Perhaps "Re-watching Merlin" would be a more accurate title; I have, in fact, seen the series already. Oddly enough, the idea of blogging a book series or television show never seems to occur to me until I am at least a part of the way through it... for this reason, I am throwing recently-formed internet tradition to the wind, mentally intoning "what the heck", and blogging a series I've already seen. Merlin is a good choice, I think; uncomplicated, easy to watch and to write about, and, at three British seasons, short enough that the task of writing a blog post for every single episode isn't ridiculously daunting. At the very least, it will be a good introduction - for me - to this very post-modern method of experiencing entertainment.
There are few rules; considering that I'm already familiar with the series, the spoiler policy will be lax-to-none. I will be writing my observations on the series in light of later events in the narrative, and commenters are perfectly free to do the same. Therefore, if you are watching Merlin for the first time, I'm warning you now that this site will be positively rife with spoilers.
Apart from the above, I have very little else to say. Feel free to lurk, comments are welcome, and I hope my observations on this small BBC offering will prove interesting.
Before I start re-watching the series, I want to take a look back and, based on my single viewing, post my observations about the series as a whole.
Although I know that I've forgotten a lot of plot-relevant details, I look back over the three aired seasons and am impressed; not so much with individual episodes as with the very real changes we've seen the characters go through. Merlin frequently gets accused of being mired in the status quo, of pushing the Reset Button whenever anything major happens, but I don't believe that's truly the case; change and development are slow, but they do happen. We've seen Arthur go from a being spoiled, arrogant brat (with the brains of a donkey and the face of a toad, to boot) to a layered, conflicted young man who shows real flashes of maturity. We've seen how Merlin has been quietly instrumental to those changes, giving us an glimpse of the relationship, still in its infancy, which the two of them are destined to share for the rest of their lives. In subtle ways, the essence of the relationship itself has already progressed admirably from its tense outset.
Uther and Morgana's plotlines are so entwined that it's almost impossible to speak of one without referencing the other; they have gone from powerful king and his insubordinate, somewhat estranged ward, all the way through the ups and downs of rebellion, reconciliation, treason, lies, forgiveness, betrayal, and oppression, culminating with Morgana's acceptance of her magical powers and ultimate fall into darkness. As of the Season 3 finale, Morgana's actions have left Uther a broken man, their relationship irretrievably lost. Simultaneously, her relationship with Gwen, originally a trusting friendship, has been scarred by lies, manipulation, treachery, and deceit. Gwen herself, who personality-wise has changed the least, has still been given a fairly interesting character journey.
The show as a whole is just all-around good fun. It offers plenty of material to make gentle fun of, while genuinely appreciating the programme's serious side. The setting could not be more historically inaccurate to the time period, but considering the fact that the series takes places in a fantastical, heavily fictionalized version of history, that hardly matters. With a few exceptions (Season 3 Morgana, anyone?), the actors turn in nuanced, believable performances. The writing, while seldom scintillating, is sufficient, and light, comedic episodes are well-balanced with the more dreary, ominous installments which mark the points of most major plot and character development. The special effects are surprisingly good, especially after the first season, and the show improves all around as it goes along.
I'm looking forward to visiting Camelot again.
