Merlin Episode 10: The Practical Exam

[crabby_lioness]

Confession time:  I've always hated teen shows that revolve around sex and/or high school.  One of the reasons I enjoy Merlin is because it breaks that mold.  But just because there's no school doesn't mean there are no tests.

Comments

[archaeologist_d]

Wow, first time I've disagreed with you on so many points

[crabby_lioness]

Morgana's segmented necklace was actual a good travel cash stash. You could untie a link as needed for money. But it still should have been worn under her clothes.

Merlin loves Arthur so much. And Arthur feels more strongly for Merlin than he really knows what to do with.

[archaeologist_d]

Completely agree about the necklace. Actually I had to laugh at her outfit all together. No way she could have gotten away with it. LOL.

I also agree about Merlin. I don't think he even knows how much he loves Arthur but the emotion just pours out of him. Arthur is more reticent but the bond is clearly there.

[crabby_lioness]

Merlin is set in the Pre-Raphaelite period. That explains everything. ;)

[burntcopper]

re: the poisoned grain thing - seriously, I don't ever remember poison being talked about much in UK history, noble or commoner, unless done by criminals. even when it came to noble assassination (spike up the jacksie, defenestration, no problem). You just don't poison food. Not to mention? these people are near starving, they're not going to poison any of their precious stores on the off-chance that they might get back at them.

And I think Morgana and Arthur are never going to not pick on each other - they're not in front of the court, so what do they care?

agreeing with a lot of archaeologist_d's rebuttals. *especially* trying to apply the USA's actions to medieval world. Uther's knights in another kingdom? That'd be entirely legitimate cause for reprisal and since it looks like the peace is pretty fragile anyway (see the mercia ep).

[crabby_lioness]

These kingdoms are only the size of counties. People have to cross them all the time.

[burntcopper]

...depends on your definition of 'county'. the kingdoms of the time were - essentially, you pretty much divide England and cornwall up in 5-6 parts, not including wales (scotland isn't normally counted). Each of those is at least a good hundred or so miles across, and pretty decently populated, especially along the roads and habitable land parts, which you *have* to cross. So, you've definitely been spotted. The fact that you're carrying armour and are obviously fighters/knights, and your horses are bigger than everyone else's (and therefore well fed) means everyone remembers you, since 'everyone else' comes down to peasants or merchants. People didn't make big journeys (and yes, from one kingdom to another is a big journey) unless they were merchants, so a bunch of fighters stick out even more. Which means the local lords will hear about you *very quickly

[crabby_lioness]

Which time is "the time"? There was, at one time, 5 Saxon Kingdoms in the Midlands alone. Heck, before then you had kingdoms the size of farms, like the Kingdom of Cheddar.

[shinetheway]

But next time, bring more manpower. You got lucky this time.I think one of the funniest bits is Arthur's face when Merlin tells him that there may be as many as 40 bad guys. You can almost see the thought bubble saying "40

[crabby_lioness]

I think if it weren't for his mother's influence, Merlin would have actually grown up more arrogant than Arthur. Nothing frightens him personally save being found out.

[shinetheway]

Heh. I think he may be *more* arrogant than Arthur, in some ways. But yes, Hunith definitely did him a service there. There's got to be *something* to check him--if it was't for the "you'll get caught" argument, Gaius would have no control over him whatsoever.

[sistermu]

At the end of review 9 you say between the end of Episode 4 and the end of Episode 9 we never see Arthur acknowledge his special bond with Merlin in any positive way. He doesn't acknowledge it at all in Episodes 5 and 6. In Episodes 7 - 9 he acknowledges it in negative ways, through manipulation and domestic violence, literally use and abuse. In the light of this, I was surprised you didn't say more in this episode about the Arthur's behaviour to Merlin in this episode. It seems quite a change from 5-9 and I don't think it can be solely explained by Arthur and Uther having one, albeit important, bonding moment at the end of 9

[crabby_lioness]

I'm sorry. I kinda overloaded on the fact that the Merlin/Arthur relationship was all any other reviewer talked about and decided to wait until Episode 11 to cover it.

Also, in terms of class and status, would Gwen really have called Arthur by his first name to his face?

In private? Perhaps. We don't know how long she's been Morgana's companion. If she was brought in as a playmate for Morgana as a child, she might have grown up with them.

Gwen is in many ways the most politically savvy of the four. Now that she isn't stumbling over her words so much, she is using them very effectively.

[tavella]

Excellent review, and I *loved* this take on Will-Merlin:

Every year he sees the same pair of boys come through the door of one of his high school classes. The names will be different, but there will always be one boy who's not quite mature enough to stay out of trouble, and his buddy who is too good-natured ("will do anything for anybody") not to go along with him on whatever ill-thought-out scheme the first boy has dreamt up this time. You have to keep them separated until one of them, usually the good-natured one, grows up enough to say "no" or they'll constantly be in trouble. I completely understand Hunrith sending Merlin away now.

Did you ever review the finale?

[crabby_lioness]

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