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I have loved Arthurian stories for as long as I can remember. While most people will point to T.H. White's* Sword in the Stone* as their favorite Arthurian story, Mary Stewart's Merlin Trilogy * ** ** ** *remains my favorite to this day.
Unlike most Arthurian stories, which either concentrate on King Arthur or the romantic triangle, Stewart's saga is told from Merlin's point of view, starting with the seer as a boy and ending with him as an old man.
Ever since then, my first requirement for an Arthurian story is that Merlin is neither an idiot or an evil influence. He must be a fully realized character and I absolutely insist that he be on Arthur's side, however mysterious he is.
When I saw Joseph Fiennes had been cast as Merlin in Starz new Camelot series, I grew cautiously optimistic.
I'm not so optimistic after watching the first two episodes. But I will be recapping each week, so those of you also interested can follow along with me.
__Warning for those who haven't seen it: below there be spoilers. __
The story begins with the death of King Uther Pendragon at the hands of his once-banished daughter, Morgan. Morgan had been set aside when Uther married her stepmother, Ygraine. This, combined with being sent off to a nunnery, made Morgan very bitter. It didn't help that when she called out Uther on her banishment, he backhanded her. Morgan, it appears, is not a lady to anger. This will be doubly confirmed by the end of episode two.
Before Uther succumbs to death by poison, Merlin has him sign a document acknowledging Arthur, who disappeared as a baby, as his heir. Merlin rushes off to retrieve Arthur, leaving the castle in Morgan's hands. She wastes no time banishing Queen Ygraine and creating a political and personal (read: sexual) alliance with King Lot.
We first see Arthur having sex with a woman who also happens to be his brother Kay's girlfriend. Not exactly noble of the future King but it does provide the male viewership with some gratuitous nudity. Arthur is initially skeptical of Merlin's assertion that he is the lost heir but like any teenage boy who's told he can rule the kingdom, Arthur ultimately accepts the challenge. Kay, who's forgiven Arthur over the matter of the girl, goes with his brother.
They all ride furiously to the former Roman fortress of Camelot. On the way, they're attacked by a lone rider, and Arthur kills him. This will later turn out to be a big mistake. The trio arrives at Camelot safe and sound but the castle isn't so much a fortress as a ruin, complete with vegetation growing inside the walls. The greenery is a nice touch and lends a great deal of atmosphere to the story.
Arthur looks around and wonders exactly what kind of kingdom he's going to rule but Merlin has arranged to have a few allies present to welcome the young heir. Arthur still isn't convinced. Neither was I.
Meantime, Lot rides with his new bedmate, Morgan, to meet this new heir, and he's not the least bit impressed. Why he didn't immediately order his men to kill Arthur and his small circle of allies is a mystery only the writers can answer.
Still, Lot comes back the next day with the body of the man Arthur killed on his journey. It seems the man was Lot's eldest son (oops!) and Lot demands a similar blood price from Arthur. Lot kills Arthur's foster mother before his eyes, then gives Arthur five days to get out of Camelot and save his own life.
Merlin has a plan, however, which led me to wonder why he didn't put this plan into motion before endangering Arthur's foster family. Merlin's plan consists of Arthur climbing up a waterfall to retrieve the fabled sword in the stone. Arthur does as ordered and succeeds in climbing up the cliff and pulling out the sword, only to lose his balance and fall down the waterfall. He's saved from drowning by the loyal Leontes.
With the sword claimed and the gods apparently confirming Arthur's kingship, the young man is crowned with much fanfare. Arthur is looking forward to talking with the beautiful women he saw coming out of the ocean earlier in the episode. She is apparently glad to see him too. But their talk/seduction is interrupted by Leontes, who introduces the woman as Guinevere, his fiancee. Oops again, Arthur.
Lot hears about the sword in the stone and decides to do what he should have done at the beginning, which is take his men and slaughter Arthur and his allies. Before that, however, he makes Morgan spend the night tied to a stake in the woods because she dissed him in front of his men. Lot apparently hasn't realized that it is not healthy to make Morgan angry.
Morgan double-crosses Lot and warns her half-brother about Lot's upcoming attack. There's quite a bit of sword-fighting and Lot is finally killed by Arthur's foster father, Ector, though Ector is also mortally wounded in the fight. Which is too bad because Lot was played by James Purefoy (Rome) and Ector by Sean Pertwee.
Arthur welcomes Morgan to his court, such as it is, and so endeth the second episode.
The good stuff:
James Purefoy, still in Marc Antony mode from Rome, nearly steals the show as King Lot. He does everything with such gusto that I was very disappointed when they killed him off so quickly. A brute, true, but also a man who could put aside his rage if necessary. He seemed to be the only character who saw through Morgan. Unfortunately for him, he made the mistake of thinking he could get the upper hand with her.
The battle scenes are excellent. The acting is mostly fine. I like that they're using actual magic in the story instead of making Merlin a religious leader.
The stuff that needs work:
The biggest problem is that the story has no layers. Morgan has reason for her hatred but the script has her behaving as an evil, spoiled bitch the entire time. Merlin keeps saying things like the fact he wants a new type of king, which seems to mean a king who is learned as well as a warrior. But there's no hint of exactly *why* the country needs that type of king or what benefits will be gained from it.
If Arthur's supporters are going to be fighting for his cause against impossible odds, I want to understand exactly what that cause *is.*
It's all very two-dimensional. Arthur is a good kid who's trying to do the best in a bad situation. Kay is his loyal brother. Morgan is evil, Merlin is mysterious, and Leontus is a good warrior, while Guinevere is the tease.
I also have a serious problem with the women's roles. Morgan lacks nuance but at least she has a major part in the story. Arthur's foster mother is dispatched instantly and brutally while her husband gets a chance to look heroic. Arthur's sex partner at the beginning comes across as just a toy for Kay and Arthur, and Arthur's birth mother, Ygraine, is a complete wimp. Why didn't she try to find her son? Well, Uther ordered her not to and she obeyed as a queen should. Even Guinivere, who I should like because she's bold and forward, seems more a sexual fantasy--the unattainable gorgeous woman--than a real character. Her role is completely defined by the fact her man and Arthur will soon be fighting over her.
I will keep watching, if only to see what Fiennes does as Merlin. I hope the later episodes are far more interesting an nuanced than the first two. It did take three episodes before Spartacus hooked me, so it's entirely possible it will improve.
But I am going to miss James Purefoy's King Lot. A lot.
