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Well... I suppose... another good, solid ep, but as always it's about this time we start working up towards the finale. Except this time it really is the finale, of everything. 3 more eps to go. They really could do anything, and considering their track record they probably will try and do just that. Not sure why, but this week I was very much aware of that.

Although I knew it was coming, it had to, I still had that slight sinking feeling when Gaius officially confirmed that the last stage will be the great plain of Camlann.

Thing is, even before this series, I've always loved the tales of Arthur and Merlin. And it's always been the most heartbreaking thing that no matter what, you know that at the end Arthur must and will die in that final battle, and then it will all go to shite. (Unless of course you're watching Clive's Owen's King Arthur which, whilst entertaining, I don't count as a 'real' Arthur tale.)

The difference this time round is that the BBC's King Arthur is most definitely my King Arthur. I've got through watching/listening to him die in all the other tellings because, frankly, he's never been my favourite character. It's always been Merlin or the Saxon warrior or frankly whoever else was telling the tale. They loved him, so I loved him.

But this time round, well, even with the donkey ears and prat falls, I love all our leads equally, all in their own right. I couldn't bear to lose any of them come episode 13.

Still. Back to the ep!

"Don't trust the druid boy."

Hmm. I don't trust Mordred, but it seems far too straight-forward to have him in the end just be revealed to be the villain as he's been in all the other tellings. I hope they find some twist to keep this part of the story new.

And the slash dragon. Slash dragon, nooooo! I hadn't realised how upset I would be if you genuinely snuffed it until they dropped that anvil on our heads this week.

And Merlin, MERLIN. Oh poor lamb. I do like how by now anyone who vaguely knows him, knows that the best way to get him to move is not to say "If you value your life," but rather "If you value your king." One thing this series has most definitely convinced me of is how much Merlin and Arthur care for each other, and how for Merlin he feels so overwhelmingly responsible for keeping his friend safe for everyone's sake (love aside, of course).

Quite frankly the writers will have to come up with some way to twist/re-spin the ending of the battle of Camlann, because the Merlin they have created in this series I don't think would actually survive properly losing Arthur.

Another fun ep of SPN. For the first time that I can remember, I am 1) aware that we are now on hiatus, and 2) actively looking forward to the hiatus being over.

So, kudos, SPN, I think this has been my favourite season so far. By the end of this run you had me looking forward to each ep, I was actually indignant when there was that short week break before one of the more recent eps.

Kudos too that you genuinely got me to like and root for all of your 3 leads thus far. Granted it took a while but by end you were there. And also kudos because oh I love how the friendships/connections/parallels are playing out between the 3. Somehow the writers have (for me) managed to write it so that no-one gets left out in the cold.

Until January 2013 then!

Mibble mibble.

So at a convention in Italy, the first raw footage from Thor 2 was shown. I might have been pinging off the walls a little at the first 'official' glimpse of what we have in store. The report/translation's worth a read, nothing too plot specifically spoiler-y, especially not if you caught the announcement a while back about who the main villain will be this time round :)

First 'Thor: The Dark World' Footage Details Emerge.

Ah, Merlin, as if I needed a little reminder as to why I do rather adore your cast.

There's a refreshingly blunt and not-quite-toeing-the-line interview with Bradley James covering: whether or not the cast were asked about a series 6, certain Gwen-plotlines past and present, and of course the persisting rumours of a possible Merlin movie.

Sounds like the decision to stop at S5 was not just one made by the writers/producers, which is somehow nice to know. The cast wanted to end 'on a high'. I also like that he seems quite unafraid to point out plotlines he basically thought weak; it's interesting to know, for instance, that the 'magic bracelet' was a late addition to the script when they wrote the Lancelot/Gwen episode. All in all it sounds like not so much as 'ending on a high' as 'getting out before they think up something even more daft'.

Which, while I adore the show to pieces, I cannot but applaud. The show was done of the basis of a 5-series story-arc, there aren't many instances where trying to go beyond your planned timescale ends well.

(That said, I too wouldn't be adverse to the original cast being tempted back by the 'right' script for a movie or two. Extremely unlikely I know, but hey, you can never tell...)

Another solid ep that left me yet again won over by all the 3 main leads this week despite a slightly rocky start. Good on you, show, keep this up.

Though the main thing left over for me was...

