User blog comment:Fimber/Things that went wrong in "The Death Song of Uther Pendragon"/@comment-5102537-20130604105953/@comment-5102537-20130605132805

Okay, Ambrosius, you asked for it when you wrote:

"And one final question. What do *you* think Uther should have done having returned as a ghost?"

First of all, I wouldn't have changed him into an evil psycho and ignored all his human sides and also good character traits, but I would have brought him back as the one we have been introduced to - or maybe even as a better "person".

Uther died at the hands of his beloved daughter Morgana, moreover by magic because he would have been healed by Merlin if Morgana had not reversed the spell. So mortal wound by the blade or not, Merlin had healed him already which lasted only a few seconds because of Morgana's magic.

Someone who died at the hands of a loved one and most of all due to the very thing that he hated and feared the most would have much more important things to "clarify" when coming back as a ghost than simply the fact that his beloved son knighted commoners and married a serving girl. The serving girl, Gwen, took care of him for a year, and even though it was her obligation as a servant when she agreed to Arthur's request, she took good care of him without taking advantage of his weakness. This is honourable and something that Uther would have noticed and appreciated as someone who set great value upon honour.

The knights, all of them, rescued not only him but also his son and entire Camelot, which is also something that Uther would have appreciated, whether he disapproved of their knighthood or not. He was only a human being after all, and trying to kill the knights (Percival, in this case) would go totally against his character.

So when he returns he should have learnt by now that Morgana killed him, given that for some reason he was able to "see" (to know) about what happened in the world of the living. Clearly, since he loved Morgana so much, he also took a look at her, not only at Arthur (in whatever way, no idea how ghosts can know about what's going on in the living world).

Now that Uther is in the Spirit World, whether he hated magic or not, even he must have realised that the Spirit World and he himself, for goodness sake (!), are pure magic. By continuing hating magic he continued hating even the afterlife at all, whether paradise or "hell" and also himself. He even denied his very existence as a ghost which makes no sense at all. This should have given him a clear hint that at least this kind of magic/supernatural force (the afterlife) was something which couldn't be eradicated and which was a constant and steady part of nature, of the world, life itself. When he haunted Camelot, every single move of his was magic. Moving things, throwing things by thoughts or energy or whatever, being invisible, being a GHOST.... Let alone that his own son used powerful and dangerous magic in order to visit his father. So continuing hating magic made no sense anymore, except hating a certain kind of magic, which would be destructive magic and its terror - something that Uther used himself as a ghost. As a magical being himself now he clearly would have reconsidered one or two things....

So I would have brought him back as a ghost who sees sense. Still hating magic that destroys others would have totally been fine and also reasonable. I would have let him advicing Arthur to be careful about evil magic, not all magic. Maybe I would have let him telling Arthur off that he played with powers he didnt understand (entering the Spirit World) but I also would have presented him as the one who loved his children deeply, like he did when he was alive. Hurting Arthur wouldn't have even come to my mind at all, neither by attacking nor even by humiliating him (when he told Arthur what a failure he was), because Uther was always proud of his son and had no real reason to think otherwise, Gwen and the knights or not. Warning him about servants and commoners, okay. Maybe a conversation about them would have been my idea too, but certainly not such a hurtful and mean telling-off, let alone the attempt to give them a slow and sadistical death.

Okay, Morgana... I would have let Uther at least say something about Morgana. Maybe that Arthur shall try to make peace with her, maybe that he can't get over the fact that Morgana killed him, maybe regret about what he did to sorcerers, simply because when he was betrayed by Morgana and still alive, he went broken and clearly questioned himself and his actions, otherwise he wouldn't have given up his kingdom and his own life. He also could have warned Arthur about Morgana's plans, he could have visited Morgana in the attempt to make peace with her (whether she would have agreed or not). This is one of the reasons why I wouldn't have brought him back in the beginning of season five but in the end, depending on how Morgana would have reacted. If he wasn't able to visit Morgana, I would have thought of a reason why in order to let the viewers know that he wants to see her but can't for some reason.

In case he didn't know about Morgana killing him for some reason I would have thought of something to explain this to the audiences. Same with his lack of knowledge about Merlin's powers which made no sense whatsoever. If there was a good reason as to why he had no idea about Merlin but oddly about everything else that had to do with Arthur, I would have clarified it. I also would have let him know about Mordred since Arthur knew that Mordred was the druid boy he rescued back then, so meanwhile Uther must have known about his name too, given that he knew what Arthur was doing (even withother kingdoms). It was totally illogical that he didn't know about Mordred. So why attacking Percival? If ever, mordred would have made much more sense.

The most important but again overlooked part would have been Igraine. Remember, the main reason for hating magic and persecuting sorcerers during the Great Purge was Igraine. He told Nimueh that she was his "heart and soul", yet he didn't even mention her just once now that he was dead. Not even Arthur asked about his mother. Why, for God's sake, should Igraine be completely forgotten all of a sudden? I would have brought in a scene or at least a converation about Igraine and I would have reunited them in the afterlife. Most of all, one way or another, I would have given Uther finally some peace. Eternal punishment for temporary crimes in life make no sense and is the cruelest thing imaginable, something which not even a criminal would wish on others if they really knew what eternal punishment means. Everything we do is life lasts for a while but ends someday. It's not eternal. So if someone is being punished in the afterlife, it should be only temporarily too, otherwise it would bear no proportion to what living beings do to others. Moreover, he never enjoyed the things he did to sorcerers, as he stated on several occasions. All in all, giving his soul some peace and rest and also being reunited with Igraine would have been the main part if I had brought hom back as a ghost.

The way he was brought back in this episode  made us believe that his very soul was evil. This contradicted his character description completely and is actually also a very silly way of storytelling. Its something to scare children but certainly not something that shows just any kind of clever storytelling or believable plot.

And even If he really had to return as an evil ghost in order to scare some children, I would have at least explained it by showing that he wasn't his former self but only a part of his soul/personality, being bitter and in rage over his violent death and the fact that his soul was denied to rest. And then I would have thought of a way for Arthur, Merlin and Gaius to give him peace in the end instead of coldheartedly humiliating him first and then sending him back to his personal hell for eternity.

Well, this was the short version ;-) There would have been multiple possibilities to bring him back in a believable and logical way.