my merlinathon, let me show you it

[sam_bluesky]

So, yesterday I started watching series 2 of Merlin, in a marathonian session. I've finished just now because I started past lunch, and had quite a frustrating time with the new GRUB that comes with karmic!ubuntu (the desktop version).

And here are my thoughts on yaoi. about this second series.

Episode 1 : the curse of Cornelius Sigan
This is an excellent way to start a new season: shirtless!Arthur. This can only get better and better, if we get this before the intro!
Also, where does Merlin sleep? Because he's close enough to Arthur's bedroom that he listens Arthur calling him. The fact that he's dressed kind of surprises me. Perhaps he has still duties to attend? Like watching Arthur sleep?

Ooh, nice, goldeneyed!Merlin is back!! I love that Pruesque way to use his powers, with the camera focused on Merlin's eyes.

Hah! I see what you did there, bearded unknown random guy Cedric, but Arthur is not going to get rid of Merlin in your favour. There's a reason why only him is allowed into Arthur's chamber.
Also, he kind of saved your life like a dozen times.
(Jealous!Merlin? Heeee.)

Oh, come on, Arthur! I know you're blond, but really, the angle! It was impossible Cedric threw the lance!!

One thing that amazes me is how Uther can dismiss Gaius' worries regarding supernatural stuff with such ease. He knows magic is real, and dangerous.

Holy Sh--Cedric! What are you doing in Arthur's chamber? How did you gained entrance there? ... Oh.

Awww, poor Merlin.
Merlin: I just want Arthur to chose me, and to see me for who I really am.
Gaius: One day he will.
Merlin: When? Everything I do is for him, and he thinks I'm an idiot.
Gaius: Not everyone thinks you're an idiot.
A loving mother conforting her heartbroken daughter? We're back at Camelot High, yay!
(Ahora es cuando la madre le trenza el pelo a la hija, pero como Merlin lo tiene corto, pues tiene que conformarse con quitarte la boñiga de la cara.)

(So the night Cornelius returns to Camelot, Merlin and Cedric went to Arthur's room. Hmm...)
(And then, cat!fight! Yay!!)

Merlin: BOMBARDA!!
Door: ACK! *explodes*
Sam: YAY!

And then Gwen/Arthur fen was happy, for Gwen topped Arthur.

Wow, this season sure is speeding things up: Uther is pictured foolish, Arthur acts like the Good Future King, Gwen/Arthur and Jealous!Merlin. And the slash!Dragon, who seems to have discovered the marvels of virtual cosmetic surgery.

(This promise will so come back to bit you in the ass, Merlin.)

So, Merlin doesn't like submissive!Arthur?

Uther: We must learn our lessons from these terrible events, Gaius.
Gaius: Indeed, sire.
Uther: They proved beyond doubt I was right.
Gaius: o.ô
Sam: WTF?! ¬¬U Slap him! Do it! DOOO EEEET!!!

Oh my, the spoilers of the previews! So, so... WORTH IT!! Crossdressing!Merlin? Doomed!Gaius? Troll!Wife? Giant!Scorpions? I will enjoy the ride!

Episode 2 : the Once and Future Queen
Kung fu Assassin!!
(I liked the episode one's pre-intro better.)

Merlin: That's... gotta hurt.
Arthur: That's the point. This is not a pillow-fight.
If you're not pictoring them pillow-fighting by now, you're doing it wrong.

Aww, adoraklutz!Merlin is adoraklutz.
And that ballista is only missing a laser-pointer! OMG!! Serious stuff there.

Domestic scene with Gwen and Arthur. Oh, the squees, I can hear them crossing the space-time from when this episode was aired. And she is so gorgeous in that lavender dress.

So it was not Kung Fu Assassin. It's a Ninja!Assassin!

* a guard spoits the assassin*

A busted one.

* the assassin kills the guard*

Or perhaps not.

GO GWEN!! That "My lord" was an excellent final blow! PERFECT!!
Arthur: You are right. Tonight I'll make dinner for you.
Sam: HOLY SH--RUN FOR YOUR LIFE, GWEN!!

