Get on with your bad self, Uther!
OMG! OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG!!!!! OMG! I SWEAR THIS WEEK HAS BEEN AN EARLY CHRISTMAS GIFT TO ME FROM THE TV GODS! OMG! UUUUUUUUUUUTHERRRRRRR!!!!! OMG! THIS EPISODE! GAH! HOLY MOTHER OF MERLIN THIS EPISODE WAS AMAZING! OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
*clears throat*
Now that that's out of the way, let me reiterate, UTHER IS A SEXY, SEXY BEAST!!!! So, Monday gave me a ton of beautiful Jerry/Katie scenes on Boston Legal, Wednesday gave me a ton of beautiful Crews/Reese scenes on Life, Thursday gave me oodles of Daniel/Betty subtext on Ugly Betty and a big old handful of Andy being awesome and slashy on The Office and adorable Jack/Lizness on 30 Rock, and now... NOW Merlin brings me an ENTIRE EPISODE ABOUT UTHER! GAAAAAAAAH!!!!! YOU GUYS! UTHER FINALLY GOT TO DO SOMETHING OTHER THAN LEER AT ARTHUR AND PERV OVER MORGANA! IT WAS GLORIOUS! HE WAS GLORIOUS! THIS EPISODE! SO PERFECT! It has been SO LONG since I've been left breathless and on the edge of my seat after watching a TV show, but good lord, I was so enraptured in this episode that I literally had to remind myself to breathe. Oh man, it was glorious. And yes, I've already watched it twice in the course of 2 hours. I am pathetic. BUT IT WAS UTHER! BEING SEXY! I HAD TO!
So, the one thing I wanted out of this episode right after Nimueh said her little magic spell and then "Uther Pendragon" was to see Uther fight the black knight. I wanted to see him be badass. AND I GOT MY WISH!!!! THANK YOU, MERLIN WRITERS! THANK YOU! At first I was all bummed thinking it would be Arthur fighting in yet another tournament, BUT IT WAS UTHER! AND HE WAS BADASS! HELL YEAH!
Anyway, this episode explained so many reasons why I adore the character of Uther Pendragon so deeply. Before it was mostly just Anthony's performance, because MAN does he bring the awesome to a role that is very subdued, but tonight's episode brought so many of Uther's complexities to the forefront, and it was DELIGHTFUL! Well, maybe delightful is the wrong word...
First off, we get some adorable Arthur/Merlin action, and that made me smile in bliss.
Merlin is SO PROUD of Arthur. SO PROUD! HIS PRINCE IS BEING CROWNED! MERLIN IS SO GIDDY ABOUT THIS!
Even Gwen can see how in love Merlin is with Arthur. And see, this moment right here is why I continue to see Merlin more as Gwen's gay best friend that she has a crush on rather than a potential love interest for Gwen, because, come on, how often have they had girl talks like this? Merlin admiring Arthur, unaware of anyone else in the room, Gwen teasing him about it. Of course, in Lancelot it was Merlin teasing Gwen, and he was totally trying to have an excuse to talk about how in love he is with Arthur and he was FORCING Gwen to choose Lancelot because he didn't want her giving the love eyes to his man. Erm... sorry, got off track here. Back to the episode!
Morgana's trying to look at Arthur during his big moment, but her eyes keep going back to Uther. Every time the camera cuts away from her, she's looking at Uther. I'm sorry dudes, but when stuff is shot like that, I can't help but find subtext in it. Especially when she looks at Arthur with a sort of motherly fondness and Uther with, erm... something else. She watches his every action, searching for his emotions, and she does this ALL THE TIME. Perhaps this is why she's the only person that ever really challenges him. She studies him like no one else, therefore she knows what his weaknesses are (and this is often where her contempt for him comes from). She knows what he loves, she knows what makes him ashamed, she just freaking knows him. This is why I love them so much. Anyway, she liked seeing him proud of Arthur.
The Black Knight.
Apparently he's very menacing. Honestly, the scariest thing about this dude was him suddenly bursting through the window. They could have given him a more intimidating voice or something, but... they didn't.
