Episode V.XI – The Drawing of the Dark
Join us as we discuss The Drawing of the Dark
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15th November 2021 @ 12:16 am
Sorry, utterly forgot to mention this in my main comment but one thing that I despise about this episode is the ‘yet another treacherous women’ narrative device. Why don’t we just straight out call Kara Eve and Mordred Adam and be frank about our misogynistic, patriarchal storytelling here?
Yes, Kara (kind of) works to get Mordred to the point where he betrays Arthur and Merlin. But she’s not great and mostly just plot device (hence she doesn’t make sense). We seem to be making the claim that romatic love (no matter how long ago it was formed – in childhood, Mordred, really? You developed a love so deep that you would risk everything for it?) must needs trump all other loves. I think this is a terrible fallacy since love in all its forms can be strong. Why doesn’t Mordred’s (present) love for his king and brothers in arms trump his romantic love for Kara (formed as children and long ago)? In fact, I would say that in human experience, romantic love is one of its weaker, more unstable forms of love.
Anyway, so apart from that message, why must it be again a woman who deceives and draws a man to the dark side? There would have been countless other ways to get Mordred to turn against Arthur, many of them stronger than his romantic attachment to this girl from long ago whom he sees murdering people (thus going against all the things he as a knight supports and believes him). I just find it offensive and revolting that we apparently cannot think of anything else to do with women in the show than to make them deceptive and treacherous. And that is not even a retrospective reflection. I wrote that down as a note after the first time I watched it. I checked.
16th November 2021 @ 7:48 am
I absolutely adore that you have an are able to check back on your notes from the first time you watched this show!! <3
16th November 2021 @ 7:50 am
That’s because I never throw anything away. Which is mostly a curse but, in this case, definitely a blessing. đ
15th November 2021 @ 12:01 am
I really appreciate that you are trying to lighten the mood by referring to Merlinâs (the show and the character) doom zone. That made me laugh. BUT it is now so, so hard to persuade myself to watch these episodes. Everything in me rebels, questioning why on earth I want to put myself through all that pain once again. I am really scared that I will chicken out of the watching of the finaleâŚwhich makes me really similar to Merlin. I think he hated the doom zone even more than me and was far too petrified to face it head on and speak out and change things in time.
Gah! Anyway, this is what I did for this episode: I found chocolate in my cupboard so at least that will help me to âdrugâ myself with happy endorphins. However, appropriately, it was dark chocolate so that I could cope with âThe Drawing of Darkâ while enjoying âThe Eating of the Darkâ. Puns and chocolate against the doom zone – Merlin should have tried that as a remedy (to cure all ills?) Okay, Iâll stop.
General notes on the episode:
I like that the episode hones in on the skills Mordred has learned through his druidic and nomadic past: sneaking out of the castle, medical knowledge (he seems to recognise the right âliquidâ that will help Kara in Gaiusâ medicine cabinet), the tracking in the forest and how to plan ahead by bringing flints and a torch to light in the forest. I like that he seems really careful and cautious in the forest environment and that he makes his fatal mistake of breaking a branch only after Kara answers him and his emotional reaction causes him to be slightly less cautious because he is so keen to find her. That is in keeping with his character which, in extreme situations, seems to be led mainly by emotion. The fact that he forgets to take off his chainmail is unfortunate. As is the sudden use of telepathy with Kara which raises more questions than it answers.
Kara very rightfully asks Mordred, âDoes he [Arthur] know who you are?â Finally, someone asks the RIGHT question! However, Mordred of course, evades that question for the simple reason that the show does not want to talk about it. Because the simple and straightforward answer is: âYes, he knows. And he rescued me despite it all when I was just a child and condemned to death and has since made me a knight and proved his loyalty to me many times.â Would that have changed the episode too much? Why can we not acknowledge what happened in The Beginning of the End? It would actually be really nice in the scene when Mordred begs for Karaâs life if he could have reminded Arthur that he once freed him when he had been sentenced to death and was locked in the dungeon.
I HATE that Arthur is not giving Mordred a response when he begs to be allowed to leave Camelot with Kara after they escaped. At least a simple: Mordred, you know the law, it has to apply to all. (And how awesome would it have been if Mordred would have brought up that Arthur rescued him in 1.8?) Something. Also, I donât like how Arthur stands facing Mordred in his cell with his arms crossed like he is an angry parent looking at his miscreant child. The pose is so unfeeling and dismissive of how much all this means to Mordred.
I am shaking my head at Merlin and am so confused:
I hate how condescending and self-righteously hostile Merlin is throughout many of the scenes with Mordred. I donât think this is in character and his actions trying to conceal or save Kara show that he is hostile for no reason as he supports Mordredâs cause for most of the episode. Why has he no pity for Mordred or a compassionate doubt in his mind? Even when he says that Mordredâs secret is safe with him, I do not believe him. Merlin is my favourite character. But it is just painful to see him so out of character and I canât really trace this behaviour back to what has come before. I mean, he has heard doom prophecies mentioning Mordred and Morgana throughout the series. And he used to ignore them and safe them anyway. When has he become so heartless, callous and untrusting? I know Merlin himself said that he had âgrown upâ but for me this sort of behaviour in season 5 (especially the latter end) comes completely out of the blue, especially since even in the last few episodes we saw him be compassionate and empathetic constantly: Daegal, Finna, Gwen (even though she was enchanted and wanted to kill him). I am honestly trying to understand Merlinâs awful behaviour but I just canât justify it at all.
In search for an answer to my questions, I actually dug out a lesson I commented on 3.9 (Love in the Time of Dragons) where I said this: âthis leads to another lesson about a certain tendency Merlin seems to be developing. When he startles Alice and she drops the glass flask, he does not apologise or jump to help her. This is due, I think, to the fact that at this point he already suspects her and unfortunately, Merlin seems to immediately stop all decent or kind behaviour towards people once he suspects them of something or has been prophetically warned about them. I believe we might see this in the future: a complete rejection of people he merely suspects, the tendency to alienate, ostracise and punish them on suspicion only without offering any explanation or any chances for people to redeem themselves.â
So, I found traces of Merlin developing in this way in earlier seasons but I still have no idea why they are developing when we have equally seen him do the opposite with other characters, especially Morgana. Perhaps the turning point was when he poisoned Morgana in âThe Fires of Idirsholasâ? Was it then that he began to give up hope for people as soon as they behaved mildly suspiciously or have a bad prophecy hovering over them? But then why was he attempting to win Morgana back from the dark side in 3.2 when she had awoken the skeletons with the Rowan branch? Why did he not give up on Gwen who was evil? Why, in all of this, does he still keep up his hope in Arthur when he gives up so easily on everyone else, even though Arthur seems no closer to allowing magic back than in season 1? And why, if a dark prophecy can forever turn him against that person will, he do nothing but brood and show hostility instead of taking action and get rid of them for good?
I do realise that the bottom of my confusion could simply be that I donât WANT to see my favourite character so made so twisted and bitter by the failures of when he trusted people. Maybe I donât see because I donât WANT to see.
Flakiness in Camelot – and I donât mean snowflakes! (This is actually a lesson but it was WAY too long to post in the lesson section.)
How can we have Arthurâs declaration that he has âno quarrel with the druidsâ and Mordredâs absolute conviction that âif Arthur finds [Kara] he will kill her in the same episode? How? These are not mere opinions but they must be backed up by the law in Camelot and its execution. Either Arthur has kept his promise to the druid boy and the persecution has stopped and has been written into some sort of law OR Arthur continues to hunt and kill druids which Mordred will know about, either because he witnessed it or because he knows it from the laws in Camelot. Itâs the same problem we have had with Arthur all season: he is the flakiest king Camelot has ever seen: everyone says that Arthur is not like his father but we havenât actually seen any evidence! In that way, Kara is absolutely right when she says that âno matter what he preaches, he is no different than his father.â Because âpreachingâ, i.e. verbal assurance that Arthur is better, is different etc., is all weâve ever gotten. And the âgolden ageâ of Albion is equally flaky – we donât even know whether it has already happened in the 3 years or whether it is still something we are building up to. In any case, perhaps it doesnât matter since the show and Merlin seem to have forgotten all about that prophecy all together, only focusing on the doom!