Gwen kisses Arthur. Oh, the squeals. So loud I can't hear the violin! (And the OST / BGM is so, so pretty.)
(Still rushing things, though.)

Merlin: BOMBARDA!!
Saddle belt: ACK! *explodes*
Sam: YAY!
(Is this going to became a trend? Because if so, I'm going to love this season. So. Much!)

More foreshadowing, still feeling this is all a bit rushed. Next stop: Morgana has bad dreams and stuff explodes. The Phoenix? Only time will tell.

Episode 3 : the nightmare begins
Morgana has golden eyes too! And the window explodes! But we didn't saw any BOMBARDA!! (aww :( )

I thought we left Smallville!Merlin at the beginning of Series 1, why are we all there again?
Although is true that Merlin always has cared for Morgana.

Aww, a little jealous, Arthur? Don't worry, I'm sure Merlin will give you flowers later to compensate. And perhaps something more :D

I fail to understand why Gaius couldn't help Morgana as he helped Merlin. I know it would be a bit more difficult (being Uther so possessive with her), but I think something could have been done. Some undercovered teaching, for example. Resorting to drugs to cloud her powers was proven not too useful last Series, and what have seen now just confirms it.
I'd like to think that this is Gaius trying to prevent her doomed Destiny, or just a bad future for Arthur and the world, minimizing the damage done to Morgana at the same time. (Because I believe him when he says he cares for her.)

Merlin: BOMBARDA!!
Bars: ACK! *explode*
Sam: YAY!
And slo-mo running!Merlin. Oh, this is good!

Wow, the mental antenna of Merlin is quite potent! (Envy, I has it.)
Wow, the voice of Mordred is also quite potent!

I don't know if I'd like Merlin telling his secret to Morgana. Hmm... Well, he knows her, it's just fair.

Episode 4 : Lancelot and Guinevere
Wait, now Arthur has fall for Gwen? So hard? We only got that kiss two episodes ago, and now he is Really In Love?

Also, Morgana running in her underwears.

Morgana: [Gwen]'s more than just my maid.

* Gwen/Morgana fen heads explode*

Morgana: She's my friend.
Sam: oops.

I'm trying to understand why those villains didn't just espontaneously combust. Panick triggers mutant powers, and her magic is already growing, so 2 + 2...

So, to entertain GwenMorgana, the kidnapper calls for a sweaty, shirtless man. And Lancelot. Way to go, kidnapper!
Oh, what's that, a giant rat? Blind? What is it going toOh. EWW. Dude, that's gross. I prefer the previous entertainment.

Gwen is quite lucky, having two men like Arthur and Lancelot rooting for her. But her dilemma, that is something I don't wish to anyone.

Yes, let's cross the uncharted tunnels, plagued with blind, giant, human flesh eating rats. I love these trips!
(They are quite well done. Really gross.)

McGyver!Lancelot to the rescue!!
(Morgana's clothes look good on Gwen.)

Spider-man, Spider-man...

Merlin: BOMBARDA!!
Chain: ACK! *explodes*
Sam: YAY!

So, as soon as whatshisface is trapped with that rat, he forgets how to use the sword? Uh, all right.

And now we have all the pieces in their place: the love triangle that is canon, and all the slash the fandom needs to exist (and some more.)

(Hey, that "Meeerliiin~" voice at the end of every chapter? Is giving me the creeps.)

Episode 5 : Beauty and the Beast part 1
Dios santo, qué hace Josema Yuste en Merlin? "Las cien patas de un cienpiés. Chupchupchupchup...". ¡Si hasta el troll se le parece!
(OMG, I want some of that stuff!)

My God, she truly is a troll! Even with the potion still working! That's so wonderful! (That's a pretty well done job.)

Uther: *flirts*
Arthur: Eww
Sam: *lol*

Uther: *flirts more*
Arthur: THAT'S DISGUSTING. Don't you agree, Merlin?
Merlin: *is suspicious*

(Whoa, Uther is so dazzled I feel sorry for him.)

