Merlin club is a weekly feature in which Jessica Jarman, Bronwyn Green, and myself gather at 8pm EST to watch an episode of the amazing BBC series Merlin, starring Colin Morgan and literally nobody else I care about except Colin Morgan.
Okay, I lie. A lot of other really cool people are in it, too.
Anyway, we watch the show, we tweet to the hashtag #MerlinClub, and on Fridays we share our thoughts about the episode we watched earlier in the week.
So, here’s a quick rundown of episode eight: Merlin’s new girlfriend is a cat monster.
Merlin rescues a girl from a bounty hunter who’s looking to profit by selling magic people to Uther for execution. Only, this girl wasn’t born magic, she was cursed and now she’s a wereflyingpanther. In the course of keeping her safe, Merlin falls for her. So, as is the case with all supernatural adventure TV shoes, she dies, and Merlin gives her a viking funeral.
If I had written this episode, I would have changed: I just wouldn’t have made this episode. That’s how bad it is.
The thing I loved most about this episode: Nothing. I don’t like anything about this episode.
The thing I hated most about this episode: Everything. Everyone was out of character. Yeah, Arthur antagonizes Merlin often, but in this episode he’s downright abusive. Uther is largely unconcerned when the bounty hunter tells him that a dangerous, cursed druid is loose in Camelot. He even says, “Don’t worry,” at one point in the conversation. And Merlin completely forgets his destiny (or he just ignores it because Arthur is mean to him? That doesn’t seem like Merlin).
On top of that, the romance seemed rushed and unbelievable. And if Merlin feels all these romantic feelings toward this girl just because she’s magic and alone in the world because of it… you know, Morgana is right over there. Why didn’t the writers explore that possibility, and add to the depth of Morgana’s betrayal of Camelot later in the series?
Something I never noticed before: The music is quite different from other episodes. I also just noticed that all of Merlin’s spells are just mispronunciations of words that describe what the spell is doing. How did I miss that? This is like my third time watching the series or something. Maybe even fourth. How did I not get that?
Favorite Costume: None from this episode.
Here is proof of some random headcanon I created: None from this episode.
What object would Bronwyn steal from this episode?
That lovely Celtic dragon shield in the corner there, obviously.
What Merthur moment did Jess have the naughtiest thoughts about? I think any episode where Arthur and Merlin have angry altercations end, in Jess’s mind, in angry, Sam and Diane style sex. But since Merlin is supposed to be falling in love with this girl, I’m guessing this isn’t her favorite episode.
Check out Jessica Jarman’s take on the episode here
Check out Bronwyn Green’s take on the episode here
That’s it for this week. Join us on Monday as we watch S02E10, “Sweet Dreams” at 8pm EST on the hashtag #MerlinClub.
Clearly, it’s the shield.
I really, really wish they would have explored a Morgana/Merlin thing. Forcing Merlin to choose between Arthur and Morgana would have been amazing.
It isn’t my favorite, by any stretch of the imagination. I appreciate some stuff in the episode but I think the idea of Merlin falling for someone etc could have been done much better. Of having him choose between Arthur and his destiny and a love interest. And I don’t believe for a moment he would have really just gone off with Freya and left it all behind. He may have gotten her out of there, even stayed for a while, but he wouldn’t have stayed away. Don’t believe it.
I’m not a huge Mergana (Merlin/Morgana) shipper, although I do see the appeal. AND it would have been better for the show to develop that more. Him choosing between her and Arthur…much better and would draw the viewer in more, I think, than random girl of the week.
And obviously, Merlin and Arthur have angry sex all the time. It’s their favorite and why they bicker all the time. 🙂
Why is it called the Lady of the Lake? Because Merlin sends her out in a boat at the end?
The reason I don’t like this one is because in the next episode Merlin is completely fine. Merlin doesn’t even seem sad, at least with Arthur he sometimes says sad stuff about lost love.
Personally, I would’ve made Morgana and the Lady of the Lake into the same character; they already have so many similar traits, in a lot of Arthurian canon anyway.
I love the running ‘obviously Bronwyn would steal this object and not Arthur who (looking super hot) also happens to be in this picture’ gag. LOVE IT!
It kinda felt like an OC-Mary-Sue-Insert episode…. :/ the mysterious girl who has to be saved by the hero, they fall in love, she has superawesomesecret powers and tragically dies in the end….
I have like 30 of those in a folder in my shelf, so, i don’t mean to “hate” on Mary Sue stories; but Merlin deserves better storylines IMO :S
[…] lie to and doesn’t help Morgana, his friend. Bron’s Merlin Club: The Lady of the Lake Post Jen’s Merlin Club: The Lady of the Lake Post Until the next episode—Sweet Dreams—which we’ll be watching, 6/16, at 8pm EST. We’ll be […]