I have been meaning to put up my own review for this ep for ages because I have been increasingly frustrated by the fandoms reaction to it. I think everyone is letting there own OTP influence what they think about the show, so much that they have stopped looking at it subjectively.
Don't get me wrong M&A is what do it for me but when I watch the show I try to see it for what it is, so apart from the initial awkward reboot at the beginning of the season I feel the writers have finally started to get their act together.
I hope it's ok but I would really like to comment on what you have posted here so this may be a tad long so just apologising for that up-front. Also to say up-front that I generally agree with what you have to say :)
Freya : On points 1, 2, and 4 I couldn't agree more (on a side note we got some new kittens 2 months ago and one of them we named Freya).
On your 3rd point if you haven't had a chance to see the recent Secrets and Magic they quite clearly state that they wanted to make Freya the Lady of the Lake because they wanted there to be that intimacy between her and Merlin and it mean that much more when they use her to help Merlin. Which they seem to have implied will be sometime in the next season. So it does marry with your opinion of TLoL being Merlin's love interest.
Merlin : Again on points 1, 2, and 6 I really have nothing to add as I think I pretty much agree with everything there.
I'm going to lump 3 an 4 together and just say what has, had made on the verge of tears all season from ep 1 for Merlin. That is, that the poor boy is just totally and utterly fucking LONELY.
The writers intentional or not have made sure that this boy is completely on his own isolated from everyone. Even though Arthur has referred to Merlin has a friend a few times this season Merlin can never truly be honest with him for obvious reasons. He has been isolated from Gwen who was one of the few people who did treat him as friend because of the whole lets get the epic romance on the go. Although Gaius is his mentor he cant and doesn't really get what Merlin feels and who he is. Morgana is unapproachable as Arthur made clear because of her status and so the poor sod is left to protect everyone and feel for everyone without any one ever acknowledging him.
This is made even worse by the emotions and turmoil of the last 2 episodes, especially with the double kick in the guts he got from Arthur and Uther at the end of of The Sins of the Father.
As you say below never a truer word spoken.
Now, here's a girl whom he can just be himself around, do things the way he wants. Notice how he keeps doing the little things by magic around her, like lighting candles and whatnot? It's because he can.
Merlin's continues cry throughout the season as been, for christ doesn't any one see ME for what I am. Freya does she see our beautiful kind powerful Merlin and she clearly likes him and it probably makes his heart glow.
As for the eloping thing I really don't think it would have really happened in the end even if Freya had got away unscathed. Merlin will always do the right thing and he knows, I think that he needs to be there for Arthur it's just he is feeling totally unloved at the moment and like you say, here is the chance to live out the dream.
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Date: 2009-11-27 10:40 pm (UTC)Don't get me wrong M&A is what do it for me but when I watch the show I try to see it for what it is, so apart from the initial awkward reboot at the beginning of the season I feel the writers have finally started to get their act together.
I hope it's ok but I would really like to comment on what you have posted here so this may be a tad long so just apologising for that up-front. Also to say up-front that I generally agree with what you have to say :)
Freya : On points 1, 2, and 4 I couldn't agree more (on a side note we got some new kittens 2 months ago and one of them we named Freya).
On your 3rd point if you haven't had a chance to see the recent Secrets and Magic they quite clearly state that they wanted to make Freya the Lady of the Lake because they wanted there to be that intimacy between her and Merlin and it mean that much more when they use her to help Merlin. Which they seem to have implied will be sometime in the next season. So it does marry with your opinion of TLoL being Merlin's love interest.
Merlin : Again on points 1, 2, and 6 I really have nothing to add as I think I pretty much agree with everything there.
I'm going to lump 3 an 4 together and just say what has, had made on the verge of tears all season from ep 1 for Merlin. That is, that the poor boy is just totally and utterly fucking LONELY.
The writers intentional or not have made sure that this boy is completely on his own isolated from everyone.
Even though Arthur has referred to Merlin has a friend a few times this season Merlin can never truly be honest with him for obvious reasons.
He has been isolated from Gwen who was one of the few people who did treat him as friend because of the whole lets get the epic romance on the go.
Although Gaius is his mentor he cant and doesn't really get what Merlin feels and who he is.
Morgana is unapproachable as Arthur made clear because of her status and so the poor sod is left to protect everyone and feel for everyone without any one ever acknowledging him.
This is made even worse by the emotions and turmoil of the last 2 episodes, especially with the double kick in the guts he got from Arthur and Uther at the end of of The Sins of the Father.
As you say below never a truer word spoken.
Now, here's a girl whom he can just be himself around, do things the way he wants. Notice how he keeps doing the little things by magic around her, like lighting candles and whatnot? It's because he can.
Merlin's continues cry throughout the season as been, for christ doesn't any one see ME for what I am. Freya does she see our beautiful kind powerful Merlin and she clearly likes him and it probably makes his heart glow.
As for the eloping thing I really don't think it would have really happened in the end even if Freya had got away unscathed. Merlin will always do the right thing and he knows, I think that he needs to be there for Arthur it's just he is feeling totally unloved at the moment and like you say, here is the chance to live out the dream.