You know, Merlin seems quite experienced, placing that levitating mirror to spy the Lady Catrina's quarters. I'm sure he's had a lot of practice.

(I admire her. She's so talented.)

Hand fasting! Aww, that's so charming.

Episode 6 : Beauty and the Beast part 2
Yes, she's repulsive. And yet I adore her. Even in troll form. The treats? Absolutely fabulous.

I'm suprised that Gaius is encouraging Merlin to see the slash!Dragon. I'm not sure I like the way this is heading.

So, Arthur thinks Merlin is off the castle, and he sleeps fully dressend. And when Arthur thinks Merlin's been hiding under Arthur's bed all that time (it is, I'll admit, a good place to hide. A bit risky, if you ask me, but you know what they say about risk vs reward.), he's nervous Merlin's seen something he wasn't supposed to see. Hmm! Let the fics flow.

Holy cow! The troll surely delivers!

Oh, the hug! Well, the not!hug. Anyway, heeee.

Episode 7 : the witchfinder
I'm sure Merlin has used magic to amuse himself before, but really, toying with the smoke in an open place? And then denying seeing it? Poor him.

I'm not sure if this witchfinder is a sorcerer / warlock / male!witch himself. Hmm... Methods only known by himself? That sure sounds suspicious.
The skull? So practical. And decorative. So chic.

Excuse me, mister witchfinder, sir, but isn't a bit stupid to say there was a sorcerer conjuring toads from his mouth, having witnesses of it, and not being able to identify the sorcerer? Surely if you see toads jumping from someone's mouth, you'd remember the face where that mouth belonged, yes? I'm not sure you could mistake Merlin for Gaius.
So I was wrong about the witchfinder being a sorcerer. He's just a tormentor.

If he kills Gaius, what will happen to Morgana? Will she follow the crazy!witch path she started some episodes ago? Because I'd hate to see her portrayed as that. She seemed more at rest since she talked a bit with the Druid.
(Also, Morgana, please lie next time. Please. I know you're scared of being discovered and all that, but Gaius' life is at a stake here.)
(At least she has some lines in this episode. She's been absent lately.)

Ok, this has been... weird. I'm not sure there was a good way to do an episode like this, because now we can't understand how things were perceived back then. (the demon roaming around the world free, for example. Now seems quite unlikely, back then was plausible, at least.) The fear of being accused, the inability to proof your innocence. ("can you prove it wasn't you?", "can you prove it was me?" is not a good way of doing it, specially when interrogators can extort their suspects and manipulate evidence.)
But, the dynamics of Uther and Gaius, and Gaius and Merlin were really good. Also, how Gwen can appeal to Arthur's reason is interesting.

Seems a good pace has been reached, and now they are not forcing stuff down our throat to reach what needs to be said before the series finale.

Episode 8 : the sins of the father
I was wondering "why does Camelot need to order so many knights?", and then the misterious knight appeared, kicking everybody's butt. There's my answer.
Oh, Morgause. Wait, Morgause? You mean, that Morgause?

Yay, Morgana appears again! Only as a feeble mylady, but I'll take anything at this point.
And she appears to bring joy to a new brand of slashers! :D

Aww, look at Merlin, worried about Arthur's combat. Although he enjoys Arthur's defeat.

Merlin? Where are you putting that rope? Around your stomach, sure, of course.

Ok, how many times has Merlin escaped this season? And Gaius find out because he's not in his bed? It's starting to get annoying. "Oh, I'll go get Merlin. He's late. Again. Merlin. Merlin? Oh, he's not here."
But I like the idea of Merlin and Arthur running off every now and then.

Merlin? Where are you putting that rope? Around your stomach, sure, of course.

You know, I would not base all my future assumptions about magic in Morgause. One never knows.

Ok, how many times has Merlin escaped this season? And Gaius find out because he's not in his bed? It's starting to get annoying.

Wait, where did that sword come from? Uther is fast! And a skilful swordsman. And I like how he actually doesn't lie when Merlin's trying to convince Arthur all the ghost said was a lie.

