#never once does uther see merlin as a threat to his fight against magic

[firefly-fez]

Imagine you’re Morgana, though.

You discover this horrible secret about yourself, one that could get you killed. You’ve witnessed people like you be arrested, tortured and killed while everybody you love is either watching it happen, or ordered it to happen.

There are three people who might not harm you. Gaius, Merlin and Gwen.

She goes to Gaius first: the physician she’s trusted since she was a child, but he denies that there’s anything wrong. She’s lied to about her own experiences.

Merlin helped the driud boy. Maybe…maybe he would help her, too. Merlin tries to tell her he understands how she feels, but it makes her angry. How could he understand?

Gwen is her friend. Gwen keeps her secret. Gwen doesn’t think she’s evil, like Uther would. (Gwen also realistically isn’t in a position to actually threaten Morgana, due to her social station. Any commoner accussing a the King’s Ward of magic would likely get themselves sentenced to death.)

Morgana’s position is a horrible one.

Gwen’s father is unjustly executed. She’s raging, furious. Uther isn’t irredeemable, at least not at this point in the story.

But she gets the chance to kill her persecutor, and she takes it.

…Can you honestly blame her?

How do you stand face-to-face with your own persecutors day after day and not have that turn into hatred?

You might point out that Merlin did exactly that. I would argue that he didn’t.

Merlin also stood face-to-face with his persecutors day after day and did not try to kill them. He defended them. Protected them. Threw away every part of himself for them, for their legacy.

People always criticize Morgana for not truly defending the people of magic, but hey, neither did Merlin. He stops defending magic, stops helping other sorcerer’s and puts everything into keeping Arthur alive, driving Mordred away and condemning Arthur.

Merlin and Morgana stand face-to-face with their persecutors every day and it turns to hatred.

It turns Morgana to hatred of her persecutors, and it turns Merlin to self-hatred.

If Morgana hates her persecutors, why turn against Gwen? Why turn against the people of Camelot?

Because that’s what hatred does. That’s what evil does. It continues corrupting, until there’s nothing left.

Merlin telling Morgana about his magic would give her an outlet for what she is going through, a purpose, a way out of her circumstance other than bloodshed.

More than that, it also represents Merlin making a better choice. Fear doesn’t get the better of him, he allows himself a friend who understands his magic and shares it, it’s not just a scenario where Morgana can turn to something other than hatred, it’s a scenario where Merlin doesn’t crumble into self-hatred.

It’s a scenario where they’re both better, where they’re both making better choices.

People who think Morgana would miraculously have been good if Merlin told her about his magic haven’t paid attention. She has always been on the offensive and has had a vendetta. When Tom (Gwen’s dad) was killed she planned on teaming with Alvarr to Kill Uther but as soon as Uther saved her she forgave him and decided to spare him even tho she was planning on exacting revenge for Gwen.

Also when she first turned against Gwen in the beginning. That wasn’t for magic, that’s because she had a dream of Gwen being on the throne, the throne she wanted. That wasn’t for magic and she didn’t try to show gwen the good of magic she immediately tried to have her killed by taking Uther for a ride and exposing Arthur and Gwen’s date. Gwen was her best friend whose never shown prejudice against magic but as soon as she became a threat to her quest for power she planned on using her class and power against her!

TLDR: Gwen is proof on why Merlin was right in not trusting her. And she was never owed anyone’s secrets

[microcroft]

Speaking of Merlin fics, if you don't mind, do you have any recommendations? I'd really appreciate it since Big ADHD means I have little patience for finding good ones -.-'

okay this was sent back in april but tumblr is garbage and i didn't see i had any new messages until right now?? im so sorry Anyway i fuckin get that my dude, except like my adhd does the opposite specifically with merlin fanfiction for the past year which has been my hyperfixation and i have been using to cope with a multitude of issues so you are in luck (if you still want recommendations) because i created a collection of my favorite fics that i am adding to a lot because i read a, quite frankly, concerning amount of merlin fics (there are some non merlin/arthur in it but its mostly merlin/arthur fics)

https://archiveofourown.org/collections/bestfunnylittlemagictwinkfics but more specifically, the ones that immediately come to mind are the long but very good ones that live rent free in my mind, in no particular order, there are a bunch in the collection which are just as good but I am really tired right now and dont want to make this post extremely long so I just want to make sure you (and whoever else may be reading this) know about these ones:

Born of Magic - "Set after 1x13. When Arthur learns he is of magic, he decides it's time to grow out of Uther's shadows. Secrets are revealed, and Arthur comes to learn just how far his father is willing to go in his war against magic. With Merlin on his side, can Arthur build the kingdom he was destined to create?" Arthur has his own cool special brand of Once and Future King magic, merlin also he is adopted by a unicorn.

Para Bellum - "After Merlin goes missing, Arthur forges new alliances to repel a deadly threat to Camelot. Nothing will stop Arthur from finding Merlin, and nothing will stop Merlin from protecting Arthur -- no matter the cost." I will never get enough married Merlin and Arthur fics and this is

The Care and Keeping of Camelot - "With Arthur dead, Camelot's destiny has soured--if it was ever any good to begin with. Gwen is fed up with grief and mediocrity and takes matters into her own hands, returning to the start to make a better Camelot or break history trying. Knighthood, rekindling her first love, and Merlin's silly almanac are all just byproducts." Post Canon Gwen is sent back in time by Merlin fix Camelot using what they learned. Featuring Morgana and Gwen having homoerotic sword fighting lessons and Merlin and Gwen's mlm/wlw solidarity.

