heather11483 (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
heathershaped) wrote2009-11-28 03:24 pm
heathershaped) wrote2009-11-28 03:24 pm
Entry tags:
Merliiiiiin
2x10: "Sweet Dreams". You know by the title you are in for some crack. AND YOU ARE. PURE. UNCUT. SHAKESPEAREAN. CRACK.
+ So the next three eps promise to be pretty heavy. I guess that's why they wanted to go for the lulz in this episode. For the most part, it was a cute, funny romp, and the back end was pretty freaking awesome. Let's see if I can focus my thoughts even somewhat.
+ Georgia Moffett cracked me up. Her character could have come across FAR more annoyingly than she did, but as it was I really enjoyed her. I kind of love that she wasn't interested in Arthur AT ALL, without the enchantment. She's also PRETTY. I didn't like that she was left enchanted at the end of the episode. There was no real way to fix that without inserting a gaping plot hole because her true love wasn't around, but it just seemed really harsh and inconsiderate to leave her like that and then have Arthur do this "looool okay loser" wave at her at the end. :/ You just can't avoid the genderfail, can you, Show? WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THIS, DAMN IT.
+ King Olaf! I liked him a lot, actually. Funny, boorishly sweet, doting father. Nice to see one of Uther's contemporaries/friends. The other king was a bit ham and cheese for my tastes, not as many layers.
+ And this is the second villain of the series who got coded as ~gay~ for the lols. The jester, what was his name? Tickler? Trickler? WTF-ever, I was not a fan of him either.
+ Also, was Uther drunk? Why didn't he arrest the jester immediately for doing magic at the banquet? *handwaves*
+ Uther was kingly! Teaching Arthur the ways of peace talks. In such a campy episode it was nice to see a little but of the politicking (even though those were the quickest peace talks I've ever seen). It's also a little bittersweet because Arthur and Uther's relationship is just as great as ever, as it would naturally be post 2x08. :/
+ Enchanted!Arthur in love with Vivian was too funny. I love Bradley James and his facial expression and his breathtaking smile and his perfect comic timing. He and Vivian were actually really cute and funny, more props to Georgia.
Also, even enchanted, Arthur associates chicken with love. I SEE WHAT YOU DID THAR, SHOW. ♥ I'm sure he didn't cook it himself this time, either.
+ GWEN. I love Angel Coulby, okay? I really freaking hate that Gwen's never given her own things to do, that neither girl gets to do ANYTHING that doesn't have something to do with a male character's plot/development. This episode was NO DIFFERENT, but I like that this season they've at least given Angel more material and made use of her great comic timing. Her facial expressions are ace, as usual. I especially loved her tense little moment with Arthur outside Vivian's chambers, and her expression just as he walked away. Gwen really doesn't like letting her feelings get away from her.
I was not a fan of this episode from the time she got that note and thought it was for her, because I hate when Gwen gets put through it. Girl gets more angst than she bargains for every time, keeps getting thrown into romance plots and hurt by them. First she has to work for Vivian, then she has to go a whole episode thinking the wrong thing. I felt so bad for her when she told Merlin about having hope in something she'd thought was impossible. THEN she gets stood up - talk about hard to watch. Gwen's a girl who sublimates a lot of her feelings (out of necessity), and after Arthur nipped it in the bud she probably tucked away whatever she was starting to feel, set it aside, and moved on with her life.
But when she actually makes a gesture, like she did with Lancelot, she gets her heart broken -- again.
She also admitted to enchanted!Arthur that it's hard for her to express her feelings, so that's something else to chew on. You know, it's nice seeing Gwen showing emotion on her own behalf for once. Nice seeing how things affect her even if it's a ~~boy~ thing.
AS A GWEN FAN I WILL CLING TO WHATEVER I CAN GET.
+ Merlin/Arthur cuteness.
"Feelings.
Feelings.
Girls.
Girls."
They were so cute. I love when Merlin teases Arthur. They do a lot of talking at cross-purposes this season, though. Even though it's played for the lulz, they've got some communication issues.
But Arthur asking Merls for dating advice (deferring to his expertise in anything, really) should've been a dead giveaway considering Arthur was the one dishing out the ~girl advice~ to Merlin back in 2x03, thinking he knew everything. It's clear that Arthur trusts Merlin to handle things, but he rarely says so.
