3.03, here we go!
SPOILER LINE
This episode had some funny moments, but had the distinct problem of not moving much ON. The only remotely plot-moving moment was when a goblin-possessed Gaius looked at Morgana and read her soul for exactly what she's become, right down to the cold heart and the evil.
Merlin had some cute expressions (oh, come on, he gets cuter every WEEK this show is on...) Gwen let one rip in front of Arthur (seriously, I have IBS. I'm probably sooner or later going to let one rip in front of a guy. Let it go, get it over it, if he really has the hots for you he'll laugh at you and you'll laugh with him and it'll all be good.) Merlin was a bit nasty and made Arthur bray for a couple of days after he got donkey ears (you know what? He thinks Arthur needs an ego slap, that's what that is.) Morgana got a couple of evil expressions in. Uther went bald.
That said, it was funny but not that funny. I hate to trash my favorite show, but this was the worst I've seen in a while. Next week we get Gwain, so things should improve from there.
Ta,
Bec
19.9.10
Two Steps Back, Four Steps Forward
So, here's my thoughts on the first two episodes of Merlin Series 3. Please be aware that there are spoilers in here and if you don't wanna know then don't look.
SPOILERS
First off, I believe that Uther's paranoia is going to increase merely because he isn't listening to anyone anymore, including Gaius. He says he doesn't have time for friends-that's a good indicator of how bad things have become.
As I stated before, Morgana is only back in Camelot to cause trouble, and she seems to get that Merlin doesn't trust her right from the off.
Merlin's main worry (and rightly so) is about Morgana telling Uther that Merlin poisoned her last year, and while Morgana SAYS she understands, note that she doesn't include herself when she says, "You were just protecting your friends." Merlin wants to believe she's still good but in this episode he finds out he can't trust her.
Morgana has also become great at bullshitting people. Just saying.
Arthur is showing far more affection for Morgana than before-possibly because she's been missing. Last series he wouldn't have hugged her the way he did here. It also may indicate that he's more comfortable with hugged and being hugged (proof that he's grown up a smidge.)
Arthur's swordwork has also improved.
It's interesting to see Arthur taking on the king duties, even temporarily. He's still got that deep underconfident streak we've seen before, and it hinders him a touch here when the kingdom needs a leader and he just can't step forward and do it. It's not because Arthur's afraid-it's because he doesn't believe he can.
Morgana being rotten to Gwen might get her in trouble with Arthur (or Gwen will go to Merlin and spy for him.)
Morgause is SO sleeping with Cenred.
Cenred's got a paid army here. Paid armies are A)expensive B)not entirely reliable-if you start to lose they might take off.
So, Uther's Sin Reveal Number One: He drowned magical people, including little kids.
The Bloodguard protect Morgana and Morgause. Betcha they're easy to plow through, though. Wonder if Merlin's gonna have to.
Merlin feels pity for Uther in his time of crazy and pulls the blankets up over him. What a sweetie, huh?
Either Morgana's hearing has gotten better or her weak magic can detect when someone's following her, because she LET Merlin trail her all the way out to her meeting with Morgause. His penchant for stalking her EVERYWHERE gets him in trouble this time. Guess he won't be doing that again.
Note that even in a panic and while running for the hills, Merlin realizes that using magic around Morgana and Morgause is a stupid idea. It's his ace in the hole-the longer that detail stays mum the better. It gives him an edge they don't know he has (yet.)
Morgause is already questioning Merlin's motives. Not that he's talking. She knows there's something going on but can't quite make the leap to superbly magical being. I say go look him up. She's gotta have access to one of the books written about the kid...
Well, they didn't put Merlin in the dungeon but the nasty silvery magical chains were close enough, I guess. Adding the circids into the mix really upped the ante, and once poisoned, Merlin's Dragonlord powers just kind of take over and make him call for Kilgarrah, who saves him.
By the way, has anyone made sense of where Morgause got her Rock of Seeing Muchly? I have a feeling that chunk of stone has a relationship to the Crystal of Neahtid we saw last year, save for hers can see the present and that one could see the future.
Episode 2
Of course, like Morgana's poisoning of last year, Merlin needs time to get over it.
Loved Arthur's bitching because Merlin was missing and he had no socks and no breeches.
Morgana causes smoke in a stone castle. So why are Leon and the others worried so much? Guess there might be wooden supports somewhere...
Uther must think she's one of his nightmares or something-he has to see Morgana tightening the noose on the mandrake...
Merlin and the dragon have a very mature, very adult conversation. And note how they're almost at eye level here. Merlin regrets his mistakes but the dragon's all "Well, that's who you are and it'll be your downfall and you're okay, you know?" This is the first scene where we see Merlin really HAS moved forward as far as character growth. He has matured big time.
I also might note that I said, "Go, Thwart, Be Awesome!" while watching him flying back to Camelot on his realio, trulio, little pet dragon...
Arthur is wearing his mother's ring. We saw it on Igraine's hand here and then we see it on Arthur's later.
Merlin does his usual handling of magical objects he doesn't understand and doesn't have time to assess by whipping the mandrake root in the fire and covering his ears when it screams. Subtle and effective, however.
Leon looks freaked (oh, you're a regular. They're not gonna kill YOU, Leon!)
Merlin yells at Arthur about the state of his room. I LOVED this scene to PIECES.
Morgana's WTF look when Merlin reappears unchained and alive is simply priceless.
She threatens Merlin with "I know what you did last year and I can go tell Uther, so keep your trap SHUT about my evil plot, MKAY?" I wouldn't be threatening him, however, seeing as the more powerful magical one here is him and he can kick your ass.
Arthur finally decides he has to make a decision despite his doubts. He looks very small in Uther's chair for some reason. When they walk out of the meeting, Merlin's all bouncy and gives him a pep talk, and tries to advisor-ize him. Arthur's having none of it, however, if his "God help me" is any indication to go by.
Morgana with her big stick thing. She's not real sure this will work, but Morgause is trusting her not to screw up.
Arthur likes pickled eggs. Huh.
I have to say I really loved Merlin and Arthur's conversation here. Last week was very far back from where we were last series. This conversation makes it four steps forward again. This is really the moment I have been waiting for since I started watching this series-it had Arthur needing a pep talk and Merlin giving him one and telling him how awesome he's going to be and them insulting each other like always. Keep it coming.
It's also interesting that this particular conversation comes not at the end of the series, but pretty near the beginning. Makes you wonder how far they'll be at the end of this round of episodes.
I am not going to say this is like Helm's Deep or Pirates of the Caribbean because everyone is saying that.
Morgana didn't clonk Gaius because it would have been too obvious if she'd knocked him senseless in her chambers, an area where none of the battle happened to be.
And she summons an army of the dead. Whoo!
Merlin, of course, goes off to beat Morgana up.
Merlin is VERY close to confessing his magical abilities here. It was on his tongue, you could SEE it. However, this is neither the time, place, or person to be having these confessions with, and I still think that if she knew, Morgana would have him turned in for sorcery in a heartbeat because he's always in her way (and she'd be mad that he didn't tell her before on top of that.)
This marks the third time that Merlin has stopped Morgause. And first time he's hit Morgana with a ceiling. Morgause is getting more suspicious all the time, here. Ceilings don't fall in by themselves, you know...
Cenred's army runs away cause he's a chicken. Guess Morgause will have to find someone else to sleep with now.
How many people believe that she is going to be pretty pissed that Morgana failed her? I wonder if there's a small crack forming in that sisterly bond now that she screwed up Morgause's big plan?
Poor Merlin doesn't get credit for stopping the skeletons-she does. And ooh, the look of hatred there is definitely an indicator that these two are going to have their little war right under Uther's paranoid nose.
Next week: Goblins and a bald Uther and Gaius spitting drink in Leon's handsome face.
SPOILERS
First off, I believe that Uther's paranoia is going to increase merely because he isn't listening to anyone anymore, including Gaius. He says he doesn't have time for friends-that's a good indicator of how bad things have become.
