Merlin Review --- His Father's Son

On this episode of Merlin, King Arthur takes center stage as he tries to rule Camelot by being His Father’s Son, only to realize that he wanted to do this king thing his way.

This week's Merlin begins with barbarians at the gate as Arthur and the knights manage to trap an invasion army by using Merlin as bait. The Warrior King leaps into action, easily leading the knights to victory. Arthur is pleased to discover that they have also captured their King.

While Arthur is deciding what to do next, Uncle Scar slithers by King Arthur like a snake in the Garden of Eden and warns him that this is just the beginning of the rulers of the other kingdoms challenging his kingliness and that he has to make a stand --- either humiliate The King of the Barbarians by forcing him to sign a peace treaty in exchange for his life or execute him. Arthur is hesitant to go down this route because he knows that barbarians are a prideful lot and Caerleon would rather die than subjugate himself. Merlin tries to convince Arthur to really think this through but he’s closed himself off to his friend. He follows Uncle’s Scar advice and has The Barbarian King killed. He then returns to his woman and his kingdom and tries to convince himself and Merlin that he did the right thing. When Merlin once again questions his actions he once again tells a dejected Merlin that he is no longer interested in his advice or friendship and that Merlin “must learn to accept that.”

When The Barbarian Queen receives her husband’s body she goes ballistic when she realizes that he was executed. Annis vows to bring Camelot to its knees. She gets unexpected help from Morgana, who sneaks into the kingdom and begs Annis to help her avenge her father’s Gorlois death at the hands of The Pendragons. Annis, already seething for blood, agrees to align herself with her old friend’s stepdaughter.

While Annis is plotting Arthur’s downfall from without, Uncle Scar continues trying to lead Arthur down a dark roadfrom within by convincing him that King Arthur cannot marry a blacksmith's daughter. Despite years of arguing that this is not the case, he allows Uncle Scar’s words to sink in. After using Merlin as a punching bag to get out his frustrations (don’t worry he was only holding the bag but still...) Arthur dons his “I’m going to Gwen’s” blue cloak and visits the woman he promised to love forever, and who spent the last year wiping the drool of the man who killed her father out of love for him, to tell her that Prince Arthur may have made promises but King Arthur does not find her an “appropriate” mate.  Guinevere swallows her pain and manages not to slap Arthur into his next reincarnation by channelling her “Queen Guinevere “ stoicism and telling him to stop being lead around the nose by others and follow his own heart.

But Arthur has more to worry about than a broken heart, Annis has sent an army to invade Camelot and Arthur slowly begins to realize how his actions are having the opposite effect from what he wanted.

King Arthur decides to round up his knights and ride off to meet their aggressors. Arthur’s guilt is only heightened when Elyan, (taking center stage!) and the knights pay him a visit, pledging their loyalty and life to their king.

Arthur, feeling like he has recklessly risked his men’s lives decides to go to The Barbarian Camp to talk to the Queen. Queen Annis greets him with a slapticism and Arthur tells her that he now realizes that he was wrong. He offers her an idea --- his champion will go up against her champion. If he wins the war is over, if he loses she gets half of Camelot. Annis agrees.

Arthur let’s everyone know that he is going to fight this fight himself. Uncle Scar and Morgana decide to hex Arthur’s sword. (That’s the best they can do?) . As Arthur begins to prepare for battle he gives Merlin his mother’s ring and tells him to give it to Gwen if he does not survive. He then goes out to face Darian The Barbarian.

The two men are in mortal combat but Arthur’s hexed sword is making things difficult. Never fear though, with a little help from Merlin’s magic (because we couldn’t have one whole episode where Arthur is capable of getting himself out of his own messes) he wins, gaining the respect of everyone by sparing Darian The Barbarian’s life.  

After the battle, Queen Annis tells Arthur that she sees in him “hope for us all.” Later, she confronts Morgana, telling her that she is a bitter black wearing witch and while Arthur may not be his father’s son, she is Uther’s daughter. A disgusted Morgana storms off.

Arthur returns to Camelot amidst cheers and adulation from the people. His win has made him re-evaluate his actions the past few days (weeks?) First up --- reconnecting with Merlin and letting him call him a “Cabbage Head.”

