They certainly are going to a much darker place with this, I would never have fucking expected it.
It was always a bit dark and interesting the way they refused to provide a mustache twirling baddie. Half the time I watch this I get annoyed at the fact and the other half I appreciate it.
themightypuck on
“Reject your sense of injury and the injury itself disappears.”
― Marcus Aurelius
They certainly are going to a much darker place with this, I would never have fucking expected it.
It was always a bit dark and interesting the way they refused to provide a mustache twirling baddie. Half the time I watch this I get annoyed at the fact and the other half I appreciate it.
They're doing the metaphor for the modern world far better than Robin Hood's clunking attempts at alluding (alluding, fucking out right quoting) The War on Terror.
Merlin is a world where the issues and conflicts resolve around poorly understood decisions that were made years if not decades ago. Uther [strike]funding the mujahideen in Afghanistan[/strike] using magic to give him a son has come back to bite him on the arse.
Well, it ended with a lot more darkness then I thought possible. However, if I see one more contrived scene of Arthur missing Merlin's magic, I think I may break the TV.
Well, it ended with a lot more darkness then I thought possible. However, if I see one more contrived scene of Arthur missing Merlin's magic, I think I may break the TV.
LOL. It's like Arthur must be a complete moron to think he has accomplished all those things asleep. It is a pretty funny joke the first time you use it but it stops working really fast. Probably lazy/efficient writing. They need Merlin to accomplish something that Arthur is supposed to accomplish and that is the quickest easiest way to do it.
Also how the fuck would Merlin know it was a mortal wound if the dragon has gone and fucked off. You'd think they try and track it down to make sure the thing was actually dead.
In any case, I'm sad it is over. For some weird reason the show grew on me and now I quite enjoy it.
themightypuck on
“Reject your sense of injury and the injury itself disappears.”
― Marcus Aurelius
In any case, I'm sad it is over. For some weird reason the show grew on me and now I quite enjoy it.
It's an honest show that doesn't try to be more than it is. Fluffy action for the kids, some morally confused character interaction for the adults. Very personable lead actors and avoids too much cliché. Dialogue isn't teeth clenchingly terrible either.
Its grown on me too. Other than the god-awful troll episode this season shows so much potential. It is why I find it so irritating to watch. there is a good show there if only they'd run with it, but they find increasingly elaborate ways to return to the status-quo. The finale really could have done something, changed...anything but really nothing has. The status-quo is exactly the same as Episode 1, which as a viewer gives me little inclination to feel invested or care if I miss a week. There is no forward momentum whatsoever.
Yes well, thing is, it's not good compared to any of the crap on UK tv. Hell, even EastEnders is better than Merlin.
It is a continuing drama series on at a good hour. Not reality TV, not a soap that will NEVER END, and not a limited run TV miniseries.... that is a rare thing on UK TV despite how many good to average US shows follow this format. I think more viewers want to watch a proper series than UK tv executives think.
The new season of Merlin has been showing in Britain for 7 weeks now.
Apart from the one eyeball gougingly bad episode with the Goblin (seriously just don't watch it, you'll miss nothing) it has been very good, I feel it has kicked up a notch. Sure it's still light throwaway fluff but it's kicking out a (bar the goblin) consistent level of quality fluff.
This weekends episode, where Arthur quested fro the golden trident, was excellently put together and contained everything good that Merlin does. The writers understand how to do magic (magically disguised person had true form revealed in mirror) they understand how to do quests (there must be companions, they must represent something, there must be mysterious and magical guides offering cryptic advice), and they understand how to advance the meta-plot with mysterious McGuffins and portentous phrases.
Wasn't merlin supposed to be aging backwards? How can they justify him regular aging in this?
No. This is something T.H. White used in the Once and Future King. It's not referenced in Le Morte d'Arthur or any of the Merlin fragments that predate it. Ironically, those complaining about the source of Merlin's magic being an inborn trait rather then from wise learning are also wrong. The older stories in which we draw the character of Merlin generally note that he is born of a the union of a mortal woman and an incubus. This is the source of his magic, shapeshifting and powers of prophecy.
The inborn magic complaint was against the trend of wizards in modern fiction in general rather than just this one instance. What does piss me off is that Merlin is a dude with superpowers. That's all his magic amounts to. Arthurian legend doesn't seem quite the right place to have this sort of magic system.
And in Arthurian legend Birth was like, what gave people everything... unless I'm wrong, there weren't knights who practiced magic but then Merlin was suddenly huge... he had special circumstances that made him exceptional, but he wasn't just born in a land where magic was totally fine except for the fact that it was outlawed... except he had natural inborn magic.
And then in the second episode they make his inborn magic useless anyways... in the first episode he has "magic" which is just telekinesis, and then in the second episode to move a lock on a door he has to say something.
Really, you never get the feeling that Merlin has any real power... he just comes off as having special powers because the writers realized they were writing about Merlin so oh right he can do magic.
Again, the 98 miniseries made Merlin not only of special birth, but also having studied what he was doing, and it made him incredibly powerful and influential... but because he still was human, as were everyone else, things weren't a super happy fun time with fairies. This is a super happy fun world with fairies but Merlin's just too stupid to do anything.
