#i really woke up and wrote a labyrinth of gedref analysis and yknow what that’s okay

[jaanii]

the labyrinth of gedref is THE best merlin episode there is no argument arthur has so much character development in that episode (which they erase in season 2) but god he learns how others live he learns how MERLIN lives he learns from his mistakes he learns how much merlin means to him and most importantly he learns how to let go of pride and honour in the face of suffering and the people he cares about hurting. he stands up to his father because he doesn’t want innocent people to die - at his hand no less - he accepts that it’s his fault and he pushes through the pain that causes him and tries everything to fix it EVEN DRINKING POISON thinking he’s going to die and not CARING because it means merlin and his kingdom are safe. it’s THE episode that shows what a good king he’ll be. he desperately doesn’t want to act hungry or thirsty around people that aren’t merlin because he doesn’t want them to know that he can’t handle it, that he’s weaker than them. families in camelot go weeks without food probably and with that knowledge arthur doesn’t want to be rendered incapable because he doesn’t have some food, he’s always had food ! he’s always had everything at his fingertips and knowing that most can’t have that genuinely breaks him and gives him the realization that he had to be better !!! and the poison scene my god ! he pulls the cheapest fucking trick in the book so that merlin doesn’t have to drink it, he basically confesses his love in that scene and i don’t even mean just romantic love i mean how much he truly loves and cares for merlin withOUT the pretense of romance (tho it is genuinely the most romantic scene in the show between the two of them like ‘you know me, merlin, i never listen to you’ and then he FUCKING ‘KILLS’ HIMSELF) we know that he’s saved merlin’s life before without hesitating (the poisoned chalice <3) but it’s just so different here, there’s nobody else here to stop him, there’s nobody to witness what he’s going to do, he does it completely selflessly just for merlin because he knows that this is his mess and he has to fix it and he won’t let merlin die for this even tho he’s the sole heir of camelot like??? tell me it’s not the best episode