Episode V.VII – A Lesson In Vengeance
Join us as we discuss A Lesson In Vengeance
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20th October 2021 @ 6:25 pm
Hi! I just wanted to comment on that scene where Merlin heals Arthur from the poison. I understand not feeling the stakes/peril while he’s crossing the corridor and climbing into Arthur’s bedroom. For me personally, I do feel the emotional impact as soon as Merlin gets into the room. It’s like up until this point we have to concentrate on the goal of getting to Arthur without being caught so there’s not much time to dwell on what will happen when we get there. But once he steps into the room Colin is playing ‘wary’ to me. He almost hesitates by Arthur’s bedside. He reaches out his hands a bit and then pulls then back like he’s nervous to touch him. As I’m watching all this I’m thinking about how hard healing magic is for Merlin. We’ve established that this is not his forte and that he doubts his abilities a lot more in that area. The scene in 3×5 where Merlin is crying over a puddle because he has tried but can’t heal Arthur is a direct parallel to this scene for me. And then Merlins line about how deep the sickness is in him and him saying, “I don’t know if I have the power to bring him back” really drives it home for me. Merlin is emotional and scared as he tries it and then after when nothing seems to be happening it’s like he starts to panic. Gaius checks him and sees no improvement so that’s when Merlin starts crying outright and I absolutely believe that Merlin thinks Arthur might die. I’m doubting Merlins magic too at this point. For me the stakes are high because it seems like this is plan A and there is not a plan B. I get the impression that Gaius and Merlin are pinning all of their hopes on Merlin’s magic working. So yes it’s short-lived stakes, but for me they nailed the emotional impact of this scene. It gets me every time!
20th October 2021 @ 7:01 pm
Beautifully written! I am torn, because if I watch this scene in isolation, absolutely it moves me and I am crying along with Merlin. When I think about the whole episode… I just don’t feel like they actually build up to it properly. I wish I could remember what it was like watching it for the first time and not knowing that Arthur makes it… knowing me, I probably ugly cried right along with Merlin.
21st October 2021 @ 3:35 am
I get that!! I absolutely ugly cried the first time lol I remember it vividly. Colin is just too good at looking devastated!
18th October 2021 @ 6:43 pm
This isn’t about A Lesson In Vengeance (I don’t feel like such an utterly forgettable episode deserves too much of my thoughts), but I just wanted to throw something in that has been mentioned the past few episodes, originating with the Disir: the whole “sorcerers are not allowed marked graves” thing. I remember reading on Alexander Vlahos’ Twitter a while back that the episode was coming in short, so the scene between Mordred and Merlin at Osgar’s grave was written in haste and filmed on their lunch break! Explains why it doesn’t really fit with the canon of the preceding rest of the show. I can’t find the tweet, sorry, but if you scroll back on Vlahos’ twitter feed you’ll probably find it.
18th October 2021 @ 9:43 pm
And–one thing about this episode even though it will be too late for the podcast cut-off–despite its many failings, I have always, every single rewatch, been entranced by Colin’s acting and specifically his facial expressions when he and Gaius think that the magical healing hasn’t worked and Arthur is really truly going to die this time. The tears, the clasped hands, the desperate hope–chills.
19th October 2021 @ 1:05 am
Totally agree with Colin’s performance!!! He is AMAZING! I agree with Ruth and Michelle though when they said the episode didn’t deserve that performance. I wish it was written to where I really felt it as well….
19th October 2021 @ 11:06 am
oh, absolutely no shade meant to Colin Morgan, he is an astonishing actor. Just that between the disir and this, I can’t believe they make him do all this work, without paying someone to write scripts worthy of it… 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁
M Xx
21st October 2021 @ 4:20 am
Haha didn’t mean to accuse you guys of shading Colin Morgan! Just that his acting in that specific scene is a heart-wrenching diamond in an otherwise very rough episode
19th October 2021 @ 1:02 am
Omg…. That makes so much sense and helps me understand the sometime bizarre scenes we get! I am sure it happened more than once… 🤦🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️
19th October 2021 @ 9:17 pm
On my! They didn’t even give them proper lunch breaks. I’d be up in arms if someone took my mid-day downtime!
21st October 2021 @ 3:25 am
Maybe that’s the real lesson in vengeance, the writers who didn’t get a lunch break thought, “Well, alright then, I’ll show you…” and wrote this episode.
21st October 2021 @ 3:43 am
Maybe that’s the real lesson in vengeance…take away their lunch break and this episode is what you get!
17th October 2021 @ 11:50 pm
Right, I am going to try and be positive (at 20 to 12 lol this is going to be interesting haha)! Angel for one, is an excellent actor and definitely rises to the challenge of evil Gwen, a dramatic turn around in character. And while I do wish we were doing something different with Gwen for the final season, she really does throw herself into it and I appreciate that!
I also think, while again I do wish we weren’t doing it like this, it’s interesting to frame Merlin as this enemy of Camelot. The truth is, by the laws of Camelot, he would be, if his magic were known despite it all actually being in protection of Camelot and Arthur. It’s almost a devastating reminder that, after all these years, he is still persecuted by the man he loves most, for the same reasons as Arthur’s tyrannical Father.
There’s already been some really interesting conversation about the shot of Merlin’s face as Gwen accuses him. It’s a contemptuous, gritted expression that I think really harkens back to his Season 3 relationship with Morgana, and renders him dramatically stark – even dangerous. It’s almost as though we are seeing him through Evil Gwen’s manufactured lens – like this is the image of the traitor she has made of him. And it’s painfully similar to Uther’s magic propaganda – the evil, scornful, traitorous sorcerer. But if course, he is anything but the traitor in this case, just as when he told Uther that there had always been “magic at the heart of Camelot”, he was displaying his allegiance, not confirming Uther’s misconceptions.
I don’t know if any of this is actually justified, they are more just a few thoughts! Really wanted to write at least something in for this week though as I missed last week! Thank you for the episode, hope you are all well!
17th October 2021 @ 6:13 pm
Ugh! It sucks that I have been really busy lately and unable to be as dedicated to D&C commenting as I was last season…
Overall, I don’t really care about this episode (or the last) or really any episode with Evil Gwen except “With All My Heart.” That has nothing to do with Angel’s acting! She is simply brilliant at being evil and I LOVE she doesn’t do smirky smirky Morgana or Agravaine. I think I am just bored of this plot line and far more interested in Mordred. My biggest regret of this season is not focusing more on Mordred and developing his complex character storyline. Many people have suggested several ways to make his storyline better and I would have been onboard with ALL those ideas over another stupid mole plot with Arthur being a mini Uther and Merlin playing detective again. GIVE ME SOMETHING NEW! But anyways…. some small comments:
I don’t understand why Tyr “comes closer” to Gwen. He knows she isn’t trustworthy….
LOVE Merlin’s face right before he is accused of poisoning the king. It reads “Don’t you say it, bitch!”
I do enjoy Leon having more lines than… well ever… but why does he say “You are as close to family as Arthur has?” Doesn’t being his wife MAKE her family? I don’t get why he has to convince her to take the throne if he dies. Isn’t that what would happen logically??
Not sure what scene I am talking about in my notes, but I wrote: “Colin’s smile ❤”
I do love how Merlin puts out the fires all at once, but like someone said before (or was it y’all on the podcast?) I wish Mordred’s magic spidey senses would have been triggered.