He really wasn't that powerful, as wizards go. He was just one of the last of them. It was specifically mentioned that he could have been the greatest. But he wasn't because he didn't really like magic. So instead of being a great and awesome power in the world he was "a hand wizard."
If I just jump on this last season, is there a way to get a short summry of the two 1st seasons?
I'm interested, just don't want to watch two whole seasons of a so-so show.
The ultra quick summary:
Merlin is a young adult with awesome magical powers. He is the personal servant of prince Arthur. Arthur is son of Uther who rules Camelot with an iron but even handed fist. Uther is in equal parts feared and respected by his subjects. Magic is banned, under pain of death - burning at the stake.
Morgana is a ward of Uther, of similar age to Merlin and Arthur and has prophetic visions and other falshes of magic that she keeps secret. Her maid servant is Guinevere. Finally there is Gius, the old court physician and long time friend and ally of Uther, he is the only other regular character who knows of Merlin's magic. Oh, and ther's a Dragon trapped under Camelot who doles out cryptic advice to Merlin.
In the first season we see development of Arthur from arrogant noble under his father's thumb to champion of the people and Merlin from neophyte to powerful mage. We establish rules of the Universe, promises have meaning and power and we understand that everything is not black and white in terms of morality. There is a thread of destiny running through the series with the Dragon informing Merlin of his purpose (to guard Arthur and allow the rebirth of Albion). There also looks like there's a budding romance between Merlin and Guinevere.
Second season, Merlin comes crawling back to the Dragon after having told him to fuck off in the first season and as a result the dragon extracts a terrible price (his freedom, he lays waste to Camelot). Morganna learns many things about herself and past which results in Merlin trying to poison her, however Morgana's witchy sister rescues her, to everyone else it looks like Morganna's sister has kidnapped her. There is also a very much so forbidden romance between Arthur and Guinevere. Merlin piles on the abilities but becomes more and more reluctant to use them due to seeing the price that is attached to them.
Also, Arthur falls unconscious any time Merlin needs to do some magic.
You can now start season 3, skip the episode with the Goblin in it.
I agree this season is a lot better than the previous two. But even in a fluff show if you don't get some nuance and quality by season 3, it's time to throw in the towel.
At this point I just want the episode where Merlin reveals himself.
I agree this season is a lot better than the previous two. But even in a fluff show if you don't get some nuance and quality by season 3, it's time to throw in the towel.
At this point I just want the episode where Merlin reveals himself.
I think that morally the show has always been nuanced, characters do good things for bad reasons and bad things for good reasons as well as not particularly good or bad (depending on how you look at it) things for not particularly good or bad (depending on how you look at it) reasons.
It's just the overall writing/plotting that has on occasion been sub-par, or in the case of the goblin episode so bad that I wanted to travel round the country and break the knee caps of everyone involved in the episode.
So, no, that was utterly pointless. One thing changed - Morgause is dead. Nothing else is. Prepare for season 4 reset.
edit:
Morgause might not be dead considering olol cup of fucking life which nobody mentioned. So everything can potentially go back to EXACTLY the way things were before, except we're definitely gonna get lots of Lancelot/Gwen/Arthur drama next series. Edit: except Morgana is known to Uther as being an evil witch but even then she can be all "oh noes, Morgause had me under an evil spell" and Uther, idiot that he is, will probably accept that at face value and forgive everything.
I was fairly disappointed that more didn't change but two fairly serious long term meta plot changes have occurred.
Arthur's relationship with Gwen is out in the open, in total an utter defiance of his farther.
Also, [strike]gay marriage has been legalised[/strike] non-noble birthed people have been made knights, completely shaking up the social order of Camelot, once again rendering fluidity to a situation that had been previously been strictly legalised and enforced by Uther.
If next season is not going to be a season of social upheaval pitting father against son, Uther's entrenched but fading power against Arthur's populist stance, then I will purchase and eat a hat.
Anybody else get a Hercules & Xena vibe from this show? it really does remind me of them, and at the same time, shows me the format of these shows has not aged well.
We totally didn't discuss season 4 of this show, which was pretty damn good. Season 5 has started with a reasonable strong (for a fluffy show) two parter. Mordred's back, and is now a knight of Camelot. Onwards to reasonably entertaining and watchable Saturday evening viewing.
Anybody else get a Hercules & Xena vibe from this show? it really does remind me of them, and at the same time, shows me the format of these shows has not aged well.
It switches between that and being more serious then those ever were. Which is an advantage over Hercules & Xena IMO.
Posts
It was always a bit dark and interesting the way they refused to provide a mustache twirling baddie. Half the time I watch this I get annoyed at the fact and the other half I appreciate it.
― Marcus Aurelius
Path of Exile: themightypuck
They're doing the metaphor for the modern world far better than Robin Hood's clunking attempts at alluding (alluding, fucking out right quoting) The War on Terror.
Merlin is a world where the issues and conflicts resolve around poorly understood decisions that were made years if not decades ago. Uther [strike]funding the mujahideen in Afghanistan[/strike] using magic to give him a son has come back to bite him on the arse.