Does anyone have a copy of Beethoven's Ode to Joy that they could share? Reasons have me wanting to listen to these on with the volume insanely loud :)

So a couple of years ago,

princess_s and I toddled along to the Excel centre where Colin Morgan and Bradley James were taking part in their first ever public Q&A session with the fans. Yes, it was the time where their first ever question was: "Is there meant to be a love story between Merlin and Arthur?"

Back then of course we didn't even know if they were going to get a series 2, but Julian Murphy said that they had planned a story arc lasting 5 series. If the Beeb let them.

And here we are, in the midst of series 5. How times flies. And, alas, the Beeb has now confirmed that this will indeed be the last series of Merlin. Let's hope they go out on a high, I have a quiet confidence they will given some of the truly epic episodes they've pulled out the bag in the past. And knowing this is indeed the end means all bets are surely off (I'm not reading any spoilers though).

Camlann (I assume) - here we come!

Fine, yes, OK OK I do finally 'get it' about this show.

So at Horbling I watched about 1.5 of Teen Wolf's 2 seasons. My conclusion then (apart from 'OMG for the love of sanity how have these people survived') was that it was a fun show but nothing remarkable.

Then today I watched the final few eps of season 2 and all of a sudden there was my pay-off. Roll on S3.

So from the end of S1, I knew I had my 'favourite' characters. In no particular order:

x. Uncle Peter - slightly unhinged, enough sass to float a tanker, yep, I liked him and was sad to see him go.
x. Alison's dad - I do love my grey characters. A hunter who for all his brutality does actually stick by his morals and this apparent 'code'. I enjoyed seeing him become more and more ambiguous as the episodes rolled by.
x. Jackson - yet again they played to my adoption Achilles heels. The character may be a bit of a dick, but there was something going on there. I suppose given my soft spot for Loki I shouldn't be surprised that I also wound up kinda rooting for another troubled, scarred soul.
x. Stiles - well, obviously. In terms of the youngsters, the only one who apparently has a brain. None of them deserve him, bless.

And then onwards! To S2. And those last few eps were where my heart grew several sizes too big for my chest.

x. ISAAC - oh this one stole my heart in literally the last 2 episodes where he chose to stay, and also his reaction to realising he could use his powers to help.
x. PETER - He returns, thank the lord. Please do not leave us again any time soon.
x. Lydia and Jackson - again, I had no real thoughts about them until the last couple of eps but then out of nowhere I was totally smitten with them. I might have had a tear in my eye during their final scene. Shame that Jackson's not returning for S3 as I would have loved to have seen how the pair of them evolved from here on out.
x. THE ALLIANCE OF AWESOME - I might have cheered slightly and flailed when Chris finally broke ranks and stood against Gerard and Allisson. Those brief few moments where we had Peter, Derek, Isaac, Scott and Chris (with Stiles in the landrover) were awesome. Please, show, let us have this alliance again, I loved it.
x. Victoria - Ah, Allisson's mum. The woman we loved to hate/fear. Hats off to the actor, this character could be genuinely and convincingly terrifying when she wanted to be. BUT I loved how in her final hours we saw her remain strong and true to herself whilst softening just a little. The little smile as she watched her daughter be just a normal teenager enjoying looking at dresses was a wonderful, subtle touch.

So, what happens next? I would have liked to have found out the significance of Jackson's blue werewolf eyes, but ah well. Maybe they'll get him back for S4. In the meantime, I am looking forward to (hopefully) seeing Derek, Peter and Isaac finally form some kind of semi-competent pack. Part of me wonders if in the long run we will see Isaac becoming the leader, given he has 'heart' which as Peter's pointed out, is not necessarily a weakness.

In conclusion, bring it on :)

*happy sigh*

Another solid if unremarkable episode this week. Though for me the main thing was suddenly realising that our Merlin and Arthur are most definitely all grown-up now. Something about the way some of the shots were framed made them finally really look their age, i.e. adults rather than very young men.

I approve of this look. It may continue. Ahem.

Just caught up on the second episode and oh my. As close to flawless as is possible. Hats off to all concerned, another brilliant hour of telly :)

Anyone else remember when Merlin was the fun, safe show where there was a slash dragon in the cave and the goodies always won up above and everyone loved each other?

*sigh*

I have a nasty feeling that this series finale is going to really, really hurt. Mibble.

