Even More Slashy Than "Lancelot"!

[sophieisgod]

I seriously think there must be a memo pinned up somewhere on the Merlin set requesting that all stars and guest stars PLAY IT AS GAY AS IS HUMANLY POSSIBLE. I love this show.

+ Merlin, Arthur and their acknowledged-by-all manlove
Ohhh, man. SO MUCH EPIC LOVE ON DISPLAY, I CANNOT EVEN HANDLE IT. Magnificent separately, magnificent together, I am just aflail with how much I am rooting for these two characters. There was a scene on the Balcony Of Ponderment! An awesome scene with sincere!Merlin and pretending-not-to-care!Arthur! And then campfires and sleepovers and close motivational talking! ALL GOOD THINGS, I THINK WE CAN AGREE. And the thing is, it isn't even just that they're both very pretty and banter and touch a lot. I love how both of them are better and stronger now than they were at the beginning of the series (DISCLAIMER: WITH THE EXCEPTION OF KILLING A FUCKING UNICORN, DICKHEAD. Honestly). I love how Merlin's method of making Arthur awesome has evolved from using magic to save him from shit to ~talking it out~ and encouraging Arthur to do good things and be the just and righteous badass he is capable of being. Just, the sheer faith Merlin has in him is staggering, he is so fervent and wide-eyed and will just defend Arthur to anyone and I AM NOT MADE OF STONE, OKAY.

Also, everybody else in this episode (except Will, but that's just the envy!) talked about them as if they were a couple, even Merlin's mum. Discussing the fact that Arthur must care for Merlin! Telling Merlin that Arthur like likes him (well, shhh, near enough)! And Merlin, God, it just breaks me every time he gets all open and unself-conscious and WHY YES WE DO HAVE A BOND, HAVE YOU NOTICED? because on some level I am still worried that Arthur will pull the WHAT NO YOU ARE MY SERVANT NOT MY FRIEND GET OUT OF MY SIGHT shit again, and I don't want him to get huuuuurt.

Also, Arthur's foot on Merlin's face. WHAT. LOVE IT.

+ Hey, television, please stop killing Joe Dempsie
Seriously. It makes me so very sad. Also, LOL TOTAL EX-BOYFRIEND. Merlin, you heartbreaker, abandoning bruised and adorable Will to go off and fall in love with a shiny blonde prince. Will in general just made me sad because he was so bitter, which is something that Chris Miles never really was. And he was angry at Merlin for leaving, and he was angry at him for changing, and he was angry at him for liking Arthur, but mainly he was angry with him for not being true to himself, which just, like, slays me dead, because booooooys, I love you all to pieces. Also, I totally love it when Merlin has to choose between Arthur And His Shiny Destiny and Preventing Lots Of Death.

Something that I loved a lot: the fact that Will wore his dad's chainmail and torn, bloodstained tunic.

OHHH, GOD, THE DEATH SCENE. Colin was crying actual real tears over his head! It was just too sad.

Also, HEY JOE DEMPSIE MEDIEVAL FANTASYLAND LOOKS GOOOOOOD ON YOU.

+ All the women who are independent, throw your hands up at me
FINALLY, the girls got something hardcore to do! FIERCE AND HARDCORE! Morgana is such a badass with her fightin' skillz (LOVED the exchange with Arthur in the midst of the scrap - yay banter and Morgana pwning Arthur forever) and her natty, like, chainmail shrug or whatever that was. And GWEN. HOMG. It felt like this was a natural extension of the glimpses we'd seen of her in "The Beginning Of The End", when she was all srs bzns about how nearly getting executed is actually fucking horrible. Arthur and Morgana can, to a certain degree, do what they like and fuck the consequences, whether that be standing up to Uther or turning up one's royal nose at a crappy breakfast of slop, but people like Gwen just can't, so I really really love that she's started calling people on it. ALSO, THERE WAS ACTUAL ARTHUR&GWEN INTERACTION. And it was kind of exactly what I wanted it to be, with her being awesome and him being kind of grudingly respectful? AND ALSO, THE WAY HE SAID HER NAME WITH THE STRESS IN THE WRONG PLACE, LIKE "GUINEVERE" JUST. KILLED ME. Yay, awesome foursome! I am now offically invested in seeing every possible combination of these guys interact. Especially Merlin/Morgana! THEY ARE BOTH PALE AND BEAUTIFUL AND MAGIC!!!