Uther knows the dude is after him, and he's very disturbed, which means it has something to do with his dead wife Igraine, because that's pretty much the only thing that ever brings any emotion out of Uther. And... apparently Uther killed this dude 20 years ago, and he was Igraine's brother. And Arthur's birth had something to do with magic. Oooooooo.
Merlin was totally jealous of Arthur's attention to Dude Who's About to Die. Or he was thinking about a threeway. There's no real way of knowing.
UTHER/MORGANA!!!!! Hey, I'll take anything I can get. They didn't talk to each other in this ep, so you're stuck with me fanwanking about cinematographic subtext. Oh yes.
Okay, so, one of Uther's greatest flaws is that he refuses to take responsibility for the consequences of his actions. And this is the huge difference between being noble and being weak. Arthur is noble because he will put his life in danger in order to save anyone in his kingdom, and he will always admit fault and rectify it himself. Uther, on the other hand, insists that things are beyond his control. Everyone in the kingdom should sacrifice for him. But at the same time, he hates himself for not being as noble as his son. He hates that he's letting all these young men die in his place, but he's too afraid to face the danger that he has created for himself. He is so conflicted, and he always gets so angry with Arthur because Arthur reminds him of everything that he can never be. And oooooh, this kills him. He so wants to be the man that Arthur wants him to be. But he's so lost, and he's been hurting inside for the last 20 years because he lost a piece of his soul when his wife died, and GAH! I LOVE UTHER! SO, SO MUCH! He's definitely the most complicated character on the show, but it's all so freaking subtle, and I adore that. When I watched the first couple of episodes, I had no idea I'd end up loving Uther so much. The man is amazing. Oh, I love him.
Arthur throws down his gauntlet, and Uther is pretty much scared out of his mind, because Arthur is all he has, and he knows that Arthur can't kill what's already dead.
Uther forbids him to fight.
Arthur is being petulant. &hearts
And then we get to the scene where Gaius confronts Uther. Gaius is the only one that knows what's really going on, and he so desperately wants Uther to tell Arthur the truth, but Uther is so... you know, I think it's a mixture of him trying to protect Arthur from knowing that he basically killed his own mother, his hatred for magic, and his fear of Arthur seeing that Uther regrets the fact that he had to lose Igraine in order for Arthur to be born. Anyway, Gaius is very insistent, and the Uther/Gaius friendship has mirrored Arthur/Merlin pretty closely throughout the episode, but right here we see the huge difference:
Uther pulls rank, he points out the difference in their stations and makes Gaius feel unworthy. Arthur and Merlin have their spats, but there's always an equality to them, even when Arthur's being a jerk, Merlin pushes it aside because he knows Arthur doesn't mean it. But for Gaius, he knows how dangerous Uther is. He saw Uther kill god knows how many people just because of his temper. That will always be between them, and Gaius will always be weary of pushing him to the limit, but his loyalty to Uther is unwavering. This makes me wonder why Gaius is so fiercely loyal to a man who murdered so many of his friends. Gaius is one mysterious dude, and based on what we've been given so far, quite weak. I really want to know his motivations, because he is the one character that I often fail to understand.
And now we get Merlin at his wits end trying to keep Arthur from fighting because he doesn't want to lose him. Merlin pretty much pours his heart out about admiring his courage and whatnot, but he knows that Arthur can't win. And Arthur gets SO INFURIATED over Merlin thinking he can't defeat the black knight. So much so that he swings his sword at him.
He can't bear to have Merlin thinking he's weak. It KILLS him inside! I think this scene pretty much proves that Merlin's opinion of him matters more to him than his father's or Morgana's or anyone's. And Merlin cannot believe that Arthur raised his sword to him, but he's so terribly worried for Arthur's life that he just walks out and is still all about saving Arthur. This, this is why I love them. Nothing can come between these two. Nothing. No matter how much they fight, no matter how much they unintentionally hurt each other, their love is still there. Their bond is more important to them than anything else in their lives.
Uther's a sexy beast when he drinks.
Nimueh shows up.
