#Camelot 1x02

[ggukalaxy]

just finished my rewatch of all five seasons of bbc's merlin, and my sister and i decided it would be fun to keep count of how many times merlin saved arthur's life throughout the show, so here is an accumulated list:

(disclaimer: it is absolutey possible that we weren't always watching attentively and that we might have missed a case or two, but i like to believe that it is kinda accurate)

times arthur would have died if merlin hadn't saved him

• 1x01: dagger thrown at arthur ⟶ merlin slowed down time to pull arthur out of the way

• 1x02: snakes supposed to poison arthur ⟶ merlin exposes the snakes and arthur kills them

• 1x04: poisoned cup ⟶ merlin drinks from it instead

• 1x05: a griffin attacks them ⟶ lancelot fights it, and merlin enchants his sword/spear so that it’ll work

• 1x07: arthur is to be sacrificed to the sidhe ⟶ merlin saves him

• 1x10: ealdor gets attacked, including arthur, and they’re doomed ⟶ merlin creates a huge wind gust to save everyone

• 1x13: questing beast attacks arthur ⟶ merlin kills it

• 1x13: questing beast bites arthur, the poison is fatal ⟶ merlin gets water from the cup of life to save him

• 2x01: arthur gets attacked by a huge boar (?) ⟶ merlin uses magic on a crossbow to save him 

• 2x01: camelot gets attack by living stone statues ⟶ merlin destroys them

• 2x02: assassin tries to kill arthur during a tournament on horses ⟶ merlin uses magic to make the assassin fall off his horse

• 2x12: dead stone statue thingies attack arthur and his knights ⟶ merlin uses magic to make the ceiling cave in and pulls arthur to his side, separating them from the statue thingies

• 2x13: arthur's wounds are getting worse ⟶ merlin finds balinor in time and has him help him (HONORARY MENTION)

• 3x04: arthur gets attacked (again) ⟶ merlin uses magic to save him (again)

• 3x07: morgause tries to kill arthur with a fire beam ⟶ merlin uses magic to make the fire beam explode before it reaches arthur

• 3x08: arthur gets attacked by wyverns ⟶ merlin uses his dragonlordness to stop them

• 3x08: arthur wears the eye of the phoenix bracelet (sucking life-force out of someone) ⟶ merlin takes it off him

• 3x12: arthur gets shot by a poisoned arrow ⟶ merlin uses magic to help him, then brings him to gaius

• 3x13: an army of immortal deads attacks camelot ⟶ merlin empties the cup of life of their blood to “kill” them all

• 4x01: dorochas attack arthur ⟶ merlin pushes arthur out of the way to get attacked instead

• 4x04: their food gets poisoned ⟶ merlin uses magic to save them

• 4x05: arthur fights in a duel and is about to be striked down ⟶ merlin makes the opponent’s sword fall out of his hands with magic

• 5x01: arthur and their men get attacked by morgana’s men ⟶ merlin saves arthur and gets them away from the battle

• 5x04: arthur almost got beheaded by odin ⟶ merlin created an earthquake with magic to stop that

• 5x06: dark tower traps ⟶ merlin parries an arrow with magic

• 5x07: arthur gets poisoned ⟶ merlin saves him with magic

• 5x08: someone wants to shoot an arrow at arthur ⟶ merlin attacks the shooter and saves arthur

• 5x11: kara tried to stab arthur ⟶ merlin uses magic to save him

and the one time he fails: 5x13, mordred stabs arthur with a sword forged on a dragon’s breath — merlin doesn’t get him to avalon in time

which brings us to a total of 27.5 times that merlin has saved arthur's life throughout the show

we also kept track of all the times arthur saved merlin's life, so here is that list:

• 1x03: merlin tells uther he is a sorcerer to save gwen (which would’ve gotten him a death sentence) ⟶ arthur convinces his father that merlin is lying out of love for gwen

• 1x04: merlin drank from a poisoned cup ⟶ arthur gets the antidote for him

• 1x11: arthur drinks poison so that merlin won’t have to ⟶ it was actually a sleeping draft though (HONORARY MENTION)