He then summons Gwen to his chambers and offers her some sad flowers that he picked up on the side of the road. Gwen succumbs to his sorry and his smouldering looks and falls into his arms in no time flat as the screen fades to black as all becomes right in King Arthur’s realm.

This episode was very Arthur centric and I loved it. We finally got to see Arthur as a competent leader. Was his actions perfect --- no, but understandable given the stress he was under. I never thought we’d see King Arthur in action. I always felt he’d be crowned in the last episode of the series so I am pleased to be able to see a bit of his early reign.  Arthur and Gwen are actually my favorite characters in the series and while we see a lot of Arthur it’s never in a way that we have seen here. This was one of the few episodes not told from Merlin’s point of view. Arthur was driving this story and we really get in to his character and what makes him tick. More Arthur-centric episodes please.

Questions/Comments

I love the fact that Merlin is not afraid to show Arthur as a man who makes mistakes. Arthur’s killing of Caerleon was ill-advised and his treatment of Gwen was quite cruel given the fact that he spent YEARS promising her that when he was King they would be together.

I’ve been dying for them to play up Arthur’s ruthless side ever since he put that sword to the druid’s boy neck last season and I’m glad they show that Arthur has the ability to go dark, but he CHOOSES not to and it is his compassion and fairness that will make him a great king, but as we can see in this episodes it is his human failings that will make him a legend.

A lot has been said about Gwen’s reaction to the dumping and while the twenty-first century girl in me would have smacked him into the middle of next week, it would be OC for Gwen to be offering slapticisms (a method of slapping some sense into somebody) when she has always held back on her feelings and suffered every indignation with a quiet dignity.  Gwen knows Arthur very well and understands that he is being manipulated. I think she believed in her heart that he would come around, and if he didn’t, then “he’s not the man she knows” and she wouldn’t want to be with him anyway. I doubt very much Gwen would want Arthur if she thought there was a chance in Hades that he’d become Uther.

As a fan of the Gwen/Arthur relationship I was glad to see where they stood, even if the interaction wasn’t perfect. Would I have liked the rift between them to go on longer, yes for dramatic purposes, I think there is a lot to mine in a breakup, but with only 13 episodes that arc couldn’t be explored properly anyway so it’s better to just move on from it. Don’t forget, in that missing year between Season Two and Season Three Arthur and Gwen were not together, despite them basically declaring their love at the end of Season Two, and the writers choose not to show that angst and leave what happened between them in the unseen year, so they are not trying to go there.

Speaking of Gwen, why is she still a servant? Elyan got knighted for basically the same thing that Gwen did --- helping Arthur regain Camelot, yet the men get a title and I am presuming an income while Gwen gets to continue to scrub floors and empty chamber pots????  Shouldn’t she have gotten a bump in station? Then again, Merlin never gets rewarded for saving Arthur and being the best BFF Bodyguard a Princeling turned King ever had. Even though, they are the people that Arthur are closets too I wonder if on some level he feels that because they are servants they owe him their loyalty?

Speaking of Elyan what is his relationship with Gwen? He ran off with not a word before the series began, he only came back after Arthur made it very comfortable for him to do so; he hid while Gwen was in the castle during last season’s attack and he seems to barely talk to Gwen, let alone provide for her. Is he busy or just self-absorbed?

Was I the only one that found it funny that the invading army was made up of a bunch of long haired, dirty looking, grunting barbarians while Arthur and his men are almost clean and sparkly looking?

So, Cenred is dead; Arthur killed Odin’s son, presumably leaving him without an heir; Arthur killed Caerleon, presumably leaving him without an heir; wow his road to High King just keeps getting easier doesn’t it?

Speaking of Odin, Odin sends an assassin to Camelot and literally kills the king in his own chambers and Arthur doesn’t go after him? Why? That to me would have been a justifiable show of force and a clear message not to mess with him unless you wanted to get dealt with!

Anonymous - To Believe or not to Believe

I know that I am on the late train with this, but the Theater Blog of the UK Guardian has a piece that really caught my eye on Anonymous, Sony Pictures period piece that asks the question --- what if William Shakespeare was a fraud?  Read it here.

This essay pretty much sums up my feeling on the whole subject. While I have no problem with a movie or book based on this tantalizing hypothesis, I do have a problem with the notion that a poor boy with a "grammar school education" could not possibly write anything good! It's snobbery at its worse.

