So the meme's being postponed just slightly. Real life has started again, school's up and running, and I'm having trouble regaining that balancing act that I so took for granted these past months. I swear, I've never been more exhausted in my life.
So, yes, a couple of my Merlin meme posts are late. But I promise that I'll work on catching up, meaning that you'll probably get more than one post per day until I do. And that'll be fun, right?
I just really need sleep.
Friday, September 11, 2015
Wednesday, September 9, 2015
Merlin Meme Day 9: Heralding a New Age
Day 9: Favourite Arthur moment
Yeah, this is where I have trouble. Not because he doesn't have good moments, but because it's hard to pinpoint one that I think of as the quintessential Arthur-made-me-feel-something moment. Only that it was probably in season 4.
Hm. I dunno.
I'm going to go with that bit in A Herald of a New Age. I think we all know what bit I'm talking about. Where Arthur pours his heart out to a possessed Elyan. Where Arthur thinks he's about to be executed by a vengeful ghost and ends up being forgiven.
I remember finding this whole moment incredibly surprising when I first watched it, and the reason for that is because this reveals a nature about Arthur that we haven't really seen in the past, at least, not in this much depth.
First of all: again, context is important. For the entire episode, the people around Arthur (and we, as the audience) have been led to believe that the massacre that happened in that spot with all the flags was Uther's doing. It's very much something Uther would do, after all. The revelation that it was not Uther's order but Arthur's puts the entire thing in a new light. He talks about trying to impress his father, trying to prove himself to his men. Which are both understandable, considering Arthur's complicated relationship with, well, most of the world, but doesn't in any way excuse him. The acts committed here are implied to be completely irredeemable.
And what struck me was that Arthur knows that. He mentions these pieces of his perspective, but only weakly, and the desperation with which he says them shows that he knows that it excuses nothing.
It's also an interesting insight into the sort of upbringing Arthur had. I realize that isn't probably the main thing we're supposed to take from this, and I'll get to the important stuff in a moment, but I found it very interesting to think of a younger Arthur trying to impress his father and choosing to raid a Druid camp. This is the Arthur who equates magic with evil, after all. But he does say that he told them not to kill women and children, and that he knows that not everyone complied by that - probably because he was just a stupid kid at the time, and what right does he have to be giving orders, right? There is a certain mercy in his intentions, even believing that by nature they were evil, and a certain helplessness to stop the chaos that ended up ensuing when he found he couldn't control his men. There's just so much rich characterization here.
But leaving that aside for a moment, I find it interesting that this is one of my favourites, in comparison to what my favourite Merlin moment was. My Merlin moment was all about him returning to who he was and has always been. In a way, this is too - in some ways, Arthur is still the young man who asks for mercy even on those who he sees as irredeemable, and that's part of who he was and will always be, but in another way, his moment represents all the ways that Arthur is different from the one who appeared early on. An earlier Arthur certainly wouldn't have sympathized with a Druid, would probably have disguised his fear with hatred. But not only does Arthur sympathize with this Druid, who has already taken over the body of one of his knights and made several attempts on his life - it is Arthur who asks the Druid for forgiveness.
And, even more importantly, in my eyes, Arthur completely puts himself at the mercy of the Druid.
I can't remember whether he enters unarmed or if he throws down his sword, but either way, he doesn't have a weapon when he faced possessed!Elyan. Then he gets on his knees and makes his plea. And let's not get it twisted - this is not an explanation, this is a plea for forgiveness and for his life. Even when Elyan picks up the sword and makes as if to kill him, Arthur doesn't move to defend himself. He takes a few, bracing breaths, clearly panicking, but not willing to undo what he's just done in offering himself in total humility to the wronged party.
There's just a certain justice that Arthur surely must be aware of in peacefully offering his own life in a place where so many were lost in battle on his orders.
It's also, notably, a distinctly not Uther-like thing to do. As we know, Uther yields to no one, even when they're right, even if yielding is perhaps tactically the strongest way to go. This is the main thing that Arthur understands better than Uther ever did.
And in this way, Arthur does strengthen himself - if he's no longer at war with Druid-kind, at least, then that's one less war to fight, isn't it? Regardless of whether or not he agrees with the Druids, and it's fairly clear that he really doesn't, it's been shown (sporadically) that Arthur does respect them as a people. And while offering himself doesn't take back everything he did, it does mean something.
The other reason I like this above all the others is that it's one of the only moments I can think of where Arthur wins his own victory, and it's properly his. Pulling Excalibur out of the stone is often thought of as his turning-point moment, and in terms of that episode, it was, but my problem with that is that it isn't truly Arthur's victory. The fact that Merlin is stage-managing the whole thing makes it extremely satisfactory on Merlin's behalf, and I enjoyed that about it greatly, but it makes Arthur a pawn. No, Arthur may have thought he won that round, but he didn't. Merlin did.
But that isn't the same here. Here Arthur manages to make peace without A) Merlin's advice, save the constant reminders that mercy sometimes equals strength, which Arthur clearly applies here, but wasn't taken for this instance, or B) Merlin's magic, which, while Merlin is present, he seems far too gobsmacked to properly react.