AWW! Merlin is climbing the tower towards his true love like Arthur did in sweet dreams 🙂
Looking forward to Merlin’s rolled up sleeves next week. 😍
18th October 2021 @ 8:15 am
Hah! I said the exact same thing about Tyr in the podcast. She says ‘we don’t want anyone to hear, come closer’, and surely Tyr wants everyone to hear, and knows she’s evil, so in all ways, he shouldn’t come closer!! but we ended up cutting most of it out, as Ruth and I were going back and forth for like five minutes and it was really boring lol
— Doesn’t being his wife MAKE her family? —
I was a bit ‘sorry, what now?’ at that line, but we did have Arthur being made crown Prince in S1, officially making him Uther’s successor, and of course we had Beauty & the Beast, in which the lady Caterina pointed out she was ‘only’ Uther’s wife, if he dies she’d have no power… so it actually tracks. It just doesn’t seem very logical… but yeah, totally canon that Gwen can’t just blithely assume the people will accept her as Queen, without challenge.
18th October 2021 @ 2:06 pm
Especially if Tyr doesnt realize that Gwen drugged the guards so even if he stayed where he was and said no so she had to speak normal volume, no one would be around to hear them anyway..
19th October 2021 @ 1:54 am
I mean I guess…it does track that there has to be some special ceremony for an heir but I literally can’t think of another person. I wish there was maybe mention of a potential someone else? Idk the scene just feels pointless…. OR! Could Leon not have said Arthur’s only family left is Morgana and we don’t want her on the throne so you are gonna need to step up? Which leads me to ask…. if it isn’t automatically Gwen, who has the power to make it Gwen if Arthur dies? I mean the public isn’t voting. This isn’t a democratic system… (I wanted to write a big spoiler here, but I won’t….)
19th October 2021 @ 10:56 am
It absolutely would be Morgana, which should have been the line… but also suddenly made me think, is this common knowledge now?? Like, we treat it as if it is, I’m just trying to remember how many people were in the throne room when it became known… 🤔 but yeah, we’re probably safe to assume that everyone knows.
I think it’s less about Camelot being a democracy and more about Morgana’s realisation that she can’t hold the throne of Camelot if she doesn’t have the support of the knights… and this is Leon swearing that support to Gwen, no matter what happens.
20th October 2021 @ 7:08 pm
I think it is common knowledge or at least common rumor. She has take. The throne and announced it and I think Arthur refers to her as his sister… Annis knows Uther was her father. Though there has never been any PROOF but I don’t know what that proof would be other than Uther’s acknowledgment.
18th October 2021 @ 2:03 pm
Omg I’m never prepared for Merlin with rolled sleeves walking towards us and saying ‘get out 😆
19th October 2021 @ 1:06 am
It is the BEST! 🥰😍
16th October 2021 @ 11:27 pm
What I don’t understand is: Why are we even taking time for this? I don’t care about this at all. There was no point to this episode. Why are we wasting so much time with a Gwen mole story? It feels like Agravaine all over again, just that I actually like Gwen. Were they unable to think of anything exciting for Gwen to do in her role as queen? We’ve pretty much done everything that happens in this episode a million times before in some shape or form. I’m just so confused that they decided to tell this story while not having enough time to finish the whole story properly. It just feels like they just gave up and didn’t even bother to try wrap everything up.
All of this just results in me not caring about this episode.
Also, this episode is why Merlin isn’t a crime show.
I’m really struggling to make my list of destiny for this season. Other than my number 1 (The death song of Uther Pendragon) and the worst one (Another’s sorrow) so far, everything else could be shuffled around and it wouldn’t make a difference to me. They’re all just so meh, not giving me anything to care about. We’ll see how it continues to go and maybe I can get a clearer structure. I don’t remember anything other than the last three episodes, so who knows.
Also, I’m so sad I barely have any free time. I can’t read any of the comments here like I usually would and I can’t even think about interacting with anyone. I’m already so glad I found a few spare minutes to write some thoughts down. I do thoroughly enjoy listening to the podcast during my chores though. It always brightens my day, even if you get really angry at the show😅
I’ll just continue to throw a short comment in here ever now and then 🙂
17th October 2021 @ 9:20 am
oh no, the website ate my comment! I think!l? I’m now worries about double and tripple posting… lol Anyway, I’m sorry life is stressful, but it’s always loively to see your name pop up in our inbox, when you do get a moment to stick your head in for a drive by comment haha
I agree with all that you said, and while I am very sorry you agree with our frustration, I’m also glad you agree with our frustration, and I’m especially glad that you still enjoy the podcast, even when we loudly voice that frustration! haha
M Xx
17th October 2021 @ 1:03 pm
I don’t see any double posts so I think you’re good xD
Even if I miss spending endless hours on every episode, it make me even more excited to listen to podcast, so I’m seeing that as a plus.
I knew this season would be a mess, so I was prepared for the frustration. Makes it all easier and honestly, it’s quite the relief to hear you rip the episodes apart after having been let down half a year ago when I first watched it. Now I can just enjoy criticising everything and just being peaceful in my love for the show as a whole.
17th October 2021 @ 10:57 pm
“What I don’t understand is: Why are we even taking time for this? I don’t care about this at all. There was no point to this episode. Why are we wasting so much time with a Gwen mole story?”
my feelings exactly! i don’t understand why anyone thought Evil!Gwen was a good idea. the whole thing is so weird and out of place and i don’t like it or understand it!
16th October 2021 @ 10:43 pm
It is really strange: I agree with all your points. And yet I have this inexplicable fondness for this episode. I don’t really know why. So, I’ve watched it to try and find out.
I love Gwen, Arthur and Merlin riding out. I know, you’ve said it before. But it needed to be said again. Honestly, I love this so much, I would just love a domestic episode like this. Nothing major has to happen. Just show us castle life. That’d be so nice. However, the scene also brings to mind scenes in other seasons where there was one more riding out: Morgana. Now, she is present only in Gwen’s enchanted mind. Also, and just because I am looking out for him: is Gwen riding Lancelot’s horse?
Also: how lovely is Tyr Sewart? I wish we would have had him in more episodes. I wish we would have a castle peopled with familiar servants! (Once again, how nice it would have been to have a domestic episode!) Merlin’s creepy ‘interrogation’ of Tyr in the dungeons wouldn’t then seem so uncomfortable. But I guess they can’t even get the small ensemble cast right so making the world bigger probably wouldn’t help.
In terms of the stone ladder leading up to the King’s chamber: could it be that this used to be Uther’s chambers? Or that Gwen and Arthur, when they married, moved into a bigger room? Then it would make sense that in season 2, Merlin had to lower Arthur with a rope. But the stone steps still don’t make sense from a security perspective.
The scene when Gwen drugs the guards with the smoking herb thing and then sneaks to a prisoner in the cells almost directly mirrors when Morgana sneaks down to release Alvarr. I am not sure why this is done except to show how much Gwen is possessed by Morgana. She even uses the same techniques. And whereas Gwen’s visit to the dungeon is clearly evil, Morgana releasing Alvarr is more morally ambiguous. Also, just like Morgana in season 3, Gwen listens by the little window to what goes on in Arthur’s room. (Why has Arthur not yet gotten rid of this security risk?)
Am I the only person confused about the ‘stick’ that stands by the tree? It’s just a twisted branch but Gwen, Merlin and Gaius act as if it was this super obvious sign of sorcery. Was there meant to be some sort of special effect or are the showmakers expecting some sort of willing suspension of disbelief from the viewers?
On a side note, I love the shot of Merlin rummaging through Gwen’s wardrobe. Really unusual camera angle. It’s quite nice.
Ah, Dragoon. How you appear at the most illogical moments and are nothing like the young Merlin or even a believable version of the old Merlin. And how you manage to disrupt the episode with unnecessary “humour” every time.
