I need to start thinking about these beforehand.
I honestly don't know.
OH HOLD ON I TOTALLY DO.
Remember that time in Lamia, where, after a few days of being pushed aside and belittled and, if you're Merlin, almost killed, by the knights because of the Lamia, they're in the abandoned castle thingy. Merlin is getting attacked by the monster. And Gwen goes berserk. "STAY AWAY FROM HIM!"
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| Apologies for the hyper-edited screencap, but it was too dark to even see anything with the original lighting. |
I like this episode, and I love Gwen throughout this episode, and this moment is everything.
Because this is the perfect example of Gwen being fiercely loyal and kind in a way that has another awesome element of her defying expectations - in this case, because she's a decent fighter, something which Arthur apparently doesn't remember from The Moment of Truth.
And Gwen is all about defying expectations, if usually not in this way. Firstly because she has a way of telling Arthur what he needs to hear instead of what he wants to - one of the only people who properly do. Secondly, because of her surprisingly wise counsel concerning affairs that, by rights, she shouldn't really know anything about - think The Darkest Hour, when Agravaine actually takes her advice regarding letting people in or not. Gwen has been defying expectations for a long time, but usually it's about the things she says. This is the first time she does so so blatantly, and also the first time that it specifically puts her outside the idea that she's valuable for purely counselling purposes. (And Arthur later remarks that she was equal to one of his knights.)
Also, this is one of the few "favourite character moments" that I like not only despite the fact that it involves another character, but also because it does - Gwen's arc is all about other people, and how she treats them, and her defense of Merlin is a great reflection of that. Not only because it shows her kindness and loyalty, but because it completely contrasts how other people have been treating Merlin and her for the entire episode.
As you'll know if you've seen the episode, the knights get basically brainwashed by the Lamia, and everyone's affected except Gwen and Merlin. Gwen, presumably, because she's a woman, and Merlin because he has magic, I guess? Anyway, where the knights had previously been defending and respecting Merlin and Gwen, suddenly they're belittling and threatening them. (And it's another testament to Gwen's ability to sense the atmosphere, because she keeps quiet where Merlin keeps trying to convince the knights and gets in even more trouble). Gwen watches this, and obviously her frustration is building up when the two of them keep not being heard, but because she is smart, she keeps quiet so as not to make it worse.
But when that freaking octopus creature is attacking Merlin, she lets out all her frustration in a moment that is so selfless and loyal and fierce and Gwen. And I cheer.
Because, see, when it gets down to it, Gwen is a protector. Whether it's The Darkest Hour and she's protecting the people from the Dorocha, or it's The Witchfinder and she's protecting Gaius, or The Castle of Fyrien and she's protecting her brother, or The Poisoned Chalice and she's protecting/tending to Merlin, or this episode, where she is first protecting the villagers, then Lamia herself, and then Merlin. Gwen is about protecting people, and usually she's able to do that in subtler ways, but that doesn't work here. And it's never been pointed out so blatantly before now that Gwen isn't just about smarts, but also very very much about heart.
The other thing is that Gwen is starting to catch on to Merlin here. It's a bit of a shame that it's never properly brought up again, actually, because Gwen definitely knows that there's something up with Merlin. Think of the line, "It's the way she looks at you, Merlin. As if you were the enemy." She's a half-step away from figuring it out, and I wouldn't be surprised if Gwen had already begun to draw her own conclusions.
But she still jumps to defend Merlin, and very passionately so. Because Gwen is loyal, and this is Merlin, and it doesn't matter if there's something up with him because Gwen's instincts are all about being a fierce and protective friend and it's wonderful.
On a shallower note, Gwen is a badass. Even Arthur, in his own way, is like "Damn, my girlfriend's a badass." Gwen doesn't fight very often - I think it happened in three episodes through the series - but she's actually competent at it, in a way that even Merlin isn't, and that's just a nice thing to see on a show where one of the main characters (Arthur) spends so much time saying things like "Don't be such a girl."
Basically this moment represents everything I love about Gwen. And it had a bit of a girl power element to it without it being just for the sake of girl power - it had emotional weight behind it. And I just really loved this moment a lot. Gwen is my hero.
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