If you engage me in a conversation on any topic for long enough, you’re going to figure out pretty fast that one of my favorite books/movies in the universe is The Princess Bride. (It’s applicable to so many situations! Really, you never should start a land war in Asia. It never goes well!) So naturally Merlin decided this week would be a really good week to totally pay tribute to this work of staggering genius. I mean, I don’t think they did it intentionally (I think it was supposed to foreshadow future love affairs or something? Whatever), but both Ruby and I noticed it independently, so clearly it was a shout-out to us. Right? Of course right.
Julia: So, let’s discuss the elephant — wait, that’s not an appropriate metaphor — the dragon in the room. The first thing I thought when I watched this was “Hey, it’s a Princess Bride spoof!”
Ruby: Well, the wildren are basically R.O.U.S.’s.
Julia: Maybe it’s just my insane love of rodents, but when the wildren went forward and sniffed Merlin, I wasn’t afraid at all. Actually, I sort of thought he was going to, like, lick him, and then Merlin would keep him as a pet. Or they’d take him out of the caves and Merlin would be like, “Can I keep him, Arthur? I promise to feed him and take him for walks! Oh please oh please oh please!” And Arthur would roll his eyes and be like, “Okay, fine.” And then Merlin would name him George and sic him on all of Camelot’s enemies. You know, in my fantasy world.
Ruby: This episode has a a couple other things in common with that illustrious movie — Gwen was kidnapped by a band of outlaws (just like Buttercup), and Arthur rescues her while being jealous of her feelings for Lancelot (like Westley rescuing Buttercup but being jealous because she’s engaged to Prince Humperdinck). What do you think … is that a stretch?
Julia: I personally think Lancelot was way more Westley-esque. Which would … make Arthur Humperdink? And Merlin the six-fingered man? It seems more like Arthur would be Fezzick and Merlin would be Inigo. I don’t know. I think at this point our metaphor falls apart a little. Though we’ve had past nods to The Princess Bride — remember the scene in the first season where Merlin and Arthur are trying to figure out who has the poisoned goblet with the unicorn guy? Totally struck me as a nod to the battle of wits. (Australia is populated by criminals, Arthur! And yes, I can recite pretty much that entire monologue. Please inquire within if you want to hire me for cocktail parties.) Though speaking season flashbacks, hey there Santiago Cabrera! You pretty, pretty man you. (Really, he’s terribly pretty. Not handsome. Not attractive, just pretty. Like, the kind of person who you feel like should be bronzed because they’re a work of art.)
Ruby: After Lancelot rode off into the sunset last season, I didn’t expect to see him back so soon. Not that I mind seeing more of the hotness that is Santiago Cabrera — but how random that he shows up as a cage fighter in Hengist’s court.
Julia: Yeah, all sweaty and noble. Gee, it’s really difficult to see why Gwen likes him so much. Really. I’m straining. Can you see the strain?
Ruby: He and Gwen have some sweet moments together. Like when he touches her hand through the bars of her cell, smiles that charming smile, and says, “I have thought of you often. Have you thought of me at all?”
Julia: “Oh, Lancelot, every night! When I’m alone in my… I mean, er, sometimes. That is. Um. Gosh, have I mentioned you’re pretty?”
Ruby: At first, Gwen’s feelings seem confusing, because it’s like — last week you were in love with Arthur; this week you’re in love with Lancelot? Which is it? But her feelings are actually quite believable. I totally get how she could have a major crush on Lance. With him, she can just feel like an attractive woman, while with Arthur she’s conscious of being a servant. Lance is accessible — he’s possible — while Arthur is seemingly unreachable for someone of her station. She has this brave, noble, dark-eyed stud who is totally into her and who could realistically be with her. That’s attractive. On the other hand, she also has the golden prince in love with her but unwilling to show it for fear of his father. And in the end, Lance, the accessible one — the one who could have been with her — is the one who leaves. I think that’s why she’s so crushed when he says through Merlin that “some things cannot be.” Cruel irony. (But it’s okay since we know that Arthur will ultimately find a way to be with her.)