+ Merlin, what is with you and closets?
+ ARTHUR/GWEN. Having a MOMENT. Loved seeing them laugh together in the beginning of the ep. Since 2x02 they've become more like friends or allies, coming together around their shared ideals, so seeing them on friendly terms with the bonus eyesex made perfect sense to me. And the kiss was GREAT. MY HEART SKIPPED A BEAT. I loved how Gwen just went for it, and how you could tell exactly when Arthur came back to himself, and totally grabbed her.
IT'S ~~TRUE LOVE'S KISS~, PEOPLE. THIS SHOW HAS TOKENS AND TRUE LOVE'S KISS. I CAN ONLY GET SO MAD AT IT.
(Also, Gwen pushed him up against a tent pole. Just shoved up up against it and... Oh, my heart.)
"You're in a fight. To the death. You're losing." HOW SO ADORABLE, GWEN. The "live for me" bit, alluding to Lancelot, was interesting. Need to think about that a bit.
Their last scene was good, and well-played. Arthur going to Gwen to make things right says a lot about him -- and this time Gwen's the one who holds their class difference between them (or points it out, really), and cuts things off. Saying "until they do" and curtseying made it clear she isn't interested in floating through the clouds any longer than she already had -- or in sneaking around with him. No matter how you shake it, given their positions, there's too much risk to her, and not very much for him. Her realism is true to character but it's heartbreaking how accepting she is of the things she can't have, will never have. Also, she doesn't say that she loves him -- so she's still a little reserved, which I think makes sense given what always happens whenever she puts herself out there.
Lastly, the significance of Gwen making an actual decision for herself in this matter, albeit a heartbreaking one, can't be overstated.
+ Merlin and Gwen's friendship! ♥ I love when they do comedy together, but this season shows they're also good at being there for each other without the awkward crushing. Their affection and familiarity with each other shines. Gwen trusted Merlin and even confided in him a bit, and it's nice that she was able to tell someone about the whole Arthur thing. And Merlin just wants them both to be happy.
(Also interesting how she said "more Rats, Merlin?" Almost like she knew he was lying when he said it earlier. I always get the feeling she knows more about Merlin than she lets on, or at least suspects that something's up with him.)
+ I'm less happy with Morgana/Gwen's scene. :( I had so much hope for them at the beginning of the season, but it feels like there's so much distance between them now, what happened to their friendship? *cries* Last season, Morgana would've picked up on how Gwen was feeling, no question. And every episode just highlights more stuff that they aren't telling each other. It makes me sad and I can't help but lose hope that TPTB care enough about this relationship to explore how it's affected when Morgana goes evil. *SIGH* I just want my girls to be married again.
My only recourse is to subscribe to the drunk!Morgana theory. Drinking that early in the morning, not seeming altogether concerned about Arthur fighting to the death, not reading Gwen's glaring signals. I don't BLAME her, she's probably just bored to tears with lack of material this season.
Whatevs, it was five o'clock somewhere.
+ I think that's all I've got to say about this one. Oh, and the Dragon LOL'ed again! GOOD TIMES.
Preview for next week looks like 1x08 and 1x12 had a love child. WE'LL SEE.
+ So the next three eps promise to be pretty heavy. I guess that's why they wanted to go for the lulz in this episode. For the most part, it was a cute, funny romp, and the back end was pretty freaking awesome. Let's see if I can focus my thoughts even somewhat.
+ Georgia Moffett cracked me up. Her character could have come across FAR more annoyingly than she did, but as it was I really enjoyed her. I kind of love that she wasn't interested in Arthur AT ALL, without the enchantment. She's also PRETTY. I didn't like that she was left enchanted at the end of the episode. There was no real way to fix that without inserting a gaping plot hole because her true love wasn't around, but it just seemed really harsh and inconsiderate to leave her like that and then have Arthur do this "looool okay loser" wave at her at the end. :/ You just can't avoid the genderfail, can you, Show? WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THIS, DAMN IT.
+ King Olaf! I liked him a lot, actually. Funny, boorishly sweet, doting father. Nice to see one of Uther's contemporaries/friends. The other king was a bit ham and cheese for my tastes, not as many layers.