Also, I love Gwen and Morgana BFFing all over the place, with their shared looks and pillow talk about Arthur/Merlin. Also also, it kind of amused me a lot that the boys were top 'n' tailing it (FOOT! FACE!) because they are mansome, but that the girls might as well have been snuggling. DID I MENTION THAT I REALLY LOVE THIS SHOW?

+ Gaius and Merlin scene! I love those scenes! Hugging! Love!

+ God, Colin Morgan, you are delicious with your cheekbones and your eyes and your lips and your silly ears, but sometimes I wonder if it is strictly necessary for you to have chemistry with *every* other character. Angry Ex-Boyfriend Will, fine and dandy; I am pro-that. But please don't make me think weird thoughts about Merlin and his mother because you're getting all intense and stroking her face and shit like that. I love you, but you're hurting my brain.

+ Could we talk for a minute about how, in this universe, magic = otherness = gay? It's something that's been kind of at the back of my mind for a while, because it was in, like a Guardian article or something, and also because HELLO THEY ARE SO IN LOVE, but this episode came on very strong with the "Merlin is different from the other boys" stuff, and also with the whole idea of people accepting Merlin for his wonderful magical self and how awesome it would be for him to come out of the magical closet. Before I saw this episode, I kind of didn't want Arthur to actually find out about Merlin's powers, because I thought that it was still a little bit early to be messing with the core dynamics of the show, but by the time it got to Will fake!confessing on his deathbed (meep), I really really wanted Arthur to know. I BASICALLY JUST WANT EVERYTHING TO BE AWESOME FOR MERLIN, and I feel so bad for him having to ~conceal his magical truthful essence~ all the time, especially when it got to the point where he was going to have to tell Arthur, and had faced up to that, and was ready to completely fucking own it. IDK. Thoughts?

Einstein and Eddington was absolutely gorgeous, by the way. David Tennant made me cry with his desire for truth and his angsty repressed Cambridge man love, and Andy Serkis was magnificently out of his tree, and MY ALL-TIME NUMBER ONE FOREVER GIRL CRUSH REBECCA HALL was beautiful with her lovely clear eyes and Quakerish ways. So, yeah. Catch it if you can, definitely.

Also, LET'S TALK ABOUT THE BSG PREVIEW, PLEASE.

Right, I should probably go to sleep now, but instead I am going to watch another episode of Band of Brothers because it has eaten my life, just like it does every other time I start watching it. Doc Roe, guys. And Luz and his eyelashes. RUINED, I AM.

How are you? ♥

Comments

[hostile17girl.livejournal.com]

One of these days I will actually start watching Merlin. One of these days.

I'm glad Einstein and Eddington was made of magnificence. It's taking foreverrrr to download, argh.

I stopped watching BSG many moons ago so I have no opinion on this preview of which you speak.

[drjenny88.livejournal.com]

Everything about this episode was so amazing. Best one so far. Oh, Colin Morgan kills me with his attractiveness and incredible acting ability, and you're completely right on the weirdness of the chemistry with Hunith - it's cool that he's hot with every other character, but she's his mum and that was so many kinds of wrong.

I like the idea that magic represents gayness, especially if you look at it in terms of the other characters' reactions to Merlin - Hunith professes to love him no matter what and has faith that others will too, regardless of his 'difference'; Gaius, who has negative experiences of magic himself, constantly tells Merlin to hide it and keep a low profile; Arthur knows nothing about it and treats Merlin as a friend until magical-type circumstances arise, at which point he gets pissy and backs away, usually focusing on the 'master-servant' thing instead of frienship; and Will knows about it and wants Merlin to be true to himself, whatever the consequences. The whole analogy actually works really well.

I really, really loved this episode!

[sophieisgod.livejournal.com]

SUCH IS THE POWER OF COLIN...

Ooh, I like the way you've worked that out; I hadn't even thought about the Gaius thing.

It was so intense and wonderful! :)

[lovestories.livejournal.com]

Also, Arthur's foot on Merlin's face. WHAT. LOVE IT.

INDEED. That and Arthur helping Merlin adjust his armor for a bit just about KILLED ME WITH RANDOM TOUCHING!JOY.

Hey, television, please stop killing Joe Dempsie

After Will got shot, I kept thinking to myself, "Merlin will fix him with magic! YES HE WILL" but then he ACTUALLY DIED, AND IT WAS SAD AND TERRIBLE AND I CRIED JUST LIKE I DID WHEN CHRIS DIED (well, possibly a little less, since Will was - while awesome with an extremely emotional death scene - only a one-shot character, alas).

Yay, awesome foursome! I am now offically invested in seeing every possible combination of these guys interact.

