MERLIN CLUB: ARTHUR’S BANE PARTS 1 & 2
Or The Beginning of Season 5 AKA The Beginning of the End
The guilt is strong in me this week, as I’m just going to do questions for this one. But I’m shoving that guilt aside because as soon as I wrap this post up, I’m going out to eat with my family to celebrate my son’s birthday. His 18th birthday. (The sobbing you hear? Definitely me.)
Technically his birthday is tomorrow (or today/Friday when this posts) but we’re celebrating tonight since he’s working all weekend. This is the boy who watched Merlin with me the first time around. Hell, he watches most of the shows I watch and is just as likely to yell at the screen at any given moment. 🙂 Love that kid sooo much. So the evening is going to be spent with him and the rest of the family. So no recap from me, because sleep needs to happen at some point, too. As does getting in some words. Really, need more hours in the day, or the ability to function without sleep. LOL
So here are my answers…
If I’d written this episode, I would have changed…I hate that we never see Sefa again. Her dad bites it, and she wanders off, never to be seen again. It’d have been nice to wrap that little thread up. I know it seems minor but when you look at this pattern…like what happened to poor love-spelled Vivian, or Elena whose nurse disappeared suddenly (really killed by Merlin but no one knows that), Isolde-less Tristan etc. There’s a pattern of things not being resolved with characters that have been brought in.
Thing(s) I loved about this episode—At Annis’ place. I love Queen Annis, love banter/eye-sex between Merlin and Arthur, love Arthur’s face with Merlin can juggle exceptionally well (when he expected his manservant to be humiliated).
I actually like Mordred, right now. I will have much to say with what happens in future. But I also understand Merlin’s fear and suspicion, as well. And I’ll be lying if I said I didn’t love tortured!Merlin – Colin Morgan plays that so well.
The scene between Merlin and Aithusa…omg, breaks my heart every time (which means I love it) Merlin looks so upset with what happened to Aithusa (and WTF, Kilgharrah? You promised to look after the wee dragon!) and then when the others are coming, it’s so clear Aithusa doesn’t want to leave Merlin, his Dragonlord, his kin.
Dragonspeak.
Lots of Merlin by firelight
Thing(s) I hated about this episode—The Diamair. Not that what Morgana was looking for was a living being with a great burden of knowing all. I actually like this part. It was that it was an alien-looking, suppository-headed thing.
They could have done better, IMO.
Something I never noticed about this episode before—Pointed out while we watched…how does Morgana know Aithusa’s name? Clearly she didn’t name the dragon herself because Aithusa is the name Merlin gave him at the hatching. We learn that Aithusa can’t speak like Kilgharrah can, so how does Morgana know? This is seriously going to bug me now.
Proof of some head canon I’ve created—Nothing new here. Merthur moments, of course.
Favorite costume—
What would Bron steal from Camelot beneath Morgana’s castle in this episode?
This pic is pulling double duty this week. Bron would totally take Gwaine home right now. Like, RIGHT NOW>
What made Jen lose her shit (in a good or bad way) in this episode? Good way? I know she loves Gwen in this episode – especially when dealing with Sefa when her traitorous actions are discovered.
To be honest, I don’t have a dedicated writing space right now. With four kids, the bedrooms are all occupied, so no office for Jess just yet. And that’s okay. The challenge comes when I settle down to write and the chaos descends. And most of it is just normal, everyday stuff – no one is being obnoxious or anything. Just chatting, watching a movie or show, joking around. And I’m not going to stop that (especially if it’s not an argument or disagreement. If they are getting along, I’m not interfering!), and let’s face it, the living room and kitchen are common areas, yeah? Can’t exactly kick them out. So I’m a bit of a nomad within my own house when it comes to writing.
I write in the living room during the day for the most part, but when kids start getting home or on the weekends, if it gets too noisy or distracting, I’ll either move to the kitchen or my bedroom. I’ve even gone out and sat in the car for some privacy and quiet when we’ve had a houseful of guests.
So yeah, no dedicated writing space, but the bright side of that? I pretty damned flexible and can write most places without too much difficulty.
Yes, even in the woods while camping with the fam…
I was going to provide pretty pictures of what I’d LIKE my office to be when all the kids are grown and away (if that ever happens LOL) but time has gotten away from me again. Definitely a pattern with me, as you’ve seen. o.O
So I’ll leave you with a list of must-have in an office.
