Analysis of Merlin 209: The Lady of the Lake

[nyxelestia]

Okay, so, I only have a quick review, today, mostly in response to all the issues people have been raising over the episode. It all boils down to one key factor:

This episode was NOT about Merlin and Freya - it was about Merlin.

Normally, I like to do these things in a chronological fashion, but this episode's too complicated to review it linearly. So, here it is in a listing format:

Freya - The Lines and What's Between Them

1.) The Curse and Her Character: She was an innocent girl who was attacked by a man, killed him, and cursed by the mother. To start with, there isn't actually all that much going on here in terms of what the show is trying to say about women. Quite frankly, they're just focusing in on the guys as that's all the fangirls used to care about. BUT: To all the raging feminists out there, this story should actually sound painfully familiar - the girl who gets raped and then is coined as "asking for it". We've all heard dozens of stories of men being acquitted of a rape charge because the girl was drunk, or dressed slutty, or just out at night. We've all been pissed off as hell, especially in hearing that the only stories that ever get major media coverage are the ones about women who 'were asking for it'.

Whether or not Freya was meant to be a parallel between Freya's history and every rape victim who could never get justice, or it was just a sweet story line to make Merlin feel even sorrier for her, the message is generally a good one for kids to receive either way. Now stop complaining.

2.) Too Passive?: She's terrified. She's been in a freakin' cage, for god's sake, for days, which would be even worse for her at night when she's stuck cramped inside it as a Bastet (on which I've got some things to say, too). Considering her situation, she's actually not too bad - I mean, really, she's got no food or clothes or anything to speak of - all she really can do is wait for Merlin to get back with the food and candles that she'd need. When he is there, she's even willing to start conversation, asking him about his home and what it's like and telling him about her own. Quite frankly, I think she actually takes a fair bit of initiative nearing the end, where she runs away before Merlin gets back in order to protect him.

3.) Her Name, and Her Creature: Okay, we all know that Nimueh was one of the names for the Lady of the Lake - and that she's now dead. Most commonly in the versions where the Lady of the Lake is Merlin's love interest, she's usually named Ninian or Vivian - but in these cases, she's also usually the daughter of a Northumberland (Northumbrian) King, and quite frankly, these are all variations on the same name, anyway. This isn't the first time the show has filled in an already existing character position with an original character or an original name.

This leads me into my second point: using her name, and the creature she turns into, they already hint that she's going to come back as something. Freya is a Norse goddess, and Bastet is actually an ancient Epyptian goddess. That, combined with the fact she has some Druid history and that her funeral is in the same lake as Excalibur (I think) makes me think that she's going to come back somehow and revive her role, this time as a spirit of some kind - possibly in the form of giving Merlin back the sword, or Arthur. (Which should be doubly interesting, considering he killed her - to which end, the relationship between the Lady and King Arthur is rather all over the place, as well, so who knows where this will lead, as Arthur did kill her, but they both understand why, even if Freya would not have liked it).

Incidentally, I looked into just what these two goddesses represented. Freya is the Norse goddess of love, beauty, and fertility, while also being associated with war, battle, death, magic, prophecy, and wealth. Bastet is an ancient Egyptian goddess of the sun and war, and later on, was considered the goddess of perfumes, and after that, she was associated with fertility. She has also been equated by the Greek historian Herodotus to Artemis, the Greek goddess of nature, childbirth, virginity, fertility, and the hunt. The only things these three goddesses have in common is that they were all associated with fertility and war/hunting - in other words, indirect connections to the beginning and the end of life.

I don't know whether this was intention. It IS is entirely possible that Freya was just picked as a nice name that may have been reasonably common back then, and Bastet chosen as a cool creature. Maybe this entire thing is intentional. I really don't know. But it's worth taking into consideration, here.

Also, the girl in the next episode that Arthur falls for is going to be named Vivienne - the other name for the Lady of the Lake. Intentional? Coincidence? I'm honestly not sure, anymore. This could just be the writers attempting to throw us off - I don't know. But it's also worth taking into consideration when looking at the names.