I would have so appreciated if my least favourite phrase âI have no choiceâ had NOT made an appearance in this episode. But alas! Why does Merlin not have a choice? Why is stopping Mordred from escaping with Kara the only way? Just earlier he said that if Arthur lets Kara die, Mordredâs heart will be broken and his trust in Arthur also. Thatâll still apply the same when he stops the two and Kara is executed? Whereas if Mordred leaves with Kara, he has no guarantee that they will join Morgana or that Mordred will not be able to persuade Kara to abandon vengefulness and settle down to a quiet life with him? Because at this point, he actually hasnât got something against Arthur and his apology to him later is genuine (which Merlin would know if he had taken any time to get to know him or to be a little more open-minded about him.) And Merlin himself makes the same point to Arthur later: love is stronger than the desire for revenge. Again, the show is just so flaky and it makes our characters flaky and illogical and inconsistent.
My suspicion is that Merlin wants to keep Mordred in the castle not because of anything he outwardly says (reconciliation with Arthur, bla, bla, bla) but to keep him containable and controllable. Merlin feels the need to keep him under his constant and creepy surveillance (as Mordred has patiently borne all season) and that says something very uncomfortable about a need for and abuse of power in Merlin and complete lack of humility and compassion. I used to have a T-Shirt, saying: Be humble. You might be wrong. I think I need to get Merlin one of those.
So, I guess what I learned through this episode is that everything and everyone is flaky: Arthur, Merlin, the laws of Camelot, the enforcement of the laws of Camelot. And the people who hit the nail on the head, showing themselves the least flaky and most observant are Kara (âno matter what he preaches, he is no different than his father.â) and Mordred (âWhy couldnât you just let things be?). Together, they perfectly answer Merlinâs belated concern, âThere must be a way out of this!â Yep, donât be flaky!
15th November 2021 @ 1:52 am
As to Merlin’s hostility towards people he doesn’t trust/has been warned about: although this is not completely consistent, I feel like, as you noticed, we had those traces in Merlin earlier? You mentioned his behavior towards Alice; I also remember the moment in the Castle of Fyrien when Merlin told Morgana that he’d do anything to protect Arthur and the others from her, no matter the cost. I remember being struck by his very strong wording – it felt at the time like he hadn’t said anything like that before. It feels like he gave up on Morgana after the season 3 opener, and only had a slight change of heart in The Crystal Cave, when he saw everyone’s grief at losing her (but not necessarily for Morgana’s sake, but for the others’). As to Gwen’s enchantment in season 5, Merlin more than once emphasizes that ‘this is not Gwen, this is basically Morgana wearing Gwen’s face’ – and I think that’s why he doesn’t give up on her. I think that perhaps Merlin’s behavior towards Daegal is the most reminiscent of the old, compassionate Merlin. Still, at first he’s very, very reluctant to help him, verging on rude.
Sorry for being a bit chaotic with this, I’m just sharing my loose thoughts and observations.
I know how painful it can be when you see your favorite character going through a downfall arc! That is, I know how it is to revel in that pain, because I’m a little masochist haha. I still think that, despite some inconsistencies, Merlin’s arc is the best written character arc in the series – even if it makes us cry đ
15th November 2021 @ 8:16 pm
-I still think that, despite some inconsistencies, Merlinâs arc is the best written character arc in the series â even if it makes us cry đ-
Completely agree! I actually donât mind watching Merlin turn dark⌠makes it all more a Tragedy as well as realistic. I donât see how anyone could have that much weighing on their shoulders and been through so many things without being a little paranoid and dismissive.
14th November 2021 @ 10:48 am
I love Mordred in this episode – Iâve been partial to him ever since he came out with the poetic âWe go unmarked in life as we do in deathâ line.
I wrote a whole thing about how I saw Mordred – but then read through so many insightful comments about this character that Iâm now less sure about my perspectiveâŚ
,,, which is, at this point I donât believe Mordred is actually bad inside, with the badness waiting all this time to come out. I believe the opposite, that heâs basically good inside and has been looking for a way to express the goodness.
Mordred becoming angry with both Arthur and Merlin under the circumstances seems normal to me, not evil. I donât have a problem with Mordredâs sudden betrayal because I think he feels like heâs the one thatâs been betrayed. Heâs terribly emotionally conflicted, and feels cornered into acting like someone who he doesnât really want to be.
Itâs tragedy coming from all directions!
On the other hand, Divâs questions about Mordredâs relationship with other magic users suggest a disconcertingly flexible morality.
And Slave-trading? Definitely not good!
But then when heâs offered a community in Camelot, he does prove himself honourable. For better or for worse, he adopts their values. And when that community seems to stab him in the back, he goes to Morgana in a fit of youthful pride and emotion. I agree with Div that within a week, he should be feeling terrible regret.
Or perhaps Mordredâs flexible morality allows him to simply align with his new Morgana community. I like to think not.
I canât remember if we get any of Mordredâs thoughts and feelings about events of the next two episodes, but I fear we get very little.
14th November 2021 @ 9:58 pm
I so agree! I have really loved Mordred this season, he has been consistently sweet (which has unfortunate resulted in Merlin coming off as really paranoid and unkind) and it was the same this episode. I found it particularly tragic the way he looked to all of the knights as ‘his friends’ and is met with their cold stares when he gets knocked out in the woods.
I agree, I don’t think he has a flexible morality, I think in his alignment of Morgana, he has to consciously let go of his friendships- this is a deliberate choice because he feels betrayed, rather than him being a sly double-crosser.
15th November 2021 @ 1:58 am
I also agree, Mordred isn’t bad! In fact, though he seems to have been through some serious trauma before we met him again in the s5 opener, he seems to be very reminiscent of younger Merlin. A tad naive, open to seeing goodness in people, desperate for approval… my heart breaks for him because I can clearly see that yet again, we had a self-fulfilling prophecy, that is, if Merlin never heard about the Mordred prophecy and never started acting hostile towards Mordred, the betrayal might have not happened! Sure, the Kara thing would still happen, but maybe, if Merlin was a truly friendly presence, instead of a cold enemy, he’d allow them to escape together, or would at least assuage Mordred’s grief after the assassination. If only đ
14th November 2021 @ 4:03 am
Itâs the beginning of the end! Oh no, wait, they already used that titleâŚ
Iâm very guilty of dropping off the discussion for this season. Iâm very much looking forward to the season roundup and the series roundup, where I think Iâll be able to collect my thoughts better. Itâs much harder for me to get into the individual episodes of season 5 because itâs my least favoriteâŚAlso, Iâm sad to be so near the end of Destiny and Chicken!
That being said, Iâm really excited to hear your take on the next two episodes. Thank you for splitting them up! They feel so different from one another (in my opinion) and theyâre full of so muchâŚspoilers haha. But they have some of the most outstanding performances in this season, in my opinion.
Xo
12th November 2021 @ 2:13 pm
Poor Merlin and his little cold and wrapped up in that little blanket. My heart. They do seem very calm compared to how the last ep ended. I wonder what Mordred was thinking when he was hiding near Gaius’s chamber at the beginning and listened to them talking about him. Was this a huge relief to finally understand why Merlin was acting this way towards him? Was he feeling hurt and misunderstood? “I saw you…(Sexy pause) let a saxon go.” Oh boy, that delivery. Was both scary and…appealing. Also hello Leon scene! I loved the intimacy of Leon and Arthur standing side by side in the candlelight at night discussing plans. Shows their relationship well. Gosh I love Leon. I would love it if Merlin and Mordred were friends, and if the betrayal happened, would have impacted it more. I like how Merlin honored Mordred in the beginning. Gwen confused me in that scene with Arthur too. Usually, when she discusses enemies or Morgana, she takes a different tone. More serious and has the emotions removed ie: she discusses it in a more planned way of what are we going to do about it and takes it seriously. But here, as you say, she has little sympathy. This is the first time in a while we have seen these two like this and this is what we do with Gwen? In this intimate moment with Arthur?
Also what a parallel between Merlin and Freya and Mordred and Kara. I think Kara does love Mordred but in a different way and she was using him a lot. I got the feeling that he as a younger Mordred followed Kara like a lovesick puppy and she appreciated his love but I got the impression she never really returned it but only saw him as a dear friend. I also found the swan thing misplaced but still enjoyable.
What confuses me is when Kara is put in the cells and Mordred makes a tearful, heartfelt speech with a CAMELOT GUARD right there! Either the guard has turned a blind eye with respect to another knight or he’s just so oblivious. I do appreciate his speech and the emotion that was put into it though. Alex’s acting in this ep is amazing. How he went to Arthur and knelt down and begged for Kara to be free, to be transparent and vulnerable was beautiful. It shows the trust he had in Arthur, how much he put in him and when he goes back to Kara, betrayed and shocked, It was so amazingly done! He was just completely shocked, he did not expect this at all which makes it even better.