1. A desk – I don’t always work at a desk or table. I actually get very uncomfortable in one position for too long, but there are certain things I prefer to do sitting at a desk/table. Plotting, for example, goes smoother for me if I’m at a desk. Go figure. But I just go with it.
2. A comfy couch or chair & ottoman – Like I said, uncomfortable staying in one position for extended period so flexibility is the key.
3. A window – I need sunlight. Though I sometimes doubt the sun’s existence in the long winter, still need that window. In my DREAM world, outside that window would be a view of Lake Superior. *sigh*
4 – Bookshelves – Lots & lots of bookshelves.
5. Some pretty but resilient plants – Love plants but tend to kill them. But I would like some pretty plants around me especially through the aforementioned long winter.
That’s about it, really. Check out the writing/blogging spaces – real and ideal – of the other ladies. 🙂
MERLIN CLUB: THE SWORD IN THE STONE, PARTS 1 & 2
Or Another Episode of Jess’ Oddly Specific Fetishes.
Hello, #MerlinClub friends! Let’s face it – my time management skills leave much to be desired on a good day (working on that!). Add in the hubby on a work trip out of the country for the week, and they disappear altogether. As a result, I find myself late Thursday evening putting this post together so it goes up in the morning. So, going short and sweet this week for 2 of my fave episodes.
Highlights from these episodes:
Opens with one of my favorite scenes in the whole series.
Morgana and Helios attack
Greasy Aggravaine’s true colors are revealed
Betrayed!Arthur
Simpleton!Arthur thanks to Merlin’s enchantment
The return of Gwen, who’s been in Ealdor since we last saw her
Odd sexual tension between Morgana and Gwaine as he is forced to fight for food for himself, Elyan and Gaius who are imprisoned. Screams for some fanfic…just saying.
Greasy Agravaine meets his ends…FINALLY…courtesy of BAMF!Merlin (one of my favorite Merlins 😉 )
So one final time… Hey, Greasy Agravaine….
Encouraging!Merlin & Insecure!Arthur…
Dirty!Merlin
Illuminated by the firelight Merlin
DRAGONSPEAK…TWICE
Arthur pulling the sword from the stone
Dragoon the Great makes and appearance
Camelot is won back
Arthur and Gwen reunite, get married and Gwen is crowned queen
Morgana seems to be severely wounded, but then…but THEN, Aithusa (cute white dragon, remember?) comes along, breathes on her, and heals her.
If I’d written this episode, I would have changed…Eh, I don’t know that I’d necessarily change anything. I wouldn’t have Tristan and Isolde be the smugglers (talk a bit about that in the things I hated section). And…well, this is true for this whole freaking season…Greasy Agravaine is gone, dead, departed from this world, and STILL we have no explanation on why he aligned himself with Morgana. I get his anger and hatred of Uther. But Morgana is just as much Uther’s child as Arthur is, yeah? So why did he go after Arthur? Why did he choose Morgana? I don’t get it. And that is a huge hole the writers failed to fill in.
Thing(s) I loved about this episode—
Clearly, loved Merlin because hello, it’s me.
GREASY AGRAVAINE IS DEAD!!!
This scene…
GORGEOUS!
And this scene…oh the feels
And just because Merlin’s face here cracks me up
Thing(s) I hated about this episode—Greasy Agravaine…but HUZZAH! We never have to see his face again!
My feelings about Tristan and Isolde aren’t as stong as others, but I agree that the short time they were around wasn’t enough for the audience to feel any connection to them – which makes Isolde’s death less meaningful, IMO. Also, I don’t like that they were named Tristan and Isolde. It didn’t make sense to me. It was like the writers were just like…”What other medival romance characters can we throw in here, even though they has no connection to the story we’re telling, not really. People will recognized the names, so that’s cool.” But whatever…Isolde is dead and we never see Tristan again.
Also…Aithusa saving Morgana. WHERE THE HELL IS KILGARRAH, AND WHY ISN’T HE KEEPING AN EYE ON YOUNG AITHUSA AS HE PROMISED MERLIN HE WOULD???
Something I never noticed about this episode before—Got nothing here this week.
Proof of some head canon I’ve created—Please, Merthur all over the freaking place in this episode. And does it look like this is the first time Arthur’s ever used this move…
…yeah, I think not.
Favorite costume—Merlin disguised as one of Helios’ men after enchanting/binding Morgana’s magic as Dragoon.
