Merlin - The Dragon's Call
The Dragon's Call (Season 1, Episode 1)
I've started rewatching Merlin, and with Season 5 just around the corner, I thought I'd post my reactions to the episodes.
The series has an intriguing start. We just see a pale, dark-haired young man coming over a hill, looking nothing like a hero, but every bit a curious, eager boy. The voiceover is a bit cliched, with the Great Dragon giving us the background and a short introduction of what's to come. But I like it. It's very fairytale-esque. Almost like saying, "Once upon a time..."
Colin Morgan does a great job of looking the awestruck country boy arriving in the big city. (Fair warning, all these reactions will be overflowing with praise and verbal flailing over Colin Morgan.)
Very nice transition into the darker side of Camelot. From the start, we're aware of the fact that Camelot is not all sunshine and daisies, and not the Camelot of Arthur's reign from legend. It makes the difference all the more poignant. We see this almost tyrannical ruler who shows no mercy for those who practice sorcery. It's like a slap in the face to the legend we all know.
They really could've come up with a better way of giving us background on the ban on magic. This must be fifty billionth execution of sorcerers Uther's ordered. Why is he prattling on about his reasons for the execution?
One thing that never made sense. If sorcerers can teleport (or whatever the mother did) then why were so many executed? They can escape. So why did they just allow Uther to kill them? Fanfiction speculates on this, but honestly, it only goes so far.
You know... why are the Court Physician's quarters so shabby? Gaius is a trusted (unofficial) advisor to the King. So why doesn't Uther give him better rooms? Or at least a room with more than one bedroom. Poor Gaius sleeps on a cot in his workroom.
The vengeful mother is quite a nice antagonist for the first episode. She's a character we can sympathize with and we easily understand her motives. She also shows us the dangers Uther's ban on magic invites. The assassination plot is pretty good too. All in all, she's a pretty awesome villain.
There's a lot more comic relief in these earlier episodes. Very lighthearted, despite the ongoing genocide, that is.
Oh prattish Arthur. Is he torturing his previous manservant? I always wondered who that guy was. And I always wondered if Arthur had a previous manservant. If so, then did he just get fired when Merlin was hired? And why do his "friends" never show up ever again?
This carefree and almost cruel Arthur seems a bit... OOC. If a character in a pilot can even be called OOC. Why is he acting like this? Yes, he can be reckless, but this is outright bullying. In all honesty, Arthur seems like a spoiled brat in this episode. It'd be a stretch to even see the potential for the greatest king the world has ever known, or even a king at all.
But god, Merlin and Arthur's chemistry. (Meaning Colin and Bradley's chemistry.) They're on screen together and they just... work. You could make a show comprised entirely on Merlin/Arthur banter and I'd be sitting there riveted. Their chemistry just slaps you in the face.
The mirrors not being able to hide a person's true form is very nice. Nice bit of symbolism. Magic only affects the outside of a person, it can't hide who a person really is. It'll fool the eyes, but it can't change the truth.
I found it really interesting the way they're setting up for Merlin/Gwen and Arthur/Morgana. To be honest, I'd completely forgotten that Arthur/Gwen would be endgame the first time I watched it. I didn't realize that it was Arthur and Gwen who were going to get together until the season finale of season one. At which point, it was quite a shock. But that's a topic for when I get to that episode. I really like Angel and Colin's dynamic. Merlin and Gwen's friendship is something I wish they'd explore.
Oh, sweet carefree Gwen. And babbling!Gwen. I miss season one Gwen.
I really like the way Colin has Merlin do a little double take every time he sees a pretty girl. Adds to Merlin's innocence and it's very endearing.
Despite Arthur's OOCness, the fact that Arthur lets Merlin go after their little sparring match is very much like the Arthur we know. He's not going to be unfair. He's the one who started the fight this time, after all. Last time, Merlin threw the first (and only) punch, and Merlin was the one who started it. So he got thrown in the dungeons for it. This time, Arthur wouldn't let Merlin leave, so what could Merlin do expect fight back. Arthur might be a bully, but he doesn't see things in black and white the way Uther does.