• 1x13: questing beast attacks ⟶ arthur pulled merlin out of the way

• 2x12: dead stone statue thingy attacks merlin ⟶ arthur strikes it down

• 4x01: a dorocha flies towards merlin ⟶ arthur pushes him out of the way

• 4x08: the lamia was about to kill merlin ⟶ arthur comes in at just the right time

which brings us to a total of 6.5 times that arthur saved merlin's life

it's kind of crazy to me to compare it like this, because on the one hand 27 near-death experiences across 65 episodes doesn't really sound like a lot. but at the same time i can't believe that arthur would have died 27 times if it hadn't been for merlin. and to think that arthur only saved merlin's life 6 times though?? oof

on my next rewatch, my sister and i want to make a list of all the moments that contributed to arthur's death (a so-called "doom list" with moments like merlin poisoning morgana in 2x13 etc), but that one is definitely going to be more subjective, since it'll be based on things that we think could've prevented arthur's death if they had gone any different

very excited to debate all the things that could go on that one!

[xviruserrorx]

Merlin Tags

#bbc merlin

Seasons:

#merlin s1 : 1x01 - 1x02 - 1x03 - 1x04 - 1x05 - 1x06 - 1x07 - 1x08 - 1x09 - 1x10 - 1x11 - 1x12 - 1x13

#merlin s2 : 2x01 - 2x02 - 2x03 - 2x04 - 2x05 - 2x06 - 2x07 - 2x08 - 2x09 - 2x10 - 2x11 - 2x12 - 2x13

#merlin s3 : 3x01 - 3x02 - 3x03 - 3x04 - 3x05 - 3x06 - 3x07 - 3x08 - 3x09 - 3x10 - 3x11 - 3x12 - 3x13

#merlin s4 : 4x01 - 4x02 - 4x03 - 4x04 - 4x05 - 4x06 - 4x07 - 4x08 - 4x09 - 4x10 - 4x11 - 4x12 - 4x13

#merlin s5 : 5x01 - 5x02 - 5x03 - 5x04 - 5x05 - 5x06 - 5x07 - 5x08 - 5x09 - 5x10 - 5x11 - 5x12 - 5x13

Characters:

Main: arthur pendragon | morgana pendragon | guinevere pendragon | merlin emrys | sir gwaine | sir elyan | sir lancelot | sir percival | sir leon | sir mordred | gaius the court physician | uther pendragon | agravain de bois

Side: mithian of nemeth | ygraine de bois | bbcm sefa | bbcm freya | bbcm morgause | bbcm nimueh | bbcm iseldir | king cenred | geoffrey of monmouth | alator of the catha |

One Off: bbcm daegal | bbcm kara | eoghan the map makers apprentice | bbcm gilli | edwin muirden | tyr seward | will of ealdor | elena of gawant | princess vivian | anhora keeper of the unicorns | tristan de bois | bbcm alvarr | bbcm enmyria | julius borden | bbcm aglain | lady catrina | aredian the witchfinder | knight valiant | king alined | the cailleach | bbcm tauren

Extra: knight!merlin | shade!lancelot | enchanted!arthur | enchanted!gwen |

Ships: (that I know of)

Arthur: #arlance | #arlyan | # armor | #arwen

Elyan:

Gwaine: #gwaincelot | #gwainevere

Gwen:

Leon:

Lancelot:

Merlin: #merthur | #mergwen | #mergana | #merwaine | #merlance | #merleon | #merwill | #merthian |

Mordred:

Morgana: #morgwen |

Percival: #perwaine | #perlyan |

| #geon | #morgal | #morra

Poly ships:

#merwaincelot | #mergwenthur | #mergwainthur | #merlyanthur |

Group Tags:

pendragon house

pendragon siblings

smith siblings

knights of camelot

people of the old religion

awotc

[adhd-merlin]

merlin S1 rewatch: episode 7

Okay, episode 1x07!! Let’s get this over and done with!