Which makes this moment completely all about Arthur in a way that most of his moments aren't.
Which means that when Arthur earns the forgiveness of the Druid it was on his merit, and his merit alone.
And that's somewhat gratifying, since it does prove that Arthur's kingly instincts are decent without Merlin back-seat driving the entire time. Obviously Arthur needs Merlin, but it's nice to see that he can prove himself to be human and vulnerable and gentle when the time calls for it on his own account. Merlin isn't just molding him - Arthur does in fact have the stuff to be the Once and Future King.
On a different note, I go on and on about Colin Morgan's amazing acting, but Bradley James deserves kudos for this scene as well. Arthur doesn't get as much emotionally charged stuff as Merlin, but when he does, Bradley James does a fantastic job.
Basically, this was the first time that I felt something about this show that was completely about Arthur. And it surprised me how much I loved it.
Yeah, this is where I have trouble. Not because he doesn't have good moments, but because it's hard to pinpoint one that I think of as the quintessential Arthur-made-me-feel-something moment. Only that it was probably in season 4.
Hm. I dunno.
I'm going to go with that bit in A Herald of a New Age. I think we all know what bit I'm talking about. Where Arthur pours his heart out to a possessed Elyan. Where Arthur thinks he's about to be executed by a vengeful ghost and ends up being forgiven.
I remember finding this whole moment incredibly surprising when I first watched it, and the reason for that is because this reveals a nature about Arthur that we haven't really seen in the past, at least, not in this much depth.
First of all: again, context is important. For the entire episode, the people around Arthur (and we, as the audience) have been led to believe that the massacre that happened in that spot with all the flags was Uther's doing. It's very much something Uther would do, after all. The revelation that it was not Uther's order but Arthur's puts the entire thing in a new light. He talks about trying to impress his father, trying to prove himself to his men. Which are both understandable, considering Arthur's complicated relationship with, well, most of the world, but doesn't in any way excuse him. The acts committed here are implied to be completely irredeemable.
And what struck me was that Arthur knows that. He mentions these pieces of his perspective, but only weakly, and the desperation with which he says them shows that he knows that it excuses nothing.
It's also an interesting insight into the sort of upbringing Arthur had. I realize that isn't probably the main thing we're supposed to take from this, and I'll get to the important stuff in a moment, but I found it very interesting to think of a younger Arthur trying to impress his father and choosing to raid a Druid camp. This is the Arthur who equates magic with evil, after all. But he does say that he told them not to kill women and children, and that he knows that not everyone complied by that - probably because he was just a stupid kid at the time, and what right does he have to be giving orders, right? There is a certain mercy in his intentions, even believing that by nature they were evil, and a certain helplessness to stop the chaos that ended up ensuing when he found he couldn't control his men. There's just so much rich characterization here.
But leaving that aside for a moment, I find it interesting that this is one of my favourites, in comparison to what my favourite Merlin moment was. My Merlin moment was all about him returning to who he was and has always been. In a way, this is too - in some ways, Arthur is still the young man who asks for mercy even on those who he sees as irredeemable, and that's part of who he was and will always be, but in another way, his moment represents all the ways that Arthur is different from the one who appeared early on. An earlier Arthur certainly wouldn't have sympathized with a Druid, would probably have disguised his fear with hatred. But not only does Arthur sympathize with this Druid, who has already taken over the body of one of his knights and made several attempts on his life - it is Arthur who asks the Druid for forgiveness.
And, even more importantly, in my eyes, Arthur completely puts himself at the mercy of the Druid.
I can't remember whether he enters unarmed or if he throws down his sword, but either way, he doesn't have a weapon when he faced possessed!Elyan. Then he gets on his knees and makes his plea. And let's not get it twisted - this is not an explanation, this is a plea for forgiveness and for his life. Even when Elyan picks up the sword and makes as if to kill him, Arthur doesn't move to defend himself. He takes a few, bracing breaths, clearly panicking, but not willing to undo what he's just done in offering himself in total humility to the wronged party.
There's just a certain justice that Arthur surely must be aware of in peacefully offering his own life in a place where so many were lost in battle on his orders.
It's also, notably, a distinctly not Uther-like thing to do. As we know, Uther yields to no one, even when they're right, even if yielding is perhaps tactically the strongest way to go. This is the main thing that Arthur understands better than Uther ever did.
And in this way, Arthur does strengthen himself - if he's no longer at war with Druid-kind, at least, then that's one less war to fight, isn't it? Regardless of whether or not he agrees with the Druids, and it's fairly clear that he really doesn't, it's been shown (sporadically) that Arthur does respect them as a people. And while offering himself doesn't take back everything he did, it does mean something.
The other reason I like this above all the others is that it's one of the only moments I can think of where Arthur wins his own victory, and it's properly his. Pulling Excalibur out of the stone is often thought of as his turning-point moment, and in terms of that episode, it was, but my problem with that is that it isn't truly Arthur's victory. The fact that Merlin is stage-managing the whole thing makes it extremely satisfactory on Merlin's behalf, and I enjoyed that about it greatly, but it makes Arthur a pawn. No, Arthur may have thought he won that round, but he didn't. Merlin did.
