he shouldn’t trust people as he does, he should have put the kingdom before his own desires. Those were things a king should do - but we were invited to feel outraged that Uther should have pointed any of this out to his son. It really interested me that TPTB clearly got the message somehow that Arthur, to further the plot, is not behaving as a great king should so they trotted out all the things he should have been doing but in the voice of an utterly unsympathetic character. Thus Arthur being malleable, self indulgent, too trusting and insecure were shown as Good Things in a king but never looked at face on. Hmm.
Beyond that do we know any more about Arthur? The fact Arthur saved a sorceress was, it seems, incidental, beyond showing he was ‘Compassionate! King’ (but would he have saved her if he thought she’d had ‘a fair trial’ and knew she was magic? Since he asked about the trial, it was implied that he wouldn’t, but that’s the kind of pertinent question a mature show wouldn’t duck away from.)
Does the fact Arthur uses a magical object mean he’s now relaxed about magic and turning a blind eye to its use? On the surface it would suggest that certainly, yet it cant mean that, because all that bothers Uther is that Arthur has knighted and married peasants and listened to too much wrong advice, no word about weakening on magic. So, are we meant to assume Arthur is keeping the witch fires burning to Uther’s satisfaction? Or are we just not meant to think about it?
Instead ‘the issues’ they used were the easily dealt with, tired old peasant knights/peasant queen thing that was exhausted at the end of S3. They’re there; who cares? But again - anything rather than look at magic.
For Merlin - as ever the episode reset his position. His role was pretty much Arthurs other half - Arthur would do nothing without him - but I admit I did love that.
I loved that it was Arthur and Merlin going to Gaius for advice together rather than Merlin trying to sort it out behind the scenes and behind Arthurs back… a throwback in fact to the episodes we used to have when Arthur wasn’t the problem but was occasionally allowed to be one of the clever ones sorting it out. Back when we had Uther in fact.
But the confrontation between Merlin and Uther was a massive disappointment for me. Merlin got to tell Uther about his magic (still wondering how he didn’t know, la la la la la) and be butch for a line or two, but he didn’t even choose to tell Uther how many times he’d saved both him and Arthur. There was no recognition by Uther of how much Merlin has done, no closure or peace - no understanding between two people who love Arthur, instead the usual end of episode battle, because Uther was a Smurf Blue Monster, not Uther, the king and father. What could have been an amazing scene of armistice between the creator of the Purge and Emrys (you know - progress) just became a bit of mutual and useless name-calling and a usual few moments of Angry! BAMF! Merlin before his magic is shown to be useless again (Greatest Sorceror ever). The impression still is that Merlin is now there as an occasionally useful bodyguard and the person closest to Arthur, only because of his love for and faith in Arthur the man, whatever he does. Not because of destiny or freeing magic, since he seems to have no interest in either.
Finally there was the comedy almost magic reveal - the deliberate (I think) ‘witty’ use of the much mocked ‘Arthur is knocked unconscious at the pertinent moment’ device right before the ‘Merlin is…’ line as Uther is removed. Oh ha ha Howard. I might have laughed 2 seasons ago L
In the end, this review is as confused as I feel. I was just left wishing for a better script, wondering what a writer capable of character depth who actually gets them, could have done with it. Or maybe I’m being unfair to Howard - maybe if he’d been given his head he might have managed something memorable.
In the end I was left interested most of all by the odd self consciousness of the episode, as if the PTB were giving little shout outs to their knowledge of the fans concerns, and then thumbing their noses at them. Worry about the massacre of the character of Arthur-the Great-King? Hatred of Arthur physically abusing Merlin? Desperation for the magic reveal? It could have been accidental (they really DO have no clue) but it seemed as if they were all referenced in some way -‘yes fans we have our fingers on the pulse’ - and in some way then either denied or mocked. The thing is, if it was deliberate, I’m not sure if they were laughing with us or laughing at us.
Next - Mithian, a Morgana Plot Of The Week and Arthur makes another mistake. At least this time, I wont have my hopes raised. :-P