This is a pretty solid “meh” episode for me. I think it’s the little blue CGI guys that ruin it for me. I’m not a fan of enchanted!Arthur either, though at least here he’s not in a situationship with Gwen yet so it’s less exasperating to watch. But still. Those little blue guys.

Pros of this episode:

Morgana’s powers are revealed!

Gaius gets to do what he does best (gaslighting)

Arthur at his most slappable ("coMe oOOOoN MorGANA Just aDmIt That yOu lIke me")

Merlin gets his cool magic staff! (criminally underused)

Merlin and Uther’s comic double act

Cons of this episode:

The little blue CGI guys

I don’t care about the Sidhe and their drama at all to be entirely honest

Random observations:

I love how supportive Merlin is when Arthur expresses an interest in Sophia. He’s like “yeah alright I’ll lie to the king don’t worry you two go have fun :)))”. He’s so precious 🥺

“Enjoy your stay at Camelot Castle. Breakfast is served from 7 to 10.”

Gaius calling Morgana his favourite patient and the heavy hinting at a close relationship between the two make his gaslighting all the more tragic. It’s also unclear how long Morgana has been in Gaius’s care — they make it sound like he's known her since she was a child, but in episode 1x02 Morgana said she remembers helping her father out of her armour (?) I’m going to put it down to Early-Installment Weirdness. 

I also sleep with my hair artfully draped on my pillow. (Though I like that it makes her look a bit Medusa-like. Not sure if it’s intentional. I think so.)

Merlin believes in love at first sight. Of course he does. I’m not thinking about Freya, you are

I wouldn’t have blamed Morgana if she had just let Arthur get killed tbh

I love that Uther gives Arthur a speech that basically boils down to “why marry her, just shag her and move on” in front of Sophia and her own father, but when Morgana tries to warn him about Sophia he goes “excuse you what do you have against our guest??”

Baby’s first stunt!!

WHY IS HE HOLDING THE STAFF LIKE A MACHINE GUN 😭

to shreds, you say

please he didn’t even do it but if he’d done it he'd have enjoyed it

All in all, while I don’t love this episode there are some pretty funny scenes (“Have you some kind of mental affliction?” “Probably”) and, on top of introducing Morgana’s powers, it plants the seeds of what will happen in The Nightmare Begins (Gaius gaslighthing Morgana and Merlin empathising with her) so it's not all just pointless filler.

Also Merlin got to add 2 people to his body count, yay! (Do Sidhe count as people? They were inhabiting human bodies so I'm gonna say yes).

[bbcmerlinbracket]

Episode descriptions under the cut (contains spoilers).

5x08 The Hollow Queen

A Druid boy tries to lure Merlin into a trap in the Valley of the Fallen Kings but changes his mind and they go back to Camelot. Meanwhile, Arthur is attempting peace talks with the cruel Lord Sarrum. The Lord plots with Gwen behind Arthur’s back, but they both plan to double cross each other. Merlin arrives just in time to save Arthur’s life.

4x03 The Wicked Day

Arthur’s birthday celebrations are ruined by an assassin and Uther’s death.

3x13 The Coming Of Arthur Part 2

Arthur makes the knights of the round table and Merlin retrieves Excalibur. They take back Camelot from Morgana and Morgause, who manage to escape.

3x02 The Tears of Uther Pendragon Part 2

With Uther losing his mind and Merlin poisoned, Morgana and Morgause team up with Cenred and an undead army to invade Camelot. Arthur struggles to hold down the fort. Merlin saves the day, but Morgana takes the credit for it and Uther believes her.

1x02 Valiant

A knight named Sir Valiant uses an enchanted snake shield to cheat at Camelot's duelling tournament. Merlin gets fired for accusing the knight of magic and has to save Arthur from him anyways.

