geri_chan | Merlin

Prior to this summer, I'd seen a few posts on Metafandom about the tv show Merlin, and it sounded mildly interesting but it wasn't something I was dying to seek out. Plus, I live in the US, and it's a British show. However, NBC aired the first season this summer, so I decided to check it out and was quickly hooked.

I'm pretty familiar with the King Arthur legends, so I was a bit confused, and then intrigued by how completely the writers had changed and revamped the story--if this were fanfic, it might be like an AU or a remix. The major change being, of course, that Merlin is not a wise old wizard, but a teenage boy and a contemporary of Arthur. And Arthur, rather having been brought up not knowing his true identity, was raised as the crown prince and heir, with his father King Uther alive and well. Guinevere ("Gwen") isn't a princess, but a maid to Morgana, who is not Arthur's half-sister, but Uther's ward, the daughter of Uther's old friend, who died and left Morgana in his care. As far as we know, anyway--I suppose there's always a chance that Gwen could secretly be a princess who was spirited away and raised by commoners for her own safety, or that Uther could have had an affair with his friend's wife and really is Morgana's father, though that seems rather doubtful. And that's partly what I like about this series--even though everyone knows how the original story of King Arthur ends, the tv producers have changed it so much that we can't be sure what's going to happen next, which adds to the suspense and excitement.

The other thing I like about it is the moral ambiguity. While there's some drama and angst in the show, there's also a lot of humor and action and magic, so on the surface, it feels like a light-hearted fantasy adventure show. But I find the characters intriguing because there's so many different dimensions to them. Uther is a ruthless tyrant who executes anyone with magical power, including women and children. And yet, he also cares about his kingdom and his people, and truly believes that he must protect Camelot from the threat of magic. He also shows moments of tenderness towards Arthur and Morgana that make it difficult to hate him completely--as well as chilling moments, when you wonder just how ruthless he can be, as when he warns Morgana that he'll forget about the promise he made to her father (to protect her) if she ever defies him again.

And there's Arthur, who appears to be an arrogant, spoiled bully at first, but deep down, turns out to be a decent guy. He begins to mature a bit as the series progresses and he and Merlin become friends, though he still shows the unconscious arrogance of his rank and privilege. Still, he shows himself willing to listen to a servant's advice--something Uther would never do--and he risks his life to save Merlin's at one point; Merlin's mentor Gaius points out to him that very few nobles would risk their lives to save a servant. I also like Arthur's rare vulnerable moments, as when he wonders if he can ever live up to his father's expectations.

Gaius, the court physician, who is secretly training Merlin in magic, seems like a wise, kindly old man, and loves Merlin like a son. However, he stood by and let his fellow sorcerers be killed because he knew that he would be killed along with them if Uther discovered that he was a sorcerer, too. He often cautions Merlin not to use his magic to save people because it would be too great of a risk.

Merlin, who is probably the most straightforward of all the characters and tends to think in terms of black and white, often chafes at these restrictions and usually ignores Gaius's warnings. However, he sometimes finds that doing the "right" thing can make the situation worse, especially when he acts impulsively without thinking things through. In one episode, a magical plague was killing people in Camelot, and when Gwen's father fell ill, Merlin secretly used magic to cure him, against the advice of Gaius. The father's miraculous recovery naturally made Uther suspicious, and he had Gwen arrested for sorcery and threatened to kill her if she didn't stop the plague--something that she obviously couldn't do. In the end, Merlin managed to stop the plague and clear Gwen's name, but that episode proved that magic can't solve all problems and that sometimes doing the right thing isn't enough.

There's also the episode with Mordred--here, a druid child instead of Arthur's nephew or son by an incestuous union with his half-sister (depending on which version you've read). The child is captured and slated for execution, and Merlin's first instinct is to save him, but the dragon chained beneath the castle warns him that Mordred will someday kill Arthur if he lives. Merlin struggled with his conscience and his desire to protect his friend, and in the end, decided to help Mordred escape. I had gotten so wrapped up in the characters and lives of the "new" Arthur and Merlin that I had almost forgotten that the original tale of King Arthur ends in tragedy, and this episode seems to be an ominous foreshadowing.

I haven't seen the second season yet, and I hope NBC will eventually bring it over--maybe next summer? I've heard that a romance is beginning to develop between Arthur and Gwen, which kind of surprised me in spite of the obviousness of it. Well, obvious in the sense that Arthur marries Guinivere in the original stories, but in the tv show, I've seen zero attraction or chemistry between the two, while there's been so much chemistry between Arthur and Morgana that I thought maybe the series was going to take a very AU turn and have the two of them get together. I'll be interested to see the writers handle the Arthur/Gwen romance, and if and when they'll bring Lancelot back into the picture, and how Morgana and Uther will react. I'm quite sure that Uther would never stand for his son marrying a mere maidservant, unless Gwen does turn out to be royalty after all.

I know that there's a lot Arthur/Merlin shipping in fandom and I certainly understand why, but I must confess that I ship Arthur/Morgana and Merlin/Gwen in my little heart of hearts. ^_^ So yes, I do ship some het couples despite my love for slash and yaoi!