Merlin: a beginner's course

[slinkling]

I am way behind on answering comments, I didn't get around to writing a Thing for this week, and I've been utterly failing to keep up with my f'list. Sorry, all. Life-with-baby is kind of nutty.

I did, though, take an evening off last night to hang out with kassrachel and drink wine and watch the first three episodes of Merlin. And here is what I have learned:

1) This show has everything but sparkly rainbows and twinkly fairy bells. It is gay like a gay thing that is gay. Also, it's really, really gay.

2) The story is set in the well-defined historical period of Quite Some Time Ago. The castle appears to have been built in the 1600s, and it has huge glass windows and GLASS DOORS (really useful for defending against attackers, I bet). The population is racially mixed. The men all wear pants. Everybody bathes, and they have a solid grasp on the germ theory of diseases. They have a lot of faith in science, though as far as I can tell "science" = "collecting things in little glass jars and then seeing what happens." Still, it gets results.

3) Camelot is ruled over by Uther Pendragon, Lord of Exposition. Uther is very invested in keeping his subjects up-to-date on current events, and regularly reminds the people about what's happened thus far. I wouldn't be surprised if he's invented broadcast journalism in his spare time -- which he seems to have a lot of, since whenever anyone comes to see him he's sitting alone in his throne room looking kingly.

4) Another surprising architectural quirk: the castle was built over a massive cavern. Which you'd think would lead to some problems with subsidence, but maybe they used a very lightweight stone. Anyway, the cavern is home to a giant flying reptilian matchmaker, who I gather is getting regular updates from the Uther Network, because despite being chained in his cavern he always knows exactly what's going on. Yenta the Dragon has but one purpose in life: to get Merlin and Arthur fucking. I can't help but wonder if Yenta has put other couples together in the past, or if he's just been twiddling his wings for the last twenty years, waiting for these two boys to grow up and meet each other.

5) Being manservant to a prince, aside from other menial duties, involves a lot of being on your knees, getting the prince into and out of his clothes. While talking about swords.

So that is what I know so far. Camelot: it is a silly place.

Comments

[voldything.livejournal.com]

Regarding the Dragon: slash_dragon

[slinkling.livejournal.com]

HA! That's awesome. Yenta has a livejournal. Of course.

[shayheyred.livejournal.com]

I bow before you, in an entirely anachronistic fashion. Because, yea verily, "Merlin" is like unto a massively gay tsunami of gayness, with a side of gay. Forsooth. And yo.

[slinkling.livejournal.com]

And I graciously curtsey in return, and then give you a high five. 'Twas the custom, in The Gay Days of Yore.

[smallbeer.livejournal.com]

Just so you know, this whole post, but especially #3 and #4, made me laugh so hard that I cried. THE UTHER NETWORK. yes.

[slinkling.livejournal.com]

Hee! Glad I could amuse you. It was a very giggly evening, as you might imagine.

[kassrachel.livejournal.com]

Yenta the Dragon has but one purpose in life: to get Merlin and Arthur fucking.

AHAHAHAHAHA oh God. That should really be on an icon. Or at least "Yenta the Dragon" should be.

Camelot: it is a silly place.

Having just watched Holy Grail with your son last week, I can only agree. *g*

Oh, and: via lamardeuse, this scan of an article entitled Camelot and the Court of Queen Arthur (http://pics.livejournal.com/darkeyedwolf/pic/001eba52), in which the actor playing Arthur says, "It's great that the show is causing such a reaction so early. But believe it or not, I take it as a compliment. Colin and I discussed our relationship and how we wanted it to develop from the start. And I take it as a compliment that the audience is seeing something there they can use." HEE.

[slinkling.livejournal.com]

Wow, you're right. Now I really want a "Yenta the Dragon" icon.

And ooh, thank you for the link. (I love that the producers have gotten more complaints about the anachronisms than they have about the gayness.)

[rosy5000.livejournal.com]

hehe This may be one of the best summaries YET! *giggles*

Yenta the Dragon

ROTFLOL! I may like that even better than calling him Slash Dragon! *grins*

[slinkling.livejournal.com]

*bows*

Kassrachel has suggested that I need an icon of Yenta the Dragon, and she's right, I totally do. One of these days I'll have to get on that...

[norwich36.livejournal.com]

I suppose you downloaded your copies of Merlin? As opposed to, say, kassrachel doing such and putting them on discs that might be copyable? (For which certain people without downloading capability would be happy to pay the price of blank discs + shipping if such things existed?)

[kassrachel.livejournal.com]

I only have the first 4 eps, which may or may not be all that useful to you; most people say it gets more fun the further on one goes. I'm happy to send you the first four eps if you want them, though -- just email me at this username at gmail...

[norwich36.livejournal.com]

That's very kind of you. I'll email you.

[slinkling.livejournal.com]

I will be MOST CURIOUS to hear your take on this show.

[norwich36.livejournal.com]

I've been wanting to see it, since everyone's been raving about it--though I hate to get hooked on a show that's mostly dependent on downloading things, since I can't do that.

[disprove.livejournal.com]

Wait til you get to the fourth ep!

[slinkling.livejournal.com]

Well NOW I'm all curious.

[disprove.livejournal.com]

You ain't seen nothin' yet!

[the-shoshanna.livejournal.com]

Hee hee hee hee hee!

So far I have watched one brief clip of Merlin that someone posted, and read several zillion words of fanfic. I kind of think I'm getting the better end of the deal there (I have a GRADUATE DEGREE IN HISTORY, I could DROP DEAD watching that show! -- probably from giggling), but I would so love the chance to watch it with fans at some point!

[slinkling.livejournal.com]

I don't doubt you're getting the better end. Kass and I realized a few minutes in that if we were to make a drinking game out of "spot the anachronism," we'd give ourselves alcohol poisoning pretty damn quickly. And there's just no way that one could describe it as a *good* show.

That said, with a friendly fan and a bottle of wine, it does make for a most entertaining evening.

[kristiinthedark.livejournal.com]

Hi. I love you. Have I mentioned how much I love you?

Also? Merlin is gay.

[slinkling.livejournal.com]

*smishes you with sparkly rainbows and unicorns*

I'm going to see you in a few weeks! YAY!