Exasperated sigh! (And for those scenes poor Colin had to be in makeup for 6 hours?!) A little theory: one of the guards holding up Dragoon is one of the two ‘stupid guards’ in Pirates of the Caribbean where he basically plays the same role and in the same scene – trying to stop Jack Sparrow from getting on the Dauntless. Did they write the scene only for him?
What poison maker/ salesman puts a specific mark on their phials?! But it’s okay. He won’t be charged with treason or sentenced to death: they didn’t find thread in his house.
It’s also no wonder Arthur didn’t die: when Morgana goes to the apothecary, he explains that the clear potion is valerian (to render unconscious) and the yellow one in henbane (to pour in ear). Then, due to Morgana passing on no instructions to Gwen, she gets it the other way round. However, it is weird that when the man is questioned again at the end, he now says that the yellow poison is valerian and the clear one henbane. Still lying? Or is the man simply an imcompetent fraud?
I love the scene between Arthur and Merlin at the end (up to the point when Arthur so suddenly leaves – it feels so scripted and not natural at all.) I think this must be the one reason I am fond of this episode. Irrationally fond. But Arthur shows how much Merlin simulatenously doesn’t count (as one he would consider a possible assassin) and does count (he immediately send to release him and then takes time to sit him down to apologise.) He counts as Arthur’s friend. 🙂
17th October 2021 @ 9:33 am
Ruth and I watched the episode together, to note take, and it does mean that on first watch you sometimes miss things, because you’re looking down and writing, so we got to the Gaius & Merlin find and admire the stick bit and we were both SO CONFUSED, as we had no idea what that meant and when it had been explained.
Then I watched the episode again, and literally all we get is one silent shot of Gwen walking past the stick, with a ‘ah, yes…’ nod, and that’s that… so clearly we did not miss very much!! 🤦♂️🤦♂️
I just figured it was a natural looking way marker, that on closer inspection, isn’t natural at all… maybe? Less sorcery and more… there’s an episode of Criminal Minds that discusses homeless people and a symbol based code that they “hide” amongst graffitied walls and structures. I think the fake branch hidden in a real forest is meant to be like that. 🤷🏼♂️
Completely agree about the end scene being absolutely lovely, before it gets cut short in the weirdest of ways, for plot convenience. ARGH!! But up to that point, it’s beautiful <3
17th October 2021 @ 10:04 am
“Am I the only person confused about the ‘stick’ that stands by the tree? It’s just a twisted branch but Gwen, Merlin and Gaius act as if it was this super obvious sign of sorcery.”
I always assumed that Morgana previously told Gwen to look out for the twisted branch so she’ll know where to meet her. Though they never use this method again. And Merlin and Gaius notice it as odd because for that type of tree, a branch growing like that without human aid isn’t right. But you’re right, it certainly doesn’t stand out enough to be an obvious sign of magic, no glowing veins or weaved into a more intricate shape like an arrow. I guess that’s the point, it’s meant to be subtle, yet it’s not like anyone else goes into the woods except the odd patrol, and they aren’t up on knowledge of agriculture. It’s just coincidence Merlin happened to walk right by it, it wasn’t like he showed he could sense the magic or anything…
15th October 2021 @ 10:30 pm
Laughed out loud at some of your commentary, so thanks for a fun episode. Firm believer we should be having fun with this even as the show clearly descends into ridiculousness, and I question my sanity for wanting to return to this show for rewatches.
There’s not too much new I have to say about this episode – in a way, the complaints are consistent throughout the season – bad plotting, major misuse of Gwen and the knights, etc. I sort of hate Merlin more now too, but I do think this was, however shoddily done, a purposeful character turn. In a way it doesn’t surprise me that his interest in Tyr is only related to helping Arthur. In season 1 this episode would have been more centralized about saving Tyr, but Merlin is past caring at this point, and so focused on Arthur that he forgets that half the point of the destiny is to do right by people.
I hate how in this season, Arthur becomes in many ways, a lite version of Uther. Unlike Merlin’s character arc, which you could argue the seeds were planted for, Arthur is so wholly inconsistent. In a better show, we might have seen the seeds of his limits as kings – the political intrigue of how your hands might be tied, even as the most powerful person in the kingdom, is real. Hello, that’s why shows like West Wing are great – its not as simple as having power to make change in reality. But alas, this silly show did not know what it wanted and probably figured the politics of Camelot were too much to handle.
Many of the “lesser” episodes of Merlin save themselves partially with great emotional beats – ie; Merlin’s magical build to making the ceiling fall on Morgana; the whole sword and the stone sequence; even Merlin’s emotions in the Disir are heartbreaking, at least in that moment. But I can’t think of anything like that in this episode. I do enjoy Merlin and Arthur at the end, and Arthur’s obvious trust in Merlin of course makes Merlin’s unwillingness to reveal himself that much more tragic. But we knew that already of course.
Looking forward to next week and taking this ride with y’all through the end!
17th October 2021 @ 9:37 am
I’m glad that our frustration still makes the podcast enjoyable, rather than having ruined it all!
And yes, I think what doing D&C has taught me is that I LOVE Merlin and Arthur, LOVE Colin and Bradley, and that BBC Merlin is a show I am unreasonably fond of, in spite of all of its flaws… but also, I cannot wait to finish watching season 5, so I can go and start all over again, watching Merlin sass Arthur in episode 1… that’s why we are all still here, ten years on!!!! Haha
17th October 2021 @ 5:48 pm
I 110% agree!! This is the ultimate lesson I have learned through D&C! I also have learned it through convincing (and pathetically begging) some of my friends to jump on the Merlin train. Most of them are still in that 1st phase of the Merlin fandom, which I call a “slow burning love,” but then there is a point where you fall off the cliff and nothing matters but Merlin and Arthur and Serious Bradley and Buff Colin. Then SPOILER your heart gets crushed and you IMMEDIATELY rewatch episode S1E1 to feel better and it starts all over again.
18th October 2021 @ 2:53 am
“there is a point where you fall off the cliff and nothing matters but Merlin and Arthur and Serious Bradley and Buff Colin. Then SPOILER your heart gets crushed and you IMMEDIATELY rewatch episode S1E1 to feel better and it starts all over again.”
Ha! Such an eloquent and perfect description of the Merlin TV experience! And for all the complaints about S5, I have been enjoying using D&C as an excuse to rewatch each episode….even though I watched (most) of S5 like 3 months ago.
19th October 2021 @ 2:19 am
😂 Same! I only discovered Merlin less than a year ago and I’ve rewatched it in full prob 3 times… 😬
15th October 2021 @ 2:09 am
This episode was so frustrating and completely unnecessary. What do we learn from this episode that we didn’t already know? Apart from the fact that Gwen is a much better mole than Agravaine and Morgana ever were which isn’t exactly a surprise.
Arthur’s just so unlikable this episode. For the Tyr stuff to work Arthur needed to be a lot more paranoid and harsh about dealing with betrayal all throughout season 4 and 5. I wouldn’t have minded if Arthur was clearly being irrational and other characters knew his behaviour was irrational. And the fact that he appears rational and in his right mind just makes him look worse.
I started out liking the direction Merlin’s character was heading in but now I’m just frustrated. The problem I’m having with season 5 Merlin is while it makes sense that he would be this messed up and paranoid it’s not very consistent or clear. Like if he is this paranoid and Arthur focused it should be more noticeable to Arthur and everyone else. There should be a progression of him spiralling more and more not just whatever the episode requires him to be. Also killing Gaius would explain why no one is questioning his weirdness.
Tyr really should have shown up or even mentioned before this point. I do like the guy and feel bad when he dies but we just found out he even existed. How much more impactful would this be if we killed off a character we and Merlin actually knew and cared about. Plus he’s great and we should have gotten more of him.