And one of my favorite moments. (I loved your discussion on this scene, brilliant, funny and understandable, great points were made) When Mordred confronts Merlin. Oh.boy. I loved it. Amazing change in dynamics. Mordred’s uncontrollable anger, his confusion, his sadness. How he grabs him, he’s so desperate. How Merlin fights back and then stops Mordred, he turns into Emrys with his body language. Stands taller with authority after he shoves him away, holds his hand up calmly and Mordred backs off a bit. How Merlin calmly explains himself. And how the knights step in and protect Merlin. How Merlin fixes his clothes and waves it off and leaves. How concerned Gwaine was, loved how you could understand his expression of: “What is going on here? You can tell me, come on.” You know why i think Merlin acted this way? Why he was impassive? Because of Gaius’s teachings. This is exactly how Gaius acted! I can’t remember which ep or scene (might have been where Gaius’s old student appeared or when he confronted the guy with the bugs and insulted him and his dead parents, oh he was so smug there, Gaius is actually such a cold character) it was but there was a moment where Gaius was smug and smirky and passive as well. If Gaius died in the isle of the blessed, Merlin would have been so much better off and wouldn’t have done this if he helped himself or had a better ‘hand to hold and voice to guide’ as Hunnith puts it. It honestly breaks my heart that Merlin did not have a good teacher. Maybe that’s the tragedy of it all? I don’t know if it’s harsh to say but Gaius is a coward. Through and through. And a dangerous one, I would not trust him with my secrets if I was a wayward warlock or sorcerer, he has thrown other sorcerer’s to the flames before. Also, I wish we had a prequel where we get the input of all the sorcerer’s thoughts on Gaius, how they saw him as a friend and he betrays each and every single one of them. How do they feel? Even Kilgarrah says this! How he turns a blind eye but oh, no…no no no not his old love. She’s safe. But everyone else? He does not care. And it’s great drama but so annoying when it’s not made clear if this was done intentionally or not.
And the way Merlin is meekly, sadly, feebly trying to change Arthur’s mind this whole ep, oh.my.heart. “You’re breaking his heart, you’ll lose his trust.” It’s like Merlin is actually seeing the dots forming, connecting. He finally, finally sees how and why this prophecy is going to play out like it is finally rearing its head at Merlin right at this exact moment. It’s completely unfolding in front of him here at: 24 mins in. He says it so softly. Like he’s removed from his body and seeing this happen and is explaining that this is the reason to why Mordred turns evil. “You’re breaking his heart and thus will lose his trust.” That’s it, that’s the answer. So the prophecy is correct, Mordred will turn evil (because of Merlin’s mistrust) and kill Arthur and the Diamair: Arthur’s bane. Is correct. Arthur said the words himself, unwittingly choosing his fate for himself when he denied Mordred that. This is the moment, I feel where it finally goes wrong, the wheels of prophecy are finally beginning to turn. Right in this scene. Breaks my heart. Merlin is so soft-spoken and has such a self-realization moment in this scene.
Oh wow though. The golden lighting in this episode during nighttime is amazing. So soothing and beautiful and intimate, a nice contrast to how serious the ep is. I find it interesting with the Merlin and Emrys Mordred thing when it comes to power and responsibility. Merlin is the powerful Emrys, Mordred is (was) his follower in a way. He respected and wanted to be his friend even though he was frustrated, but Merlin is acting as a servant which means he holds no power over Mordred and Mordred being a knight holds more power over Merlin in the eyes of Camelot and those that inhabit it but between them, Merlin has the power, interesting conflict, especially in this ep where Mordred uses his knightly power ie: “How dare you speak to me in that way.” Like he’s still trying to cling onto himself as a Camelot knight and Merlin as a servant.
I think the reason why Merlin is suddenly more hopeful is a relatable thing in this show since season 5 ep 1. We’ve all experienced the Mordred prophecy where we expect this to happen, it happens and we’ve been waiting it to happen and now that it’s happening now we don’t need to have Merlin wait anymore and he can finally act on this thing that we have been waiting for, it’s go time now. Green light. Now he can act and in that, to have hope is a good thing, because he’s not being held back, it’s happened now, now he can start moving again and hopefully try to stop it again.
I understand what you mean when Mordred visits the second time with Arthur. (Love that every time he visits him Merlin is always there, just shows how much time Arthur and Merlin do spend together, also where is Gwen? do they not sleep in the same bed now? does she wait for him to be done with work before going to bed?) I love the Merlin POV so much as well. Merlin is literally watching the prophecy unfold before his very eyes right here and right now. So so terrifying. I love this tragedy so much. I love the “DOOF” sound after Arthur smiles and says: “Knew he’d come around.” To Merlin staring at him like: “You fool.” Even the music is saying Arthur is an idiot, the ‘Doof’ sound was there to say: “Arthur did not understand at all, it’s up to you now Merlin” So funny. Oh my, the scene after, their exchange of words, Merlin desperate to bring Mordred back. Oh my heart.
Merlin’s hesitation in telling Arthur in the Arthur/Merlin/Gwen dinner scene was so sad and you could see he’s fighting within himself whether it was a good idea or not and it was so beautifully done. Arthur’s realization and finally taking it seriously and rushing off was so well done. When they arrived at the cells being empty, they felt like a team again. Also when Arthur pats Merlin’s stomach it was so intimate and cute and i loved it so much.
Also thank you so so much for mentioning that Mordred was a slave trader for a bit because Mordred acts like he’s so innocent sometimes. I loved that Arthur listened and tried to give Kara another chance and when Arthur looked at Merlin across the hall with those eyes. Saying without words that he tried and Merlin sadly shaking his head. So heartbreaking. Loved Leon talking to Mordred. So good. When Mordred broke out, best moment. He breathing, the tension, the build-up. His screaming. Merlin feeling it. So amazing.
When Percival knocks him out, there’s this silence afterward. So brilliantly done and impactful, the gravity of the situation is so well shown. The Emrys Merlin reveal was so good. Loved it. Made amazing fanvids. Amazing how this episode started off with Merlin riding with the knights with a cold.
15th November 2021 @ 11:14 am
Yeah it’s weird as it is how absent Gwen is all the time, but if they made excuses for why that wouldn’t be as bad. But as far as we know, Gwen no longer has a servant nor an entourage of ladies to hang out with. There are no other nobles in the castle and she sure as heck isnt performing duo duties with Arthur. Arthur barely talks to her, he spends all his time with dudes! So much for a modern royal marriage for love.
So what are her duties, how does she spent her Time, who does she see and what has her out past darkness falls??
16th November 2021 @ 4:27 pm
Exactly! What does she do when the camera isn’t on Arthur or Merlin? Does she feel lonely? Is she spending time with Leon? I wish Gwen had a friend, better yet, be involved in more scenes. Maybe that’s why she was so rude to Merlin when Merlin burst in. It was the only time she could spend with her husband.
12th November 2021 @ 4:38 am
Howdy!
First and foremost, I would like to agree with Michelle…Merlin is sexy nearly this entire episode and I LOVE IT! I just swoon nearly the entire time which leads me to say…. for as much hate and frustration I had with the last episode, I absolutely LOVED this episode. I know it was jammed packed and there is a lot of stuff that didn’t make sense like what the heck Kara was actually doing and why Arthur and Merlin don’t say she TRIED TO KILL THE KING, but I love it regardless.
To me, this episode is all about age. I think it demonstrates very well how grown up and experienced Merlin and Arthur are vs how young and naĂŻve Mordred and Kara are. (I agree visually they don’t look much different, but their actions show great contrast to me.) I feel the maturity demonstrated in Merlin’s interactions with Mordred. Merlin has no problem with confronting Mordred because he is his elder. I feel there are a few times where Merlin is flexing his Emrys muscles in a subtle way, especially when he shoves Mordred away and holds up his hand (in that so SEXY of ways) in the second confrontation. Merlin’s calmness really dramatizes Mordred’s panic and anger, emphasizing his youngness. Merlin seems so mature and wise to me when says to Arthur, “You’re breaking his heart. You’ll lose his trust. Think again.” I get a definite Emrys vibe here.