Julia: Ugh, this is just, I mean, maybe because I’ve been in Gwen’s situation (though never with two dudes of Arthur and Lancelot caliber fighting over me — sigh! I wish) where a guy decides he’s just going to make a decision for you — it sucks. And Lancelot’s was particularly stupid. Gwen has totally ignored Arthur even if he did come to save her, pretty clearly favored Lancelot over him, and just because Arthur has a crush on her Lancelot decides that he must nobly flee and allow their love to flourish? Which ironically is totally going to flourish because Gwen feels abandoned by him (I would argue that until Lancelot leaves her and Arthur doesn’t, she doesn’t have any particular feelings for him at all, but it’s the juxtaposition of the two that creates them), so of course she’s going to turn to the guy who sticks around, even if he just moons over her from afar. It’s dick moves like this that are the reason you don’t get the girl, Lance! It’s these shenanigans exactly. And Arthur! Oh my god, you spend one weekend in this chick’s house, kiss her, and decide you’re in love with her, then tell her, “Just kidding, we can never be, but don’t mind if I follow you around the castle pouting after you while you try to do your job,” and not only decide that clearly she’s the love of your life and you should get married and have babies, but instead of doing something about it you just make sure you hang out where she is and mope after her? See, this is why there needs to be Camelot High, so Arthur can take Gwen to the prom and then get over her. Maybe next they should have a Camelot version of a John Hughes movie? They can play “Don’t You Forget About Me” and Arthur can get catharsis. Future love triangle averted! You’re welcome, everyone.
Ruby: I loved the puppy eyes Arthur made at Gwen while Morgana was hugging her. Oh my God, you silly lovesick infant — go show her how you feel!
Julia: But he doesn’t know how to do that because Uther didn’t hug him enough as a child, remember? Seriously. Now that we’ve done the Princess Bride on this show, I think Uther needs to lock Merlin, Arthur, Lancelot, Gwen, and Morgana all in a dungeon and go Breakfast Club on this situation and work stuff out. It’s the only way.
Clacked by Julia Hass 
on Apr 23, 2010 @ 23:00 EST5EDT
Lancelot was definitely the Westley. It was particularly noticeable when he jibed, “So, Merlin. I see you’re still up to your old tricks.”
It’s good to know that Uther can still be counted on to do the exact worst thing possible as a king. So your ward was kidnapped and her escort savagely slaughtered by a force of bandits that may, just possibly, work for a powerful warlord? Best to just do nothing, then. No need to send out a scouting force to ascertain if it’s true, and possibly rescue her maid, who is one of your subjects. No need to hunt down and execute the attackers who wronged you so as not to appear weak, or to deter future kidnapping attempts on your family. Just roll over and present your soft belly for the knife.
I agree re Uther – I always wonder why Gaius feels so loyal to a man who is trying to exterminate a whole group of people (i.e., anyone with magic). Why does he feel this moral obligation to help Uther, when Uther is an unjust ruler? Wouldn’t the moral thing be to let Uther be killed instead of always stepping in to help him?
It could be that Gaius knows something of the prophecy concerning Arthur (and Merlin?), and is just biding his time for a good king to inherit the throne. Or Camelot could be surrounded by even worse tyrants who would swoop in to ravage her lands and enslave her people before Uther’s body was cold, and it’s only his ruthless paranoia that keeps them at bay.
The odd point is that Gaius still seems to consider Uther a close friend, as well as his king, and cares about the man, even after he’d obviously been driven mad by the death of his wife. We learned last season that Uther had even turned his magical allies into enemies, hunting and executing them as well as magical strangers.
- I find it hard to believe Uther would let Morgana out of the castle after last week. I find it doubly hard he’d let her out without himself or Arthur. And, triply hard to believe he’d let her out without at least two-three times the guards she had.