But that isn't the same here. Here Arthur manages to make peace without A) Merlin's advice, save the constant reminders that mercy sometimes equals strength, which Arthur clearly applies here, but wasn't taken for this instance, or B) Merlin's magic, which, while Merlin is present, he seems far too gobsmacked to properly react.
Which makes this moment completely all about Arthur in a way that most of his moments aren't.
Which means that when Arthur earns the forgiveness of the Druid it was on his merit, and his merit alone.
And that's somewhat gratifying, since it does prove that Arthur's kingly instincts are decent without Merlin back-seat driving the entire time. Obviously Arthur needs Merlin, but it's nice to see that he can prove himself to be human and vulnerable and gentle when the time calls for it on his own account. Merlin isn't just molding him - Arthur does in fact have the stuff to be the Once and Future King.
On a different note, I go on and on about Colin Morgan's amazing acting, but Bradley James deserves kudos for this scene as well. Arthur doesn't get as much emotionally charged stuff as Merlin, but when he does, Bradley James does a fantastic job.
Basically, this was the first time that I felt something about this show that was completely about Arthur. And it surprised me how much I loved it.
Tuesday, September 8, 2015
Merlin Meme Day 8: The Diamond of All Moments
Day 8: Favourite Merlin moment
Weirdly, this is one of those really specific ones that I know right off the top of my head.
You know that bit in The Diamond of the Day, where Merlin is in the cave and he doesn't think he has any magic left in him? And then ghost!Balinor gives him that whole spiel about how he is magic and he can't lose what he is. And then that thing happens. Where he opens his hands, and the butterfly comes out.
Weirdly, this is one of those really specific ones that I know right off the top of my head.
You know that bit in The Diamond of the Day, where Merlin is in the cave and he doesn't think he has any magic left in him? And then ghost!Balinor gives him that whole spiel about how he is magic and he can't lose what he is. And then that thing happens. Where he opens his hands, and the butterfly comes out.
I cannot even begin to express how much I love this, but why don't I give a shot?
So, for one thing, the context. For the entirety of season 5, Merlin has been forced to repeatedly defy himself. He becomes so intensely focused on saving Arthur that he allows himself to suffer for it. This is especially obvious in episodes like The Disir, where he has a chance to show Arthur a different side of magic and threw it away for fear that it would be Arthur's death (which doesn't really fit with the revelation that Arthur is his own bane, but that's just another example of Merlin not having big-picture vision where he should, which I talked about in Day 2). But there are other instances like that as well, and not only in season 5 - the other obvious one being The Sins of the Father. But season 5 really struck me was the one where Merlin is repeatedly faced with doing the opposite of what he believes - our idealist hero chooses to refuse to save Mordred because of what he might, possibly do, and when he takes a moment to do the thing he does believe to be right in helping that "druid" boy, it backfires dramatically and he ends up nearly dying because of it. Not to mention one of the few good things Merlin managed last season, Aithusa, is actually an enemy now. Magic in general, something which is so huge for him and so essential to his being, is just generally not working out for him at this point in his journey.
And that ends up being reflected in how he uses magic. Because near the beginning of the series, the magic truly was part of him, and whenever you saw him using it you saw him enjoying it. Obviously there were times when he was using it because he had to, but not always. I think of The Moment of Truth, in the moment where he makes the Pendragon dragon in the embers of the fire. Or the horse in the smoke in The Witchfinder. He wasn't doing these things because he had to, he did them because magic isn't just a tool for him at this point. He did them because he's passionate about magic, and would find any chance to use it. This is the Merlin who said the words, "If I can't use magic, what have I got? [...] If I can't use magic, I might as well die."
Ouchies, considering the events of the first part of The Diamond of the Day.
But the point is, you don't see stuff like that through most of season 5 (or really, much anywhere past season 2, to be honest). You don't even notice him enjoying it that much in season 5, which is one thing that's distinctly different from the other seasons. It's simply a necessary tool for him, just something else in his arsenal to help him protect Arthur.
Because there's one other thing that makes this moment great, and that's that for the previous season, Merlin has become increasingly obsessed with protecting Arthur - to the point of it not even being entirely justified anymore. Even when he loses his magic, which would have absolutely devastated a younger Merlin to the core - and this Merlin certainly isn't happy about it, but his biggest woe seems to be that he's useless without it, rather than it being a part of him. It isn't, "Who am I without it?" It's "I can't protect Arthur without it." He puts Arthur so much above himself that it's concerning.
And now, Merlin knows that there's a battle coming, that Arthur is probably in the gravest danger he's ever been in (considering the likelihood of prophecies regarding Mordred coming true), and that he, Merlin, is far away and unable to directly help.
But in the moment he recovers his magic, none of that matters. He doesn't jump into protection right away. He doesn't use his magic like a tool.