4.) Her Low Self Esteem: For those of you who didn't catch it, there is a strong implication that she killed her family. And even if not, she has likely killed dozens of other due to her curse. BUT, she doesn't want to and never wanted to, and is stuck with this because she killed the son of a sorcerer - who's death she also didn't intend. She kills innocent people and can't stop herself for it - she has every right and reason to hate herself.

Now here she finally has a guy who isn't scared of her and cares for her, and she's rightfully terrified that as soon as he knows the truth, he'll turn away from her like everyone else. She tries to push him away without telling him, so she can have this one 'memory' of a sweet guy without it being tainted by his reaction to her curse. And, of course, when Merlin finds out and still loves her, anyway, she probably would've been relieved if not for the fact she'd been dying.

5.) Merlin and Freya: Again, as I mentioned, whenever there is a love interest for Merlin, it's usually the Lady of the Lake. If you want to know, I happen to believe this episode was entirely centered around Merlin and his romance, and the title was just a reference to that, and not necessarily the character. If you take anything away from this post, take that.

Merlin - Everything That Has Changed, And Everything That Hasn't

1.) Using Magic So Freely, So Soon?: We know Merlin feels bad about nearly killing Gaius - hell, it was a bit hard to miss, at the time. But, he's still got a strong moral sense about what's right and wrong, and to him, freeing an innocent girl is most important. Besides which, she's already magic, and she's already on the run. Who, exactly, is she going to tell about Merlin?

2.) The Food and Where He Got It: ...okay, yeah, this was stupid. To be honest, I think this was mostly used to sneak in some comedy in between all the deeper scenes we have, here.

3.) Head over Heels over Freya: The entire season has been building up to this. So far, Merlin has been over worked, being Arthur's manservant, his protector, and Gaius's assistant all at once - and not only is he overworked, he is dramatically under-appreciated, even by Gaius who actually knows about Merlin's magic. He likely isn't even sure why he's protecting Arthur, as ever since the Dragon's betrayal, Merlin's been doubting everything the overgrown lizard's said.

On top of all that, the need to keep his magic secret has gone up by the dozens over the last two episodes, ranging from the entire episode with the Witchfinder to Arthur being ever the more convinced that all magic is evil because of Morgause. 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. She already knows, and she isn't scared of the magic, or even made nervous by it, and unlike Gaius, she isn't reprimanding him for it, either. And hell, she's even marginally impressed, but not in awe as if Merlin were a miracle worker or a god of some kind. Merlin gets to finally feel close to someone without having this layer of lies between them, and even impress the girl - a minor ego boost which'll make him like her all the more.

And when you also factor in his entire issue of Morgana and magic (again, more on that later), and it's no wonder Merlin would feel so damn close to her in such a short time. Now just add in the hormones, and the romance is obvious. Intimacy is easy between them, because of all the circumstances isolating them from everyone else and pushing them together as a byproduct.

4.) The Eloping: Again, the hormones. I know how stupid people can get when they're in love, or even just think they're in love. Hell, I have a friend who nearly eloped to Reno with her boyfriend when she was thirteen. Believe me, people do crazy things all in the name of "love".

Like I mentioned above, as much as Merlin does his duty to protect Arthur, and truly seems to love him, these days, whether platonically or romantically, he's losing his reasons after the Dragon betrayed him. Now, he also can't tell Morgana, both on Gaius's and the Dragon's words, and he doesn't even know whether not telling her anything would be the right thing or not, as he doesn't know where her loyalties will end up. He had found an entire basis and reasoning for his magic when he came to Camelot, but now has had that ripped out from him, and try as he might, he's having trouble getting his footing back. Now, he also has to deal with the fact Arthur hates magic again - and this time, he really hates it, instead of just following his father blindly, because of the whole Morgause thing and how she made it personal by using his mother against him and making him attack his father.