And this is where we find out about Nimueh helping Uther and Igraine to conceive Arthur with magic, and because of that, Igraine's life was sacrificed, and Nimueh hadn't told them that would happen. And Uther took his revenge by severing his friendship with Nimueh and killing everyone that practiced magic. When he lost Igraine he lost everything that was good in his life, and once again, he couldn't claim responsibility for something that he had perpetrated. He didn't know that Igraine would be sacrificed in order for Arthur to live, but he knew there would be repercussions, he just didn't think it through. And he can't come to terms with the fact that Igraine died because of him, so he blames magic. And he's so heartbroken that he actually admits to her that he regrets having had Arthur and wished he could reverse the decision, and we see that a part of him does resent Arthur. Even Nimueh balks at this. But...
When he's truly faced with the thought of losing Arthur, he finally makes a noble decision.
Meanwhile, Merlin is being petulant.
Back to Uther. He goes to Gaius and tells him that he must fight in Arthur's place. And he makes Gaius vow to keep the truth hidden from Arthur forever.
Gaius is not a happy camper. Not at all. But he agrees.
And even when Uther is trying to smile warmly, he still looks menacing. Because he's a badass mofo.
EXCALIBUR!!!!!
Dragon's message: DO NOT LET THIS LAND IN THE WRONG HANDS MERLIN! MERLIN! IT'S ONLY FOR ARTHUR! DO NOT LET THE WRONG MAN GET A HOLD OF THIS! I'M TALKING ABOUT UTHER! THAT MAN IS EVIL! MERLIN, ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME? DO NOT LET ANYONE BUT ARTHUR TOUCH THIS SWORD! WRONG HANDS, DO NOT LET TOUCH IT! EVIL! DOOM! DESTRUCTION! *flies away*
Uther sexily brooding in the dark. *dreamy sigh*
Arthur getting roofied by Gaius. Seriously, Gaius is a pervy old man. I think all of his inappropriate touching of various people is proof enough of that. But this? This fully confirms it.
*melts*
Uh oh... Slash Dragon is going to be very, very angry about this.
Uther's catching on to Merlin's romantical feelings for Arthur.
Merlin confirms that they have a "bond". Translation: Merlin wants to do Arthur.
Uther approves.
*melts again*
MORGANA! WANTS TO DO UTHER! She didn't think Uther had the moxie to be a real man, nor did she expect him to love Arthur so intensely that he'd give his own life for him. She totally wants to do him.
Sexy, sexy, sexy beast. Oh god, was my heart beating like crazy during this scene. I haven't been this excited in ages.
Apparently Arthur wasn't too impressed. Also, coincidence that he's on his back? I think not. Gaius = Total perv.
Awesome, awesome fight scene. I adore the choreography on this show.
Uther is a wicked badass fighter and he knocks wraith guy's helmet off.
My thoughts exactly.
Morgana. On the edge of her seat. And totally impressed by Uther's mad skillz. She really wants to do him now.
Cheesy effects. Apparently all magical creatures explode in the exact same manner when they are killed, no matter how they are killed. Trufax.
Uther can't believe how utterly awesome he is.
Some leering. Sexy leering. At Merlin. Merlin is pensive.
There are so many inappropriate and obscene things I could say here, but I won't.
Arthur is flippin' angry that he missed the fight.
And Uther reveals that Arthur means more to him than anything in the world and he couldn't risk losing him. *sniff*
Arthur admits that he thought that Uther's always been disappointed in him. THEY'RE FINALLY COMMUNICATING!!! And Uther finally takes responsibility for his actions and admits that he's failed to show him how much he loves him.
And Uther says he wouldn't trade him for another [son]. And Arthur tears up. And it's beautiful. And then Arthur teases him about his footwork and Uther kicks him.
And Uther's smile slowly fades and he has this very tragic look in his eyes. Would he trade Arthur in order to have Igraine back? This question will probably haunt him forever.
Slash Dragon is super angry at Merlin for letting the sword get into THE WRONG HANDS! I believe his exact words were "ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGH!!!!!!!!"
And so Merlin throws the sword into Avalon. Now, call me crazy, but... isn't the sword supposed to be in a stone? Where only Arthur can retrieve it? Because any old person could be having a nice swim one day and come across that sword. Or can mortals not enter that lake? I don't know.
