#bbc commentary

[macbethz]

what i think REALLY works about dot and bubble is it plays with the genre conventions of doctor who itself. We've seen doctor lite episodes like this, we know how they work. There's person who needs to be saved who gets indirect help from the doctor, maybe they're flawed and learn a lesson at the end, maybe they're part of some flawed society that is just kind of set dressing or ends up being torn down at the end without examination. About halfway through the episode I was ready to brush this off as a fun but predictable classic rtd ep that wasn't really anything special. Then from the the betrayal of ricky September on its like watching a house of cards that has been built the entire episode without us noticing collapse into a perfect stack

“Oh well of course you could see them being racist the whole time” the thing is sometimes doctor who is just like that. RTD EPISODES have historically just been like that, either in that they are microagressions in themselves or have bigoted characters/worlds that go unexamined. And I think this episode performed an absolutely insane self aware slight of hand that relies on both you and the writers knowing that doctor who and sci fi in general has a racism problem. The ending recontextualizes things in the episode you may initially have brushed off as an unfortunate BBC or science fiction moment (all white cast, manifest destiny language) as symptomatic of larger societal issues, thus in turn recontextualizing missed moments of bigotry in the shows own history

[merlin-gifs]

Colin: Did you actually fall asleep on that log? Bradley: I might have done. It wouldn’t surprise me. (laughs) Bradley: I was trying to create the image that basically you’ve got this dashing knight called Lancelot, and then you’ve got (laughs) an oaf in the background just … who is asleep, snoring, mouth wide open, just looking incredibly unappealing. Bradley: ‘Cause I think essentially, y’know, Lancelot is the better choice for Guinevere.

MERLIN | 2x04 "Lancelot and Guinevere"

[booasaur]

Vigil - 2x02

[gldnstrngs]

i dont know if this is something thats been talked about but lowkey i feel like merlin couldve been done so well as a fleabag-esque or mockumentary style show😭😭

for example:

merlin to the audience: arthur is really oblivious when it comes to my magic

merlin: [proceeds to do magic right in front of arthur, his eyes glowing gold and everything]

arthur: [standing right in front of merlin and looking directly into his eyes] huh wonder what that was about

merlin to the audience: and he calls ME the idiot.

[pyjamacryptid]

And so the Jesus of Magic rose the very next day because there's a war on and he doesn't have time for this shit. Finally!! We're finally at Diamond of the Day Part I!! We actually finished watching the series months ago, so it's been really fun going back, rereading our commentary and putting these together.

BBC Merlin + live commentary by @macaritaville @1kitwonder and I from our Merlin watch party

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[kateis-cakeis]

I think what really gets to me with the finale is that Merlin was so close to getting Arthur to the lake. Yet, there was no plan beyond that. It's like even if they did get there, who knows if anything would have happened.

The idea that there was still more tragedy awaiting even if they made it, that yeah despite all of Merlin’s magic, he couldn't save Arthur's life.

It was always the possibility of the Sidhe, but there was no guarantee. It was all hope from the start, endless hope that failed them in the end.

Because well, it was always supposed to happen like this anyway... Arthur was meant to die so he could rise again, there was no alternative

[sprintingficcommentator]

With these kind of friends who needs enemies 😂😂😂

[nextstopparis]

lancelots “i would die for you one hundred times over” to gwen and merlins “[arthur’s] life is worth a hundred of mine” like ok

[aq2003]

god. literally

[sexy-sapphic-sorcerer]

1: Magic is a Metaphor > 2: Morgana is a Lesbian > 3: Merlin is Gay > 4: Arthur is Bi

Obviously, magic is a metaphor for being gay. It is something that you're born with, that you can't change, but that you have to hide because the society around you won't accept you. Both Merlin and Morgana are always saying that they've been made to feel like a monster, an outsider, and they just want to be accepted for who they really are. And it's no coincidence that they are the most queer coded characters in the whole show.

But building off of that subtext, I think that you can read the different way that Merlin and Morgana go about trying to achieve equal rights as being an allegory for queer identity politics, where Merlin embodies this homonationalist assimilation strategy. He believes that if he stays closeted and conforms to the status quo, then eventually he will prove that sorcerers are good, moral, normal people and therefore worthy of rights. But over time, he internalises all of this shame and self-hatred and becomes increasingly obsessed with Arthur and dependent on his validation until he becomes complicit in his own oppression.

