MERLIN CLUB: Lancelot and Guinevere

MERLIN CLUB: LANCELOT AND GUINEVERE

Or One I Don't Really Care For (Don't worry, I'll be explaining LOL)

RECAP—Morgana and Gwen leave Camelot to visit Morgana’s father’s grave. Along the way, they are attacked by outlaws, of course. They try to escape but they are captured, and Kendrick, the leader of the group, says Morgana is more valuable to him alive.

The girls start planning their escape, while back in Camelot, Uther sends Arthur to find Morgana since their party hasn’t returned. Morgana and Gwen manage to escape when Morgana insists on bathing. You know, distract the men by the possibility of seeing boobies...good plan. 

BAMF Morgana for the win! Notice she does Arthur's little sword twirl? Wonder if he taught her or she taught him? :-D

Gwen is injured and tells Morgana to go on without her and get help. She does and Gwen defends herself but Is recaptured.

Arthur and his men come across where the outlaws took the girls. Merlin finds a ransom note, and Arthur leads the group through the forest, tracking the girls and their captors. When they hear a noise, Athur nearly shoots, but luckily does not as it is Morgana. Arthur asks where Gwen is, and Morgana shakes her head sadly.

Gwen is give Morgana’s clothes to wear. The man who wanted Morgana—Hengist—has never seen Uther’s ward so Kendrick decides to pass Gwen off as Morgana.

Uther is overjoyed to see Morgana return but refuses to send out men to find Gwen. She’s a servant, after all, and isn’t worth it. 

Hey, Uther...
(My collection of "Hey, Uther..." .gifs is growing. Makes me so happy)

Morgana begs Arthur, but he says there is nothing he can do.

Gwen is presented to Hengist as the lady Morgana. He’s quite taken with her beauty even as she demands to be released. She finds herself in the dungeons instead.

Morgana goes to Arthur, pissed and insisting he goes after Gwen. He points out to her that he’s already packing to go. He couldn’t disagree with Uther in front of the court. Meanwhile, Gaius wishes Merlin a safe journey, and prince and servant head out to find Gwen.

Gwen is forced to join Hengist for a meal and entertainment. Which happens to be cage fighting. Woohoo. She recognizes one of the men fighting. Cue the romantic music, people. It’s freaking Lancelot. He wins the fight but doesn’t kill his opponent. He really should have, it would have been more merciful because Hengist sets a Wilddeoren on the loser.

Rodent of Unusual Size....that feasts on human flesh. RUN!

Arthur is getting frustrated with Merlin—he’s slowing them down and they don’t have time to waste. Gwen’s life is at stake.

In the dungeons, Gwen and Lancelot talk through a grate in the wall. She tells him how she came to be there and fears she will die like the man in the cage. Lancelot says he will never let that happen. We dind out that he has been making his way in life by fighting like this—his opportunities aren’t very vast apparently. There is much loving eye contact and Lancelot says he has thought of Gwen often.

In the forest, Arthur pours water over Merlin’s head to wake him Such a sweetie. Arthur hasn’t been able to sleep for worry of Gwen. Merlin says he’s never seen Arthur like this over anyone, but Arthur totally ignores that and diverts the conversation.

Hengist is suspicious because Uther hasn’t responded to his ransom demand. He threatens Gwen’s life if he doesn’t hear from the king by dawn. Because that makes sense. Gwen totally has control over Uther’s actions from Hengist’s cell.

Arthur decides they will save a day’s journey by going through the tunnels of Andor. Bad news is they’re infested with Wilddeoren. That just sucks. 

Arthur says they have to cover themselves with these stinky Gaia berries. The Widdeoren are blind and rely on their sense of smell. The berries will cover their scents.

Lancelot goes to Gwen in secret and says he will not let her die. Gwen admits she has feelings for him, and Lancelot now has a reason to live and vows to return by nightfall.