Anywho, this episode was simply amazing. The eps get better and better each week, and I am so ridiculously excited for next week's. WILL ARTHUR DISCOVER MERLIN'S MAGIC? WILL HE? CANNOT WAIT!
*clears throat*
Now that that's out of the way, let me reiterate, UTHER IS A SEXY, SEXY BEAST!!!! So, Monday gave me a ton of beautiful Jerry/Katie scenes on Boston Legal, Wednesday gave me a ton of beautiful Crews/Reese scenes on Life, Thursday gave me oodles of Daniel/Betty subtext on Ugly Betty and a big old handful of Andy being awesome and slashy on The Office and adorable Jack/Lizness on 30 Rock, and now... NOW Merlin brings me an ENTIRE EPISODE ABOUT UTHER! GAAAAAAAAH!!!!! YOU GUYS! UTHER FINALLY GOT TO DO SOMETHING OTHER THAN LEER AT ARTHUR AND PERV OVER MORGANA! IT WAS GLORIOUS! HE WAS GLORIOUS! THIS EPISODE! SO PERFECT! It has been SO LONG since I've been left breathless and on the edge of my seat after watching a TV show, but good lord, I was so enraptured in this episode that I literally had to remind myself to breathe. Oh man, it was glorious. And yes, I've already watched it twice in the course of 2 hours. I am pathetic. BUT IT WAS UTHER! BEING SEXY! I HAD TO!
So, the one thing I wanted out of this episode right after Nimueh said her little magic spell and then "Uther Pendragon" was to see Uther fight the black knight. I wanted to see him be badass. AND I GOT MY WISH!!!! THANK YOU, MERLIN WRITERS! THANK YOU! At first I was all bummed thinking it would be Arthur fighting in yet another tournament, BUT IT WAS UTHER! AND HE WAS BADASS! HELL YEAH!
Anyway, this episode explained so many reasons why I adore the character of Uther Pendragon so deeply. Before it was mostly just Anthony's performance, because MAN does he bring the awesome to a role that is very subdued, but tonight's episode brought so many of Uther's complexities to the forefront, and it was DELIGHTFUL! Well, maybe delightful is the wrong word...
First off, we get some adorable Arthur/Merlin action, and that made me smile in bliss.
Merlin is SO PROUD of Arthur. SO PROUD! HIS PRINCE IS BEING CROWNED! MERLIN IS SO GIDDY ABOUT THIS!
Even Gwen can see how in love Merlin is with Arthur. And see, this moment right here is why I continue to see Merlin more as Gwen's gay best friend that she has a crush on rather than a potential love interest for Gwen, because, come on, how often have they had girl talks like this? Merlin admiring Arthur, unaware of anyone else in the room, Gwen teasing him about it. Of course, in Lancelot it was Merlin teasing Gwen, and he was totally trying to have an excuse to talk about how in love he is with Arthur and he was FORCING Gwen to choose Lancelot because he didn't want her giving the love eyes to his man. Erm... sorry, got off track here. Back to the episode!
Morgana's trying to look at Arthur during his big moment, but her eyes keep going back to Uther. Every time the camera cuts away from her, she's looking at Uther. I'm sorry dudes, but when stuff is shot like that, I can't help but find subtext in it. Especially when she looks at Arthur with a sort of motherly fondness and Uther with, erm... something else. She watches his every action, searching for his emotions, and she does this ALL THE TIME. Perhaps this is why she's the only person that ever really challenges him. She studies him like no one else, therefore she knows what his weaknesses are (and this is often where her contempt for him comes from). She knows what he loves, she knows what makes him ashamed, she just freaking knows him. This is why I love them so much. Anyway, she liked seeing him proud of Arthur.
The Black Knight.
Apparently he's very menacing. Honestly, the scariest thing about this dude was him suddenly bursting through the window. They could have given him a more intimidating voice or something, but... they didn't.
Uther knows the dude is after him, and he's very disturbed, which means it has something to do with his dead wife Igraine, because that's pretty much the only thing that ever brings any emotion out of Uther. And... apparently Uther killed this dude 20 years ago, and he was Igraine's brother. And Arthur's birth had something to do with magic. Oooooooo.