– Weren’t the caves of the giants rats the same caves Arthur climbed to get the antidote to save Merlin last year? But, I did think of PB when it came to the giant rat cave.
– Gwen and Lancelot would make v. pretty babies, but he really represents ideal love. He hadn’t seen Gwen in a year, yet expects her to have thought of him as much as he did of her.
– I understand the opposing king’s anger that Uther hadn’t sent a ransom, but I’d just assume that Uther had decided on storming the castle, not that he’d abandoned his ward.
– Poor Gwen. Uther imprisons her and threatens to execute her as a witch. Then, he kills her father. Then, after she sacrifices herself for his ward, he leaves her to face assault and death. My gosh. I know they explained why Gwen isn’t angry last time, but I’d seriously want to kick someone’s butt for that.
– I still want to see an improvement on the Arther-Merlin relationship. Perhaps they don’t need to write the homoerotic fan-fic of last year, but I still don’t feel the friendship.
Side note:
Hmm, I know I’m the one who two weeks ago talked about the presence of Anglo-Africans in England. However, while in the 18th century, Dido Elizabeth Belle served as the ward and favorite niece of Lord Mansfield after her father left her mother in the Carribbean and in the 17th century there were black servants treated as wards and Africans who were chieftan’s sons (or claimed they were) who received sponsorship from gentry or members of the upper-class and while the 15th century had the presence of a traveling black servant class (not thousands, but enough going through a large metropolitan palace), all the same I’m surprised the opposing king, considering his roughness didn’t make a remark about the king’s former friend ‘diddling in international waters’ or ‘Lady Morgana your facial features are as exotic as I heard’. Morgana has gorgeous green-blue eyes, has no one ever mentioned them in the past?
The other reason I didn’t think Gwen could pull of a Morgana is because both characters hold themselves differently. Clearly, Gwen stepped up to the plate, but in reality wouldn’t her posture tell all?
Anyways, guys, keep up the recaps!
Hm, I think that, despite the writers’ attempts to make Gwen and Lancelot’s interactions so utterly EPIC and long-lasting and what-have-you, I’m wondering just how deeply their feelings ran. Overall, these two had only known each other a few days. In the first series when she fitted him for knightly clothes to impress everyone, him eyeing her up at the feast, and her watching him wistfully ride off at the end of the episode. Now this, when she’s a prisoner of Jabba the Hutt’s first cousin, and he heroically swears to free her before said first cousin puts her in a bikini outfit (clearly this guy’s not thinking like any other guy would — wait until after she’s in the bikini to rescue her). I can see why Gwen might get attached to Lancelot at this point, he’s the only friendly face in her situation and she knows Uther won’t offer a dirty rag to set her free, much less a gold ransom. So it makes sense that she’d cling to Lancelot while she could. Ultimately, though, there wasn’t time for them to forge the complete and EPIC bond that will echo down in the ages. I imagine that will be forged over time, until it ultimately overflows and they can’t take the denial anymore and get together and destroy Arthur’s life and kingdom as a consequence.
At this point in their lives, I think Gwen was so upset at the end because 1) he made the decision for both of them without even consulting her (damn, but if that had been last season, she would have gone after him and beat him up for it, the moron) and 2) she’s upset for the lost possibilities (maybe she’d thought he might return to Camelot now and they could explore their feelings a little bit more and see how it held up when they weren’t in EPIC peril).
As for Gwen’s feelings about Arthur, I think she’s also caught by the possibilities there. Practically, she probably knows that there’s no hope (given that she doesn’t know what we all know), but there is some part of her that is hung up on Arthur. He is changing (mostly thanks to Merlin’s good influence and tendency to call him on being a bitch a lot of the time) and becoming a man worthy of respect and even love. Again, for Gwen, it’s all about the possibilities. But then Lancelot ran off and took half of those possibilities with him. I imagine she gets pissed off about it later, once she’s done being sad and upset. Then she just has Arthur and they can continue to tentatively eye each other and dare to dream.
Ah, the classical soap opera. Good times, huh? ;D