Aha! So Morgause wasn't all that honorable after all. Still, she beated Arthur with the sword, so no exceuses there, prat.

So many angst here that the happy ending is kind of weird. Uther and Arthur siting so close and laughing? Gaius proud of Merlin? Is this fanfiction?

I liked how Merlin lied as a lying liar who lies in order to save Uther, because his death at the hands of Arthur would've destroyed the prat. It shows how much in love united they are. And that Merlin can't stand angst!Arthur.

Episode 9 : the Lady of the Lake
Merlin: BOMBARDA!!
Chains: ACK! (again!) *explodes*
Sam: YAY!
I've missed you, Bombarding!Merlin :D
The rising sun: *falls*
Sam: heh.
Still don't know why he's doing this, but hey, is Merlin using magic, so yay!

And here we have sleeping!shirtless!Arthur again. Because Merlin is in the castle, you see. I have to hand it to oconel, she was certainly right in her assumptions about this. This proves beyound doubt she was right.
Wait, this is the towel moment? OMG, THE TOWEL MOMENT!
Also: Merlin, your instantaneous boiling water jacuzzi just a spell away.
I'm not sure Merlin was the one needing that bucket of cold water. Not yet, at least. (Heeee.)

I quite like the bit of the bounty hunter suspecting of Merlin when he watches Merlin go. You know, looking at his buttocks back.
But not as much as Merlin playing with Arthur's insecurity.
Arthur: I am not fat!
Merlin: You see? It's working :D
Arthur: ... *looks down* (I'm still fit, right?)

Where does this love come from? It's a bit rushed, don't you think? Then again, love at first sight has this inmediate effect on people.

Ok, so not really crossdressing!Merlin, but the situation is funny anyway.

(Espera, la ha puesto en una barca llena de hortigas? Joer, Merlin xD)
Aww, heartbroken!Merlin :(
But the reward is quite satisfying! Arthur sure knows how to make Merlin smile. Heeeee!

Episode 10 : sweet dreams
Crack!Episode! Yaaaay!! I love me some crack!episodes :D

Merlin: Feelings.
Arthur: Feelings.
Merlin: Girls.
Arthur: Giiirllls...
Merlin: ...
Arthur: ...
Sam: EXCELSIOR!!
Merlin: Flowers?
Sam: Well, it's a start. Took you both some time, uh?

Gaius: The Lady Vivian? How could that happen so suddently?
Merlin: I don't know. Something doesn't feel right...
Sam: I can see what.

"Every woman in the land is attracted to this boy. I'm almost attracted to him myself." ==> Ok, that wasn't all that subtle, but I approve anyway! Heeee.

And even in a crack!episode, the plot goes forward. Oh, that's brilliant! And the Lady Vivian? Wonderful.

Episode 11 : the witch's quickening
This was... fast, wasn't it? And intense.

I like how Morgana was confused and scared, of what she is, of what Uther could do if he ever finds out. And so glad they didn't turn her into a mad crazy witch that just betrays Uther because she feels like it.
Still, the easiness with what she's manipulated by magic-wielding persons is astounding. She's easier to fool than it is to hack into Voyager's computer systems.

Mordred is creepy. That is all. (And where did his eyebrows go?)

Only two chapters to go. Next stop: not!Nazguls.

(Again missing my Bombarding!Merlin :( )

Episode 12 : the Fires Of Idirsholas
You know, I prefer Nimueh to Morgause. But she is long gone, and now there's nothing we can do to get her back. And it works well with Morgause.

Femme!slash is strong on this one!

Merlin: BOMBARDA!!
Ceiling: ACK! *collapses*
Sam: YAY!

It strikes me as odd that after all that training, Arthur is the only knight that survives any confrontation. This is the Star Trek Red Shirt Syndrome, but only worse. At least in Star Trek only one Red Shirt died during an episode. In Camelot the minimum is at least three knights per chapter.

(Where did they got those horses?)

Why was the first option that occurred to Merlin to dress the King as a woman? He seems to enjoy checking Morgana's wardrobe.