He closes his hands, and when he opens them, a butterfly comes out.
It's been so terribly long since we saw Merlin do something, well, beautiful with his magic. It's also been a long time since we saw that kind of happiness on Merlin's face. This Merlin was always there, the passionate, joyful one - that's the one at the heart of everything, but it's been so terribly long since we saw that rise to the surface. And it's just so inherently Merlin - it's just the loveliest reminder of how sweet-natured a being he really is, when he has a moment to let himself be. It's like, this is who Merlin is in the dark. He isn't naturally the cynical, somewhat Machiavellian soldier that his circumstances have forced him to be. This is how he thinks of magic - a thing of beauty.
And it doesn't matter that in the next moment he's leaping into action to help Arthur, because fine, that's his duty, his destiny, if you must. The point is, he had that moment of love and joy for magic that he hasn't had since Aithusa was hatched. He had that moment of loving it for what it was instead of using it for its convenience.
And when he loves magic, he loves himself. In that moment, it's like he redeemed himself of all the times he ignored his own principles. Because this was a moment where he was really, unequivocally being true to himself, for the first time in a long, long time.
Remembering that at Merlin's core, he is actually full of passion and love - that is just really important to me.
Unrelatedly, the whole thing was beautifully shot. I love the lighting. I love how they've sort of camouflaged him into the crystal cave, colour wise, but he's still sharp and clear. It's beautiful.
And, basically, I just thought the whole thing was the loveliest thing I've ever seen.
Monday, September 7, 2015
Merlin Meme Day 7: Mostly Beast, Not Much Beauty
Day 7: Least favourite episode
Do y'all remember that time Uther married a troll?
Do y'all remember that time Uther married a troll?
Yeah, Beauty and the Beast was really not my favourite thing.
And the thing is, the actors did a really great job with what they were given, I think. The actress who played Catrina/the troll was really enjoyable, and seemed to be having a great time with it. I love the way she'd just sort of completely transform herself whenever she was the troll versus when she was Catrina. It was very physical, and very committed, and I was impressed. She was wonderful.
The other characters also had some pretty good moments, I have to say. The misunderstandings continue between Arthur and Merlin, Arthur stands up to his father, etc.
The thing is, I just really can't stand how it was written. I usually enjoy the show's humour, and I'm used to it giving me juvenile humour sometimes, but one thing I could have gone my whole life without seeing was an hour and half's worth of fart jokes.
Really, Merlin writers? This was our first two-parter? The one with the most fart sound effects ever used in a single episode of television?
I just can't stand TV where I'm cringing the entire time. I get physically uncomfortable.
And I'm not even going to go into everything wrong with the scene where Uther takes the troll to bed... I've been repressing those memories. Eugh.
There's really not much more to say. The fact that I'm cringing the entire time, and there's no real forward motion for any character's arcs, and I can't even think of a single thing that Morgana or Gwen did the entire episode, and one of the bad guys inexplicably had a tail...? Like, what was he supposed to be?
There's just too much about it that I found irredeemable, and it totally outweighed the good things about it. If that had been the first episode I'd seen, I never would have watched this show again.
Honestly. How young did they think their audience was? Even other kid's shows don't go overboard like this. And I should know, I watch my fair share of kid's shows.
Just... God. What were they thinking?
Sunday, September 6, 2015
Merlin Meme Day 6: No Love in the Time of Dragons
Day 6: Least favourite character
I'm assuming this refers to the main cast and/or recurring characters.
And in that case, I'm going to have to go with Gaius.
I say Gaius because I have this problem with him where he's supposed to be this wise mentor figure, (and Merlin clearly thinks he is), but actually spends a good deal of the time not having a clue what he's doing, and then acting as if he's right.
For instance, the ever-talked-of issue about Morgana in season 2. Now, whether or not I think Merlin was to blame for Morgana's descent because of what he did or didn't do (spoiler alert: I don't), Gaius does actually have something to answer for here. And that's that he knew that Morgana had magic. And he refused to tell her, citing the "for her own good" spiel.
Which is pretty stupid, considering that A) even if Morgana was unaware of Merlin, Gaius does actually have prior experience protecting people from Uther's anti-magic laws and could have helped without endangering himself, since everyone already knows that he used to practise magic. And B): he already knows that Morgana's magic is out of control, and he knows that the only way Merlin got his own magic under control was learning how to harness it. And yet Gaius refuses to put two and two together here and help Morgana come to terms with herself.
Gaius also has a way of being willfully blind to certain things, and this becomes really irritating when Merlin, who is sort of the idealist to Gaius's realist, ends up being berated for following his morals - how can he not be like Gaius, who has had so much practice doing nothing about the horrible things Uther's done? Granted, that was how Gaius survived the Great Purge, but it seems to have developed into a habit.
And I'd be able to accept that - after all, the character flaws and distorted perceptions are often what make characters most interesting - except that the narrative seems determined to insist that Gaius Is Always Right. (When, actually, more often than not, the Great Dragon actually has more useful advice - not always, but often). But there's another, bigger, more real problem I have with Gaius, and it's this:
Gaius just bores me.
