Merlin: \0/
Merlin: The Sins of the Father
Or: In which Gaius betrays an oath, Merlin betrays himself and Arthur betrays one hell of an Oedipus complex.
Can I just say OMG AWESOME and leave it at that?
No?
Alrighty then!
The characterisation this episode was wonderful. I mean, yes, the girls got sidelined again, and BOO to that, because - REALLY, WRITERS. How can they expect us to buy an Arthur/Gwen relationship when Gwen wavers between having about as much screentime as Arthur's horse - markedly LESS, in this episode, in fact - and suddenly being the OMG EPITOME of female valour and kindness and beauty and awesomeness in other episodes? Despite the fact that she DOES NOT EXIST in half of the other ones?
*sigh*
What little we saw of Morgana this episode was beautifully played, though. Also, Katie McGrath and Emilia Fox, OMG YES. \0/ I will watch the docudrama on Princess Margaret and the Queen JUST FOR THEM.
In fact, frankly, Emilia Fox. ♥ FOREVER. I've had a crush on her since, OMG, I watched 'Pride and Prejudice' when I was about eight or nine. JUST THE BEST THING EVER. And Morgause was so delightfully ambiguous! She wasn't outright omg evil like Nimueh was, but then again, she wasn't all sweetness and light either. She was just delicious. THUMBS UP ON MORGAUSE, GUYZ. ^_^
(there were some lulzy moments with the acting/staging, though. I mean, Arthur's heavy breathing in that end scene did detract a little from the tension for me - because, um, it made me laugh *grin* - and sometimes the writing failed the actors, who did VERY well with a sometimes patchy script. But on the whole? It's WAY UP THERE on my favourite episodes. IDE care if everyone else hates it, I thought it was wonderful.)
Part of this was the tension with Arthur and Uther, and I really hope (even if I don't necessarily believe) that that will be played out further in the series. I did get something of an impression that Uther's glowing reccommendation of Arthur during the knighting sequence was partly assuaging HIS guilt over the whole disowning deal in the "Beauty and the Beast" episodes... But since it would be one of the very first instances of characterisation playing between one episode and another, that might be very much just my interpretation. OH WELL, I'll see what I like in my show. *grin*
But Uther is really losing it now. I know some people don't like that, but I think it's working brilliantly, tbh. And this will likely push him over the edge, now that he sees it as really ATTACKING Arthur. No matter how poorly he shows it - leaving him on the battlefield in disgust, OH, UTHER: supportive parenting, ur doing it wrong - he evidently loves Arthur, and he will not stand for this. (Though, that Oedipus complex is pretty intense, there. He's never seen his mother before, sees her once and then comes home and tries to kill Daddy Dearest. Turning things on their head a little, I know, but all we need is a Sphinx and a Chorus (and possibly a clubfoot) and then we're golden. SWEET.)
I wonder how much of that WAS the truth? I mean, how much of what "Igraine" told Arthur. hell, I wonder whether it really WAS Igraine, and I liked that that wasn't cleared up for us. We honestly don't know, and I didn't trust Morgause implicitly - because I didn't have that emotional involvement with the scenario, obviously, that Arthur did. *g* Still, hmmm. I do wonder.
BUT. BUT BUT BUT, OMG, MERLIN. POOR, POOR MERLIN. He was grinning at the end? But there were times before then, with Arthur, that he looked like he was tearing up. He's ruined all chances of Arthur accepting it now; he's undone whatever hopes he had of being able to sort things out neatly between them. GOD. If I hadn't thought Colin Morgan was an absolutely fantastic actor before now, this episode would have convinced me. That boy! There were so many layers to what he was saying, wanting Arthur safe, wanting him to trust him, but wanting him to disbelieve him, on so many different levels. I - wow.
So yeah, apart from a couple of moments of melodrama (nicely undercut by the Merlin/Arthur banter; that relationship was SO SPOT ON in the early half of the episode, which was also a lovely touch; when Arthur was starting to accept sorcery, he was easy with Merlin; then he retreated back into formality when his views were cemented again; I liked that) and one or two bits of writer!fail, this episode was a definite A. FOR AWESOME.
