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vanessaramaIt's Halloween! And it's also the day before Melbourne Cup public holiday! And it's less than a week till (all going well) I meet the lovely Colin Morgan! Also I have new, shiny shoes which are very dark red shading to black.
And Merlin was pretty awesome this week, as indeed for the entire season so far. Rohan wants the Doctor Who producers to poach the Merlin writers :)
First, Lindsay Duncan kicks arse in everything (Rome, oh my god), so no surprise that she does so as Queen Annis. She makes a very Boudicca-like queen with the slight Celtic-wild-woman edge and the revenge theme, and it was nice to have a 'villain' who was female but A) not magic, B) not insane, C) well-rounded for such a short appearance, and D) did not end up dead by the end of the episode.
Second, Annis' final talk with Morgana was spot-on and her final comment devastating. She picks up on the fact that although Morgana claims Arthur is taking people in with his "fine words", it is Morgana whose words and movements are deliberate and careful, clearly intended to achieve an effect on whoever she is trying to manipulate at the time. And pointing out how like Uther she is - bang. Morgana, of course, recovers to scoff, but she's definitely shaken - Annis proves that she is the stronger by not needing to get the last word in.
Third, I was really hoping at the end there that Gwen would tell Arthur to bugger off and come back only when he's decided once and for all to stop vacillating. It's funny, that scene almost seemed tacked onto the end and I don't think it quite worked although it was very pretty. Loved Arthur's flowers going floppy as he proudly held them out (nice one Bradders).
Fourth, Arthur is not Uther. That's something I think we are going to get on several levels and in several different ways in this season, and rightly so. Arthur is learning how to balance his public role with his private life, and more importantly, his need for support and guidance with his knowledge that ultimately kingship is a lonely business (and that was reinforced by those lovely shots of him alone on the cliff). Uther was not an especially good role model in this regard; he was strong, yes, and Arthur has mentioned several times throughout the series that Uther taught him to be true to himself. However, not opening oneself up to feedback and advice from others is what leads to the rigidity and fanaticism that Uther displayed. Arthur has already proven himself more open and flexible just by the fact that he has at times listened to Merlin and even openly asked his opinion several times over the years. Of course it's possible Uther had his own helpful little group of advisors, but we don't actually see him ever asking for input even under very urgent circumstances, so I assume not.
Fifth, Merlin and Arthur's relationship really has matured. It's been there for the whole season, with Arthur asking Merlin's advice and clearly relying on him even in the most secretive matter of healing his father with magic. This episode, though, really shows up both the bond and the gap between them. Merlin knows Arthur needs him, and he's determined to make sure that Arthur knows Merlin is there for him. Arthur is feeling the isolation now he's king, and like most people who have to keep themselves tightly controlled he thinks he has to handle it all himself and is irritated when Merlin injects himself into the situation. But then he calls Merlin "old friend", quietly and openly, as an open acknowledgement of reliance and affection and trust. I even think we might be heading towards a magic reveal at the end of this season; with the trailer for next week, and Arthur's comment about trust, I think we're moving closer and closer to the moment when Arthur is faced with the person he trusts most also being the person who embodies everything he's been taught is evil.
That scene with Arthur watching Merlin and the knights by the fire really shows both his affection and his feelings of isolation; but by coming into the tent to talk to him, they make it clear that they aren't going to let their King be isolated.
Random observations:
- Bradley is really getting to show his acting chops in this season, isn't he? And what glorious acting chops they are. As a devoted Colin girl I hate to say it, but I've been more impressed by Bradley this season than by Colin. (Only just, though; they are both wonderfully high-calibre and really rising to the challenge)
- Merlin in chainmail is hot. I don't know why they couldn't have used an actual knight as a decoy, but hey, I get Merlin all dressed up as a knight so I won't complain.
- Next week we get wet Merlin tied up. OM NOM NOM.
And Merlin was pretty awesome this week, as indeed for the entire season so far. Rohan wants the Doctor Who producers to poach the Merlin writers :)
First, Lindsay Duncan kicks arse in everything (Rome, oh my god), so no surprise that she does so as Queen Annis. She makes a very Boudicca-like queen with the slight Celtic-wild-woman edge and the revenge theme, and it was nice to have a 'villain' who was female but A) not magic, B) not insane, C) well-rounded for such a short appearance, and D) did not end up dead by the end of the episode.
Second, Annis' final talk with Morgana was spot-on and her final comment devastating. She picks up on the fact that although Morgana claims Arthur is taking people in with his "fine words", it is Morgana whose words and movements are deliberate and careful, clearly intended to achieve an effect on whoever she is trying to manipulate at the time. And pointing out how like Uther she is - bang. Morgana, of course, recovers to scoff, but she's definitely shaken - Annis proves that she is the stronger by not needing to get the last word in.
Third, I was really hoping at the end there that Gwen would tell Arthur to bugger off and come back only when he's decided once and for all to stop vacillating. It's funny, that scene almost seemed tacked onto the end and I don't think it quite worked although it was very pretty. Loved Arthur's flowers going floppy as he proudly held them out (nice one Bradders).
Fourth, Arthur is not Uther. That's something I think we are going to get on several levels and in several different ways in this season, and rightly so. Arthur is learning how to balance his public role with his private life, and more importantly, his need for support and guidance with his knowledge that ultimately kingship is a lonely business (and that was reinforced by those lovely shots of him alone on the cliff). Uther was not an especially good role model in this regard; he was strong, yes, and Arthur has mentioned several times throughout the series that Uther taught him to be true to himself. However, not opening oneself up to feedback and advice from others is what leads to the rigidity and fanaticism that Uther displayed. Arthur has already proven himself more open and flexible just by the fact that he has at times listened to Merlin and even openly asked his opinion several times over the years. Of course it's possible Uther had his own helpful little group of advisors, but we don't actually see him ever asking for input even under very urgent circumstances, so I assume not.
Fifth, Merlin and Arthur's relationship really has matured. It's been there for the whole season, with Arthur asking Merlin's advice and clearly relying on him even in the most secretive matter of healing his father with magic. This episode, though, really shows up both the bond and the gap between them. Merlin knows Arthur needs him, and he's determined to make sure that Arthur knows Merlin is there for him. Arthur is feeling the isolation now he's king, and like most people who have to keep themselves tightly controlled he thinks he has to handle it all himself and is irritated when Merlin injects himself into the situation. But then he calls Merlin "old friend", quietly and openly, as an open acknowledgement of reliance and affection and trust. I even think we might be heading towards a magic reveal at the end of this season; with the trailer for next week, and Arthur's comment about trust, I think we're moving closer and closer to the moment when Arthur is faced with the person he trusts most also being the person who embodies everything he's been taught is evil.
That scene with Arthur watching Merlin and the knights by the fire really shows both his affection and his feelings of isolation; but by coming into the tent to talk to him, they make it clear that they aren't going to let their King be isolated.
Random observations:
- Bradley is really getting to show his acting chops in this season, isn't he? And what glorious acting chops they are. As a devoted Colin girl I hate to say it, but I've been more impressed by Bradley this season than by Colin. (Only just, though; they are both wonderfully high-calibre and really rising to the challenge)
- Merlin in chainmail is hot. I don't know why they couldn't have used an actual knight as a decoy, but hey, I get Merlin all dressed up as a knight so I won't complain.
- Next week we get wet Merlin tied up. OM NOM NOM.