What would Bron steal from Camelot the forest in this episode? She would totally want the sword in the stone as the centerpiece of her garden.
What made Jen lose her shit (in a good or bad way) in this episode? The Tristan and Isolde part of the story.
Next week 1/26 at 8pm EST, we’ll be watching S05E01 & 02 “Arthur’s Bane”. NOTE: This is a 2-PART episode. We’ll start Part One at 8pm EST, take a short break then start Part Two at 9pm EST. We’ll be on Twitter with the hastag #MerlinClub
Normally, there’d be no words during this kind of post, but I’m breaking the rules because I’ve no pictures to share, really, for this week. For a couple reasons. One, most of the stuff is off my walls because we are preparing to paint. Two, the few things that remain on the walls? Some pics of my kids. And I don’t post pics of them. *shrug* So…I’m going to promise to do better the next time Wordless Wednesday rolls around and do my duty in sending you over to the other ladies’ blogs. So, go forth…see what’s on their walls. 🙂
Another new feature. 🙂 Yay. The 3rd Monday of each month, the ladies and I are going to be sharing some more flash fiction – this time, peices inspired by a song.
This week’s song… “I’m A Mess” by Ed Sheeran. I love this song. Have a listen then see what I’ve come up with as a result… 😀
“I’m A Mess”
“Where the fuck were you last night?”
Michael Adams held the phone away from his ear, wincing as pain ricocheted through his skull. Why the hell had he even answered the phone? Early Saturday morning calls? Never a good thing. And as much as Michael loved his sister, listening to her yelling at him—again—was a far cry from how he wanted to spend his morning. At this moment, the only thing he wanted to do was to roll over and sleep it off some more. Clearly, the universe had other plans for him. As it always did.
“Trina—”
“No,” she said loudly. “This has gone on too fucking long, Mikey. You need to…”
“What? I need to what, exactly? Snap out of it? Pull myself up by the bootstraps, slap on a smile and pretend everything is all good in the world? Sorry, not happening.” He scrubbed a hand over his face, frowning at the scrape of scruff against his palm. “I’m fine.”
“The fuck you are.”
He sighed. “You need to expand your vocabulary.”
“I’ll expand my fucking vocabulary when you get out of the fucking house for something other than fucking work and start living your fucking life again.”
“Such a lady,” he drawled.
“You didn’t show up for your best friend’s engagement party,” she said, uncharacteristically quiet. “So saying you’re fine isn’t going to fly.”
“I talked to Oliver.” Michael tried to keep his tone firm and even, but his voice just came out scratchy and weak. “He said he understood. That’s all that really matters.”
“Of course he said that! Everyone is so fucking scared of saying anything that will push you over the edge. No one knows how to talk to you because you’ve shut us all out!”
“Not very effectively since I have you shrieking in my ear on a regular basis,” he muttered.
“Yeah, and you can expect that to continue, you fucking ass. Unlike the friendships you are effectively destroying with your behavior, it will take a hell of a lot more to drive me away. And just think about that, Mikey,” she warned. “Keep this up, and I’ll be all you have. Is that really what you want?”
He snorted, ignoring how his chest tightened. “What I want? Pretty much given up on that.”
“Why?” she yelled. “Why shouldn’t you have what you want? Fuck, you had it already. You had it, and you threw it away! Dad’s gone. Why are you letting him have any power over you now when you didn’t when he was alive?”
“I’m not going to argue about this again.” He knew where this was headed, and he needed to stop it before—
“That’s the problem; you don’t argue.” She laughed bitterly. “You go to work, you come home and drink and then you go to bed, just to wake and do it all over again. You listen to me bitch and you mope around and wallow.”
“Didn’t your therapist ever tell you that people grieve in their own way?”
“This isn’t fucking grie—” She stopped short and he heard her take a deep breath. “Are you even going to ask about him? He was there last night. But, of course, you know that.”
And there it was. Michael swallowed heavily, and his eyes burned behind his closed lids.
“How is he?” he whispered then inwardly cringed.
He hadn’t meant to ask. He didn’t want to know… Shit, he was no better at lying to himself than he had been two months before when he’d told Aric to get the hell out of his life. And his loving and devoted boyfriend had walked away without a second glance, because Michael had said it was what he wanted. His skills at lying convincingly to others were obviously far superior to his ability to delude himself. Despite his best efforts.
“He looked good,” she said quietly then added, “But, Mikey, he looked so sad, too. Especially when…when he asked about you.”