Oh, yeah, I bring the bad puns. *grin*
/vague incoherence
Or: In which Gaius betrays an oath, Merlin betrays himself and Arthur betrays one hell of an Oedipus complex.
Can I just say OMG AWESOME and leave it at that?
No?
Alrighty then!
The characterisation this episode was wonderful. I mean, yes, the girls got sidelined again, and BOO to that, because - REALLY, WRITERS. How can they expect us to buy an Arthur/Gwen relationship when Gwen wavers between having about as much screentime as Arthur's horse - markedly LESS, in this episode, in fact - and suddenly being the OMG EPITOME of female valour and kindness and beauty and awesomeness in other episodes? Despite the fact that she DOES NOT EXIST in half of the other ones?
*sigh*
What little we saw of Morgana this episode was beautifully played, though. Also, Katie McGrath and Emilia Fox, OMG YES. \0/ I will watch the docudrama on Princess Margaret and the Queen JUST FOR THEM.
In fact, frankly, Emilia Fox. ♥ FOREVER. I've had a crush on her since, OMG, I watched 'Pride and Prejudice' when I was about eight or nine. JUST THE BEST THING EVER. And Morgause was so delightfully ambiguous! She wasn't outright omg evil like Nimueh was, but then again, she wasn't all sweetness and light either. She was just delicious. THUMBS UP ON MORGAUSE, GUYZ. ^_^
(there were some lulzy moments with the acting/staging, though. I mean, Arthur's heavy breathing in that end scene did detract a little from the tension for me - because, um, it made me laugh *grin* - and sometimes the writing failed the actors, who did VERY well with a sometimes patchy script. But on the whole? It's WAY UP THERE on my favourite episodes. IDE care if everyone else hates it, I thought it was wonderful.)
Part of this was the tension with Arthur and Uther, and I really hope (even if I don't necessarily believe) that that will be played out further in the series. I did get something of an impression that Uther's glowing reccommendation of Arthur during the knighting sequence was partly assuaging HIS guilt over the whole disowning deal in the "Beauty and the Beast" episodes... But since it would be one of the very first instances of characterisation playing between one episode and another, that might be very much just my interpretation. OH WELL, I'll see what I like in my show. *grin*
But Uther is really losing it now. I know some people don't like that, but I think it's working brilliantly, tbh. And this will likely push him over the edge, now that he sees it as really ATTACKING Arthur. No matter how poorly he shows it - leaving him on the battlefield in disgust, OH, UTHER: supportive parenting, ur doing it wrong - he evidently loves Arthur, and he will not stand for this. (Though, that Oedipus complex is pretty intense, there. He's never seen his mother before, sees her once and then comes home and tries to kill Daddy Dearest. Turning things on their head a little, I know, but all we need is a Sphinx and a Chorus (and possibly a clubfoot) and then we're golden. SWEET.)
I wonder how much of that WAS the truth? I mean, how much of what "Igraine" told Arthur. hell, I wonder whether it really WAS Igraine, and I liked that that wasn't cleared up for us. We honestly don't know, and I didn't trust Morgause implicitly - because I didn't have that emotional involvement with the scenario, obviously, that Arthur did. *g* Still, hmmm. I do wonder.
BUT. BUT BUT BUT, OMG, MERLIN. POOR, POOR MERLIN. He was grinning at the end? But there were times before then, with Arthur, that he looked like he was tearing up. He's ruined all chances of Arthur accepting it now; he's undone whatever hopes he had of being able to sort things out neatly between them. GOD. If I hadn't thought Colin Morgan was an absolutely fantastic actor before now, this episode would have convinced me. That boy! There were so many layers to what he was saying, wanting Arthur safe, wanting him to trust him, but wanting him to disbelieve him, on so many different levels. I - wow.
So yeah, apart from a couple of moments of melodrama (nicely undercut by the Merlin/Arthur banter; that relationship was SO SPOT ON in the early half of the episode, which was also a lovely touch; when Arthur was starting to accept sorcery, he was easy with Merlin; then he retreated back into formality when his views were cemented again; I liked that) and one or two bits of writer!fail, this episode was a definite A. FOR AWESOME.
Oh, yeah, I bring the bad puns. *grin*
/vague incoherence