+ And this is the second villain of the series who got coded as ~gay~ for the lols. The jester, what was his name? Tickler? Trickler? WTF-ever, I was not a fan of him either.
+ Also, was Uther drunk? Why didn't he arrest the jester immediately for doing magic at the banquet? *handwaves*
+ Uther was kingly! Teaching Arthur the ways of peace talks. In such a campy episode it was nice to see a little but of the politicking (even though those were the quickest peace talks I've ever seen). It's also a little bittersweet because Arthur and Uther's relationship is just as great as ever, as it would naturally be post 2x08. :/
+ Enchanted!Arthur in love with Vivian was too funny. I love Bradley James and his facial expression and his breathtaking smile and his perfect comic timing. He and Vivian were actually really cute and funny, more props to Georgia.
Also, even enchanted, Arthur associates chicken with love. I SEE WHAT YOU DID THAR, SHOW. ♥ I'm sure he didn't cook it himself this time, either.
+ GWEN. I love Angel Coulby, okay? I really freaking hate that Gwen's never given her own things to do, that neither girl gets to do ANYTHING that doesn't have something to do with a male character's plot/development. This episode was NO DIFFERENT, but I like that this season they've at least given Angel more material and made use of her great comic timing. Her facial expressions are ace, as usual. I especially loved her tense little moment with Arthur outside Vivian's chambers, and her expression just as he walked away. Gwen really doesn't like letting her feelings get away from her.
I was not a fan of this episode from the time she got that note and thought it was for her, because I hate when Gwen gets put through it. Girl gets more angst than she bargains for every time, keeps getting thrown into romance plots and hurt by them. First she has to work for Vivian, then she has to go a whole episode thinking the wrong thing. I felt so bad for her when she told Merlin about having hope in something she'd thought was impossible. THEN she gets stood up - talk about hard to watch. Gwen's a girl who sublimates a lot of her feelings (out of necessity), and after Arthur nipped it in the bud she probably tucked away whatever she was starting to feel, set it aside, and moved on with her life.
But when she actually makes a gesture, like she did with Lancelot, she gets her heart broken -- again.
She also admitted to enchanted!Arthur that it's hard for her to express her feelings, so that's something else to chew on. You know, it's nice seeing Gwen showing emotion on her own behalf for once. Nice seeing how things affect her even if it's a ~~boy~ thing.
AS A GWEN FAN I WILL CLING TO WHATEVER I CAN GET.
+ Merlin/Arthur cuteness.
"Feelings.
Feelings.
Girls.
Girls."
They were so cute. I love when Merlin teases Arthur. They do a lot of talking at cross-purposes this season, though. Even though it's played for the lulz, they've got some communication issues.
But Arthur asking Merls for dating advice (deferring to his expertise in anything, really) should've been a dead giveaway considering Arthur was the one dishing out the ~girl advice~ to Merlin back in 2x03, thinking he knew everything. It's clear that Arthur trusts Merlin to handle things, but he rarely says so.
+ Merlin, what is with you and closets?
+ ARTHUR/GWEN. Having a MOMENT. Loved seeing them laugh together in the beginning of the ep. Since 2x02 they've become more like friends or allies, coming together around their shared ideals, so seeing them on friendly terms with the bonus eyesex made perfect sense to me. And the kiss was GREAT. MY HEART SKIPPED A BEAT. I loved how Gwen just went for it, and how you could tell exactly when Arthur came back to himself, and totally grabbed her.
IT'S ~~TRUE LOVE'S KISS~, PEOPLE. THIS SHOW HAS TOKENS AND TRUE LOVE'S KISS. I CAN ONLY GET SO MAD AT IT.
(Also, Gwen pushed him up against a tent pole. Just shoved up up against it and... Oh, my heart.)
"You're in a fight. To the death. You're losing." HOW SO ADORABLE, GWEN. The "live for me" bit, alluding to Lancelot, was interesting. Need to think about that a bit.