Now, I have a confession to make that may seem sacrilegious to some, but here goes. I love Shakespeare, have since I read Hamlet in high school,  but unlike most I see his works as merely bawdy soap operas, melodramas full of incest, rape, sex, lies, love, family loyalty and all the stuff that plays on our deepest hopes and fears. That they have been elevated to such a place in our literary culture says as much about us as it does the plays. But that's just me.

So, why does it even matter if William Shakespeare wrote these plays? Because brilliance should not be questioned based on class.  I recently read a comment that stuck with me on a message board --- "To believe that Shakespeare wrote these plays is to believe in a dream that anyone, no matter the circumstances of their birth can grow up to be the greatest writer of all time. " Imagine that!

Ginnifer Goodwin Talks Once Upon A Time

The Associated Press recently interviewed Ginnifer Goodwin the star of ABC's Once Upon a Time about her take on the iconic role of Snow White. I fell in love with this show instantly and I think this re-imagined Snow White is brilliant. You can read what Ginnifer has to say here.

Merlin -- The Wicked Day

On this episode of Merlin, Arthur has the worst day ever as an evil traveling circus turns his birthday bash into a Wicked Day, depending on whose side you’re on, and sets in motion a chain of events that will change Arthur and Camelot forever.

It’s Arthur’s birthday and the kingdom is celebrating with a Circus du Arthur. The birthday boy is in no mood to celebrate; he is in Prince Regent Mode and can only think about his next duty. He changes his mind however when Uther wipes his drool and tells Arthur that he wants in on the B-day bash. Arthur is thrilled and soon the two are partying like its 1099!

Unfortunately for The Pendragons, the circus’ Gleeman is not there for merriment. He is an assassin hired by King Odin in another attempt to avenge his son’s death at the hand's of Arthur years ago. His last assassin didn't even put a dent in Arthur's Mack Daddying, chicken making, kissing to violins and jousting fun during The Once and Future Queen, but this one seems to be better at this assassin thing. After drugging Arthur he moves in for the kill, but is thwarted by Uther who channels his inner warrior and beats the Gleeman down, but not before he wounds Uther, leaving him on death's door.

A desperate Arthur decides to use magic to heal his father. Merlin sees this as a chance to show Arthur that magic is good and dusts off his Old Merlin Guise, while Morgana, after being informed of Uther’s plight by Uncle Scar has her own ideas. As Uther’s life hangs in the balance, the fate of an entire kingdom will be decided as the day of The Once and Future King may finally be at hand.

I’m just going to say it --- I didn’t particularly like this episode. I know this because I watched it three times trying to feel the love and just went blah every time. It pains me to write this because this is the episode I have been waiting years for and it felt like an anticlimactic thud. Maybe it was the placement of it. It just seemed odd that something that would shake the status quo up so much happened in the third episode after last week’s kick butt season opener. Why not do this in the season premiere? In my opinion it would have made the arc flow better.

Why was it necessary to insert a magical subplot at all with old Merlin? Oh yeah, to give Arthur a reason to hate magic and force Merlin to continue to keep the magic a secret. Last time I checked it was the very mortal King Odin who put this mess in motion, Arthur’s anger should be directed at him, but maybe that’s just me.

Don’t get me wrong, there were things I liked and there was really good things in this --- This episode saw another fantastic performance by Anthony Head who finally did the impossible, made me appreciate Uther for his complexities. I still hate the baby drowning bastard, but the ending of his arc just felt right.

Also, the last scene in this episode is iconic; there is no way around it. It made me smile and feel excited about what’s next; too bad all that other stuff had to happen before it.

Kudos to Bradley James as well. He brought his A Game in this episode. I felt Arthur‘s pain and his fear and ultimately his resolve.

Colin Morgan continues to shine as Merlin. As I said, it’s his party, and rightfully so, but can other people come to the table?

 The lack of Gwen was ridiculous. Given the magnitude of events in this episode she should have been at Arthur’s side. Why have an actress as good as Angel Coulby and give her nothing to do? I came across the completed script for Wicked Day which featured Gwen the way she should have been portrayed in this eppy, so my instincts were correct, her absence was odd. She was needed to make it feel like a complete story and her presence would have been an organic part of the story. So why was it cut? Oh look, another trouser joke!  

Maybe the fourth viewing will be the charm.

