Quick thoughts on the Merlin Comic-Con panel video
I swore off spoilers after some interfered with my enjoyment of parts of Series 4, but here I am getting sucked in again...
- So apparently the writing/production/editing/transmission schedule is ridiculously tight, particularly for the series finale & last few episodes. Hmm, that explains a lot.
- Clearly neither Angel Coulby nor the creators, unlike fandom, care that Gwen never realized she was enchanted, and are never going to re-open that plot. There is a lot that could be said about that. Instead, I'll just note that this means selenak's idea for a Gwen/Morgana confrontation fic is less likely to be jossed.
- Gwen in off-the-shoulder gowns! YES PLEASE.
- Call me close-minded, but I'm not thrilled that we're going to skip several years and have Morgana undergo dramatic character development in that time. I will withhold judgment til I see it.
- So the guest stars seems to come in two flavors: "white guys from Game of Thrones," which means nothing to me, and "people we've seen before." I'm especially excited about the latter bunch, particularly the two women.
- I like you, Colin, but you're wrong: Merlin isn't always lonely in the legends. Medieval versions in particular give him a wife (Gwendolyn), a sorceress sister (Ganieda), an apprentice (Blaise), a mother (unnamed), a love interest/nemesis (Niniane/Nimueh), and a highly variable relationship with the Lady of the Lake, aka Lancelot's foster mother. That said, "lonely Merlin" is a theme in a particular strain of recent Anglophone Arthurian fiction, and I personally love how he's acted it so far, so carry on. (Just give us a few more positive magical women.)
- It sounds like they're hinting at a possible Enemy Mine plot--you know, Morgana joins up with Team Camelot to defeat a mutual enemy. But I can't imagine that working with the relationships we currently have (and without making Arthur & Gwen & even Merlin look very dumb), so maybe it's something else. In any case, more scenes between Morgana & Gwen, Arthur, & Merlin would make me very happy.
- Why did no one ask about the status of magic in the upcoming series?
- Very interested to see what how they use the Mordred legends. Which ones? That he's part of the Round Table? Or that he's obsessed with Guinevere? It sounds like they might do something with the massacre of the innocents, though I don't know how they would manage it at this point of the timeline.
- So it sounds like S5 isn't even fully written yet, but I really hope they post that trailer soon!