Merlin was totally jealous of Arthur's attention to Dude Who's About to Die. Or he was thinking about a threeway. There's no real way of knowing.
UTHER/MORGANA!!!!! Hey, I'll take anything I can get. They didn't talk to each other in this ep, so you're stuck with me fanwanking about cinematographic subtext. Oh yes.
Okay, so, one of Uther's greatest flaws is that he refuses to take responsibility for the consequences of his actions. And this is the huge difference between being noble and being weak. Arthur is noble because he will put his life in danger in order to save anyone in his kingdom, and he will always admit fault and rectify it himself. Uther, on the other hand, insists that things are beyond his control. Everyone in the kingdom should sacrifice for him. But at the same time, he hates himself for not being as noble as his son. He hates that he's letting all these young men die in his place, but he's too afraid to face the danger that he has created for himself. He is so conflicted, and he always gets so angry with Arthur because Arthur reminds him of everything that he can never be. And oooooh, this kills him. He so wants to be the man that Arthur wants him to be. But he's so lost, and he's been hurting inside for the last 20 years because he lost a piece of his soul when his wife died, and GAH! I LOVE UTHER! SO, SO MUCH! He's definitely the most complicated character on the show, but it's all so freaking subtle, and I adore that. When I watched the first couple of episodes, I had no idea I'd end up loving Uther so much. The man is amazing. Oh, I love him.
Arthur throws down his gauntlet, and Uther is pretty much scared out of his mind, because Arthur is all he has, and he knows that Arthur can't kill what's already dead.
Uther forbids him to fight.
Arthur is being petulant. &hearts
And then we get to the scene where Gaius confronts Uther. Gaius is the only one that knows what's really going on, and he so desperately wants Uther to tell Arthur the truth, but Uther is so... you know, I think it's a mixture of him trying to protect Arthur from knowing that he basically killed his own mother, his hatred for magic, and his fear of Arthur seeing that Uther regrets the fact that he had to lose Igraine in order for Arthur to be born. Anyway, Gaius is very insistent, and the Uther/Gaius friendship has mirrored Arthur/Merlin pretty closely throughout the episode, but right here we see the huge difference:
Uther pulls rank, he points out the difference in their stations and makes Gaius feel unworthy. Arthur and Merlin have their spats, but there's always an equality to them, even when Arthur's being a jerk, Merlin pushes it aside because he knows Arthur doesn't mean it. But for Gaius, he knows how dangerous Uther is. He saw Uther kill god knows how many people just because of his temper. That will always be between them, and Gaius will always be weary of pushing him to the limit, but his loyalty to Uther is unwavering. This makes me wonder why Gaius is so fiercely loyal to a man who murdered so many of his friends. Gaius is one mysterious dude, and based on what we've been given so far, quite weak. I really want to know his motivations, because he is the one character that I often fail to understand.
And now we get Merlin at his wits end trying to keep Arthur from fighting because he doesn't want to lose him. Merlin pretty much pours his heart out about admiring his courage and whatnot, but he knows that Arthur can't win. And Arthur gets SO INFURIATED over Merlin thinking he can't defeat the black knight. So much so that he swings his sword at him.
He can't bear to have Merlin thinking he's weak. It KILLS him inside! I think this scene pretty much proves that Merlin's opinion of him matters more to him than his father's or Morgana's or anyone's. And Merlin cannot believe that Arthur raised his sword to him, but he's so terribly worried for Arthur's life that he just walks out and is still all about saving Arthur. This, this is why I love them. Nothing can come between these two. Nothing. No matter how much they fight, no matter how much they unintentionally hurt each other, their love is still there. Their bond is more important to them than anything else in their lives.
Uther's a sexy beast when he drinks.
Nimueh shows up.
And this is where we find out about Nimueh helping Uther and Igraine to conceive Arthur with magic, and because of that, Igraine's life was sacrificed, and Nimueh hadn't told them that would happen. And Uther took his revenge by severing his friendship with Nimueh and killing everyone that practiced magic. When he lost Igraine he lost everything that was good in his life, and once again, he couldn't claim responsibility for something that he had perpetrated. He didn't know that Igraine would be sacrificed in order for Arthur to live, but he knew there would be repercussions, he just didn't think it through. And he can't come to terms with the fact that Igraine died because of him, so he blames magic. And he's so heartbroken that he actually admits to her that he regrets having had Arthur and wished he could reverse the decision, and we see that a part of him does resent Arthur. Even Nimueh balks at this. But...