“I wouldn’t read too much into that.” He swallowed heavily, gulping down the surge of hope that rose. “Everyone gets a little sad when they think about their exes.”
“It’s more than that, and you know it.”
The muscles of his jaw twitched when he clenched his teeth. “And who was on his arm, Trina? I’ve never known Aric to show up anywhere all by his lonesome.”
“No one.” When he didn’t answer, she sighed. “I didn’t see him when he got there, all right? And he…mingled all night. And talked to a lot of people.”
“A lot of good looking guys.”
Her breath hitched. “Oh, Mikey.”
“I’m going to go.”
“Just call him.”
“I’ve told you already there’s no point. It’s over.”
“Says the woman who calls every single day to rip me a new one. Guessing it’s hereditary, sister mine.” He stretched his free arm over his head. “And I’m hanging up, now.”
“Fine. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
“Of course you will.” He smiled…an actual genuine smile. Trina was one thing he could count on, even if it was in the form of nagging phone calls most of the time. “Love you.”
“Love you, too,” she returned. “Please, think about what I said. Call him.”
“Good-bye, Trina.”
Ending the call, he tossed the phone off the side of the bed then rolled over to bury his face in the pillow on the other side of the bed. Aric’s side of the bed.
“Fuck,” he muttered, punching the mattress several times before turning to the side and going limp.
Closing his eyes against the banging in his head, he tried to push all thoughts of the last two months, of Aric, of being without Aric from his mind. Yet as Michael drifted off, he saw only one face.
He woke to the sound of the doorbell, repeatedly chiming, and the pain in his head still strong as ever. He climbed out of bed and padded through the house, grumbling and squinting against the sunlight streaming through every damned window. He needed to remember to shut the fucking curtains at night.
He inwardly cursed his sister as he unlocked the front door. She never knew when to leave well enough alone and had probably gotten it in her head that he was starving without her sweet—read annoying—sibling attention. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d shown up on his doorstep with a bag of food and a frown.
“Should have known you’d—”
The door banged against the wall as he let go of the knob in shock.
“Rise and shine,” Aric announced, pushing past Michael into the house.
It took him a moment, but Michael quickly shut the door and rushed after his ex, finding the other man standing in the middle of the living room, looking around with a look of disgust on his face.
“What are you doing here?” Michael demanded. “Did Trina send you?”
“No, but given the state of this place…” Aric turned and ran his gaze over Michael. “And the state of you, she should have. Long before now.”
Running his hand through his hair, knowing it was already sticking up wildly, Michael looked everywhere but at Alric. Which was a mistake because he saw exactly what his ex was seeing—empty bottles and takeout containers littering every surface, unwashed laundry piled up, and the basic evidence of a man who just didn’t give a fuck anymore. Everything Michael had been valiantly trying to ignore for some time.
“Why are you here?” he bit out. “It’s been two months; why now?”
“You no-showed Oliver’s engagement party.” He glanced around again. “Though it looks like you had a little party of your own, and it seems to be a regular occurrence. I wanted to make sure you were all right. None of our friends have seen you recently. Oliver had only heard from you when you called to bail on him. I was worried.”
“Well, as you can see, I’m alive and fine. So…” Michael gestured toward the front door.
“Alive, yes. Fine…” He sighed and shook his head. “Hardly.”
“You haven’t seen me in months, so you can’t really be the judge of that, can you?”
Aric’s expression softened, and Michael’s stomach clenched at the sight of those gorgeous green eyes looking at him with…affection?
“I’m the best judge of that. I know you better than anyone. And right now, sweetheart,” he stepped forward, “you’re a mess.”
MERLIN CLUB: A HUNTER’S HEART
Or the One With the Princess Who Is Much Better Suited For Arthur, IMHO
This is going to be quick and dirty this week, friends. A bit overwhelmed with all the stuff I have to get done by…well, like, last week. o.O I’m sorry.
RECAP – So the village poor Gwen is staying in is attacked by mercenries. She’s captured, and things don’t look so well for her, especially when their leader Helios eyes her up.
Back in Camelot, Arthur has decided to strengthen his kingdom by marrying Princess Mithian. Merlin voices his objections, saying Arthur still loves Gwen. Arthur threatens to exile Merlin if he dare mention her again.
Greasy Agravaine is working to get the plans for the siege tunnels but to this point has failed. Doesn’t bod well because this makes Morgana unhappy, and I just wish she’d kill him already.
