merlin 2x12 - the fires of medea
Dec. 12th, 2009 09:52 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rivendellroseSpoilers under the cut.
Seriously, BBC - where do we apply for you to start writing things that don't become total ass by the end?
Now, in fairness, I still adore Merlin and Arthur. Their cuteness triumphs over all. But... for fuck's sake, would it kill us to give Morgana even a fraction of the agency she had in the first season, let alone how awesome she should, by all rights, have been in this season of her wild and crazy descent into evil?
Last season, based on Morgana as she was written then, I was really looking forward to her going over to the other side. I'd imagined this whole thing where the Morgana we know - the extremely moral, extremely headstrong, extremely over-the-top kind of girl I loved - took things too far. Where she... oh, I don't know. Decided that there was no way she could tolerate Uther and his paranoia and violence, and that Arthur was obviously going to be the same way because he doesn't know how to stand up to his daddy, or, better, she just plain that she would be a much better king than he ever would (because, seriously - if she hasn't thought that all her life, then I would be extremely shocked). In my head, it was going to be awesome! Morgana would come into her power as a sorceress, have some sort of dramatic falling-out with Gwen, have a period of intense power struggle with Arthur (and, by his constant loyalty to Arthur, with Merlin), and then leave brandishing a sword and setting fire to things, in a huff of "I can do better without all of you!"
...By comparison, you may be able to understand why I've been so intensely disappointed by her portrayal this season.
Somehow, I get the impression that we're supposed to forgive them ripping out Morgana's spine because we've been given Morgause in exchange, and I do not approve of this. I like Morgause - I really do. I like her very much. But I liked Morgana, too. I liked her before they gutted her character and left her a whiney, helpless little thing constantly whining about how she had to pretend to be Uther's loving ward (um, when exactly? Last time I checked, they argued constantly - and he still loved her anyway), wearing too much eyeliner (seriously, is that BBC code for "she's angsty and evil, everybody!" or what?), and completely unable to do anything on her own. Except whine. And moan. And generally completely fail to be the character I liked.
What. The fuck.
Oh, and major points to Merlin for not being able to figure out what will happen if he releases the dragon. Gee, Merlin - do you think the dragon will a) go off to live a solitary and peaceful life in the mountains, b) be so happy to be released that he will forgive everyone and rain down flowers and puppies on a joyous Camelot, or c) take a righteous and fiery revenge on the whole kingdom? I just can't figure it out, can you?
The good news is, it looks like next week might actually have a few lines from Gwen, at least, and naturally the weekly dose of adorable Merlin and Arthur. And hopefully some more conscious adorable-ness from Uther. While the man is undeniably adorable while splatted on a desk or being dragged around the castle by his son and his son's servant, I have to say that I like him better while he's actually awake.
Excuse me, I think I have to go find "The One In Which Dr Bashir is an Evil Warlord and Morgana is Frankly Kickass in Appallingly Bad Armor" to cheer myself up. :P
ETA, some time later: Lest I be a total downer, here's a list of things I DID like about this episode:
- Arthur being all "whatever, I'll go be heroic and DIE FOR MY FATHER AND FRIENDS!"
(Although, um, hello? You're LEAVING GWEN BEHIND!!! How did it only now occur to me that was what happened there?)
- Uther at the end, mourning Morgana. I was pretty bitter by this point in the episode, but Tony did a fabulous job with this scene, and it was very well-written. I love how even though she was working with his enemies against him last week, he still can't forgive himself for not being able to protect her, and is obviously hugely broken up at her loss. ♥ And, um, is also still the teensiest bit creepy, hanging around in her room and all. Awww. I love my broken and so-very-screwed-up 'ship. ♥
- Morgana being all "I WANT UTHER DEAD MORE THAN ANYTHING!" ...and then utterly failing to do anything about it when she's left with a sword in her hand and an unconscious Uther conked out on a table. Although she was clearly thinking about it. Again, awwww. I love my creepy screwed up pairing, in all their creepy and screwed up glory. (I have a half-finished fic, now Jossed beyond reason, wherein a post-coital Morgana sits up watching sprawled-and-sleeping Uther, thinking about how she could kill him right then... and of course never does. Because they're like that.