I actually laughed out loud when evil Gwen accused Merlin and I am amazed that they actually did that. It’s so dumb and I laughed more during the serious scenes than the actual comedy scenes.
One thing they could have done was make Merlin more upset and panicky and just accuse Gwen then and there and that would lead to him getting dragged out and probably confined to his quarters or something. The castle would be on high alert and we could still have him climb a wall if we really wanted to. It might not work but neither does the episode.
Another thing I wish they’d done is use Mordred for the prison break section. There is so much missed potential with Mordred here. The most underused aspect of Mordred’s character is the fact that he knows Merlin is Emrys. As far as Mordred knows he’s the only one who knows how powerful Merlin is. He really should be taking this a lot more seriously and have a definitive opinion on what’s going on. Either “Merlin is innocent and can therefore save Arthur” or “he tried to kill Arthur and we’re all screwed because he’s the most powerful sorcerer ever”.
Like Mordred could volunteer to watch him because he suspects some magical weirdness and wants Merlin to be watched by someone who could actually stop him or because he knows that this is wildly out of character for Merlin and suspects Morgana or anything really! He’s right there! It would develop his character and seriously improve this episode.
Is it just me or are they recycling stuff from previous better episodes. Off the top of my head there’s the marketplace scene with Gwen, that last scene with Gwen being praised seemed so much like the end of 3×02 with Morgana and the dress joke. It gave me the same vibe as the Wilddeoren in darkest hour. It might be a reach but it’s weird.
Morgana trying to make Gwen queen could actually work if she’s trying to emulate Morgause. This was pretty much exactly the plot of season 3 and that line about earning the loyalty of the knights could be Morgana having learned from her experience. She’s lost and lacks a motive so she’s trying to become her sister because she’s out of ideas.
Another weird thing is Morgana not getting rid of Merlin. She knows this guy has ruined all of her plans and will go to great lengths to protect Arthur. It’s really weird and also has Gwen lost all of her knowledge of the past 10 years? She must know that accusing Merlin of killing Arthur would never actually work. She also knows that Merlin ruined so many schemes to kill Arthur, why doesn’t she kill him first?
This comment was probably even longer than usual and just me making AUs for most of it. I’m really looking forward to next week because one of my favourite fics is based on that episode! Let’s hope it gets better from this point!
15th October 2021 @ 3:33 am
“I started out liking the direction Merlin’s character was heading in but now I’m just frustrated. The problem I’m having with season 5 Merlin is while it makes sense that he would be this messed up and paranoid it’s not very consistent or clear. ”
That’s so true! Merlin, if he was to retain his character arc in this episode, should be way more paranoid, and that would maybe warrant the curious camerawork which frames him as almost a villain!
I also love your Mordred AU. This could have been great, and could have also added to Mordred’s storyline (maybe he helps Merlin yet again and Merlin is again conflicted about him), which should be the focus of this series. As it is, that sequence of evil!Gwen episodes just feels like it’s completely detached from the rest of the series, a mini-series on its own.
15th October 2021 @ 7:41 pm
– I wouldn’t have minded if Arthur was clearly being irrational and other characters knew his behaviour was irrational. And the fact that he appears rational and in his right mind just makes him look worse.-
Totally agree!
-Tyr really should have shown up or even mentioned before this point. I do like the guy and feel bad when he dies but we just found out he even existed.-
I thought the same thing! It wouldn’t have to be a lot…but him being at least in the background or established as a co worker Merlin is friendly with would have made that scene where Merlin visits him better.
-I actually laughed out loud when evil Gwen accused Merlin and I am amazed that they actually did that. –
It is so ridiculous! Do they even KNOW Gwen!?! All the knights should be like…. Waaaaiiiitttt a min….. I think your idea is much better! Have Merlin say something is wrong with Gwen and them lock him up for that! Anyone with half a brain knows Merlin wouldn’t kill Arthur…
Love your thoughts on Mordred! I really don’t understand why they aren’t using him more and really developing his character since he has such a huge role in the last few episodes. Are these amateur writers or what!?
17th October 2021 @ 9:50 am
I agree with everyone else that’s agreeing with you in regards to both Tyr and Mordred. They just have no skill when it comes to long term planning, but also don’t seem to understand that you don’t need a half season plot arc (ie Evil Gwen) to be able to seed in story lines and character developments… like, I totally get why they couldn’t have had Tyr in six episodes leading up to his death in this one. They can’t afford guest stars like that, BBC Merlin very much became a show that had individual guest stars in individual episodes, and I think a large attraction of these big BBC shows for actors is that they sign up for one episode, because it’s a bit of fun, and then they work for a week and are done. Signing up for a 6 episode arc is a completely different gig, so I see how that’s not possible. But yes, Mordred! You knew he was going to do stuff in your story! And you knew that was going to happen towards the end. Why wouldn’t you write things for him to do in the meantime, THAT SUPPORT WHAT YOU WANT HIM TO DO AT THE END??? What kind of writers are you??
–Is it just me or are they recycling stuff from previous better episodes. —
oh, 100%, which goes right back to ‘what kind of writers are you?’ because a) it’s really unimaginitive and lazy. but also b) if you’re going to recycle stuff you’ve writen previously, don’t insult your audience by pretending they aren’t going to notice. Make it have a point. Don’t make us do all of the work of head canoning that Morgana is desperately lonely, which is what drove her to make friends with a non verbal dragon, which is what drives her on in her craziness, which is what made her possess Gwen, which is why she’s constantly using old ruses her and Morgause used, which is… which is.. which is… it’s not rocket science, it really is mostly all there. You just need to actually say it out loud. and the fact that you don’t at any point say it out loud makes me think that maybe, despite the obviousness, you didn’t actually notice…? which brings me right back to.. WHAT KIND OF WRITERS ARE YOU??
I need to stop yelling about this show hahaha
M Xx
17th October 2021 @ 10:09 am
Oh, also, if you thought this week was bad, next week’s episode will be an entire story line of ‘why doesn’t Morgan’s just stab Merlin in the brain?!?’
17th October 2021 @ 5:52 pm
OMG so true…. but the defensive Merlin with his sleeves rolled up makes up for it in my opinion…. 😍
14th October 2021 @ 7:42 pm
Oooh Boy, have I been waiting for this episode! (damn, where’s the sarcasm button.. oh well).
It’s Arthur’s and Gwen’s (4th?) wedding anniversary, but I’m sorry, no matter how much more romantic it is to be alone together (and Merlin), these are unpredictable, hostile times, the king AND queen of Camelot should not go out and about in the woods with absolutely no entourage. Gwen was kidnapped literally last week whilst with all the main trusted knights. How long has time passed for them since then to let their guard down? Could Leon and Percival (the two quietest and most sensible knights) come along and hang well back? Does Gwen not have a maid anymore? However, it’s nice to see Gwen in practical riding wear and Arthur being so casual for once.
So with Gwen now being the ‘minion’ of Morgana’s, is SHE now in charge of murder plots that are so flimsy and complex, they don’t ever work? Morgana is the new ‘Morgause’ and Gwen is the new magicless ‘Morgana’. If this episode is all about shoving it in our face that Gwen is the perfect assassin because everyone loves her and would never suspect her, couldn’t she do something as simple as get Arthur drunk and smother him to death in their marriage bed before wailing in grief the next morning that Arthur’s heart just stopped, and she would still get away with it? Autopsy skills were basic back then. Or Morgana can give Gwen a magical artifact (bound to the left-hand path) to sneak under Arthur’s pillow and it will do the job? Not even Merlin’s magic could sense that. Why again do we have a powerful sorceress/high priestess and Lady of Camelot/woman of the people and they still resort to such odd and unimaginative schemes? Sabotaged saddles, hired goons, blaming poor Samwell- I mean Tyr. Then blaming Merlin, the most trusted person in the king’s circle!? It seems pretty clear that Gwen was hoping Arthur would be dead so the whole ‘throwing the blame onto someone simple’ thing would have worked out easier with all the chaos. But for that to go down, Gwen and Morgana would have had to stupidly think the bandit plan was gonna work. Gwen, you’re queen! Morgana, you’re magic, what’s wrong with the pair of you?