I feel Arthur’s age and experience in the scene where he is tracking the druid girl. He gives logical counters to all of Merlin’s excuses and attempts to distract him from the footprints such as “It was dry yesterday. It rained last night. These marks are fresh” “Who? I had the reports. No one’s been through here.” He is very cautious when in the cave when they find Kara. I didn’t read Arthur as smug initially during the trial scene, but it might be there a little. I think that is because Arthur sees a young radical before himself. He almost has this tired/weary air about him, like this isn’t the first radical he has dealt with. Visually, I LOVE the scene where Arthur puts his hand on Mordred’s shoulder. He looks like a big brother trying to comfort his little brother. (The wording isn’t great.) The way Arthur says, “In time, Mordred will come to understand that. He’ll come to forgive me,” reminds me of what parents or adults say to one another after dealing with their emotional teenager. I am not even bothered by Arthur accepting that Mordred has “gotten over it” so quickly because even though elders are wiser a lot of the time, they can also underestimate young adults and dismiss them as being emotional/irrational, which is exactly what Arthur does here. I love how Arthur is sitting on his throne when he gives Kara another chance. I love that he is slouched over. I can’t seem to find the right word because I am tired and need to go to bed, but it’s weary/resigned…?? I love how he is trying so hard to give her a respectable out. I love the way he says “Kara” and sighs in a mildly exasperated way when she is still defiant. I love how he glances over at Merlin and Merlin’s response. I love how grim Arthur looks and how self righteous Kara is all the way until the end.
I actually really like Kara’s character. I like how angry, passionate and radical she is. I feel like this type of character would absolutely exist in this world where people are discriminated for being a druid/magical (I know that’s a blurry line, but I’m just gonna lump it all together right now.). I see glimpses of modern young people passionate in their beliefs in this girl. It is at this age (teens/twenties) that radical ideas seem to really enthrall people. I absolutely believe that Kara may not have ever met Morgana, but has heard of her plans from other radicals and has taken it upon herself to take action where she could in order to have a purpose in life and “make a difference”. I absolutely could see a young radical joining up with the Saxons to weaken supply lines to Camelot. I believe that this radical girl would realize she was caught by Arthur and try to be the hero and stab him herself. Young adults are stubborn, especially those that cling to extremist views. I like that she stands true to her character in the trial and is defiant and regrets nothing. “He’s a Camelot soldier,” is a perfect example of how extremists (or really anyone going to war) have to categorize people in their minds. It is US vs THEM. We are humans and people…. they are not. They are the enemy.
Mordred is torn so many ways here and is reacting completely with feelings and not using logic at all, which feels so naĂŻve. I remember being a teenager and thinking the world was literally ending when some minor event didn’t go my way and so I can see why Mordred is so emotional and a wreck this entire time. I think during Mordred’s time in Camelot, he has surrendered himself to Merlin’s dream of everything being fine eventually. He has forgotten what it is like “on the front lines.” It is almost like what Mary said last week about Merlin. Mordred is in his comfortable/cozy castle with his friends. He has forgotten what it is like to be persecuted and apparently has forgotten his loved ones from his life as a druid until Kara makes her sudden reappearance. I know the show tells us he is emotional because he loves her, but I think it is so much more than that. When Arthur denies Mordred’s request, his dream of “everything being different some day” gets rattled. His belief that Arthur is his friend gets rattled because he is too self centered to think about the larger ramifications of Arthur letting a murderer and radical druid go. He cannot distance himself from the emotions of the situation, which is a classic young adult reaction. I love that Kara is there to whisper things she believes to be true about Arthur in Mordred’s ear while he is doubting their friendship. It brings to the surface emotions that Mordred must have buried deep down shortly after joining the knights. I absolutely love the table shaking as Mordred’s anger and grief builds. The fact that Mordred still has tears in his eyes when he reaches Morgana’s castle is perfect.
Overall, I really really enjoyed this episode! Like you said, everyone is working SO HARD and Colin and Bradley are looking gorgeous and Alexander is doing amazing work! It infuriates me that we wasted him this whole season! He is extremely talented!
I can’t believe we are at the end… omg… I am not ready! I AM ready though for one of my absolute FAVORITE BROMANCE moments of ALL TIMES at the very beginning of the next episode! It warms my heart before it gets immediately crushed…. đ
15th November 2021 @ 10:48 am
It’s interesting you say about the contrast in behaviour this episode since it’s now almost like two generations against each other, but not really.
Mordred and Merlin have two different personalities being this age, otherwise we’d have seen Merlin angrier a lot more. I don’t think we have ever witnessed Merlin blowing up like mordred does but it would have been interesting if we did. Merlin was once a teen like mordred, who had his loved ones threatened (and still does) even Emrys has never gotten rage filled like that..
16th November 2021 @ 2:16 am
Haha well after reading some of the other comments, I may be completely off! That is just the read I gotâŚ.
I definitely donât think Merlin and Mordred are the same person. Merlin had someone to love him and guide him (Hunith and later Gaius with not always the best advice) through his childhood and teen years. As far as we know, Mordred did not. I think that makes a significant difference in how someone reacts to situations.
As far as rage and Merlin/EmrysâŚ. Are you meaning we have never seen him shake a table and yell and break out of a cell? Maybe not, but he was angry when Nimueh killed Gaius. Merlin has always had more control of his emotions than Mordred, but he does get so pissed off that he summons a storm and electrifies Nimueh with lighteningâŚ.
I donât actually remember what he does when Freya dies because I have only seen that episode once bc it is my least favorite, but I remember thinking at that point Merlin is kind of resigned to his destiny is to be alone and to focus on Arthur. He knows if someone comes into his life that would take his focus off Arthur, they wonât last⌠sadly.
(Sorry if this has nothing to do with what you meant by your comment. Iâm coming off a long day at work so may not be thinking straight haha)
16th November 2021 @ 8:38 am
Indeed Merlin was angry, but still in a dark stewing, eerily quiet way. He didnât yell and scream at Nimueh in quite the same way, if at all I canât remember. Mordred being so angry he is violent towards Merlin is not because Merlin had been in his room and moved around his stuff, heâs angry for a good reason, but his magic is connected to his emotions.
Merlin in early season one is a quiet happy teen and his magic was raw and instinctive which is what he was probably sent to Gaius for, to suppress the instinct to perform magic first to fix a problem (like the bucket tipping). We did see he frustrated at times and go off on one like his rant to Gaius but still never anything like âthis teen is so angry, he throws things in a huff or he either accidentally or deliberately makes things smash in the room. We could have gotten that in season 1, but would Merlin have been more relatable or dislikeable this way đ¤
I donât think Merlin did anything when Freya died, he was quiet and reserved, he reacted irrationally during the ep, because thatâs apparently what everyone does in this show when in love, but never to a angry degree.
Idk just trying to imagine Merlin acting the same as Mordred in that wall shoving scene to someone who vexed him, and while super sexy, just so foreign, but not something Iâd have been put off Merlin for seeing.
12th November 2021 @ 12:22 am
This episode was so confusing. There’s 4 episodes worth of plot stuffed into one episode and none of it really works. On a positive note I liked the directing a lot this episode. The actors are very good and I have a lot of appreciation for Alexander Vlahos in particular. The music was effective but it got tiring after a while.
Everything escalates so quickly and for the entire episode I kept waiting for the reveal that this was all Morgana’s plan to turn Mordred against Arthur. It certainly seems like one of her overcomplicated plans. Kara seems like she has planned all of this out and is trying to manipulate Mordred but to what end? What exactly is she trying to accomplish here? Making all of this Morgana’s scheme would have made so much sense.
In this AU her plan could also be using Kara’s relationship with Mordred to find Emrys. It is really weird that no one brings up Emrys until the end. Kara could have brought up the prophecy and Emrys to Mordred since every druid is supposed to know about it. Also how did Kara not notice magic being used on her? She grew up around Mordred and other magical people.
Also this might be an odd opinion but why wasn’t Kara Mordred’s sister? The answer is probably because they didn’t think of that but it makes so much more sense. There’s the obvious parallel with Arthur and Morgana, and Mordred having a last minute sister makes about as much sense as what we get in canon. We’ve already got Star Trek levels of previously unheard of siblings showing up on this show. They even look similar enough to make it work!
They should have just picked one path for this episode. Either make it about magical rights and Arthur and Merlin’s failure to fulfill their destinies and Kara and Mordred being mad about that, or Arthur is killing someone Mordred loves and that turns him evil. If they’re not dealing with the magic problem then they shouldn’t have brought it up at all. Actually having Arthur kill her for magic would have been a bold choice but I don’t think they could have pulled it off at this stage without any build up.
I also really found Arthur circling Kara in the trial very annoying. It feels so condescending like she’s not worth his complete undivided focus and him not engaging with her arguments just makes it worse. He wasn’t like this with Tyr or anyone else on trial.
