5.10: Merlin - The Kindness of Strangers

[ctg]

Morgana leads a merciless manhunt on her old foe, Alator of the Catha, for her knowledge on where she find Emrys. And in consequently Merlin find himself being in more danger than ever before, and this time he has no choice but to trust his life on hand of Mysterious Finna.

 

[Mouse]

Mmm knights.

Sounds good, ctg!

 

[ctg]

I'm sorry that the photographer didn't ask them to take them off those pieces of armour and make you know, medieval "swimsuit" calender, with skimpy loincloths or broadswords covering the strategic positions.

 

[Mouse]

Ha! That'd be excellent.

 

[ctg]

Flaming hellballs, my God, what have they done? Morgana casts explosives now!!!

Even though Emery's picture is wrong in this episode, I would say that one should not take think didn't had any less tension. Quite the opposite, it was full of it. And from the beginning to the end, there was no breather. The action keeps rolling, building tension and it didn't end when the final credits roll.

No, because now Morgana has declared a war and brought in the bloody Saxons. Not Franks. Not Vikings. But fearsome Saxon clans! And then the words of "Final Battle" is being uttered. I can almost guess where that is going to lead, and I for one is looking forward the finish of the series as we have only 3 episodes to go.

 

[Mouse]

Ok, I enjoyed this one. (Percival looked fine). What I didn't like was the preview for next week's ep. So Mordred turns evil over some silly girl. Where's the eye roll smiley?

 

[ctg]

Ok, I enjoyed this one. (Percival looked fine). What I didn't like was the preview for next week's ep. So Mordred turns evil over some silly girl. Where's the eye roll smiley?

I think it suits him well as he's young man and they often think with the little brain rather than using the one that matters. And it provides much better angle for his betrayal than some age old grudge.

 

[Mouse]

That's me.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

Nice foreboding for Camlann, though, but it irks me that they give a nod to the legends when it suits them. Camlann was arthur's eighth major battle, he was a seasoned leader by then, they have built none of that. My bet is he and Mordred both die and Merlin ends up in a tree. And the the footballers' wives dig huge underground swimming pool extensions in Alderley Edge, disturb the knights and England is stuffed when they need them....

 

[ctg]

Trying to please you ladies I did find a picture from Percival, that left very little for the imagination and I don't think I can post it as this is after all a family site, and I don't want to get banned. But for life of me I cannot understand why you and gays are interested on the same subject(s).

Nice foreboding for Camlann, though, but it irks me that they give a nod to the legends when it suits them. Camlann was arthur's eighth major battle, he was a seasoned leader by then, they have built none of that. My bet is he and Mordred both die and Merlin ends up in a tree. And the the footballers' wives dig huge underground swimming pool extensions in Alderley Edge, disturb the knights and England is stuffed when they need them....

I think you're right as there's very few legendary battles Arthur and Mordred can attend to and say it was the last one. But as they need to go out in a bang, I'll approve their efforts and really hope that the Christmas special is going to be really magical. People are going to be in jolly mood and they will remember how good it was.

 

[Perpetual Man]

Well putting aside the lack of any knight calendars of any description, apart from the Gaius special, what another excellent episode.

You can almost feel the end closing in and it seems to be working for the writers. They know where they are going, how long they have got and what they have got to do and it is really paying off.

I am sure that there could be an argument made that not much happens in this episode: Morgana does after Emrys and once again gets nothing, but it is more a piece of moving those final bits into place before we hit the homestraight.

And boy are they doing it well.

As ctg says above it is a none stop episode, barely giving you time to rest and it all works in the shows favour. It's the little things that make it though, the fact that the dragon is dying; the bleakness of the prophecy; that Morgana stilk has a prisoner who might spill the beans; the declaration of war, the feeling that the thing that turns Mordred is Merlin's distrust in him - a self fulfilling prophecy if there ever was one.

The only disparity I can see at the moment i the continued referencing to the coming reign of Arthur as a long and glorious one - how is that going to happen if they are building toward the conclusion now?

Or is it going to jump a few years in the last two part episode?

 

[Dave]

I haven't seen this episode yet and, alas, I have already bought a calendar for next year, but why do you all keep saying it is "The End" because Arthur shuffles off his mortal coil. I thought this series was called 'Merlin'. Surely, Merlin needs to die for it to be "The End." And hope they don't do the Harry Potter 'twenty years later' thing in the last five minutes either.

 

[ctg]

Dave, they have announced that the series ends; that there's not going to be any more Merlin; that these coming three episodes are the final episodes in this series and then it is no longer. So it doesn't matter if we would like it to continue it. The BBC has closed their purse, the actors are looking for new productions and rest of the crew can finally relax. The Merlin was a good production and it was destined to go out at the end of the fifth series.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

Plus, they have the ultimate get out of jail free card: Merlin is the immortal, he never dies. (He does get stuck in a tree, though, I was being honest about that). So, if they suddenly find the need for a new series they could set it in the modern times and wake Arthur up to save the day. Actually, I think the Bradley and Colin Morgan would be hilarious doing that. Should I pitch?