For Want of A Nail- "Fleeing from Essetir in the bloody beginnings of the Purge, Hunith finds herself on the doorstep of old friends. That's all it takes to untangle the skeins of destiny and weave a new tapestry." Canon rewrite set in an alternate universe where Merlin grows up with Leon as his adoptive big brother, he has a very good dog, he and Leon give morgana a puppy for her birthday (very important to me), there's a whole lot of pagan rituals (which i fucking love), and merlin is a badass with a staff and throwing knives.

pretty much every CaffeinatedFlumadiddle merlin fic I have read, they are genuine comedic gold and so fucking well written it blows my mind. but out of all of their fics my faves are: Calling the Middle Man (Lancelot's characterization in my head is now entirely based upon this fic) and Thick as Sorcerers (the cat scene had me dying, and also gwen and elyan's dynamic in this fic is so fucking good)

Next to You (It's The Rule) - In which Merlin and Arthur are pining for each other and basically married, and everyone knows it, Merlin is a little shit, and all of Camelot and other kingdoms love him and see him as their ruler because he is honestly running half the kindom. Merlin and Arthur cant cope with being separated from each other, and when they get into a fight the whole kingdom goes into a panic.

(how do i do a secondary bullet???) (i really do love this fic so much, i love reading merlin and arthur being dumbasses together and co-running camelot and the majority of this fic is so unique, funny and like exactly what i look for in fics, so please dont brush it off just based off of this but i want to state that im not a fan of the genuinely-calling-merlin-queen bit. it was funny at the beginning but it did get taken a bit too far at the end in my opinion. i get that it is fantasy medieval times and it makes sense that people probably dont quite grasp that there can be two kings, i could write a whole essay on this topic but in the end it does make me feel uncomfortable, a bit like forcing heteronormativity when you dont have to because its fantasy medieval times not actual medieval times, and misgendering- it honestly did trigger my dysphoria a bit at the end but there is so much in this fic that is so good I can't not recommend it.)

okay there we go im cutting myself off now. if you want any more fics or to talk about merlin at all hmu i mostly just send shit to my friend who has never watched the show but probably has an extensive knowledge on it just from the shit i have been sending her like every day for the past year lmao.

[deborahdeshoftim5779]

Merlin & Arthur’s friendship: clichés versus reality (Part II)

Following on from Merlin & Arthur’s friendship: clichés versus reality Part I, here is part II. 

CLAIM #3: Arthur *constantly* denied that Merlin was his friend

This claim assumes that Arthur was 1)- serious when he did deny being friends with Merlin and 2)- unwilling to change that viewpoint.

Arthur had no need to either deny or admit to being friends with Merlin. Even when he said in episode 2x13 that, “I know I’m a Prince, so we can’t be friends,” the implication is that he does want to be friends. After all, he was insisting that Merlin confide in him. This pattern would repeat in many episodes to come. 

Bear in mind that Arthur has described other people as friends, too. This includes people we never saw onscreen. A clear example comes from episode 5x05, when Arthur was so moved with grief by Sir Ranulf’s death that he personally led a collection of knights to bring the sorcerer Osgar to justice. He explained to Gwen that “...he was a friend. We knew each other as boys.”

So why would Arthur have trouble admitting that Merlin was his friend? The viewpoint that being more arrogant and prejudiced in the earlier seasons, Arthur would not admit to friendship with a servant, does not hold as much water as some think. As early as episode 2x05, Arthur called Merlin a “true friend”, because he (mistakenly) thought that Merlin was criticising Lady Catrina on his behalf. 

Admittedly, the best examples of Arthur accepting Merlin as a friend come from Seasons 4 and 5. 

In episode 4x01, Merlin said, “I always thought that if things hadn’t been different, we’d have been good friends.” Arthur’s response? “Yeah.” During the crucial episode 4x03, Merlin sat outside the throne room all right, facing a crossroads between the end of his dreams and remaining loyal to the king. Of course, Arthur had no idea about this, but he appreciated the gesture. “You are a loyal friend, Merlin.” In episode 4x05, Arthur called Merlin “old friend”, which is self-explanatory. 

It’s also worth noting that even after claiming in episode 4x05 that he didn’t need friends, when Merlin later said, “I’m your friend!”, Arthur did not disagree. 

Now, I could cite the example of episode 4x07, where Arthur said to Merlin, “I’ve had my heart broken once today. I don’t want to lose another friend.” Self-explanatory. But was this proof of their friendship? No. Arthur was essentially threatening to end his friendship with Merlin if the latter continued criticising Agravaine. Later, in episode 4x11, Arthur again threatened to banish Merlin for the second time (thus ending their friendship) if he accused Agravaine of treason again. This once again shows how Arthur associated loyalty with family first. 

One of the best examples comes from episode 4x13: “I came back because you’re the only friend I have, and I couldn’t bear to lose you.” Is Merlin Arthur’s only friend? No. However, out of all Arthur’s friends, Merlin was his best friend, and losing almost everyone and everything else made him realise that yet again. 

Then we have all the actions which prove Arthur considered Merlin as a friend. 

