Merlin's End
Dec. 29th, 2012 09:58 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bunnI've been watching the BBC's Merlin on and off, mostly on the grounds that it is Arthuriana and quite pretty. The plots and characterisation seemed to get in a bit of a tangle from time to time, and sometimes you could only conclude that Monty Python was right about Camelot being a very silly place, but on the whole I enjoyed it.
I enjoyed the final two episodes too, although I am vaguely aware that lots of people didn't. It was nice to see Merlin finally doing some serious magic and coming out as a sorcerer, and also, hurray! Some Saxons have finally turned up. I'd been wondering if the whole Saxon side of the story had been dispensed with. I was disappointed to see that the Merlin Saxons weren't colour-coded with huge fluffy sheepskin vests, like Arthur of the Britons Saxons though. Actually, possibly that suggests one thing that would have improved Merlin as faintly-cheesy Arthuriana. It was very jolly, but it contained no Brian Blessed, and although Merlin's Percival's enormous arms were probably comparable to Brian's as Mark of Cornwall, there was no comparable bellowing.
I did wonder what exactly Morgana had done to win the everlasting devotion of the Saxons so that they were so willing to send an army at her call. Possibly I missed that, but my guess would be that these particular Saxons are just really into invading... everything. I am not even sure if any of them got names. England, founded by an army of nameless henchmen! There's a heritage to echo down the centuries.
The last episode of all was an extended two-day post-Camlann death scene, with Merlin playing the Bedivere role. This might have seemed a rather gloomy way to end if it were not, well, post-Camlann Arthuriana, and therefore never likely to be a bundle of laughs. At long last Arthur found out that Merlin had been stage-managing his entire career with illegal magic. He coped with the revelation surprisingly well, considering, and the whole 'you killed my father : prepare to die!' thing never came up at all, although possibly that was because of the 'dying of a splinter from an unearthly blade that is working inwards' aspect (where have I heard that one before...?)
Seeing Merlin as a sorcerer who actually sorcels full time, rather than a servant who sorcels furtively on the side, made me realise why the series has hung on so desperately to the idea that Merlin's magic must be a big secret, to the point where it was hard for the viewer to understand quite why nobody (particularly Arthur) had worked it out yet. As soon as Merlin turned up and started hurling lighting bolts, the entire Camelot army was suddenly rendered obsolete by superior technology. It made me wonder how they would have written a Merlin is revealed as a sorcerer plot earlier in the series - compared with Arthur, Merlin is shown as cleverer, mostly better informed, and with a better understanding of ordinary people, so you kind of wonder what there would have been left for Arthur to do, other than hang about looking regal and securing the succession. Although I suppose that is essentially much of the role of the British monarchy today.
I really liked the final little scene with an old, present-day Merlin walking past Glastonbury Tor (where he had left Arthur many centuries/one scene previously). It suggested all sorts of intriguing ideas for a Once and Future King return, without promising anything too definite. Although of course, you could see that Glastonbury Tor is no longer an island, raising the old questions about whether they found the Lady in the Lake when the drainage work was done, whether she was annoyed about being drained out of a home, etc
etc. And in this particular case, whether the Sidhe are still living there, and if so whether they are now running some sort of New Age teashop full of dreamcatchers and incense holders.
Oh, one final thing - was the 'Guinevere crowned as queen music' the same music that Aragorn gets crowned to in Return of the King? Is that official TV Coronation Music now? It sounded very similar!
I enjoyed the final two episodes too, although I am vaguely aware that lots of people didn't. It was nice to see Merlin finally doing some serious magic and coming out as a sorcerer, and also, hurray! Some Saxons have finally turned up. I'd been wondering if the whole Saxon side of the story had been dispensed with. I was disappointed to see that the Merlin Saxons weren't colour-coded with huge fluffy sheepskin vests, like Arthur of the Britons Saxons though. Actually, possibly that suggests one thing that would have improved Merlin as faintly-cheesy Arthuriana. It was very jolly, but it contained no Brian Blessed, and although Merlin's Percival's enormous arms were probably comparable to Brian's as Mark of Cornwall, there was no comparable bellowing.
I did wonder what exactly Morgana had done to win the everlasting devotion of the Saxons so that they were so willing to send an army at her call. Possibly I missed that, but my guess would be that these particular Saxons are just really into invading... everything. I am not even sure if any of them got names. England, founded by an army of nameless henchmen! There's a heritage to echo down the centuries.
The last episode of all was an extended two-day post-Camlann death scene, with Merlin playing the Bedivere role. This might have seemed a rather gloomy way to end if it were not, well, post-Camlann Arthuriana, and therefore never likely to be a bundle of laughs. At long last Arthur found out that Merlin had been stage-managing his entire career with illegal magic. He coped with the revelation surprisingly well, considering, and the whole 'you killed my father : prepare to die!' thing never came up at all, although possibly that was because of the 'dying of a splinter from an unearthly blade that is working inwards' aspect (where have I heard that one before...?)