Arthur and Gwen’s conversation was just frustrating. There are so many better things she could have said, like “let’s contact our allies” or something about considering magic or anything useful and Arthur could agree or disagree whatever they need for the plot. It’s such a simple way of showing that Gwen’s the queen and involved with the politics of Albion. It would also show us that Gwen can take care of Camelot when Arthur’s not around.
If they were playing on Arthur being like Uther or avoiding his problems or something like that then this would make sense. But Arthur’s surrounded by people who agree with everything he does and he doesn’t see a problem with that anymore. Arthur valued Gwen and Merlin because they challenged him and called him on his bad decisions but that’s not really there anymore. He should be more frustrated by this.
It’s the same thing with Arthur saying he “has no quarrel with the Druids”. How are we supposed to interpret that after the hollow queen? Do they expect us to believe that Arthur made peace with the druids but they’re still not permitted basic medical treatment? Both Merlin and Mordred believe he would kill a druid for no reason. At this point any self awareness or introspection from Arthur would be really appreciated.
The line about misuse of magic just makes the whole thing so much worse. If Arthur thinks that magic is a completely neutral force then why hasn’t he tried to figure out why so many magic people turned evil? Like does he not consider them to be people capable of making rational decisions? In his 30 years has he never once considered why so many sorcerers want to kill his family? Has he given no thought to Morgana and her motivations in the past 5 years? It probably would be less aggravating if he said something like “there’s no place for magic in Camelot” at this point. The show seems to be unwilling or unable to deal with the complicated moral issues created by their story and it’s very clear in Arthur’s character.
Speaking of unintended characterisation, I really can’t blame Merlin for not trusting Mordred. He has shown no real sign of being an ally of magic and magical people. There’s no conflict or hesitation whenever he’s ordered to hunt down sorcerers by Arthur, and even in the graveside scene Merlin is the one marking that sorcerer’s grave and Mordred is coming up to him and trying to bond while being a bit shady. Mordred is acting like Gaius and that’s probably why Merlin is this suspicious and I’m sure that Merlin doesn’t consciously realise that.
And Mordred doesn’t need to have the same goals as Merlin but he should have some opinion on his job. His first episode features him being hunted down by knights of Camelot when he was a child for the crime of existing. His first episode as a knight features him hunting down a sorcerer for unclear reasons. And that makes him feel what? Does he have zero thoughts/emotions about it? I’ve already mentioned what I think of his inaction in episode 7. Episode 10 had him hunting down a different sorcerer for unclear crimes again and he sees Merlin (who happens to be Emrys) sneaking out at the same time and doesn’t ask any questions. Like for instance “Do you know this lady? Is there anything I should know about this situation so a bunch of people don’t get killed?”. Nothing!
Whenever Kara is talking about the rights of magical people his response is no Arthur is nice and will spare you if I ask because he likes me. He never engages with what she’s saying nor does he bring up any of this to Arthur. He extracts a promise from Merlin by saying “she’s one of us” but he hasn’t shown that kind of solidarity to anyone they hunt down. He seems to believe that Arthur would kill a druid for no reason but still thinks he’s a good king? That makes some sense coming from Merlin but it really doesn’t make sense for Mordred.
And his request to Arthur doesn’t track with him believing that Arthur is a good man either. Like Arthur is very clear that she’s being executed because she’s an enemy soldier and even if she was a non-magical person her punishment would be the same. So does Mordred think that Arthur is the kind of person who would make exceptions for his friends? If so, why does he think Arthur is a good man? How does Mordred define a good man? They could have brought up with all my heart and Arthur using magic to save his wife while still outlawing it, but it still makes Mordred look terrible because he, like Gaius, goes along with this regime until it affects him personally.
If this whole thing was about nobility or Mordred not being noble enough then that would be an interesting character choice but the show seems unwilling to address his actual issues. It’s okay if he has a different idea of morality and nobility and goodness etc., he’s still pretty young and figuring stuff out. And he clearly had to do bad things to survive. Growing up in a world like this would mess anyone up.
However none of this tracks with him joining Morgana at the end. He has been a knight of Camelot for a year and has seen all the death and destruction caused by Morgana, he knows firsthand how unstable she is. Then he wants revenge against Merlin and Arthur and his plan is to join Morgana who is fighting a war against Camelot causing a lot of casualties and instability in the land which will lead to more death so he can kill Arthur in battle instead of just trying to kill Arthur on his own. There’s way too many steps involved in this plan for someone lashing out in anger and grief (unless this was all Morgana’s plan). Based on everything we know about this guy he should start regretting this in about a week when Morgana starts talking about wanting Arthur’s head on a pike again.
If we had gone with the idea that Mordred might have had a tough life but he’s still very young and desperate for Merlin’s approval and friendship because he’s lonely then his character actually makes sense. That is the impression I get from all of his scenes with Arthur, but he’s just being weirdly sinister around Merlin and it doesn’t make sense. I get that it’s because they want this character to be ambiguous till the last possible moment but that was clearly a mistake.
If this show was into long term planning we could have seen his growing disillusionment with Arthur as he continues to persecute magic users. He could start out by becoming friends with Merlin and really committed to his cause. Eventually Merlin’s inaction and Mordred’s guilt and internal conflict about his job, with Kara being the last straw, could have finally led him to turn against them.
At this point their intent for Mordred doesn’t matter because what we have is kind of nonsensical. There’s so much potential here and Alexander Vlahos is a wonderful actor and all of that is wasted in this season.
Sorry about the long rant about Mordred as you can tell I’m very frustrated by this character.
I really liked the execution scene. With Arthur and Gwen in red standing over it in the balcony like Uther, Merlin watching it happen when Mordred can’t, and the explosive reaction, it was a really good callback to the execution in The Beginning of the End.
I really wonder what Gwen feels about this. Does she realise that she’s in the spot where Uther stood and executed countless people? We’ve been in Merlin’s POV this whole time and he saw his first execution in the pilot but Gwen and Arthur grew up with this. Remember when Gwen didn’t want to kill Uther because that would make her no different than him? I wonder if that changed and if Gwen was given the same choice what her response would be.
Merlin’s just weird this episode and I have no idea what his motivation is at all. He’s not paranoid enough for this stage of the story. The worst case scenario is finally here and Merlin has picked this time to finally think rationally. You can’t put this much pressure on a character and not have him snap. This is the situation that would make him snap. He should be a lot more desperate and very clearly unhinged at this point.
I’ll probably have more thoughts about this later but Merlin’s outfit really feels like a costume in this episode. I mean it feels like Merlin the character is wearing a costume and trying to act like the old Merlin. It does say some really interesting things about how Merlin perceives himself and his attempts to be perceived as harmless, etc.
Unrelated to anything but I still have no idea what Diamond of the Day means. They really did use up their best titles in season 1 like The Beginning of the End, The Moment of Truth, To Kill the King, and Le Morte dâArthur.
It was a fine episode but I can’t disconnect it from the rest of the season. In general though I love that we got some more information about Mordred and some character development. I really would have loved to have seen Ruth’s version of this episode. It sounds a lot more fun.
It’s difficult to connect to the tragedy and doom when the plot and characters don’t make sense. It’s not a tragedy if these characters ignore very obvious solutions for plot reasons. I’ll probably still cry at the finale but it would be difficult to take it seriously at all.
I guess we’re finally at the end. I am looking forward to getting a proper reaction from Morgana and whatever else the next episode is about (ghost Balinor?). Oh and lovely artwork as always!
12th November 2021 @ 2:29 am
As to The Diamond of the Day – I only recently learned this. It comes from a poem by Edwin Muir (heh, sounds familiar? đ ) called simply “Merlin”. The poem goes as follows:
O Merlin in your crystal cave
Deep in the diamond of the day,
Will there ever be a singer
Whose music will smooth away
The furrow drawn by Adam’s finger
Across the memory and the wave?
Or a runner who’ll outrun
Man’s long shadow driving on,
Break through the gate of memory
And hang the apple on the tree?
Will your magic ever show
The sleeping bride shut in her bower,
The day wreathed in its mound of snow
and Time locked in his tower?
Now, the fandom being fandom, OF COURSE there’s a tumblr meta on the interpretation of these lines and how they fit the finale, but I’m going to let everyone interpret it for themselves for now đ
12th November 2021 @ 2:43 am
Thank you for sharing that! It’s a lovely poem and I will look into how it fits with the episodes. I really need to look into more Arthurian stuff in general.