As I stated before, Morgana is only back in Camelot to cause trouble, and she seems to get that Merlin doesn't trust her right from the off.
Merlin's main worry (and rightly so) is about Morgana telling Uther that Merlin poisoned her last year, and while Morgana SAYS she understands, note that she doesn't include herself when she says, "You were just protecting your friends." Merlin wants to believe she's still good but in this episode he finds out he can't trust her.
Morgana has also become great at bullshitting people. Just saying.
Arthur is showing far more affection for Morgana than before-possibly because she's been missing. Last series he wouldn't have hugged her the way he did here. It also may indicate that he's more comfortable with hugged and being hugged (proof that he's grown up a smidge.)
Arthur's swordwork has also improved.
It's interesting to see Arthur taking on the king duties, even temporarily. He's still got that deep underconfident streak we've seen before, and it hinders him a touch here when the kingdom needs a leader and he just can't step forward and do it. It's not because Arthur's afraid-it's because he doesn't believe he can.
Morgana being rotten to Gwen might get her in trouble with Arthur (or Gwen will go to Merlin and spy for him.)
Morgause is SO sleeping with Cenred.
Cenred's got a paid army here. Paid armies are A)expensive B)not entirely reliable-if you start to lose they might take off.
So, Uther's Sin Reveal Number One: He drowned magical people, including little kids.
The Bloodguard protect Morgana and Morgause. Betcha they're easy to plow through, though. Wonder if Merlin's gonna have to.
Merlin feels pity for Uther in his time of crazy and pulls the blankets up over him. What a sweetie, huh?
Either Morgana's hearing has gotten better or her weak magic can detect when someone's following her, because she LET Merlin trail her all the way out to her meeting with Morgause. His penchant for stalking her EVERYWHERE gets him in trouble this time. Guess he won't be doing that again.
Note that even in a panic and while running for the hills, Merlin realizes that using magic around Morgana and Morgause is a stupid idea. It's his ace in the hole-the longer that detail stays mum the better. It gives him an edge they don't know he has (yet.)
Morgause is already questioning Merlin's motives. Not that he's talking. She knows there's something going on but can't quite make the leap to superbly magical being. I say go look him up. She's gotta have access to one of the books written about the kid...
Well, they didn't put Merlin in the dungeon but the nasty silvery magical chains were close enough, I guess. Adding the circids into the mix really upped the ante, and once poisoned, Merlin's Dragonlord powers just kind of take over and make him call for Kilgarrah, who saves him.
By the way, has anyone made sense of where Morgause got her Rock of Seeing Muchly? I have a feeling that chunk of stone has a relationship to the Crystal of Neahtid we saw last year, save for hers can see the present and that one could see the future.
Episode 2
Of course, like Morgana's poisoning of last year, Merlin needs time to get over it.
Loved Arthur's bitching because Merlin was missing and he had no socks and no breeches.
Morgana causes smoke in a stone castle. So why are Leon and the others worried so much? Guess there might be wooden supports somewhere...
Uther must think she's one of his nightmares or something-he has to see Morgana tightening the noose on the mandrake...
Merlin and the dragon have a very mature, very adult conversation. And note how they're almost at eye level here. Merlin regrets his mistakes but the dragon's all "Well, that's who you are and it'll be your downfall and you're okay, you know?" This is the first scene where we see Merlin really HAS moved forward as far as character growth. He has matured big time.
I also might note that I said, "Go, Thwart, Be Awesome!" while watching him flying back to Camelot on his realio, trulio, little pet dragon...
Arthur is wearing his mother's ring. We saw it on Igraine's hand here and then we see it on Arthur's later.
Merlin does his usual handling of magical objects he doesn't understand and doesn't have time to assess by whipping the mandrake root in the fire and covering his ears when it screams. Subtle and effective, however.
Leon looks freaked (oh, you're a regular. They're not gonna kill YOU, Leon!)
Merlin yells at Arthur about the state of his room. I LOVED this scene to PIECES.
Morgana's WTF look when Merlin reappears unchained and alive is simply priceless.
She threatens Merlin with "I know what you did last year and I can go tell Uther, so keep your trap SHUT about my evil plot, MKAY?" I wouldn't be threatening him, however, seeing as the more powerful magical one here is him and he can kick your ass.
Arthur finally decides he has to make a decision despite his doubts. He looks very small in Uther's chair for some reason. When they walk out of the meeting, Merlin's all bouncy and gives him a pep talk, and tries to advisor-ize him. Arthur's having none of it, however, if his "God help me" is any indication to go by.
Morgana with her big stick thing. She's not real sure this will work, but Morgause is trusting her not to screw up.
Arthur likes pickled eggs. Huh.
I have to say I really loved Merlin and Arthur's conversation here. Last week was very far back from where we were last series. This conversation makes it four steps forward again. This is really the moment I have been waiting for since I started watching this series-it had Arthur needing a pep talk and Merlin giving him one and telling him how awesome he's going to be and them insulting each other like always. Keep it coming.
It's also interesting that this particular conversation comes not at the end of the series, but pretty near the beginning. Makes you wonder how far they'll be at the end of this round of episodes.
I am not going to say this is like Helm's Deep or Pirates of the Caribbean because everyone is saying that.
Morgana didn't clonk Gaius because it would have been too obvious if she'd knocked him senseless in her chambers, an area where none of the battle happened to be.
And she summons an army of the dead. Whoo!
Merlin, of course, goes off to beat Morgana up.
Merlin is VERY close to confessing his magical abilities here. It was on his tongue, you could SEE it. However, this is neither the time, place, or person to be having these confessions with, and I still think that if she knew, Morgana would have him turned in for sorcery in a heartbeat because he's always in her way (and she'd be mad that he didn't tell her before on top of that.)
This marks the third time that Merlin has stopped Morgause. And first time he's hit Morgana with a ceiling. Morgause is getting more suspicious all the time, here. Ceilings don't fall in by themselves, you know...
Cenred's army runs away cause he's a chicken. Guess Morgause will have to find someone else to sleep with now.
How many people believe that she is going to be pretty pissed that Morgana failed her? I wonder if there's a small crack forming in that sisterly bond now that she screwed up Morgause's big plan?
Poor Merlin doesn't get credit for stopping the skeletons-she does. And ooh, the look of hatred there is definitely an indicator that these two are going to have their little war right under Uther's paranoid nose.
Next week: Goblins and a bald Uther and Gaius spitting drink in Leon's handsome face.
16.9.10
Internet Has Been Down Here
I have no idea how long I'll have a signal today. The Internet has been down here, along with the phone, for the past three days and I am rushing to get things done in case the signal dies again.
I will update on Merlin hopefully before next week Monday. It was a two-parter so I'm going to do them both at once.
Gotta go do homework before I lose the 'Net.
Ta,
Bec
I will update on Merlin hopefully before next week Monday. It was a two-parter so I'm going to do them both at once.
Gotta go do homework before I lose the 'Net.
Ta,
Bec
10.9.10
A Little Information Would Save Me So Much Pain
So, kids, when you're walking around in the pantry and your Dad broke the big upper pantry shelf last weekend, it would be extremely-nay-HORRIFICALLY stupid of him to remember that there's glass from said broken big upper pantry shelf in the way of you finding breakfast.
And of course, you'd have socks on and step right onto the glass like the idiot that you are. Of course you would.
And you'd run upstairs after not finding anything for breakfast down there, only to discover your sock is red and wet because, genius, you cut your foot open on the glass that was downstairs that Dad forgot about.
This is what happened to me this morning, and of course Mom was sick today. So she needed the bathroom right then and I was trying to find bandages to treat my poor toe with, and I wound up tracking blood from one end of the house to the other.
And because Mom was sick and Dad was busy worrying about her and Spritey and Whisper are no good for anything, I had to hop to the kitchen on my non-bleeding foot with a washcloth between the toes of the other foot, trying to wrap the wound and walk at the same time. Then I had to figure out the bandage for myself and keep pressure on the cut so I didn't get my O-negative all over the damn kitchen.