I made a game, it has penguins in it. It's pay what you like on Gumroad.
Currently Ebaying Nothing at all but I might do in the future.
LOL. It's like Arthur must be a complete moron to think he has accomplished all those things asleep. It is a pretty funny joke the first time you use it but it stops working really fast. Probably lazy/efficient writing. They need Merlin to accomplish something that Arthur is supposed to accomplish and that is the quickest easiest way to do it.
In any case, I'm sad it is over. For some weird reason the show grew on me and now I quite enjoy it.
― Marcus Aurelius
Path of Exile: themightypuck
It's an honest show that doesn't try to be more than it is. Fluffy action for the kids, some morally confused character interaction for the adults. Very personable lead actors and avoids too much cliché. Dialogue isn't teeth clenchingly terrible either.
I made a game, it has penguins in it. It's pay what you like on Gumroad.
Currently Ebaying Nothing at all but I might do in the future.
It is a continuing drama series on at a good hour. Not reality TV, not a soap that will NEVER END, and not a limited run TV miniseries.... that is a rare thing on UK TV despite how many good to average US shows follow this format. I think more viewers want to watch a proper series than UK tv executives think.
Apart from the one eyeball gougingly bad episode with the Goblin (seriously just don't watch it, you'll miss nothing) it has been very good, I feel it has kicked up a notch. Sure it's still light throwaway fluff but it's kicking out a (bar the goblin) consistent level of quality fluff.
This weekends episode, where Arthur quested fro the golden trident, was excellently put together and contained everything good that Merlin does. The writers understand how to do magic (magically disguised person had true form revealed in mirror) they understand how to do quests (there must be companions, they must represent something, there must be mysterious and magical guides offering cryptic advice), and they understand how to advance the meta-plot with mysterious McGuffins and portentous phrases.
I made a game, it has penguins in it. It's pay what you like on Gumroad.
Currently Ebaying Nothing at all but I might do in the future.
I'm interested, just don't want to watch two whole seasons of a so-so show.
He really wasn't that powerful, as wizards go. He was just one of the last of them. It was specifically mentioned that he could have been the greatest. But he wasn't because he didn't really like magic. So instead of being a great and awesome power in the world he was "a hand wizard."
The ultra quick summary:
Morgana is a ward of Uther, of similar age to Merlin and Arthur and has prophetic visions and other falshes of magic that she keeps secret. Her maid servant is Guinevere. Finally there is Gius, the old court physician and long time friend and ally of Uther, he is the only other regular character who knows of Merlin's magic. Oh, and ther's a Dragon trapped under Camelot who doles out cryptic advice to Merlin.
In the first season we see development of Arthur from arrogant noble under his father's thumb to champion of the people and Merlin from neophyte to powerful mage. We establish rules of the Universe, promises have meaning and power and we understand that everything is not black and white in terms of morality. There is a thread of destiny running through the series with the Dragon informing Merlin of his purpose (to guard Arthur and allow the rebirth of Albion). There also looks like there's a budding romance between Merlin and Guinevere.
Second season, Merlin comes crawling back to the Dragon after having told him to fuck off in the first season and as a result the dragon extracts a terrible price (his freedom, he lays waste to Camelot). Morganna learns many things about herself and past which results in Merlin trying to poison her, however Morgana's witchy sister rescues her, to everyone else it looks like Morganna's sister has kidnapped her. There is also a very much so forbidden romance between Arthur and Guinevere. Merlin piles on the abilities but becomes more and more reluctant to use them due to seeing the price that is attached to them.
Also, Arthur falls unconscious any time Merlin needs to do some magic.
You can now start season 3, skip the episode with the Goblin in it.
I made a game, it has penguins in it. It's pay what you like on Gumroad.
Currently Ebaying Nothing at all but I might do in the future.
At this point I just want the episode where Merlin reveals himself.
I think that morally the show has always been nuanced, characters do good things for bad reasons and bad things for good reasons as well as not particularly good or bad (depending on how you look at it) things for not particularly good or bad (depending on how you look at it) reasons.
It's just the overall writing/plotting that has on occasion been sub-par, or in the case of the goblin episode so bad that I wanted to travel round the country and break the knee caps of everyone involved in the episode.
I made a game, it has penguins in it. It's pay what you like on Gumroad.
Currently Ebaying Nothing at all but I might do in the future.
edit:
Conclusion: net difference at the end - none.
Also, [strike]gay marriage has been legalised[/strike] non-noble birthed people have been made knights, completely shaking up the social order of Camelot, once again rendering fluidity to a situation that had been previously been strictly legalised and enforced by Uther.
If next season is not going to be a season of social upheaval pitting father against son, Uther's entrenched but fading power against Arthur's populist stance, then I will purchase and eat a hat.
I made a game, it has penguins in it. It's pay what you like on Gumroad.
Currently Ebaying Nothing at all but I might do in the future.
I made a game, it has penguins in it. It's pay what you like on Gumroad.
Currently Ebaying Nothing at all but I might do in the future.
It switches between that and being more serious then those ever were. Which is an advantage over Hercules & Xena IMO.
Critical Failures - Havenhold Campaign • August St. Cloud (Human Ranger)