#merlin s1 ep 11

[buckbeforeyou]

Arthur being willing to die for Merlin while Anhora says “he has proved what’s in his heart” SIR WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT?!?

That scene was so romance coded

[adhd-merlin]

merlin S1 rewatch: episode 11 🦄

hey remember that I started a S1 rewatch? last summer.

just some random thoughts. this is not a coherent or comprehensive commentary in any way.

in fact, let's start from (nearly) the end: why is there a MASSIVE labyrinth in the middle of nowhere? like who made it? who maintains it? what is it for?

and Arthur seemed to know exactly where to find it so its existence isn't even a mystery, apparently. I know there are some random, never-mentioned-again locations in other episodes but this one is possibly the random-est.

anyway. interesting episode to rewatch knowing what's going to happen later. of course, it's very much about Arthur's character (literally), but it's also about Arthur and Uther in a way that lays the groundwork beautifully for ep 5x03 (The Song of Uther Pendragon).

It starts with Arthur seeking his father's praise by presenting him with the unicorn's horn; it ends with him receiving a lukewarm pat on the arm by Uther after saving the day (after he ruined it, I suppose, but still).

Arthur fails the second test when the "grain thief" he confronts in the forest voices his deepest fears – "he doubts you'll make a good king," the man says. "I think he wishes he had another son".

(I've seen people ask "Why did Arthur summon Uther's ghost instead of Ygraine's?" about ep 5x03. Well, here's why. Because Arthur always sought Uther's approval. Because he always looked up to Uther, as a king if not as a man, and who else would he turn to when doubting himself?)

Naturally, Arthur shows himself to be worthy of the throne when he's most unlike Uther – like when he refuses to give out the order to stop distributing food to the people – but he doesn't know it yet. it will take him some more years to realise it.

I love that we see Arthur's fiddling with Ygraine's ring right in the following scene, when he's looking at his people.

I love how subtle the use of this ring is (we are never even explicitly told it belonged to Arthur's mother and it could easily have been mentioned) and how it adds to Arthur's characterisation when you start paying attention to it.

Gwen didn't have a big part in this episode (Morgana even less so) but I loved her "I'm sure Arthur will think of something" to Merlin. She always had faith in him. (see also ep 3x13: "You gave us hope… I saw the king you will become" 🥺)

Merlin drinking poison to save Arthur in ep 4 vs Arthur drinking poison to save Merlin in ep 11. We love symmetry <3

Arthur telling Merlin "I'm glad you're here, Merlin", knowing he's going to die soon, hits different after watching the last episode (also this line makes me think of Frodo's "I am glad you are here with me. Here at the end of all things, Sam")

I quite like the fairytale vibes of this ep – the haughty prince, the curse, the secret test of character, the three trials. All in all an enjoyable self-contained episode.

Also kudos to the horse for its acting.

[honeyxmonkey]

6, 11 and 15 for the ask game!

I will answer all of them... because I can :]

6. Favorite episode from Trollhunters?

Ooh... probably S1 Ep 12 "Claire and Present Danger"

Because of that fucking badass None Shall Live scene. I love it

11. Favorite dynamic?

Oh for sure the lost Jim and Douxie dynamic that I made up in my head. They had so much potential. They should've been friends 🥲

13. Most heartbreaking scene in Trollhunters?

Unbecoming... when Jim is screaming for anyone to come help him but he's all alone 😭

15. Most heartbreaking scene in Wizards?

Douxie and Merlin’s final goodbye hug. I cry everytime. The way Douxie throws himself into Merlin’s arms and Merlin cradles the back of his head

[lena-in-a-red-dress]

I was tagged by @occidentaltourist. This was hard but I gave it my all, thank you for including me, now please come read my rantings...

my shows (in no particular order) :

Merlin

Xena: Warrior Princess

Stargate SG-1

Supergirl

Sanctuary

questions:

1. who is your favorite character in 2?

Xena. How is this even a question? This bish was so extra I didn’t even know the meaning of the word until I saw her bury her damn armor in the first 30 seconds of the first episode. The battle cry, the chakram-- the leather. My poor baby gay brain melted.

2. who is your least favorite character in 1?

Fucking Merlin. I would normally say Kilgarrah the dragon, as the instigator of most of Merlin’s dumbfuckery in one way or the other, but I can at least say Kilgarrah had his motives for doing what he did and insomuch at least remained consistent. Merlin not so much.

3. what is your favorite episode of 4?

Tie between “Exodus” and “Luthors”, I think. Maybe. Any Lena-centric episode is up there, honestly.

4. what is your favorite season of 5?

Probably S1. It’s the most cooky, and the most unique, where they really leaned into the teslapunk vibe and the revisionist history angle (not in a “if the nazis won” kind of way either) in how Helen knew so many people from across history. It also has Ashley, my poor heart.

5. who is your favorite couple in 3?