Thank goodness it's a clean cut and mostly shallow so I'm not too badly hurt, but the initial bleed was something to behold. I haven't bled that much by accident for years.
It's bound good and tight now and I think the worst is over as far as that goes. I don't even have a limp and it doesn't really hurt. And best of all, I didn't have to sit there and pick glass out of it, which would have made things much, much worse indeed.
Merlin premieres tomorrow. Joy! Rapture! Elation in spades!
Ta,
Bec
And of course, you'd have socks on and step right onto the glass like the idiot that you are. Of course you would.
And you'd run upstairs after not finding anything for breakfast down there, only to discover your sock is red and wet because, genius, you cut your foot open on the glass that was downstairs that Dad forgot about.
This is what happened to me this morning, and of course Mom was sick today. So she needed the bathroom right then and I was trying to find bandages to treat my poor toe with, and I wound up tracking blood from one end of the house to the other.
And because Mom was sick and Dad was busy worrying about her and Spritey and Whisper are no good for anything, I had to hop to the kitchen on my non-bleeding foot with a washcloth between the toes of the other foot, trying to wrap the wound and walk at the same time. Then I had to figure out the bandage for myself and keep pressure on the cut so I didn't get my O-negative all over the damn kitchen.
Thank goodness it's a clean cut and mostly shallow so I'm not too badly hurt, but the initial bleed was something to behold. I haven't bled that much by accident for years.
It's bound good and tight now and I think the worst is over as far as that goes. I don't even have a limp and it doesn't really hurt. And best of all, I didn't have to sit there and pick glass out of it, which would have made things much, much worse indeed.
Merlin premieres tomorrow. Joy! Rapture! Elation in spades!
Ta,
Bec
8.9.10
I Got A Little Angry...
And when someone leaves a handy broken pantry shelf lying around, what more can I do but smash the thing to bits?
We can walk through the basement again without worrying about our limbs. It isn't pretty and there's certainly work that needs to be done but I made some nice progress this morning.
And Dad made an accidental hole in his crap in the middle of the basement so I'm now peeling away at that. I hope to reach his shelf of stuff by tomorrow and clear it off.
Messing with me isn't a good idea...especially if he didn't want me tossing out more of his junk down there.
Ta,
bec
We can walk through the basement again without worrying about our limbs. It isn't pretty and there's certainly work that needs to be done but I made some nice progress this morning.
And Dad made an accidental hole in his crap in the middle of the basement so I'm now peeling away at that. I hope to reach his shelf of stuff by tomorrow and clear it off.
Messing with me isn't a good idea...especially if he didn't want me tossing out more of his junk down there.
Ta,
bec
7.9.10
Going Backwards
Yesterday morning we were 99.9 percent done cleaning the basement. We could get through it. We could walk without tripping over anything at all.
The shop door neatly closed. The food cans were within easy reach. It was, for a few days, like gliding through a dream...
I knew this dream was too good to last. Sometime yesterday morning, Dad hammered on the already-unstable upper pantry shelf and sent it crashing into the shelves where our canned food supply is. He didn't damage any of the actual shelves save the one that was already bent to hell anyway.
All of our camping supplies, which were neatly up on the shelf and weren't bothering anyone, are now STACKED IN THE SHOP WE JUST FINISHED CLEANING. And in the doorway of the shop. And here. And there. So, to have room to WALK down there, we must now move them to the unworking van in the yard. The boards my dad had UP on the top shelf and just had to put EVERYWHERE now have to be taken out.
Oh, how I love it when he makes me do more work on purpose...
There's also one last stupid roll of insulation that came down with everything else. Just when I thought we were done with the horrid pink stuff, here comes MORE of it...
And wouldn't you know the guy's supposed to be coming to inspect our basement THIS WEEK and Dad has yet again made a mess down there.
When Mom gets home, we are going to attack that basement with the same ferocity that got the shop clean, and we're going to remove every single board he's stacked down there to the dump. If he keeps it up, we'll have every board he stacked within ten feet of this house taken care of.
My dad messed with the wrong women if he thinks we're giving up.
Ta,
Bec
The shop door neatly closed. The food cans were within easy reach. It was, for a few days, like gliding through a dream...
I knew this dream was too good to last. Sometime yesterday morning, Dad hammered on the already-unstable upper pantry shelf and sent it crashing into the shelves where our canned food supply is. He didn't damage any of the actual shelves save the one that was already bent to hell anyway.
All of our camping supplies, which were neatly up on the shelf and weren't bothering anyone, are now STACKED IN THE SHOP WE JUST FINISHED CLEANING. And in the doorway of the shop. And here. And there. So, to have room to WALK down there, we must now move them to the unworking van in the yard. The boards my dad had UP on the top shelf and just had to put EVERYWHERE now have to be taken out.
Oh, how I love it when he makes me do more work on purpose...
There's also one last stupid roll of insulation that came down with everything else. Just when I thought we were done with the horrid pink stuff, here comes MORE of it...
And wouldn't you know the guy's supposed to be coming to inspect our basement THIS WEEK and Dad has yet again made a mess down there.
When Mom gets home, we are going to attack that basement with the same ferocity that got the shop clean, and we're going to remove every single board he's stacked down there to the dump. If he keeps it up, we'll have every board he stacked within ten feet of this house taken care of.
My dad messed with the wrong women if he thinks we're giving up.
Ta,
Bec
3.9.10
Ow Doesn't Really Cut It In These Cases...(Or "What I Did With My Summer Vacation")
I've been telling you about the room we cleaned, that Shop in the basement that had all the epicness of epic trials and Norse sagas.
Here's a link to an entry I posted a few weeks ago when we were still working on it...http://becca-blog-bec.blogspot.com/2010/08/its-getting-there.html
Now you're gonna see pictures! We're 99.9 percent done with the whole freaking business and I want you to see it all, from beginning to end...
One of the first days...
Pool table next to the truck. Over by the shelf thing by the copper piping is where the other door is, where the first picture was taken from. For a long time we couldn't walk through one door and go out of the garage door unless we wanted to go up the front of the truck and climb around. We also couldn't get to the back of the room unless we climbed on the stuff. We had to go around by the basement door and go IN the other side if we wanted a safe route.
There's the back of the truck with the tank on it...
The OTHER side of the room.
After the truck had gone, there was still work to do. You can see the moldy sheetrock leaning on the one wall, and the saw against the other.
.JPG)
There's the sheetrock, broken down into more manageable pieces and thrown in a pile. For the record, I hate sheetrock. It's dusty, it's messy, it smears on cement, and this stuff STANK.
.JPG)
There's some more, but some of it was gone by this point. Look, there's a path!
.JPG)
After the sheetrock was gone, there was still some stuff to get rid of, but this is much better...
.JPG)
This is today with the garage door shut. I'll post a better one here when I get the camera back (I had to use the camcorder to get this.)
To get a general idea of what we had to put up with this summer, here's a tally of the numbers on this project...
HAZARDOUS WASTE: 342 LBS.
SCRAP METAL: 600 LBS.
OTHER: 5 LBS.
REGULAR STUFF: 8,257 LBS.
TOTAL OF STUFF REMOVED: 9,204.5 LBS
Now note that that wasn't JUST the room you're viewing here. We kind of went overboard and did a lot of things in the rest of the house, too. And this doesn't include the scrap on the trailer and the truck and the tank on top of that.
But between the four of us women in this house we removed over a ton and change EACH. Add the other stuff and it's probably a good ton and a half, maybe even two tons each.
And now my muscles are aching from yesterday's saw lifting/saw throwing fun so I'm going to go soak myself in epsom salts.
Ta,
Bec
Here's a link to an entry I posted a few weeks ago when we were still working on it...http://becca-blog-bec.blogspot.com/2010/08/its-getting-there.html
Now you're gonna see pictures! We're 99.9 percent done with the whole freaking business and I want you to see it all, from beginning to end...
