So. Merlin.
Oct. 1st, 2011 08:43 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
castaliaWow, I got some of my Merlin squee back. Feels good!
Things that made me happy:
-Morgana has agency again! After yet another year of skipping ahead, she's finally kicking some ass personally instead of just plotting and smirking. Someone's been practicing their magic over the break. Still gorgeous despite the pale goth look.
-Knights! I love this group a lot, despite it being so very "boys club"-ish. Percival and Elyan saving the wee lost children and then teasing each other about it afterward was adorable.
-Grown-up!Merlin! We got "a young man" instead of "a young boy" in the opening credits, plus new shiny scenes in it as well. About time they updated that a bit. Merlin's voice also sounds deeper to me this year. Somehow I feel there must be video footage out there of Bradley teasing the hell out of Colin for finally going through puberty...
-Merlin and Arthur facing death together once again, each trying his hardest to sacrifice himself for the other and for Camelot. Good times.
Things that made me not so happy:
-Gwen's lack of scenes that weren't about Arthur in some way. Yes, we get it, she's the Love Interest now, but I was watching season one recently and I kind of miss how much Gwen and Merlin flirted back then. It was cute and innocent and became a really good friendship. She doesn't get to talk to him much at all now. The best I can say is that they're finally giving her prettier dresses and doing her hair awesomely.
-How cartoon villainy Morgana is these days. Smirking and laughing over dying peasants? The old Morgana cared about the people and butted heads with Uther over that more than anything.
-That whole "we might've been friends" conversation the boys keep on having. Didn't you do this last season? Is Merlin just gonna keep bringing it up until Arthur finally snaps and shouts at him "We ARE friends, you clotpole" (and how much did I love that whole exchange, Merlin's word indeed...) and they finally move on? Seriously, you're friends. Stop it. Arthur, you should not continue to be surprised by the depth of Merlin's loyalty and bravery, yet you act like it's a new thing every time. Stop it.
-Other people need to know about Merlin's magic pronto. It was nice to have Lancelot around to fulfill that role, but with Merlin going around creating fire in his hands out in the open, someone else really should have noticed by now. It's getting a bit silly. If Arthur doesn't find out this season...just, ugh.
The ending kind of lost its impact when Merlin was up and talking again in the preview for next week, but still. I'm curious to see who the actual blood sacrifice will end up being. Part of me thinks they'll just take the easy route and somehow work it so that the Disloyal Uncle will be the one to snuff it. Giving Uther one last act of devotion to his son would be nice, but somehow I doubt they'll go there this early in the season.
Things that made me happy:
-Morgana has agency again! After yet another year of skipping ahead, she's finally kicking some ass personally instead of just plotting and smirking. Someone's been practicing their magic over the break. Still gorgeous despite the pale goth look.
-Knights! I love this group a lot, despite it being so very "boys club"-ish. Percival and Elyan saving the wee lost children and then teasing each other about it afterward was adorable.
-Grown-up!Merlin! We got "a young man" instead of "a young boy" in the opening credits, plus new shiny scenes in it as well. About time they updated that a bit. Merlin's voice also sounds deeper to me this year. Somehow I feel there must be video footage out there of Bradley teasing the hell out of Colin for finally going through puberty...
-Merlin and Arthur facing death together once again, each trying his hardest to sacrifice himself for the other and for Camelot. Good times.
Things that made me not so happy:
-Gwen's lack of scenes that weren't about Arthur in some way. Yes, we get it, she's the Love Interest now, but I was watching season one recently and I kind of miss how much Gwen and Merlin flirted back then. It was cute and innocent and became a really good friendship. She doesn't get to talk to him much at all now. The best I can say is that they're finally giving her prettier dresses and doing her hair awesomely.
-How cartoon villainy Morgana is these days. Smirking and laughing over dying peasants? The old Morgana cared about the people and butted heads with Uther over that more than anything.
-That whole "we might've been friends" conversation the boys keep on having. Didn't you do this last season? Is Merlin just gonna keep bringing it up until Arthur finally snaps and shouts at him "We ARE friends, you clotpole" (and how much did I love that whole exchange, Merlin's word indeed...) and they finally move on? Seriously, you're friends. Stop it. Arthur, you should not continue to be surprised by the depth of Merlin's loyalty and bravery, yet you act like it's a new thing every time. Stop it.
-Other people need to know about Merlin's magic pronto. It was nice to have Lancelot around to fulfill that role, but with Merlin going around creating fire in his hands out in the open, someone else really should have noticed by now. It's getting a bit silly. If Arthur doesn't find out this season...just, ugh.
The ending kind of lost its impact when Merlin was up and talking again in the preview for next week, but still. I'm curious to see who the actual blood sacrifice will end up being. Part of me thinks they'll just take the easy route and somehow work it so that the Disloyal Uncle will be the one to snuff it. Giving Uther one last act of devotion to his son would be nice, but somehow I doubt they'll go there this early in the season.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2011-10-02 12:57 am (UTC)-Gwen's lack of scenes that weren't about Arthur in some way.
I am headdesking so hard at myself for missing this. I think I would've noticed on rewatch, but I'm so sexism-ed out right now from DS9 that I think it was somehow too subtle for me on the ifrst watch-through. You're totally right, though.
-Other people need to know about Merlin's magic pronto. It was nice to have Lancelot around to fulfill that role, but with Merlin going around creating fire in his hands out in the open, someone else really should have noticed by now. It's getting a bit silly. If Arthur doesn't find out this season...just, ugh.
This has been me for the past 2 seasons. Like, I got so frustrated and fed up with the last season because of it. It's been 5 years now, since apparently a year passed between these two seasons. And it's such an obvious plot contrivance. Let the characters evolve a little. And I don't just mean by having Morgana living in a dirty shack cackling. (In fact, I don't mean that at all. Really now.)
Same with the boys' "We could be friends" convo, particularly after everything that happened when Morgana took over. I still love it, particularly given the slasher in me, but it also just serves to remind us how Status Quo Is God runs this show. Especially now that they've actually allowed themselves to change a bit, change this.
(no subject)
Date: 2011-10-02 01:28 am (UTC)it also just serves to remind us how Status Quo Is God runs this show
Oh man, yeah. That whole thing is so frustrating, b/c the showrunners are just so dedicated to that concept. They're willing to change so much, except they're not. Argh!
(no subject)
Date: 2011-10-02 01:07 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-10-02 01:28 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-10-02 06:03 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-10-02 07:17 am (UTC)And I was very much enjoying Lancelot knowing about Merlin's magic. I've decided all the knights should know before Arthur now. Because if he hasn't noticed by now, he's probably not going to until someone tells him.
(no subject)
Date: 2011-10-04 06:49 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-10-30 04:34 am (UTC)