For example relied on Merlin’s opinion, as Princess Mithian rightly observed in episode 4x11. “One thing I’ve learned since being here is that Arthur values your opinion above almost all others.” 

He complained about Merlin’s periods of silence and broodiness, like in episode 3x05: “Come on: I’m missing your usual prattle!” In episode 3x09, after noting that Merlin was upset, he said, “For goodness’ sake, what is your problem?”

Another example comes from episode 5x01, where Arthur noted Merlin sitting outside the camp and took the time to find out why he was “so upset”. 

The example from episode 5x05 is self-explanatory: “Seriously, I haven’t seen you smile these past three days.” Arthur relies on Merlin’s cheerfulness to remain optimistic, because he faces the constant threat of death. Notice that shortly after Merlin’s sombre mood, Arthur stopped dismissing Osgar’s warnings about The Disir.

As if this were not enough, look at Arthur spending downtime with Merlin. A great example comes from episode 3x04, where Arthur decides on “a nice, cold tankard of mead” after hunting. In episode 3x13, both were sitting on the courtyard steps discussing the future of the kingdom. Even despite his strenuous denials and ingratitude in episode 4x05, you can see Arthur gesture for Merlin to sit down the morning after they captured Caerleon.

What about all the hunting trips? Arthur knows that Merlin hates hunting (in fact, he takes pleasure in this fact), yet still brought him along, as episodes 1x13, 3x04, 4x11, 5x03, and 5x11 show. 

By far my favourite example comes from episode 5x12, when Arthur and Merlin were playing dice at the tavern. (I don’t know iwhat this game was called.) In my view, this happened regularly. Why else would the common people watch and laugh while Merlin poked fun at their king? (Percival’s face was classic.) And why was Arthur playing against Merlin? When did Merlin learn how to play dice? Who taught him? When? 

Obviously, I do not know, but it’s worth asking. 

Despite being speechless after Merlin “won” the game, Arthur let Merlin “win” all of his money. (Clearly, Arthur was the better player: “Feel free to retire at any time.” The king only used theatrics to get the right dice roll, while Merlin cheated with magic each time. If Merlin hadn’t “coughed”, then Arthur would have rolled correctly a second time. Hence why Arthur said beforehand, “Enjoy this moment, Merlin… while it lasts.”) 

Look at Arthur, who was dressed in a plain shirt, rather than his armour and cloak. When we put this scene in conjunction with episode 3x04, where Arthur again wore plain clothes, we can see that he enjoyed these moments of normality. “There’s no better place to measure the mood of your people than the local tavern… I’m just a simple peasant like everybody else.”

So where is this strenuous denial? Nowhere. Arthur never constantly denied that Merlin was his friend. Nor did he only admit this in secret, otherwise the great dice scene in episode 5x12 would never have happened. Sure, the people might have been astonished to see their great king playing against a servant, but they must also have known that if Arthur allowed himself to be “beaten” at a game by his servant, the latter must be his friend. 

CLAIM #4: Merlin was usually/always (in the) right

Wrong. Being right most of the time does not mean being right all of the time. Merlin failed to realise this, and consequently made grievous errors throughout the series. The most grievous errors came when he tried to fight against death. Episode 3x05 shows this; all of the grief and pain suffered by Arthur, Gwen, and Uther stemmed from Merlin mortally injuring Morgana in a bid to prevent her from killing the king. 

He effectively ignored the warning to “use what you see for good.” 

Then we have the example to end all examples; Merlin’s recklessness, presumptuousness, bold-faced hypocrisy, coldness, prejudice, and most of all, jealousy towards Sir Mordred. 

Even as early as episode 1x08, Merlin almost let the boy Mordred die on account of a prophecy. At least back then he questioned it before hiding in bed like a coward. Mordred also blamed Merlin for Uther’s carnage in episode 2x11, though in the case of that episode and episode 2x03, I think Merlin’s actions were no worse than presumptuous. 

It gets far worse in episode 5x02, when Merlin yelled, “You should have killed him!”, to which Arthur rightly said, “What is wrong with you?” Mordred saw that he could not jump across the gorge, so he surrendered and walked away. (He probably knew that Arthur would arrive in Ismere soon, as his later conversation with Morgana demonstrates.) 

Later on, Arthur gave Merlin another strange look after Merlin said, “I told you, you should have killed him when you had the chance.” How could someone usually so compassionate insist on executing a man who stopped threatening them?

Remember how Merlin reacted to Arthur killing Caerleon in episode 4x05, despite having plenty of evidence that Caerleon was a threat to Arthur’s life?

By the way, episodes 5x01 and 5x02 are my favourite examples of Merlin being horrendously wrong. Other episodes include 5x05, and the crucial errors he made in episode 5x11. (I watched most of episode 5x11 last Sunday, and I was floored. It shook me more than 5x12 and 5x13, which I had also been avoiding for years.) 

Going back to episodes 5x01 and 5x02 (because episode 5x11 is too depressing): if Arthur had listened to Merlin’s “advice”, he would have abandoned his knights to a slow death in slavery. He would also have committed murder, simply on Merlin’s say-so. If you kill someone who is defenceless and has surrendered, that is murder-- regardless of whether, like Merlin, you are desperately scared of a prophecy and speaking without thinking. 

Also, if Arthur had rushed back to Camelot on Merlin’s say-so, he might well have been assassinated by Ruadan. 