Morgana really has become a caricature of evil sorceress who has no prior relationships with anyone or knowledge of her previous life in the castle. She would know her brother well enough to know that two rubbish blokes ambushing him would not be enough to get the job down, even with the saddle trick. Morgana needs to go to a creepy apothecary in the woods to precure a poison when Gaius has Acconite/wolfsbane “the deadliest poison known to man” sitting out in the open in his chambers. She even knows how easy it was for her to sneak in and swipe poison off the shelf and kill that guard she stabbed in s3. It’s suddenly very hard to get away with murder and needing someone else to pin it on. Did Gwen have to put Arthur to sleep first or just pore the poison into his drink and that would work fine?! OR because no-one ever learns from past experiences, Gwen could have hired killer circus entertainment for their anniversary feast like what Odin did on Arthur’s birthday in s4. The only thing that the assassin didn’t anticipate was Uther suddenly having the self-awareness to fight him.
I’m only at the part where Tyr gets accused and I’m already so so done and angry with this episode.
Tyr Seward falls into the ‘too good for this world’ category, so of course he has to go. I had the episode playing when my mum was staying over and she came in and took one look at Tyr and said “Oh I always feel so sorry for him!” Just like George, Tyr feels like a character that was part of the Merlin series longer than he was, his presence stays with you. I would have loved for him to have been in it before. This is the first time in the whole show we meet someone who actually works in the stables and the amount of times Arthur has sent Merlin off to clean out the stables or prepare the horses for a trip and we don’t see or hear of this wonderful sweet chap until now is sacrilege! Merlin must be close to this guy, Gwen must know this guy, he’d been there for as long as she has. And SPOILERS: Gwen is never gonna be shown to have been psychologically scarred for doing anything she did under her brainwashing, they don’t even make it obvious she remembers anything, conveniently. So no guilt over poor Tyr, whose mother isn’t even seen again past that one few-second search scene in her house.
I would be more convinced about everyone jumping immediately on blaming Tyr without any other suspects even thought about if Morgana had also given brainwashed Gwen the Umbrella Academy power to whisper in everyone’s ears “I heard a rumour… it was all down to Tyr Seward the stable lad”.
I once thought at least Arthur had different tactics to everyone else in acting on the law. Like in the three years we don’t see, maybe Arthur and Gwen had agreed upon their method to weave out guilty parties. Gwen did this in the first episode of the season, she knew Ruadan was the main guy to get so publicly sentenced Sefa to death so that Ruadan would try to save her, falling into their waiting hands. I thought this was what they were planning to do again. Arthur, knowing that the accomplice would likely go after Tyr, could have the prisons staked out for suspicious activity, and arrest whoever tried to speak with Tyr. But turns out he didn’t sentence Tyr for an act to catch the real culprit, nor did he remember that guards get smoked to sleep all. The. Time.
“The law is the law!” My mum just said “except for when it changes” haha. Arthur has to say this stupid line to Merlin when they are alone and I get confused over what Arthur’s angle is. He’s changed multiple rules! Why does he sound like Uther again??
Guards have been knocked out AGAIN, Tyr gets stabbed. Gwen accuses the one person who could never ever want to kill Arthur, no scene where the knights are defending Merlin or visit him in the cells. After the last prisoner got killed for what they knew, no one else takes precautions. In a world where everyone apparently has access to everywhere in the castle. Arrest ALL the servants in the palace under the guise they will all have to be separately interrogated, make the excuse that Merlin must go too as there can’t be favouritism or something…
Gaius is all for accepting Tyr would do this, and not interested at all in Gwen’s state of mind, despite in s4, Merlin had also come back from Morgana’s brainwashed to kill Arthur. Just leave, retire or die, Gaius.
‘This episode is a 15-year-old playing hide and seek by covering their eyes and standing in plain sight and the seeker patting them on the head for a job well done.’ Love this analogy, you’re so right 😂
I get what you are saying about Merlin’s odd behaviour this episode, particularly how touchy and in Tyr’s personal space he is in the cell scene. I had not really noticed before until you said it. But now I’m thinking about it, if I hadn’t watched the show before and this was the very first scene someone showed me, only telling me that ‘The man on the left is a hired master manipulator sent in to test this other poor dude’, I’d be convinced that was true! The “I can help you” out of context seems kinda sinister with that change of mindset… In fact when anyone grabs someone else on the shoulder with such intense eye contact, I am reminded of the Torchwood episode where this Adam guy can implant false memories into members of the team by grabbing their shoulders in a firm yet ‘friendly’ way.
Also, the leg crossing thing is a subconscious body language sign of comfort, confidence and to make the space more intimate. It’s like the opposite of ‘man-spreading’. If there was any evidence of Merlin being previously close to Tyr, or had sat like this whilst privately talking with other loved ones before, this wouldn’t be so weird.
Gwen would have been better at assassin-ing if she used the fact Merlin went down to the cells to give Tyr food (that apparently Gaius cooks for prisoners now), and slipped in Tyr’s food poison that has a delayed effect.
Yeah, A queen going off on her own in the middle of a bright sunny day to meet with Morgana so close to the city walls and she doesn’t get caught, seems legit.
Merlin doesn’t tell Arthur anything. He might not be believed (as usual), but at least say to him to watch for Gwen’s odd behaviour, since she’s clearly not ever said anything specific about what happened during her time in the dark tower. Gaius is right in the sense Gwen could be not saying the right stuff because she is grieving, except… she clearly isn’t. We don’t know how long it’s been since the tower but it can’t have been that long. There’s no tell that Arthur wasn’t sure about doing anything for their anniversary because Gwen might not be up for it due to losing her brother. Nothing to suggest Gaius checked her over or that anyone sat her down to talk about it, even if she’d lie about her experience because she’s evil now. Because everyone’s just swept last episode under the rug, no wonder Gwen probably has more fuel for her brainwashing, as the mandrakes were trying to tell her nobody cared about her, because clearly everyone’s still sort of tiptoeing around her…
Gwen wears her one riding dress for a stroll in the market. Weeell it was nice while it lasted… But it’s a neat little shout-out, intentional or not, that Morgana remembers that Gwen, once being a seamstress, would be drawn to her favourite stall with all the shiny materials. Just like in ‘eye of the phoenix’.
The velarium and henbane are gonna be mixed up constantly throughout the episode. The Apothecary showed Morgana the poison was yellow, yet Gwen whilst poisoning Arthur, and Arthur holding up the bottles at the end, indicate the clear liquid as the poison…
Merlin would not be in charge of washing the laundry, let alone Gwen’s too. A royal woman’s personal belongings are… personal. She should have a maid to do that! And a proper laundry room, not in the kitchens with the cook’s marvelous dumplings. I like Ruth’s idea of showing Merlin having almost a steward-like, senior authority with the other members of staff (if there even is any) and requesting chores and overseeing them done to the right standards by selected servants. Merlin has been Arthur’s manservant from day one, and ten years older. His job is already one of the most sought after in the castle because its on intimate terms with the highest royal. Everyone should be pandering to his whims, because he is technically the mouthpiece of the king.
Gwen accuses Merlin, then it conveniently just cuts to him being thrown in a cell, which also is a reused clip from Season 2, because when Merlin is chucked on the floor, he’s obviously thinner and not even wearing a neckerchief.
