Board Thread:(Re)Writing "Merlin"/@comment-5674726-20141115233456/@comment-24762954-20141201155822

 As I've written above, my previous post is to be continued.

 Now it's time for Merlin himself. First of all, I think it's important that he has much in common with Methos(Highlander): they are immortals of similar appearance, who believe in and fiercely protect some noble idiot, tragically lost cursed(or deathly ill) love and are hated be a witch. In one episode, Methos was trying to dispose of another noble idiot, who would have killed Duncan. He also infiltrated the Watchers and was tasked with searching himself.

 Emrys's similarity to Methos should be enough to raise questions, but there is another important thing, this time inside the series - Kilgharrah. Apart from being plot device, strongly similar to mythical Merlin(like Gaius), he is also incredibly plotholed, which reinforces my idea - the Great Dragon never existed. As I've written before, initial Emrys lost many of his traits to become the character, we have seen in S1. Ironically enough, it's what he wanted.

 There is an interview with Peter Wingfield, which would explain it better:

 "I always thought Methos was an optimist and that fought inside him with the fact that he was also a pragmatist, a realist. I think in terms of belief in a greater power, a spiritual power, I think he wanted desperately to believe that there was something greater than us here on Earth. I think that his experience suggested to him that there was nothing. And that fight is always there inside him, that struggle. I think the same is true about love, I think that Methos desperately wanted to believe in love. In spite of generations and generations of watching what appeared to be love wither and die. I think still he carries that hope, that joy, that childlike spirit that wants to believe in magic."

 It's generally the same with Emrys, but there are serious differences - unlike Methos, Merlin changes throughout the series(and always radically, by the way), the sides of his personality are sharper and his internal conflict is more prominent.

 In S1 Emrys wants to believe and to prove himself that the world is better than it seems and that's one of the reasons Arhtur is his "destiny". In first episodes we have seen Merlin mistreated, ignored and even close to death because of being a commoner, Lancelot denied knithhood, entire village doomed to starve and Arthur trying to make things better. At that moment Emrys's views are quite extreme, for him especially - he saves Mordred, Uther, Gwen's father, going against his experience and ignoring his rational part, which is allegorically depicted as Kilgharrah's imprisonment. Eventually Merlin succeeds for some time -  the Dragon "won't see him again".

 The next season manages to be depressing even without its “dark” moments – we see how Arthur, despite all his virtues, (mis)treats Merlin, we see Lancelot sacrificing his feelings, so that Gwen could have better future and Morgana drowning in fear. The latter is even worse, since it was her “destiny” to change Arthur’s and maybe even Uther’s views on Magic - I believe Emrys intended to use Morgana the same way as Lancelot, but alas, she choose differently.

 It may not look that way, but even the subtlest of these moments hits Merlin very hard. You see, Emrys deals in absolutes – for him the world could be either Heaven or Hell and he will be either angel or demon. That is the true reason of Kilgharrah’s return, though it’s not enough to free him. Not yet. But Merlin will fall - despite everything he have already achieved and despite what he would achieve this season(Arthur/Gwen), the world is just not perfect and would never be.

 By “The Fires of Idirsholas” Emrys have almost given up – he tried to kill Mordred, his actions and behaviour in this episode are similar to those of the fourth and fifth seasons - and the Dragon, his pragmatic side, intends to break free. Thanks to Morgana and Morgause, Kilgharrah succeeds, leading to the events of “The Last Dragonlord” – an episode, which takes place entirely in Emrys’s mind.

 Despite what could seem as a continuation of Merlin versus the Dragon struggle, it’s not the point, not really. This episode is about Emrys as whole. His previous behavior is somewhat childish and strongly implies that he isn’t entirely sane. Now it’s time to heal and to grow up.

 For that Emrys need’s to find “the last dragonlord” - himself. Balinor is a man who tried to start the new life after a great tragedy(by the way, good explanation of his mental issues), but failed and now lives in a cave, angry at the whole world – do you see any similarity? But back to the point: I believe, Balinor is the personification of Emrys’s pain and loss. That’s why he had to die, so that his “son” could begin recovering and accept Kilgharrah at some level.

 Speaking of the Dragon, despite his actions, he is not “dark side”, but pragmatism, taken to the extreme. The true problems here are Emrys’s absolutism and Kilgharrah’s inability to hope, due to being opposed to Merlin, who is optimism taken to extreme.



 To be continued…