Riona (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
rionaleonhart) wrote2011-11-26 10:23 pm
rionaleonhart) wrote2011-11-26 10:23 pm
Entry tags:
Opening Of Every Scene Next Series: 'Character Enters Room, Removes Shirt.'
Does Merlin have some sort of shirtlessness quota? I'm not sure there's been a single episode in this series of Merlin without any male shirtlessness.
More spoilery thoughts on today's episode under the cut!
So, 'Lancelot du Lac'!
First, it's excessive rambling about minor gripe time: the fact that they felt the need to give Guinevere a MAGICAL BRACELET OF LOVE FOR LANCELOT annoyed me. At least give us some indication that Gwen still has feelings for Lancelot but has the strength not to give in to him before putting the bracelet on!
Here are the reasons why 'oh noooo Gwen doesn't love Lancelot any more, better give her a magical bracelet of love' was a bad move:
- It makes things less interesting! I liked that Gwen was conflicted even when the bracelet was on her wrist - I loved the 'I'm sorry, I don't know why I'm here' scene - but it would have been more interesting, character-wise, if she had suffered conflict without any magical interference.
- Showing that Gwen still loved Lancelot but was never going to let herself be seduced by him would have been a great way to illustrate Gwen's internal strength. That's when you introduce the bracelet.
- Going 'oh noooo Gwen doesn't love Lancelot any more because her love for Arthur is so pure and true' doesn't make me think 'well, her love for Arthur must be pure and true!'; it makes Guinevere/Lancelot seem like it's not the only pairing in Camelot with some magical influence behind it. Love doesn't have to erase a person's other loves to be valid! The implication that Gwen didn't love Lancelot any more because she was in love with Arthur immediately made me think 'MAGICAL BRAINWASHING', and I like Gwen/Arthur.
No, really, I do. I went 'yay!' aloud when Arthur declared his intention to propose. The actual proposal was adorable, particularly Gwen's apology when she realised she hadn't actually given an answer yet. But I still thought 'MAGICAL BRAINWASHING' when Morgana and Agravaine were having their little 'she didn't seem to have any feelings for Lancelot! Is it because her love for Arthur is so true? Yes, I took into account the possibility that her love for Arthur would be too true' conversation.
(My feelings about Guinevere/Arthur are a bit dubious as of the end of the episode, because I'm not sure the relationship can or indeed should survive Arthur locking Gwen up overnight and then sending her into exile. I won't deny that Arthur has been wronged, but you can't exile her, Arthur! She's got nowhere else to go! Moreover, I'm fairly certain she's the only woman in Camelot! How will the kingdom propagate?)
- I'll be honest: I'm a massive Guinevere/Lancelot 'shipper and frankly the 'oh noooo Gwen doesn't love Lancelot any more' made me sad.
So now Gwen has been exiled! I wasn't expecting that! I was incredibly taken aback when Arthur proclaimed her sentence and I glanced at the clock and realised there was no possible way this could be straightened out before the episode ended. I hope she's not gone for too long. Where on Earth will she go? What does Elyan think about this?
Will she find Morgana? I sort of hope she finds Morgana. Please find Morgana and remind her somehow of your friendship, Gwen; I would really, really like that.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to sit here and be sad about how we got Lancelot back except not really and it was an incredibly painful experience for Merlin, who was completely, desperately, wildly in love with him. I'm not sure I realised before just how powerfully Merlin was in love with Lancelot.
(I'm glad that shade-Lancelot wasn't evil; he was just carrying out a task. Obviously Morgana wouldn't have told him to stand down in the joust. I like to think that was a tiny gleam of the real Lancelot shining through. I was sort of hoping that the shade would break his programming and that we'd get Lancelot back properly, but alas it was not to be. At least Merlin got a goodbye this time, of a sort.
Oh, no, I've just realised that now Arthur will always think Lancelot betrayed him! Now I am even sadder.)
I apologise if anyone feels spoiled by the uncut implication that this episode of Merlin contains shirtless men. In other news, I suspect the next series of Doctor Who may involve an alien or two.
