User blog comment:Fimber/Nine questions about "The Wicked Day"/@comment-4135736-20120625091758/@comment-5102537-20120627132421

Again, I'd love to discuss the Uther-subject with you, Aithusa. Maybe on my Uther-blog? It would be too long here. However, I'd like to say that I didn't see him only acting as a king but more as a fearful father who did everything to protect his children, just most of the time in a very questionable way concerning magic. And as for Gaius, he "confessed" in public for everyone to hear, so Uther didn't have a choice but sentencing him to death. It was obvious that Uther couldn't bear seeing Gaius die when he left the balcony. Uther's mistake was to ask the Witchfinder in the first place, but certainly, he hadn't expected anyone close to him, like Morgana or Gaius being the ones practicing magic. And when The Witchfinder suspected them, it was too late already.

Anyway, of course I agree that Merlin didn't want to heal Uther before Arthur wanted to use magic in order to heal his father. I couldn't see any sorrow in Merlin either. It was all just about his failed plan, as he told Gaius after Uther had died. No word about Arthur, and that was quite cold and indifferent. Sitting in front of the throne room didn't make much sense, for Arthur didn't know he was there. It was Merlin's bad conscience because he surely knew what he had done when wasting time bantering and disguising as Dragoon instead of healing Uther right away when nobody was watching. He surely knew that if he had done it, Arthur wouldn't have told Agravaine about his plan because he wouldn't have had a reason for turning to magic in that case. Therefore Agravaine wouldn't have told Morgana, Morgana wouldn't have interfered, Uther would still be alive. It was Merlin's fault and he knows that. In this epsiode, I didn't understand anyone's behaviour. Gaius didn't care about Uther and didn't ask Merlin to heal him when he had done it in season one when Uther had those bugs slowly killing him. Merlin, the one who uses magic all the time to save the day didn't help Uther but only tried when he could use Uther's upcoming demise for his own advantage. Gwen didn't do anything to comfort Arthur except for looking sorrowful, no knight, no friend, nobody came to visit Uther, Morgana killed him although he was already destroyed and incapable of doing anything, let alone that she made way for Gwen becoming queen by killing Uther, Arthur was almost about to leave Dragoon's hut when Dragoon ranted about Uther although it was his father's life at stake - but obviously, it wasn't important enough for him to convince Dragoon and to ignore his rants. And last but not least, Uther didn't even get a funeral for us to see.

What a terrible and badly written espiode, so illogical and callous. Ironically, the only "normal" and warm person in this epsiode was Uther, yet he was treated like a supporting character that had appeared one or tow times before.

Aithusa, maybe Merlin didn't like Uther, but that's no reason to let someone die, at least no reason for a character like Merlin who has always tried to help even those who were his enemies or the ones who caused him trouble.

Broman, I agree, Merlin has always done some questionable things and isn't a saint. But here in The Wicked Day he just stood by and watched someone suffering and dying without his usual impulse to help. Whe he poisened Morgana, I have always been under the impression that he thought that Morgana knew about her part in the plan very well. I'm sure he thought that Morgana just played innocent and therefore he didn't see sense in telling her that she is the one who causes the situation. Moreover, only her death could stop it all, so even if he had told her, she surely wouldn't have scrificed herself. It was an entire different situation than it was in The Wicked Day. Here he could have helped Uther long before Arthur talked about magic. He simly didn't want to, and that was so out of character and annoying. Cold and childish.