Questions/Comments

This is actually going to be more like a rant. I know that this show is about Merlin and everything, even as something as momentous as what happens in this episode, is told from his point of view, but the lack of view point from anybody else besides Arthur was a HUGE disappointment.

This is Morgana’s journey too, and what she did in this episode is yet another step into her decent to darkness, but we get no real reaction from her. What a letdown. In fact, she could not have even been in THIS episode. That makes no sense given her place in the story. Why is somebody like Morgana, who had the potential to be an amazing villain being treated like an afterthought in this of all episodes? You can argue that it was she who ultimately did the deed, but her scenes were so whatever that her role in all this lacked a true impact. I know some extra lines thrown Morgana’s way might have taken away from all the tomfoolery with Merlin and Arthur -- playing dress up and giving each other horseback rides and such, but geesh. Yes, the bromance is one of the things that makes this show sparkle but it was the subtle way that Merlin was there for Arthur in this episode that really tugged at the heart. They didn’t need all that other stuff.

Speaking of head scratching developments, this was THE moment the Gwen and Arthur have been talking about forever and?…I’m going to let this go because I could type at length on how Gwen’s small role in this episode tees me off. No Gwen being a supportive girlfriend and future queen for us! But I’m sure we will see PLENTY of Gwen when the Triangle of Doom returns ‘cause a woman’s real value is measured by how crazy she can make the men fighting over her, right. Maybe she’ll even be enchanted during that episode to give Arthur yet another contrived reason to hate magic. I know that the writers don’t want the Gwen/Arthur romance to eat this show, I get that. I even agree with that. If Gwen was Merlin’s love interest it would be different since he’s the main character, but she’s Arthurs’ so their romance is on the fringes, I get it, but as Arthur and Gwen move to their destined fate as husband and wife it might be a good idea to ,you know , show them acting like a couple. This was the perfect opportunity, too bad all the scenes that did that ended up on the cutting room floor.

No scenes with Uther and Uncle Scar talking? Really? That bedside scene doesn’t count! Uther told Arthur he knew everything going on around him, that would seem to mean that he knows his brother-in-law is back as well. Maybe they reunited off screen because who needs to see something as important as Uther being reunited with Ygraine’s remaining brother?  We know that Aggy hates Uther, and we all know why he hates Uther, and I’m sure Uther knows it as well. That much animosity and past issues warranted a scene or two.  
Don’t te

Why does Arthur blame magic for his mother’s death? Does he know the truth about his birth? Last time I checked he didn’t believe the vision he saw, thanks to Merlin. Don’t tell me he found out off screen.

One last thing, I know that I rag on Gaius A LOT, but his scene with Merlin after things shake out when he basically shrugs his shoulders and says let’s go get something to eat just made me laugh! I’m sure he went to the pub afterwards and did a happy dance that he “made it.” I know I would have.

Once Upon a Time

Last night ABC's Once Upon a Time premiered and I loved it. The perfect blend of fantasy and mystery the show has a brilliant premise --- Snow White's evil stepmother puts a spell on the Enchanted Forest and all the fairytale characters are cursed with a fate worse than death --- exiled to Storybrooke, Maine with no remembrance of their happily ever after.

The story center's around Emma Frost, Snow White's daughter ,who was was sent to the real world as a baby right before the enchantment took place. Even though Emma has no memory of who she really is, she is destined to break the curse and reunite her family.

The romance between Snow White and Prince Charming is incredibly romantic and Ginnifer Goodwin and Josh Dallas have amazing chemistry as the star crossed lovers who are the main targets of The Evil Queen.

I love fairytales so I was excited for this show to premiere, but I didn't think I'd enjoy it as much as I did. I was pleasantly surprised that this show isn't about sword fights and magic but  about a family --- fractured by greed, jealousy and pain and destined to be reunited by love.

Most importantly, I found the character's "enchanted lives" and "real world" lives to both veryinteresting enough to watch.  "Grumpy" is an instant favorite in both worlds. It was an amazing first episode, but I have to wonder just how long a show with the premise can last. However, if they keep churning out episode's like this week's we'll all be feeling the magic for a long time.

Merlin --- The Darkest Hour

Previously on Merlin…

·         Morgana returned after a year’s absence and spent the entire season being EVIL and smirking along with her SISTERRR Morgause and their new smoldering sidekick King Cendred who was zombie food by season’s end.