One of the first days...
Pool table next to the truck. Over by the shelf thing by the copper piping is where the other door is, where the first picture was taken from. For a long time we couldn't walk through one door and go out of the garage door unless we wanted to go up the front of the truck and climb around. We also couldn't get to the back of the room unless we climbed on the stuff. We had to go around by the basement door and go IN the other side if we wanted a safe route.
There's the back of the truck with the tank on it...
The OTHER side of the room.
After the truck had gone, there was still work to do. You can see the moldy sheetrock leaning on the one wall, and the saw against the other.
.JPG)
There's the sheetrock, broken down into more manageable pieces and thrown in a pile. For the record, I hate sheetrock. It's dusty, it's messy, it smears on cement, and this stuff STANK.
.JPG)
There's some more, but some of it was gone by this point. Look, there's a path!
.JPG)
After the sheetrock was gone, there was still some stuff to get rid of, but this is much better...
.JPG)
This is today with the garage door shut. I'll post a better one here when I get the camera back (I had to use the camcorder to get this.)
To get a general idea of what we had to put up with this summer, here's a tally of the numbers on this project...
HAZARDOUS WASTE: 342 LBS.
SCRAP METAL: 600 LBS.
OTHER: 5 LBS.
REGULAR STUFF: 8,257 LBS.
TOTAL OF STUFF REMOVED: 9,204.5 LBS
Now note that that wasn't JUST the room you're viewing here. We kind of went overboard and did a lot of things in the rest of the house, too. And this doesn't include the scrap on the trailer and the truck and the tank on top of that.
But between the four of us women in this house we removed over a ton and change EACH. Add the other stuff and it's probably a good ton and a half, maybe even two tons each.
And now my muscles are aching from yesterday's saw lifting/saw throwing fun so I'm going to go soak myself in epsom salts.
Ta,
Bec
2.9.10
Having Gotten Up to 8 Pages...
I decided it's high and mighty time I post those damn notes and just get them off my hands. I want to fix one more thing and then I'll be done.
I would have hung on to them till next week but I'd probably wind up with a novel and you wouldn't finish reading by the 11th. I had to turn my computer in the bedroom back ON after I turned it off last night thanks to a theory I had in the bathtub. Had to get it down right then.
So I'm getting them out to you so that you can see them, as soon as I watch one more scene and write out the exact wording of the line I want to see uttered.
Done. Here they are. Enjoy!
NOTE FROM THE 7TH OF SEPTEMBER, 2010: There are theories down in this section that required me to revamp the old Dubois-Pendragon-Gorlois family tree. Recall that this could all be bull and when I have the right information it'll get updated to fit canon, but for now this is as it stands.
SPOILER LINE
This is a list of predictions for Merlin Series 3. There are spoilers for that series and the previous two in here. I assume here that most people have seen some bits of info about the next series and I talk freely about them. I also assume that people have watched the previous two series.
If you don’t want to know anything about Series 3, stop reading now. If you haven’t seen the two previous series, stop reading now and go watch them because they are made of awesome.
That said, these predictions and theories are meant to be speculation on my part. I have no idea if these will be canon. I don’t have any more insight than any other fan. These are purely to get you thinking. I am probably, most likely, dead wrong.
So, on with the show…
Merlin: In the intervening year between Series 2 and 3, Merlin has settled into the powers he inherited from his father, Balinor. (So new magic stuff. Yay!) He also will have had time to grieve both Balinor’s death and the loss of Morgana (more on that in a minute.)
He may have lost his mother, or she will have moved to Camelot to be closer to him (I fully expect Ealdor to have been or be roasted at some point in here, since they were an outlying, insignificant little village to begin with and they’re right in the middle of Uther and Cenred’s little war.) Who knows? She may have been living in Ealdor so that Balinor would know where to find her should he decide to come back. Since he’s gone and Merlin wouldn’t keep that info from her, she has no reason to stay there. She’d be better off in Camelot, actually, because there are high walls and Merlin there. She could work at the castle or something- there’s probably plenty of jobs to do.
I don’t think we’ll get it, but I would love to know something of Hunith’s family as well. She’s originally from Camelot and only left because she and Balinor were running away. Being a Dragonlord, even the last in the line, certainly doesn’t explain powers as extreme as Merlin’s are- Mum’s gotta donate some magical ability, too.
And I predict Merlin will NOT wind up in the dungeons in the first episode of this series, because that’s happened in the first episode of both of the previous series already. Maybe there’ll be less people getting locked up this year, eh?
His relationship with Arthur will be stronger (more medieval noogies!), and Merlin will be taking on more of the advisor/constant lifesaving companion role that we’ve seen him testing out in the two previous series. (And they’re going on a roadtrip together, so hopefully lots of snarky banter to be had. Also a bar brawl, which should be very awesomely fun to watch.)
His friendship with Gwen will not have changed. As a matter of fact, I keep thinking Gwen’s going to find out about the magic stuff before Arthur does. Note how he refused to judge Gwen last year on the whole Lance/Arthur debacle-now that’s the mark of a decent buddy…
His relationship with Gaius will have deepened in the last year and will continue to be a pseudo father-son thing. Expect more hugs.
His relationship with Morgana is beyond repair (though I have heard tell of a “relationship” coming sometime in the next couple of series. How very interesting…) Merlin can’t trust her anymore and she certainly no longer trusts HIM. This year will see them taking sides against one another-Merlin on one side and Morgana on the other. Merlin won’t like it, but he’ll probably wind up in some big spell-throwing battle with Morgana at the end of this year…we’ll see who comes off worse in THAT fight…
Merlin’s in a bit of a spot with Morgana, however-she doesn’t trust him at all and yet she still has Uther’s ear. If Morgana chooses to reveal to Uther that Merlin poisoned her last year or if she finds out that Merlin has magic, Merlin puts his own life-and ultimately Arthur’s, Gaius’, and Camelot itself- at risk. More than keeping the secret from Arthur and Gwen, Merlin will definitely have to keep it quiet from Morgana or risk execution. He will also have to keep Morgana in his sights and make sure she has no reason to turn him into Uther, or his magic will get revealed by accident. And if Morgause finds out, well, I don’t want to know what will happen but it will be ugly.
And you have to wonder how many times Merlin can get away with stopping Morgause and Morgana’s plans before he begins to come under their scrutiny (absolutely the last thing he needs.) If his magic is revealed to them, it would be just as bad as if Uther found out. He’s already stopped Morgause twice, and if she puts two and Merlin together it could be disaster for everyone AND him.
It could also mean that if she knew, Morgana could box Merlin in and manhandle him into doing something he doesn’t want, especially if she gets put in charge of Camelot because she’s busy driving Uther out of his mind. Ultimately it could mean Merlin has to leave Camelot and Arthur’s side or risk revealing the truth.
Merlin and the Dragon: Well, since Merlin’s a Dragonlord now and Kilgarrah’s been gone a year or so, I think their relationship will be much more friendly and nice. Good ol’ Killy is basically bound to help Merlin anyway thanks to the whole “I control you, get down here and help me because I saved your scaly hide last series” thing Merlin’s got going. So hugs all round. Mind the flames.
Uther: Just when we thought all of Uther’s sins were out in the light, along comes the writers to throw a couple more logs on the fire. Apparently Uther did some MORE stuff back in the day that is coming back to, pardon my French, bite him in the ass. With Arthur finding out the real truth about what happened to his mum and possibly finding out more about his family, it appears we’re going to get a litany.
Uther is becoming paranoid, thanks to his advisors being constantly silenced and his old demons coming back to haunt his nightmares. I don’t see how he could go after the magic people more than he already HAS, but I’m sure he’ll find some poor Druid to beat the hell out of and make himself feel better.
I have had this theory sitting in my mind for awhile and I want to address it-that of the circumstances surrounding Gorlois, Morgana’s father’s death, approximately ten to twelve years before the series starts. So you don’t have to search the entire episode of “To Kill the King” for the lines that are important I have put them here.