14th November 2021 @ 3:36 am
Thank you for sharing! Itâs beautiful. I never knew the title had a connection to Arthurian literature.
14th November 2021 @ 11:03 am
Itâs funny that you say it seemed like Kara was trying to Manipulate Mordred, I rewatched it getting a vibe that this sweet fancying love was kinda one sided, like Mordred was a hella lot more into Kara than she was him, that her âfight for freedomâ overwrote anything she has going in her life. Sheâs fond of Mordred, yes, and remembers him from years back, but also knows he had a crush on her she could use to her advantage now.
I never realised til you said that this could have been revealed to be morganaâs Plan all along and this would just tie all together so tidily if Morgana observed enough of Mordredâs childhood in Aglainâs camp (of him playing with a little girl) to know how to get him on her side now.
Then again Morgana never needed any prior info whatsoever to find Gwenâs brother in CoF when Gwen didnât even know where he was or if she cared about her brother, so never mind eh show?
âAlso this might be an odd opinion but why wasnât Kara Mordredâs sisterâ
I have always thought this! Mainly because they look so so similar, and their behaviour with each other in the episode could have been mistaken for close siblings, like twins. Headcanoning that they once got spilt up years ago because Mordred had much stronger gifts and she had barely any.
Oh my goodness, Gwen suggesting they call up their willing allies and get everyone back to be involved in the major battle would have been the best! Not just for her character, but for the show to give us Annis, Mithian, Elena and Olaf back so their alliances from the seasons actually mean something.
âArthur valued Gwen and Merlin because they challenged him and called him on his bad decisions but thatâs not really there anymore. He should be more frustrated by thisâ
A quote from Mr burns in the simpsons sprang immediately to mind which I would have loved to hear Arthur say: âI see it now. Youâre all just a bunch of yes-men. I was making all the wrong decisions and you were too gutless to tell me!â
The way I see it, is that Arthur still to this day has no bloody clue what happened to Morgana. It seems in her situation he does believe magic corrupted her when Morgause took her away (but he couldnât remember that at the start of s3). Thereâs a deleted scene in the dark tower ep I think where at camp Arthur asks out loud âMorgana was always kind and just, what made her so twisted?â
Even years later Arthur is still asking this question because no one gives him the answer, so he has no Choice but to think magic is evil because Morgana changed due to magic and finding out Uther dismissed her as family and thatâs it.
11th November 2021 @ 10:03 pm
I havenât listened to all of the episode yet, so sorry if I repeat anything you will say. Iâll be really busy (with nice things tho!) so I donât know whether Iâll be able to finish listening to the whole episode till Sunday. Iâm just dropping the notes I made while watching because I have to let some frustrations go.
This episode frustrates me almost just as much as anotherâs sorrow. I hate it. So many very important things just donât make sense. I was so angry and frustrated after watching this episode.
I get frustrated that this is the episode that turns Mordred evil, because Arthur is right to punish Kara. She tried to murder Arthur. If it was magic that wouldâve lead to Arthurâs sentence, okay, but a murder attempt is something completely different. Even with Mordred loving Kara he should be smart enough to see that. Why would Arthur make the exception for someone Mordred loves? Why is the episode trying to tell me Arthur is wrong? It was fair of him to give Kara another chance by the end and Mordred knows he have her that chance.
It doesnât make sense for Mordred to turn this radical. Not with Mordred being so devoted before, this really shouldnât be enough.
Yes, Mordred would be angry at Arthur, but I refuse to believe itâs enough to turn his loyalties completely around.
If youâre unable to construct a sound plot in which it makes sense for Mordred to change loyalties so radically and at the same time not make Arthur and Merlin look bad, then donât make Mordred a knight in the first place! You can have him doubt his loyalties. Have him hang around Camelot and doubting his beliefs instead of going for such a radical switch. This episode summarises the whole problem of the Mordred plot of this season.
Kara is such an idiot. I know she is supposed to be this young and radical. But itâs so frustrating nonetheless. She is given no chance to grow. I feel like she couldâve been more cunning, trying to trick herself out of a death sentence, instead of just sacrificing herself like this. It makes her look so stupid.
Now Iâm absolutely terrified of watching the last two episodes. Iâm not ready. I know how destroyed I was the last time I watched it and Iâm so scared of having to go through it again. Doom times aheadâŚ
13th November 2021 @ 7:36 pm
They treat Kara like sheâs twelve! I get that in their universe being 20 years old still classes you as quite young, but young like an older teen who knows better, not like a 5 year old who hasnât learnt right from wrong yet.
Of course anyone can be influenced or converted, and Kara is a young woman but obviously old enough to make up her own mind and opinions and she treats Murder like she was caught nicking a bag of sweets. Even though sheâs a Druid itâs clear sheâs been acclimatised to violence for a very long time and used her beliefs as an excuse for it. Rather apt really. Humans never change.
14th November 2021 @ 1:09 pm
Oh good point, you can certainly see it as her acclimating to violence. I wish they could have made that a bit more textual instead of framing her motivation almost solely on her anger. But I think you can surely read it that way that she’s so accustomed to murder at this point. Death doesn’t seem to mean anything to her anymore, not even her own. And like you said, that isn’t the view of a child, but of a young woman who has been through too much already. And framing her as a child just doesn’t sit right to me in that context.
Also when looking at Mordred, he seems a lot more mature compared to her, even though they have grown up very similarly and I assume also are the same age. But even he treats her as a lot younger.
11th November 2021 @ 9:46 pm
Iâm not going to delve deep into what Iâm sure is the massive elephant in the room for this episode that many people are also gonna say; that Mordredâs development and descent into evil (or at least to Morganaâs side) should have replaced the Brainwashed Gwen mid-plot of the season. Without knowing of Mordredâs circumstances from childhood or the specifics of how his life was between the last we last him in late season 2 to beginning of season 5, his good innocent character comes as much out of the blue as his 180 betrayal is.
So many things over the last 10 episodes could have slowly built onto Mordredâs doubt of choosing Arthurâs side. In the legends, Mordredâs interesting personality, character and mental instability is down to him being the product of incest and being groomed from a young age to kill his father, Arthur. In many versions, Mordred decided to instead first join Arthurâs court as his ânephewâ and be accepted, but learning of his true parentage on top of Arthur rejecting him as family and heir, his reasons for being Arthurâs doom are a lot more personal and understandable. He is a pawn of fate and he knows it. He plays out his part because it was too exhausting to fight it.
Of course these dark adult themes canât be in BBC Merlin, but what were the writers thinking when deciding to not give poor Mordred in the show many foundations and development at all in the first place to think that a sudden flip (after claiming throughout he would prove his goodness and loyalty) because of a fabricated pretty childhood sweetheart, was good enough for the lead up to the finale? Even though it was announced before season 5 aired that it would be the last, this episode still gives the vibe the writers thought they were going on to do another season until the 11th hour, and they went âSlug! We spent 4 episodes of Gwen and now we actually arenât renewed for another year. Slug! And Mordredâs still good! We gotta change it quick! Okay, what usually ruins relationships fast⌠girls! Thatâll do.â They set out to do 5 seasons from the start, so why did they not plan their time better?
All in all, I love the potential for Mordredâs character in the show and how brilliantly Alexander acts and plays into all the headcanons and subtle beats of how much trauma Mordred had been through in his young life without showing it. But we should have gotten more since Mordred IS a big part of the legends and this showâs prophecy.
Now this ânon-deep delveâ has gone on too long and could very well just be summed up how Ruth says; they tried stuffing adult Mordredâs development for the whole season into one episode đ
I do however love how this episode, intentional of the writers or not, connects to the âcrystal caveâ episode. Though not executed great, I believe that episode in season 3 was massively important. Taliesin was a ghost who was trying to teach Merlin a practical lesson in âwhen to close your ears off to people who think the more you know about the future, the better.â Merlin was shown visions of a day in the life of Camelot leading up to something he was always gonna stop. Think of it like Harry Potter knowing he could defeat all those dementors because heâd seen it play out already with his future self. Wibbly Wobbly Timey Wimey. Uther was never in any danger that day, Merlin never saw Morganaâs blade impale Uther. Utherâs shocked reaction in the crystal was always due to Merlin smashing the window. This is the lesson Merlin should have taken away that day. To not let others give him the specific horrific events of foresight, else it will always play out. Merlin should not have let the Vates druid seer show him the vision of Mordred killing Arthur. Merlinâs future shunning and distrusting of Mordred isnât keeping him from being Arthurâs killer, itâs doing the opposite because without the vision, Merlin might not have treated Mordred like he has in season 5 to fuel the prophecy. Merlinâs mind has become too warped and gaslit from all sides to try a friendlier route.