Gwen is being woed by Helios but they are interrupted by a guard who announced the Lady Morgana’s arrival. Gwen makes her exit before Morgana can see her, and we see that Morgana is working with Helios on whatever plan she has that involves the siege tunnels.
Greasy Agravaine gets the plans, and Morgana uses a spell to make a copy, so GA can return the original to Camelot so there is no suspicion. She brings the plans to Helios. Gwen eavesdrops on their conversation but is heard as she tries to sneak away. She escapes and runs. Morgana recognizes her dress and realizes who she is and sets off to find her former maid.
Princess Mithian has arrived and Merlin spends much of his time using magic to make Arthur look foolish – because in his mind Arthur is meant to be with Gwen and he’ll do anything to sabatoge things between Arthur and Mithian.
Morgana finds Gwen. There is taunting and a chase. Morgana eventually knocks Gwen out and puts her under an enchantment, which turns her former friend into a doe. Not so good when the king and his party are hunting not too far away. Sure enough she’s spotted and is shot. As everyone searches for the injured animal, Arthur finds the ring he gave Gwen (she’d been wearing it around her neck). Emotional, he calls off the hunt and they return to Camelot. Merlin returns that night looking for Gwen. He removes the arrow and heals her magically. When she wakes she tells him of Helios, Morgana and Greasy Agravaine. Merlin urges Gwen to return with him, but she refuses, unable to face Arthur after her betrayal.
Merlin tries to tell Arthur what is going on without giving away Gwen’s involvment. They go to where the siege plans are kept and of course they are still there. Arthur is pissed at Merlin’s accusations toward his uncle, and threatens him with exile again if he continues on this path.
Later when Merlin goes to Arthur’s room, Arthur is holding Gwen’s ring and asks how he can still love someone who betrayed him. Merlin gives him a little pep talk and encourages him to do what is right. The next morning, we see Arthur sending Mithian off, having given her kingdom all the disputed land between their kingdoms as a peace offering for not marrying her.
If I’d written this episode, I would have changed…What was the freaking point of enchanting Gwen to be a deer? It’s stupid. If Morgana truly saw her as a threat still, why not just kill her? It wasn’t as if it was guaranteed that Arthur and his hunting party would find and kill her. And, Arthur would have no clue it was her anyway, so again, what’s the point? It was a stupid plot device, IMO.
Thing(s) I loved about this episode—I love Mithian. LOVE her, and find her a better match for Arthur (an unpopular opinion, I know) I thought they had better chemistry. But it’s Arthur and Gwen…that’s the story. And I think the intent was to show that this woman who would be perfect for Arthur…still not enough to destroy that true love. But regardless, I love Mithian.
I love that she saw and understood immediately how important Merlin was to Arthur, how the king valued his opinion – and sought to improve Merlin’s opinion of her.
And just visually…my favorite shot of the episode…
The light, the framing….GORGEOUS!
Thing(s) I hated about this episode—Greasy Agravaine, always. Morgana’s stupidity (Damn you, writers! Quit screwing the women in this show!)
Something I never noticed about this episode before—Nothing here this week.
Proof of some head canon I’ve created—I know that Merlin is sabotaging things because he thinks Arthur and Gwen belong together, but I like to think it’s more than that. 🙂 That he and Gwen have an understanding when it comes to Arthur. LOL Mostly because I like jealous!Merlin.
Favorite costume—Mithian’s when she arrives
What would Bron steal from Camelot in this episode? Mithian’s necklaces…all of them.
What made Jen lose her shit (in a good or bad way) in this episode? Morgana’s continued incompetence? Or maybe that she forgot about Merlin Club this week. 🙂
Next week 1/19 at 8pm EST, we’ll be watching S04E12 & 13 “The Sword in the Stone”. NOTE: This is a 2-PART episode. We’ll start Part One at 8pm EST, take a short break then start Part Two at 9pm EST. We’ll be on Twitter with the hastag #MerlinClub
Happy Wednesday! This was a topic I loved when we picked it, but now that a blank blog post is staring me in the face, not so much.