·         Gwen’s never before mentioned brother Elyan, Gwaine of the Luscious Hair, and Percival the Mighty joined the knighthood.

·         Lancelot returned and continued to bond with Merlin and pine after Gwen.

·         Gwen and Arthur’s romance continued to simmer in secret on a slow burn, with the exception of an almost marriage to clumsy, but adorable Fairy Princess, and a near burning at the stake courtesy of Uther and Morgana.

·         Arthur continued to do his father’s bidding without question, leading to a disastrous mission to retrieve “the cup of life” that paved the way for Morgana to take the throne from a shocked Uther and a neutered Arthur.  

·         Arthur and his newly formed Knights of the Roundtable, with Gwen’s help, overthrew Morgana’s curiously cruel reign.

·         With her sister near death, the kingdom scarred, Uther driven mad and her EVIL finally discovered, Morgana teleported out of Camelot with a HUGE chip on her shoulder.

·         Arthur STILL was clueless about Merlin’s magic.

Merlin returns for its fourth season with a creepy two-parter that sets the stage for  what is to be some dark days ahead for our heroes. As the series opens Morgana and Morgause are in route to their next big project --- tearing apart the veil between the mortal and spirit worlds so that evil spirits will descend upon Camelot bringing death and destruction wherever they go. At least they are learning how to delegate.

Morgana no longer seems to need to telegraph her EVIL through smirks and convoluted plans, but seems to have decided to wear black this season in case someone didn’t get the “I’m evil now memo.”  The two SISTERRS succeed in opening up the veil and all Hades literally breaks loose.   

With Uther spending most of his time catatonic, Arthur is acting as Prince Regent. He is troubled that Morgana is back causing problems and turns to  his long lost Uncle Agravaine for support. The black clad, slicked hair, fork tongue man is clearly up to no good and pretends to be touched that Arthur trusts him. Arthur discovers that the only way to close the veil is a blood sacrifice and after much deliberation (not really) Arthur decides that he is going to sacrifice himself to save the people of Camelot, but not before crying all over Uther about how he taught him to be a great prince (did I miss that?)  and saying a touching goodbye to Gwen who knows that something is up.

 Sure enough, faster than you can say Mufasta, a gleeful Uncle Scar can’t wait to tell his secret BFF Morgana about Arthur’s plan.

Gwen takes time from wiping Uther’s drool to see Lancelot whose clear happiness at seeing her is dampened when she asks him to take care of Arthur and doesn’t even wish him a safe trip. Lance promises to look after Arthur with his life so you can guess where this is going…

On their journey, the knight's experience some hilarious hijinks's from Gwaine that involve food and besotted monsters. OK. But the fun can’t last forever as Merlin is stung by an evil spirit and Lancelot volunteers to take him back to Camelot for help.  While on their own, the boys bond over magic and water spirits and unrequited love once Merlin is healed.  

Meanwhile, Gwen is upset to hear that Uncle Scar has closed the gates to villagers who need help because he’s scared of chaos and that’s  not what Arthur would do and let’s her opinion be known in front of The Council. The Council sides with Gwen much to Uncle Scar’s chagrin. He goes whining to Morgana who goes on a tirade about Gwen stealing her throne and how she was warned that a guy named Emery would be her doom. Uncle Scar, who is not only a coward, but not very bright, runs to Gauis of all people and asks him for info on Emery as Merlin overhears. Maybe Morgana left out the fact that Merlin is a constant spoiler of bad guy plans in her “What You Need to Know to be Evil in Camelot” briefing.

Determined to get that crown stealer tonight, Morgana sneaks into the citadel and unleashes her wrath on Gwen who manages to come throw it with merely a gash on the head. Better luck next time.

Meanwhile at the opening of the veil, as Arthur and Merlin play “I’m willing to die more than you”,  Lancelot makes the ultimate sacrifice, keeping his promise to Gwen, and his unspoken vow of loyalty to Merlin, by walking around the talkers and closing the veil himself, but not before throwing Merlin a contented smile and looking as sexy as he ever has.  