MORGANA: I only meant…I know what it’s like to lose a father.
UTHER: That was a terrible day. Your father was a great friend. (Morgana sniffs and looks down) I played no part in his death.
MORGANA: You sent him into battle. You promised him reinforcements and then gave him none. You sent him to his death.
UTHER: That is not true. It was never my intention…
MORGANA: But it happened! And it keeps on happening…
LATER ON…
UTHER: Your father was the greatest man I’ve ever known. He stood for everything this…kingdom represents. Truth, justice, valor. A hundred times he saved my life on the battlefield. His courage and his honor were without equal. (Kneels down and kisses the grave.) When Gorlois died, I lost the truest friend I ever had, for he was as fearless in questioning my judgment as he was in defending my kingdom. That’s the mark of a true friend.
(Quotes borrowed from my Merlin Series 1 Discs are as exact as I could transcribe ‘em)
Something never sat right with me and it still doesn’t-why on Earth anyone, even Uther, would leave their best friend alone, without backup, out on the battlefield to die? Warriors are often closer than brothers, and it appears that Gorlois and Uther had a pretty good relationship back in the day, enough that Uther took Gorlois’ daughter into his care when her father died. So why would Uther apparently not come to Gorlois’ aid and help him when he needed him?
Though Uther has claimed to have had no part in it and even showed remorse for what happened, note how in front of Morgana he immediately defends himself like he has something to hide. I suspect that Gorlois was assassinated because he posed some sort of threat to Uther’s kingdom and Uther let it happen. Whether Uther found out some treason (possibly magic-related) of Gorlois’ and had him killed, or whether Uther feared Gorlois would find out about something terrible he’d done and turn against him, I don’t know. But that particular death, and the way Uther explained it, just never made sense to me.
Anyone who’s watched Uther the last two years knows he WOULD hand over his best buddy if it meant eliminating one more naughty magic user, or someone guarding one (Morgause, or Gorlois’ wife, even possibly Morgana.) One thing we’ve learned is nobody (save Arthur)-is safe from Uther. Uther would also hand them over out of fear they would find something out about him that could potentially ruin his public image-say that Uther had slept with Morgana’s mother or Gorlois found out that Uther had used magic to have Arthur created. Gorlois might have been ready to expose his misdeed to everyone…and Uther would have silenced him to save his own reputation.
If Morgana learns about this, the results of her anger might be enough to level Camelot (and bury Uther under it.)
NOTE FROM 9.9.10: Richard Wilson, the guy who plays Gaius, might want some lessons in spoilering. He said in an interview yesterday that there is a HUGE revelation concerning Uther and Morgana coming up...and not even Gaius knew about it.
It could be one of these things:
1. Morgana is his daughter (unlikely. Uther would have been trying to have a child with his own wife at the time and it would be really, really awful of him to have had one with what we assume is his sister-in-law while Igraine couldn't seem to conceive.) Plus, Uther has said Morgana's a lot like Gorlois, and that wouldn't be possible if she was Uther's own child.
2. Morgause is his daughter (but that wouldn't concern Morgana.)
3. Uther killed Gorlois (or at least is responsible for his death.)
4. Uther had Morgana's mother (I am still calling her Elaine) burnt at the stake for doing magical stuff. But then Gorlois wouldn't have been friends with the guy who killed his wife, now would he? Maybe Elaine did something nasty and Gorlois had to disown her or risk his own life and the life of a very young Morgana.
5. Uther killed both of Morgana's parents (this would a combo of 3 and 4.)
Uther and Morgana’s relationship wasn’t all that happy at the end of last year, and though Uther has spent the last year looking for her with an obsessive sort of air, Morgana will only be found when she WANTS to be found. And when she does she’s coming back with new powers and with new loyalties. My guess is that Uther (who cares for Morgana just enough to have put up with her big mouth all this time) will find out where she really stands and either banish her or try to have her killed. However it goes, Uther, like Arthur, can’t stay oblivious to her evil for very long (I say end of series) and I think we’re going to see them go off against each other in some way. Expect more lovely fights.
I am beginning to wonder if Morgana isn’t the one who’ll be whispering things in the king’s ear. She is manipulative-we’ve seen it before-and an Uther afraid and terrified of his past is a more easily moved one. Why wouldn’t she try to damage his mind, make his nightmares chase him, cause his paranoia to become worse and worse until her voice is the only one he listens to? (Think Wormtongue in Lord of the Rings.) Then she could get whatever she wanted from him, up to and including:
Merlin banished/killed (locking him in the dungeon has never done any good)
Laws passed that she wants going after people she doesn’t like
Power (why not name her queen of Camelot, right? Right…)
A useless war that drains Camelot’s resources and defenses
Magical artifacts that Uther would only believe need containment, while Morgana’s using them for her own ends
Uther and Gaius’s relationship took a blow last series and Gaius is clearly not getting through to Uther on the whole massive Morgana search issue. My guess is that Uther is barely listening to even Gaius these days (like he did before, right?) and is barely taking advice from anyone, including his own son.
Uther and Arthur: Arthur, busy shouldering more of his father’s duties, will have to hold his tongue if he knows about his father’s sins. When he found out last series about his mum he wasn’t too happy, but recall that a year has passed and he’s older and wiser and hopefully less angry about the whole thing. I think it will wind up being a sad realization that there’s no fixing what Uther has done until Uther kicks the bucket and lets Arthur begin to repair the damage.
Just when I thought I was done writing all of this out, I had a crazy, half-mad theory start up in my head. This is mostly speculation, who KNOWS if half of this is right but I’m just gonna toss this out there and see what you all think. Hold on tight…
Okay, so, we begin with Uther, of course, young, unmarried (or just married) possibly even still a prince or just barely a king. We have Gorlois, his best bud, who’s either just married or will be soon.
Enter Igraine’s sister. We’ll call her Elaine for lack of a better name.
Maybe Uther hasn’t met Igraine yet. Maybe he’s got the hots for her but can’t seem to get through. So Uther goes for the sister, who’s with his best friend at the time, and sleeps with her. Then the consequences come in-she’s pregnant. Either she’s a young woman just married to Gorlois or she’s engaged, but Gorlois carries on thinking that the child is his own. She gives birth to a daughter whom both men assume dies at birth. But she doesn’t-she’s secreted out of the castle to the High Priestesses of the Old Religion, who even at this point Uther fears.
The years pass. Elaine gives Gorlois a daughter named Morgana and dies soon afterward, before Morgana ever remembers her. Igraine marries Uther and bears him a son before dying herself. Uther starts killing magical people left and right. Gorlois dies when Morgana is ten under mysterious circumstances, maybe because he was about to find out that his dead wife had had a child with Uther.
If this whole stupid story I just told you holds water, then someone should have a legitimate claim to the throne AHEAD of Arthur…and that someone is Morgause. I kept wondering why she keeps bothering Camelot, of all the places. She keeps nagging at them like she’s got some unfinished business at the place. She’s after Uther like every villain on this show seems to be, but what baffles me is everyone else who’s been mad at Uther has stated their reasons already. She hasn’t. We have no CLUE why this small and fierce blonde woman is repeatedly attacking Camelot. If Uther Pendragon is out of the way, then Morgause can take over and bring magic back to Camelot. She doesn’t give a damn about Arthur-he’s no threat to her anyway (she has no quarrel with him.)
I thought it was odd that when confronted with who Morgause might really be, Uther’s first response is “I was led to believe that the child had died.” Why was he told anything? Did he play some part in Morgause’s birth? She may wear the bracelet of Gorlois but is Morgause really a Pendragon?
You still with me? Right. Onto Morgana…
Morgana: We’ll definitely find out where she’s been, what she’s been doing with her lovely half-sister Morgause (who’s been training her in All Things Evil) and finally get the family tree we’ve been waiting for (this I’m hoping for. Let’s get this whole family business aired out so we can get on with watching Morgana go badder.) I say her and Morgause’s mother is named…ELAINE. In the original legend, Igraine was their mother and Elaine was the third sister. From what I can see, she has gained some powers and it appears she attacks Merlin with some sort of staff thing.
