Merlin: Episode 4.12 The Sword in the Stone Part 1

[tanous]

Oh dear. I wish I could get the get the producers of this show - the Twu Lurve Obsessives I mean, not the other ones who know what they're doing - in a small room with a large bucket of haddock with which I could beat them repeatedly around the head. (Thats actually not as kinky as it sounds.) Eventually perhaps, they'd explain WTF they're thinking

Comments

[malygrisgorgon]

Again you totally convince me ... :) On the suffering thing, I agree it has got too far, especially as we don't get the reveal and as Merlin is still again and again treated like a dog by Arthur. That last point is the worst for me, first they seem to be equal partners and then, back to cruel jokes and physical slaps (eh, actually they used sharp weapons on poor Merlin a few episodes ago ...)

In fact I would not be too surprised - well, at least I hope - that there will be the BEGINNING of the reveal in next episode. I could see them showing Merlin doing some powerful magic in front of Arthur and saving the day, ending it with a cliffhanger so you believe the reveal has now come (for 1st episode of S5), but that they leave the door open for retracting should there be a fan outcry. E.g. through something stupid like Arthur is hit on the head and forgets or even Merlin throwing a spell of forgetfulness or Arthur being incredibly stupid and taking Merlin's magic for a natural weather phenomenon or the like ... ;) Anyway, we'll see in a week.

Personally I hope they make the most out of the reveal, by drawing it out over several episodes and wrenching every drop of drama possible from it. For example, Merlin could be forced to use magic in a situation that would reveal his identity as the spellcaster if Arthur can just put all pieces of info together later on, and as Arthur is working on it, Merlin is more and more hardpressed and finally decides to show/tell him, and you have the full conflict scene played out.

But I think you are absolutely right in stating that there is not really any big reason for Merlin to keep hiding his powers anymore. Arthur is king now, and since a full Season. He has decided to accept the Druids in his kingdom. He trusts Merlin. He is completely zombified and under the influence of his best adviser Gwen (!), and as far as I remember she is not a magic hater (rather she hated Uther who killed her father for dealing with a spellcaster). If Merlin had just used his magic and his dragon to keep Morgana's small troop of henchmen out of Camelot in last episode, for all I know he should be the hero of the day and even Arthur would see that (even if it would be a shock for him to come over, of course). The writers have just let it go on and on without knowing what to do, so that now the drama and tension behind the reveal start feeling contrived. I hope they can get out of it before the whole show starts to suffer (you could say that is already the case ...). A long and dramatic reveal process would definitely bring the show back to Merlin and Arthur as oppossed to focussing so much on A/G. That would be a very nice and necessary change.

BTW, your likening of Merlin to Road Runner and Morgana to the WileCoyote made me burst out lauging for sure! :)

[tanous]

Hey there :) Colin suggested something about a cliffhanger at the end of S4 in his interview with Julia at ClickClaque which got me nicely excited - but then I realised he also described the parts of S4 we've seen in terms I certainly didn't recognise. So... :p

If and when we do get a reveal I so agree - it needs to be used as a proper dramatic moment over several eps - lets face it if the ludicrous A/G contrivance was dragged out for a few weeks then a genuine conflict should take a good while to sort out. :)