- Arthur totally knows that Merlin's a sorcerer. He has to. Merlin yelled a spell in his EAR in this episode, right over his freaking shoulder, and Arthur's like "You okay? Cool, let me be manly and rip my shirt to ineffectually bind your tiny little paper-cut, and then we've got to get back to Camelot and get reinforcements." He totally knows. He's being intentionally obtuse because he knows that if he acknowledges it, he'll have to tell his daddy, and that would make him sad.
- Speaking of. The entirety of Camelot is asleep and under attack byNazgul evil black knights who cannot die, and Arthur is not concerned with Gwen (although he does very sweetly pick her up and put her on a bed... and then abandon her...), not with Morgana (who is obviously so fucking fucked up that really, if he had any sense, he'd be shaking her and demanding to know who she was and what she'd done with the bad-ass who bossed him around his whole life), not with his best friend / manservant, or with his entire freaking kingdom. No, Arthur is worried - nay, absolutely batshit neurotic - over his daddy. I understand Uther's the king and it's Arthur's duty to an extent to keep him safe (although that would otherwise seem to be news to this show, given their general lack of any concept of how the middle ages worked, not that I care - that's not the point of this show), but... damn. Those are, as usual, some horribly charming daddy issues that Arthur's got there. A few weeks ago he was trying to kill the guy, that's all I'm saying. And this week, he couldn't stand the thought of Uther being left on the floor. ♥
- Gaius' insane rictus face. Oh, actor-who-plays-Gaius-and-played-Dr-Constantine-in-"The Empty Child" - how I love you. You are awesome and adorable. ♥
- "If I need a servant in the next life..." Oh, Arthur. Never change. Seriously. I don't know when you became my favorite character, but you are, and I hope you never, ever change. ♥
Seriously, BBC - where do we apply for you to start writing things that don't become total ass by the end?
Now, in fairness, I still adore Merlin and Arthur. Their cuteness triumphs over all. But... for fuck's sake, would it kill us to give Morgana even a fraction of the agency she had in the first season, let alone how awesome she should, by all rights, have been in this season of her wild and crazy descent into evil?
Last season, based on Morgana as she was written then, I was really looking forward to her going over to the other side. I'd imagined this whole thing where the Morgana we know - the extremely moral, extremely headstrong, extremely over-the-top kind of girl I loved - took things too far. Where she... oh, I don't know. Decided that there was no way she could tolerate Uther and his paranoia and violence, and that Arthur was obviously going to be the same way because he doesn't know how to stand up to his daddy, or, better, she just plain that she would be a much better king than he ever would (because, seriously - if she hasn't thought that all her life, then I would be extremely shocked). In my head, it was going to be awesome! Morgana would come into her power as a sorceress, have some sort of dramatic falling-out with Gwen, have a period of intense power struggle with Arthur (and, by his constant loyalty to Arthur, with Merlin), and then leave brandishing a sword and setting fire to things, in a huff of "I can do better without all of you!"
...By comparison, you may be able to understand why I've been so intensely disappointed by her portrayal this season.
Somehow, I get the impression that we're supposed to forgive them ripping out Morgana's spine because we've been given Morgause in exchange, and I do not approve of this. I like Morgause - I really do. I like her very much. But I liked Morgana, too. I liked her before they gutted her character and left her a whiney, helpless little thing constantly whining about how she had to pretend to be Uther's loving ward (um, when exactly? Last time I checked, they argued constantly - and he still loved her anyway), wearing too much eyeliner (seriously, is that BBC code for "she's angsty and evil, everybody!" or what?), and completely unable to do anything on her own. Except whine. And moan. And generally completely fail to be the character I liked.
