Waiting (im)patiently/Thoughts on 2x08
I'm waiting for Merlin 2x08 to load and it's rather boring. Even having my new-and-first Imogen Heap album on repeat is not helping. Okay, maybe it is a little. (Side note: I stumbled onto a fanmix for Arthur that had an Imogen Heap song that I'd been sort of relating to him and M/A. I felt awesome by association.)
So I've decided to catalogue female actors/characters that I really relate to or love. Possibly because generally I like male characters and I felt like I needed to remind myself of why women can be great, as long as the roles they're given are written well. Or something. Pretend that there's a logical explanation and it's not just that when I'm bored I make up useless tasks to complete.
Having gone and had lunch, I've just found Merlin is all loaded. YAY. But I'm still doing that women post thing after I've watched it.
*watches*
*doesn't cry for once*
Um, why did no one mention the fact that Uther didn't know that using magic would kill Ygraine? Not even Nimueh fully appreciated what the consequences would be! That left me feeling a bit irritated in what was otherwise a really good episode.
So much of Uther's guilt and his subsequent actions were not, to my reading, because it was entirely his fault that his wife died, but because magic, which Uther obviously trusted at some point, betrayed him. Showed itself to be something 'evil' in his eyes, and he lashed out at it in his misguided rage and grief.
I was also kind of pissed off at Ygraine (despite liking the casting). I mean, her bitterness at Uther's 'deception'... I cannot buy it. WTF, woman, Uther didn't mean for you to die! He loved you, for God's sake, he still loves you more than anything! I just... she just struck an off key for me, I can't even. Bah. It's like, Uther's love for her means nothing, is worth nothing.
I guess also the whole idea of Uther deceiving Ygraine in the way she implied left me feeling a bit, I don't know, queasy. What I'm now imagining involves Uther and Nimueh, plotting away in a corner about how to get an heir for Camelot in a way that will also bump Ygraine off. And this doesn't square with how Uther acts with those he loves; Uther's love is all consuming and sometimes dangerous, but it stems from a desire to protect and care for. I cannot believe that Uther would've intentionally taken a course of action to get an heir that would destroy Ygraine, and that has already been confirmed. I also cannot believe that Uther would've made any decision on how to get a baby without discussing it with Ygraine first.
Alright, so Uther is arrogant and determined to get what he wants; he could not stand the idea of being heirless (which is kind of fair enough for a king), and so he probably made Ygraine feel inadequate and ashamed of her inability to have kids. But I can't imagine that he would've done that consciously either. I imagine it would've been more like him constantly coming up with new potions/tonics from Gaius for her to try, to see if it would work this time, stuff that like, and of course, if someone is always reminding you of what you cannot do, it hurts and demoralises you. But at the same time, Uther's willingness to keep trying would demonstrate a level of love and faith that counteracts that; he valued Ygraine more than anything in the world. He didn't go and get an heir from some random woman and pay/kill her to not tell- no, he wanted the child to be his and Ygraine's.
Anyway, now I've got this horrible sense of Ygraine never having loved Uther quite as much as Uther loved her.
Obviously the only person to have ever truly loved Uther is Gaius. It's basically canon.
Otherwise, this episode just made me feel for Merlin so much yet again. That scene where he convinces Arthur everything Ygraine said was a lie was heart-wrenching, and then it was compounded by the "Glad I could help." Oh, Merlin.
Also, Uther totally uses that "trusted ally in the fight against magic" line on everyone he wants to shag. I'm torn between loving that scene so hard and becoming a full blown Uther/Merlin shipper, and I've already got way too many pairings in this fandom. Ahem. Also, the hanging line was brilliant. Brilliant.
ETA: I forgot to mention Morgause, which is slightly remiss of me considering her involvement in this episode. Damn Uther obsession, distracting me from plot. I liked her and her scheming. I would've liked a bit more clarity regarding her motivations and her connections to Gorlois (and what's Gaius being involved for? Obviously part of his sekrit past), but yeah. I'm hoping that the Ygraine appearance was more warped and manipulated by Morgause than it seemed, because then I can feel better about Ygraine again.
Also, the showdown between Uther and Arthur was awesome, my God.
So that went a bit longer than I thought. And I am so Uther's bitch it's hardly funny.
I've just realised that I won't be seeing Merlin on time next week. This is somewhat distressing.