Most of all, almost everything that Merlin “advised” violated Arthur’s core beliefs-- the very beliefs that made Merlin respect Arthur in the first place. It’s astonishing that Arthur had to explain no less than five times that he would never abandon any of his men, otherwise he would be abandoning his own values and the values that built Camelot. 

So desperate is Merlin to fight against death that he either quietly ignores this advice, or claims he agrees, only to try dissuading Arthur later on. 

Just to be clear: I perfectly understand that beneath all Merlin’s horrible advice and prevarication, he does not want to lose his friend. 

However, just watch Merlin’s marvellous inconsistency throughout episode 5x01. First, he plays Devil’s Advocate by asking Arthur, “Do you really think Gwaine and Percival could still be alive?” Arthur says he has to find out, because they are knights of Camelot. Merlin says, “I understand.” Of course he did. 

Bear in mind that this happened before Merlin learned of the prophecy. Some have therefore asked what made Merlin unwilling to look for the missing knights, who were his friends. 

In Annis’ castle, Merlin said, “I’m not sure we should go to Ismere.” On the other hand, Arthur, acting on reliable information that Morgana had rounded up slaves, took this as a sign that his mission was right. Merlin tried arguing, then gave up. One might assume that after two rational explanations, Merlin would see reason, particularly since even Kilgharrah could not confirm that the fated battle would take place. 

But no. After the knights left Annis’ lands, Merlin complained again that Morgana was “powerful… dangerous.” So, Arthur explained yet again that “no matter what lies ahead of me, I won’t abandon them.” Merlin respected this answer, because he said, “I understand. I wish I didn’t-- but I do.” (Why does he wish he did not understand why Arthur would risk his life for all of his soldiers?) 

But the very next day, after the ambush, Merlin turned to rage: “The two of us against Morgana, are you mad?” He tried stopping Arthur from going any further. So Arthur explained himself again. Consequently, Merlin continued following Arthur. 

The very same night, he once again insisted that, “We have to turn back.” Arthur explained himself yet again, and Merlin promised to “protect you or die at your side.”

Which one is it? Not to mention that in episode 5x02, instead of apologising for his carelessness, Merlin said, “And I told you to go back to Camelot.” This is silly, given that Arthur had already refused to return on numerous occasions until he had rescued his men, assuming they were still alive. 

The most hilarious example comes later, when Merlin says, “We can’t let them hand us over to Morgana: we need to get out of here, we need a plan.” But when Arthur comes up with that plan, what does Merlin say? “You’ve got to be joking!”, “You should have killed him!”, “Next time, we might not be so lucky.”, “We’ll never make it in there.”, and “How did you talk me into this?” 

Again, which one is it?

I know why Merlin behaved this way, of course. However, there’s a difference between the noble goal of protecting your friend, and ignoring everything and everyone else in order to reach that goal-- particularly through controlling means. Throughout the series, Merlin’s biggest fault comes from his controlling tendencies, which always backfire. And he never learns.  

In this way, Merlin shackled Arthur with unrealistic expectations about a Golden Age based on prophecies that he could not verify. Somehow, this Golden Age had now become evading Arthur’s death. He wanted Arthur to share that belief. Worse, even while his motives came from a noble goal, he treated other people as expendable. 

Another example of Merlin’s absurd reasoning comes from the fateful episode 5x05. Putting aside the fact that Merlin tried claming that sentencing Mordred to die was an acceptable price to pay “for Camelot”, he also previously claimed that, “I do care. About who you are, Arthur. Who you are destined to become.” 

This makes zero sense, given that Arthur had already taken the throne and “brought peace to the kingdom” (episode 5x03). What more did he have to achieve? It depends on who you ask: bringing back magic, uniting the five kingdoms, eternal peace, avoiding the prophecy about Mordred, bowing to the Triple Goddess, being the greatest king this land has ever known… 

Can you see how unrealistic this is? Moreover, can you see how Merlin used Arthur as a vehicle of his own unrealistic ambitions? This is why the Golden Age never happened: it was a myth. It allowed the Druids, Gaius, Kilgharrah, etc. to live vicariously through the new king. 

Bringing back magic was impossible while Morgana continued using it for great evil. (And the Triple Goddess, who complained about Arthur persecuting sorcery, allowed Morgana to continue that evil conduct.)

Arthur did take considerable steps to uniting the kingdoms, particularly when he signed a treaty with King Odin in episode 5x04. But eternal peace? Impossible, otherwise episodes 5x01 and 5x02 would not have happened. 

The unbiquitous prophecy about Mordred was never backed by evidence, leaving Merlin in a state of constant paranoia, and causing him to make horrible errors. This despite the fact that, by his own admission, “I like him [Mordred] myself.” [1]

Bowing to the Triple Goddess was nothing but blackmail using Mordred’s life as a bargaining chip. This once again shows how many sorcerers had caused chaos and misery. Remember, this same Triple Goddess used torture techniques such as controlling people’s minds using the Fomorroh, as Morgana explained in episode 4x06. 

While I believe that the persecution of peaceful sorcerers was wrong, Arthur had no quarrel with the Druids (episode 5x11), and he still had good reason for banning sorcery (also explained in episode 5x11). Nobody, not even Merlin, gave him a reason to change his mind. Kara definitely did not, for she wasn’t executed for being a Druid: she was executed for murder and attempted murder. 