 

[Perpetual Man]

The BBC did in fact request a sixth season, but it was the producers who decided they wanted it to end where they had always intended it to, which is probably the best possible decision - they get to go out on their terms and in the style they wanted, rather than stretching something a little too thin.

But Dave has a point, traditionally Merlin is removed from the Arthurian tale some way through the story, normally bewitched by Nimue and imprisoned for all eternity - or something like that.

The show could end with Merlin being imprisoned, and would allow Arthur to go on and have his long reign before it all falls apart.

As Dave pointed out the series is called Merlin, once he has gone it 'history' can carry on without him.

 

[Perpetual Man]

Plus, they have the ultimate get out of jail free card: Merlin is the immortal, he never dies. (He does get stuck in a tree, though, I was being honest about that). So, if they suddenly find the need for a new series they could set it in the modern times and wake Arthur up to save the day. Actually, I think the Bradley and Colin Morgan would be hilarious doing that. Should I pitch?

Not always a tree Springs, it has been a number of different things from his cave (been there, seen it no sign of Merlin), and in crystal, rock or amber. (And in one particular legend if I remember rightly, he was actually killed by Morgan Le Fey so anything could happen...

Of course the series has playe fast and loose with tradition so anything could happen....

After all the fall of Camelot was always a punishment for Arthur killing all the babies in the kingdom when Merlin prophesied that one born would be his doom - which was indeed Mordred, his ******* son, conceived with his own sister - and we know none of that happened in the series (or did I miss something?)

 

[Dave]

Dave, they have announced that the series ends; that there's not going to be any more Merlin; that these coming three episodes are the final episodes in this series and then it is no longer. So it doesn't matter if we would like it to continue it. The BBC has closed their purse, the actors are looking for new productions and rest of the crew can finally relax. The Merlin was a good production and it was destined to go out at the end of the fifth series.

So, either Merlin has to die too or they do a Harry Potter-style 'where are they now' ending.

Because otherwise "I dooon't believe it!" The BBC will put on endless One Foot in the Grave &Only Fools and Horses-type 'Christmas Specials' until they have milked the franchise dry for all it is worth. You never say never again - unless you are Dallas and Larry Hagman dies in his eighties.

Anyway, back to The End. I agree that the wide canvas they are painting looks like we are going to go out with a big bang with lots of story threads. It has an almost cinematic feel to it. This weeks episode was one of the best. Very little of the silliness of late (apart from breakfast in bed, and the picnic in the same wood that Morgana had just been shelling and storming with her Saxon troopers.)

I did find it a little strange when Gwen commented on how happy Arthur now was. Merlin didn't reply back that it was probably how she was no longer possessed and trying to kill him on a weekly basis.

And Merlin always picking fresh herbs!

What I didn't like was the preview for next week's ep. So Mordred turns evil over some silly girl.

I didn't think the trailer for next week showed us enough to say that is the only reason, but I would agree if it was.

The only disparity I can see at the moment is the continued referencing to the coming reign of Arthur as a long and glorious one - how is that going to happen if they are building toward the conclusion now?

Or is it going to jump a few years in the last two part episode?

Having things happen over a longer time-scale would have helped the series in general. It would have made the turning of Gwen more believable too. They have jumped around too much. 2 years passing between Seasons 4 & 5 with little happening, and then wam-bam between weekly episodes, but mainly at the beginning and the end. I can't see that format changing now.

Why the A Streetcar Named Desire reference in the episode title? What is the significance?

Is it because the streetcar route took it to Elysian Fields? Do I think to much about references?

 

[ctg]

This weeks episode was one of the best. Very little of the silliness of late (apart from breakfast in bed, and the picnic in the same wood that Morgana had just been shelling and storming with her Saxon troopers.)

Why is it that they cannot go on roof of the Camelot to have a picnic? It always has to be in the forest and almost every single time in some shoddy spot that is no where perfect for doing a picnic.

The only time I remember it being perfect was when they were courting and Arthur took Gwen to the stream. But I guess, the whole thing comes from the BBC recipe book, where you have to rehash the same thing over and over again.

In fact you can see that same thing in Dr. Who even though they have got better about it under guidance of Mr Moffat. And what I really started to miss in this week episode was the magical effects, as both Merlin and Finna could had been casting and conjuring all sorts of things, starting from elementals, magical vines and ending with a great dragon. But they didn't. Instead they just went out like a pair of muggles (pardon for my expression).

And speaking of THE great dragon, and this is a new one, it's the ONLY dragon in history of story telling to die in old age. I mean THE ONLY ONE to kick the bucket and not gather a bloody hoard to be used a bed. All the others just gets older and older without ever showing how bloody old they really are, and that is because so far the dragon are immortal (in age wise). But no, in Merlin, Dragons die in old age. Why?