Once again, I believe she’s going to have to leave Camelot at some point and never come back. She can only look neutral for so long and if Uther finds out what she’s really up to she will have to leave or risk her cause.
There’s this theory that’s been tossed about several times: Morgana killing Morgause. I want to put it out there because I really think this idea holds water. Morgause is manipulative and brilliant-she could be hiding something pretty fantastic and bad in that blonde head of hers and Morgana, well, Morgana has a quick temper. If she loses it accidentally, if she gets angry, even with all the training Morgause has given her she’s probably likely to go boom. And it’ll be far worse than the curtains going flamey and the windows blowing out. Morgause might even be controlling her. I suspect these evil witch people are like the Sith Lords in Star Wars-there can only be two of them around, one in a servant position and one in a master position. If there are two Sith Lords who want to be master, they have to kill each other because there’s just not a universe big enough for both their egos and their badness. Morgause might have been the servant to Nimueh. When Nimueh dies, she takes on the role of master. She takes Morgana as servant. When Morgause dies, Morgana becomes master. You see what I’m getting at here?
Speaking of Nimueh, there’s continued and stupid rumors she’s coming back from the dead. I don’t think so. We have enough on our hands with Morgause-let’s not toss another bad witchie on top of everything else.
But I do think someone’s gonna trap Merlin in a crystal cave this year related to the Crystal of Neahtid from last series (it’s either Morgana or Morgause that does it. Let’s say Morgana.)More than likely I am wrong again. Nimueh’s supposed to do it but unless she can get back from the thorough and complete toasting that Merlin gave her at the end of Series 1, she probably isn’t.
And no Mordred this year because the kid playing him was busy doing the Nanny McPhee movie.
Arthur: Arthur is going to have grown a mile since last year’s dragon hunting expedition. As Uther slips into madness Arthur’s going to have to take some responsibilities he hasn’t had before-maybe some admin duties and council meetings and some such stuff. There may be times when he can’t run off and deal with something outside of Camelot because someone has to stay home and maintain the kingdom while he’s away and there’s no one else to do the job. (Well, who’s he going to leave in charge-Leon?)
His love for Gwen hasn’t changed, but we will probably see some major bumps in the road as Lancelot pops in for an episode and supposedly Arthur gets married to some princess because they’re in the middle of a war with King Cenred (the same that rules over the ridge of Aesctir and Ealdor, Merlin’s home village.) I have a feeling the marriage won’t last very long, however, and Arthur and Gwen may find themselves in a better place at the end of the year. Gwen may become more of an advisor to Arthur as he takes on more king duties this series. Good relationships always gotta go through the fire to get better, especially in a high-concept drama series.
His relationship with Morgana can only get worse. Her loyalties will become crystal clear this series and Arthur can’t help but view that as an act of treason.
Arthur is taking on more of the kingly properties we’ve come to know him for, mostly because Old King Giles-Uther the Paranoid is beginning to lose his marbles.
Arthur also will learn the final, unadulterated truth about whatever the hell happened to get him born. And hopefully some family stuff will be going down. This could be interesting. Suffice it to say we don’t have all the details yet.
Gwen: Gwen herself is gaining a brother this year, who I suspect will become one of Arthur’s knights (Gawain’s taken. How about Kay? Or Percival?) We’ll learn more about her family. I expect she’s not just a blacksmith’s daughter but is something much more important-maybe a noblewoman? She also appears to travel a bit on her own this year so that’ll be fun to watch.
Gwen and Lancelot: Gwen will continue to be torn between Arthur and Lancelot, and this isn’t likely to change or get better since Arthur is supposedly getting hitched to some princess in an arranged marriage (this is a rumor, but seriously, there’s some blonde in a pretty dress sitting next to him at a banquet. What do you THINK is happening there? They obviously are in a war, they need allies, and Arthur getting married to someone of nobility is Uther’s best chance of getting those allies.) I suspect this will upset Gwen terribly.
Gwen and Morgana: As with all of Morgana’s relationships in Camelot, this relationship is destined to sink into the mire. Morgana snapped at Gwen last year-it’s only a hint, I believe, of what she was becoming at the time. Gwen might become a spy for Arthur, telling him what Morgana’s doing (or Morgana might suspect the very same and be all defensive.) Either way, Gwen will be pretty devastated by the detonating of their friendship.
Gaius: I really, really want to predict his death but since I did that last year (and it backfired) I really, really won’t predict it this series. (Now watch. He’ll snuff it in episode 13 and I’ll be kicking myself for years afterwards.) I think he’ll die at some point-maybe in Series 5 when Uther kicks it-but there’s a reduced role for Gaius this year, maybe a smidge of development character-wise (I hear tell of a love interest!) and not much else.
You came all the way to the end with me (bravo!), so what do you think? Am I just rambling or have I made you think? Let me know! Bec
I would have hung on to them till next week but I'd probably wind up with a novel and you wouldn't finish reading by the 11th. I had to turn my computer in the bedroom back ON after I turned it off last night thanks to a theory I had in the bathtub. Had to get it down right then.
So I'm getting them out to you so that you can see them, as soon as I watch one more scene and write out the exact wording of the line I want to see uttered.
Done. Here they are. Enjoy!
NOTE FROM THE 7TH OF SEPTEMBER, 2010: There are theories down in this section that required me to revamp the old Dubois-Pendragon-Gorlois family tree. Recall that this could all be bull and when I have the right information it'll get updated to fit canon, but for now this is as it stands.
SPOILER LINE
This is a list of predictions for Merlin Series 3. There are spoilers for that series and the previous two in here. I assume here that most people have seen some bits of info about the next series and I talk freely about them. I also assume that people have watched the previous two series.
If you don’t want to know anything about Series 3, stop reading now. If you haven’t seen the two previous series, stop reading now and go watch them because they are made of awesome.
That said, these predictions and theories are meant to be speculation on my part. I have no idea if these will be canon. I don’t have any more insight than any other fan. These are purely to get you thinking. I am probably, most likely, dead wrong.
So, on with the show…
Merlin: In the intervening year between Series 2 and 3, Merlin has settled into the powers he inherited from his father, Balinor. (So new magic stuff. Yay!) He also will have had time to grieve both Balinor’s death and the loss of Morgana (more on that in a minute.)
He may have lost his mother, or she will have moved to Camelot to be closer to him (I fully expect Ealdor to have been or be roasted at some point in here, since they were an outlying, insignificant little village to begin with and they’re right in the middle of Uther and Cenred’s little war.) Who knows? She may have been living in Ealdor so that Balinor would know where to find her should he decide to come back. Since he’s gone and Merlin wouldn’t keep that info from her, she has no reason to stay there. She’d be better off in Camelot, actually, because there are high walls and Merlin there. She could work at the castle or something- there’s probably plenty of jobs to do.
I don’t think we’ll get it, but I would love to know something of Hunith’s family as well. She’s originally from Camelot and only left because she and Balinor were running away. Being a Dragonlord, even the last in the line, certainly doesn’t explain powers as extreme as Merlin’s are- Mum’s gotta donate some magical ability, too.
And I predict Merlin will NOT wind up in the dungeons in the first episode of this series, because that’s happened in the first episode of both of the previous series already. Maybe there’ll be less people getting locked up this year, eh?
His relationship with Arthur will be stronger (more medieval noogies!), and Merlin will be taking on more of the advisor/constant lifesaving companion role that we’ve seen him testing out in the two previous series. (And they’re going on a roadtrip together, so hopefully lots of snarky banter to be had. Also a bar brawl, which should be very awesomely fun to watch.)
His friendship with Gwen will not have changed. As a matter of fact, I keep thinking Gwen’s going to find out about the magic stuff before Arthur does. Note how he refused to judge Gwen last year on the whole Lance/Arthur debacle-now that’s the mark of a decent buddy…
His relationship with Gaius will have deepened in the last year and will continue to be a pseudo father-son thing. Expect more hugs.
