Merlin: 5:09 With All My Heart

[tanous]

Merlin... the show that teaches its fans what Stockholm Syndrome is all about. This week my expectations were so low that I expected literally nothing, other than more slaps in the face to the fans who give a shit about Arthur and/or Merlin. I expected another ordeal of grandiose tries at fairytale moments, flowery gestures and gruesomely soppy

Comments

[gatepromise]

I've taken a peek into that TVSpoiler page and then had to hustle out again as I felt bile rise in my gorge. For god's sake, are those people all twelve years old...
From this point on, I have people holding me back from going in there because that way lies madness. How any of Gwen's "problems"--a dropped hem, a hangnail--compare to what Merlin has gone through even compare...and a kiss is supposed to be added to this wish list? When we've been waiting five years for a magic reveal?
I am agog at these people. I know, live and let live, to each his own and all that, but someone trying to tell me that purple is green just...I can't even.

[tanous]

Purple isn't just green it's also yellow. There you go. A guide to Merlin fandom.

[khaireddin]

Dear Tanous

[merlenhiver]

Member of Merlin-Masochists-R-Us

LOL! Welcome to the club! :D

[tanous]

Hello K:) I see your club already has many members! D'you have a welcome pack? Can I suggest... an engraved list of 'Gotcha Sucker Almost Reveals'; a handy booklet of Arthur's finest re-set-to-servant putdowns, a small container of rat stew and The Arwen Pink and Fluffy Guide to Overcompensation complete with free rubber bluebird?

I love your analogy of rubbernecking at a crash - thats pretty perfect for it actually. Peering through the fingers with a mixture of horror and fascination.

Did you see the cast interviews with B and C and indeed Katie? D'you think ...theres any hope of that rabbit coming out of that hat? What am I saying??? Somebody stop me before I begin to hope again...I need to look at the utterances of Capps and Murphy again - that should kill it in its tracks.

Thanks for the very kind words by the way. You're lovely :)

[khaireddin]

So nice to see so many fellow member of MMRU here! Welcome pack, you say? If only I had the time. But it would definitely include the drinking game, covering such items as

Part 1

[sforthewicked]

I laughed so hard reading your review! Really, it was splendid, as usual ;) By the way, I think you wrote Merlin instead of Colin at one point, but that's not important... :P

Re: Part 1

[undead_begonia]

Just out of interest, since you mentioned Season one Ep Two, people, particularly the show runners, seem to have forgotten just what the relationship between Merlin and Arthur WAS like back then. In that episode, Merlin goes to Arthur and tells him about his suspicions, and shows him the snake head. Arthur quizzes him for a bit, asks for reassurance that Merlin isn't lying to him, and then BELIEVES HIM AND GOES TO THE KING with the evidence. Good God! Since then, Merlin has stopped going to Arthur with anything, and Arthur has stopped acting on Merlin's word when he does! If the show DID reset back to the relationship we saw in that episode, it would actually be an improvement over what we see now!!!

Re: Part 1

[sforthewicked]

I referred to ep 2 cause it was the first episode they shot and in my mind, that's the ep I consider the first of the series. ;) (Even Colin's accent sounds forced in it, while he sounds normal in 1x01)
As to when Merlin stopped going to Arthur with anything, my guess would be that its because tptb want him to be this lonely tragic figure, always in the shadows, working in secret. It's necessary for the lying too. If he kept going to Arthur it would be more difficult to keep his magic secret.
And we all know what this show is about. Keeping the damned magic a fucking secret.
As for Arthur... His character has been plot driven during this season (and the last eps of s4 too). When the plot need him to believe Merlin he does, when the plot needs him to be the victim of a scheme he doesn't, plus there's the whole "comic relief" thing that lately only weakens their relationship, rather than solidifying it. And many times all that can happen during one episode.
Character consistency just eludes these people.

Re: Part 1

[tanous]

I have to agree with all of that Sfw. I wish I could argue but I cant. :( There isn't one thing can even mildly disagree with. especially not the last two words. :P

part 2

[sforthewicked]

On the plus side. I literally cried with laughter watching Dolma

Re: part 2

[tanoshi_ame]

I'm genuinely shocked that the next episode appears to be solely about Merlin. MERLIN! The titular extra of the show. Who knew?
Oh really? I thought so too but then all the 80% of the fans over TVSpoiler asked was how authentic the 'bedroom' scene would be...????

Re: part 2

[sforthewicked]

Thanks for clearing that up. It makes much more sense now. Of course it's not about Merlin... Clearly I was delusional. You know.. wishful thinking and all that.

Honestly, sometimes I find myself feeling bad that the show ends, and then I actually WATCH it and the only thing I can think of is that I want Colin to get as far away as possible from the Merlin universe/writers/producers etc. He's just so wasted in this show.

Re: part 2

[tanous]

Do you think Morgana will find out next week? I really don't know if they'll keep it to the finale. Bradley, Colin and Katie today all went on about the superb last four episodes so we should theoretically be stepping up a notch this week. Im actually finding it hard to get very bothered though given whats to come; find out now, find out in a couple of weeks time, it all ends the same, in utter failure. But yeah an episode actually about Merlin - how can this be???

I wonder if Kilgarrahs going to turn up to sheepishly acknowledge he made up that coin stuff.

Dolma - I have to agree, the flirting was outrageous. She was a complete tart who had set her cap at Arthur and wasnt going to hide it. That whole performance and interaction saved the episode for me.

[zerda_vulpes]

Firstly I would like to thank you for your reviews, I’ve been following them since the start of S5 and while I didn’t always agree with them (I quite liked ep5 for example), I find that they are very well done and make me laugh and (weirdly?) encourage me to watch the show until the end

[zerda_vulpes]

Now, Arthur

[tanous]

Im just not sure about a reveal to Morgana next week. On the one hand it would be a nice handy 'shock' to get the 'its serious now' vibe. But on the battlefield in her vision, Merlin is the old guy. If she knew wouldnt she out him before that? Maybe Im institutionalised - so many false reveals and blind alleys Im incapable of conceiving of a possibility that something new and genuinely different might happen. I need Capps & Murphy to release me into the community. :P

Arthur - my poor baby. What a bloody mess!

But really now, Arthur, one minute he’s against magic, the other he saves a sorceress, later asks Merlin if he should bring magic back (can’t the clotpole think for himself?) then goes ok, not bringing magic back, ever, then alright magic can be good, I’ll remember that…!? Make up your mind… Spot on. When Bradley said today he wasn't sure there was anything about Arthur he'd change my bullshit meter was so offended it stood up and walked out

[zerda_vulpes]

On Morgana: I don’t know, obviously they couldn’t have Merlin as himself in Morgana’s vision of Camlann or that would have meant a magic reveal to her in *gasp* the beginning of season 4 so maybe she will know Merlin=Emrys=Old Guy in the next episode but will have no contact with Arthur till the last episode so won’t be able to out Merlin to him? After all, it’s not as if she’s strolling Camelot’s corridors at night anymore (that’s Gwen’s job now); if she can’t be bothered to enter Camelot to poison/stab/whatever Arthur, I don’t think she will actively seek him out just to tell him that Merlin has magic…

I don’t blame you for not believing in change anymore, it’s my first time following the series weekly so I can’t help having a little (just a little) hope every time there’s an almost reveal this season :p