I still believe the show could have worked if the three year skip was moved to in between episode 4 and 5, where Merlin had three years to start warming to Mordred and watch him grow as a man, knight and friend to Arthur, partnering up to kick Arthur up the backside about giving druids and magic some freedom. With Morganaâs constant lingering threat and without a good stretch of time, I donât otherwise see Merlin ever trusting Mordred, not after all heâs been told from the start and after the vision he saw. I agree with Dan.
Creating Kara as a character sort of diminishes Mordredâs a little to me. Heâs supposed to stand out, the druids are a peaceful people who worship magic and keep to their own, they speak in their minds and donât use magic that breaks the world balance and order around them. Mordred is not mentioned by name as far as I know in the prophecies, they just know that Arthur will fall by a druidâs hand, since Ruadan thought he might be that druid. The most important part in the prophecy seems to be the type of person, not the specific individual by name; perhaps because a dark druid isnât normal. Mordred is like Merlin, like Morgana, rare and one of a kind, like Morgana once said. Mordredâs magic seems stronger than the rest (since we donât see any other druids use magic) and connected to his emotions, specifically negative ones. He screams, he sends a pulse so strong it breaks necks. I too falsely remembered Mordredâs magic at the end doing anything more than just breaking his cell door, a good castle quake would have had me sold on his ultimate position in prophecy fully clicking into place. The magic heâd suppressed since season 2 finally let loose due to rage.
Kara coming in as a self-proclaimed druid rebel too this close to the finale did suggest that Mordred isnât really special anymore and her appearance is what makes him become the druid in the writings, not his own choices and unique circumstances. I hear the phrase âan average face plucked from the massesâ ringing in my head when it comes to someone becoming the âchosen oneâ because they are born special not because of their free will to become so, but in this show Mordred had been hand-picked from the start to be neither and both at the same time. This makes me start thinking about what this show is trying to say with the druids. Is it a religion, or a race? If the former, Mordred shows no signs of being a keen practitioner. Did he even still have his tattoo? If the latter, Mordred is obviously more like Merlin, a child with raw physical magic and so heâs a cuckoo in the druid nest.
Iâm both sad and glad then that Kara doesnât show she has any magic besides the druid staple of mind-speaking because it does mean if circumstances were different, not just any other druid child could go to fit the role in the prophecy. It had to be Mordred. However unfortunately, and SPOILERS, his physical magic isnât going to play any role in the final battle whatsoever, if I recall.
Sorry this bit got long but Mordred as a character just fascinates me as how he could have been written canon-wise.
–
This first opening scene is very weird. The lines the knights say are thrown in and Merlin having a chill lasts all of 2 seconds. Itâs like the writer heard this joke/play on words earlier in the day and decided to add it in here just coz it tickled them. âWe all caught something, even Merlin.â âReally? What did HE catch?â âA cold!â (Ba Dum Tchh!)
Iâd not long watched the âFellowship of the Ringâ before rewatching this episode so when I saw Percival plucking an arrow bolt out of the ground and inspecting it, and I half expected him to chuck it away like it was disgusting and yell out âGoblin Orcs!â đ
As to what Ruth was saying about not knowing what Karaâs still doing amongst the destruction, at first I was thinking âwell, because sheâs injured and only had to bolt away on adrenaline when Arthur and co cameâ, but of course you meant what sheâs doing here generally, for which I have no idea haha. Then I was randomly thinking âhuh, when have we seen earthy cloaked people around dead bodies before?â Maybe this scene at first was to fool new viewers into thinking Mordred was about to run into a person from Iseldirâs clan from long ago, because in the season 3 finale opening, druids came across Leonâs patrol to see who might yet be saved. Of course, this is assuming they managed to get the cup of life back somehow in the meantime, but at a leap, this could have been made out at first to be a druid who decided to stay whilst the others scattered when Arthur and the knights interrupted them inspecting anyone to heal.
OR on a darker hypothesis, in a different more historically accurate show, this cloaked figure could have been a passing by scrounger and had been caught rummaging through the belongings of the dead. It happened a lot during the olden days. Mordred, instead of saying he might have mistaken the shape for a deer, could have excused that he chased off an opportunistic thief as they looked like neither saxon or Camelot knight. Maybe Kara wasnât part of the attack, but she and others hung back to see what scraps they could grab after the saxons had taken their spoils. Like Hyenas or vulturesâŚ
Ugh I hate the way Gaius says âWhat is it, Merlin, whatâs the matter.â All he left out was the frustrated sigh at the start, and the ânowâ at the end. No offence to Richard Wilson, whether given to him or his own judgement in how to take it, the direction isnât very good. What is this tone supposed to make us think of Gaius? He sounds like an old mother asking her bratty son why heâs in this mood for the seventh time today. âWhat is it now, Merlin, did I not get you the right flavoured cereal from the shops earlier?â
Donât treat Merlinâs distracted mind like such a burden, Gaius, itâs not his fault you should have died numerous times over by now so you wouldnât have to deal with it.
If he really is getting concerned with Merlinâs unwarranted paranoia about Mordred, he needs to take a different approach than treating him like a small child, a mental patient and a 30 year old thatâs not moved out yet, all at the same time.
Kara has obviously not ever been part of Mordredâs life until this episode. Whenever we saw Mordred as a child in a camp, there were no other children around at all, let alone a little girl. It would have been so simple to make that connection if in âthe nightmare beginsâ, as Morgana is walking around with Aglain, we could see Mordred running around with a couple other little kids in the background. For the show to bring up Mordred having a best friend and love interest now when we have had no indication there were any other kids, just to quickly get Mordred where he needs to be next episode is just so lazy.
Not gonna lie, Merlin/Mordred is my jam, especially when they are the way they are in their scenes together. Many fanfics get sexy and dark đ
Speaking of fanfiction, people had done a lot better than the show to headcanon how utterly star-struck Mordred is by Merlin. Like heâs meeting a celebrity, like heâs trying to impress his deity, or wants to so badly get his king of magic to like him. He talks to Merlin in his head a lot and has Merlin give him magic-controlling lessons in private. Merlin must just have a strong magical energy Mordred can feel with every fibre to prove Merlin is Emrys, because otherwise Merlin in the show, like Ruth says, has given off no vibes whatsoever he is the man Mordredâs heard of since he was a baby, nor has Mordred been making much of an effort to get into Merlinâs pants- I mean bed- I mean good books!
Wow, Iâd never noticed before the very cool smooth transition from the âIâm like a swanâ scene to Arthur and Merlin in the forest, using a tree. I donât think thatâs a typical style of BBC Merlin scene transitions but I like it haha.
Documentary stock footage Stag is stocky.
Angry Mordred is hot. Maybe Merlin would have explained what happened when they found Kara, had the knights not interrupted. Iâm sad Gwaine doesnât come to Merlin later to at least check up on him. Surely they heard the way Mordred told Merlin heâd pay. This isnât right. Merlin usually gets on with everyone, he never rubs knights up the wrong way. If Mordred has Merlin up against a wall in anger and they are suddenly cold and cagey about it, something is very wrong.
I donât think it was in âthe Death song of Utherâ that Arthur says anything about the old woman having the right to a trial of her peers. He only asked if she received a fair trial. I think it was in the Disir episode when Arthur tells the disir that every man however noble or humble has a right to be judged only by their peers, and that was because he was upset HE was getting judged by a strange council, so surely he gets how it feels. In those days, I can get and forgive that they believed that only the sovereign and a court of stuffy old men had power to judge and sentence anyone, it looks dodgy and unfair to us even if golden boy Arthur is in charge. The once and future king preaching peace and equality obviously didnât invent the jury system during his four years of his reignâŚ
I didnât like the trial scene, not for the number of men in there because that seems legit for the times, but for the lack of things Arthur couldâve asked and said to bash it into the skulls of everyone listening that Kara was not on trial for being a druid or having magic, but attempting regicide and treason. The attack on the weapons wagon could have become an extra charge naturally during the scene. Gaius could have been called to her cell to check her leg wound and reported later that it was caused by an arrow or sword, leading to at least pegging her in the area during the attack as a witness at first. To which she would then confess proudly to have been actively involved in the attack of the patrol and so Arthur has to add that to her list of crimes, no matter whether he thinks Morgana has recruited or influenced her.