Colin portrays Merlin's insecurities really well. It's all the more surprising knowing that Colin isn't anything like Merlin in real life. Colin isn't a bumbling, lost, unsure boy at all. But you can see that Merlin is. It's all in his face and in his eyes. God, his eyes could tell a story all on their own. Just in the above picture, you can see Merlin's desperation, his fear, and his sincerity. But you can also see an edge of steel, and you can tell that Merlin can't be easily broken.
The Camelot guards are crap. Merlin comes clattering down the stairs, and they don't even look up. Dice flying away on their own? SORCERY! No? Ok. Let's just follow the mysterious moving dice and leave our posts. BOTH OF US. THIS SEEMS LIKE A BRILLIANT PLAN. NO WONDER EVERYONE ESCAPES FROM THE DUNGEONS.
My first instinct is to think that calling Merlin and Arthur's future "destiny" is a cop out. And in episode one, I suppose it is a bit. But we see Arthur and Merlin meeting before Merlin knew anything about destiny. It's not as if Merlin seeks Arthur out after learning that he has a great destiny to build Albion with Arthur. The events unfold of their own accord. And honestly, destiny is an endgame. The path they take to get there is all their own. Just because "no one can escape it" doesn't mean that Merlin would blindly follow Arthur for "destiny's" sake.
Oh sleepy!Merlin is adorable.
"Who'd wanna marry Arthur?" AHAHAHA! The foreshadowing. Too bad I didn't see if for what it was the first time around. Although, my Merthur shipping heart is just going, "MERLIN! MERLIN WANTS TO MARRY ARTHUR!!!"
OMG.
THAT. THAT RIGHT THERE. ARTHUR'S MANSERVANT IS STANDING BEHIND MERLIN.
And... um... why didn't Arthur's actual manservant save Arthur. Maybe he deserved to be fired then. Oh... wait... saving your master's life isn't actually part of a manservant's duties is it? Oops.
Look at Arthur's face. He's so shocked. He owes his life to the peasant he was taunting on the street. The peasant who dared stand up to him. Yes, sweetie, Merlin is actually worth something. Maybe you should give him a kiss for saving your life. XD
And then Uther telling Merlin that he'll be Arthur's manservant like it's the highest honor. Oh god. And it begins.
I've started rewatching Merlin, and with Season 5 just around the corner, I thought I'd post my reactions to the episodes.
The series has an intriguing start. We just see a pale, dark-haired young man coming over a hill, looking nothing like a hero, but every bit a curious, eager boy. The voiceover is a bit cliched, with the Great Dragon giving us the background and a short introduction of what's to come. But I like it. It's very fairytale-esque. Almost like saying, "Once upon a time..."
Colin Morgan does a great job of looking the awestruck country boy arriving in the big city. (Fair warning, all these reactions will be overflowing with praise and verbal flailing over Colin Morgan.)
Very nice transition into the darker side of Camelot. From the start, we're aware of the fact that Camelot is not all sunshine and daisies, and not the Camelot of Arthur's reign from legend. It makes the difference all the more poignant. We see this almost tyrannical ruler who shows no mercy for those who practice sorcery. It's like a slap in the face to the legend we all know.
They really could've come up with a better way of giving us background on the ban on magic. This must be fifty billionth execution of sorcerers Uther's ordered. Why is he prattling on about his reasons for the execution?
One thing that never made sense. If sorcerers can teleport (or whatever the mother did) then why were so many executed? They can escape. So why did they just allow Uther to kill them? Fanfiction speculates on this, but honestly, it only goes so far.
You know... why are the Court Physician's quarters so shabby? Gaius is a trusted (unofficial) advisor to the King. So why doesn't Uther give him better rooms? Or at least a room with more than one bedroom. Poor Gaius sleeps on a cot in his workroom.
The vengeful mother is quite a nice antagonist for the first episode. She's a character we can sympathize with and we easily understand her motives. She also shows us the dangers Uther's ban on magic invites. The assassination plot is pretty good too. All in all, she's a pretty awesome villain.
There's a lot more comic relief in these earlier episodes. Very lighthearted, despite the ongoing genocide, that is.
Oh prattish Arthur. Is he torturing his previous manservant? I always wondered who that guy was. And I always wondered if Arthur had a previous manservant. If so, then did he just get fired when Merlin was hired? And why do his "friends" never show up ever again?
