Merlin Episode 11: Today is a Good Day to Die

[crabby_lioness]

"That's the best unicorn story I've ever seen," my husband said when the credits rolled.  This episode examined Arthur in a story rich in Early Western European religious symbolism.

Comments

[sistermu]

Hoping this is just your first reaction and a detailed review is coming. I've been waiting for your 11 review in the hope that you will explain to me the deep symbolic meaning of the labyrinth. It must have one because it seems to serve no useful function in the basic plot. If you hadn't convinced me that the writers are being subtle and meaningful, I would think that they thought to themselves 'hey, we've got a hedge maze, let's use it somehow'.

[crabby_lioness]

Oh, damn. That shows I shouldn't be post and sleep at the same time. That's my first notes, but I forgot to mark them private. I'll include the labyrinth notes.

[eosrose]

This is probably one of my favorite episodes thus far, mainly because it is such an utter mindfuck. Actions can be interpreted in so many different ways. It's amazing

[crabby_lioness]

Thank you. My Inner Fangirl thinks Arthur feels more strongly for Merlin than he is willing to admit at this time, so he's always looking for excuses to hide his feelings behind.

[bigmamag]

Oh hai, I love meta that is intelligent. I had to rewatch certain parts of the episode because I wanted to see things for myself, but I think you were spot on for most of it.

You've also made me think of Arthur in a different way with the whole 'the only thing Arthur did to really protect Merlin was to tell him to stay home'. I always go all fangirly and I've said that he died for Merlin, but really it was to lift the curse. And if you go through all the episodes, almost each time Arthur does something, it's to repay a debt like in episode four or to achieve some other end. Now, I don't think it means he doesn't care about Merlin. Episode 10 proved that, much as both boys deny it. But I hope in season two we get a bit of turnaround, of Arthur saving Merlin without all the strings attached, like Merlin has for Arthur.

[crabby_lioness]

Thank you. I hope so too. Their relationship still needs a lot of work.

[takadainmate]

I just want to comment and say I am really enjoying your analyses. They are so interesting and insightful and make me want to watch again, and really look this time around. (And I think, as an anthropologist, I cried a little bit inside when you mentioned Frazier.) I'm not all that familiar with western legends (erring more towards Ancient Egyptian and Far-Eastern) so there are a lot of things I learn from these. It helps in the writing in this respect, as some of us fanficcers are obsessive. Apparently.

On a personal note, the truth of this should not be underestimated: "It's an old truth that life is so much sweeter after you lose your fear of death". Oh yes. Anyway, thanks for sharing these and I look forward to more.

[crabby_lioness]

Thank you. I think we all cry a little bit over Frazier, Graves, and Murray. They're the poster children for not going too far in your analyis and ending up constructing academic fanfic, but Goddess what stunningly beautiful "fanfic" they wrote!

I cut a lot out of this essay for being TMI. One was a photograph of an Ancient Egyptian artifact which is said to represent their version of the Middle Path, a pink marble lifesize statue of Pharoah standing between Horus and Seth from David Rohl's Pharaohs & Kings http://www.amazon.com/Pharaohs-Kings-David-Rohl/dp/0609801309/ (There's another one who may be taking very interesting findings into the realm of academic fanfic.)
Another thing I cut out was observations on the immense importance of accepting your death in order to truly live, including personal ones. That's something you have either experienced or you have not.

[crabby_lioness]

It helps in the writing in this respect, as some of us fanficcers are obsessive. Apparently.

You caught me! I do these in order to write better fanfic.

[takadainmate]

Academic fanfic! I love this phrase and shall forever refer to such writers as this from now on. I suppose we can all get a bit carried away with ourselves sometimes in our analyses. I remember an archaeology lecturer of mine once telling me how a researcher had once written an entire paper on how the construction of stone chairs in the depths of a byzantine ruin clearly indicated they were used for sexual purposes. That was the same seminar in which we discussed how the Ancient Egyptian Double Crown was a gigantic allegory for sex. It's all about the phallic symbols, you see. Anyway, I was actually replying because I was interested in the idea of the middle way in Egyptian myth, which is not something I have ever come across before, thought the idea of the Pharaoh as mediator between Horus and Seth is an interesting one, and is something I have seen before (though Horus, in some mythologies is Horus, so it all gets a bit confusing how that might work