Can you really blame him for wanting to run off with a fellow magical creature? And not just that, but to the life which they talked about - "somewhere with mountains, a few fields, wild flowers, a couple of cows, and a lake." This is a chance for these two to just be. No worrying about looking over their shoulders, no concerns about hiding magic, nothing - just exist in peace. After they've spent their whole lives being feared in secret as beasts, creatures not even human, this is a dream come true for them, and quite frankly, a classic trope in the form of a simple life being made into paradise. Anyone who's read Shakespeare has seen this enough, I believe - rash love leading to rash decisions leading to rash actions.

5.) The Lying: Something I think they were trying to make a point of, here, is also how adept Merlin has become at lying. Not just to everyone else, like Arthur or Uther who has has to lie to every day, but even to those closer to him - like Gaius. "You used to think twice before lying to me." But now, Merlin's become so used to lying to everyone else, it's become incredibly easy for him to lie to Gaius, who he's never had reason to lie to, before.

6.) The Projecting: We already know Merlin's scared of his power. So far, pretty much every main sorcerer Merlin's run into has tried to kill him or Arthur, and he gained power from killing Nimueh. Seeing Freya's curse, he knows very well just how bad things could turn out - that he could become dark, evil: a monster. He sees Freya as terrified of herself even before the curse, and knows how she feels because he's been there. Remember Morgana? Why Merlin helped her? He's been terrified of his own magic, before, and now he's helping those around him accept their magic.

And All The Rest

Morgana

All right, I'm not quite happy with her, either. Apart from a few moments of badassery at the beginning of 204, she's been pretty weak this season - but with good reason, too: there's nothing else the writers can plausibly do. Whatever they're planning, the writers need to have her not knowing about Merlin's magic. But she's smart - if they give her something to do in the show, at one point or another it will likely result in a run-in with magic, which will mean her starting to figure things out. Separating her from the events at large keeps her present without involving her, saving her character for their plans for her later.

Am I particularly happy with how they're doing things? No, not really. But again, this isn't about trying to send any messages or or make any special points - they're just trying to keep her away from it all so that things involving her character will be more dramatic later.

Arthur

Believe it or not, this was also a development in his and Merlin's relationship, too. For one thing, we see how he's willing to use his status to protect Merlin, in the form of his intervention of Halig's torture. And in another, we see how informal his relationship is getting with Merlin. Not only is he back to the same way with Merlin as the end of Season 1, but now they're even closer.

Arthur trusts Merlin almost implicitly - after all, Merlin was there to see him talking with his mother, and kept Arthur from killing his father, and to him, Merlin helped him see the right way when an enchantress tried to steer him wrong. In this episode, he uses his status to protect Merlin from Halig without a second thought, and at the end, he breaks all rules about station and protocol to sit on the floor besides his working manservant, and even plays with him somewhat, in a "grown-up" boys' fashion, and cheers him up, even though he has no idea what's making Merlin so heartbroken in the first place.

Gaius

Stay with me, here - he's important, too.

Mostly, we see him seeing a new change in Merlin. He sees a deeper part of Merlin that the boy's kept to himself for so long: his fear of his power. He's terrified of who or what he could become, and Gaius is only just starting to realize this about Merlin. But at the end, he still loves and cares for Merlin, in the way he understandingly comforts Merlin about Freya, despite having been ready to turn her over to Uther.

And on that note: we don't like it. And she didn't want to kill innocent people. That didn't change the fact that she was killing innocent people, and needed to be stopped because of that. As much as we would like to say otherwise, if Merlin hadn't been planning on leaving the city with her, he would've been downright selfish on a nearly impossible level, both for those people who Freya would kill, and Freya herself from the guilt of killing them.

Okay, that's about it, for now.

Bonus Trailer Dissection Here

Comments

[ashoakandthorn]

I'll like to add that cats were sacred to Freya.