Safely out of the tunnels, Arthur and Merlin wash off the berries and after Merlin has a bit of a freak out, Arthur apologizes for risking Merlin’s life like that. 

Seriously look at that man's smile. *swoon*

Merlin then tells Arthur he should just admit his feels for Gwen. Arthur says he can’t. It hurts too much. He knows they can never be. His father wouldn’t let him rescue a servant, he sure as shit isn’t going to let him marry one. Merlin says hwen Arthur is king he can change all that. Arthur says he can’t expect Gwen to wait for him, but Merlin insists if Gwen feels as Arthur does, she’ll wait.

Hengist is growing more and more suspicious, and confronts Kendrick about the situation. Kendrick admits that Morgana escaped and it is her maidservant they have in her place. He’s killed by Wilddoeren in the cage.

Lancelot slips the guards some kind of sedative and frees Gwen. They make their way through corridors to make their escape. But when Hengist finds Gwen’s cell empty, he sends hi men after them. Gwen refuses to leave Lancelot and they kiss. 

He convinces her to run and she voews that her feelings will not fade. Lancelot fights like a bad ass but is outnumbered and ends up back in the cage. Hengist says he will feel great pain before he dies, and Lancelot says it doesn’t matter as long as Gwen is safe. Sadly, the door opens and Gwen is thrust in the cage with him.

Outside the castles, Arthur and Merlin have to scale the walls to get in. Once inside, Merlin distracts the guards, and Arthur knocks them out. 

They steal the guards clothes to blend in and then they’re off looking for Gwen. Wilddeoren are released into the cage just as Athur and Merlin enter the room. Arthur jumps into the cage and he and Lancelot fight off the beast. They escape through the tunnel (that the Wilddeoren come through). Lancelot stays back to fight, and Merlin uses magic to lock Hengist in the cage.

As they escape, Gwen and Lancelot learn that it is just Arthur and Merlin—no knights. Lancelot helps her out of the tunnel, and they share a meaningful look. Merlin is surprised and Arthur is upset. Once in the forest around a campfire, there is much tension. Awkward. Lancelot says it was brave for just the two of them. Arthur says he defied his father’s orders only because Morgana begged him too. Gwen looks hurt by this and says she’s going to get some rest. Arthur follows suit, looking equally upset. Lancelot offers to keep watch and Merlin joins him.

Lancelot questions Merlin about Arthurs true feelings for Gwen and realizes the prince is in love with her. Merlin asks if Lancelot has the same feelings, and he says it doesn’t matter. He will not come between Arthur and Gwen. He asks Merlin to give Gwen a message—that she has changed him forever and some things cannot be.

When Gwen wakes, she asks after Lancelot and looks heartbroken when she finds he’s gone and hears his message. Arthur notices but says nothing about it, instead saying they need to continue home. When they return to Camelot, Morgana is waiting for them and the girls embrace. 

Arthur, heartbroken himself, walks away. And the episode ends with this lovely exchange. 

If I’d written this episode, I would have changed… This may take a while. I apologize in advance. 

I don't like Lancelot's characterization. Don't get me wrong; I like Lancelot just fine, all things considered, but honestly, I feel like to this point he is a flat character. There's not a whole lot of development whatsoever and I feel like there could be so much more. By the end of this episode, it's like okay, okay, we get it. Lancelot is the noblest noble that ever nobled (Thanks @TayciBear for that line. It fits so perfectly!). He's walking away from the woman he loves (a woman he hardly knows but he LOVES her. Don't worry about being shown how this love develops. Just trust in that love, because we are told he loves her so much he's willing to die for her, willing to step aside.... URGH. Sorry back to the sentence I rudely interrupted) so that she can have her fairy tale with the prince. Whatever. Seriously, maybe ask her what she wants. Perhaps she would have chosen Lancelot. Maybe we could see her getting a choice instead of it being made for her. You know, for funsies. 