So I’m gong to keep it short and sweet – first three things that pop into my head! – and get back to writing some nice, sexy scenes – as I’ve another book to finish (Though, really, that’s always the case, so…)
Sky-diving, bungy cord jumping or anything that involves plummeting to my inevitable death from a rather ridiculous height. If the opportunity ever comes up for me to do such a thing…
Traveling to lands that have huge insects, poisonous creepy crawlies… I’m looking at you, places that have spiders as big as hands. I couldn’t deal with it. I’d like to say I’m a brave soul, but alas, I am not. I *see* a picture or video of a humongous spider, and I’m…
…and when a “harmless”, non-poisonous spider or something even remotely resembling one is on me? Well, something like this happens…
But I don’t look as stinking adorable in my freakouts, sadly.
Run a marathon. Or any long distance race, for that matter. I’ve been working hard to be healthier and get in shape, but I’ve learned something, my friend. Running is not my thing. My husband does it; my kids do it- have have many 5Ks, 10Ks, half-marthons and marthons under their collective belt. I have friends who love to run. And they speak of the glorious runner’s high and how great they feel after a run. And I’m sitting there…
At least it isn’t for me. When I run, I’m watching the clock, counting the seconds until I can stop. If other people get pleasure and peace or anything positive from running…rock on. That’s awesome. But the only marathons I will be involved in will include Netflix and perhaps some of these…
MERLIN CLUB: A HERALD OF A NEW AGE
Or The One Where Twitter Failed Us Big Time During the Watch-a-Long
RECAP – While out in the forest, Merlin, Arthur and the knights come across a Druid shrine.
Merlin is uneasy and warns the others they shouldn’t be there. They don’t listen, of course. Elyan drinks from a small well and unknowingly disturbs and frees a spirit.
Back in Camelot, Gaius says Merlin was right to be cautious—that shrines like that were made to offer peace to tormented souls unable to find such peace in the other world. But the magic used is delicate and easily disturbed. Merlin says no one messed with anything—as he’s unaware of Elyan’s actions—and Gaius tells him to not go near the shrine again.
The spirit—a boy who is pale and dripping wet—appears to Elyan several times.
Clearly, he is unseen by anyone else. It begins to have some influence over the knight—causing him to attack Merlin rather aggressively during training, for example. That night, Elyan puts a ring of salt under the foot of bed, as he’d heard Gwaine tell Merlin this would ward off evil spirits. It doesn’t work, and the spirit again appears, speaking for the first time. It tells Elyan he must kill the king because of the injustice done, that it is the only way it can find peace. Fully under the spirit’s influence, Elyan goes to Arthur’s chambers and attacks him. Arthur is able to fend him off, and Elyan flees when the guards come.
Eventually, Elyan is caught and thrown into the dungeons. The spirit comes to him and says Elyan has failed. Stupid Greasy Agravaine is trying to convince Arthur that Elyan, who must be trying to get revenge for his sister’s banishment, should be put to death. That to not do this would be showing weakness as a king. Merlin speaks up, saying Elyan isn’t acting on his own accord. GA argues. Arthur is conflicted.
Merlin busts Elyan out of the dungeons—you know, the super secure ones —with the plan of releasing his friend from the spirit’s hold. Merlin has water with a strong sedative that he tries to get Elyan to drink once they are in the forest. But the spirit warns Elyan, and the knight knocks Merlin out. He DOES apologize beforehand though.
After coming back around, Merlin and Gaius return to the shrine to look for any information they can on the spirit. Merlin is drawn to the well, and looking inside he hears cries, screams and the sounds of battle. He is obviously very affected by all of it and tells Gaius something terrible happened. The physician shows him a bunch of crossbow bolts he found and concludes the druid camp must have been attacked by Uther at some point in the past.
Elyan once again makes an attempt on Arthur’s life. When he speaks, it’s with the child/spirit’s voice now. Arthur fends him off and begins to realize that maybe Merlin wasn’t talking out of his ass when he said Elyan was possesses. He lets Elyan escape at that point.
Gaius explains to the King that the spirit must be seeing vengeance for its death—which likely happened during the Purge, when Uther was relentlessly persecuting Druids. Since the only way for to appease the spirit would be for Uther to atone for his “crime” and Uther is dead and unable to do so, Gauis tells Arthur that there is no choice but to put Elyan to death to stop this.
Later that night, Arthur sneaks out of the castle and creeper!Merlin follows him. The king catches Merlin…
…but allows his manservant to come with him. They go to the shrine. Elyan shows up. Arthur sets aside his weapon and says it wasn’t Uther who led the attack on the Druid camp. It was Arthur. He shares how he was young and inexperienced and is still haunted by what happened. He promises that the Druids will be treated with respect in the future. The spirit forgives him and, at peace, releases Elyan, who is confused and eventually faints. Merlin tells Arthur his knight will make a full recovery.