[vaguely-functional-directions]

I watched one episode of once upon a time from season 1 and like. I think my biggest complaint with this show is that it got so disney-fied over the years. The first season is purely the classic fairytale with a twist on them so they're all part of the same universe, which is great. But then I think it started season 3 and definitely in season 4 with the disney versions which are fine on their own but I don't think had a place on this show. The wizard of Oz in s3 with zelena I'm honestly not sure I would count as a fairy tale but like whatever I guess it works. But in s4 it definitely shouldn't have had anna and elsa, but stuck to the original snow queen story. And I do like how they still had the snow queen and included the broken mirror curse from the original but as much as I love Frozen, it is not the classic story and I don't think it should have been used. The thing is too is that the end of s3 teaser with elsa and the frozen story arc of s4 happened in 2014 which was immediately after when Frozen came out and was absolutely the Big Thing at the time. Which you can tell was *why* they did that to be more popular or whatever but I think they should have still stuck to the original fairytale, and not used Frozen to try and make the show more popular or whatever. Then later on they had Merida and Cruella who are purely disney/pixar characters and I don't think belonged in the show either (and 101 dalmations isn't even a fairytale either. Although. Cruella's episode was very good I have to admit). (The greek gods are also not fairytales, and I would maybe think that neither is Camelot.) The show was supposed to be about classic fairytales, not disney princesses. And then also, in the second half of s4 in 2015 they had Maleficent who looked completely different from how she did in 1x02. And guess what disney movie came out the previous year? Yes. It was Maleficent (2014) where she had that specific costume design. Anyways I think they got too focused on disney versions after a while and got sidetracked with that. There are other fairytales I like that haven't been adapted into big movies or anything that I really think would have been a better route to take to focus on largely unadapted stories (the goose girl, the 12 dancing princesses, the wild swans, the princess and the pea, the frog prince etc...). And in conclusion, that's my opinion on that

[thisisjustmefangirling]

Every time Merlin has saved Arthur’s life : a list (that I’ll complete as I rewatch the show)

“Do you think I sit around and do nothing?! I haven't had a chance to sit around and do nothing since the day I arrived in Camelot, I'm too busy running around after Arthur - do this Merlin, do that Merlin - and when I'm not running around after Arthur, I'm doing chores for you and if I'm not doing that, I'm fulfilling my destiny - do you know how many times I've saved Arthur's life? I've lost count - do I get any thanks? No - I have fought griffins, witches, bandits, I have been punched, poisoned, pelted with fruit, and all the while I have to hide who I really am because if anyone finds out, Uther will have me executed. Sometimes I feel like I'm being pulled in so many directions I don't know which way to turn!”

Merlin saves Arthur’s life from the singing witch (1x01)

Merlin activates the snakes in Valiant’s shield so everyone can see the knight was using magic to kill his opponents in the tourney. (1x02)

Merlin enchants Arthur’s torch to defeat the Afanc, protect Arthur, and undo the spell that was poisoning Camelot’s water. (1x03)

Merlin drinks poison from Arthur’s cup and dies before his heart restarts (1x04)

Merlin saves Arthur from drowning and being sacrificed as an offering to the Sidhe. (1x07)

[rosemarytales]

that last bit exactly (the whole reply actually)!! He always puts other people before himself, even when it comes down to an opinion/decision. He did after all say "I'd rather not rule at all than rule alone": that's not a light statement, it shows he built his worldview on this principle.

Merlin has known this since 1x02 ("Then I believe you"). Morgana's known this for God knows how long (but we first see her use it in 1x04, "What kind of King would Camelot want?": Uther would have replied very differently to that question). Gwen has known this since 2x02. There are things that they say to Arthur that could get them all killed, but he actually carefully ponders everything and changes himself accordingly. Hell, even Gaius shows he knows this in The Secret Sharer ("Contained within this great Kingdom..."). All of them, especially Morgana, are shown using this trait of Arthur multiple times in the show, sometimes for their own ends, sometimes so that Arthur can do what they think is right at the time.

This is in part because self-doubt was instilled in Arthur through the wet nurses' milk, and in part because he is kept in dark about most things happening in the show.

This moment is no exception. Merlin knows he can stop Arthur at any moment and he knows what Arthur was planning to do. He could've thought of some other way to use this power he has over Arthur, if he'd decided to.

