Arthur/Gwen, Chloe/Oliver. Why I'm not that upset by the Merlin finale.
Maybe it’s because my ultimate OTP is Chloe and Oliver from Smallville, who never got enough screen time, and most of their development happened in Offscreenville.
Chloe and Oliver fans didn’t expect much, and we were usually thrilled to pieces with whatever crumbs show-runners gave us. Some fans bitched and complained whenever they had more than two minutes of screen-time devoted to them (Just as they do for Arthur/Gwen!). But Chlollie fans ate up those two minutes with joy. They were an underdog, non-canon kind of couple, and Chloe like Gwen, had her fair share of fandom hatred and love alike. Truth is, while Smallville was a show about pre-Superman, the only reason I watched it was for Chloe and Oliver.
Arthur and Guinevere remind me so much of Chloe and Oliver. Wealthy, worldly, arrogant, bad-boy-with-a-heart hero, meets spunky, intelligent, loyal, good girl next door. They're unequal in status. They’re almost opposites, but they believe in the same things, share the same fight. And somehow they find themselves falling in love. Separately, they are great characters, but together they’re puzzle pieces that fit together to create something greater than themselves. Once together, they’re unstoppable. There’s synergy. Maybe because I don’t expect to squeeze Shakespeare or Jane Austen out of a TV show like Merlin. Maybe my expectations aren’t as high as some viewers. In fact, they’re probably fairly low.
I gotta say, I wish more time had been spent on A/G and I’d have loved to have seen an actual wedding, (Chloe and Oliver’s wedding was offscreen too!) or seen them work through their problems more (Chloe “betrayed” Oliver too by using his money for Kryptonite weapons without his knowledge). Or had a reveal of Gwen’s enchantment over Lancelot, or any number of things, regarding Arthur’s behavior toward Gwen (Oliver once demeaningly called Chloe a booty call, after he discovered her “betrayal”. He'd trusted her, and you know man pain, and stuff). Chloe and Oliver, like Arthur and Gwen also had a long period of separation (though for different reasons) whereby we watched both men be miserable without the women they loved.
Despite some misgivings, (that I know will never be rectified by the show) overall, I’m pretty damn happy that my Merlin OTP got married, just like my Smallville OTP got married. I’m a happy shipper. My only hope is that the writers of Merlin do not stop the Arwen relationship from growth and deepening now that they are married, and keep things going in series 5. Do I expect writing brilliance? No. There’s less disappointment that way. Smallville taught me well.
Look at how beautiful they are! Thank God for Angel Coulby and Bradley James, because their acting ALWAYS elevates bad writing! (The same way Allison Mack and Justin Hartley did for Choe/Oliver) Arthur and Gwen wouldn't be as wonderful without these two. They've taken us from Prince to King, and servant girl to Queen.
Chloe and Oliver fans didn’t expect much, and we were usually thrilled to pieces with whatever crumbs show-runners gave us. Some fans bitched and complained whenever they had more than two minutes of screen-time devoted to them (Just as they do for Arthur/Gwen!). But Chlollie fans ate up those two minutes with joy. They were an underdog, non-canon kind of couple, and Chloe like Gwen, had her fair share of fandom hatred and love alike. Truth is, while Smallville was a show about pre-Superman, the only reason I watched it was for Chloe and Oliver.
Arthur and Guinevere remind me so much of Chloe and Oliver. Wealthy, worldly, arrogant, bad-boy-with-a-heart hero, meets spunky, intelligent, loyal, good girl next door. They're unequal in status. They’re almost opposites, but they believe in the same things, share the same fight. And somehow they find themselves falling in love. Separately, they are great characters, but together they’re puzzle pieces that fit together to create something greater than themselves. Once together, they’re unstoppable. There’s synergy. Maybe because I don’t expect to squeeze Shakespeare or Jane Austen out of a TV show like Merlin. Maybe my expectations aren’t as high as some viewers. In fact, they’re probably fairly low.
I gotta say, I wish more time had been spent on A/G and I’d have loved to have seen an actual wedding, (Chloe and Oliver’s wedding was offscreen too!) or seen them work through their problems more (Chloe “betrayed” Oliver too by using his money for Kryptonite weapons without his knowledge). Or had a reveal of Gwen’s enchantment over Lancelot, or any number of things, regarding Arthur’s behavior toward Gwen (Oliver once demeaningly called Chloe a booty call, after he discovered her “betrayal”. He'd trusted her, and you know man pain, and stuff). Chloe and Oliver, like Arthur and Gwen also had a long period of separation (though for different reasons) whereby we watched both men be miserable without the women they loved.
Despite some misgivings, (that I know will never be rectified by the show) overall, I’m pretty damn happy that my Merlin OTP got married, just like my Smallville OTP got married. I’m a happy shipper. My only hope is that the writers of Merlin do not stop the Arwen relationship from growth and deepening now that they are married, and keep things going in series 5. Do I expect writing brilliance? No. There’s less disappointment that way. Smallville taught me well.
Look at how beautiful they are! Thank God for Angel Coulby and Bradley James, because their acting ALWAYS elevates bad writing! (The same way Allison Mack and Justin Hartley did for Choe/Oliver) Arthur and Gwen wouldn't be as wonderful without these two. They've taken us from Prince to King, and servant girl to Queen.