Board Thread:Rewatching "Merlin" - Season Four/@comment-5102537-20140118143939/@comment-5102537-20140123233050

Hello Anglophile, glad you created an account. I was about to suggest it to you, because that way no one can see your IP address (something I don't quite like... visible IP addresses, I mean).

I don't know what to quote first because you've posted very interesting points, and since multiple quoting is somewhat comlicated here, I'll just copy and paste what you wrote (by the way, would you be interested in the "What If" threads ReganX has created here? I think there are some very interesting things to debate)

Okay, here is the first quotation:

Again, there's nothing in this episode to indicate Agravaine, the Knights, or the faceless Court ever held Uther responsible for the ghost's attack"

Quite true. That's part of the problem I have with this episode and actually with seasons four and five at all. I think that a good story that is reduced to fourtyfive minutes (or so) per epsiode goes beyond these short time frames and is clarified to the viewer by either mentionings or hints. I know that most fans simply enjoyed Merlin and Arthur bantering around and going on missions, however, others would like to see sense and logic in the episodes, even if it's "only" about departed characters or supporting characters.

A good story makes you think and wonder, people continue thinking about what's happening and they're trying to figure out what makes the characters tick. Although it's fun to speculate and to play with the things that are left to the viewer's imagination, I think that leaving essential things out is a very bad move and often results in the accusation of lazy writing. In this case, it's about Arthur's personality and logic.

And here, your next comment explaines it well:

"Had Merlin not been there, obviously your concerns as to what happened next, in regards to Elyan and Uther's suspected complicity, would be completely correct.  But we as the viewers know that Arthur was never going to die... which is apparently enough of an excuse for the writers not to explain a lot" 

This is really bad storytelling because the viewer generally remembers what was going on before and /or wonders what will be next. If we, as the viewers, are supposed to be the witnesses of the happenings, we consider almost everything that is connected to the story and the characters, which means that we are creating a picture of the unspoken happenings that is always connected to the character's personality.

Here, Arthur was presented as an irresponsible king (again) who not only attempted to sacrifice himself (and it was very clear when he offered his life to the ghost) but who also willingly accepted that his dead father, the one he loved and respected so much, was blamed by at least two people. Logic demands that not only Merlin and Gaius believed it was Uther's doing (and here we are at the big picture again, meaning that everyone who got wind of "Elyan's" weird behaviour would want an explanation) but that others would either think that Elyan was a vengeful assassin or that Uther was responsible for the ghost's return.

Had the showrunners/writer let Arthur tell others the truth or maybe even only write a letter that would be read to those involved after his (possible) death, all would be fine and Arthur would have shown the necessary dignity and bravery. The audience would then know that

a) Arthur took responsibility, didn't hide behind Uther's back and  released his father from all accusations and

b) he made sure that Elyan will be released from all accusations

Uther's alleged "fault" was mentioned in this one episode at least four times, so it was clear that Arthur's confession was supposed to be a surprise. Yet any clarification to the other characters was completely and totally ignored, even though there were two people being accused of having committed crimes by the other characters,  namely Elyan and Uther - and they were the two people who were innocent in this situation. Naturally, the audience as well as the fictional characters want an explanation and a clarification on things.

Just one single sentence and one single scene of maybe only 5 seconds would have solved this all and both the viewers and the characters would have known what was going on and what will happen next.

It's not only that, subconsciously, the viewer was supposed to secretly blame Uther for it all but also that this episode did no good to Arthur at all. He came across as a very insecure and cowardly young man who didn't have the guts to admit his own fault but who needed Big Daddy to appear to be the innocent one. Additionally, the viewer was reminded of the days when Uther persecuted sorcerers, and it was done to blame him rather than Arthur, the lovely and fluffy king that is supposed to bring about the golden age (which never happened).

This wasn't the only time that Arthur, the Once and Future King hid behind Uther's back (for example, when he blamed Uther for Morgana's sins in front of everyone), and it's simply not a good character description for the one who was supposed to unite Albion and who was supposed to be so much better than his father. If things had been different and if Uther had been in Arthur's place, he would have never ever tolerated that anyone blamed his son for his own doings. Uther would have immediately taken the blame and never let anyone believe that either of his children were responsible for what he had done.

This is something that Arthur never could do. Instead of taking the blame and standing up for the ones he loved, he constantly wanted to sacrifice his life for Camelot without considering the consequences. This is certainly not what the people wanted from the holy King who was supposed to be the greatest one ever.

"I agree that it was important for the viewers to see how Arthur clarified this situation with Agravaine and his Knights, given how Elyan's apparent "betrayal" is forgiven and forgotten by everyone by the next episode, when they're all hunting and feasting together again. Clearly, someone must have told them something. But then, what's more important: showing us how Arthur salvaged Elyan's reputation to his friends, his peers, and the Court... or Arthur and Merlin's banter-y, "No chance we could have a hug" dialogue"

Yes, because the viewers were supposed to "go with the flow", as was stated by the show runners. The problem is that Arthur's surprising confession was a big part, if not the essence of this episode, so naturally, the audience demands a solution and clarification. Otherwise the emotions, personalities and thoughts of every single character are absolutely unimportant. In this case, the entire show is absolutely and totally superflouse.

Of course, the other characters wanted to know what was going on, and of course, someone had told them something. The question is, what they were told. Arthur dishonouring his father's memory was clearly the wrong way. And Merlin's opinion in regard to the big picture couldn't be more unimportant to me because I want to believe a story rather than shaking heads about the inconsistencies.

This episode was a very bad one for Arthur's personality. There were quite a few that described Arthur that way. He was still insecure and standing in Uther's shadow because especially this behaviour distinguished him from Uther in a very unfavourable way and actually, Uther was the one who had deserved all sympathies here.

EDIT: Sympathies in regards to Arthur here, I mean. Of course, all sympathies go to Elyan and the ghost of the poor druid boy concerning the story.