Merlin is devastated, but it’s nothing compared to Gwen’s grief who tells a shocked Arthur that she asked Lance to look out for him and he died to keep his promise. Realizing that Lancelot still loved Gwen, something I’m sure Lance went out of his way not to show during the unseen year, and seeing the depth of Gwen’s feelings for the fallen knight, Arthur leaves his lady love to grieve alone, but their conflicting feelings about Lance and his place in their lives, will no doubt come back in a strong was when a not so dead Lance reappears...

Morgana is furious that Arthur lives. Uncle Scar informs her that he just got lucky but Morgana’s been to this rodeo too many times. She’s determined to come out on top, if only she can find that pesky Emery.

I really enjoyed this season opener. It seems that the writers have a clear vision for this season and the show as a whole and this year everybody’s going to get knocked a bit. You really get see how everybody’s weaknesses are going to used against them --- Arthur attachment to the people he loves and his continued blind spot for his family; Merlin frustration at having to keep his magic a secret; Morgana’s selfishness and obsession with Camelot;  Gwen’s ability to love and need to be loved and valued (as seen when she makes the mistake of being flattered by Uncle Scar’s pretty words); and Lancelot’s love for Gwen. Personally, I like the darker tone of the show and I’m curious to how far the writers are going to push the envelope with the characters.

Questions/Comments
Lancelot and Merlin’s friendship was the highlight of this two-parter. I LOVE Santiago Cabrera in this role and I’m sorry that we only get him in so few episodes. He IS Lancelot. His relationship with Merlin is fantastic as Merlin can be himself around him and he has great chemistry with Angel Coulby.  The looks he was giving her during their scene together made me swoon!

Nice to see Gwen having a bigger role and a bigger say in Camelot. Speaking up at the Council Meeting? You’ve come a long way Baby. I feel like this was one of the first times we really saw the real her unhampered by her “servant role.” But taking care of Uther, the man who killed her father and nearly toasted her on the pyre twice? It’s a choice… Kudos to Anthony Head for playing drooling Uther so well, it’s almost enough to make you feel sorry for the guy until you remember he likes to drown babies for fun.

Morgana is so much more convincing as a villainess now that she’s gotten rid of that evil smirk, but tell me that’s she’s being a little bit more proactive than sitting in her hut, wearing black and getting info from Uncle Scar.

Morguase, that’s your grand plan, really? Maybe, it was the only way she could think of getting away from her SISTERRR. I’m going to miss typing that!

Was I the only one that laughed when Gauis did his typical “do the right thing Sire” speech to Uncle Scar and quickly shut up AS USUAL when he was smacked down?

So, I take it that Gwaine was reduced to comic relief irrelevance because with Lancelot in the house he just couldn’t compete. Well Lance is in limbo now so hopeful Gwaine will get his spark back.

WHY IS ARTHUR MADE TO LOOK SO BLOODY CLUELESS?  I’m sorry, but I had to get that out. I get that Merlin’s magic must stay a secret for the story to work as it currently set up, I also understand that Merlin is the hero of the show, BUT Arthur is the Once and Future King not Boo Boo the Fool. He doesn’t suspect anything once he wakes up from all these convenient knock outs? EVER? And come on, I mean, even Stevie Wonder could see that Uncle Agravaine is a BAD GUY --- the black clothing, the gelled back hair, the “I live to serve you nephew” attitude.  You’re the Prince Regent now Art, get it together!

Merlin may not do everything right, but they are building a triangle that is pulling at the heart strings. I’m a Huge Arthur/Gwen shipper, but even I see why Gwen likes Lancelot so much and I don’t blame the girl for giving him a second, third or fourth look! It breaks my heart to see him pining for Gwen. I thought it was very mature of Arthur to leave Gwen to her grief, but seeing it is going to make him wonder just how deep her feelings for Lance run setting the stage for what we know will be Lance’s return. Arthur’s shock when he realized that Gwen and Lance still had feelings for each other and Gwen’s grief and guilt was palatable and that sight of her alone at his pyre was beautiful.

Merlin seems to be growing tired with having to keep his magic a secret. I can’t blame him. I hope that this season we see his building resentment played out.

Ringer Gets an Entire Season

If you're not watching Sarah Michelle Geller's Ringer than you are missing out on one great show; but it's not to late to join the fun, the confusion, and to ogle the REALLY good looking men in this twisted doppelganger tale. The CW has renewed purchased episodes for an entire season. Read more about it at Daytime Confidential.