If I’d written this episode, I would have changed… Can’t think of anything, really. Normally, this would be a great excuse for me to rewatch the episode (I have to watch Merlin, family; it’s work!), but, alas, I don’t have the time to spare this week. *sad panda*
Thing(s) I loved about this episode—I actually really liked the break from Morgana and her (stupid) plans. Don’t get me wrong; I love Morgana. I just hate what they’ve done to her character. I know that some people actually don’t like this episode because of that—it kind of goes to the evil baddie/curse of the week format, but for me, it was nice to depart briefly from Morgana trying to get her hands on the throne. And let’s be honest we could all use a break from having to see the super skeevy interactions between her and Greasy Agravaine.
Many funny, snarky, great Merther moments.
And I loved the twist that it was Arthur leading the attack on the Druid camp. Again, Bradley James, you acted your ass off, and I appreciated it greatly. 😉 It was really quite moving watching him confess, and we see another side to the character.
And just some random things…
Poor Leon – his hair is trying to swish so valiantly, and Gwaine’s hair is like ha, good try.
Merlin between Arthur’s legs…it’s a beautiful thing. Just sayin’.
Thing(s) I hated about this episode—I didn’t hate much about this one, I guess. Greasy Agravaine, of course. Oh! That Arthur and the knights don’t listen to Merlin about the shrine. I mean, it’s like they live in a world where curses, magic, and all that stuff don’t exist, FFS. But whatever, let’s just go drink the water from this dank little well. Look at yourself, Elyan; look at your choices.
Something I never noticed about this episode before—Hmmm, got nothing this week.
Proof of some head canon I’ve created—Not my creation, of course, but MERTHUR. At the end… You can’t tell me sexy shenanigans didn’t happen. I won’t accept it.
Favorite costume—Arthur’s white tunic of sexiness, as seen in the gifs above.
What would Bron steal from Camelot in this episode? I may have used this way back in an earlier episode but it jumped out at me this episode and I immediately thought, Bron would totally want Arthur’s cabinet.
What made Jen lose her shit (in a good or bad way) in this episode? That Gaius, once again, has some super special knock-you-on-your-ass sedative at the ready.
Happy Wednesday, everyone! It’s the first Wednesday of the month so that means another Fave Things post – and this week is (Super)Heroes.
Captain America
I love Cap. ADORE. And not just because he’s HAWT (and he is), but as a character he is fascinating to me. And he’s kinda broken – which apparently I have a thing for. Even when young and weak, he wanted to do the right thing. And even though now, he’s changed physically and is out of his time, a part of him is still that bullied young man who wants to to do the right thing.
Daryl Dixon
Oh Daryl. Yeah, yeah he’s not a SUPERhero, but he’s a damned hero. I love him and his character development over the course of the series. I can’t wait to see where they take him in future episodes. If they fuck him up, though, the destruction of Atlanta we see in the show? It will pale in comparison to what I with bring with my wrath.
The Doctor
EVERY REGENERATION! Including the latest…
How can you not love the Doctor? Major timelord love happening here. Even the dark side of him…oh yes. I love the complexity of the character, the different layers. That there’s so much about him we still done know.
Sydney Bristow
From the show Alias. Again, no super powers. But she’s super and she’s a freaking hero. Gorgeous, kicks ass, saves the world. I will admit to having a crush on her.
Merlin
It’s no surprise the sorcerer ends up on my list, is it? Yeah, didn’t think so. Oh, Merlin… So determined to do the right thing and ends up fucking it up ten ways ’til Sunday. He’s clumsy, yes. But it’s endearing. He puts aside his wants (namely the ban on magic lifted) to see Arthur and Camelot safe. And he’s funny and snarky, and his love for his king… Definitely tops my hero list. 🙂
As I mentioned in my 2015 goals post, some new things are happening on the blog in the coming year. This is one of them! The first Monday of every month, a wonderful bunch of ladies and I will be posting a photo along with a flashfiction peice inspired by that photo.
This month’s photo sent my mind immediately running to a character I’ve already written–and am still writing. Merlin from my Albion’s Circle series. So, I just went with it…
MERLIN’S CAVE
I flipped up the collar of my coat and ducked my head. More out of habit than actual need. I didn’t really feel the frigid wind or the bitter cold. I didn’t feel much of anything. Hadn’t in a long, long time.
