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Merlin Club S04E06 “His Father’s Son” or “There are like ten actors in the UK.”

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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 six: A neighboring queen can barely tolerate either Pendragon spawn, and she’s like, “Fuck both of you kids, you’re just like your fucking father and I hated his guts, too.”

If I had written this episode, I would have changed: I would have dropped the Arthur/Gwen breakup from this episode. There was already too much going on, and it seemed to bluntly overstate the point that Arthur isn’t like Uther. We got that from all the rest of it. To put it in this episode, where it’s totally unnecessary, just makes it look like empty relationship drama.

The thing I loved most about this episode: Lindsay Duncan. Every time I see her, all I can think about is Rome and Rome is the best and I’m lobbying hard for #MerlinClub to transition into #XIIILegion at the end of season five.

The thing I hated most about this episode: Why didn’t Annis fight against Arthur? They had to do the whole “name your champion” thing, which was stupid. Why didn’t she just throw down? She seems like the type who would.

Also, if Morgana was going to enchant Arthur’s sword, why did she go with “make it real heavy?” Couldn’t she think of anything better? Why not, “holding the sword makes him go blind,” or “every blow deals damage back?” “Whoa, this is going to be really heavy, look out, Arthur!” just doesn’t cut the mustard for me.

Something I never noticed before: All of these actors have been in other things with each other, but it took Lindsay Duncan to make me realize all of this. Okay, for example, Lindsay Duncan was on Doctor Who during David Tennant’s run. So was Colin Morgan. Oh, and Anthony Head. And right now, Duncan is playing Head’s ex-wife on a sitcom called You, Me & Them. Who’s playing his girlfriend on that show? Glad you asked, because it’s Eve Myles, the very first Merlin villain, who has also been on Doctor Who twice, both as a one-off appearance and as a Torchwood cast member. Speaking of Merlin cast members hooking up in sitcoms, Head was in a pre-Merlin comedy called Manchild, in which his character nailed his friend’s personal trainer, played by Angel Coulby. And those are just like, a few of the connections that came together when watching this. So based on this very scientific reasoning, I’ve come to the conclusion that there are only like ten actors in the UK, or just one who’s good at voices and has a versatile hairstyle.

Favorite Costume: Merlin in armor:

merlin armor

Here is proof of some random headcanon I created: I feel like there’s a real sadist/masochist undertone to the Morgana/Agravaine relationship, and this is about the first episode it’s really apparent in. She’s basically like, “Get me this sword, worm!” and he’s like, “Anything, mistress, let me lick your boots.”

What object would Bronwyn steal from this episode? See this? I took this screenshot because I had my eye on the chair, but then I realized that she would sit in that chair, wearing that crown, the fur, and the necklace.

annis

Unless she has an issue with fur that I’m not remembering, which would seem like her.

What Merthur moment did Jess have the naughtiest thoughts about? When Merlin gets dragged into Annis’s tent, and Arthur looks at him like this:

arthur concern

Because look how concerned Arthur is for Merlin. He’s legit scared at this point, because he doesn’t want Merlin to get hurt. And after he goes out on a limb to have Merlin’s life spared, they have a lover’s spat.

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 next week for S04E07, “A Servant of Two Masters,” Monday,  8pm EST on the hashtag #MerlinClub.

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8 Comments

  1. THANK YOU!!! That enchantment was the stupidest. Honestly, I swear, Morgana gets less intelligent as the series goes on.

    And I absolutely agree about the vibe between Morgana and Agravaine – that is there. It’s happening.

    I love this: “Fuck both of you kids, you’re just like your fucking father and I hated his guts, too.”

    And I would sit in that throne with the crown and the necklace and hell, I’ll take the dress, too. But unless I’m stuck on The Wall, I’m gonna pass on furs. 😉

    November 21, 2014
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  2. Tabby
    Tabby

    As a Brit I can confirm that we indeed only have about ten actors. I actually discuss this with friends all the time.

    November 21, 2014
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  3. And guess who else is in The Fall – Where Colin is now playing DS Tom “Come & Jump My Sexy Bones” Anderson? ACC Jim Burns is played by John Lynch. Otherwise known as BALINOR.

    And don’t forget Troll Queen Catrina, who was played by Sarah Parish who played the Empress of Rachnoss during Tennant’s run as the Doctor.

    And yeah, you know me well. This was a lovely episode. Even with the stuff that drove me nuts…I was happy.

    November 21, 2014
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  4. This is from the oldest boy – John Hurt (voice of Kilgharrah and the War Doctor), Angel Coulby was in The Girl in the Fireplace during Tennant’s run. Richard Wilson (Gauis) was a doctor at ALBION HOSPITAL in The Doctor Dances/The Empty Child (Eccleston’s run). Tom Hopper (Percival) was Jeff in The Eleventh Hour (Smith’s first run). Of course there’s Georgia Moffat (Vivian) who was The Doctor’s Daughter.

    Seriously…it’s kinda crazy when you start looking at it. LOL

    November 21, 2014
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  5. noisyninja
    noisyninja

    It’s almost as small an acting pool as sci-fi…I’m convinced that once you do one sci-fi role relatively well, you must be set for life. Too bad (for me) most of them are cast from Canada 🙁 Also, I see a lot of crossover in British comedy. It’s like Spaced and Black Books were the breeding ground for everything that came after, in both TV and films.

    November 22, 2014
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  6. Ann
    Ann

    I’m dropping in from Lurkerdom, but please, please, please transition into Rome! I’ve been enjoying the Merlin Club tremendously, and reading Rome recaps from the three of you would be a dream come true!

    Speaking of the seemingly small British acting pool, I love showing Sense and Sensibility to my students because it’s pretty much a Harry Potter reunion (even though the movie came before the series).

    November 22, 2014
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  7. Chris Borgars-Smith
    Chris Borgars-Smith

    Been rereading in bulk, and this confused me all to hell. It’s E05!
    Also, I’m sad you didn’t develop fruit-obsessed-uther more. I need to know what happens with all that fruit.

    February 14, 2015
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