keep_counting | Merlin: The Darkest Hour review

I watched The Darkest Hour part 1 + 2 this week while I was abroad, and quickly penned down my thoughts. So here is my dysfuntionality for all of you to see :-)

I actually hadn't even realized how much I'd missed Merlin, until I started watching it again. I'm starting to feel inspired for a few fics after this season opener too ;-D

The Darkest Hour Part 1+2 REVIEW:

Okay, so. We had a rather explosive start to last season, and after I’d waited so long (three weeks longer than the rest of ya!) I don’t know if I had my expectations up too high. All in all, I can’t see why I should be dissatisfied, and I’m not. Not really. I just think I’d have expected more action.

Actually, I’m sort of glad that I didn’t. I lovelovelove that Merlin has finally gotten darker – I love that all of the characters are so… broken. I love that they keep being funny and them, even through it all. They’re all suddenly so adult and mature and everything, and I kind of like it. It’s not just silliness and magic, and trying to keep the magic secret: its actual emotion and facing outside threats, and Arthur finally looking more and more like the awesome king we know he will be.

Thoughts:

I love the new montage of pictures in the opening theme. Especially Old!Merlin
A little disappointed that we didn’t get to see more of Uther – I love Anthony so dearly. He still knocks my socks off, just by sitting in a chair, staring into thin air though. And when he grasps Arthur’s hand and asks him not to leave… *cries*
So, what a whole year has passed? AGAIN??? I’m sorry, I could see the reason for it last time – Morgana needed to go completely psycho after all – but, I dunno. It’s just ANOTHER whole year of us not having seen what’s been going on. What about all the Gwen/Arthur smooches we’ve missed? It does fit that Arthur has grown into his role, but still…
AGRAVAINE! I knew you were evil. Mainly because you’re related to Arthur, so it’s almost a given
Oooh, Morgana now has the name ‘Emrys’ to fear! So excited about this, especially because she doesn’t know that it’s Merlin, and she’s all: ‘guuuh, must kill Emrys!!!’ and Merlin is just like: ‘…’
Aw, Morgause. Emily Fox, I will miss you. You where badass, even if your Super Evil And Final Plan was sorta… dumb

About that – the plot was… meh. It was really the characters that drove this series-opening. And I like that, I do, it’s just… I fail to see what the Ghosts can do, other than wreak havoc. Is Morgana just going to have them skidding around forever? How will she get rid of them, if she wants to take over the throne? Will she just kill some random person to close the Veil? PLOTHOLES PEOPLE! Maybe she’s just gone completely bonkers. Yeah. That explains it.

I was really disappointed that it wasn’t Freya healing Merlin with the water. Instead, it’s some random creatures and everything is sort of meh. But Merlin gets to fish. That was sweet
I liked that they reused the Wyvern though, even if, again, pointless. Still, comic-relief among all the angst. Trust Gwaine to do that properly.
I generally really liked the knights’ interaction. Looking forward to seeing more of that
Also, when Merlin is running and calling for the dragon – what the hell must Lancelot have been thinking? I always think it’s a bit more funny than dramatic when Merlin does that (though also cool, in some sort of way) but Lancelot must have seriously been going: ‘WTF? Crazy warlock!’
The small Gwen/Arthur moment before he leaves. ‘Let’s see a smile’, GUH I LOVE YOU SO MUCH. I also sort of just realized that this is one of my only hardcore OTP’s that actually have a canon relationship on-screen. I AM SO SAD!

And here it is. What you have probably been waiting for throughout my rambling.

OH MY GOD LANCELOT NO WHY WHAT WHYYYY?????

You just have this horrible, horrible sinking feeling, ever since Gwen walks up to him and ask him to look after Arthur. I mean, we know that neither Arthur nor Merlin dies now, so it was so obvious that it would have to be Lancelot: normally, I don’t like it when stuff like that is practically thrown in our faces, but the suspense… following him all the way, seeing him go back with the almost!dead Merlin, and thinking ‘oh, yay, maybe he’ll survive’, but then MERLIN YOU GET BETTER YOU SCUM!! And when the dragon calls Lancelot ‘the bravest and noblest of them all’. Because, you know, he doesn’t just die for his country or his king/prince. He dies for Guinevere. For her happiness. And that… that is so beautiful and tragic, and it hit me so hard. I said from the start, that I would tear someone apart if they had Gwen be unfaithful to Arthur, because the triangle in the legends is dull and OOC (IMO), but this… Gwen will always feel horrible about this. Arthur will always know, that Lancelot did this because he loved her. And that will always, always hang over their relationship. Not necessarily always in a bad way, I think, but there is bound to be some issues there, lying in wait. Lancelot loved Guinevere, so much so that he would sacrifice his own life, merely so her true love could return to her. (btw, I should point out before people get mad, I don’t believe he only did it for her: he would have wanted to save Arthur and Merlin as well, so in the end, I think he would have done it no matter what. But this way, I think it’s easier for him to make the decision to do it, because he’s already promised, not just to the kingdom, but to the person that matter to him the most)

I think, out of the entire series, his death hit me the second-hardest. I say second, because nothing has yet beaten the death of Balinor, which will forever make me cry a river and wallow in anguish. Hello Merlin, you get your father back for all of ten seconds AND THEN WE BRUTALLY KILL HIM IN FRONT OF YOU AS HE TRIES TO SAVE YOUR LIFE! BWAHAHAHA!, Oh, and btw, because he’s dead, you now have the power to command dragons. Have fun! Also, Arthur just leaving Gwen in front of the pyre. I don’t know, I mean, what was he supposed to say to that? But still… stay with her, she’s probably feeling horrible!

Yes, this show makes me bitter. Deal with it.

More thinky-thought: how sad it is, that now Merlin’s only friend besides Gaius who knew he had magic IS DEAD? Merlin, your life sucks. Let me hug you
So, is Agravaine really convinced that Morgana needs to sit on the throne, or is he using her for his own ends? Can’t wait to see their face-off, yo. Also, must there always be an evil spy, who is also a family member, inside the castle? It’s getting… repetitive
I want Agravaine/Uther interaction dammit! Or actually just Uther interaction
So great to finally see the kitchens of the castle, and all the servants and generally people everywhere! Sometimes I think Camelot is deserted (what with all the people dying ALL THE TIME), so it’s really nice to finally see a castle that is so full of life

Now I will go hunt for ep3 and eat Pringles and cry some more for brave sir Lancelot