I've seen two, maybe three facial expressions from him. And that's not really the character's fault - the writers don't give him much to do besides read what the Monster of the Week is to Merlin out of a dusty-looking tome, and then make some happy-slappy joke at the end of the episode - and especially in the last couple seasons, Gaius is mostly useless. I completely accept that he was needed near the beginning, because Merlin needed someone to know who he was and to help him come into himself. But after that's been accomplished - and I think that happens fairly early, The Last Dragonlord representing the most significant first step in that direction - Gaius doesn't have much left to do. In fact, I fully expected him to be killed off before the end of the series. How great of a catalyst would that have been for Merlin to seek out Morgana? How great would it have been to see Merlin fight Morgana not with the usual righteousness, but with his own darkness? Then, perhaps, Gaius's character would have served an actual emotional purpose, rather than acting as exposition personified.
But I digress slightly. The point is, I think that after, say, season 3 (season 4 at the very latest), the show could have gone on pretty fine without him. And when a character gets to the point where they contribute pretty much nothing to my enjoyment of the show, it gets very difficult for me to support them.
Sorry, Gaius. You mean well, but that alone really isn't enough.
However, even I must admit: your eyebrows are impressive.
I'm assuming this refers to the main cast and/or recurring characters.
And in that case, I'm going to have to go with Gaius.
Uh oh, he's giving me the Eyebrow of Doom.
I say Gaius because I have this problem with him where he's supposed to be this wise mentor figure, (and Merlin clearly thinks he is), but actually spends a good deal of the time not having a clue what he's doing, and then acting as if he's right.
For instance, the ever-talked-of issue about Morgana in season 2. Now, whether or not I think Merlin was to blame for Morgana's descent because of what he did or didn't do (spoiler alert: I don't), Gaius does actually have something to answer for here. And that's that he knew that Morgana had magic. And he refused to tell her, citing the "for her own good" spiel.
Which is pretty stupid, considering that A) even if Morgana was unaware of Merlin, Gaius does actually have prior experience protecting people from Uther's anti-magic laws and could have helped without endangering himself, since everyone already knows that he used to practise magic. And B): he already knows that Morgana's magic is out of control, and he knows that the only way Merlin got his own magic under control was learning how to harness it. And yet Gaius refuses to put two and two together here and help Morgana come to terms with herself.
Gaius also has a way of being willfully blind to certain things, and this becomes really irritating when Merlin, who is sort of the idealist to Gaius's realist, ends up being berated for following his morals - how can he not be like Gaius, who has had so much practice doing nothing about the horrible things Uther's done? Granted, that was how Gaius survived the Great Purge, but it seems to have developed into a habit.
And I'd be able to accept that - after all, the character flaws and distorted perceptions are often what make characters most interesting - except that the narrative seems determined to insist that Gaius Is Always Right. (When, actually, more often than not, the Great Dragon actually has more useful advice - not always, but often). But there's another, bigger, more real problem I have with Gaius, and it's this:
Gaius just bores me.
I've seen two, maybe three facial expressions from him. And that's not really the character's fault - the writers don't give him much to do besides read what the Monster of the Week is to Merlin out of a dusty-looking tome, and then make some happy-slappy joke at the end of the episode - and especially in the last couple seasons, Gaius is mostly useless. I completely accept that he was needed near the beginning, because Merlin needed someone to know who he was and to help him come into himself. But after that's been accomplished - and I think that happens fairly early, The Last Dragonlord representing the most significant first step in that direction - Gaius doesn't have much left to do. In fact, I fully expected him to be killed off before the end of the series. How great of a catalyst would that have been for Merlin to seek out Morgana? How great would it have been to see Merlin fight Morgana not with the usual righteousness, but with his own darkness? Then, perhaps, Gaius's character would have served an actual emotional purpose, rather than acting as exposition personified.
But I digress slightly. The point is, I think that after, say, season 3 (season 4 at the very latest), the show could have gone on pretty fine without him. And when a character gets to the point where they contribute pretty much nothing to my enjoyment of the show, it gets very difficult for me to support them.
Sorry, Gaius. You mean well, but that alone really isn't enough.
However, even I must admit: your eyebrows are impressive.
Saturday, September 5, 2015
Merlin Meme Day 5: Do You Think I Sit Around Doing Nothing?!
Day 5: Favourite quote
I honestly have no idea.
I could go, "Nobility is defined by what you do, not by who you are," from Gwaine, because he's basically stating one of the main themes of the whole show.
I could go, "The love that binds us is more important than the power we wield," from Mordred, because it's another of those Name That Theme ones, and also because I really like Mordred.
But to be honest, it's probably just something stupid, like, "Merlin, is there anything you're actually capable of doing?" "Putting up with you." Or, you know, something like that.
I don't know.
OH WAIT I DO KNOW.
The Once and Future Queen brings us this gem, which makes me laugh and also makes me sympathetic.
Gaius: Where do you get the idea you can sit around all day doing nothing?
