Merlin - 3x11 "The Sorcerer's Shadow" Full Reaction
Added 2023-01-18 08:37:56 +0000 UTC
Comments
I can't believe Merlin just showed his magic to this random dude but not to Morgana or Arthur which would've saved us so much trouble, the show would've been over in one season lol, the magic as a metaphor for queerness is blatantly obvious in this show and i always see Gillie and Merlin as the two types of queers, the ones who claim that you have to try to change the system from the inside (Merlin) hoping that a good straight guy would come along to save us vs the ones who say fuck the system, it's rigged we need to change it ourselves, i really resonate with Gillie telling Merlin "you've been pretending for so long you've forgotten who you're" as someone who has to live in the closet to survive, pretending starts to become second nature you get used to it that you could really forget who you are & i feel like that's happening to Merlin, he's too passive, too wanting to keep the peace, too trusting in Arthur's legacy without taking any steps to get there. Gaius is even a more extreme example of a person who forgot who they were because they've been pretending for so long, the fact that he willingly looked the other way while Uther excuted so many of his kind and for what? Just to keep the peace?? He became an enabler for Uther's oppression Everytime Merlin has to save Uther in this show i lose brain cells.
Hasnaa
2023-01-18 21:58:45 +0000 UTCAbsolutely love your reaction and discussion, I so agree with you about this episode. I’ve always had a soft spot for it due to Merlin and Gilly’s lovely scenes - I think both actors did a great job together and I think it’s really moving to hear how Merlin actually feels about hiding himself and feeling lonely. And yes. Magic is SO obviously a metaphor for queerness. One of the creators actually confirmed it in a dvd commentary! But I also so agree with you about the ideas in this episode, it feels quite .. confused in what it’s trying to say. Or at least I think they could have done a much better job in discussing the interesting points raised here, so we really understood Merlin’s decision, whatever it was. I do feel like I understand why Merlin feels he should protect Uther to a degree. From a logical standpoint, the dragon is right, having him die through magic would put Arthur off forever, and maybe it’s implied that if Gilly outright killed the king they would find out he has magic? Idk. Maybe Gaius and Merlin are also unsure if Arthur is actually ready to be king (even if by now, we are pretty sure) and then I think there’s the fundamental thing of Merlin being Arthur’s closest friend. Would he really want to be the one responsible for killing his father and causing him unimaginable grief? But I think, like you, there are also so many reasons, probably greater ones, Merlin should have considered killing Uther, or at least not stopping it, and I feel like the show does not go into it properly enough at ALL, for his decision to fully ring true for us. It’s frustrating that they just always make him protect Uther, without having him truly think about it. To be honest that may just be one of Merlin’s written in flaws, that he’s not proactive enough, either in dealing with Uther or helping Arthur to see magic as a good thing - he just assumes both will be dealt with at some point, I’m assuming because of the whole destiny thing. But still. I feel like they could at least had more nuanced and detailed conversations about both things, so we saw Merlin truly considering the options, even if we end up disagreeing with his decision, we still need to understand more where he’s coming from. Because you’re right, just telling everyone with magic to wait for this magical time sometime in the future, is pretty ineffective and unhelpful. Can’t wait for the next two episodes. They are absolute bangers!
Lyla
2023-01-18 11:11:17 +0000 UTC