I might do that women post a bit later, as now all I want to do is watch Being Human again. The cast video diaries for that show amused me greatly. Almost as much as Bradley James' video diaries, so that's saying something.
Finally, to infinately, if you're reading this: Joyce, is that really you? :D
So I've decided to catalogue female actors/characters that I really relate to or love. Possibly because generally I like male characters and I felt like I needed to remind myself of why women can be great, as long as the roles they're given are written well. Or something. Pretend that there's a logical explanation and it's not just that when I'm bored I make up useless tasks to complete.
Having gone and had lunch, I've just found Merlin is all loaded. YAY. But I'm still doing that women post thing after I've watched it.
*watches*
*doesn't cry for once*
Um, why did no one mention the fact that Uther didn't know that using magic would kill Ygraine? Not even Nimueh fully appreciated what the consequences would be! That left me feeling a bit irritated in what was otherwise a really good episode.
So much of Uther's guilt and his subsequent actions were not, to my reading, because it was entirely his fault that his wife died, but because magic, which Uther obviously trusted at some point, betrayed him. Showed itself to be something 'evil' in his eyes, and he lashed out at it in his misguided rage and grief.
I was also kind of pissed off at Ygraine (despite liking the casting). I mean, her bitterness at Uther's 'deception'... I cannot buy it. WTF, woman, Uther didn't mean for you to die! He loved you, for God's sake, he still loves you more than anything! I just... she just struck an off key for me, I can't even. Bah. It's like, Uther's love for her means nothing, is worth nothing.
I guess also the whole idea of Uther deceiving Ygraine in the way she implied left me feeling a bit, I don't know, queasy. What I'm now imagining involves Uther and Nimueh, plotting away in a corner about how to get an heir for Camelot in a way that will also bump Ygraine off. And this doesn't square with how Uther acts with those he loves; Uther's love is all consuming and sometimes dangerous, but it stems from a desire to protect and care for. I cannot believe that Uther would've intentionally taken a course of action to get an heir that would destroy Ygraine, and that has already been confirmed. I also cannot believe that Uther would've made any decision on how to get a baby without discussing it with Ygraine first.
Alright, so Uther is arrogant and determined to get what he wants; he could not stand the idea of being heirless (which is kind of fair enough for a king), and so he probably made Ygraine feel inadequate and ashamed of her inability to have kids. But I can't imagine that he would've done that consciously either. I imagine it would've been more like him constantly coming up with new potions/tonics from Gaius for her to try, to see if it would work this time, stuff that like, and of course, if someone is always reminding you of what you cannot do, it hurts and demoralises you. But at the same time, Uther's willingness to keep trying would demonstrate a level of love and faith that counteracts that; he valued Ygraine more than anything in the world. He didn't go and get an heir from some random woman and pay/kill her to not tell- no, he wanted the child to be his and Ygraine's.
Anyway, now I've got this horrible sense of Ygraine never having loved Uther quite as much as Uther loved her.
Obviously the only person to have ever truly loved Uther is Gaius. It's basically canon.
Otherwise, this episode just made me feel for Merlin so much yet again. That scene where he convinces Arthur everything Ygraine said was a lie was heart-wrenching, and then it was compounded by the "Glad I could help." Oh, Merlin.
Also, Uther totally uses that "trusted ally in the fight against magic" line on everyone he wants to shag. I'm torn between loving that scene so hard and becoming a full blown Uther/Merlin shipper, and I've already got way too many pairings in this fandom. Ahem. Also, the hanging line was brilliant. Brilliant.
ETA: I forgot to mention Morgause, which is slightly remiss of me considering her involvement in this episode. Damn Uther obsession, distracting me from plot. I liked her and her scheming. I would've liked a bit more clarity regarding her motivations and her connections to Gorlois (and what's Gaius being involved for? Obviously part of his sekrit past), but yeah. I'm hoping that the Ygraine appearance was more warped and manipulated by Morgause than it seemed, because then I can feel better about Ygraine again.
Also, the showdown between Uther and Arthur was awesome, my God.
So that went a bit longer than I thought. And I am so Uther's bitch it's hardly funny.
I've just realised that I won't be seeing Merlin on time next week. This is somewhat distressing.
I might do that women post a bit later, as now all I want to do is watch Being Human again. The cast video diaries for that show amused me greatly. Almost as much as Bradley James' video diaries, so that's saying something.
Finally, to infinately, if you're reading this: Joyce, is that really you? :D