His relationship with Morgana is beyond repair (though I have heard tell of a “relationship” coming sometime in the next couple of series. How very interesting…) Merlin can’t trust her anymore and she certainly no longer trusts HIM. This year will see them taking sides against one another-Merlin on one side and Morgana on the other. Merlin won’t like it, but he’ll probably wind up in some big spell-throwing battle with Morgana at the end of this year…we’ll see who comes off worse in THAT fight…
Merlin’s in a bit of a spot with Morgana, however-she doesn’t trust him at all and yet she still has Uther’s ear. If Morgana chooses to reveal to Uther that Merlin poisoned her last year or if she finds out that Merlin has magic, Merlin puts his own life-and ultimately Arthur’s, Gaius’, and Camelot itself- at risk. More than keeping the secret from Arthur and Gwen, Merlin will definitely have to keep it quiet from Morgana or risk execution. He will also have to keep Morgana in his sights and make sure she has no reason to turn him into Uther, or his magic will get revealed by accident. And if Morgause finds out, well, I don’t want to know what will happen but it will be ugly.
And you have to wonder how many times Merlin can get away with stopping Morgause and Morgana’s plans before he begins to come under their scrutiny (absolutely the last thing he needs.) If his magic is revealed to them, it would be just as bad as if Uther found out. He’s already stopped Morgause twice, and if she puts two and Merlin together it could be disaster for everyone AND him.
It could also mean that if she knew, Morgana could box Merlin in and manhandle him into doing something he doesn’t want, especially if she gets put in charge of Camelot because she’s busy driving Uther out of his mind. Ultimately it could mean Merlin has to leave Camelot and Arthur’s side or risk revealing the truth.
Merlin and the Dragon: Well, since Merlin’s a Dragonlord now and Kilgarrah’s been gone a year or so, I think their relationship will be much more friendly and nice. Good ol’ Killy is basically bound to help Merlin anyway thanks to the whole “I control you, get down here and help me because I saved your scaly hide last series” thing Merlin’s got going. So hugs all round. Mind the flames.
Uther: Just when we thought all of Uther’s sins were out in the light, along comes the writers to throw a couple more logs on the fire. Apparently Uther did some MORE stuff back in the day that is coming back to, pardon my French, bite him in the ass. With Arthur finding out the real truth about what happened to his mum and possibly finding out more about his family, it appears we’re going to get a litany.
Uther is becoming paranoid, thanks to his advisors being constantly silenced and his old demons coming back to haunt his nightmares. I don’t see how he could go after the magic people more than he already HAS, but I’m sure he’ll find some poor Druid to beat the hell out of and make himself feel better.
I have had this theory sitting in my mind for awhile and I want to address it-that of the circumstances surrounding Gorlois, Morgana’s father’s death, approximately ten to twelve years before the series starts. So you don’t have to search the entire episode of “To Kill the King” for the lines that are important I have put them here.
MORGANA: I only meant…I know what it’s like to lose a father.
UTHER: That was a terrible day. Your father was a great friend. (Morgana sniffs and looks down) I played no part in his death.
MORGANA: You sent him into battle. You promised him reinforcements and then gave him none. You sent him to his death.
UTHER: That is not true. It was never my intention…
MORGANA: But it happened! And it keeps on happening…
LATER ON…
UTHER: Your father was the greatest man I’ve ever known. He stood for everything this…kingdom represents. Truth, justice, valor. A hundred times he saved my life on the battlefield. His courage and his honor were without equal. (Kneels down and kisses the grave.) When Gorlois died, I lost the truest friend I ever had, for he was as fearless in questioning my judgment as he was in defending my kingdom. That’s the mark of a true friend.
(Quotes borrowed from my Merlin Series 1 Discs are as exact as I could transcribe ‘em)
Something never sat right with me and it still doesn’t-why on Earth anyone, even Uther, would leave their best friend alone, without backup, out on the battlefield to die? Warriors are often closer than brothers, and it appears that Gorlois and Uther had a pretty good relationship back in the day, enough that Uther took Gorlois’ daughter into his care when her father died. So why would Uther apparently not come to Gorlois’ aid and help him when he needed him?
Though Uther has claimed to have had no part in it and even showed remorse for what happened, note how in front of Morgana he immediately defends himself like he has something to hide. I suspect that Gorlois was assassinated because he posed some sort of threat to Uther’s kingdom and Uther let it happen. Whether Uther found out some treason (possibly magic-related) of Gorlois’ and had him killed, or whether Uther feared Gorlois would find out about something terrible he’d done and turn against him, I don’t know. But that particular death, and the way Uther explained it, just never made sense to me.
Anyone who’s watched Uther the last two years knows he WOULD hand over his best buddy if it meant eliminating one more naughty magic user, or someone guarding one (Morgause, or Gorlois’ wife, even possibly Morgana.) One thing we’ve learned is nobody (save Arthur)-is safe from Uther. Uther would also hand them over out of fear they would find something out about him that could potentially ruin his public image-say that Uther had slept with Morgana’s mother or Gorlois found out that Uther had used magic to have Arthur created. Gorlois might have been ready to expose his misdeed to everyone…and Uther would have silenced him to save his own reputation.
If Morgana learns about this, the results of her anger might be enough to level Camelot (and bury Uther under it.)
NOTE FROM 9.9.10: Richard Wilson, the guy who plays Gaius, might want some lessons in spoilering. He said in an interview yesterday that there is a HUGE revelation concerning Uther and Morgana coming up...and not even Gaius knew about it.
It could be one of these things:
1. Morgana is his daughter (unlikely. Uther would have been trying to have a child with his own wife at the time and it would be really, really awful of him to have had one with what we assume is his sister-in-law while Igraine couldn't seem to conceive.) Plus, Uther has said Morgana's a lot like Gorlois, and that wouldn't be possible if she was Uther's own child.
2. Morgause is his daughter (but that wouldn't concern Morgana.)
3. Uther killed Gorlois (or at least is responsible for his death.)
4. Uther had Morgana's mother (I am still calling her Elaine) burnt at the stake for doing magical stuff. But then Gorlois wouldn't have been friends with the guy who killed his wife, now would he? Maybe Elaine did something nasty and Gorlois had to disown her or risk his own life and the life of a very young Morgana.
5. Uther killed both of Morgana's parents (this would a combo of 3 and 4.)
Uther and Morgana’s relationship wasn’t all that happy at the end of last year, and though Uther has spent the last year looking for her with an obsessive sort of air, Morgana will only be found when she WANTS to be found. And when she does she’s coming back with new powers and with new loyalties. My guess is that Uther (who cares for Morgana just enough to have put up with her big mouth all this time) will find out where she really stands and either banish her or try to have her killed. However it goes, Uther, like Arthur, can’t stay oblivious to her evil for very long (I say end of series) and I think we’re going to see them go off against each other in some way. Expect more lovely fights.
I am beginning to wonder if Morgana isn’t the one who’ll be whispering things in the king’s ear. She is manipulative-we’ve seen it before-and an Uther afraid and terrified of his past is a more easily moved one. Why wouldn’t she try to damage his mind, make his nightmares chase him, cause his paranoia to become worse and worse until her voice is the only one he listens to? (Think Wormtongue in Lord of the Rings.) Then she could get whatever she wanted from him, up to and including:
Merlin banished/killed (locking him in the dungeon has never done any good)
Laws passed that she wants going after people she doesn’t like
Power (why not name her queen of Camelot, right? Right…)
A useless war that drains Camelot’s resources and defenses
Magical artifacts that Uther would only believe need containment, while Morgana’s using them for her own ends
Uther and Gaius’s relationship took a blow last series and Gaius is clearly not getting through to Uther on the whole massive Morgana search issue. My guess is that Uther is barely listening to even Gaius these days (like he did before, right?) and is barely taking advice from anyone, including his own son.