Ooh. Wrong thing to say, Gaius.
Merlin: Do you think I sit around doing nothing? I haven't had a chance to sit around and do nothing since the day I arrived in Camelot! I'm too busy running around after Arthur. Do this, Merlin. Do that, Merlin. And when I'm not running around after Arthur, I'm doing chores for you! And if I'm not doing that, I'm fulfilling my destiny! Do you know, how many times I've saved Arthur's life? I've lost count! Do I get any thanks? No! I have fought griffins, witches erm… bandits! I have been punched, poisoned, pelted with fruit and all the while, I have to hide who I really am because if anyone finds out, Uther will have me executed! Sometimes I feel like I'm being pulled in so many directions, I don't know which way to turn!
I like it because it makes me laugh, but also because I relate. I think everyone's felt stressed like that, and I straight-up cheered when Merlin did this (even though I'm pretty sure the point wasn't how correct Merlin was, but at this point I find the intent unimportant) because poor kid, his frustration here is earned and his right to complain hard-won.
Basically what I'm saying is this: I feel you, Merlin. And that's why I know this bit by heart.
I honestly have no idea.
I could go, "Nobility is defined by what you do, not by who you are," from Gwaine, because he's basically stating one of the main themes of the whole show.
I could go, "The love that binds us is more important than the power we wield," from Mordred, because it's another of those Name That Theme ones, and also because I really like Mordred.
But to be honest, it's probably just something stupid, like, "Merlin, is there anything you're actually capable of doing?" "Putting up with you." Or, you know, something like that.
I don't know.
OH WAIT I DO KNOW.
The Once and Future Queen brings us this gem, which makes me laugh and also makes me sympathetic.
Gaius: Where do you get the idea you can sit around all day doing nothing?
Ooh. Wrong thing to say, Gaius.
Merlin: Do you think I sit around doing nothing? I haven't had a chance to sit around and do nothing since the day I arrived in Camelot! I'm too busy running around after Arthur. Do this, Merlin. Do that, Merlin. And when I'm not running around after Arthur, I'm doing chores for you! And if I'm not doing that, I'm fulfilling my destiny! Do you know, how many times I've saved Arthur's life? I've lost count! Do I get any thanks? No! I have fought griffins, witches erm… bandits! I have been punched, poisoned, pelted with fruit and all the while, I have to hide who I really am because if anyone finds out, Uther will have me executed! Sometimes I feel like I'm being pulled in so many directions, I don't know which way to turn!
I like it because it makes me laugh, but also because I relate. I think everyone's felt stressed like that, and I straight-up cheered when Merlin did this (even though I'm pretty sure the point wasn't how correct Merlin was, but at this point I find the intent unimportant) because poor kid, his frustration here is earned and his right to complain hard-won.
Basically what I'm saying is this: I feel you, Merlin. And that's why I know this bit by heart.
Merlin Meme Day 4: The One Where Arthur Isn't a Complete Tool
Day 4: Favourite scene
Weirdly enough, I know this one right off the top of my head.
It's the one at the end of The Lady of the Lake. Merlin has just witnessed the death of the Druid girl he was going to run away with. And then this happens:
I love this scene a lot, for a few different reasons.
First of all, and most prominently, I am all about bromance. It is what I live for, the reason I breathe. So the fact that this is one of the most bromantic things ever just makes me so warm and fuzzy inside.
But let's look a little deeper, because that's what I do. In fact, screw brevity. Let's do a blow-by-blow analysis.
So, let's just start with that endless line of boots that Merlin has to scrub. I have to see it as symbolic. It's just hammering into his head exactly the life he was going to leave behind with Freya - one where he's "destined" (read: doomed) to serve Arthur, who for the entire episode is an ungrateful, inconsiderate prat (and as far as I'm concerned, this is the only episode where that's justified, since it actually makes a point here). Merlin will do the dirty work for Arthur and Arthur will refuse to acknowledge him as anything beyond a buffoon, and that'll go on for the rest of Merlin's foreseeable future.
Enter Arthur. Now, Arthur is by no means the most perceptive of characters, but when Merlin snaps at him how he does - something so unusual for the warm, clumsy servant that Arthur's come to know - even Arthur realizes that something's wrong. So Arthur does something very important here.
He brings himself down to Merlin's level.
He sits next to Merlin. They are on equal ground. Merlin no longer has to look up to Arthur to talk to him. That's a pretty important thing, for a show that puts such emphasis on class distinctions. It effectively undoes the power imbalance that's such a huge part of how these two interact.
And then he takes it a step further. "Something's been upsetting you, hasn't it?"
This is so significant because how many times has Arthur confided in Merlin about things that have been upsetting him? A good few. But he usually seems unsure how to take it when Merlin decides to share things about himself in return, and when that happens, it's usually followed by a pretty hasty re-establishing of the social order. This is the first time that I can think of that Arthur wholeheartedly invites Merlin to express himself as a person, rather than as his servant.
