Not got too high hopes for this one myself after the travesty that was "Robin Hood".
Agreed that was awful, and from the uber-cheesey trailers Merlin looks to be equally bad just in entirely different ways.
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Not got too high hopes for this one myself after the travesty that was "Robin Hood".Agreed that was awful, and from the uber-cheesey trailers Merlin looks to be equally bad just in entirely different ways.
I actually like Robin Hood, Especially the Finally of the last season.
Show is coming back by the way... 1 more seaon.
This does look rather cheesy, what with Merlin being a young man together with Arthur (huh?), lots of superpower-y magics being cast all over, the requisite bad-CGI dragon; it all starts to look like Young Superman: The Medieval. Will the narrative be moving backwards in time, as it should for Merlin?
RPG Superstar 2010 Top 32
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I thought it was ... fun! I had a few (non-D&D) friends over and it came on and they all loved it. Okay, I thought the magic was a bit OTT at times but there were several laugh out loud moments and that counts for a lot. His 'mentor' was rather blasé about the magic too but I'm sure there'll be more backstory explaining that.
All in all, I thought the writing was great, the characters likeable and the show great fun.
Just watched it, thought it was quite good!
Sorry should have posted this first but didn't actually talk about the episode only a brief description of the characters and certain differences between them and what it was based on so....
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Hope that helps since I don't know how to do that button thing to hide portions of the text thing.
Admittedly they took more than a few liberties with the story such as Morganna being Uther's ward, Arthur is still his son but apparently legitimate and their mother dead although nothing been said how she died.
Merlin is about the same age as Arthur possibly younger, Arthur is a royal brat but with at least honorable even if he is a bully.
Merlin apparently is very unusual in his abilities making him appear like he has the Silent and Still Spell feats using Mage Hand and Prestdigitation but thats me analysing too much!
Didn't much care for Robin Hood thought they were messing too much with it, probably because I remember Robin of Sherwood so I am biased.
This however didn't offend me at all, have seen the Sam Neill version so perhaps I am more open to this, but it was still not bad, not bad at all!
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Next Saturday's episode is at the earlier time of 6pm, so mark your TiVo!
I really enjoyed the show, and am looking forward to next week. Great atmosphere and sets, good writing, good acting. You knew what would happen by about 20 minutes in to the show, but it was fun getting there. The CGI dragon wasn't bad at all. I'm glad Helen won't be a recurring character (though the way she killed the handmaid was nice and subtle; I particularly liked the "shhhh" as she gripped her wrist).
Any Welsh speakers out there who might translate the sleep song?
I hope the naysayers got a chance to watch last night or today--very worth the time.
I think you cold have changed the names and called this "Tales from Amn."
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...Admittedly they took more than a few liberties with the story such as Morganna being Uther's ward, Arthur is still his son but apparently legitimate and their mother dead although nothing been said how she died...
I could wiki-fu it but I thought Morgana was Cornwall's daughter, and Uther's wife threw herself from the battlements. (Le Morte version)
...Admittedly they took more than a few liberties with the story such as Morganna being Uther's ward, Arthur is still his son but apparently legitimate and their mother dead although nothing been said how she died...I could wiki-fu it but I thought Morgana was Cornwall's daughter, and Uther's wife threw herself from the battlements. (Le Morte version)
Yes I was trying to remember who Morganna's father was, I do remember Merlin cast an illusion on Uther to let him have his way with the woman he fancied and it was sometime later he died placing Excalibur in the stone but this is that movie version with Patrick Stewart in it I'm trying to recall than the actual story.
Remember barely a tv series where they explain there was also a scabbard to go with the sword which sort of a periapt of wound closure which was stolen and given to an enemy of Arthur's who promptly dropped it in a fight don't remember much else about that.
The movie had Cherie Lunghi as Guinevere though!
This does look rather cheesy, what with Merlin being a young man together with Arthur (huh?), lots of superpower-y magics being cast all over, the requisite bad-CGI dragon; it all starts to look like Young Superman: The Medieval. Will the narrative be moving backwards in time, as it should for Merlin?
The Superman similarities don't end there ... I noticed magazine covers in the shops yesterday where on each Merlin was wearing a blue and red ensemble that screamed 'Smallville/Superman' to me.
I may watch this on my replay service today, but I just know being an Arthurian fanatic I'm going to hate it all to bits, so I might save my spleen and just avoid it.
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...I may watch this on my replay service today, but I just know being an Arthurian fanatic I'm going to hate it all to bits, so I might save my spleen and just avoid it.
You might look at it as light Mozart with a techno beat and Tiësto remix--either you're cool with it, or it makes you sick to your stomach...
...I may watch this on my replay service today, but I just know being an Arthurian fanatic I'm going to hate it all to bits, so I might save my spleen and just avoid it.You might look at it as light Mozart with a techno beat and Tiësto remix--either you're cool with it, or it makes you sick to your stomach...