Seeing Merlin as a sorcerer who actually sorcels full time, rather than a servant who sorcels furtively on the side, made me realise why the series has hung on so desperately to the idea that Merlin's magic must be a big secret, to the point where it was hard for the viewer to understand quite why nobody (particularly Arthur) had worked it out yet. As soon as Merlin turned up and started hurling lighting bolts, the entire Camelot army was suddenly rendered obsolete by superior technology. It made me wonder how they would have written a Merlin is revealed as a sorcerer plot earlier in the series - compared with Arthur, Merlin is shown as cleverer, mostly better informed, and with a better understanding of ordinary people, so you kind of wonder what there would have been left for Arthur to do, other than hang about looking regal and securing the succession. Although I suppose that is essentially much of the role of the British monarchy today.
I really liked the final little scene with an old, present-day Merlin walking past Glastonbury Tor (where he had left Arthur many centuries/one scene previously). It suggested all sorts of intriguing ideas for a Once and Future King return, without promising anything too definite. Although of course, you could see that Glastonbury Tor is no longer an island, raising the old questions about whether they found the Lady in the Lake when the drainage work was done, whether she was annoyed about being drained out of a home, etc
etc. And in this particular case, whether the Sidhe are still living there, and if so whether they are now running some sort of New Age teashop full of dreamcatchers and incense holders.
Oh, one final thing - was the 'Guinevere crowned as queen music' the same music that Aragorn gets crowned to in Return of the King? Is that official TV Coronation Music now? It sounded very similar!
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no subject
Date: 2012-12-29 10:30 pm (UTC)Although I think I'd rather read the story about Sidhe running New Age shops, snickering at the humans all the while...
Why did people hate the finale? I've seen discontent, but no specifics.
no subject
Date: 2012-12-29 11:50 pm (UTC)I haven't done any very comprehensive survey, but I think there was a feeling that as it was Prophesied that Arthur would bring in a golden age where magic was legal, that should have happened (preferably Happily Ever After with Merlin), rather than just leaving a vague impression that magic would be legalised by Guinevere after his death.
There were quite a lot of loose ends that weren't really tied up much too, although I get the impression that which ends people think are particularly loose varies quite a lot depending on which of the characters they were most interested in. Oh, and they killed off Gwaine (I don't know what happened to his A) who was one of the prettier knights, in a bit of a minor subplot - I'm sure that annoyed some people.
no subject
Date: 2012-12-30 06:42 am (UTC)The Sidhe probably wear Fair Trade woolly jumpers in rainbow shades, with jeans to run their ironic New Age shops, I'm thinking
This sounds amazing.
I think I would be unhappy with any Arthurian adaptation that goes up to Camlann and then ends in Happily Ever After. I mean, I was okay with the ridiculous King Arthur movie because it tried (goofily) to historicize, so why not let Arthur and Gwen have a HEA? But if you keep the mythic elements, I feel like the tragedy is kind of inherent.
no subject
Date: 2012-12-30 09:29 am (UTC)It's rather lovely that many people fell so hard for this version of the legend that they are heartbroken by the tragedy. Camlann *should* leave the audience heartbroken for the opportunities lost: they *should* feel like something important has been broken, I think. Suggests the writers were doing something right that they got that reaction.
no subject
Date: 2012-12-30 05:28 pm (UTC)I was writing my own version of Merlin/Arthur long before the show, but it was still infidelity and Guen was sleeping with Bedwyr, and Merlin ended up with his eyes cut out nailed to a tree, so. IDK. I guess I mostly like my Arthuriana filled with grinding misery? More leeway if you historify it, at least on the personal level, but he didn't exactly hold back the Saxon tide for long.
he didn't exactly hold back the Saxon tide for long.
Date: 2012-12-30 06:04 pm (UTC)Heroic failure : absolutely one of my weaknesses!
Ouch, poor Merlin nailed to a tree! Based on anything in particular?
no subject
Date: 2012-12-30 06:47 pm (UTC)The story was originally inspired by Kathy Mar's "Merlin," a wondrously creepy song you can download here: http://www.prometheus-music.com/eli/virtual.html
In retrospect, I think what I was doing with Gwen was problematic, so if I ever revisit I will have to seriously rethink.
no subject
Date: 2012-12-30 10:19 am (UTC)In our ideal version of the story, there would have been a reveal of Merlin's magic at least two seasons ago, then the Round Table would have been formed and the kingdom built, with Merlin and Arthur openly working together to make it happen, as was prophesied back in the early part of season one.
It had been increasingly obvious that that wasn't what we were going to be getting, and certainly by this season, when many years had passed off screen and they were already talking about Camlann, without ever had the glory in the first place, I could see it was never going to happen, which is why I gave up watching at the beginning of this season.
In my experience the vast majority of Merlin fans I know actually loved the final episode - to the extent that I got several people telling me to watch it within minutes of asking. By that point, the tragic ending was inevitable, but we did finally get the vindication for Merlin, and Merlin and Arthur's relationship, that we'd been wanting for up to 5 years.
It wasn't the tragedy that bothered me, it was that we never actually got to see High King Arthur, the noble king of Albion, and his trusted friend and advisor Merlin, working together to save the kingdom from outside threats. The original Arthurian story ended in tragedy eventually, yes, but at least Arthur got to be king, and successful and glorious first.
no subject
Date: 2012-12-30 02:04 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-12-30 02:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-12-30 05:22 pm (UTC)Fair enough. It does seem a little odd to skip over that.