I love this. At first, Arthur and Merlin seemed a bit off, but by the end, it made perfect sense. I thought this was definitely one of Merlin's stronger episodes. It had a fresh, surprising plot that not even Gaius expected. The writers have been paying a lot more attention to character development this season.
Thanks for reading! Yeah, it was kinda cool that even if you suspected Arthur knew more than he was telling, I think everyone was caught off guard about his personal culpability because he's Freaking King Arthur. It just reminds you that the noble and chivalrous Arthur of legend didn't sprout from Uther's head fully formed.
Didn't mean to delay so long in replying to your comment, but it gave me some food for thought about Arthur knowing and I wanted to think about it :) I'd like to think that Arthur at least wouldn't be surprised if Merlin was magic, that he's willfully ignoring the clues because once he starts acknowledging them he's have to uphold the law and get rid of Merlin and he doesn't want that! That said, I think the show tends to make its developments pretty obvious and if Arthur knows, we'd know too. Plus Bradley himself has said it's frustrating that Arthur doesn't know.
What would be kinda cool is if Bradley is quietly undermining the writers and playing Arthur as if he secretly knew in his not!reactions when Merlin is doing magic nearby to influence future episodes. :P Or...not.
Seriously, my sister and I (psychology student, and a therapist) psychoanalyze this show to death, but hardly ever get our thoughts down on paper. This review said exactly what we've talked about over and over again, from Merlin's floundering and depression this season, to Arthur's internal feelings. I love it! It's good to see someone taking the show as seriously as we do, as sometimes even the writers don't.
Haha, glad to find some kindred spirits. I was a psych student too! But I only psychoanalyze fictional people and rage over why the writers don't take it as seriously and then forcibly remind myself that they are writing for a family audience and then I calm down. Anyway, glad you enjoyed the read - makes me feel like I didn't just waste the last week tinkering with this on my spare time!
Yes. Beautiful analysis. I read every word. This is the kind of stuff that I live for in fandom (even though I tend to be more of a lurker than anything ^^;)
I particularly like your thoughts on Merlin's characterization this season, because you're right, he's floundering a bit, and with good cause. Just as Arthur has to find his way in his new position as King, Merlin is going to have to really assess his role not just in Arthur's life, but in the big picture of what their joint destiny is really going to look like. You mentioned how Merlin is learning that not everything can be solved by magic, and how his role as teacher/advisor to Arthur is really starting to take shape. In addition to that, he's beginning to discover that there are parts of his destiny that actually extend beyond just Arthur.
Aithusa was a great episode because it pulled to the foreground the importance of Merlin as a dragonlord and how, in that instance, that role superseded Arthur's will. In The Secret Sharer he learns that there are others with
( ... )
Ooh, not rambly at all. In fact, you've put into words something my brain was just skirting around but couldn't really articulate. Yes, Merlin is limiting his conception of who he is and who he can be. From season 1 Merlin's had an attitude of 'Magic is who I am and poor me, I can't be myself but one day people will see me for who I am." But the truth is, he hasn't discovered all of himself yet, he hasn't grown into the person he could be
( ... )
Thank you for taking the time to write and share all this thought-provoking material! I don't think A Herald of the New Age will ever be a fav s4 ep for me (so many cool eps this season!), but it is certainly a unique one and has earned it's place in this great season. I liked it more than most people for many of the reasons you expanded on (especially because this particular story works perfectly taking place right after Gwen's banishment--those clever writers), but you also shined light on a lot of things for me (helped me make peace with the curious nature of some of the Merlin/Arthur interactions, particularly). Great in-depth piece of meta. I love your brain!
Oh you're welcome! I don't know what came over me, I just felt like I wanted to defend the episode. 4x10 isn't actually one of my favorites, there were just so many strong episodes this season, but I didn't want to title the essay 'or why this episode didn't suck as much as people think it does!' I liked your turn of phrase -- maybe I could steal it and rename this 'Or Why 4x10 Earns Its Place in a Great Season 4' ?