I’m not a big fan of the overuse of day to night in season 5, but the bit with Gwen and Gaius on the stairs is very beautiful, the castle looks so cold apart from the warm glow of one torch at the bottom of the corridor behind Gaius.
I wish we got a few more extra lines from Leon’s talk with Gwen at Arthur’s bedside. How they are both so close to Arthur, growing up in Camelot, especially since in series 3, Gwen says she grew up close to Leon because her mother was a maid in his house. Leon could say he’s seen the queenly qualities in her even as a child and that he would personally always choose her to be the heir if he had the power to act for Arthur, or something. I like his scene anyway, I like how he brings up “you’re the closest to family Arthur has” without the subtext being ‘coz you’ve not had a child yet’, but it still lacks the personal touch…
Merlin can let himself out of the cells as himself and then just ‘swef nu’ the Guards to sleep from behind the corner, without confrontation or as Emrys. No one else in the castle really knows the details of what’s going on. And why did the cook confirm Merlin’s alibi yet never saw Merlin for more than a couple seconds, but also didn’t report being knocked out by a recognisable old sorcerer…?
All the guards and knights chase Merlin because they all think he’s the real poisoner and actual intruder in Camelot, yet no one is sent to check the cells to make sure Merlin has not also been done in like Tyr. And the music ramps up and is so loud and dramatic, it’s like Merlin’s about to do something major and powerful, yet all he does is turn off the flood lights…
I wish Gwaine was in on what Merlin was doing (that would of course need him to know about the magic), it would make his convo with Merlin earlier make sense. Like Ruth said, he could have shown Merlin where they saw Morgana in the woods, he could be the one to say ‘no visitors to Merlin’s cell’, call Gwen out the room and intentionally keep her distracted whilst Merlin does his healing thing, and then it makes sense that Gwaine and Gaius to be the ones to ‘release’ Merlin from the cells in the morning. Gwaine gives me the subtle impression in this episode he was meant to be more involved or more knowing than he was.
Is this the most amount of healing magic Merlin has ever used up to now? Is this why he’s struggling and exhausting himself so much, performing a strong healing spell without having researched it? Or is this the spell the dragon gave him in s3? When Merlin says the sickness is so deep in Arthur, I could imagine him adding ‘I think only transferring it for now will save him.’ Merlin could have to pass the ‘sickness’ into himself, and the next few days he’s feeling ill but not dying because his magic is taking care of the poison…
Arthur says ‘they’, not ‘Gwen’ when apologizing to Merlin that he was accused of trying to kill him. I know it’s only so obvious to us because we are the viewers, we KNOW Gwen is brainwashed, but like Morgana, like Cedric, like Agravaine, Arthur has been shown that even the closest to him can be corrupted or put on an act. Of course Gwen and Merlin would be the last people Arthur could even think would want him dead in their right mind, and Arthur never knew this happened to Merlin once, but the fact that Gwen is so obviously the traitor to us makes Arthur especially praising her and ignoring her un-Gwen-ness really stand out, yet again. We don’t even get a shot scene where Gwen is told Arthur is cured, to see her reaction. Nor at any moment is it pointed out how odd it was that if it was all Morgana, that Gwen wasn’t poisoned either. Now apparently Arthur doesn’t even know who actually accused and threw Merlin in the dungeons. (Sigh) And when Merlin starts to tell Arthur about Gwen, Arthur suddenly has no time to talk anymore. He can say his bit, but screw everyone else. He reminds me of that friend who wants you to listen to all their woes and issues, but doesn’t ever want to listen to yours. I hate this episode. Screw what I said about the Disir ep being my least favourite, this one is!
Why didn’t Morgana kill the creepy store dude? Not that it matters because Morgana’s never not out to get Arthur and there’s always a traitor in Camelot and the guy didn’t know the queen was involved, Merlin doesn’t say anything and Arthur won’t learn from this to take extra precautions and advance security in the city…
God this episode is pointless. The Hollow Queen would work on its own as the lone episode we would need to show the potential of Gwen being Morgana’s companion in evil because at least with that one, we will get context into Morgana’s pit story, throw another ruler under the bus, and show that Morgana doesn’t need reminding to get rid of Merlin as well as Arthur…
P.S. Loving the artwork for the episode!
17th October 2021 @ 10:17 am
— “The law is the law!” My mum just said “except for when it changes” haha.—-
It is REALLY unfortunate when you write a line that has such a clear ‘call and response’ reply to it, that literally everyone who hears it automatically says it. Except, turns out, you didn’t mean for that to be the story… Not. Good. 😬😬
yes, i agree that the hollow queen could have worked by itself, saving us at least some episodes from this Evil!Gwen arc, however, having just recorded it, there’s definitely many many a flaw in that episode, too… ::facepalm::
the artwork was a source of endless frustration, and four different tries, so very glad you like the end result, thank you!! 😀
14th October 2021 @ 7:24 pm
urghhh i hate this one. Morgana’s motivations make no sense. Gaius’s morality/levels of compassion were all over the place. “the law is the law, Merlin, whether I like it or not” – ARTHUR YOU’RE THE KING! you can change it! you’re literally the one person who can!! why does Merlin reverse the Dragoon disguise before he’s out of the castle?! why did we have to have Dragoon at all? it’s just infuriating. and Merlin’s response to Gwen being evil (or at least suspicious, i couldn’t quite ascertain how much he’s worked out at any given moment) is so underwhelming. you’re meant to be close friends!! why doesn’t Merlin seem idk betrayed? confused? hurt? in denial? anything?!
17th October 2021 @ 10:40 am
I hate dragoon, whatever the weather, but Mary also pointed out above that Colin had to sit in hair & make up for 6 hours… for THIS?!?
Extra insult
17th October 2021 @ 1:57 pm
He apparently had to wake up at 3AM to be on time for shooting… poor Colin!
17th October 2021 @ 2:02 pm
seriously, that is infuriating!!!
17th October 2021 @ 5:54 pm
Omg that is ridiculous! They really should have written Dragoon’s character differently if they wanted to show any sort of respect to Colin.
