Fandom-related stuff: Merlin (BBC)

[hsavinien]

Soooo, I've been watching Merlin (BBC) and...it's okay.  I'm about 3/4 of the way through s3 now and while I do like bits, but I have ISSUES (let me show you them) with a number of others.  And these issues don't even involve anachronisms, because they obviously weren't even trying to pretend to set this in any point in actual history.  (Contains spoilers through what I've watched.)


First, Things Which Make a Happy Sav:

• Lancelot and his simmering tension with EVERYONE, but particularly Merlin and Arthur.  Omnom, yes.
• Merlin, in general, because snark is yay.  He is adorkable, has awesome cheekbones, and very sticky-out ears, heh.  He occasionally looks disturbingly like my younger brothers.
• Phenotype variation within Camelot, though it could use some backstory to explain how it came about.
• Morgause wearing normal armor that has not been prissified.
• Gwaine.  Just Gwaine, in general for his badassery and democracy.  He and Merlin have some lovely sexual tension possibility too!  Merlin tends to attract democratic revolutionary types, doesn't he?

Things Which Make Sav Bwuh?:

• They have a damn lot of really expensive-looking swooshy fabric (all those very lovely red cloaks, for example), but...one cloth merchant?
• They have approximately six crossbows on set, don't they?  Okay, I can live with that.  But...nobody has any regular bows?  Anywhere?  Even the peasants?  How the heck did technology evolve like that?
• Sooo, Camelot's never heard of battlefield promotions, I take it?  You know, that actually happened.  Throughout history, really.  That's how you take tactical advantage of smart people showing up in the lower classes.  You "fix" the class thing.  Bad generals, no cookie.

Things Which Sav Finds Stupid:

• Why the blistering hell don't knights wear helms outside of single formal combat?  DUMBDUMBDUMBDUMBDUMB.
• King Uther is directly responsible for Gwen's dad's death.  Yet she still works for his ward, whom he values above life and limb, etc.  Uther is a paranoid git.  Whyyyyy.  Illogiiiiic.
• Arthur's armor sucks.  Design is acceptable. or would be if he wore armored gauntlets (and a HELM) on a regular basis, but the shoulder plating GAPES if he moves his arm wrong.  Fire the armorer and get one who knows what they're doing, plzkthx.
• People storming your castle through a narrow gate?  Shield wall.  Where the HELL is your shield wall?  SHIELD WALL.  That's what we're for!

Things Which Sav Finds Intensely Irritating:

• Uther.
• Why must all named recurring female characters (except Gwen and Merlin's mom, but she was in like...3 episodes) buzz by the moral event horizon like they're trying to break the sound barrier?  Seriously.  I would be a lot less irritated by Morgana's face heel turn if she were not actively engaged in hurting inoffensive parties in her (justified) quarrel with Uther. 
• For that matter, why must 95+% of the one-shot female characters be either evil themselves or the pawn of something evil?
• The fact that Gaius is nearly completely at fault for Morgana's aforementioned face heel turn but never shows any real recognition of that.  He decided it was better to convince her that she was mentally ill than explain she had magic and help/teach her to control and hide it.  He is then surprised when this approach blows up in their faces when she learns the truth from an enemy of Camelot and defects.  What. the. hell. What did you think was going to happen?

Comments

[agenttrojie.livejournal.com]

*applauds* Valid points, all!

I have to admit, most of the fun in Merlin comes from a) the fandom and b) FIXING EVERYTHING WITH FIC. It's like the show is ... some sort of packet of idea-seeds. It's weird. I'm less invested in the show than I am in seeing what all the authors I love are going to do with it.

[hsavinien.livejournal.com]

I'll take that under consideration and start snooping your favorites lists.