When he's truly faced with the thought of losing Arthur, he finally makes a noble decision.
Meanwhile, Merlin is being petulant.
Back to Uther. He goes to Gaius and tells him that he must fight in Arthur's place. And he makes Gaius vow to keep the truth hidden from Arthur forever.
Gaius is not a happy camper. Not at all. But he agrees.
And even when Uther is trying to smile warmly, he still looks menacing. Because he's a badass mofo.
EXCALIBUR!!!!!
Dragon's message: DO NOT LET THIS LAND IN THE WRONG HANDS MERLIN! MERLIN! IT'S ONLY FOR ARTHUR! DO NOT LET THE WRONG MAN GET A HOLD OF THIS! I'M TALKING ABOUT UTHER! THAT MAN IS EVIL! MERLIN, ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME? DO NOT LET ANYONE BUT ARTHUR TOUCH THIS SWORD! WRONG HANDS, DO NOT LET TOUCH IT! EVIL! DOOM! DESTRUCTION! *flies away*
Uther sexily brooding in the dark. *dreamy sigh*
Arthur getting roofied by Gaius. Seriously, Gaius is a pervy old man. I think all of his inappropriate touching of various people is proof enough of that. But this? This fully confirms it.
*melts*
Uh oh... Slash Dragon is going to be very, very angry about this.
Uther's catching on to Merlin's romantical feelings for Arthur.
Merlin confirms that they have a "bond". Translation: Merlin wants to do Arthur.
Uther approves.
*melts again*
MORGANA! WANTS TO DO UTHER! She didn't think Uther had the moxie to be a real man, nor did she expect him to love Arthur so intensely that he'd give his own life for him. She totally wants to do him.
Sexy, sexy, sexy beast. Oh god, was my heart beating like crazy during this scene. I haven't been this excited in ages.
Apparently Arthur wasn't too impressed. Also, coincidence that he's on his back? I think not. Gaius = Total perv.
Awesome, awesome fight scene. I adore the choreography on this show.
Uther is a wicked badass fighter and he knocks wraith guy's helmet off.
My thoughts exactly.
Morgana. On the edge of her seat. And totally impressed by Uther's mad skillz. She really wants to do him now.
Cheesy effects. Apparently all magical creatures explode in the exact same manner when they are killed, no matter how they are killed. Trufax.
Uther can't believe how utterly awesome he is.
Some leering. Sexy leering. At Merlin. Merlin is pensive.
There are so many inappropriate and obscene things I could say here, but I won't.
Arthur is flippin' angry that he missed the fight.
And Uther reveals that Arthur means more to him than anything in the world and he couldn't risk losing him. *sniff*
Arthur admits that he thought that Uther's always been disappointed in him. THEY'RE FINALLY COMMUNICATING!!! And Uther finally takes responsibility for his actions and admits that he's failed to show him how much he loves him.
And Uther says he wouldn't trade him for another [son]. And Arthur tears up. And it's beautiful. And then Arthur teases him about his footwork and Uther kicks him.
And Uther's smile slowly fades and he has this very tragic look in his eyes. Would he trade Arthur in order to have Igraine back? This question will probably haunt him forever.
Slash Dragon is super angry at Merlin for letting the sword get into THE WRONG HANDS! I believe his exact words were "ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGH!!!!!!!!"
And so Merlin throws the sword into Avalon. Now, call me crazy, but... isn't the sword supposed to be in a stone? Where only Arthur can retrieve it? Because any old person could be having a nice swim one day and come across that sword. Or can mortals not enter that lake? I don't know.
Anywho, this episode was simply amazing. The eps get better and better each week, and I am so ridiculously excited for next week's. WILL ARTHUR DISCOVER MERLIN'S MAGIC? WILL HE? CANNOT WAIT!