I donât really like the scene Merlin goes to tell Arthur Mordred will break Kara out. The words are very drawn out and have big spaces between them, it takes ages for him to do it. Arthur has to urge him on a couple times, and I don’t believe it’s just because Merlin felt conflicted to betray Mordred because he’s not on Mordred’s side, and itâs a pretty lame attempt to build tension, Iâm just like âoh for goodness sake, man, spit it outâ. Itâs like they just needed to get the episode to itâs approximate 40 minute mark.
Arthur and Gwen are still for some reason sitting at opposite ends of the table, Gwen acts like such a snobby noble, to me she doesnât call out Merlinâs name in any other way than âservant! How dare you not knock and interrupt your betters during dinner!â Merlin takes too flippinâ long to tell Arthur, and Arthur looks too blissed out ignorantly enjoying his dinner for a man who is executing the loved one of one of his junior knights the next day, and plus he should be anticipating Mordredâs actions without anyone needing to tell him. It shouldnât come as such a massive shock for him if he understands anything about love. He should have arranged for some of the main knights to be with Mordred or be there for him himself. How he thinks Mordred telling him he will allow him to go ahead and hang his girlfriend is enough to put his mind at rest, I do not know and he infuriates me, Iâm sorry. Doesnât Arthur remember what it was like for him in the same position with Gwen in season 3?
I was hoping Michele was being sarcastic when she said how delightful the scene was haha.
If Mordred is so powerful that he can scream and break his cell open, why didnât he do so last night? Does he have to be angry and impulsive? And WOW an actual hanging, in this show! Itâs just haunting hearing Karaâs neck snapping, Mordredâs scream, the sound cutting out when Merlin feels Mordredâs magic (This is what Mordred should have been feeling about Emrys all season). Bravo! Chefâs kiss. But I agree, the whole courtyard should have seen or felt the consequences of Mordredâs anger. Establish glass shattering outside, the jail guards lying against walls with their necks broken, etc. Merlinâs poked the bear, Arthurâs shut it in a cage, killed its mate and now itâs free and out for blood.
Ooh Diamond of the day Part 1! Thatâs gonna HURT đ°
13th November 2021 @ 3:17 pm
â nor has Mordred been making much of an effort to get into Merlinâs pants- I mean bed- I mean good books!â
This made me laugh out loud which, considering Iâm at work, was slightly awkward hahaha
In regards to the Merlin interruption at dinner, I definitely wasnât joking. Sorry! lol
I see how you got the read you did, but to me Gwenâs âMerlin!â is in exactly the same tone I chastise people that Iâm friendly with. Like, if someone shoots out of a room and almost makes you spill your tea, or walks into the bathroom while youâre on the loo, that kind of stuff, and Iâm normally like âOi! Dude!â in a friendly outraged way. And to me Gwen sounds like that.
But I totally see if thatâs not the reason you get, that it wouldnât work for you. Poor Gwen. Left by the wayside, by the writers⌠đ
14th November 2021 @ 3:50 am
I really like your ideas about the connection of this episode to The Crystal Cave. Knowing the future creates the futureâŚthatâs got a lot of interesting implications! As in, whoever controls the prophecy is ultimately in control. Whoever believes it, however, has no control because, as you said, all their actions to avoid it seem to bring it to pass. I wonder who created these prophecies? It makes me rethink Kilgarrahâs character a lot, actually, and see him in a much more sinister light. (I really love Kilgarrah, truth be told đ ).
14th November 2021 @ 4:19 am
Also, if you have any specific Merlin/Mordred fics you recommend, Iâd love to know about them! That is indeed a potentially very dark and fascinating ship, which I am all about đ
16th November 2021 @ 12:48 pm
I think many have the title ‘the love that binds us’ đ
16th November 2021 @ 10:41 pm
Others go into real dark Dom/sub explicit territory âşď¸
17th November 2021 @ 3:43 pm
Ha! I could see that, itâs definitely got D/s potential. More than that I could see the obsessive, toxic Mordred to Merlin, Merlin to Arthur dynamics. Itâs similar to the obsession one could read into the Morgana/Gwen arc. I guess I like fics about dark obsessions?!
11th November 2021 @ 6:57 pm
– Kara is a member of a peaceful people who turned to war because of discrimination and cruelty; she, in all right, should be looked at with sympathy if anything else. By making her completely ruthless weâre stripping her of that sympathy.
Agreed. And Arthur in this episode failed to show that she was wrong to do so, hence the point below:
– and desperately try to show Arthur in a good light.
I doubt they were really trying to show Arthur in a good light. By not letting Arthur clarify his attitude towards Druids and people with magic as suggested in this podcast, Arthur sounded quite cunning and not sincere at all.
But, even if Arthur is the villain as Alexander Vlahos suggested, this does not make Mordredâs final decision any valid:-) Mordred switched side only because Arthur sentenced his girl friend Kara to death, which by law is not wrong. I can understand why Kara killed the guard (she thought it was a war casualty) and did not repent for her actions. I can understand why Arthur sentenced Kara to death. But not Mordred.
11th November 2021 @ 3:46 pm
Thank you for the point and sorry again that my lesson couldn’t be read, haha đ
Also, a good decision to split the finale! Now I don’t have to worry that my comment will be like 7k long đ
I do agree with you on this episode. It really does quite well, given that there was no space to develop this crucial plot (oh woe).
Merlin being paranoid about Mordred in the beginning of the episode and it sounding almost funny – I think you’re on to something here! Because, you know, Colin Morgan here uses the same type of voice as he used in The Servant of Two Masters! Back there, it was also supposed to indicate Merlin’s obsession, and obviously not being in the right state of mind. That episode was supposed to be funny and it worked well. The interesting thing which I observed back then is that Colin doesn’t change his performance much when he wants to indicate that his character is unhealthily obsessed about something and possibly losing his mind (he has a certain plotline in the show The Living and the Dead where he does that, but in a completely not-funny context). The difference is, when he uses it in a serious scene like this, the laughter dies on your lips and it starts verging on creepy rather than funny. I think it was a conscious choice. It worked for me, because it pointed me to the fact how far Merlin is gone in his obsession. But I understand it wouldn’t work for everyone.
I must confess, I don’t really have issues with Merlin and Mordred’s interactions in this episode. Possibly because it’s Colin and Alex, and they could be talking about crop rotation for all I care, and I’ll still get the sense of what they wanted me to understand from their interaction. I do quite like your idea that Merlin should have trusted Mordred before and that his trust should have only be broken this episode; but I gotta say I have a difficult time imagining Merlin ever being in a place of complete trust for Mordred. As it is, their interactions of course isn’t entirely consistent, but especially this episode, I get a feeling that they are in a bit of a stalemate situation. They both know their secrets, and if any one of them goes to Arthur to tell the other’s secret, he could be ratted out as well. So I really get the dangerous vibe from their interaction. All in all, I love how complex it all is. There is the almost-double-blackmail quality to it, there’s Mordred’s lack of understanding as to why Merlin doesn’t want to trust him, there’s Merlin’s growing obsession and almost frantic-ness (oh yes, he’s definitely poking the bear, he’s not behaving logically at all, I think he’s past logic). All in all, Colin and Alex are geniuses in that. They should have been given at least 5 episodes to develop that dynamic, and they did it in one. And they convinced me.
When Arthur says “It’s my decision. My decision alone” – it clearly harks back to Arthur’s Bane, I think. Arthur made a decision to execute Kara -> Mordred turned against him -> Mordred is out to kill Arthur. Arthur’s bane = himself. It’s ironic, of course, because it works in a crude way, but at the same time, what choice did Arthur really have? She was guilty of attempted regicide and murder. And if anything, Mordred’s turn is on Merlin.
I LOVE Colin’s reaction to sensing Mordred’s magic erupt during the execution. That sudden grimace of pain. The whole sequence is very powerful.
All in all, in this episode the show yet again backpedals from the difficult conversation it set up. Kara is a member of a peaceful people who turned to war because of discrimination and cruelty; she, in all right, should be looked at with sympathy if anything else. By making her completely ruthless we’re stripping her of that sympathy, and desperately try to show Arthur in a good light. It creates a bizarre effect. Oh, how I wish there was more time to develop those tangled threads!
12th November 2021 @ 2:30 am
Oh, and one more thing I forgot – they are reusing the Lancelot’s Sacrifice soundtrack for Mordred and Kara in this episode. No idea how to interpret that. The Bond of Sacrifice would have been a more obvious theme (though it would mean it’d be terribly overused), but Lancelot…? Open for interpretation!