Their last scene was good, and well-played. Arthur going to Gwen to make things right says a lot about him -- and this time Gwen's the one who holds their class difference between them (or points it out, really), and cuts things off. Saying "until they do" and curtseying made it clear she isn't interested in floating through the clouds any longer than she already had -- or in sneaking around with him. No matter how you shake it, given their positions, there's too much risk to her, and not very much for him. Her realism is true to character but it's heartbreaking how accepting she is of the things she can't have, will never have. Also, she doesn't say that she loves him -- so she's still a little reserved, which I think makes sense given what always happens whenever she puts herself out there.
Lastly, the significance of Gwen making an actual decision for herself in this matter, albeit a heartbreaking one, can't be overstated.
+ Merlin and Gwen's friendship! ♥ I love when they do comedy together, but this season shows they're also good at being there for each other without the awkward crushing. Their affection and familiarity with each other shines. Gwen trusted Merlin and even confided in him a bit, and it's nice that she was able to tell someone about the whole Arthur thing. And Merlin just wants them both to be happy.
(Also interesting how she said "more Rats, Merlin?" Almost like she knew he was lying when he said it earlier. I always get the feeling she knows more about Merlin than she lets on, or at least suspects that something's up with him.)
+ I'm less happy with Morgana/Gwen's scene. :( I had so much hope for them at the beginning of the season, but it feels like there's so much distance between them now, what happened to their friendship? *cries* Last season, Morgana would've picked up on how Gwen was feeling, no question. And every episode just highlights more stuff that they aren't telling each other. It makes me sad and I can't help but lose hope that TPTB care enough about this relationship to explore how it's affected when Morgana goes evil. *SIGH* I just want my girls to be married again.
My only recourse is to subscribe to the drunk!Morgana theory. Drinking that early in the morning, not seeming altogether concerned about Arthur fighting to the death, not reading Gwen's glaring signals. I don't BLAME her, she's probably just bored to tears with lack of material this season.
Whatevs, it was five o'clock somewhere.
+ I think that's all I've got to say about this one. Oh, and the Dragon LOL'ed again! GOOD TIMES.
Preview for next week looks like 1x08 and 1x12 had a love child. WE'LL SEE.
no subject
Yeah, that bothered me terribly.
no subject
But they HAD to leave her like that, for the lulz. Not on.
no subject
no subject
Me neither. The show has a tendency to get rid of their villains of the week in (sometimes unnecessarily) nasty ways, but the weird thing here was that she wasn't the villain. She didn't even come across as particularly bad, even if she was rude. And the real villain more or less got away.
ARTHUR/GWEN. Having a MOMENT.
I loved the way they shared a laugh at the beginning. And even if the circumstances where a bit icky, I loved how she spoke to him in the courtyard scene when he was afraid he'd made a foolish gesture. Basically, I love all interactions that show how good friends they could be (and will be in the future, dammit) if it weren't for all those things that stand between them...
And her face after she stopped kissing him...A.C. is sooo gorgeous.
(And much as I hate to see her suffer, I do like to have it confirmed that Gwen indeed has romantic feeling for Arthur, because it means that Lancelot's decision to leave wasn't completely moronic, even if the way he did it left a lot to be desired.
Which basically means that the next meeting between Gwen and Lancelot should go something like this:
Gwen [punches him in the face]: YOU LEFT ME! YOU LEFT ME IN THE FOREST!
Lancelot: Only because you and prince Arthur are meant to be together! I will not stand in the way of destiny!
Gwen: That is NEVER going to happen.
Lancelot: Because you don't want it to happen or because you think it won't?
Gwen: Um...look, can we just not talk about this?
Lancelot [tilts his head and looks at Gwen with "Deep inside you know I'm your very own Slash-Dragon, only a het-shipper, and cuter"-eyes.]
Gwen: You still shouldn't have left me in the woods, you know. [Punches him in the face again, though less hard this time.] It's nice to see you without any giant baby rats around, though.
[Episode continues.])
My only recourse is to subscribe to the drunk!Morgana theory.
My personal pet theory is that half the time this season, what we see is a fake!Morgana, made out of thin air or clay or flowers or whatever. The real Morgana has put her there so that she can run off to the woods and take magic classes.
no subject
Agreed on everything you said. Confirmation of Gwen's feelings (omg when has she ever looked at him like she did after that kiss, holy hell), their interactions as friends, how freaking GORGEOUS AC is.
And yes! The real villain in the show got away, but the woman got punished. FAIL.