Uther and Arthur: Arthur, busy shouldering more of his father’s duties, will have to hold his tongue if he knows about his father’s sins. When he found out last series about his mum he wasn’t too happy, but recall that a year has passed and he’s older and wiser and hopefully less angry about the whole thing. I think it will wind up being a sad realization that there’s no fixing what Uther has done until Uther kicks the bucket and lets Arthur begin to repair the damage.
Just when I thought I was done writing all of this out, I had a crazy, half-mad theory start up in my head. This is mostly speculation, who KNOWS if half of this is right but I’m just gonna toss this out there and see what you all think. Hold on tight…
Okay, so, we begin with Uther, of course, young, unmarried (or just married) possibly even still a prince or just barely a king. We have Gorlois, his best bud, who’s either just married or will be soon.
Enter Igraine’s sister. We’ll call her Elaine for lack of a better name.
Maybe Uther hasn’t met Igraine yet. Maybe he’s got the hots for her but can’t seem to get through. So Uther goes for the sister, who’s with his best friend at the time, and sleeps with her. Then the consequences come in-she’s pregnant. Either she’s a young woman just married to Gorlois or she’s engaged, but Gorlois carries on thinking that the child is his own. She gives birth to a daughter whom both men assume dies at birth. But she doesn’t-she’s secreted out of the castle to the High Priestesses of the Old Religion, who even at this point Uther fears.
The years pass. Elaine gives Gorlois a daughter named Morgana and dies soon afterward, before Morgana ever remembers her. Igraine marries Uther and bears him a son before dying herself. Uther starts killing magical people left and right. Gorlois dies when Morgana is ten under mysterious circumstances, maybe because he was about to find out that his dead wife had had a child with Uther.
If this whole stupid story I just told you holds water, then someone should have a legitimate claim to the throne AHEAD of Arthur…and that someone is Morgause. I kept wondering why she keeps bothering Camelot, of all the places. She keeps nagging at them like she’s got some unfinished business at the place. She’s after Uther like every villain on this show seems to be, but what baffles me is everyone else who’s been mad at Uther has stated their reasons already. She hasn’t. We have no CLUE why this small and fierce blonde woman is repeatedly attacking Camelot. If Uther Pendragon is out of the way, then Morgause can take over and bring magic back to Camelot. She doesn’t give a damn about Arthur-he’s no threat to her anyway (she has no quarrel with him.)
I thought it was odd that when confronted with who Morgause might really be, Uther’s first response is “I was led to believe that the child had died.” Why was he told anything? Did he play some part in Morgause’s birth? She may wear the bracelet of Gorlois but is Morgause really a Pendragon?
You still with me? Right. Onto Morgana…
Morgana: We’ll definitely find out where she’s been, what she’s been doing with her lovely half-sister Morgause (who’s been training her in All Things Evil) and finally get the family tree we’ve been waiting for (this I’m hoping for. Let’s get this whole family business aired out so we can get on with watching Morgana go badder.) I say her and Morgause’s mother is named…ELAINE. In the original legend, Igraine was their mother and Elaine was the third sister. From what I can see, she has gained some powers and it appears she attacks Merlin with some sort of staff thing.
Once again, I believe she’s going to have to leave Camelot at some point and never come back. She can only look neutral for so long and if Uther finds out what she’s really up to she will have to leave or risk her cause.
There’s this theory that’s been tossed about several times: Morgana killing Morgause. I want to put it out there because I really think this idea holds water. Morgause is manipulative and brilliant-she could be hiding something pretty fantastic and bad in that blonde head of hers and Morgana, well, Morgana has a quick temper. If she loses it accidentally, if she gets angry, even with all the training Morgause has given her she’s probably likely to go boom. And it’ll be far worse than the curtains going flamey and the windows blowing out. Morgause might even be controlling her. I suspect these evil witch people are like the Sith Lords in Star Wars-there can only be two of them around, one in a servant position and one in a master position. If there are two Sith Lords who want to be master, they have to kill each other because there’s just not a universe big enough for both their egos and their badness. Morgause might have been the servant to Nimueh. When Nimueh dies, she takes on the role of master. She takes Morgana as servant. When Morgause dies, Morgana becomes master. You see what I’m getting at here?
Speaking of Nimueh, there’s continued and stupid rumors she’s coming back from the dead. I don’t think so. We have enough on our hands with Morgause-let’s not toss another bad witchie on top of everything else.
But I do think someone’s gonna trap Merlin in a crystal cave this year related to the Crystal of Neahtid from last series (it’s either Morgana or Morgause that does it. Let’s say Morgana.)More than likely I am wrong again. Nimueh’s supposed to do it but unless she can get back from the thorough and complete toasting that Merlin gave her at the end of Series 1, she probably isn’t.
And no Mordred this year because the kid playing him was busy doing the Nanny McPhee movie.
Arthur: Arthur is going to have grown a mile since last year’s dragon hunting expedition. As Uther slips into madness Arthur’s going to have to take some responsibilities he hasn’t had before-maybe some admin duties and council meetings and some such stuff. There may be times when he can’t run off and deal with something outside of Camelot because someone has to stay home and maintain the kingdom while he’s away and there’s no one else to do the job. (Well, who’s he going to leave in charge-Leon?)
His love for Gwen hasn’t changed, but we will probably see some major bumps in the road as Lancelot pops in for an episode and supposedly Arthur gets married to some princess because they’re in the middle of a war with King Cenred (the same that rules over the ridge of Aesctir and Ealdor, Merlin’s home village.) I have a feeling the marriage won’t last very long, however, and Arthur and Gwen may find themselves in a better place at the end of the year. Gwen may become more of an advisor to Arthur as he takes on more king duties this series. Good relationships always gotta go through the fire to get better, especially in a high-concept drama series.
His relationship with Morgana can only get worse. Her loyalties will become crystal clear this series and Arthur can’t help but view that as an act of treason.
Arthur is taking on more of the kingly properties we’ve come to know him for, mostly because Old King Giles-Uther the Paranoid is beginning to lose his marbles.
Arthur also will learn the final, unadulterated truth about whatever the hell happened to get him born. And hopefully some family stuff will be going down. This could be interesting. Suffice it to say we don’t have all the details yet.
Gwen: Gwen herself is gaining a brother this year, who I suspect will become one of Arthur’s knights (Gawain’s taken. How about Kay? Or Percival?) We’ll learn more about her family. I expect she’s not just a blacksmith’s daughter but is something much more important-maybe a noblewoman? She also appears to travel a bit on her own this year so that’ll be fun to watch.
Gwen and Lancelot: Gwen will continue to be torn between Arthur and Lancelot, and this isn’t likely to change or get better since Arthur is supposedly getting hitched to some princess in an arranged marriage (this is a rumor, but seriously, there’s some blonde in a pretty dress sitting next to him at a banquet. What do you THINK is happening there? They obviously are in a war, they need allies, and Arthur getting married to someone of nobility is Uther’s best chance of getting those allies.) I suspect this will upset Gwen terribly.
Gwen and Morgana: As with all of Morgana’s relationships in Camelot, this relationship is destined to sink into the mire. Morgana snapped at Gwen last year-it’s only a hint, I believe, of what she was becoming at the time. Gwen might become a spy for Arthur, telling him what Morgana’s doing (or Morgana might suspect the very same and be all defensive.) Either way, Gwen will be pretty devastated by the detonating of their friendship.
Gaius: I really, really want to predict his death but since I did that last year (and it backfired) I really, really won’t predict it this series. (Now watch. He’ll snuff it in episode 13 and I’ll be kicking myself for years afterwards.) I think he’ll die at some point-maybe in Series 5 when Uther kicks it-but there’s a reduced role for Gaius this year, maybe a smidge of development character-wise (I hear tell of a love interest!) and not much else.
You came all the way to the end with me (bravo!), so what do you think? Am I just rambling or have I made you think? Let me know! Bec
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