At this point, WHO ISN'T? This icon has never been more appropriate!

But please don't make me think weird thoughts about Merlin and his mother because you're getting all intense and stroking her face and shit like that.

THANK GOD IT WASN'T JUST ME. While that scene was going on, I couldn't help thinking, "This would be such a great shippy scene...IF SHE WASN'T HIS MOTHER. DO NOT EVEN GO THERE SELF. NOT WITH HIS MOTHER."

[sophieisgod.livejournal.com]

YES, THE TOUCHING! I also really love that Arthur's still making Merlin dress him, because a) it amuses me greatly and b) ... no, it just amuses me greatly. I do kind of like that they still have the master/servant thing going on, though, IDK why really.

Man, I didn't cry so much at Chris' actual death as I did at the scene in Jal's episode where she presses the coin into his hand and goes "This is all my luck." POSH KENNETH, WHY MUST YOU MAKE ME WEEP WITH YOUR WRITING? But I thought Joe & Colin did a really good job at selling the relationship.

HEY COLIN, WHY SO INAPPROPRIATE AND AWESOME?

[cometotheedge.livejournal.com]

OHHH, GOD, THE DEATH SCENE. Colin was crying actual real tears over his head! It was just too sad.

And stroking his hair!!!! I meeped. Repeatedly.

I still reckon Arthur's worked it out, on some level. I may need to watch the ep again to make sure. And again. And again. And again.

Have I mentioned I'm so glad you're on the fanwagon for this show? At this stage the only way it could get more awesome would be if Harry Lloyd turned up. (One word, BBC - GALAHAD. Three more words - CASTLE ANTHRAX MACROS.)

[sophieisgod.livejournal.com]

Yeah, there was definitely A Look when Merlin said "Will, don't..." Ohh, I hope he knows. Gah, this show! I did not expet this level of emotion when I signed up, I tell you that.

Hee, thank you! I love how so many RH people have been using Merlin as their methadone and just fallen in love with it :)

DUDE, YES. Although, I'd be quite keen to see him play someone a little less.. virginal? His turn on The Devil's Whore has reawakened my Baines!love for inappropriately!creepy!Harry.

[cometotheedge.livejournal.com]

I did not expet this level of emotion when I signed up, I tell you that.

STRONG TRUTH. After ep1 I was like, 'ah, bickering. I shall slash them for TEH LULZ' and then pretty much from Valiant onwards the pair of them were like 'actually, it's not just the hormones, we are in fact *soinlove*' and my heart. It melted.

Although, I'd be quite keen to see him play someone a little less.. virginal? His turn on The Devil's Whore has reawakened my Baines!love for inappropriately!creepy!Harry.

God, yes. I mean, that's why I fell in love with Harry; when he was coming on like that old Pot Noodle advert - This is so wrong. But it feels so RIGHT. But OTOH my brain kind of had him playing Galahad all badass-Zen-slash-Samurai type of virginal...who then gets iredeemably corrupted by Camelot's Colossal Gayage.

*re-reads comment. is shocked at own sleaze.*

[entangled-now.livejournal.com]

Arthur's foot on Merlin's face. WHAT. LOVE IT

So much love for that part, so random, so flirty! Lol.

Also, I think Arthur now secretly knows, and will dramatically angst about it later when he's on his own....

[sophieisgod.livejournal.com]

I was just like "ohh, they are such boys" at that part. I bet they wrestle when nobody's watching.

I'm hoping that, too! Here's to possible future window!brooding...

[entangled-now.livejournal.com]

I bet they wrestle when nobody's watching.

Yes, and Arthur always wins, except when Merlin cheats...and now I want to write wrestling!fic.

[tinkerrbell-x.livejournal.com]

Foot on face! I was like YOOOO! LOL.
I was totally feeling Arthur/Gwen ~vibes~ you know, just a little.
I LOVED IT.
ME TOO! About just wanting Arthur to know. I was like OH COME ON! Alas, it was not to be.

:| I knew I'd missed something!! I totally forgot Einstein and Eddington was even on. How does that happen?!

BSG preview... WHEREE?!
Also, I'm up to 'The Ties That Bind'(?? Episode 3) and OMG WHATTT?! As if Tory did that.

[clairebeauchamp.livejournal.com]

...if they were a couple, even Merlin's mum

exactly my tought, they are totally epic...

[mistressboy.livejournal.com]

A brilliant episode! I watched it with a friend who has no idea about fandom, and even she saw how totally shippy the episode was. I then went on to explain slash to her. GOODO.