Sounds good! And you've done it with the correct "its", very nice. ;) Seems I will never learn to get my "its" and "it's" straight, for some reason...
Looking back at other seasons, I think we have gotten some real duds in the past. 4x10 is not one of them, imo, though it is peculiar and has its faults. Now if you can just convince me to like "Lamia" I'll be able to say season 4 is completely dud-free... ;)
I think it was one of the weaker episodes this season in that it wasn't particularly sophisticated nor was it necessary to drive forward the major plots. Plus Arthur and Merlin were separated most of the time, so that extra spark was missing!
That said, there was a lot to love. It brought some issues to the fore, reflected the state of several relationships and I actually really liked seeing who Merlin was outside of Arthur. Plus, this is the beginnings of Merlin-the-Physician, who we got to see again in the Sword in the Stone (Part 1)!
I might write something up and just post on my journal if there's interest - but I'm currently flailing over the finale. I've been trying to analyze the trailer, and while Arthur's story is pretty straight forward, I can honestly say I really can't predict how Merlin will play into the finale at all! (Which is a good thing, but it's driving me bonkers!)
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Didn't mean to delay so long in replying to your comment, but it gave me some food for thought about Arthur knowing and I wanted to think about it :) I'd like to think that Arthur at least wouldn't be surprised if Merlin was magic, that he's willfully ignoring the clues because once he starts acknowledging them he's have to uphold the law and get rid of Merlin and he doesn't want that! That said, I think the show tends to make its developments pretty obvious and if Arthur knows, we'd know too. Plus Bradley himself has said it's frustrating that Arthur doesn't know.
What would be kinda cool is if Bradley is quietly undermining the writers and playing Arthur as if he secretly knew in his not!reactions when Merlin is doing magic nearby to influence future episodes. :P Or...not.
Happy Christmas and Merlin Finale Day!
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Seriously, my sister and I (psychology student, and a therapist) psychoanalyze this show to death, but hardly ever get our thoughts down on paper. This review said exactly what we've talked about over and over again, from Merlin's floundering and depression this season, to Arthur's internal feelings. I love it! It's good to see someone taking the show as seriously as we do, as sometimes even the writers don't.
Reply
Reply
I particularly like your thoughts on Merlin's characterization this season, because you're right, he's floundering a bit, and with good cause. Just as Arthur has to find his way in his new position as King, Merlin is going to have to really assess his role not just in Arthur's life, but in the big picture of what their joint destiny is really going to look like. You mentioned how Merlin is learning that not everything can be solved by magic, and how his role as teacher/advisor to Arthur is really starting to take shape. In addition to that, he's beginning to discover that there are parts of his destiny that actually extend beyond just Arthur.
Aithusa was a great episode because it pulled to the foreground the importance of Merlin as a dragonlord and how, in that instance, that role superseded Arthur's will. In The Secret Sharer he learns that there are others with ( ... )
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*bookmarks*
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Looking back at other seasons, I think we have gotten some real duds in the past. 4x10 is not one of them, imo, though it is peculiar and has its faults. Now if you can just convince me to like "Lamia" I'll be able to say season 4 is completely dud-free... ;)
Reply
I think it was one of the weaker episodes this season in that it wasn't particularly sophisticated nor was it necessary to drive forward the major plots. Plus Arthur and Merlin were separated most of the time, so that extra spark was missing!
That said, there was a lot to love. It brought some issues to the fore, reflected the state of several relationships and I actually really liked seeing who Merlin was outside of Arthur. Plus, this is the beginnings of Merlin-the-Physician, who we got to see again in the Sword in the Stone (Part 1)!
I might write something up and just post on my journal if there's interest - but I'm currently flailing over the finale. I've been trying to analyze the trailer, and while Arthur's story is pretty straight forward, I can honestly say I really can't predict how Merlin will play into the finale at all! (Which is a good thing, but it's driving me bonkers!)
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