Meanwhile, Morgana represents a radical rebellion ideology. Even though she comes from a place of privilege, she quickly realises that she can't achieve meaningful change through constitutional methods and therefore resorts to violent protest. But her downfall is that she's more motivated by personal vengeance than a genuine desire for equality. So she creates a lot of infighting within the community by shunning anyone whose ideas aren't as extreme as her own, and she inadvertently confirms all of the negative stereotypes about 'angry witches' that she has been trying to fight against.

Obviously I don't think that all of this political commentary is intentional, but the basic idea of magic being gay is definitely intentional. As evidenced by this quote from the executive producer of the show, where he says very sarcastically, "some people say that (magic) is a metaphor for his sexuality, but that's just read in by them, isn't it? On no level is magic metaphorical in this show." And then Katie McGrath says, "it's funny because I don't actually think you're being sincere." And then she says directly to the audience, "Julian is lying right now."

[adhd-merlin]

reading what julian jones said in an audio commentary about that merlin and gwaine scene in ep 4x07 I'm screaming

[Gwaine is waiting for Merlin in Gaius’s chambers.] Merlin: I’m busy. Gwaine: Doing what? Merlin: What do you think? RW: So Gwaine wasn’t in this, uh, initially? Not in this scene? JJ:     Well, there was a scene that was in, um, the armoury, from what I remember. RW: Yeah. JJ:     And, um…Merlin got quite angry that Arthur wasn’t doing anything and was uncharacteristically rude, in fact, and was quite bolshie. And I think that is what motivates, uh, Gwaine to come and offer to help out. RW: Yeah. JJ:     And so that wasn’t there for Gwaine. And in the end, the scene really wasn’t…wasn’t necessary. It didn’t take us anywhere. This scene’s a lovely scene because it’s a relationship. We know that they have a close relationship. RW: That they’re close, yeah. [Agravaine watches Gwaine and Merlin ride off together.] JJ:     Yeah, and you instinctively understand why Gwaine has gone there to help out his friend and, um, Merlin, feeling the whole world’s against him…rejects this. Um, but then, slowly, they form a partnership and um…which is, uh, going to drive us towards, uh, rescuing [Gaius].

— transcript by @poetryincamelot

[that-nerd-who-writes-fanfiction]

Do you ever just think about the times Arthur looked at Merlin in the last episode and how absolutely smitten he was?

I feel like Merlin had already realised how much he loved Arthur at the end of season 4 and then got his heart broken when Arthur and Gwen got back together. Of course, he was overall happy for his two best friends and he knew Gwen would be the best Queen for Camelot, but there was some small part of him that had to accept that he would never be loved by Arthur the same way.

Arthur undoubtedly loved him, even if Merlin struggled to remember at times, but it wasn’t in the same way. Merlin learned to be happy with whatever way Arthur cared about him because they’d found out how to love each other in their own ways that still worked with the differences.

So by that final episode when Arthur saw Merlin and truly fell in love with him, Merlin didn’t get to see the change.

I don’t know, I was just thinking about how Arthur died the moment Merlin really saw a chance for them to have a chance.

[merlin-gifs]

Katie: But the chemistry between you, that's undeniable. It's something that just can't be written. I mean, look at this. Katie: Oh, It's so beautiful. Look at this moment. There's such a moment between the two of you. Arthur: Merlin... Katie: "I love you." Colin: Come on, you're just fuelling stuff here for websites to [...] Katie: (laughs) Ok, I'll stop.

MERLIN | 1x10 "The Moment of Truth"

[natjennie]

thought about a kitty and captain slumber party and felt a pang in my chest unlike any other..... he would be so good at braiding hair and painting nails.....

[consultwithmouse]

Katie Mcgrath and Julian Murphy | Merlin commentary 5x13 ❤️

[pyjamacryptid]

DoTD II Interlude: Homoeroticism

BBC Merlin + live commentary by @macaritaville @1kitwonder and I from our Merlin watch party

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