[vickygal.livejournal.com]

I'm going to have to read episode discussions from you more often. This was really well thought out, and I've got a lot to think about now. I agree with pretty much everything you've said though. So... thank you. This was excellent to read. :)

[nilecrocodile.livejournal.com]

Nice points on Merlin's character development, especially with regards to his infatuation with Freya. :]

I was also wondering about the choice of goddess!names in this episode. Bastet...well, giant flying cat, cat goddess...yeah, okay. Freya just seemed a bit random to me, but I like your idea about the life/death tie-in. Could be some cleverly subtle foreshadowing on the writers' part; the name Bastet connotes the life/death/rebirth cycle, a major theme in ancient Egyptian mythology.

Regarding Morgana: when I read the episode description, I had actually hoped Merlin would call in a favor from Morgana and she would help him conceal Freya; sort of a reversal from 1x08. I would have liked a little more development of Merlin's relationship with her before she does her heel/face turn at the end of season...buuuuut, no such luck. :/

No biggie, though, we've already re-established that she trusts him in 2x03, which should make their falling out poignant enough. I'm not too worried over the lack of Morgana in the latest episodes, since 2x11 and 2x12 should give me all the sorceress!Morgana my fangirlish brain can handle. :D

[liversan.livejournal.com]

That's very well written out and I agree with a lot of it. I usually read the episode reviews before I see anything of the episodes because they're not shown here since NBC stopped carrying it. So when I actually saw some of the episode I was surprised that there was such little sympathy for Freya. It's quite clear that she had to kill to stop her rapist, so accusing her of weakness is a little off. In fact, I never got the impression that she was looking to Merlin as a savior. She just seemed so floored that somebody actually cared enough about her to go to all that trouble. And she knew from beginning that she and Merlin could never be though she may have desperately wanted it. Their moment before he ran off to secure the supplies for their escape, was wonderfully done by both of them. She seemed so happy and hopeful then, and you later see that she leaves before he returns. She was a realist throughout. Merlin was the one fooled throughout and that's for many reasons but not because she lead him on. Colin and the actress had great chemistry together. Dare I say it, more so than Bradley and Angel have shown in their time together.

Overall the writing has gotten better and the characters have grown. Perhaps the growth has been in some unexpected directions especially with regards to Merlin who is idealized in fandom. He's shown in a more ambivalent light in the show especially with regards to the lying.

It was good to see another perspective of this episode.

[chayiana.livejournal.com]

What a wonderful review! I agree with everyting you said.

I couldn't understand either why people were complaining the relationship between Merlin and Freya developed too fast. I, for one, could totally see why it developed so quickly, and you found the right words for it. Thank you! :o)

I also like to add to this matter that Lancelot and Gwen only met a couple of times, too, before he left Camelot. And the next time they met they've already sworn eternal love to each other ... ;o) Sorry, just a thought ... ^^

[batgurl88]

Passing through to say: Thank you!! You said everything I've been wanting to say about this episode, and rather eloquently as well.

*Sneaks off again*

[annephoenix.livejournal.com]

Interesting read - definitely more thoughtful and less emotional than most of the other discussions I've seen on my flist.

Fwiw, I felt the episode has weaknesses that were hard for me to ignore. Like I said the other night, I liked it in principle and I totally agree with you re the characterisations - it all worked for me - BUT that ending was lame. Really lame. And I do think the title is very important as is the scene with the lake; i.e. Freya being cremated on the same lake as Excalibur was cast away ... and that makes that random appearance of Merlin/dead!Freya in the forest even more annoyingly lame.

[vix-spes.livejournal.com]

Just as a little aside with the Freya and the whole cremation at the lake/title of the episode ... they have set it up for her to return as the lady of the lake - that is something the producers have confirmed.

