*brings you some virtual chicken soup* Hope you feel better!
I can't say that I disagree with any of your Merlin points, although I don't really feel any disappointment at this point. My disappointment got burned out of me somewhere along the way - now I just kind of shrug and think, well, yeah, it's that point in the season where it all starts to go to hell in a suck basket. Right on schedule!
Merlin's characterization has been extremely dubious for a very long time now. I can't say I'm surprised that it's gone even darker now. He's always prioritized his secret over everything except Arthur's life and throne. With the number of people, including friends and comrades and innocent bystanders, that he's let die over the years, I'm not at all shocked that he's perfectly willing to manipulate Mordred's demise even if he's not yet willing to murder him outright. Fandom loves to characterize Merlin as the do-gooder vegetarian pacifist, but that's never been who he is on the show. I don't like it, either, but I think I just abandoned all hope when we had the time jump before this season.
i really which we'd had more exploration of gwen's weakness in this.
Yeah, this was just lazy, lazy writing. I mean, the whole episode was horribly written, but it would have been so much more effective to show any of those things you mentioned rather than that ridiculous scene of the knights talking about their dreams of how scary the dark tower is. I think we all read into it the same way with her insecurities, but FFS, would it kill them to actually give her just one minute of real characterization on the screen instead of making us do all the work?
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branchandroot
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Date: 2012-11-12 04:10 pm (UTC)I can't say that I disagree with any of your Merlin points, although I don't really feel any disappointment at this point. My disappointment got burned out of me somewhere along the way - now I just kind of shrug and think, well, yeah, it's that point in the season where it all starts to go to hell in a suck basket. Right on schedule!
Merlin's characterization has been extremely dubious for a very long time now. I can't say I'm surprised that it's gone even darker now. He's always prioritized his secret over everything except Arthur's life and throne. With the number of people, including friends and comrades and innocent bystanders, that he's let die over the years, I'm not at all shocked that he's perfectly willing to manipulate Mordred's demise even if he's not yet willing to murder him outright. Fandom loves to characterize Merlin as the do-gooder vegetarian pacifist, but that's never been who he is on the show. I don't like it, either, but I think I just abandoned all hope when we had the time jump before this season.
i really which we'd had more exploration of gwen's weakness in this.
Yeah, this was just lazy, lazy writing. I mean, the whole episode was horribly written, but it would have been so much more effective to show any of those things you mentioned rather than that ridiculous scene of the knights talking about their dreams of how scary the dark tower is. I think we all read into it the same way with her insecurities, but FFS, would it kill them to actually give her just one minute of real characterization on the screen instead of making us do all the work?