I know Merlin is the hero of the show, and as such he should held his end of the shall we say agreement with the slash!Dragon. But after what he saw in the crystal and what his guts are telling him, why did he freed it? Isn't that a stupid thing to do?

I'm not going to touch what happened with Morgana, but I'm going to say this: it was a good way to resolve it.

Episode 13 : the last Dragonlord
So now the slash!Dragon is free. It holds a grudge to Uther as big as its ass Camelot itself. What could go wrong, right?

Gwen/Arthur shippers are in their happy place now.

Merlin: Why didn't mama tell me any of this?
Sam: Because he is your father! Come on, Merlin, how dim can you be?
At least they are not just foreshadowing, they are actually revealing it.
So, if his father is a Dragonlord, he must have some part of Dragonlord too, right? (And where did his magic come from?)

Aww, so sweet, talking in bed.

Hmm. The slash!Dragon, looks bigger on the outside.

(And from here it was taken, the picture that proofs that Merlin tops. But only when Arthur is sick or wounded?)

So the Dragonlord changes his mind once he knows about Gaius? That's nice! And slashy! What a wondrous youth did Gaius had, with the King and Balinor!

You know, it looks more like a heart than a circle. I'm just saying.

And now Camelot has no knights left. This is ludicruous!

It is a satisfactory season finale. Yes, the slash!Dragon is alive, but what would happen to these soul mates soul-brothers (your Merlin slash, now with incest! Dhulicious!) without its guidance? Without its wisdom? I say this is the best way this could have gone.

Now we'll have to wait until this fall. This won't be easy, but I still have to cross half the Delta Quadrant. I'll be entertained for quite some time.

Comments

[oconel]

Whoa, this is long! *goes to read*

[sam-bluesky.livejournal.com]

Yes, specially considering what it is actually said xD

[oconel]

Hehehe, I enjoyed your review. To tell you the truth there wasn't so many squees at the Arthur/Gwen (there was a bit of wank, that it's sort of still around).

(Ahora es cuando la madre le trenza el pelo a la hija, pero como Merlin lo tiene corto, pues tiene que conformarse con quitarte la boñiga de la cara.)
Jajajaja, totalmente cierto!

I missed Mogana a lot, it seems many of her scenes were cut :(

Why was the first option that occurred to Merlin to dress the King as a woman?
So Arthur's thought about him using dresses is reinforced :P

I'm not sure Merlin was the one needing that bucket of cold water. Not yet, at least. (Heeee.)
*nods* Fandom made caps. close caps

What a wondrous youth did Gaius had, with the King and Balinor!
Yep, he wasn't bored at all.

she was certainly right in her assumptions about this
I expected the show to prove me wrong in the upcoming episodes, but it didn't!

I don't know, I liked the dark episodes (the troll being a double one feels like a joke to me), but I kind of miss when Merlin's decision were taken by himself (even though he might get them wrong), not by listening to Gaius or the dragon, because they're turning to be even more wrong than Merlin's.

[sam-bluesky.livejournal.com]

"To tell you the truth there wasn't so many squees at the Arthur/Gwen (there was a bit of wank, that it's sort of still around)."
Really? O_o When I thought I'd gotten the hang of fandom squeals... After all the first season subtext, a bit of Arthur/Gwen can't hurt anyone.
And it's not like we are short in slashy moments (there's some femslash here too! This fandom has place for all pairings and ships! Oh, Fandom, sometimes...)

"*nods* Fandom made caps. close caps"
The made animated gifs.

"So Arthur's thought about him using dresses is reinforced :P"
Totally canon, I tell you. It is fact now.

"I missed Mogana a lot, it seems many of her scenes were cut :("
At one point I was wondering if she felt sick or her work schedule didn't allowed her to be there. Because, really, there is a lot of episodes when she didn't even appear, and if it's not one of her episodes, her lines are few and far between (heck, there's one chapter where she doesn't speak. At all. She's just there.)

"I expected the show to prove me wrong in the upcoming episodes, but it didn't! "
It didn't! (Except in Sweet dreams, but Arthur uses a shirt there because she doesn't want to dazzle the Lady Vivian.)

