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

[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.