Besides, patricide is not something you can do when you have any reserves. Especially if it's a father you love and respect above everyone else. Even more especially if said father's the King: the Knights would not take kindly to a King that murdered their previous one, while the neighbouring Kings and Queens would think Arthur greedy and power-hungry, which would not allow for moments like the one with Annis. It would not be a smart political move overall. If you have any doubts in your mind, you'd do better to keep your peace.

Also prev you put it perfectly: the two people whose opinion he values the most are on the same side and the memory of his mother being taken advantage of turns it into personal hatred. That is such a powerful moment in Arthur's life.

tl;dr: Arthur is not capable of making his own decisions and the people around him take advantage of that.

my unpopular merlin opinion is that merlin telling morgana he had magic wouldn't have changed anything but this scene did

I'm not saying because arthur would have killed uthere blah blah blah. uther could have as well lived, but if merlin left the seed of doubt in arthur's mind everything would have been entirely different. and that's the obvious part.

but I had also seen a genius tumblr post (if I can find it, I'll link it and tag the author) in which op was talking about how putting morgana on the throne was only morgause's backup plan. which makes perfect sense. on the one hand, morgana's quest for power is her demise: she gives up everything good in her life in favour of her greed and desire for the throne. something that she did not have before morgause set her mind on this plan. I am positive she would have much rather kept her safe and happy in a land where she can finally explore her potential without any violent coup than give away her life to never reach what she wanted.

on the other hand, arthur is the heir. no coup would have been needed and if he started thinking about magic in a positive light, he could have brought about the change morgana and morgause wanted without any desire for revenge (therefore, no violence or losses on either party). it would have been the perfect plan and morgause was clearly trying to achieve it in the sins of the father. it is no coincidence that we can see her reaction to arthur and uther's reconciliation.

I believe this episode is the real "beginning of the end" and merlin's biggest misstep, because every other that followed was a direct consequence of this moment, e.g. morgana being thrust into the role of magic bringer and going insane, the disir's judgement, kara's death, mordred's betrayal, etc. everything could have been avoided if in this moment merlin had just convinced him to put the sword down without taking away from arthur's talk with ygraine.

[variousgifs]

Tamsin Egerton as Guinevere. Camelot (2011), episode 1x02.

[claratyler]

Its just so criminal and so tragic and it leaves this hole in your chest that never goes away, that merlin really spent that entire time with arthur closeted and stressed about being found out and having to hide his true nature from the most important person in his life. and when arthur finally knows that merlin does have magic, arthur's left with so many questions and a feeling of betrayal and he doesnt quite know how to trust merlin and thats fricking devastating as it is, bc this revelation is only happening in the show's final moments, and then he dies and he never gets to know merlin as his true self, never gets to discover that magic isn't inherently evil but despite everything in his final moments he still doesn't care that merlin lied, that merlin is this thing that he has always thought of as Bad, because its still merlin and all he says is "just hold me"

[bowties-and-warlocks]

I’m watching Merlin while inventorying my books and like the scene where Merlin swears he’s telling the truth in 1x02 about the snake

Did you really have to stand that close

When Arthur looks up at Merlin when Merlin says his word doesn’t count for anything, the look on his face like—

[theorigin-isyou]

Prince Arthur Pendragon with his crown ❤

[merlin-reboot-when]

The thing about Merthur is: I get it. I absolutely do. Arthur is Merlin's destiny, Merlin is Arthur's closest friend. They protect each other. They're two sides of the same coin. And when push comes to shove, when Camelot or one of them is in danger, in those big moments they're there for each other and trust in each other.

But. Merlin and Arthur aren't rivals, they aren't enemies. They aren't just supposed to pull together every other month because they have to. They have a relationship outside of that, they're supposedly friends. Yet Merlin risks his life to protect Arthur every single day he even so much as breathes within Camelot's borders and Arthur treats him like shit. He doesn't trust Merlin, not really.