As for being the greatest king this land had ever known… Well, Arthur appreciated that statement in episode 4x12. However, when Merlin spoke of the greatest kingdom in the world in episode 4x13, Arthur said, “You’re making this up.”

In episode 5x01, Merlin claimed that, “Arthur, without you, Camelot is nothing.” Arthur disagreed, saying that abandoning his men was worse than surviving Morgana. Even in episode 5x04, Arthur accepted his death. “So be it. But understand this, Odin: you kill me, and you’ll have all of Camelot to answer to.” Odin was astonished that a king could have such confidence in the face of death. 

The most important example comes from episode 5x13. Merlin said the same thing about Camelot being nothing without Arthur, to which the dying king said, “There was a time when that was true. Not now. There are many who can fill the crown.” And of course, he gave the royal seal to Gwen. Can anyone argue with this? 

I guess you could say that Arthur didn’t believe his own hype.

Indeed, Arthur felt satisfied about what he had achieved in his life. “Everything you’ve done, I know now. For me, for Camelot. For the kingdom you helped me build.” (Episode 5x13). That was it. Arthur knew that he had changed Camelot for the better, that Merlin killing his half-sister had brought “peace at last”, and that he owed Merlin an unpayable debt for helping him to achieve all of these goals. 

Why did Arthur accept the certainty of his death for so long? Because he believed his cause was right, and his death would help save the lives of thousands in Camelot. Dying in service to Camelot was his real destiny. It was inevitable, and to him, it was the most honourable act he would ever undertake. 

You cannot know how great you will be until you die. “That’s the way things work, I’m afraid. You get the glory when you’re not around to appreciate it.” (Episode 4x06). At that point, you will never see your legacy. Merlin either did not know that, or he did not want to know it. 

Arthur’s death ultimately serves as the greatest evidence that Merlin was wrong the whole time.

TO BE CONTINUED IN PART III

FOOTNOTES

[1]  I don’t doubt that Merlin liked Mordred. In fact, the scene in episode 5x05, where Merlin buried Osgar, shows how difficult it was for him to maintain his mistrust when the druid was so polite and perceptive. So why the contradiction? Why claim you like someone, yet insist that they would commit regicide? The answer is that Merlin used the prophecy as an excuse. In fact, his prejudice against Mordred had more to do with jealousy than the prophecy. After being involved in an attempt to trade Arthur and Merlin as slaves to Morgana, Arthur knighted the druid for one noble act. Did Merlin aspire to be a knight? I don’t know. He definitely wanted that same level of trust and respect given to Mordred, though, and knighthood created a bond that a servant could not have.

[heka-write]

Merlin Rewrite #2: Morgana’s Character Arc

Doing this rewrite series has made me realize that all of the characters in this show had a lot of lost potential. Merlin could have been more enlightened, Arthur could have been more accepting, Gwen could have had more natural character development. But Morgana was probably the most robbed character of all, and I think the show mishandling her character was ultimately one of it’s downfalls. 

Morgana Pre -Villain days

Morgana was really at her peak in Seasons 1 and 2. She was good at heart, but also edgy enough to be a rebel. She cared for the citizen’s of Camelot, both magical and non-magical. She scolded Uther’s treatment of the poor and the magicians, in contrast to Arthur who was more hesitant to question his father’s policies. 

More importantly, she was complex. She hated Uther’s policies and did plot to kill him so he could be overthrown, but when time came to actually go through with her plan (in Season 1 episode 12) she couldn’t do it. Not only does she really care about Uther, but she was good at heart. She couldn’t kill.

Even in the season 2 finale when she plots to kill Uther again, she shows such reservation on going through with her plan. You can see how hesitant and regretful she looks after the plan is set in motion. 

Then Merlin poisons her. She is visibly hurt and shows feelings of betrayal.  Morgause takes her away, and she is gone for a year. 

Naturally, her hatred for Camelot grows, and her anger for Merlin for betraying her is intact. It makes sense for her to try overthrowing Camelot once again. 

So what part of her arc in the show doesn’t make sense? 

Morgana’s Behavior Post-Villain 

Morgana comes back, rightfully mad at Uther, rightfully distrustful of Merlin, but she is suddenly brutally killing harmless guards, and letting innocent civilians die. 

Good? The whole reason Morgana went against Uther in the first place was because he was killing innocent people. Why would she say “good” or even put other innocent people at risk? Morgana joining the villain team because she has no other way of fighting against Uther’s tyranny makes sense, but this? This is straight up OOC. 

People often talk about how Morgana wasn’t an effective villain. Seasons 3-5 are essentially three seasons of Morgana trying a scheme to overthrow Arthur, failing and trying again the next episode. Critics are definitely right in this respect; the only thing that she really accomplished was killing Uther, and Arthur in the very end (but also dying herself, so that doesn’t really count) all of her other plans fail repeatedly. We know Merlin will come in at the end of the episode (or the next if it’s a two parter) and thwart her plan. 

In season 1, we had a different villain every week. Each one had their own unique personality and goals so seeing them fail didn’t get repetitive the same way it did for Morgana. 

Not only that, but her motivation was completely whack. Her goal was to protect innocent magical people from being killed, but she killed plenty of innocent people herself. How exactly would that work? None of the peaceful magical people would bow down to her if she looked like she would be a ruthless and cold leader. 