I don't know if they get put up on the internet/seen by many people who aren't English but this year they've done a series called 'Merlin: Secrets and Magic' which runs alongside the main show in 15mins episodes and is essentially interviews with cast/crew relevant to that particular episode, behind the scenes stuff etc. This week they talked a lot about Freya and her significance to Merlin and subsequent plots.

Btw ... fantastic (and really interesting!) review.

[scribblemoose]

Yes. Thanks so much for sharing this. Most of the reactions I've seen were fuelled mostly by Merlin/Arthur hysteria and while I love to slash the boys as much as anyone, it's a shame to miss out on the good storytelling for it.

I think the show is unusual, especially compared to a lot of American long-running shows, in that the development is subtle and understated, because it's maintaining a standalone-episode format. (I don't think I've ever seen a 'previously on Merlin', for example?) But that doesn't mean it isn't there. The weight of Merlin's secrets on him has grown so much - that almost unbearable moment in 2.08 when he was so close to honesty with Arthur and had to tuck it all back in the closet and betray his magic for Arthur's sanity.

Also, your points about Merlin's destiny and his relationship wtih the dragon are very very important. It's a nice parallel, too, I think, to that stage in life when one grows past the excitement of doing what's expected of one, realises that maybe parents and/or careers teachers and/or friends were actually wrong and that you have to work out what's right for yourself. Which makes you very vulnerable to rash decisions, too, as you find your way to maturity.

I could go on forever, but mostly I wanted to say thank you for such a careful and considered analysis, and I agree with you wholeheartedly. :)

ps on Morgana - I think she's mostly spent the time since she left the druids in varying stages of terror, and has deliberately isolated herself - and that we're going to see the consequences of this soon. I agreee that to show that would spoil the flow of the series, although I miss her very much!

[leviathans-moon.livejournal.com]

thank you, this was a very well thought out and objective evaluation of the episode, and that was something I needed, because I don't like being too emotional. You've said everything I thought about and I'm happy to know that there are actually quite a few people out there who think along my lines.
I've had a very intense discussion with a friend of mine about the Morgana-issue. She's even stopped watching the show, because she doesn't understand why Morgana does not play a big role this season(which isn't over yet), but you're argumentation is perfectly plausible, and better than what I used to try to convince her to keep watching. I might just tell her what you've written, if you don't mind^^.
Anyway, great review, and I'll be reading more of them.

[cherish4.livejournal.com]

That was a really thoughtful and interesting perspective on the episode, thanks for sharing.

[shiny4love.livejournal.com]

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.

[tigger-01.livejournal.com]

Ooh, thank you for this! I watched the episode and quite enjoyed it - but I was suprised to see all the hate for it on LJ, when it made sense to me in terms of Merlin's character. TBQH I thought Freya wasn't passive enough - she had been lured and betrayed enough times to know there probably wasn't anyone she could really trust, and involving herself with Merlin is just setting herself up for disaster. But maybe she felt like she could dream there, for just a moment.

What DID annoy me - and suprisingly I don't think I've seen this mentioned - is how Merlin was suddenly all-for freeing magical people etc, after what happened last week. Did he not realise that what he said to Arthur probably only cemented Uther's (and now Arthur's) determination to exterminate his and Freya's kind? For every Freya he can save, there are so many that he can't... I guess I felt like it should have been addressed somehow, the implications of Merlin's lie.

(That scene with Arthur was very sweet - I know the shippers probably had fun with it, but for me it reminded me very much of an older and younger brother.)

[voicelikehoney.livejournal.com]

I'll echo batgurl88 - fantastically worded dissection of the episode there and you had me nodding at every word ... completely agree with your take on the episode (which I rather loved quite a lot) and have been so impressed with this series' character development (for Merlin and Arthur particularly). Colin and Bradley own me and they've both been given some marvellous scenes to stretch their acting wings ... I've been close to crying for Merlin in two episodes now and it's the wonderful writing and acting that's taken me there.

