once and future king
Am I imagining it, or has Merlin gotten really good this season? I mean, I've always enjoyed it in a "aww, look at the cute! ignore the gaping plot holes!" kind of way (with the exception of the time I took a year long hiatus because I was angry at Morgana being evil). But the past couple of episodes have left me really eager for more.
Wow. I was absolutely sure they weren't going to kill Uther until the scene where he was laid out on the table. If I hadn't been so convinced that he was going to be okay, all the Arthur-Uther scenes would have had me teary. Also lovely were all the Arthur/Merlin moments, especially when Arthur asked Merlin whether or not he would use magic to save his father. While I would prefer that they just did the reveal already, if they have to drag it out, I guess it's good that they're giving Arthur his own motivation to distrust magic rather than having him blindly carrying out his father's vendetta. And now Arthur is king! The coronation scene was so pretty. It was about time that this show stirred things up a bit, so I'm really excited for this.
Other stuff:
- Whose brilliant idea was it for Arthur to be tied to a wheel and used for target practice. On the one hand, okay, role reversal from episode one. On the other, people try to kill Arthur every episode. They should expect it by now, and not hand opportunities over. (Also, there have to be easier ways to administer sedatives.)
- Morgana was evil last year and still had good hair. What's with turning into Bellatrix Lestrange? I thought that they were going to give her some character development when she found out that Uther was dead, because she looked like she was about to have feelings, but then she went back to her usual evilness. I hate that she just orchestrated a plot determined to make Arthur hate magic. Doesn't that go against everything we were told was responsible for her evilness?
- Agrivaine is so creepy. I do not understand this version of the Pendragon family tree at all.
- Merlin was so happy to have the chance to prove that magic is good! That makes the ending so much sadder.
- I missed the knights. I mean, I'm sure that budget and scheduling stuff means that they have a limited time to film them, which is why they mostly appear in cut away shots, but still. Also, Lancelot doesn't even get a shout out? It's a good thing I'm pretty sure that unlike Uther, he is not really dead.
Not that there aren't still problems (plot holes, inconsistent characterization, lack of motivation for female characters), but it feels like a completely different show. I am eager for the next episode.
Wow. I was absolutely sure they weren't going to kill Uther until the scene where he was laid out on the table. If I hadn't been so convinced that he was going to be okay, all the Arthur-Uther scenes would have had me teary. Also lovely were all the Arthur/Merlin moments, especially when Arthur asked Merlin whether or not he would use magic to save his father. While I would prefer that they just did the reveal already, if they have to drag it out, I guess it's good that they're giving Arthur his own motivation to distrust magic rather than having him blindly carrying out his father's vendetta. And now Arthur is king! The coronation scene was so pretty. It was about time that this show stirred things up a bit, so I'm really excited for this.
Other stuff:
- Whose brilliant idea was it for Arthur to be tied to a wheel and used for target practice. On the one hand, okay, role reversal from episode one. On the other, people try to kill Arthur every episode. They should expect it by now, and not hand opportunities over. (Also, there have to be easier ways to administer sedatives.)
- Morgana was evil last year and still had good hair. What's with turning into Bellatrix Lestrange? I thought that they were going to give her some character development when she found out that Uther was dead, because she looked like she was about to have feelings, but then she went back to her usual evilness. I hate that she just orchestrated a plot determined to make Arthur hate magic. Doesn't that go against everything we were told was responsible for her evilness?
- Agrivaine is so creepy. I do not understand this version of the Pendragon family tree at all.
- Merlin was so happy to have the chance to prove that magic is good! That makes the ending so much sadder.
- I missed the knights. I mean, I'm sure that budget and scheduling stuff means that they have a limited time to film them, which is why they mostly appear in cut away shots, but still. Also, Lancelot doesn't even get a shout out? It's a good thing I'm pretty sure that unlike Uther, he is not really dead.
Not that there aren't still problems (plot holes, inconsistent characterization, lack of motivation for female characters), but it feels like a completely different show. I am eager for the next episode.