More spoilery thoughts on today's episode under the cut!
So, 'Lancelot du Lac'!
First, it's excessive rambling about minor gripe time: the fact that they felt the need to give Guinevere a MAGICAL BRACELET OF LOVE FOR LANCELOT annoyed me. At least give us some indication that Gwen still has feelings for Lancelot but has the strength not to give in to him before putting the bracelet on!
Here are the reasons why 'oh noooo Gwen doesn't love Lancelot any more, better give her a magical bracelet of love' was a bad move:
- It makes things less interesting! I liked that Gwen was conflicted even when the bracelet was on her wrist - I loved the 'I'm sorry, I don't know why I'm here' scene - but it would have been more interesting, character-wise, if she had suffered conflict without any magical interference.
- Showing that Gwen still loved Lancelot but was never going to let herself be seduced by him would have been a great way to illustrate Gwen's internal strength. That's when you introduce the bracelet.
- Going 'oh noooo Gwen doesn't love Lancelot any more because her love for Arthur is so pure and true' doesn't make me think 'well, her love for Arthur must be pure and true!'; it makes Guinevere/Lancelot seem like it's not the only pairing in Camelot with some magical influence behind it. Love doesn't have to erase a person's other loves to be valid! The implication that Gwen didn't love Lancelot any more because she was in love with Arthur immediately made me think 'MAGICAL BRAINWASHING', and I like Gwen/Arthur.
No, really, I do. I went 'yay!' aloud when Arthur declared his intention to propose. The actual proposal was adorable, particularly Gwen's apology when she realised she hadn't actually given an answer yet. But I still thought 'MAGICAL BRAINWASHING' when Morgana and Agravaine were having their little 'she didn't seem to have any feelings for Lancelot! Is it because her love for Arthur is so true? Yes, I took into account the possibility that her love for Arthur would be too true' conversation.
(My feelings about Guinevere/Arthur are a bit dubious as of the end of the episode, because I'm not sure the relationship can or indeed should survive Arthur locking Gwen up overnight and then sending her into exile. I won't deny that Arthur has been wronged, but you can't exile her, Arthur! She's got nowhere else to go! Moreover, I'm fairly certain she's the only woman in Camelot! How will the kingdom propagate?)
- I'll be honest: I'm a massive Guinevere/Lancelot 'shipper and frankly the 'oh noooo Gwen doesn't love Lancelot any more' made me sad.
So now Gwen has been exiled! I wasn't expecting that! I was incredibly taken aback when Arthur proclaimed her sentence and I glanced at the clock and realised there was no possible way this could be straightened out before the episode ended. I hope she's not gone for too long. Where on Earth will she go? What does Elyan think about this?
Will she find Morgana? I sort of hope she finds Morgana. Please find Morgana and remind her somehow of your friendship, Gwen; I would really, really like that.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to sit here and be sad about how we got Lancelot back except not really and it was an incredibly painful experience for Merlin, who was completely, desperately, wildly in love with him. I'm not sure I realised before just how powerfully Merlin was in love with Lancelot.
(I'm glad that shade-Lancelot wasn't evil; he was just carrying out a task. Obviously Morgana wouldn't have told him to stand down in the joust. I like to think that was a tiny gleam of the real Lancelot shining through. I was sort of hoping that the shade would break his programming and that we'd get Lancelot back properly, but alas it was not to be. At least Merlin got a goodbye this time, of a sort.
Oh, no, I've just realised that now Arthur will always think Lancelot betrayed him! Now I am even sadder.)
I apologise if anyone feels spoiled by the uncut implication that this episode of Merlin contains shirtless men. In other news, I suspect the next series of Doctor Who may involve an alien or two.
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YES THIS WOULD BE AMAZING. Please let this happen, Merlin; Morgana would be so much more interesting if she displayed a hint of her old feelings for Gwen.
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However I did like Lancelot's resurrection. For. Um. The lighting. Yes. Very good lighting.
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