Her hatred of Gwen in particular came out of left field. Morgana had a strong bond with Arthur before becoming evil, and it made a bit of sense as to her hating him because he was following in Uther’s footsteps. However, her bond with Gwen was completely shoved under the rug for the sake of causing conflict. The show was trying to say she hated Gwen because she betrayed her (in her Season 3 takeover), but where did the hatred of her becoming Queen come from? Morgana never cared about royalty until she found out she had a right to the throne, so why is Gwen such a threat to her when they had an intense bond? When just the prior season she was begging Uther to save her (Guinevere and Lancelot)? Morgana didn’t just hate the way Uther treated magicians, she hated the way he treated the poorer civilians of his Kingdom. Her hatred of Gwen completely contradicted her motivations. 

I’ve watched the show twice as of now. The fact that I can’t pinpoint the exact actions or reasons as to why Morgana started hating her best friend shows how convoluted it all was. 

Back to her bond with Arthur, the aftermath of that bond wasn’t addressed well either. They were super close in season 1, distant in season 2, and after season 3 they are just enemies. There is no recollection of their pre-villain bond. No moments of hesitation or complexity. No mention of their bond before Merlin even came to Camelot. Morgana simply hated him and he simply treated her as an enemy. We only get some half assed lines about “my sister” or “my brother”, there is no real feeling behind them. 

All in all, Morgana was not an effective villain action wise nor motivation wise. Villains are nothing without their motivation, and the thing about Morgana is that her motivation was not evil. 

Her motivation was that she wanted to protect magical people from unjust persecution. Camelot embodied that oppression. Uther was a tyrant. Her motivation was actually good, but because it went against the hero’s (Merlin and Arthur) destiny, she was automatically vilified by the narrative. 

The reason Morgana failed as an evil character was because the writers’ were too desperate to have a consistent villain. They wanted a final boss instead of a villain of the week routine. It didn’t matter that Morgana’s motivation made little sense in portraying her as evil. It didn’t matter that two seasons of character interaction and relationships were being contradicted. As long as they could have a FV they would do it.  Morgana failed as a character because the writer’s shoved her complexity under the rug for the sake of making her a villain instead of embracing her complexity and letting it flourish. 

How it Should Have Been Done

I have spent the entirety of this post talking about how badly Morgana’s villain arc was handled, but I am not against the idea of her having a villain arc. In fact, I think Morgana would have perfectly suited the anti- hero arc, one where she joins the villains to fulfill the needs the hero team can’t meet, but ultimately comes back to the good side with a fresh perspective. 

Other people have pointed this out, but Morgana’s character would have been perfect for a lancer arc in the five-man band. In this case it would be the four-man band of her, Merlin, Arthur and Gwen. 

Arthur is the hero of the show, and in true lawful good nature he follows the law of the land and is completely loyal to his father’s ways. Morgana, in the lancer contrast, is more chaotic good and does what she thinks is right, regardless of if it is lawful or not. She has openly rebelled against Uther for what she thought was right. Morgana and Arthur were presented as complete foils to one another, and it fit perfectly well because they were half brother and sister. 

It does total sense for Morgana, not having any other resource to turn to, to join the villains to take down Camelot. Especially since Merlin had kept her in the dark, she could have joined them or worked with them but not go completely off the rails like she did in the show. 

A prime example of this is Sasuke Uchiha from Naruto. Sasuke was more morally ambiguous than Naruto or anyone in the Leaf Village, so he temporarily joined the villain Orochimaru to achieve his goals of getting revenge on his brother because his hometown simply could not help him. However (in the early days of the show) even when he was with Orochimaru he would not kill innocent people. The show had implied since the beginning that Sasuke would eventually come back to the good side, because he was never truly evil.

Plenty of other shows have followed a similar arc structure, and even though it may be cliche to some it would have been beneficial for Morgana’s character because it keeps her complexity while also highlighting the complexity of the issue.

Morgana, in her time away from Camelot, would have to struggle in deciding which side to choose. The villains would insist that the only way to get rid of Uther’s unjust laws is to hurt the citizens of Camelot, but she wouldn’t do it because she knows that’s wrong. Arthur and Camelot would insist that the only way to rid the world of the evils of magic would be to persecute magicians, but she would stand against that too. In her time away, she would learn that there aren’t just two sides to a problem, that the world isn’t black or white. That instead of joining Morgause or any other magical villain, she could join the Druids and other peaceful magical people in protest and rebellion. 

 If she eventually came back to help Camelot, this would have a positive affect on Arthur as well. The girl he thought betrayed him came back to help him, despite the fact that she is now working with magicians. He would be confused because his father had taught him his whole life that magic was wrong, but his own half sister would be fighting for good. 

Arthur and Morgana relationship could be a lot more fleshed out and complex. Arthur would be fighting the side of Camelot’s protection, Morgana would be fighting the side of innocent magician’s protection, and they would eventually have to come together and find an even solution that meets halfway. It would be especially symbolic because it would mean Uther’s children are bringing peace to the land by bringing together both sides that he had failed. This type of rivalry of philosophies in fiction is almost always done in male-male or fraternal relationships, so having it done through a brother and sister relationship would be something new. 