17th October 2021 @ 10:54 pm
wow, seriously? i’d be so angry if i was him! not worth it in the slightest
14th October 2021 @ 4:54 pm
I loved this episode. Though I was sad to see that all the scene’s with Gwen and Arthur were really sweet but as you say, not real as Gwen is cursed. The way she was so intimate with her husband was beautiful to see and if not for the curse, solidified them as a couple in a realistic way. How she rubbed his arm by his side was so sweet. The way Angel did ‘evil’ was so brilliantly acted. Also I liked the Leon scenes, Hello Leon, was nice seeing more of you. It was nice to see more new enviroment’s in the show. Tyr’s mother’s house for example. Really added to the world. The way Arthur interrogated Tyr felt very strange. There was a sense of Arthur wanting it not to be true. That there was a familiarity between them. That Tyr is someone important to Arthur. You could see he was trying to figure it out, he was casual about it even. Yet there was an almost smile when Arthur charged him with treason but maybe I read it wrong as he quickly goes to a serious expression and was desperately trying to get the truth out of him. The way you could see Arthur’s eyes obviously searching was well done. He’s puzzled at the end. Yes his hands are tied by the law but Arthur has broken that before. He was so quick to go to the punishment where he could easily search more if he wanted to. Tyr has been loyal this long and this what he gets? Why go to death so quickly? Also the actor who played Tyr made me want to hug him with that chin wobble of trying to not cry but failing. When Gaius threw out ideas, it was odd that he went for the negative as if to say: “Well of course Tyr wanted him dead, I’ve known him for years! And in all that time, I have no doubt that Tyr, the kindhearted young man would want Arthur dead. Here are very obvious reasons for that!” I understand that you’re showing a contrast, a struggle, for the suspicion to show for Merlin, Gaius sadly needs to say the wrong thing. Honestly, I’m offended on Tyr’s behalf. Merlin passionately and angrily defending Tyr was good to see. They all have a history together, Tyr even knowing about Gaius’s cooking, having tasted it. They are all familiar and close and Gaius throws that all away and is not suspicious? It’s the writing, it’s not Gaius as a character that’s speaking. It’s plot to move the story along. That makes me a little sad. Also Merlin absentmindedly grabbing the bowl deep in thought was sweet. I don’t know why it bugs me but when Gwen knelt by Arthur while they talked about Tyr upset me. Why is she kneeling by his feet looking up at him while Arthur sits regal like on his chair while he cups her cheek like she isn’t equal? It’s both touching and intimate and affectionate but it makes Gwen submissive in a way. Maybe I’m thinking too much into that.Tyr and Merlin in the dungeons was so sad and beautifully done. So much going on! History, emotions, friendship, kindness. Merlin’s smile was interesting. Tyr’s sad smile at the end of him taking his secret to his grave was heartbreaking. Angel’s acting is incredible in this ep. Her gently coaxing Tyr over, still acting like Gwen. It’s a shame (SPOILERS BEGIN HERE) that she’s never told she kills him, there’s no regret of consequences. It wasn’t Gwen’s fault but she did do it. How do you react to something like that when you know you were under a curse? Wish they explored that (SPOILER ENDS) Arthur finding Tyr’s body was brilliantly acted. It was all done so well and with such sensitivity and a sense of wanting jusduce that it showed that Tyr was someone important and should be grieved. I genuinely felt sad he passed, I wish we could have seen more scenes with him in the show. Just one scene with him at the end of an ep, eating with Merlin and Gaius would have been perfect. Also, another sad thing: The fact that because of Gwen being cursed, what is real and what has been changed with Gwen and her friendship with Morgana? There are moments when Morgana shows obvious: “I’m using you to get this” to: “I miss this between us so much, let me have a moment to soak that all in and hug her.” From what I can remember, their friendship was the only female/female friendship (or relationship, however you interpret it) in the show. Then it was taken away to be now dangled in front of us in a false way. The Gwaine scene was sorely needed. Firstly because: Gwaine. Secondly: Gwaine and Merlin moment. Rare. AND Merlin was actually nice to him for once? Finally. Yes, he was basically saying to Gwaine: “Hi friend, long time, i know you’re sore but if you hear Arthur in trouble, you better save him.” But still, I’ll take what i can get with their friendship at this point. I’m surprised Gwaine isn’t angrier with Merlin by this point. Either they had a chat off screen or Gwaine is just super forgiving. Also there was such a courage, strength and magic return in that moment in his chamber. With Merlin and Arthur there with Gaius making sure Gwaine was ok was lovely to see. Also Gwaine’s chamber is pretty and i just love stained glass windows. Also the physician in the woods was odd. He felt like a villain but wasn’t? Or was he? He felt neutral. Also yet another touching scene with Gwen and Arthur that felt wasted because Gwen isn’t being genuine. I liked Merlin and Gaius exploring the forest, it’s a rare thing but when it happens, it helps expand the world and it’s just nice to see them working together. Also the worldbuilding on the clothes was a nice addition. And it shows Gwen’s standing and Arthur’s love for her. And the imports and exports of silk is now a thing established in this world of Merlin. Somehow it felt almost like a medieval historic documentary (in a good way) in the show. They don’t usually make this much effort to make an emphasis on a historical thing like clothes but i liked it a lot. Felt like it enriched the story. Ah, the Merlin dress gag continues. The scene with Gwen and Morgana at the market was so similar to ‘The eye of the phoenix episode where Morgouse met Morgana in the market. And my favorite part in this episode begins. The poisoning. I love tragedy. The music, the shots, the show not tell, the dramatics of it all was brilliant. I loved it. It was tense, everything came together so well. It paid off so well. I felt so worried for Arthur and was hoping Merlin would come in at the right time. Bradley did an amazing job. He didn’t make it pretty. Also the servant that poured the water in the beginning of the scene was interesting. So when Merlin is too busy with other tasks, Arthur has an extra trusted servant nearby to help and we don’t even know his name? Also the mix up of the potions was a shame. And even though i love these scenes. I was very annoyed that no one defended Merlin from Gwen accusing Merlin of poisoning Arthur. They all know how devoted Merlin is to Arthur. Why suddenly would they turn their back on him? No visits to his cell. Yes he broke out and all the knights were on patrol? Is this just because it’s convenient to the plot again? They all had to be there when Merlin escapes so they couldn’t be there to stop Merlin from being taken to the cells/visit him in the cells because for the plot, Merlin had to be put in the cells because it’s a shock and dramatic and he had to be of course, broken out of, so they could not be there because it had to be a potion? No breakouts from the knights? also HOW on earth did Gaius give him that potion? Because in my mind, he makes it right? and has to find a way into the VENT and crawls through the large enough vent on his all fours probably and manages to find that cell specifically and all while being quiet as he shimmies the potion down. Please someone explain how else this could have happened? Also the scene between Gwen and Gaius was brilliant. Gaius’s no-nonsense attitude, Gwen somehow not catching onto that. I found the scene between Gwen and Leon and Arthur interesting. I felt like Leon was being so professional yet acting as a friend to her as well as an almost lover? He felt almost too familiar with her. Sitting by her side while her husband is lying right there, dying. His vows and assessments of Gwen was said by someone whose known her for years, since they were kids. I just somehow found it a bit of a betrayal to Arthur in a way. Which is sad because i also loved their intimacy but with their standings of him being a knight and her a Queen in the King’s bedchamber while the King is dying in bed. He sounded like he was almost speaking on behalf of Arthur. Which is both a good and a bad thing. And again, this could have been so much better if this was not cursed Gwen he was speaking to. It made this passionate and beautiful scene fall to nothing. And what a character development scene for Gwen though! Here she is, now Queen of all Camelot, in Arthur’s bedchamber’s as his Wife, free to be intimate with her now husband. She has power and her husband’s right hand man who is the most powerful knight is declaring his undying loyalty to her. What a stunning parallel to season 1 Gwen. It just shows how far she’s come and how her personality and strength and kindness brought her here. She made this herself. She struggled to get here and she deserves all the happiness in the world. It’s just been made bittersweet that Arthur is busy dying and she’s cursed. But her acting in this scene is amazing and that careful sigh she does at the end was so brilliant. The long-awaited for, Merlin and the Cook scene. I loved the cook’s protectiveness of her kitchen, her pride and how she is ready to fight with her weapon. This scene shows so much about her. Her pride, how she feels about herself and her job. I was quite shocked by Merlin’s