Merlin often is the first to find out traitors in Camelot and there's always the moment when he decides to warn Arthur - who then ridicules Merlin and doesn't spare his accusations another thought. The first time it happens is 1x02 and from then on it happens again and again. Merlin turns out to be right every single time. And yet, at least 5 years after the business with the magic shield'n'snakes, when Merlin comes to Arthur and repeatedly warns him about Agravaine Arthur threatens Merlin.

In fact he acts surprised every time Merlin does something useful or smart. These men have been friends, best friends for years and Arthur regularly learns that there's more to Merlin and that he can be trusted and still, as long as they're just living their everyday lives without imminent threat looming over their heads, Arthur thinks of Merlin as an incompetent idiot and only takes bis words seriously when it suits him.

Then in the finale, the moment we've all been waiting for: The big reveal, Merlin tells Arthur about his magic. Merlin has taken care of him, protected him, tended to his wounds and now finally trust him with his big secret. And what Arthur does, first chance he gets, is to sell him out. Luckily just to Gaius who's no threat to Merlin.

So yeah, Arthur relies on Merlin for support and Merlin gives it to him freely. He doesn't mind. But Arthur never fully appreciates or respects or trusts Merlin. I don't hate Arthur, I know he's trying, I know he has a lot to deal with and I know how he was raised. But I hate the way Arthur treats Merlin and that's why I will never ship Merthur, even though the fandom is amazing.

[merlinfic]

Looking for a fic where Arthur finds out about Merlin’s magic and starts a…like a underground resistance/spy group consisting of castle servants and knights and people around Camelot, against Uther to eventually usurp him from the throne. There was one specific scene where Arthur feels guilty for doing this to his father, but reasons with himself that it’s necessary.

That’s probably The Warlock's Quickening by Antares8!

Summary: Merlin might have come to Camelot to master his magic, not to end the Purge, but he's not going to sit idly by while his kin suffer. Oh no. Whether it's releasing a chained dragon, smuggling sorcerers out of the city, or trying to change Arthur's mind, he's fighting back. Now. Series rewrite beginning after 1X02 featuring Proactive!Merlin. AU.

[southfarthing]

ive never understood why merlin says he'll forgive arthur for sacking him in 1x02 if arthur buys him a drink... like they're at a royal feast? the prince gets drinks for free??? was merlin gonna take the money and then steal a drink?????? episode two and already the little guy is doing magic in camelot, started two fights with the prince, dropped a chandelier on a sorceress and caused her death, and got sacked for talking shit about a knight, and now he's just turning to petty fraud because it would be very funny to trick that money out of the prince?????? love that for him

[camelotsheart]

Alright. I’m watching 1x11 and trying a new way of liveblogging. Which is just me writing random paragraphs. Enjoy.

A creature of magic mourning the loss of a creature of magic 😭

“Arthur is a hunter. It's in his blood. Whereas you are something entirely different.“ reminds me of “He is a weapon, a killer. Do not forget it. You can use a spear as a walking stick, but that will not change its nature.“ “You are wrong.” Especially with the way that Arthur then proves what is in his heart by the end of the episode, and how his ‘heart’ is shown to constantly guide him towards the ‘correct’ choice in s5 (e.g. “My heart says do anything I can to save Mordred.“)

“You've got a face like a wounded bear ever since we got back from that hunting trip." Arthur means bear. I have no idea what to do with this information.

The unicorn as a metaphor for those sorcerers who “do no harm” and thus Camelot serves no purpose in killing them. Especially since people like the Disir and Alator describe the purge as a “hunt”.

The drought serving as a parallel to the events that happened before the purge to Uther, in that Arthur sees all the harm that “magic” is doing to the land and his people, just like Uther witnesses Ygraine’s death. Arthur initially refuses to accept that what happens is caused by him, just like Uther does. But unlike Uther, Arthur is able to acknowledge his mistakes given time (it’s interesting how in the book adaptation of 1x02 merlin makes this comparison too)

“If it is magic, it's more powerful magic than I possess.“ So unicorn magic is more powerful than Merlin’s magic. Would dragon magic be more powerful too? Is that why Merlin couldn’t heal Arthur from the poison of Mordred’s sword tha was forged in a dragon’s breath?