The middle ground that these two siblings would meet would obviously be through Merlin. He has always the one in the shadows mediating relations between Camelot and the magician, so having him do the same thing between Arthur and Morgana and eventually bring peace through that would earn him his title in the show. This would be possible if Morgana was still IC, and not just turned completely into a villain and closed off to Merlin. This scenario would be much more preferable than him simply taking Arthur’s side and eliminating anything that got in the way. The show completely threw his bond with Morgana under the bus for the sake of Merthur and fulfilling his destiny, and I think that was ultimately his downfall (but I’ll get into that in another post). 

This scenario could also fix the problems with her relationship with Gwen after season 3. I could definitely see Morgana being away from Camelot and resentful of it, but coming back to help save Gwen when she is in danger. Arthur would be annoyed, but reluctantly accept her help because someone they both care about is in danger. 

I could also see Gwen being resistant to Morgana, but ultimately accepting her because Morgana proves she is loyal to her, the same way she was before she found out she had magic. 

This storyline for Morgana would also make so much sense because in the Arthurian legend (to my knowledge) she does get redeemed at the very end. She does turn good, so why couldn’t the writer’s give her this chance in the show? 

In conclusion, this storyline for Morgana would have been 10000x better for the show than what we really got. The reason the real ending failed was because Arthur and Merlin ultimately failed. They failed to bring magic back to Camelot. They failed to bring peace. Arthur failed to live on as a successful king. They failed because they refused to acknowledge the humanity in Morgana’s argument, and the side of the magical people. If Merlin had reached out to the opposite side (the side that he has ties to), he would have been able to win them over. If he defended Morgana in front of Arthur more, she would have stayed good. Instead, anything against Camelot was automatically labeled as evil, and nothing was really able to change. The show just continued the cycle of two sides, and failed to bring them together because it failed to let Morgana be seen as a complex leader of her side. But I’ll get into the detail of Merlin’s toxic loyalty to Camelot in a different post. 

Believe it or not, this post was actually cut short. In the upcoming installments of the “Rewriting Merlin” series, a lot of my other posts would be influenced by a better Morgana storyline. That’s how important she was to the show. 

[instantpansies]

so i finished season 2 and then fell asleep and then watched a musical and waited a day so here's my slightly less emotionally charged review of merlin as of yet (if anyone's worried about spoilers... i'm sorry. but also there should be mild but not major spoilers ahead):

i went into this show not expecting anything in particular. i was already quite familiar with the overarching plot, many of the characters and important events, and a general "vibe" of the show, as it were. i've seen plenty of youtube compilations of its best moments and i'm somewhat familiar with the edges of the fandom and a little bit of fanfiction, but i've never gotten deep into it. i was expecting a show with typically bbc stylings in dialogue, performance, and humor; compelling characters; and a story that didn't start taking shape until quite late in the series. i was also expecting a heavy emphasis from the writers on the show's interpersonal relationships, as well as the internal conflict and struggles of its characters.

i'll address each of those expectations as i go. bear with me.

in terms of this type of sort-of-historical story retelling shows that public broadcasting loves, bbc merlin is. not bad. it's fairly standard for its genre, with mostly passable vaguely british humor (by which i mean it has a generally british tone but it's not the in-your-face absurdity and "out-of-pocketness" that some shows really push), a definite direction, a couple of decent characters, and quite good acting most of the time. it definitely seems to be trying to follow the general vibes of the legends, though it uses a healthy does of artistic license, and across the board it at least is somewhat self-aware. knows what it's trying to be.

however. in the process of steering the plot full speed ahead to its goals, it sacrifices a significant amount of watchability. as a first-time viewer there were so many points where i felt the plot of each episode was completely sacrificed to make sure it all fit in with the greater story. there was no time to breathe for the audience or the characters, just one enemy after the other. nearly every episode began with a peek into the workings of the newest enemy to rise up against camelot and their plot to destroy the king or kill the crops or bring about arthur's downfall or something similar. an episode nearly always progresses in a formulaic manner from this point: a threat rises, the kingdom is unprepared, uther is only mildly concerned, arthur and knights go try to fight it and realize it's more powerful than they thought, gaius tells merlin it must be magic. merlin tries to fight it on his own, then fails and typically goes to an absolutely fucking insufferable dragon for magical advice. eventually the knights and arthur go try to stop it again and merlin secretly helps from behind and the day is saved. uther and arthur's opinion of magic is once again cemented as "magic is dangerous and awful and should be wiped from the face of the earth". merlin is never noticed or thanked, because he can't reveal himself as a wizard. the episode ends.

while we're talking about this i'll go on to a tangential point: WE NEVER GET TO SEE MAGIC BEING USED FOR GOOD EXCEPT BY MERLIN. there are i think three episodes across two seasons so far in which we've met a magic user who is not using dark magic to rid the world of uther pendragon. so though the show tells us that uther is wrong and merlin is right, that magic is a tool that can be used for good, the show NEVER DEMONSTRATES IT. EXCEPT WITH MERLIN. merlin is almost the only one we ever see do anything non-hostile or non-harmful with magic. which is not a very compelling argument to uther or arthur that magic is usually good. because as we've seen, magic is literally almost never good. so there's a disconnect between the show's explicit message and its demonstration of that message. they're saying almost but not quite opposite things. even if, hypothetically, merlin revealed his magic and convinced arthur that it could be used for good, it would only lead to a "one of the good ones" mentality. that does nothing for either magic users' safety and wellbeing OR arthur's change of heart. the way the show frames magic puts it in a net-negative light, which completely goes against its desired message.