"Maybe." Merlin being cold makes my heart hurt, but considering what happened this episode, and considering what a jerk Arthur was this episode, you can't really expect him to react any differently. The fact that it's a maybe, though, and the fact that he hesitates definitely shows that Merlin doesn't quite know what to do with this weird semblance of concern from Arthur.
"Was it when I threw water over you?"
Okay, so this is such a prime example of Arthur severely missing the point, but to be fair, Arthur just doesn't have a clue what Merlin went through the past few days. And to his credit, he seems to recognize that his treatment of Merlin has been bordering on cruelty, and realize how that could make him upset. He even acknowledges, out loud, that his behaviour toward Merlin has been unfair. And interestingly, while Arthur, through no fault of his own, misses the whole story, he isn't entirely wrong either - the whole episode is about Merlin escaping his destiny and the currently unfulfilling life that Camelot offers him, and Arthur's refusal to recognize him is a large part of what Merlin was trying to escape.
Merlin laughs lightly before saying, "Wasn't very nice." Merlin knows that Arthur is missing the point, and that he can't exactly correct him on it. But in spite of Arthur getting it pretty wrong, he accepts Arthur's version of things, because it's the easy thing, and probably because he knows that this is the closest he'll ever get to an apology from him for the foreseeable future. And that apology is a really important step in mending the chasm that's been widening between them for most of the season.
"It was a bit unfair. Like when you called me fat?" Arthur is so incompetent about feelings, poor guy. He just can't maintain an emotional conversation without redirecting it somewhere more comfortable for him - in this case, blaming Merlin for something. Which is a nice reminder that the communication between Arthur and Merlin has been painfully awful this season, and they rarely truly understand each other when they interact - the fat gag being an example and a continuation of that trend. And that might undercut the good stuff that's happening here, except for what happens next.
Merlin takes it lightly here, which is good because I think that's how it was meant, and responds with a sincere-sounding, "Why was that unfair?"
Arthur leaps to his own defense. "Because I am not - !" But then, in a nice turn of events that signals the rebuilding of their communication, Arthur catches that Merlin had, in fact, been joking, instead of insulting him - it's the first time in a while that Arthur and Merlin are on the same page about what's going on between them.
Commence the affectionate noogie-ing. Merlin isn't always pleased with Arthur's version of cheering people up - Love In the Time of Dragons comes to mind, when Arthur punches him in the arm and Merlin goes, "How is punching me in the arm meant to cheer me up?" - but this is a scene where they've built an actual connection for once, and Merlin actually understands what Arthur's doing, and how it's meant. The whole thing is all very brotherly (I've done similar things to my own little brother, so there's that), and that's lovely.
Anyway, Merlin ends up smiling despite himself. "That's better," Arthur says. "Thanks," Merlin replies uncertainly. I definitely get the feeling that Merlin is thanking Arthur for actually caring more than anything else - it's not like he did much for Merlin's general situation - but at the same time isn't entirely sure what to do with this distinctly un-prat-like Arthur.
Anyway, he's still smiling, which Arthur takes as his cue to commend himself on a job well done (Merlin isn't sad anymore, right?) and re-establish the social order as we know it. That's how these scenes usually end, and it tends to be a little unsatisfying, but not so here. Partly because of the breakthrough that the boys made here concerning how they view each other, but more importantly, because I spy symbolism. Merlin still has his chores to do - Arthur gives him even more before he leaves. He still has this life he has to live in Camelot. But it's the beginning of him maybe discovering that this life isn't terrible by necessity, and that there is a future here. Arthur spends a lot of the episode representing the things that Merlin resents about his destiny, and at the end, he tentatively comes to terms with it. It's a surprising high note for an episode that tore my heart to pieces.
Basically, I love that Arthur is actually trying, for once, to mend the gap between them (because let's face it, it has to be Arthur who takes the first step - Merlin's intentions would have been inevitably misunderstood, mostly because of Arthur's woefully inaccurate perception of his servant) and Merlin accepts it. There's actually a surprising amount going on here.
And, of course, this scene warms my heart, and makes me smile like a loon every time I see it. And that's really the most important thing.
Weirdly enough, I know this one right off the top of my head.
It's the one at the end of The Lady of the Lake. Merlin has just witnessed the death of the Druid girl he was going to run away with. And then this happens:
First of all, and most prominently, I am all about bromance. It is what I live for, the reason I breathe. So the fact that this is one of the most bromantic things ever just makes me so warm and fuzzy inside.
But let's look a little deeper, because that's what I do. In fact, screw brevity. Let's do a blow-by-blow analysis.
So, let's just start with that endless line of boots that Merlin has to scrub. I have to see it as symbolic. It's just hammering into his head exactly the life he was going to leave behind with Freya - one where he's "destined" (read: doomed) to serve Arthur, who for the entire episode is an ungrateful, inconsiderate prat (and as far as I'm concerned, this is the only episode where that's justified, since it actually makes a point here). Merlin will do the dirty work for Arthur and Arthur will refuse to acknowledge him as anything beyond a buffoon, and that'll go on for the rest of Merlin's foreseeable future.