The thing I dont understand, with Arthur stories, or Robin Hood is that it has been so long since someone (TV or Movie) actually told the story with any level of consistency to the old stories that if someone did it would seem like a new interpretation, and it wouldn't annoy the faithful who would watch because they are faithful, and they were some pretty decent stories- win/win/win.
15 minutes. That's all I could take of it I'm afraid.
And now I remember why I stopped watching TV after Supernatural and Sarah Connor Chronicles ended.
Ah well, at least I have plenty of DVDs to watch.
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That's good--I like the show. 13 is a nice number for it, too ;-)
I'm hoping for some better characterizations, though. So far, everyone seems to exist simply to give Merlin something to do, rather than having much merit on their own. Uther showed the promise of something interesting, but he was made of needle-thin cardboard in last night's episode. I can't believe no-one, including Arthur, said, "Uriel's dead?! What happened? I thought he was recovering?"
I would also think that a competitor in a tournament who was defeated but now showed symptoms of poisoning would be cause for immediate investigation. No-one even asked the medicae, and he didn't report the apparent poisoning, either.
Oh, well, even though it seems made for US Saturday afternoon TV rather than a typical BBC show (it's even 44 minutes long), I still like it.
This series is pretty dire IMO. The main character can't act and it's full of z-list celebs! I can't believe the guy from Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps is in it... :O
The announcer at Tournament of Kings is more believable and has a more rounded character than the drek in this. :P
NAUGHTY BBC, NAUGHTY!
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Just wanted to add my two cents in here, for what its worth.
First of all, I don't think you should try and enjoy the "Merlin" series as related to the Arthur legends. I'm enjoying it alot as a story in its own right. In the same venue, I don't think you should watch "Smallville" as being related to the "Superman" movies or comics, or the "Harry Potter" movies as being related to the books.
Each medium has a different way of telling a story, and as long as the artists are true to their original vision, and to coherence between segments, its usually very enjoyable.
For example, I would probably never read the "Harry Potter" books, but I'm enjoying the movies. A lot of people I know have read the books and criticize the movies for every little failure to match with the books. :( That's sad to me, because I think the movies are phenomenal (having never read the books... lol).
So, just enjoy the story in the medium its presented in. If an oil artist and an acrylic artist paint the same theme, there are going to be more than just textural differences.
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For example, I would probably never read the "Harry Potter" books,
You should. I was of the same opinion until a friend left the first one at my house for "when you get bored". I got insomnia instead, started reading it at midnight, and couldn't put it down until I finished it at around 5:30am.....
Been hooked ever since. Besides, the first one is small enough to read on the off chance you'll like her style.
Anyone know if this show was filmed in HD?
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Anyone know if this show was filmed in HD?Wikipedia says no (576i)
I noticed that to. But NBC says it is HDTV in it's schedule... So I was confused, and still am.
Season 1 was filmed in standard-def, but all BBC programmes will be filmed in HD as a matter of course I think by 2012 (IIRC), so at least the last season (MERLIN has a planned five-year arc) should be in it.
Filming in HD raises the make-up, set, CGI and props budget for a show as it exposes a lot of details that wouldn't show up in standard def. I know for DOCTOR WHO they're having to re-detail the TARDIS set for the HD transition as the existing one simply isn't up to scratch.
(MERLIN has a planned five-year arc)That's cool to know!
It was advertised over here (Canada) as only a 13 episode mini-series, so if it's going to be longer, that's really cool.
Yup, they're filming Season 2 in France right now.
Yup, Camelot is actually the Chateau de Pierrefonds near Compiegne. It's like 3 hours from London on the Eurostar, so it's hardly an exotic location at the ends of the earth ;-)
This season was a bit all over the place, especially the episode with Uther falling in love with a troll (shapechanging was involved) which was pure garbage, but the last three episodes really more than made up for it. Some great stuff there.
The show's been renewed for its third season as well.
Season 3 is good but MERLIN's typical inconsistency is kicking in.
Spoilerised for the benefit of American fans.
The goblin episode was really only amusing because of Richard Wilson's excellent comic skills and the scene where the goblin psycho-analysed Morgana. Otherwise a bit corny.
The episode with the two guys trying to kill Arthur in the melee was reasonable, but suffered from repetitive writing. Arthur once again finds a great knight and warrior who could be a key ally and once again Uther finds a way of exiling him. It's pretty much Lancelot all over again, although Gawain is far more charismatic and a better actor. We can assume he'll be back at some point.
Finally, the episdde with the Crystal Cave and Merlin trying to thwart Morgana's scheme to assassinate Uther may be the best episode of the series to date. Some great acting (Tony Head brings his A-game as we learn Uther's dark secret and how hypocritical he can be), some clever writing choices and use of the legends, and a really twisted moral conundrum at the heart of the episode. Impressive.