(no subject)

[vanessarama]

Well, I suppose we can't get wonderful angsty stuff with Merlin-and-Arthur-bonding-without-words every week. However, this episode made up for it with Merlin being a proud dragondaddy dragon midwife and weeping happy tears, and both the boys looking even more beautiful than usual, if such a thing were even possible. Arthur walking through the waterfall was one of the most gorgeous things I have ever seen on television.

Julius Borden was an interesting character, quite apart from his being played by James Callis who is always interesting. It was nice to see a villain who wasn't the slightest bit magical - although I suppose last week's Circus Villains weren't magic either. I do wonder how he thought he was going to birth the dragon from the egg, but maybe he hadn't thought that far ahead.

It'll be interesting if most of the threats to Arthur's newly established reign this season are non-magical apart from Morgana. It would make Merlin's continued use of magic less likely to be forgiven by Arthur. I can see Arthur (eventually) authorising magic to be used against magic, to save his people and if there was no other way, but I can't see him believing there is no other way than magic to defeat a non-magical foe. Also, it would bring to the fore that Arthur needs and relies on Merlin for many, many things - without the magic - and will continue to do so, not for what Merlin can *do* but for who he *is*.

Colin and Bradley gave excellent comedy as well as excellent pretty. Nice thighs, Bradders.

Loved the unspoken communication between Merlin and Gaius at the end there. That is notwithstanding the fact that Gaius and Merlin are at loggerheads to some degree in nearly every episode now. I wonder whether that's leading up to something too.

Merlin's tears of joy = so so beautiful.