Hiddleston did a recent interview with GQ Magazine about various things, including shooting Thor 2 and this little gem:

"... in Iceland there was a great vodka called Reyka. We would shoot on this dormant volcano, then we'd come back when the sun went down. It was really cold - sub zero already - and I'd order a Reyka and tonic with a squeeze of lime, then go and sit in the hot tub and wait for the Northern Lights to roll in."

Yes. Thank you, Tom, for that mental image. Smug f**ker.

Anyway, if you have the inclination between now and end of November, cast your eye over Greenwich Naval College as they're shooting scenes for Thor 2 there. Sounds like it's mostly special effects but Hemsworth and Eccleston have also been spotted in full costume. Fun times!

Also, whilst alas there has been little news of Hiddleston's Loki, as well as the GQ interview, he did one with Digital Spy. Although he didn't give any specific spoilers, his silence was rather telling. DS's very first question ("After Avengers, in Thor 2, where's [Loki] at emotionally?") led to him struggling to answer because "of all the things I'm not allowed to tell you". T'is an interview well worth watching/reading :) ( Vid of interview behind this here cut... )

So. November 2013. At this moment it seems so very far, far away, but I have a nasty feeling it's all going to roll around rather quickly as I'm still in shock that the end of 2012 is already upon us.

So, I spent this entire episode alternating between chewing my fingernails and biting my fist.

In short: this was another episode that was basically made for me. Oh my heart.

So, this show, this season - oh how I love thee, let me count the ways:

1) Alfie

Oh Alfie, bb, noooooo! Why would they make the wee young angel suffer *wibble* Oh the plus side, Crowley hasn't killed him (yet) which hopefully means we will see him again. On the downside, neither the Winchesters nor Cas picked-up on him being there and rescued him either, so I guess for now Alfie really is on his own. Poor lamb. (His face when Crowley pointed out that Heaven hadn't even noticed he was missing yet *sniffle*)

2) Crowley

Bow down to the undisputed King of Hell. The past few seasons he's been more about the snark and implied off-screen violence as opposed to actually being seen getting his hands dirty. This season? Nope, the gloves are off and we have him proving that for all the witty one-liners he is most definitely a demon you should not trifle with. His scenes with Alfie and then Kevin in the chair were great. And as for the showdown with Cas *happy sigh* Those two have serious history together and the two actors pull that off with aplomb.

3) DEAN/CAS!!!!

So we finally got the answer as to what went on during Dean's final moments in Purgatory. And more importantly, it came about because DEAN ACTUALLY ASKED IF THEY COULD TALK. Hallelujah. We have progress. Now if both lads could keep up this being honest and talking to each other for the next couple of eps then... well actually I suspect we would have no show and various plotlines would sink, but friendship-wise they would be on a better path :)

Their final conversation really had it all and left me happily flailing. Dean yet again deciding to blame himself, his whole heartbreak and anger over thinking he had yet again let someone he "cared about" down. And then the subtly different heartbreak when he realised that Cas genuinely believed himself so damned that he would choose Purgatory over everything else. (Hell, Dean so didn't want to face that possibility that he rewrote his memory to put the blame entirely on himself.)

And yes, I did pick up on the mirroring of their first meeting and I do like the change in positions. This time round it's going to have to be Dean (I assume) that has to convince Cas that he's worth saving.

4) Cas

*cue heavenly choir*

Oh it is good to have him back in the backseat of the Impala :)

And continuing on from the last point about mirroring his and Dean's first meeting, I liked the image of a group of angels battling their way into Purgatory to grip Cas tight and raise him from Purgatory. Assuming that Naomi is telling the truth of course. I have no idea what exactly is going on and frankly I haven't picked up enough clues to put together any theories so for the moment I'm just going to sit and wait and see what happens with that particular plot point.

5) The Trans

So Kevin and Tiger Mom are back on the scene - huzzah! Yes they made amateur mistakes but on the other hand they did also hold-up extremely well in other areas. Kevin's mom managing to take out that demon and stick him in the boot of the car is something that shouldn't be forgotten any time soon :)

So, now the wait begins for next week. What will they think of next...

My word but that was an epic EPIC finale. My reactions during the ep could be summed up as:

1) I cried.
2) I cried some more.
3) I cheered.
4) BWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
5) I KNEW IT!!!

Tonight therefore I am smug and happy with rainbows draped about my shoulders, as Wooster himself would say :)

So it's playing now, we're about half-way through.

Someone hold me... *wibble*

Edit: "It's not against the law to hope."