anyways back to the show as it is presented. as i said, the individual plotlines tend to be rather formulaic, which is not always a bad thing (see phineas and ferb), but in merlin's case it doesn't do the show any favors. the show sacrifices individual episodes for the sake of its final plot destination, with every episode that doesn't directly affect the main plot still being just as high-stakes and fast-paced as the episodes that are more main-plot-focused. there are a few exceptions - i mentioned earlier that the troll episodes (beauty and the beast part 1 and 2, 2x05 and 2x06) were actually quite entertaining and felt like a bit of a breather in comparison to the breakneck pacing of the main plotline. though those episodes were still fairly high-stakes, in the grand scheme of things they were still a good break from the intensity that hasn't let up since like 1x04. however, overall the show feels very in-your-face and driven. it's a little much.

but at the same time, it doesn't keep your attention well!! the enemies come and go in the space of single episodes, leaving no room to sympathize with, hate, or root for any of them. most other side characters are the same way. (actual spoilers) LITERALLY WE MET MERLIN'S LONG LOST FATHER. AND HE DIED. IN THE SAME. FUCKING. EPISODE.

so yeah those are several of the main complaints i have with at least the basics/meta of the show - how it is as a viewer seeing the show as a work.

in terms of the content itself - characters, dynamics, etc - i've already said some. that's most of what i immediately react to. almost none of these characters are interesting and fun to watch.

arthur is the asshole jock character done to death. i want to like him i really do but. he's so annoying. in season 1, legitimately, i was starting to come around. i could see the arc happening man it was gonna be SO good. he's starting to genuinely enjoy merlin's company and beginning to really respect him as an equal and a friend! he's realizing he's been kind of an ass and is trying to be a better person!!! then season 2 hits. and all that IMMEDIATELY goes down the drain. he goes back to treating merlin like shit and replaces him with some dude who just randomly comes in and does one helpful thing, then TRUSTS THE RANDOM GUY'S WORD OVER MERLIN'S. WITHOUT QUESTION. DESPITE THE FACT THAT A VALUABLE ITEM WAS STOLEN FROM HIS ROOM AND THE RANDOM GUY WAS THE ONLY ONE IN THERE. that was the moment i realized that the series was going to hold onto the dregs of Confident Arthur (read: Asshole Arthur) until like the last episode. he's not going to learn his lesson. because the show would end too quickly if he had character development and we can't let that happen. anyways i find him really annoying and it's sad because he had a lot of potential for meaningful growth and development over the show!!! i was looking forward to seeing how his relationships changed and strengthened over time!! how he would come into his own opinions regardless of what uther was saying to him!! his sibling bond with morgana!!!!!! but no.

i'm really disappointed in the way they handled gwen in particular. gwen was introduced at the very beginning of episode 1, and was looking like she was going to be merlin's best friend through the series and a really important character overall. and i mean, she is an important character. but they're reducing her to arthur's love interest and she has way less impact on the story than she should. she started off so strong!!! she could have been so cool!! im very mad about this. THEY KILLED OFF HER DAD. AFTER AN INTENSE FIGHT TO NOT HAVE HIM KILLED. AND SHE BARELY HAD A CHANCE TO MOURN. THEY FOCUSED NOT ON HER BUT ON MERLIN AND ARTHUR AND MORGANA WHEN HER OWN FATHER WAS KILLED. WTF BBC

i've already complained a lot about the gwen/arthur pairing so i won't go back in depth but. i'm not a fan. however to be fair at this point i don't think season 2 arthur is actually a decent person to be in a romantic relationship with??? like i could have seen subtext for merlin/arthur (or textual merlin/gwen but that's unrelated) in season 1, but his backslide to being possibly more of a dick than he was at the start of the show really put me off. i'm sure he'll still have some development and stuff but based on what i already know my hopes are not high. gwen is such a fun character and i enjoy her being onscreen but this show is not doing her justice. so much could be explored with her own relationship with magic, her unique perspective as the only truly "average" person of the main cast (being a non-magical, non-noble protagonist), and her interpersonal dynamics with morgana, merlin, and arthur. maybe even uther as well. BUT NO. SHES JUST THE LOVE INTEREST. SHE DOESNT EVEN INTERACT WITH MERLIN THAT MUCH ANYMORE???? WHICH DOESNT MAKE ANY SENSE BECAUSE SHE WAS HIS FIRST ACTUAL FRIEND HERE. THIS IS STUPID IM SORRY GWEN

ok, for now that's all i'll say. i could go on but this is already so long. anyways i'm planning on doing a review/summary of my feelings after every season so get ready for three more (at least). yippee

tldr: bbc merlin is overall not conceptually or technically bad. season one is rather enjoyable. but i can't find it in me to get heavily invested because i disagree with every choice the creators made. and it's disappointing.

no hate to bbc merlin or anyone involved in it, ofc, and if you are a fan more power to you. you've got an absolutely gigantic and extremely talented fandom to back you up. i have just. a lot of petty issues with it <3

i'm starting bbc merlin so prepare to be extremely annoyed in 2 months when all the merlin posts i queue will spam your feeds muahahaha