no rest for the wicked
Oct. 31st, 2010 12:05 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
swatkat+ Lately I find myself at a loss for words. I mean, even more than usual for this year, which has been oddly demanding and intense - not bad, really, except for a few occasions that best remain forgotten, but odd and demanding. I start LJ posts and I don't finish them. I write fragments, but sentences are hard.
Tumblr has been a blessing in that sense, because it's easy to just look at pretty pictures, without having to talk, but my engagement with fandom has always been more verbal than visual and I miss that. I want to be able to talk about stuff. /whine
+ Meanwhile, watching Merlin is growing injurious to my health. The highlight of the episode, for me, definitely was Gwen finding out about Morgana (also Gwaine, who really is lovely) - by herself! using her brains! because in another universe she totally runs a detective agency! It also made me profoundly sad and wish to throw things at the screen. Because yes, of course Gwen is terrified of Morgana performing what is very clearly dark magic, hanging out with Morgause and being Not Herself for a while now - Gwen is not stupid, and neither is she blind. She knows Morgana. Of course this was going to happen, and frankly, Morgana does not deserve the loyalty of either Gwen or Arthur after she herself has so blatantly switched hers (although she perhaps could use their friendship and love, but it's too late now, she's burnt those bridges herself), seemingly without second thought. Actually, we don't know about the second thoughts because they didn't tell us, preferring to spend most of Morgana's screentime this season on Evil Smirks instead. This, the inevitable fallout that we knew would happen, should have been more momentous, should have held more impact - if, you know, they had cared to show us Gwen and Morgana being friends (or not being friends) post, uh, 2.07-08.
There were two things I held dear in this show, both to do with Gwen and Morgana. Their friendship, I thought, was wonderful and refreshing, and even if it was going south in the near future, it was strong relationship, it mattered. When it ended, I thought, there'd be emotional payoff. Not this, not that thing with the Evil Witch/Good Madonna - which, by the way, was the other thing I loved about Gwen and Morgana - that you'd think we'd be past by now. At least the Lancelot thing - and therefore 'Camelot fell because of Guinevere's vagina' - isn't happening on this show (I hope?), but it's paltry comfort when the show seems to be telling us that MEN MAKE THE BEST BROS EVAH, SEE THAT MERLIN AND HIS BROS GWAINE, LANCELOT AND ARTHUR (WHEN HE'S NOT BEING A PRAT), and women... are friends when it's convenient? I'm sorry, this is a personal breaking point. (And I say this acknowledging the issues that were present in the friendship; Merlin and Arthur aren't exactly issue-free, either.)
Meanwhile, Arthur spent most of the episode being unconscious again, and tell me how this guy is going to be the King Arthur of the legends again? It's funny, Morgana has 'developed' so much (off-screen) that little she does makes sense (why is she excited about the throne now? why has she not thought twice about Arthur being her ACTUAL brother when she clings to her sister so? and so on), and Arthur hasn't progressed at all. The lack of which will be glossed over once we get to the Evil Morgana vs. Noble Arthur and Co. part. Which I probably won't be able to bring myself to watch, it's bad for my health.
You know what? I really just want Morgana to say 'fuck all this' and go off on a magical tour of the world, where she learns to use her magic and her vision, meet other magical people and learn all sorts of magic. Morgause can sort out her problems with Camelot herself.
Uh. What did I say about not having words? *facepalm*
Tumblr has been a blessing in that sense, because it's easy to just look at pretty pictures, without having to talk, but my engagement with fandom has always been more verbal than visual and I miss that. I want to be able to talk about stuff. /whine
+ Meanwhile, watching Merlin is growing injurious to my health. The highlight of the episode, for me, definitely was Gwen finding out about Morgana (also Gwaine, who really is lovely) - by herself! using her brains! because in another universe she totally runs a detective agency! It also made me profoundly sad and wish to throw things at the screen. Because yes, of course Gwen is terrified of Morgana performing what is very clearly dark magic, hanging out with Morgause and being Not Herself for a while now - Gwen is not stupid, and neither is she blind. She knows Morgana. Of course this was going to happen, and frankly, Morgana does not deserve the loyalty of either Gwen or Arthur after she herself has so blatantly switched hers (although she perhaps could use their friendship and love, but it's too late now, she's burnt those bridges herself), seemingly without second thought. Actually, we don't know about the second thoughts because they didn't tell us, preferring to spend most of Morgana's screentime this season on Evil Smirks instead. This, the inevitable fallout that we knew would happen, should have been more momentous, should have held more impact - if, you know, they had cared to show us Gwen and Morgana being friends (or not being friends) post, uh, 2.07-08.
There were two things I held dear in this show, both to do with Gwen and Morgana. Their friendship, I thought, was wonderful and refreshing, and even if it was going south in the near future, it was strong relationship, it mattered. When it ended, I thought, there'd be emotional payoff. Not this, not that thing with the Evil Witch/Good Madonna - which, by the way, was the other thing I loved about Gwen and Morgana - that you'd think we'd be past by now. At least the Lancelot thing - and therefore 'Camelot fell because of Guinevere's vagina' - isn't happening on this show (I hope?), but it's paltry comfort when the show seems to be telling us that MEN MAKE THE BEST BROS EVAH, SEE THAT MERLIN AND HIS BROS GWAINE, LANCELOT AND ARTHUR (WHEN HE'S NOT BEING A PRAT), and women... are friends when it's convenient? I'm sorry, this is a personal breaking point. (And I say this acknowledging the issues that were present in the friendship; Merlin and Arthur aren't exactly issue-free, either.)
Meanwhile, Arthur spent most of the episode being unconscious again, and tell me how this guy is going to be the King Arthur of the legends again? It's funny, Morgana has 'developed' so much (off-screen) that little she does makes sense (why is she excited about the throne now? why has she not thought twice about Arthur being her ACTUAL brother when she clings to her sister so? and so on), and Arthur hasn't progressed at all. The lack of which will be glossed over once we get to the Evil Morgana vs. Noble Arthur and Co. part. Which I probably won't be able to bring myself to watch, it's bad for my health.
You know what? I really just want Morgana to say 'fuck all this' and go off on a magical tour of the world, where she learns to use her magic and her vision, meet other magical people and learn all sorts of magic. Morgause can sort out her problems with Camelot herself.
Uh. What did I say about not having words? *facepalm*