Oh duck me, I need more wine. And next week is the last of the series. *cries*

So various shows/films/whatevers have been sending me into a ball of flaily fangirl happiness. Let us start with this fanmade trailer for 'TUMBLR: The Movie' as it does pretty much sum-up my general sentiments :)

As for the specifics:
x. Iron Man 3 trailer - do I really need to explain why this left me a ball of flail.
x. FANVID: Skyfall - Noir AU - very nice B&W vid for what would be an epic movie with Fassbender, McAvoy, Hardy, Gordon-Levitt, Hiddleston, and Hemsworth. All to the dulcet tones of Adele. *happy sigh*
x. MEEEERRRRRLLLIIIIN - yes, this new series so far has pleased me mightily. Utterly daft and ridiculous but somehow getting away with it because I am still utterly smitten with their characters. Bring on the new ep!
x. Supernatural - I know! Who'd have thought it but this new season so far has me hooked. DEAN! CAS!! Finally FINALLY we got the epic hug of epicness. And then there was this week's ep with the kids and the werewolves and *mibble* And Dean LET HER GO. Something is up with that boy, apart from the obvious, but this whole theme of monsters/loving monsters sits well with me thus far. All the main 3 (Dean, Sam Cas) have done monstrous things, even if for the best of intentions. Let's see where this all goes.
x. Journey into Mystery - the result of browsing Tumblr. Yes I have not read this comic series but I've effectively had the précis, including of the ending. Which has left me, as the trailer says, with ALL THE FEELS. Oh Loki and Thor and LOKI *wibble*

Had a great birthday weekend with friends and family, though I did wake up this morning feeling somewhat delicate *ahem* Still, I made it back home in time for this week's ep of Downton Abbey.

It is still painfully clichéd and precious, with the 'nice' characters honestly so good and pure and selfless that you just want to hit something. But somehow I'm still enjoying it and I will be tuning in next week.

While I can't say I like him as such, Thomas remains one of my favourite characters. Seeing him being thrown over by that top hat in the first ever ep suddenly made his bitterness and cynicism of the world make complete sense. I don't like how he behave or what he does, but I can understand and feel for how he came to be that way. I still remain rooting for him and that he finds someone, friend or partner, who he can be open and honest with.

Which brings me onto his current storyline.

Oh. Ouch. You can see the impending train wreckage a mile-off on this one. Though credit to Mrs O’Brien, she really is one intelligent lady and I would not want to get on the wrong side of her. When she goes for you, my word, she really knows how to cut where it hurts most.

Anyway, yes, the impending heartbreak of Thomas and Jimmy has me hooked. Because I really cannot see how else it is going to end. And it's painful. Particularly when Jimmy says things genuinely kind (this week's ep, and Thomas' face when Jimmy says a man can be different without that making him a traitor *sniffle*), and you can tell from Thomas' reaction that he is genuinely touched and how he really wasn't kidding about it being rare that people show him any kindness. Oh Thomas. He clearly does have a heart still despite trying to shut it down. I hope he doesn't pass the point of no return when the shit hits the fans.

Well once again I was left flailing by the time the credits rolled. Once again that was an utterly gratuitous, shameless 45 minutes that occasionally had me asking my soup spoon 'What the hell am I watching?!'

All in all *thumbs up* Once again Merlin is off to a cracking series start, here's hoping they can keep this up for the remaining 11 or-whatever-it-is-now eps.

Firstly:

HAH!! I so called it! Let my unbearable smugness start here.

One of the things that has stuck in my mind about this series' version of Mordred is that his resentment has, until relatively recently, been aimed primarily at Merlin. The one time he properly met Arthur face-to-face was the time Arthur saved his life. Merlin, on the other hand, repeatedly tried to get Mordred caught/killed. I can understand some bitterness lingering over that.

Add onto that, that my childhood book of Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table had Mordred as a 'loyal' knight of Camelot who served for some years before finally going for the crown.

It all made me wonder if that was the way they were going to play it this series, with Mordred accepted into the knights when he returns as a young man. And this ep - hah! I get to be smug because it looks like, yes, that is the route we're taking.

So.

Why did Mordred stab Morgana in the back? Is he genuinely swayed by Arthur's good nature. Hmm. Possibly a little. Possibly he's realised that Arthur's good nature is Arthur's weakness, as the glowy creature said. I also think that's he realised Morgana is slightly unhinged and irrational, not the calmest or easiest ally to work with. Also, she made it quite clear that she wants Camelot for herself.