Merlin's pretty much my number 1 must-see show now (overtaking House for the first time this series) and it's because of the much more mature places the writers and actors have taken us this series. The secrets and lies are leading to the most gorgeous moments of angst and conflict, but are balanced out rather beautifully by the partnership, love and respect that's grown between Arthur and Merlin, and the fair few laugh-out-loud moments the show is so good at (I am never getting over the Dragon laughing its arse off at Uther marrying a troll). I thought this episode was just as strong as those before it this series and I only wish that the series could run for the same length as an American one!!

Great review. I'll be coming back to read more from you. :)

[nieded.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure if anyone has pointed this out yet, but the name Freya actually has Norse origins. My friend who is a linguistics major actually threw a fit about them choosing a name of Norse origin because traditionally Arthur is thought to have been a Saxon. I didn't think much on it, but your explanation of the Lady of the Lake makes the choice of name have even more weight.

I've read a lot of reviews about this episode complaining about how irrational it was that Merlin fell in love with Freya so quickly and how willing he was ready to leave Camelot, but personally I loved this episode, and you managed to articulate everything argues for it.

Great review!

[marestail.livejournal.com]

Oh God... I really, really hope they don't make Freya the Lady of the Lake. I was really excited when I saw the title, and though it would be more canonical (well, as canonical as legends can be) Arthurian stuff, but no, it was just a totally random name to throw us all off. The Lady of the Lake isn't supposed to even be a druid, never mind someone as insignificant as Freya. :(

Up until now I've been one of the 'oh get over yourself, they're legends!' people, and it really annoys me when people jump all over the place because the show likes to play with the legends. But with Vivienne, Igraine etc. being introduced, they could do so much and so far they've disappointed me a bit. I'm hoping tonight's episode will turn that around, because other than that I actually quite enjoyed this episode.

Anyway, yeah, good review, you made some interesting points -- and it always makes me happy to see an objective writer, especially if you're a Merlin/Arthur shipper. X3 I'm a slasher as much as the next fan, but since it's never going to be canon (thankfully, because that would just... suck), I like enjoying the rest of the show for what it is.

[evasearchin.livejournal.com]

wow i really love this through review, must look through your others.

[archaeologist-d.livejournal.com]

Loved the review. I was in the UK when this episode aired so I didn't have time to read any of the reviews or write my own. I actually thought you were pretty well spot on. I'm also a Merlin/Arthur shipper but I like the show on many levels and that's how I approach it.

I really feel bad for Merlin because he's so darn isolated. Lying isn't helping but he really doesn't have anyone to go to, even Gauis, and his loneliness seems to be growing in many ways. The interaction with Arthur, even if he can't be honest with him, is pretty much the only thing he can rely on and even then there's that master/servant problem, never mind the sorcerer issue. I felt so bad that Merlin couldn't even tell Arthur why he was so upset in that last scene. Poor guy.

Anyway, great review!

[foxie-trot.livejournal.com]

Wow, I'm so glad I finally got around to reading this. I actually wish I'd seen it right after the episode, it may have helped me fall in love with this pairing faster.

But I completely agree with you in everything you said about Freya. I hadn't quite realised that perhaps her situation could be a representation of all those women who could have been wrongly berated, when they were innocent. And I certainly didn't know about her Norse Goddess or Egyptian connections (not really), so it was interesting to learn about that. I actually like the idea of Freya being the Lady of the Lake and being the one to return Excalibur, since it could make for a very interesting reunion scene.

I also think you make good points in defence of the romance - because you are very right. Don't forget that the place that they are describing to that they want to run away to is a blend of their hometowns - everything Merlin said (fields and cows) was blended with Freya's 'perfect' home (mountains, flowers, lake) and that is where they wanted to live, for a life of peace. And I could completely understand that, what with all the hell that they have both been through.

Everyone should read this, I think, that had negative thoughts on this episode. Because you really did such a good job at analsysing it and referring it back to earlier parts in the season (which people seem to have conveniently forgot about) and what it might entail for the future. :)