Enter Arthur. Now, Arthur is by no means the most perceptive of characters, but when Merlin snaps at him how he does - something so unusual for the warm, clumsy servant that Arthur's come to know - even Arthur realizes that something's wrong. So Arthur does something very important here.
He brings himself down to Merlin's level.
He sits next to Merlin. They are on equal ground. Merlin no longer has to look up to Arthur to talk to him. That's a pretty important thing, for a show that puts such emphasis on class distinctions. It effectively undoes the power imbalance that's such a huge part of how these two interact.
And then he takes it a step further. "Something's been upsetting you, hasn't it?"
This is so significant because how many times has Arthur confided in Merlin about things that have been upsetting him? A good few. But he usually seems unsure how to take it when Merlin decides to share things about himself in return, and when that happens, it's usually followed by a pretty hasty re-establishing of the social order. This is the first time that I can think of that Arthur wholeheartedly invites Merlin to express himself as a person, rather than as his servant.
"Maybe." Merlin being cold makes my heart hurt, but considering what happened this episode, and considering what a jerk Arthur was this episode, you can't really expect him to react any differently. The fact that it's a maybe, though, and the fact that he hesitates definitely shows that Merlin doesn't quite know what to do with this weird semblance of concern from Arthur.
"Was it when I threw water over you?"
Okay, so this is such a prime example of Arthur severely missing the point, but to be fair, Arthur just doesn't have a clue what Merlin went through the past few days. And to his credit, he seems to recognize that his treatment of Merlin has been bordering on cruelty, and realize how that could make him upset. He even acknowledges, out loud, that his behaviour toward Merlin has been unfair. And interestingly, while Arthur, through no fault of his own, misses the whole story, he isn't entirely wrong either - the whole episode is about Merlin escaping his destiny and the currently unfulfilling life that Camelot offers him, and Arthur's refusal to recognize him is a large part of what Merlin was trying to escape.
Merlin laughs lightly before saying, "Wasn't very nice." Merlin knows that Arthur is missing the point, and that he can't exactly correct him on it. But in spite of Arthur getting it pretty wrong, he accepts Arthur's version of things, because it's the easy thing, and probably because he knows that this is the closest he'll ever get to an apology from him for the foreseeable future. And that apology is a really important step in mending the chasm that's been widening between them for most of the season.
"It was a bit unfair. Like when you called me fat?" Arthur is so incompetent about feelings, poor guy. He just can't maintain an emotional conversation without redirecting it somewhere more comfortable for him - in this case, blaming Merlin for something. Which is a nice reminder that the communication between Arthur and Merlin has been painfully awful this season, and they rarely truly understand each other when they interact - the fat gag being an example and a continuation of that trend. And that might undercut the good stuff that's happening here, except for what happens next.
Merlin takes it lightly here, which is good because I think that's how it was meant, and responds with a sincere-sounding, "Why was that unfair?"
Arthur leaps to his own defense. "Because I am not - !" But then, in a nice turn of events that signals the rebuilding of their communication, Arthur catches that Merlin had, in fact, been joking, instead of insulting him - it's the first time in a while that Arthur and Merlin are on the same page about what's going on between them.
Commence the affectionate noogie-ing. Merlin isn't always pleased with Arthur's version of cheering people up - Love In the Time of Dragons comes to mind, when Arthur punches him in the arm and Merlin goes, "How is punching me in the arm meant to cheer me up?" - but this is a scene where they've built an actual connection for once, and Merlin actually understands what Arthur's doing, and how it's meant. The whole thing is all very brotherly (I've done similar things to my own little brother, so there's that), and that's lovely.
Anyway, Merlin ends up smiling despite himself. "That's better," Arthur says. "Thanks," Merlin replies uncertainly. I definitely get the feeling that Merlin is thanking Arthur for actually caring more than anything else - it's not like he did much for Merlin's general situation - but at the same time isn't entirely sure what to do with this distinctly un-prat-like Arthur.
Anyway, he's still smiling, which Arthur takes as his cue to commend himself on a job well done (Merlin isn't sad anymore, right?) and re-establish the social order as we know it. That's how these scenes usually end, and it tends to be a little unsatisfying, but not so here. Partly because of the breakthrough that the boys made here concerning how they view each other, but more importantly, because I spy symbolism. Merlin still has his chores to do - Arthur gives him even more before he leaves. He still has this life he has to live in Camelot. But it's the beginning of him maybe discovering that this life isn't terrible by necessity, and that there is a future here. Arthur spends a lot of the episode representing the things that Merlin resents about his destiny, and at the end, he tentatively comes to terms with it. It's a surprising high note for an episode that tore my heart to pieces.
Basically, I love that Arthur is actually trying, for once, to mend the gap between them (because let's face it, it has to be Arthur who takes the first step - Merlin's intentions would have been inevitably misunderstood, mostly because of Arthur's woefully inaccurate perception of his servant) and Merlin accepts it. There's actually a surprising amount going on here.
And, of course, this scene warms my heart, and makes me smile like a loon every time I see it. And that's really the most important thing.
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