The whole romance BS in this series is pissing me off. I've already talked in previous posts about my feelings on the lack of development when it comes to Arthur and Gwen's romance. But aside from that, just two episodes ago, she was basically telling Arthur that he can change things when he's king and implies that she'll be waiting for him. That's all different now, I guess, that Lancelot is in the picture. Because her feelings for him are intense, people. She didn't know she could feel this way about another person. She met him once! Was around him for a grand total of, what, a couple of days before he left for parts unknown? And it wasn't like she spent all that much time with him. Yes, she measured him for some clothes and chainmail then cheered him on as he tried to become a knight, but that's it. An intense appreciation for his looks and what little she has learned about him to this point? A healthy dose of lust because the man is all kinds of beautiful? Sure, I can get behind that one hundred percent. But this deep seated love she apparently has? I don't buy it. 

Though I guess this is kinda her thing. Happened with Arthur too. Sudden deep love, but as soon as they're out of sight and another hot hunk of ass comes along...that love shifts targets. 

*ahem* So, after ranting, what would I change? Show some freaking development in the relationships if we are to believe that they are strong and enduring. To show that this is a choice that is heartbreaking for Gwen no matter which man she chooses (You know if she gets a choice and one or both of the men don't make it for her). I would have liked to see more than just throwing Gwen in the vicinity of a man and suddenly she has massive love feelings for him. And I think the actors in Merlin could have acted the crap out a decent storyline; they proven that time and time again. But this...this just makes Gwen seem dramatic and fickle. And I think the character deserves a hell of a lot more than that. 

The thing(s) I loved about this episode—There were some good Merlin-Arthur moments. Even if you aren't a Merthur lover, they were great. The banter is hilarious and I love it. 

Loved BAMF Morgana with her sword. 

The thing(s) I hated about this episode—I have never been a big fan of the Arthur-Gwen-Lancelot love triangle. So yeah, that didn't appeal to me at all. 

 And...well, just see what I wrote for the first question and that's about it. 

Something I never noticed about this episode before—Rewatching, I'm baffled by the pissy, and sometimes cold, looks Gwen is shooting Arthur's way. Now I understand the hurt and angry look after Arthur says he only came because Morgana begged him to. But I noticed this time around she was looking at him in an almost angry way well before that. The first in the tunnel when Arthur notices the affection between Lancelot and Gwen. Then around the fire before Arthur ever speaks. 

I never noticed it before. It's like she's pissed off at him. For what? Defying his father, coming to rescue her, even though it was just him and Merlin? He just saved her and Lancelot's lives and she's glaring at him like he's rudely encrouching on her time with her new lover. What is up with that? 

Favorite costume—Merlin in his stolen guard clothes. Yummy. 

Here is proof of some random head canon I’ve created—I would say that Merlin is so damned tired on the journey to save Gwen because he was otherwise occupied in the nights, if you know what I mean. Other than that, I have nothing for this episode. 

What would Bron steal from Camelot Hengist's place in this episode? Since most of the episode isn't in Camelot, and a good portion of it is in the woods or the dungeons, I'm going to say, Bron would happily take Lancelot home. He can't return to Camelot anyway...so she'd give him a good home. 

What made Jen lose her shit (in a good or bad way) in this episode? Oh this is a tough one this episode. I don't know... I probably lost my shit more than Jen in this episode as evidenced above. LOL 

 I think she appreciated BAMF Morgana fighting to be free. And while nowhere near as uncomfortable as previous scenes between Uther and Morgana, when Morgana is returned to Camelot, there is the moment when he cups her face...causes a moment of squickiness there. Maybe? 

Bron’s Merlin Club: Lancelot and Guinevere Post

Jen’s Merlin Club: Lancelot and Guinevere Post

Until the next TWO episodes. It's our first 2-parter – Beauty and the Beast – which we’ll be watching Monday 5/19, at 8pm EST. We’ll be on Twitter with the hashtag #MerlinClub