Merlin not understanding hand signals is my life 😂💖

Ok I can literally draw so many parallels between Anhora and Arthur’s first conversation, and Nimueh and Uther’s conversation in 1x09. Especially from how both Arthur and Uther seem completely unable to understand how the ‘curse’ that happened to Ygraine and Camelot was technically their fault.

“And could you bear for your children to see you be executed?“ The way in which Arthur says this breaks my heart because he does understand the feeling of blaming himself for the loss of a parent, just like those hypothetical children would. This is highlighted more by the fact that Evan later plays on Arthur’s insecurities about being his father’s son.

“If you're tested again, you have a chance to end your people's suffering. I know you want that more than anything." Reminds me of what Bradley says about Arthur putting Camelot above everything, even his personal relationships. Compare this to Lancelot and Merlin, who’s “something that is more important than anything” is a person (or people, in the case of Lancelot).

I LOVE S1 MORGANA. S1 AND 2 MORGWEN WOULD HAVE MADE A PERFECT QUEEN DUO FIGHT ME.

Merlin’s face when Arthur says he’s going to the forest to seek Anhorra out 🥺 Also the way he looks back like he wants to see the exact moment Arthur figures out that he’s eating rat meat 🤣 Merlin’s sarcastic little nod. Arthur’s shit-eating grin. This is what I mean by sibling dynamics.

AND THEN THEY TURN ON MORGANA ASDJSAJASLDKKLDJSA. MERLIN. ARTHUR. NO 🤣🤣🤣

“The King must wonder if you are even his son.“ I absolutely do not like how Anhora chose to do the test with Evan here. I hate it. But it does prepare Arthur for a lot of things. It prepares him to do things his father normally would not do. It prepares him to ignore when people compare him to his father (not that it worked with Agravaine, but Arthur does eventually come around most of the time with Merlin’s help). I find it like a mini 5x03 in a way. Also the fact that Arthur doesn’t even try to defend himself by saying that the looter would have been executed by the law of the land anyway; because deep down he knows that reasoning is wrong. What needs to be changed currently is Arthur’s arrogance in regards to his honour, not his internal morals. He has already proven his internal morals with saving Mordred, laying down his life in 1x09, as well as rescuing Ealdor and his reaction to finding out Will was a sorcerer in 1x10. Right now, Arthur needs to be able to accept that he is wrong.

“Besides I would rather starve than beg my enemies for help! What of our kingdom's reputation? Have you no pride?” “I cannot think of my pride when our people go hungry. They're all I can think of.” I’m screaming over the fact that what ends up beating sense into Arthur is his love for his people. I want to cry. He loves his people so much that his battle cry is “for the love of Camelot” 😭❤️

“Very well. But if you'd caught the sorcerer, I would not have to. That's your responsibility! One day you will understand what it takes to be King!” One day, Uther, you’ll learn to blame yourself for other people’s suffering.

“My people are starving. Camelot is on the verge of collapse. And it is all my doing.“ IT DIDN’T EVEN TAKE ARTHUR A DAY TO LEARN THIS I WANT TO CRY 😭 FUCK YOU UTHER YOU DON’T DESERVE ARTHUR AT ALL. (also the fact that Arthur fiddles with Ygraine’s ring as he says this 😭❤️)

“I trust Arthur with my life” the fact that arthur proves that trust right both in this episode by drinking the goblet and in the previous episode by admitting that he “of course” would not kill Will despite thinking he was a sorcerer.

Why the hell does Anhora use a sword to cast the vine spell.

