I'm going to post a comment to this right now even if it kills me. Twice now, I've fallen asleep while typing halfway *facepalms*
I love the pilot, because the dialogue really established how the relationship between Arthur and Merlin was going to be. I mean, let's face it, we all know the legend, know that both of them would be BFFs, so to start them on rocky ground and trying to find an equilibrium is fun to watch. As well as Gwen as a servant and Morgana actually living under Uther's care, those little anomalies are the ones that got me hooked to the show.
So, we come to the end of S1, where Merlin has come to understand Arthur, and Arthur has gained a little more understanding of Merlin – though Arthur is at a disadvantage, as Merlin must always keep a large part of himself hidden from Arthur.
Yes, there's really a clear plot arc for season 1. It's still the beginnings of a great friendship and naturally there are still some kinks to work out.
As for seasons 2 and 3, the story arcs are not that clear (for me at least), but your explanations make a lot of sense. In season 2, I still like the fact that the girls play a larger part in the show, and that Arthur's sorta courtship of Gwen is adorable to watch, as with Merlin's sorta courtship of Freya, although that one is more angsty. I legitimately shed a few tears over that.
And the finale of season 2, along with Merlin's introduction as a Dragonlord because of his father's death, I think that balances out the field a little? I mean, before this, all Merlin had was a prophecy that he was supposed to be the greatest sorcerer of them all, who was to aid Arthur, the Once and Future King. I think with Balinor saying it out loud that he was a Dragonlord, that he had magic because he was his son, I think Merlin grew up to his role, to his destiny, because he knew where his magic came from and that he had ties to one of the strongest and most magical creatures ever.
Just my opinion :)
The master-servant relationship has gone from being a truth, to being an act that they are performing for the benefit of others and their own amusement (and the fact that they are probably used to the routine of it.) The change in their own relationship doesn’t have to be acknowledges with words, because it’s acknowledged by the fact that Arthur has knighted four peasants and that he is not afraid to kiss Gwen in broad daylight in the middle of the courtyard.
I love how you summed up season 3 here, and after thinking it over, that's so spot on. I had such difficulty following the arc for that season! I wrote some of my observations for it in my post, although, to summarize that, I feel that they've not used the characters as well as they should have. I still don't understand why Arthur was blind to all the villainy goings-on until the end, and that Merlin was practically invisible until he saved the day every other time, and why they wrote Morgana as a sly and conniving villain, but yet it wasn't portrayed that way (that one might have been more the acting, rather than the script though). But, I do think the Kingfisher episode as well as the two part finales do make up for the whole season.
I also loved Merlin's relationship with Lancelot and Gwaine, that there are friends of Merlin and not really Arthur, because I think that helped to show that Merlin do have a life outside of trying to save the Prince and the kingdom. I agree that they both present hope to Merlin, that they both love - in a totally friendship way - Merlin enough that they would help him, no questions asked, when he needed them to. The scene when Lancelot said that Merlin was the bravest knight of them all, and he didn't even know it, really shows his trust in Merlin as a wizard and as a person in whole.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2012-07-17 07:05 am (UTC)I love the pilot, because the dialogue really established how the relationship between Arthur and Merlin was going to be. I mean, let's face it, we all know the legend, know that both of them would be BFFs, so to start them on rocky ground and trying to find an equilibrium is fun to watch. As well as Gwen as a servant and Morgana actually living under Uther's care, those little anomalies are the ones that got me hooked to the show.
So, we come to the end of S1, where Merlin has come to understand Arthur, and Arthur has gained a little more understanding of Merlin – though Arthur is at a disadvantage, as Merlin must always keep a large part of himself hidden from Arthur.
Yes, there's really a clear plot arc for season 1. It's still the beginnings of a great friendship and naturally there are still some kinks to work out.
As for seasons 2 and 3, the story arcs are not that clear (for me at least), but your explanations make a lot of sense. In season 2, I still like the fact that the girls play a larger part in the show, and that Arthur's sorta courtship of Gwen is adorable to watch, as with Merlin's sorta courtship of Freya, although that one is more angsty. I legitimately shed a few tears over that.
And the finale of season 2, along with Merlin's introduction as a Dragonlord because of his father's death, I think that balances out the field a little? I mean, before this, all Merlin had was a prophecy that he was supposed to be the greatest sorcerer of them all, who was to aid Arthur, the Once and Future King. I think with Balinor saying it out loud that he was a Dragonlord, that he had magic because he was his son, I think Merlin grew up to his role, to his destiny, because he knew where his magic came from and that he had ties to one of the strongest and most magical creatures ever.
Just my opinion :)
The master-servant relationship has gone from being a truth, to being an act that they are performing for the benefit of others and their own amusement (and the fact that they are probably used to the routine of it.) The change in their own relationship doesn’t have to be acknowledges with words, because it’s acknowledged by the fact that Arthur has knighted four peasants and that he is not afraid to kiss Gwen in broad daylight in the middle of the courtyard.
I love how you summed up season 3 here, and after thinking it over, that's so spot on. I had such difficulty following the arc for that season! I wrote some of my observations for it in my post, although, to summarize that, I feel that they've not used the characters as well as they should have. I still don't understand why Arthur was blind to all the villainy goings-on until the end, and that Merlin was practically invisible until he saved the day every other time, and why they wrote Morgana as a sly and conniving villain, but yet it wasn't portrayed that way (that one might have been more the acting, rather than the script though). But, I do think the Kingfisher episode as well as the two part finales do make up for the whole season.
I also loved Merlin's relationship with Lancelot and Gwaine, that there are friends of Merlin and not really Arthur, because I think that helped to show that Merlin do have a life outside of trying to save the Prince and the kingdom. I agree that they both present hope to Merlin, that they both love - in a totally friendship way - Merlin enough that they would help him, no questions asked, when he needed them to. The scene when Lancelot said that Merlin was the bravest knight of them all, and he didn't even know it, really shows his trust in Merlin as a wizard and as a person in whole.