What. The fuck.
Oh, and major points to Merlin for not being able to figure out what will happen if he releases the dragon. Gee, Merlin - do you think the dragon will a) go off to live a solitary and peaceful life in the mountains, b) be so happy to be released that he will forgive everyone and rain down flowers and puppies on a joyous Camelot, or c) take a righteous and fiery revenge on the whole kingdom? I just can't figure it out, can you?
The good news is, it looks like next week might actually have a few lines from Gwen, at least, and naturally the weekly dose of adorable Merlin and Arthur. And hopefully some more conscious adorable-ness from Uther. While the man is undeniably adorable while splatted on a desk or being dragged around the castle by his son and his son's servant, I have to say that I like him better while he's actually awake.
Excuse me, I think I have to go find "The One In Which Dr Bashir is an Evil Warlord and Morgana is Frankly Kickass in Appallingly Bad Armor" to cheer myself up. :P
ETA, some time later: Lest I be a total downer, here's a list of things I DID like about this episode:
- Arthur being all "whatever, I'll go be heroic and DIE FOR MY FATHER AND FRIENDS!"
(Although, um, hello? You're LEAVING GWEN BEHIND!!! How did it only now occur to me that was what happened there?)
- Uther at the end, mourning Morgana. I was pretty bitter by this point in the episode, but Tony did a fabulous job with this scene, and it was very well-written. I love how even though she was working with his enemies against him last week, he still can't forgive himself for not being able to protect her, and is obviously hugely broken up at her loss. ♥ And, um, is also still the teensiest bit creepy, hanging around in her room and all. Awww. I love my broken and so-very-screwed-up 'ship. ♥
- Morgana being all "I WANT UTHER DEAD MORE THAN ANYTHING!" ...and then utterly failing to do anything about it when she's left with a sword in her hand and an unconscious Uther conked out on a table. Although she was clearly thinking about it. Again, awwww. I love my creepy screwed up pairing, in all their creepy and screwed up glory. (I have a half-finished fic, now Jossed beyond reason, wherein a post-coital Morgana sits up watching sprawled-and-sleeping Uther, thinking about how she could kill him right then... and of course never does. Because they're like that.
- Arthur totally knows that Merlin's a sorcerer. He has to. Merlin yelled a spell in his EAR in this episode, right over his freaking shoulder, and Arthur's like "You okay? Cool, let me be manly and rip my shirt to ineffectually bind your tiny little paper-cut, and then we've got to get back to Camelot and get reinforcements." He totally knows. He's being intentionally obtuse because he knows that if he acknowledges it, he'll have to tell his daddy, and that would make him sad.
- Speaking of. The entirety of Camelot is asleep and under attack by
- Gaius' insane rictus face. Oh, actor-who-plays-Gaius-and-played-Dr-Constantine-in-"The Empty Child" - how I love you. You are awesome and adorable. ♥
- "If I need a servant in the next life..." Oh, Arthur. Never change. Seriously. I don't know when you became my favorite character, but you are, and I hope you never, ever change. ♥
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no subject
Date: 2009-12-13 07:51 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-12-13 07:55 am (UTC)They got renewed... and I suppose that I will probably watch at least the first few, because I'm a sucker like that. But... damn.
no subject
Date: 2009-12-13 02:24 pm (UTC)Though I do think if Merlin had just talked to her about his magic and magic in general when she first found out about hers then she could sensibly plot with him rather than going to more extreme elements. Though then we wouldn't get more Morgause and she is damn awesome, even with her excessive eyeliner.
I guess we still have Arthur and Merlin fun, even if they are both idiots!
no subject
Date: 2009-12-14 09:58 pm (UTC)Morgause does have an absurd amount of eyeliner, doesn't she? Maybe that's why Morgana's been starting to wear so much - she wants to have something in common with her new girlfriend/sister/whatever.
At least we have that, yes.