[(Anonymous)]

YES. ITA.
Hehe, there needs to be mansome snuggles... To be fair, it's not like it can get any slashier unless the season finale is actually just an orgy.
Yay Einstein and Eddington. Truth! War! Broken hearts! Physics! David Tennant!
/here via merlinbbc, ta for the thoughts!/

[curlybeach.livejournal.com]

REBECCA HALL IS BEAUTIFUL OMG. And so lovely! (Well, Winnie was lovely, but so was Rebecca in Starter for Ten, and she just seems like such a lovely lovely.)

EDDINGTON'S REPRESSED LOVE MADE ME WEEP SO HARD. Ohhhhh, David ♥ Adorable science-geekery and little round glasses ahoy!

[agguss.livejournal.com]

I really want to watch Einstein and Eddington but I'll have to wait until after the exams :/

[auroralives.livejournal.com]

KARA AND LEOBEN WERE WALKING TOGETHER AND SHE SAYS TO HIM "THE HYBRID TOLD ME I WOULD LEAD US ALL TO OUR END."

I AM AWAITING. EAGERLY.

[sophieisgod.livejournal.com]

THEY'RE GOING TO MAKE OUT, AREN'T THEY? OR AT LEAST DO LOTS OF VERY CLOSE AND INTENSE TALKING? QUICK, GET OUT THE PAINTS, THAT ALWAYS GETS THEM WORKED UP.

[auroralives.livejournal.com]

OH THEY BETTER THEY MAKE OUT (I KNOW THEY WANT TO) OR I AM GOING TO SLAP A BITCH. BUT VERY CLOSE AND INTENSE TALKING IS OK TOO I AM TOTALLY DOWN WITH THAT.

QUICK. YES. BUST OUT THE PAINTS!

[darkangsty42.livejournal.com]

HEY, HOW ABOUT THE BEGINNINGS OF THE ROUND TABLE. "WE ARE ALL EQUALS IN THIS CIRCLE, BLAH DE BLAH." I GOT SO EXCITED.

[sophieisgod.livejournal.com]

SO VERY VERY AWESOME. I love how every week he's a better leader.

I have a question for yooooooou: since you're such a big Arthur/Morgana person (IT'S IN YOUR BLOOOOOD), what do you think of all the glorious slash-as-plot? I mean, it's pretty obvious that Merlin and Arthur are never going to start licking each other, and it's eminently probably that Arthur and Morgana will, at some point, and I'm quite looking forward to it, but, I don't know, it just seems like we get entire episodes dedicated to telling us that THEY ARE BOYFRIENDS AND THIS IS THEIR DESTINY. I mean, I love it, but even *I* can't quite believe how far they're pushing it - I TELL THEE, TOBY IS GOING TO HAVE TO WORK HARD IF RH IS TO OUTSLASH THIS LOT.

I think 1.12 is going to be quite hardcore for the girls, by the by, which should be AWESOME.

[darkangsty42.livejournal.com]

I'm really enjoying the Merlin/Arthur dynamic a lot. I just get a little miffed when all other relationships sort of get pushed to the sides for it, I guess? Actually, what's bugging me was someone just posted an Arthur/Gwen picspam (which I grew to like a lot more just from the one scene last night) and declared it a good day for "canon" shippers. I'm sorry? Are we talking within the show or the legend? Because Merlin/Arthur's pretty integral to the legends, albeit, a different dynamic. Arthur/Morgan le Faye (or Morgause, depending on who you're reading) is pretty damn important. And within the show, come on. Merlin/Arthur is what the show is about. If they wanted the focus somewhere else, they can get it somewhere else. Argh, people.

And I'm totally aware I just contradicted myself.

Hee, I cannot wait for this show to air on NBC in January, and then all my friends can be like "what exactly where you huffing when you watched this?" Oh American television sensibilities.

[darkangsty42.livejournal.com]

(Another point that made me flail from this episode)
How about the sword sitting in the stone right behind Merlin and Arthur while they were having their campfire chat? I squealed.

[darkangsty42.livejournal.com]

AHHH. I just finished Einstein and Eddington, and I was totally shamelessly crying a lot.

[clouded-logic.livejournal.com]

Ohhh I loved this episode. Reading your post makes me love it MORE. Joe Dempsie on screen makes me want to hug the telly.

LOL THE FOOT-FACE SHENANIGANS.

But please don't make me think weird thoughts about Merlin and his mother because you're getting all intense and stroking her face and shit like that.

