#so at least firstly he can't bring himself to sacrifice someone in the present for an abstract future arthur | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

cortex-rampage · 3 months ago

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I find the way that BBC Merlin set up Merlin's powers in the first episode to be quite funny. I mean, we see this sort of lanky guy and it is established that he is Merlin and (according to our own common knowledge) therefore he is the most powerful warlock ever. Okay, cool. One might assume that he has come to Gaius to develop his powers, that maybe he's only in the beginning of his magical journey. But instead the exposition shows Merlin, in the pilot episode of this 5 series show, stop time and employ levitation to save someone's life with magic, and then it is announced that prince Arthur is essentially his soulmate, and their joint power will create the most glorious age Camelot has ever seen. Quite an exciting set-up. And then for the rest of the entire show this man who we know possesses TIME-ALTERING POWERS mostly uses them on-screen to do common chores and annoy and prank THAT SAME Arthur. Like that one post said, "All of it's destiny and all of it's his fault." :p

#i also think something tragic comes out of this #he thought things would go as destiny said they would so he did not really try to contradict arthur at all #also poor morgana - but that's a whole other topic #perpetuating repressed queerphobia metaphor? never #he is set up as an almost-god almighty and loving and kind #and both merlin and us imagine this beautiful kingdom #but then even when arthur is king nothing really changes #and it's for many factors one of which is that nothing changes without a fight (queer metaphor? never)#and another is just the heartbreaking fact that merlin is too compassionate for radical action #merlin loves arthur in one way or another #but still his love doesn't compete with his kindness #so at least firstly he can't bring himself to sacrifice someone in the present for an abstract future arthur #a god cannot afford to be too kind #especially not when it comes to time #and even in the pilot his godly powers are attached to a kindness #an obvious one like saving a life #but still a kindness that perhaps not everyone would have employed #bbc merlin #merthur #i'm sorry merlin - you deserved more

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