If he is after the crown, I don't see Mordred as the sharing type and he's clearly a smart one. It's far easier to launch a coup from the inside.

There is also now the potential interesting point that, if he remembers it, Arthur knows Mordred is from the druids. He returned him to them after all. I wonder if it's for now then a case of 'don't ask don't tell' when it comes to magic and whether or not Mordred was taught any.

Anyway, onwards.

GWEN!!

Ah Gwen. It was this close to being a brilliant plan. Still I suppose you did get a bit more info on the feeling of the people who fight the Pendragons, which might help with diplomacy in the future. But I'm not sure it really was worth the death of several more knights and of course Sipha now back in the wild and presumably far less forgiving of the Pendragons than she had been before.

Do I really need to say anything about Percy and his 'SPARTAAAAAAA' moments? Or Gawaine lounging around under a blanket. Gratuitous. Shameless. Loved it.

So. For now it's a stalemate, with both Mordred and Merlin holding the proverbial knife against the other's jugular. Let's see who snaps first.

Whilst I liked Angels Take Manhatten, it didn't break my heart the way other finales had. Then the Beeb released the storyboard/storyline of a scene that was written but never shot, complete with a voice-over by Arthur Darvil.

2D pictures it may be, but yep it made me cry. Congrats, Chibnall.

Another 'epilogue' scene to Angels..., this is well worth a watch.

I have no idea how long we've actually been waiting for this series to roll around, it certainly feels like forever and certainly most of the FL and old haunts (myself included) have sort-of moved on in the interim. It'll be interesting to see where the fannish stuff happens over the next few weeks since Twitter and Tumblr have most definitely been on the rise since S4 ended.

Anyway! Two quick links:

S5, Ep1 pictorial recap by

lamardeuse. T'is entertaining, and I hope other recaps will start up again as I did enjoy the fond snark that fandom levelled at the show after the credits rolled.

The Official Merlin Tumblr - supposedly a bit of an experiment, but this is the BBC dipping their toe into new waters. They've even done a Merthur post. What will they think of next :)

My god. That was the most gratuitous 45 minutes of TV I have flailed my way through in some time. I 'OMG'-ed, I squeed, I flailed, I properly clapped like a seal.

Good times.

My biggest squee/flail/OMG moment this week goes to.... GWEN.

Oh yes. Bow down, bitches, to the Queen of Camelot.

Yes the wonderbra is back with a vengeance, but so is the brains, the compassion, and also the you-cross-my-people-you-pay-the-price ruthlessness a ruler needs. I'll be interested to see what happens next week as she may have handed out the sentence, but technically it's yet to be carried out.

But anyway. Yes. Gwen. You rocked this ep, keep it up because I like this new you :)

As for Arthur and Merlin... Oh lads. They haven't really changed, have they. Still managing to get into the most bromantic situation imaginable and snuggling and swearing to protect each other to the death. Yep, same old same old *happy sigh*

As for the rest of the knights. HAH! Oh it is good to see them, but I had to laugh because god bless the producers who gave the green light to gratuitous mining scenes where ALL the knights must be semi-naked ALL THE TIME.

Show, you treat us well, you really do.

Morgana was gorgeous as always, a little more settled than last series. Now with her own castle and renewed purpose. No magic yet, I'm guessing though that when she unleashes it, it will be ferocious.

AND MORDRED!! *pings* OK, I know him from watching him goof around a football field with the rest of team Merlin, so it's great fun to see him now unleash his inner bad boy. In the end only a brief appearance, but I'm liking this new older incarnation. He certainly has the eyes like Butterfield. Let's see how the rest of it goes.

ROLL ON NEXT WEEK :)

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Land of the mildly insane

I squee, therefore I am

Recent Entries

Meeerrrrllliiin

With with that ONWARDS! To the hiatus!

Thor 2

"We could've stayed on and made a series six..."

SPN and that's all folks

So it's officially the final countdown...

Teen Wolf

Meeeerrrrliiiin

The Hour

Meerrrrlllliiin

Thor 2 / Thor: The Dark World

Supernatural

Downton Abbey

Downton

In summary: ALL THE FEELS

Downton Abbey

Merlin ep 2

Doctor Who: P.S...

A couple of quick Merlin links

My beautiful beautiful show, HOW I HAVE MISSED THEE