Which was why I was here. I needed to remember, needed to see their faces again, needed to feel.
The stones and gravel crunched under my boots as I made my way to the mouth of the cave. I hadn’t been here in… I chuckled softly—a humorless sound lost in the howling gusts. I hadn’t felt the need to come here in several lives. I hadn’t felt the need because it’d been so long since I’d been alone. Well, and truly alone. In all the lives I’d lived, in all the centuries since Camelot, there had been many years spent on my own, but not like this. Usually, at the end of it all, when the battle was over, I had someone there. Arthur or Galahad or one of the others standing by my side. There to help shoulder the burden, to balance the darkness inside me with their light, to remind me of what I was fighting for every life, to remind me it was all worth it.
But this life, there was no one. They were lost. And it was my fault. I’d done what needed to be done to stop Mordred, but I couldn’t stop. I clenched my jaw as images of fire and destruction and the sounds of screaming played in my head. I hadn’t stopped until everyone was gone.
I paused at the cave’s entrance and took a deep breath, the cold air burning my lungs. My magic throbbed inside me, pushing against my skin painfully. I hadn’t accessed it, hadn’t let it out, since the last battle ten years ago, and it was not happy.
I walked slowly inside, eyes adjusting to the change in light, and forced myself to continue deeper. When the darkness became too much, I lifted my trembling hand…and let it hover in the air. Fear and uncertainty overwhelmed me as my power jumped and vibrated, desperate to get out, to be used. It’d been too long. I didn’t know if I could wield it with any control.
Don’t be silly, Merlin. It’s a part of you. Trust it.
I closed my eyes as her voice sounded in my head. Oh, I knew it wasn’t really her voice. I hadn’t heard that since Camelot, but it’d always, always be her I heard when I needed a swift kick in the ass.
I inhaled deeply and loosened the decade-old hold I’d kept on my magic. Lights flickered through the cavern. Wild and erratic at first, all over the place. Then, they all converged and a large orb glowed, suspended near the roof of the cave, illuminating the large space.
I swayed on my feet, lightheaded and intoxicated as my power flowed out. It danced around the room before coming back, twining around me, embracing me, comforting me. My eyes stung as my gaze settled on the frosted cavern wall before me. What I’d etched into the stone all those years ago was barely visible, but I knew it was there. Power swelled and crackled in the air as bright lines appeared on the wall. I laughed, the sounded echoing, as the images I’d created were re-carved before my eyes. My magic was bringing them back without my even having to directing it.
I stepped forward and lifted my fingers to trace along the line of Arthur’s crown as I studied his face. Arthur Pendragon. King of Camelot, High King of all of Albion. The greatest of us all. My best friend.
My throat tightened, and I swallowed with difficulty. I made my way slowly down the length of the way, the orb of light following me so I could make out all the faces staring back at me. Lancelot and Guinevere, Gawain, Morgana, Percival, Erek and Owain. I stopped in front of Galahad, smiling at his cheeky grin even as I fought against the pain weighing down on me. And knew it was going to crush me. Destroy me the moment I took another step.
The orb moved past me, and Galahad’s face fell into shadow as the light concentrated, centered on what I avoided…and what I wanted to see more than anything. And of course, my magic knew that. I could feel it pulling, drawing me to stand before…well, her.
Annwyl.
I traced the lines of her face, imagined the warmth of her skin even as the frozen stone scraped the pad of my finger. And, suddenly, anger surged. The years that separated us, the guilt of not saving her, the utter grief of losing her time after time choked me. I slammed my fists against the wall, and it cracked—fissures crept outward, obscuring her likeness. Immediately, the fractures flared brightly then knit back together.
“I miss you,” I whispered, pressing my fingers to her lips. “I’ll find you.”
I turned away and stumbled to the large boulder in the center of the cavern. As I sat, I forced myself to look at Annwyl’s face again, even though it hurt. I deserved that. I deserved every ounce of pain and torment.
“I promise. The next life, I’ll find you. Just…just wait for me, this time. Please, wait for me.”
MERLIN CLUB: ARTHUR’S BANE PARTS 1 & 2
—with the plan of releasing his friend from the spirit’s hold. Merlin has water with a strong sedative that he tries to get Elyan to drink once they are in the forest. But the spirit warns Elyan, and the knight knocks Merlin out. He DOES apologize beforehand though.
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