Thank God this was not just me! I couldn't help it, and felt wrong and dirty afterwards. D:

Could we talk for a minute about how, in this universe, magic = otherness = gay?

Hmm, I've never noticed that before. The "Merlin is different from the other boys" stuff, definitely. I think when I watch it, I've just been blinded by the hilariously obvious "sub"-text and my subconscious assumes that EVERYBODY is gay, and therefore Merlin fits in perfectly. My mind works on relatively shallow levels. XD

[kippkate.livejournal.com]

Ooh that Einstein thing sounds lovely, I will get on that. I too have a girl crush on Rebecca Hall (I think it's her voice/accent) - 'The Prestige' blew me away with the girl-crush-inducing-ness of its cast :D

[lalumena.livejournal.com]

Could we talk for a minute about how, in this universe, magic = otherness = gay?
YES. I have been thinking this since the first episode, Soph! And seriously, with lines like the closet, I think the writers totally see the parallel and are running with it. ;) In some ways it's an interesting/ironic parallel to be drawing, because the person Merlin is most afraid of revealing his magic to is the person he has the most magic with.

I seriously agree with pretty much everything you've said here. ESPECIALLY THE KICKASS WOMEN FIGHTING, YES. Awesome. Morgana's 'hey I can fight, y'all' did come out of left field a little for me, but maybe I missed/forgot a previous reference to it.

I liked how Arthur/Gwen was all hinty. I see Gwen as being wooed by a pretty face, kind of. She hasn't ~given her heart~ and she's easily swayed into crushing on someone? With Merlin, with Lancelot, with Arthur. But Lancelot is the only one thus far to have really rated her, in terms of fancying and valuing her?

SERIOUSLY ARTHUR WHAT DID A UNICORN EVER DO TO YOU? DID YOU HAVE A DISTURBING EXPERIENCE AS A CHILD? (I don't think I want the answer to that question.)

[sophieisgod.livejournal.com]

the person Merlin is most afraid of revealing his magic to is the person he has the most magic with
I FEEL LIKE THIS SHOULD BE IN SPARKLE TEXT, YOU BEAUTY, YOU.

I don't think we've heard about her fighting ability before, but we've heard her talk about helping her dad with his armour *grasping at straws* I STILL WANT TO KNOW HOW LONG SHE HAS ACTUALLY BEEN AT CAMEOLT.

I didn't even think it came across as her lusting after Arthur, particularly; it seemed more like a 'wow, he's the prince, and he's being charming and unexpectedly acknowleding me' flustered thing rather than 'HE IS SO PRETTY LIKE AN ELF'? I'm hoping it unfolds slooooowly, with Gwen continuing to be hardcore. I MISS LANCELOT AND HIS GWEN!CHEMISTRY.

[lalumena.livejournal.com]

Hee yes I was a bit proud of that.

What I want to know is, who would win in a duel between Morgana and Marian. Yes. I ASK THE IMPORTANT QUESTIONS.

I didn't even think it came across as her lusting after Arthur, particularly
No, I don't think so either. More a vague fancy, like you said. Yes, I want some more Lancelot too! And some more angst... Not that there isn't already angst happening in spades. Oh Colin Morgan, you and your tears.

[alkhoon.livejournal.com]

OH BOTHER. LJ ATE MY AWESOME LONG COMMENT. I guess LJ thought my comment unworthy. LOL

I enjoy reading your thoughts on the Merlin/Arthur dynamic. I usually just see it as Brotherhood. A strong bond of Brotherhood but it is amusing to see all the slash moments you point out. Hehe. Like the ex-boyfriend will!

Also, I totally love it when Merlin has to choose between Arthur And His Shiny Destiny and Preventing Lots Of Death.

Arthur And His Shiny Destiny & Preventing Lots Of Death - I love the phrasing of that! :D

OHHHH. The "GUINEVERE" really made me happy! The way he stressed that part of her name felt like a mountain of foreshadowing of this to come just fell on us all. I love it.

I also wanted him to tell Arthur and after what Arthur told him ~that you should've told me Merlin~ I felt, well now things will be more complicated than before. Once things are out in the open, it's going to be a mess with complicated feelings flying all over the place.

I can't wait to see Einstein and Eddington. I feel like it's going to be insightful.

I can't believe we only a few episodes of Merlin left. :/

OH YES. As darkangsty42 pointed out, THE BEGINNINGS OF THE ROUND TABLE. I squeed. ARTHUR = AWESOME.

PS. I'd like to also add that I really enjoyed YOUR EPIC TVQ PICSPAMS. :DDDDDDDDDDD