Sam and Jaaaaack

6. who is your favorite couple in 2?

Xena and Gabrielle. Can you believe my ace ass watched through the entire series thinking they’ve got the absolute Life™, tooling around the ancient world as besties? I only saw the gay when I atched a BTS interview with Lucy Lawless and Renee O’Connor where they were like “yeah it was totally gay” and I was like ( O.o ) and immediately went to re-watch it and only THEN did I realize how fucking gay it was oh my god.

7. what is your favorite episode in 1?

“To Kill the King”. I know it sucks when a show peaks in S1, but honestly? We’ve got the pinnacle of Morgana’s spirit in her efforts to free Gwen’s father, her rage in her failure to do so, and her impulsivity in deciding to do something about it by conspiring to assassinate Uther. And then we also have the embodiment of her kindness when she changes her mind at the last moment and kills to protect him. It only goes downhill from there.

8. what is your favorite episode of 5?

TEMPUS. Motherfucking god almighty “Tempus” took my breath away when I first saw it. It’s always the first one I go back to. The continuity, the performances, the sheer badassery from Miss Helen Magnus…. THAT was a masterpiece of television and anyone who disagrees can kiss my ass.

9. what is your favorite season of 2?

I gravitate towards the second season of X:WP, honestly. They’d hit their stride, and the season was predominantly one-offs, which I prefer over the heavy seasonal arcs they get into in later seasons. It also has my favorite episode, “A Day in the Life.” I live for “day in the life” type episodes, and this is the reason why. 

10. how long have you watched 1?

Ummm I binged the entire series oh…. Two years ago? Since then, I’ve watched only the pre-evil Morgana-heavy eps when I need something on in the background.

11. how did you become interested in 3?

So what happened was that I got to military training early, and had to spend two weeks in med company until my training billet opened up. While there, a buddy of mine had some atlantis eps on a usb drive and we watched during personal time. After I heatstroked twice later in said cycle, I had insomnia for the following year, and decided to catch up on the show-- from the beginning of SG-1. I watched whenever I couldn’t sleep and ended up getting through all 200+ episodes by the end of the semester. It’s probably the only reason I survived that year at all, tbh.

12. who is your favorite actor in 4?

Three-way tie between Melissa Benoist, Chyler Leigh, and Katie McGrath. All three have the knack for non-verbal acting that I really gravitate towards. Some cases in point are Kara’s physicality in Season 1, and Alex’s coming out arc in Season 2. For Katie McGrath, I could point to any scene between Lena and Lillian, or Lena and any moment of vulnerability. Given the right material, all three are breathtaking.

13. which do you prefer, 1, 2, or 5?

Uggggghhh….. It’s definitely between 2 or 5. Both are equally meaningful to me. But I have to admit that I re-watch Sanctuary more, and I was definitely more active in the fandom there than I was for Xena, so… Sanctuary.

14. which show have you seen more episodes of, 1 or 3?

Ha. Ha ha ha hahahaha… 3. Stargate SG-1 has 214 episodes, not including two spinoffs, plus a short-lived animated series, a mobile game, and 31 tie-in novels (50+ if you include the atlantis tie ins and assorted novellas). 

Merlin has 65 episodes.

15. if you could be anyone from 4, who would you be?

By nature, Lena. By choice? Alex Danvers. She is the embodiment of everything I ever wished I could be. Her close bond with Kara. Her fierce protectiveness-- and ability to back it up. Her trust and confidence in herself and her friends. Her authority and physical prowess. Yeah. I’d choose to be Alex.

16. would a crossover between 3 and 4 work?

Strictly speaking… yes. There’s not enough room here to go into full details, but yes. It’s entirely feasible.

17. pair two characters in 1 that would make an unlikely but strangely okay couple

Arthur and Morgana. I say this in full knowledge that they’re siblings (hence the unlikely and strange part), but they’d be okay because in my mind they’d rule platonically and each of them would have their own spouses and it’d be two pendragons ruling to protect camelot and the rest of the world quivers before them.

18. overall, which story has the better storyline, 3 or 5?

What kind of question is that? Which storyline? They both have duds, and they both knock it out of the park. Am I supposed to compare bests? They fill different niches, bro DO NOT MAKE ME CHOOSE BETWEEN SANCTUARY AND SG-1 I REFUSE

19. which has the better theme music, 2 or 4?

I feel that this is an unfair question in this day and age, as most current tv shows don’t have theme songs the way they used to. They don’t have opening credits, so how are we supposed to be able to ID a theme song like we did in the old days? 

That said, I’m able to hum the Xena theme right off the bat, while Supergirl I’d only recognize if I heard it. So, Xena wins. Xena also wins for opening voice-over.

Tagging: @magicalstripedhorse. @samarallewis86, @cloudytiger, @storyiicharacter, @motorcyclegirlfriends, @calculatingdistances and anyone else who wants to rant about their shows.