Merlin: 5:09 With All My Heart

[tanous]

Merlin... the show that teaches its fans what Stockholm Syndrome is all about. This week my expectations were so low that I expected literally nothing, other than more slaps in the face to the fans who give a shit about Arthur and/or Merlin. I expected another ordeal of grandiose tries at fairytale moments, flowery gestures and gruesomely soppy

Comments

[tanous]

I agree with every word. The choices they made were so stupid, but we'll probably never know if they were writing choices or choices made in the edit.

How could they deny us the scene where Arthur finally believes Merlin about a traitor- and his bloody wife at that??? Thats a huge leap for Arthurs character which happens of course offscreen - as indeed apparently has Camelots golden age which was so boring we werent allowed to see it.

You're so right that every possible touch of realism in this stupid arc was excised in favour of things that didn't matter really. I suppose we had to see Arthur reacting to the continued betrayal but this episode they had shifted straight from cartoon assassination to cartoon Twu Lurve. I dont think we're going to have any reaction from Gwen to what she did when by rights killing Tyr should have been unrepeatable. But this is Gwen so as Bradley says she has a get out of jail free card. I loved that he wanted Gwen to be genuinely evil and not rescuable, just to give her some interest I assume. I suspect he likes this cloying pink girly goo of a relationship as little as we do.

Im totally bloody confused about Merlin and the Old Religion. I thought he was part of it by default because he's Emrys and IS magic, but the showrunners never explain anything because I don't think they know themselves. Making it up as they go along as Eoin said.

[merlenhiver]

Im totally bloody confused about Merlin and the Old Religion. I thought he was part of it by default because he's Emrys and IS magic, but the showrunners never explain anything because I don't think they know themselves.

That was one of my biggest wtf?moments after this episode. If I remember correctly, the Dragon told Merlin at one point that he is of the Old Religion, as well as the Dragon himself. But now they are treating it as if Merlin's sorcery is somehow different from Old Religion magic. So what kind of magic does Merlin possess? They never said there was any other kind.
But why am I even trying to make sense out of it, as you said, TPTB don't seem to know it themselves. :(

[englaroma]

I'm not sure what they're playing at, either. As I understood it, Merlin's fate is tied to Arthur and both Arthur and himself have rejected the Old Religion in the form of the Disir. This doesn't necessarily mean he's not "of" the Old Religion anymore, but it could mean he is branded and no longer considered a part/herald of it.

It's very confusing how they distinguish between "magic" and "the Old Religion" - at times, they seem to use them interchangeably; at other times, it's almost as if there could be an alternative to the Old Religion which could still include magic (which is the category Merlin would fall into currently).

*confused*