oddly quite harsh and rude behavior here. Yes he’s usually cheeky but somehow old Merlin makes it go up a bit on the sass. Which is fine but somehow this specifically felt very disrespectful to her. I wanted to cheer for him because she was a bit physically rough with him and finally, he’s getting back at her but his choice in words and actions was a bit intense. Also i can’t remember if he’s ever knocked a woman unconscious before that’s not a magical threat. (Also your discussion on this scene made me laugh, brilliant and I agree) She’s just a regular person. I know it was meant to be funny but it fell flat to me. Merlin lurking in the shadows and wanting to get to Arthur’s chambers and how he made the lights go out made him look evil in a way? And finally, the touching beautifully acted scene with Gaius, Arthur and Merlin. They all did so well here. And there was a moment where i genuinely thought they were going to let Arthur die. They did such a good job to show how vulnerable Arthur was. I found it interesting how Merlin spoke the spell, softly at first before shouting it out and doing chest presses to start his heart? It just felt so unique to all the other spells Merlin’s done. It looked like it took a lot out of him as well. How he looked sweaty and close to passing out by the end. My heart broke when Gaius said there was no change, Merlin pressing his hands together is a new emotion and physical stance for him. I don’t think I’ve seen him ever react this way before. It’s new and raw. I liked the Arthur talks in his sleep gag playing in again and Merlin’s genuine joy made me smile. Also when Gwaine goes to fetch Merlin all happily is confusing because this could have gone two ways, they chose the funny happy way. The other way that could have happened is that it would have been more somber, Merlin would be scared of what is going to happen to him now, whoever brings him isn’t going to look so pleased. I wish i could have seen the build up to Gwaine happily fetching Merlin without an apology of “Oh sorry for locking you up and not fighting for you. I’m so happy that you’ve been pardoned from the most serious crime ever. I feel no guilt at all.” Reminds me of the no apology of the Lamia episode. Makes me question everyone’s feelings on Merlin. Are they simply following orders? If so, shouldn’t they show more emotion? More guilt? Or is Gwaine showing that in a way that says. “Oh i wanted to get you out. I know you didn’t do it and i proved them wrong you see, while you were stuck there. I agreed with Arthur and we both gave the other knights a talking to. Because i know you better. So me coming over here with a smile means that I knew all along and am emotionally in tune with the energy of this scene that it’s giving off that is funny and comical and almost knowing.” Also a beautiful moment between Arthur and Merlin. Intimate and honest discussion. Arthur being very genuine and truthful. Open and not hiding his feelings. Rare. Even with Arthur himself dismissing Merlin’s jokes, in the beginning, to bring him into space to say. “No, we aren’t doing that, not now. This time is serious. I’m not playing our game right now. Now I’m going to speak without having to hide behind jokes. No double meanings, reading between the lines.” It shook up their dynamic a bit, made it fresh and new. Arthur actually genuinely apologizing. Being soft. When Arthur said. “Couldn’t have been you who poisoned me.” Look at Merlin’s face here. How he listens. His body language is so interesting. He just gives something to Arthur with his wide eyes here. Like he’s soaking all of what Arthur is saying up. A stark contrast to his jokey smile from right before this. Then there’s a range of quick expressions that could convey so much. The frown at ‘cook’. Then the shifting and the smile and the more shifting and frown and smile of raw, naked and vulnerable emotion of ‘I am feeling so touched right now yet slightly uncomfortable at your forwardness. I don’t know how to respond but I am so grateful.” Then the jokes. “That’s very thoughtful” was said in such a “I’m trying to get back into our game now that you’ve put back up. But I’m tired and i need to tell you something.” I could be completely wrong in trying to understand Colin Morgan’s incredible minute quick expressions of emotions but it is so fun trying. The last scene. It felt cinematic. It felt epic and big in scale. I just loved it. I’m just confused. What happened to the physician? Is he dead? Is he back at his shop again? I loved how Arthur acknowledged Gwen here, even though she is cursed. And the scene where Merlin does not say it back. Speaks volumes. “I will bring Gwen back, just you see.” Him almost challenging the curse. So good! Also Angel’s reaction is so brilliantly matched Colin’s.
15th October 2021 @ 5:01 pm
I think that scene with Gaius, Merlin, Gwaine and Arthur talking was in Arthur’s bedroom for some reason. The stain glass is in a part of Arthur’s room that indeed is beautiful but a little oddly placed in an inside wall where any sneaky pervy person can peer in and watch the king and queen, or any evil Gwen can listen to stuff being said… I don’t think we ever see Gwaine’s knight chambers in the show.
16th October 2021 @ 1:31 pm
Oh, i see. It looked like it could have been Gwaine’s from the different staging of the props and angle. Sometimes they reuse sets. Because I thought it was Gwaine’s room with how relaxed he was in that space and that Arthur left him there alone. But it makes sense if it was in Arthur’s chamber so that Arthur got the answers he was looking for quicker. It is oddly placed with the stained glass window, I agree. No privacy and it’s a weak flaw as any assassin could easily break in or see where they are.
17th October 2021 @ 10:21 am
Yeah it would be odd for Gwaine to have such a giant room, to rival the king and queen, he is a knight only after all. I think in the ‘elyan gets possessed by Druid ghost’ ep, we actually see elyan’s bedroom, it’s surprisingly spacious, surely the castle doesn’t have lavish apartments for every single soldier, I think it was mentioned in discussion once that it would make more sense for the knights to have a barracks and have 4 men share a room or something. But yeah I didn’t pay much attention to the decor in the room, but by Gwen staring in through the stain glass, it must be that instead of treating Gwaine in his room or gaius’, he was asked to go straight to the king’s for a private (turns out not so) chat..
17th October 2021 @ 1:37 pm
That is very true. Good points 🙂 I wish we got to see more of the castle. I feel like showing more parts really adds to the world-building and making it more immersive in the story. But in general, Season 5 has so much more world-building and explores a lot more of the castle and world.
14th October 2021 @ 3:20 pm
I think I know what happened with this episode. They’ve watched Game of Thrones (and stole some actors even 😛 ), and they got a taste for complex intrigue. Only, they forgot that complex intrigue needs like… complexity which is there for a reason, and not just for the sake of it, and someone intelligent with believable motives to come up with the intrigue.
There are scenes in this episode which I really like, and overall, the acting is really great. John Bradley as Tyr is very good, and Angel does a superb job at being a villain imo. She doesn’t go for the smirky smirk, but instead is creepily similar to her normal self, and she even smiles in a sweet Gwen way, which makes it even more chilling! Also, the way she says “understand?” when she kills Tyr is the creepiest.
I also like the camerawork, especially in the scene where Gwen frames Merlin for Arthur’s poisoning. The camera also “frames him” in a way, showing him standing behind a curtain, one eye in the dark, as if showing his ambiguity. Also, Merlin’s intense stare in that scene gives me goosebumps. There is anger in there, but also protectiveness (over Arthur as well as probably over the “real” Gwen). Interestingly, though Merlin is completely innocent here, it’s him who looks like a villain and I think it’s no accident that this shot has served as a base for dark!Merlin fanarts.
I’m also glad that Merlin didn’t forget the spell he used to save Uther. He uses it on Arthur as well.
Otherwise, well. The outrage at the fact that none of the knights tries to protect Merlin is real, as well as the laughter at the complete ridiculousness that is the apothecary scene (I am now imagining Morgana walking into a modern pharmacy in her hood and saying “I want something that could kill with the utmost pain. Do you possess such a thing?” 😀 ). The intrigue is completely unwarranted, and though granted, I don’t think Merlin should have checked Gwen for the snek in the neck (he DID kill the mother beast, and there’s no indication that there is more than one), there could have been so many more efficient ways of going about killing Arthur. Overall, as an idea, I think this episode could have been really good. But the execution was definitely lacking.
14th October 2021 @ 5:34 pm
You’ve made great points. I completely agree. Especially with the knight’s not helping Merlin! Angel did an incredible job in this episode.
17th October 2021 @ 10:46 am
Huh. I guess you’re right. Merlin killed the whole Femorah and yeah, maybe that was indeed the only one… maybe the priestesses just summons this one, took a head, used it, send the mother snek back… Though I’m now pondering that with every beast in Merlin. There seems to have been only one poison chalice kitten. Only one Griffin. One manticore…. Seems like Uther should have been way more effective at this whole purge thing, because there’s only one of everything, ever… 😆🤦♂️🤦♂️