Merlin

[brigdh]

I finished the last episode of Merlin! The slow-motion, uber-dramatic long shot of Uther carrying Arthur across the courtyard? Hilarious. I mean, it is probably bad of me that I found it so utterly funny, but- the slow-motion! The swelling music! The close-ups of Uther's face! Arthur's really obvious Christ-symbolism pose! The strange lack of other people to, you know, help the King out as he wanders across the main part of the castle! I almost fell off the couch laughing.

Also, I found the choice of which character was going to die to be a really cheap shot. I mean, clearly it wasn't going to be Arthur, but I was sure it would be either Uther or Gaius. But instead, Nimue (that's probably spelled wrong)? Seriously, show? You cannot pose a complicated moral question of sacrifice and what a king's life is worth and then have your protagonist solve the problem by defeating the bad guys, yay! Merlin's mother would also have been unacceptable, since one episode does not an audience connection make, but at least it would have been emotional for the characters themselves. And would have actually have been playing within the rules of games.

Also, also, the magic system in this universe is really inconsistent. Why does life have to be balanced by life, but floating swords/lightning bolts/making the pages in a book turn really fast don't have to be balanced by equal exchanges of energy?

I find that I don't really have the emotional connection to the show that would make it be a real fandom of mine. But it's so close; I feel like I kept seeing the shapes of something that would have been really interesting around the edges of what the show actually is. There's the connection to the vast body of Arthurian legend, of course. Or the story of what makes a good ruler, if peace can be justified by the many bad decisions and tyrannistic tendencies of Uther. Or the story where the choice to use or not use magic was a difficult decision with arguments on both sides (not just the random prejudice of one dude) and real consequences (do neighboring countries still have magic? do they have advantages therefore? Also, why are unicorns okay but not sorcerers?). Or the story of a group of young people learning to govern, balancing idealism against realpolitik. Or the story that's a comment on class and status, where the power behind each noble is their servant.

But none of those are actually Merlin.

Still! I am now looking for fandom things. Rec me vids, stories, authors, whatever you find neat. Rec yourself, please! There are, obviously, a few authors I already know I want to go read, but tell me them anyway, in case I forgot someone. What do you guys like?

Comments

Re: Also, also, the magic system in this universe is really inconsistent.

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

Well, it reminded me most closely of Full Metal Alchemist, an anime series which also uses a system based on "balance must be maintained". In fact, the concept is so central to the plot of the series (it's basically the central theme of the entire thing) that the opening theme song of every episode starts with one of the main characters musing, "Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. That is Alchemy's First Law of Equivalent Exchange. In those days, we really believed that to be the world's one and only truth." The entire series explores the idea of what you could offer to get a human life back; what could possibly be the equivalant.

And since I just reread Terry Pratchett's Masquerade, I was also thinking of that, since the Discworld (at least the witches), also maintain the balance. The climax of the book features a scene where Granny Weatherwax grabs a sword blade by the hand- and isn't hurt. The other characters protest, since you "can't magic iron", and Granny agrees that that's true. She just deals the injury, until she has time to deal with it.

Re: Also, also, the magic system in this universe is really inconsistent.

[stardragonca.livejournal.com]

Pratchett's clearly not a Hollywood writer, and anime clearly seems to be much more thoughtful in character.
I see "Hollywood" SF/F as the part of an island off the coast of Speculative Fiction* furthest removed from the mainland. Or maybe it's just a sand bar.


*Or as I like to call it, The Good Stuff. :)

Re: Also, also, the magic system in this universe is really inconsistent.

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

The fact that most big-budget productions aren't thoughtful or interesting isn't an excuse for them not to be.

Re: Also, also, the magic system in this universe is really inconsistent.

[stardragonca.livejournal.com]

Amen. From your fingers to the monitor screen of Whomever is listening.