oh, merlin.

[kaydeefalls]

I am way, way behind on Merlin. By which I mean I finally sat down and started watching S4 tonight. Halfway through 4x02, I just have to say -- the master/servant dynamics in this show confuse the fuck out of me. No, I don't know why of all the many anachronisms and inaccuracies, this is the thing I'm unable to handwave or ignore. But just...Gwen asks permission to speak before the Council and it's granted and they listen to her? Wait, what? Look, I ♥ Gwen lots and lots, but that makes no sense. She's a servant. They are lords. The class chasm here is unthinkably vast. What the everloving fuck? And then Agravain tries to cosy up to her by speaking respectfully and asking permission to see her and shit, and yes, I know he's lying through his teeth the whole time, but LET US GET REAL HERE. Lord, acting as regent. Serving girl. He orders, she obeys, end of fucking story.

Not that I'm not all in favor of Gwen standing up for herself and showing these assholes who's boss, but it does not make sense in the context of this social setting, and I am so fucking confused. Class differentials in this show make no sense to me whatsoever. If the difference between prince and servant is so great that Arthur and Gwen have to hide/end their affair, then how is she able to waltz into the high council and tell them what to do?

Right, why do I bother leaving my brain on when I watch this show at all? Never mind. Knights are pretty. Lancelot has chemistry with everyone ever, how is he real, oh my god. And it is AWESOME to have someone around (apart from Gaius) who knows about and wholeheartedly supports Merlin's magic. (Merlin/Lancelot is rapidly becoming my new OTP, except for how Merlin/Arthur is always the Once and Future Ship.) Gwaine's hair is exceedingly floppy and I love him to bits. Morgana's storyline makes me ragey. So, business as usual, basically. Merlin: the show I watch solely so that I can read the fic, which is generally much better-written and has 200% more snogging. Oy. But so far I think this season is better than the last one! So that's fun!

ETA: NO LANCELOT WTF ARE YOU DOING, DO NOT STEP INTO THAT FUCKING VEIL, YOU ARE MY FAVORITE PART OF THIS SERIES SO FAR--

FUCKSES. (I mean, I'm like 99.9999% sure he'll be back later this series, but still. Fucking drapery, man, takes all my favorite characters.)

Comments

[msilverstar]

I think Gwen has status as Arthur's kinda-girlfriend? Plus she takes care of Uther?

Agravaine only needs a big mustache to twirl to be the Utterly Cliché Villain.

I hate everything they're doing with Morgana except her dresses and her eyeshadow, which is rad.

There's some good Lancelot in this season, and mixed Gawain and a tiny bit of character development for Leon and Percival.

[lorax]

I had to handwave the servant-speaking thing by saying that since Uther was out of the picture, she might have some heft as Arthur's not-official-but-everyone-knows girlfriend, and/or as Uther's caretaker, appointed by Gaius, maybe?

I'm getting to the point where I sort of want to fast forward through any Morgana scenes because I am filled with rage for how badly she's been used, OMG.

[fizzyblogic]

THANK YOU. I think you're the only person I've seen talking about Merlin who actually gets the class differential. So many people seem to come to Merlin with the idea at the back of their head that everyone is somehow equal, which no they really are not.