"I liked the dark episodes (the troll being a double one feels like a joke to me)"
I enjoyed the troll episodes. Didn't felt to me like they were stretching the story, it just felt right. Then again, crack, so I'm not being objective. (I just can't.)
The dark episodes were good (and it's me or the CGI has improved since series 1?), and bring a balance to the series.

"I kind of miss when Merlin's decision were taken by himself (even though he might get them wrong), not by listening to Gaius or the dragon, because they're turning to be even more wrong than Merlin's."
After how Merlin broke the slash!Dragon's heart last season, they needed to work things a bit to make the "Merlin releases slash!Dragon, everyone dies. Well, not really. (Gotcha!)". This was a way to make Merlin talk to the Dragon again and then hate him enough to come as a better hero when he spared its life.
(And Merlin took a lot of decisions here. Mostly involving running off with Arthur XD)

[oconel]

I think some people thought (or hoped) they were really going for the Arthur/Merlin, that got mixed with some people racism, the (let's face it) instat!LOVE!!!... and went downhill from then on.

Oh, Sweet Dreams doesn't really count, he's forced to love someone else :P Also, in the commentary for 2x01, Colin and Bradley count the times Bradley appears shirtless :P

Yes, the CGI has improved, the Slash!Dragon being a good proof of that. I sort of felt that the troll ep added nothing to the story (though I enjoyed the second) while I felt in some episodes --like 2x01-- that they would have needed a bit more of running time (and from the commentary, they were cut many things).

Hahaha, yes, he decided to run with Arthur and have rope!sex :P but the decisions that made everything go downhill (not to tell Morgana about his magic or help her, trying to kill her, etc) were taken because of Gaius and/or the dragon.

Also, link.

[sam-bluesky.livejournal.com]

Oh, believe me, I also hoped for Merlin/Arthur. But I was also cheering for Arthur/Gwen, becase it's a great pairing and I'm not that delusional (still a family show, and they're not so brave yet.)
The instant!LOVE! was bad, I concur.

"he's forced to love someone else :P"
But it happens before he's charmed :p

"in the commentary for 2x01, Colin and Bradley count the times Bradley appears shirtless :P"
I can't wait to have the whole series with commentaries.
(I'm still hoping the towel moment will have comments from the cast!)

(You know? The dalek one is as tempting as emo!Colin. >_>
And I like that the "enlarge image" actually shows a smaller image XD Where are your high resolution photos, people?! We need them!)

[leydhen.livejournal.com]

Me falta por ver el último capítulo (si hay suerte caerá mañana, con la bici estática) pero por lo demás, me he reído mucho con tu reseña XDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

[sam-bluesky.livejournal.com]

¿Y qué harás cuando termines? Porque aún queda un poco para que vuelvan los hermanos. Seguro que tienes algo en cartera, seguro :p

[leydhen.livejournal.com]

Pues le daré a The Dresden Files (muchas gracias por el aporte), porque para ver Los Tudor prefiero tirar del portátil conectado a la tele y tener mucho pañuelos a mano, por los chorreones de sangre (y un cuaderno, para ir apuntando cositas :p). También está Fringe, que no ha triunfado con la Rubia y a mí me parece lo bastante entretenida como para dar pedales con sus teorías conspiranoicas y...

Y como estoy a punto de terminar con el revisionado de Ouran (los 20 minutos restantes para hacer la hora) creo que empezaré a ver Code Geass, que la tengo bajada y grabada desde hace eones y todavía no le echado un ojo :p

Leñe, qué bien planeadito lo tengo (y yo sin darme cuenta O_O).

[sam-bluesky.livejournal.com]

Pues eso iba a decir yo, que muy pensado lo tienes ya. Vamos, que no estás falta precisamente de cosas por ver xD

Fringe tampoco me ha hecho mucho tilín, pero tiene a los internets como locos con su grandeza.

Ya dirás qué tal es Code Geass (mira que aunque el diseño de personajes es de CLAMP!, no me llama mucho. Eso me recuerda: Kobato!)