This carefree and almost cruel Arthur seems a bit... OOC. If a character in a pilot can even be called OOC. Why is he acting like this? Yes, he can be reckless, but this is outright bullying. In all honesty, Arthur seems like a spoiled brat in this episode. It'd be a stretch to even see the potential for the greatest king the world has ever known, or even a king at all.
But god, Merlin and Arthur's chemistry. (Meaning Colin and Bradley's chemistry.) They're on screen together and they just... work. You could make a show comprised entirely on Merlin/Arthur banter and I'd be sitting there riveted. Their chemistry just slaps you in the face.
The mirrors not being able to hide a person's true form is very nice. Nice bit of symbolism. Magic only affects the outside of a person, it can't hide who a person really is. It'll fool the eyes, but it can't change the truth.
I found it really interesting the way they're setting up for Merlin/Gwen and Arthur/Morgana. To be honest, I'd completely forgotten that Arthur/Gwen would be endgame the first time I watched it. I didn't realize that it was Arthur and Gwen who were going to get together until the season finale of season one. At which point, it was quite a shock. But that's a topic for when I get to that episode. I really like Angel and Colin's dynamic. Merlin and Gwen's friendship is something I wish they'd explore.
Oh, sweet carefree Gwen. And babbling!Gwen. I miss season one Gwen.
I really like the way Colin has Merlin do a little double take every time he sees a pretty girl. Adds to Merlin's innocence and it's very endearing.
Despite Arthur's OOCness, the fact that Arthur lets Merlin go after their little sparring match is very much like the Arthur we know. He's not going to be unfair. He's the one who started the fight this time, after all. Last time, Merlin threw the first (and only) punch, and Merlin was the one who started it. So he got thrown in the dungeons for it. This time, Arthur wouldn't let Merlin leave, so what could Merlin do expect fight back. Arthur might be a bully, but he doesn't see things in black and white the way Uther does.
Colin portrays Merlin's insecurities really well. It's all the more surprising knowing that Colin isn't anything like Merlin in real life. Colin isn't a bumbling, lost, unsure boy at all. But you can see that Merlin is. It's all in his face and in his eyes. God, his eyes could tell a story all on their own. Just in the above picture, you can see Merlin's desperation, his fear, and his sincerity. But you can also see an edge of steel, and you can tell that Merlin can't be easily broken.
The Camelot guards are crap. Merlin comes clattering down the stairs, and they don't even look up. Dice flying away on their own? SORCERY! No? Ok. Let's just follow the mysterious moving dice and leave our posts. BOTH OF US. THIS SEEMS LIKE A BRILLIANT PLAN. NO WONDER EVERYONE ESCAPES FROM THE DUNGEONS.
My first instinct is to think that calling Merlin and Arthur's future "destiny" is a cop out. And in episode one, I suppose it is a bit. But we see Arthur and Merlin meeting before Merlin knew anything about destiny. It's not as if Merlin seeks Arthur out after learning that he has a great destiny to build Albion with Arthur. The events unfold of their own accord. And honestly, destiny is an endgame. The path they take to get there is all their own. Just because "no one can escape it" doesn't mean that Merlin would blindly follow Arthur for "destiny's" sake.
Oh sleepy!Merlin is adorable.
"Who'd wanna marry Arthur?" AHAHAHA! The foreshadowing. Too bad I didn't see if for what it was the first time around. Although, my Merthur shipping heart is just going, "MERLIN! MERLIN WANTS TO MARRY ARTHUR!!!"
OMG.
THAT. THAT RIGHT THERE. ARTHUR'S MANSERVANT IS STANDING BEHIND MERLIN.
And... um... why didn't Arthur's actual manservant save Arthur. Maybe he deserved to be fired then. Oh... wait... saving your master's life isn't actually part of a manservant's duties is it? Oops.
Look at Arthur's face. He's so shocked. He owes his life to the peasant he was taunting on the street. The peasant who dared stand up to him. Yes, sweetie, Merlin is actually worth something. Maybe you should give him a kiss for saving your life. XD
And then Uther telling Merlin that he'll be Arthur's manservant like it's the highest honor. Oh god. And it begins.