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timepiececlockI've been watching the new BBC show Merlin for three episodes now. The "historical" inaccuracies are grating on my brain, but other than that, it's light and entertaining fare. I actually think the adventures of Merlin as a young man are a cool idea, and I like the notion of Arthur being a better person (and thus wiser king) as a result of Merlin's stalwart friendship.
But...I just wish they hadn't adjusted the age and storylines of EVERYONE to make this teen soap opera possible. I mean... it's like reading a high school AU fic for the "characters" of Camelot... Merlin, Morgana, Arthur, and Gwenivere are all somewhere between 17 and 22, they're all living together at Camelot while its under the rule of Uther Pendragon, and everything is hunky dory.
...Except there appears to be UST between Morgana and Arthur, which is just weird because in all the Arthurian legends they're half-siblings. Except, I'm not sure if they ARE brother and sister in this show...it hasn't been stated. And Gwenivere is a commoner and handmaiden to Morgana....odd. And they all play "Uno" and drink mead on the weekend nights, I guess.
The show right from the beginning ignores the story of the unknown boy who pulled the sword from the stone, and surmises that Arthur was raised by Uther as a loyal son. Al these adjustments...I'm not objecting to the principle of messing around with legend, but I think you should only mess with "rules" of a traditional story if the changes will benefit the story in new and exciting ways. "Everyone is a young adult together!" is neither new nor exciting. And it's sacrificing all the cool stuff at the same time. If anything, Merlin's story of "young nobody to protege of court physician and high status" is looking more like the traditional back story of Arthur than Arthur himself does here.
Anyway, I'm watching episode 4 right now. I'll probably keep watching it as it goes along. It's less vaguely irritating than Robin Hood, and I got through nearly two seasons of RH before I quit. And hey, Anthony Stewart Head as Uther Pendragon is a nice bit of perfect casting.
eta: Although I *am* enjoying elements of it (and hey, I love fantasy sci/fi most of the time anyway), I kind of wish this was instead about young Merlin wandering the countryside learning lessons in magic and politics and the human condition. You know fight an ogre here, accidentally kill someone with magic there, end a famine today, accidentally burn down a forest tomorrow. Solve the mystery of the disappearing bronze in one village and steal a magical item from the next. He could make a life-long bargain with a dragon and, by the end of season 1, start upon the seeds of events that would create Camelot. That's kind of the show I was hoping this could be... sort of Merlin as Sparrowhawk, I guess.
But...I just wish they hadn't adjusted the age and storylines of EVERYONE to make this teen soap opera possible. I mean... it's like reading a high school AU fic for the "characters" of Camelot... Merlin, Morgana, Arthur, and Gwenivere are all somewhere between 17 and 22, they're all living together at Camelot while its under the rule of Uther Pendragon, and everything is hunky dory.
...Except there appears to be UST between Morgana and Arthur, which is just weird because in all the Arthurian legends they're half-siblings. Except, I'm not sure if they ARE brother and sister in this show...it hasn't been stated. And Gwenivere is a commoner and handmaiden to Morgana....odd. And they all play "Uno" and drink mead on the weekend nights, I guess.
The show right from the beginning ignores the story of the unknown boy who pulled the sword from the stone, and surmises that Arthur was raised by Uther as a loyal son. Al these adjustments...I'm not objecting to the principle of messing around with legend, but I think you should only mess with "rules" of a traditional story if the changes will benefit the story in new and exciting ways. "Everyone is a young adult together!" is neither new nor exciting. And it's sacrificing all the cool stuff at the same time. If anything, Merlin's story of "young nobody to protege of court physician and high status" is looking more like the traditional back story of Arthur than Arthur himself does here.
Anyway, I'm watching episode 4 right now. I'll probably keep watching it as it goes along. It's less vaguely irritating than Robin Hood, and I got through nearly two seasons of RH before I quit. And hey, Anthony Stewart Head as Uther Pendragon is a nice bit of perfect casting.
eta: Although I *am* enjoying elements of it (and hey, I love fantasy sci/fi most of the time anyway), I kind of wish this was instead about young Merlin wandering the countryside learning lessons in magic and politics and the human condition. You know fight an ogre here, accidentally kill someone with magic there, end a famine today, accidentally burn down a forest tomorrow. Solve the mystery of the disappearing bronze in one village and steal a magical item from the next. He could make a life-long bargain with a dragon and, by the end of season 1, start upon the seeds of events that would create Camelot. That's kind of the show I was hoping this could be... sort of Merlin as Sparrowhawk, I guess.
no subject
Date: 2008-10-22 04:58 am (UTC)That part actually hasn't bothered me too much, simply because they've stated that this version's not taking place in Britain - they've given it a fictional name. *shrugs* My brain's weird, I guess. That's all it takes for it to not bother me.
The changes are part of what's attracting me to the series as well, to be perfectly honest. I know how the legend goes, and I've seen it done dozens of times. With this - I'm honestly not sure what direction they're going to end up going in.
Except there appears to be UST between Morgana and Arthur, which is just weird because in all the Arthurian legends they're half-siblings. Except, I'm not sure if they ARE brother and sister in this show...it hasn't been stated.
Since Uther specifically used the word "ward," I'm thinking that they're not supposed to be related in this version. Since in quite a few versions of the legend they have an incestuous relationship, I just figured that the BBC wanted to do something with their relationship without actually having the incest.
no subject
Date: 2008-10-22 05:27 am (UTC)Although I *am* enjoying elements of it (and hey, I love fantasy sci/fi most of the time anyway), I kind of wish this was instead about young Merlin wandering the countryside learning lessons in magic and politics and the human condition. You know fight an ogre here, accidentally kill someone with magic there, end a famine today, accidentally burn down a forest tomorrow. Solve the mystery of the disappearing bronze in one village and steal a magical item from the next. He could make a life-long bargain with a dragon and, by the end of season 1, start upon the seeds of events that would create Camelot. That's kind of the show I was hoping this could be... sort of Merlin as Sparrowhawk, I guess.