i still need an arthur icon...

[rivendellrose]

Merlin!



I don't have a whole lot to say about this episode except that I am not particularly fond of Georgia Moffat but that she was amusing in this episode, and that all the bits with Arthur make me very happy. I'm not sure when he became my favorite character, but I think he has - he's so adorably stupid and cute and charming, and Bradley James makes the cutest dorky faces in the world. ♥

I did, however, shout "oh my god, it's Morgana!" during her single, solitary scene with actual lines. I also have to say that Morgana is obviously a bit out of it this season, as she has apparently completely failed to notice that Gwen is in love with Arthur? Wtf. Merlin knows - why doesn't Morgana? I mean, I never exactly thought she was the brightest bulb in Camelot (while noting that the charm of this show is that everyone is an idiot in it), but I would have thought she'd do better than that. Honestly, I think the writers have really fallen asleep on the job as regards Morgana, this season - she was such a fascinating character last season, and I really loved the way they looked like they were going early on (in the first few episodes) of this season, with her getting her power, but... ever since then it's been like "Morgana? Who's Morgana?" Which disappoints me deeply. I know the show is nominally about Merlin, and that there was a lot of other stuff to handle this year, but... sheesh, guys, come on! Ensemble cast! I should not be able to count on one hand the number of scenes with spoken lines that Morgana's had in the last five episodes. That's just not cool.

When Arthur tries to be intimidating, he mimics his daddy's voice. I'm dead serious, here. This is not just me being a Tony-Head-fangirl. Very good and interesting choice on Bradley James' part, there... and horribly, horribly cute. ♥

Speaking of, Uther's obvious nerves about the peace conference were frankly adorable. But that probably is just me being a Tony Head fangirl. ♥

Gwen is still fantastic, and awesomely kickass in her quiet way. Much love. ♥

I was not a fan of the guys playing evil!king and his evil!servant. I think they overdid it (yes, there is such a thing, even on Merlin) and the servant's Puck thing was getting seriously irritating to me in a few scenes. I'm fairly sure some of his lines were lifted almost wholesale from A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Georgia Moffat is pretty, and entirely believable, even funny, as a brainless twit. And yes, I found it more than a bit disturbing that she went away still passionately in love with Arthur. Um. That should probably come back later to cause problems, hmmm?

Lastly, I have an actual "real-history" kind of gripe to make about the show. This has been pissing me off for a while, but I've managed to keep it quiet... and now I'm giving up. So, chain mail. You wear it under your armor (or as your armor, depending on the time period and your rank and the amount of money you have at your disposal), and it's very effective. Good stuff, mail. There's this part called the coif (the word also refers to a kind of strap that's worn alone or under a hat in the middle ages, but if you scroll down on the above link on chain mail in general, you'll see a modern model wearing a haubergeon and coif and see what I mean). It's basically a hood made of chain mail. It's heavy and it's kind of a pain in the ass - I've worn one, albeit briefly, and I found it put a lot of strain on my neck, but, significantly, I'm a wimp, so I don't count. The point is, it's there to protect your neck and head from injury - particularly your neck, if you're wearing a helmet as well. Yes, it's heavy, it might pinch, and your hair will probably get caught in it, but - and this is important - it's better than having your head chopped off, because your helm does not and cannot cover your whole neck. If it did, you wouldn't be able to move. You can have a sort of a collar-y bit that covers your neck (there's a name for it, but it escapes me at the moment), but chain mail is much better, because it breathes and allows more freedom of movement (which is a Good Thing if you're in a battle), and it's nowhere near as heavy as solid metal bits.

Now, think about the Merlin characters in a tournament. I know what you're thinking - they are wearing chain mail! Yes, they are. They've also got coifs... except some idiot keeps letting everyone wear them as if they were hoods on hoodies! They're there, sticking up on top of everybody's normal armour, but no one is actually putting them on. They just slap on their helmet, and even I can see openings to get right in and chop through their necks, while their coif dangles uselessly behind their head, flapping in the wind like a stupid flappy-hoody-thing. What the hell is the point of that? Oh, yeah - there isn't one!

So, seriously, costume people - if your actors are not going to wear the stupid coif, just take it off. I know it's wrong - and so do you, apparently - but just leave it off, because it will be less distracting to those of us who have half a clue what chain mail is supposed to look like than having it flapping in the wind like a useless appendage.

Oh, and whoever designed Arthur's awesome brown coat of awesomeness, which is all floaty and dramatic and slitted all the way up to the waist? I want one. Please? It's gorgeous. ♥

...And please stop letting the noble women run around in their underwear. It's deeply upsetting to those of us who've spent time studying the middle ages. ...Although if you want to keep letting Morgana have dinner with Uther in her underwear (ie, anything sleeveless), go right ahead. It feeds my shameful OTP, and, additionally, she is gorgeous. It is also more than okay if she wants to sword-fight in her underwear again, because that scene made me exceptionally pleased. Thank you.

See Morgana in my icon? She's bored. Please let her do something fun and interesting next week, instead of just wandering around like some kind of zombie.

Comments

[toastedtea.livejournal.com]

I have very little to add beyond "What You Said." Well. Except to note that the scene where Uther was going all "OMG, WTF is wrong with Arthur?" at Merlin damn near killed me, especially when he threw his hands in the air and gave up.

Gwen & Arthur are growing on me as a couple. I mean, yes, I know they're together in the legends, but I never thought the actors had all that much chemistry... until this episode.

I want Arthur's brown coat, too. And the dress Morgana was wearing in her single scene. Looks like we'll get more Morgana next week. I hope it's a good episode; I really miss last season's Morgana.

[rivendellrose.livejournal.com]

Uther always amuses me. Seriously, the things that Tony does with that part would delight me even if I weren't his total fangirl - he's so clever and real in the way he plays that part. Uther could so easily be just another evil-daddy-king kind of character, but thanks to some fairly clever writing and some genuinely ingenious acting from Tony, he's always very human, believable, and, even when he's a horrible bastard, vaguely sympathetic. And sometimes just plain adorable, as in the scene you mentioned. The poor guy is just so adorably clueless sometimes - I can clearly see where Arthur gets it. ;)

The chemistry does seem lacking sometimes, but Bradley James is so adorably charming that he pulls it off, I think. Angel Coulby is a really good actress, of course, but so much more of the really difficult parts of making that relationship shine falls on Bradley that I feel like the credit really has to go to him for making it work. His lines could be stupid and trite (and sometimes they are, sometimes even intentionally), but he pulls them off. He's really impressed me as an actor.

I always want Morgana's dresses. There's one particular dark green one (I think we see it briefly in the trailer for next week) and one bright blue one that I just pine for every time we see them. Sooo pretty.

And yeah... I fear for next week. But at the same time, I love episodes with a lot of Morgana, so there's still hope!

[vonquixote.livejournal.com]

Are they still putting Morgana inna fridge for half the series, then?

That makes me sad. I've caught up with series one (FINALLY) and she finally seems to be properly constructed towards the end.

[rivendellrose.livejournal.com]

There's a few good bits with her at the beginning of the season, but ever since then it's been "Morgana, who?" Very disappointing. :P

Next week looks like a good one for her, though, if it doesn't crash and burn horribly.