“I thought I told you to stay at home.” Every time Arthur calls Camelot ‘home’ for Merlin I 🥺

Are those carvings... horseshoes...? Making the shape of a heart....? I--

(Sorry guys. By this point it’s 200% certain that my shipper brain is going to take over. Please expect a lot of screaming)

“What kind of ridiculous test is that? What does that prove?” “What it proves is for you to decide.” Which means that by the end, Arthur realizes what this test proves. And he proves what is truly in his heart by sacrificing his life for merlin. Remember “To sacrifice his life to save Gwen’s... I can’t imagine any man loving me so much.” “I certainly can’t imagine that either” “That’s because you’re not like Merlin. He’s a lover” “Yeah? Maybe that’s because I haven’t found the right person to love”. Remember how in the book adaptation this episode, it says that Arthur proves that there is love in his heart by giving his life for Merlin? Remember “there was magic at the heart of Camelot”? Remember how in the book version Arthur doesn’t deny having love in his heart when Anhora says so when the Unicorn lives again, and instead turns his head to smile at Merlin--

“I’m glad you’re here, Merlin.” @thebookluvrr1816​ More 1x11-finale parallels to scream about 😭 The book version describes Merlin’s surprise at this statement, and how he thought it was “ironic and unfair” that they understood each other "at the very moment that death was about to tear them apart.”

“No, I will drink it!” “As if I’d let you.” Someone stop these dollopheads from having a domestic about who will die for the other i beg

“You know me, Merlin. I never listen to you.” reminds me of “I’m the king Merlin, you can’t tell me what to do.” “I always have. I’m not going to change now.” Also, in the books Arthur actually says “farewell, Merlin” after this. Book Arthur is way more suave just saying.

HOW ARTHUR LOOKS INTO MERLIN’S EYES IN HIS FINAL MOMENTS UNTIL HE ISN’T PHYSICALLY ABLE TO ANYMORE. SOMEONE HELP ME 😭

“This was Arthur's test, not yours.“ idk but this reminds me of the fisher king saying “For this is not Arthur's quest, it is yours.“

“You've killed him! I was meant to protect him!” This is going to sound harsh but by this point I think Merlin was still putting Arthur’s destiny above Arthur himself. In the books, there’s a distinct difference in how he feels about Arthur’s death in this scene compared to 1x13 (I’m amazed at how fast his feelings changes, actually). Here, I feel like he focuses more on his own failure to protect Arthur as part of his destiny, but in 1x13, he says that the idea of destiny not being fulfilled was nothing compared to the idea of not being by Arthur’s side. I wonder what happens between this and 1x13 for Merlin’s feelings to change so much.

THIS HAS PROBABLY BEEN STATED MULTIPLE TIMES BEFORE BUT “HE HAS PROVEN WHAT IS TRULY IN HIS HEART“ AS THE CAMERA FOCUSES ON MERLIN. PRODUCERS YOU AIN’T SNEAKY.

Merlin’s smile as he looks down at Arthur sleeping 🥺

Arthur looking at Uther’s hand on his shoulder as if he’s trying to identify a foreign object 🙂 I can never say this enough but fuck you Uther.

“When he who kills a unicorn proves himself to be pure of heart, the unicorn will live again.” this is a stretch but it reminds me of “when Albion’s need is greatest, Arthur will rise again.”

And that’s done! I have a small meta that ties the theme of Arthur and magic in this episode to the same themes in 1x10, but I might do it on a separate post since this one is already so long 😂

[helpagirlout-lander]

At this wonderful time of the year -- that is the DROUGHT(lander) -- I thought I’d do a recap master list for all you creators out there. We have a few of the seasons available on Netflix this go-around (HUZZAH) but that doesn’t necessarily help those of you who do digital art or gif... so here’s some links!  

Links to Full Episodes: {Take Away to Camelot’s Links: Ep 1-16}

Links to Stills: {Outlander-Online’s UltraHQStills}

Links to Screencaps: {Outlander-Online’s UltraHQCaps by Ep: 1x01, 1x02, 1x03, 1x04, 1x05, 1x06, 1x07 Parts One & Two & Three, 1x08, 1x09, 1x10, 1x11, 1x12, 1x13, 1x14, 1x15, 1x16}

As always, please give credit to your media source if you use their content. @outlander-online​ @takemeawaytocamelot​