Spoiler related poll!

[magog_83]

All under cut because of Merlin series 4 SPOILERS. Yay for my first use of the 'create poll' function!

There are some spoiler-tastic Set Pics over at gealach_ros's journal, which has got me to wondering what is going on with that pyre.

[Poll #1736239]

Also I spy hand-holding DDD: Someone pass me the vodka.

Comments

[sighnomore.livejournal.com]

Going for the BBQ option :3 If they kill off Lancelot, I swear I'm going to... idk. They can't destroy the (and I'm quoting one of my lecturers here!) epic courtly love couple!

[magog-83.livejournal.com]

I will RAAAAAAGE, like SO MUCH. I wouldn't put it past them at all, not with the way they're playing the 'romance' and the fact that the actor is only available for a couple of episodes. That would kill off any remaining hope for a canon happy ending for all the pairings :(

[sighnomore.livejournal.com]

They should have gone with my great idea in the first place concerning the actor issue :| "Oh uhm, a tree kinda fell on Lancelot's face and now he looks all diferent :D"

Did you watch the video on the facebook page for the scene? Merlin really looks pretty depressed... might be Gaius' funeral after all :(

[magog-83.livejournal.com]

No, I haven't seen that yet? I guess it must be then :( Or Lancelot because he's his close friend. Either way it is depressing!

I agree with your plan, even if it meant losing the gorgeousness that is Santiago ;)

[sighnomore.livejournal.com]

There's the video: http://www.facebook.com/video/?oid=129338568180

[magog-83.livejournal.com]

Holy crap they said who it was on the second vid!!! I hope that was just messing around.

[sighnomore.livejournal.com]

Yeah I just watched that one ... wow :(

[magog-83.livejournal.com]

Wow indeed :( Why does this show do this to me??!

[sighnomore.livejournal.com]

Because the writers are cruel >__<.

[a8c-sock.livejournal.com]

I am pretty certain that was messing around by Bradley.

Although given a choice between Gaius and Lancelot? I would have to hope Gaius.

[magog-83.livejournal.com]

If the show is forcing me to choose, I'm going to have to go the same way. All my pairings can't get their happy endings without Lancelot!

[a8c-sock.livejournal.com]

Yes same here. I need Lancelot! He's important.

What worries me is J Jones did say they were going to go somwwhere 'unexpected' with A/G and the love triangle.

But seriously A/G is badly written and boring. The best way to be unexpected is to end it and have Arthur marry Merlin.

[magog-83.livejournal.com]

Well I didn't expect it to suck so much, so does that count as their 'unexpected' I wonder? If they are going to fizzle out the love triangle, why on earth did they set it up the way they did? With violins and epic declarations (far more epic than we've had for A/G).

The producers are all rubbish /bitter fan

[a8c-sock.livejournal.com]

Me either but man. I have a big long essay on the reasons why it sucks so much. With evidence!

My guess is they relaised they had introduced Lancelot too early. Because let's be honest who would want A/G after that?

They are. Come live with me in denial land where we run the show and it is epic and awesome.

[magog-83.livejournal.com]

*packs suitcase*

I think you're right. I can be SUCH a romantic but the romance was already there and sweet and 'love at first sight' and all that. After such a sweetheart as Lancelot falling in love with Gwen in her orange sack dress and saying she's a 'lady' and being utterly loyal and wonderful to Merlin too, Arthur looking at her cleavage and deciding that yeah, she's alright actually and trying to impress her while treating Merlin like shit just isn't going to capture my heart. Sorry Capps.

[sabriel75.livejournal.com]

LOL!

And +1 to all of this... just yes... I am sick of them yammering on about how Arthur loves Gwen and adores Merlin... they write him so badly sometimes.

(I think it's a memorial pyre frankly.)

[magog-83.livejournal.com]

A memorial pyre is making more and more sense to me, definitely :)

There is such a glaring disconnect between what we're told is going on, and what we actually SEE going on on-screen!

[a8c-sock.livejournal.com]

Yeah Lancelot loved Gwen for her not because the writers told him to. He just is the better choice for her. Lancelot would treat her like a real queen. Arthur would just make her one with a crown. Lancelot never takes her for granted. Plus Lancelot she has a positive effect on. Arthur...well I would venture no.

[magog-83.livejournal.com]

I'm very tunnel vision with my shipping on the show (as you know!!) but I really do love Gwen/Lancelot. Considering the potential for epic cheese with those two, somehow it just comes off as sweepingly romantic. They match because they're both equally noble, good people with unironic feelings. They are like two characters you'd expect to find in an epic romance. So in contrast to that, Arthur and Gwen just seem mismatched and awkward, and can even come off as Gwen nagging him to be better and Arthur just pretending to be for Gwen :(

[a8c-sock.livejournal.com]

Hee nowt wrong with that as they say. I aslo get quite tunnel-visionary with it. Gwen/Lancelot is the romantic legend 100% I mean there was little romance in the Arthurian romances (bar Tristan and Iseult) until those two got together (unless you count Arthur waging war to get Guinevere back from wahtever king hd kidnapped her that week). They are the legendary love story. And I agree 100% with how you descibe it (what a shock!). Their personalities mesh.

The weird thing is that part of the reason I can't see A/G is that there's no conflict. There isn't any conflict between Gwen and Lancelot but there doesn't need to be the romance feels epic enough without it. Whereas A/G is just boring.

[magog-83.livejournal.com]

I've found that to be an odd contradiction too. As you say, G/L have no conflict either but somehow it's ok. Like you, I really think it's because there doesn't NEED to be, they fell in love at first sight, they're both lovely people and they'd probably be sickeningly in love forever. But Gwen and Arthur don't have the epic romantic love, and they don't have the sparky passionate M/A relationship either. They just... are. And it's mind-numbingly dull and they're forced to create conflicting situations to put them in to drive their romance along. It's very stagnant otherwise, with little idea of just why they're so 'in love'.

They've mixed up their romance tropes I think! They've tried to give us unironic love at first sight with a couple who have known each other for years and have little to nothing in common. All the spark and passion is with G/L and M/A!

[dk323.livejournal.com]

After such a sweetheart as Lancelot falling in love with Gwen in her orange sack dress and saying she's a 'lady' and being utterly loyal and wonderful to Merlin too, Arthur looking at her cleavage and deciding that yeah, she's alright actually and trying to impress her while treating Merlin like shit just isn't going to capture my heart.

Just jumping in here to say I completely agree with this...it's like you took the words right out of my mouth. I mean, really, did the writers think we would just pretend that Arthur didn't get an epiphany to go for Gwen after she got a new tighter dress that gave him a good view of her cleavage?

The thing that was most irritating, like you said, was during "The Once and Future Queen", Arthur was putting on one face for Gwen and then turning around and treating Merlin like crap (sorry, Gwen, your words about Arthur needing to treat people better didn't quite work :\).

[magog-83.livejournal.com]

I still find it hilarious that we were evidently meant to think Arthur got an eyeful of cleavage and was suddenly OH MY GOD SHE HAS SO MANY GOOD QUALITIES! Yes she does, Arthur, and she had those BEFORE THE MAKEOVER. I mean it wasn't even like he didn't SEE her before, he had whole conversations with her! It was just so trite and awful and made Arthur look incredibly shallow - hardly a sterling foundation for their epic love affair and future marriage.

The way he is with Gwen, compared to Merlin, just underlines how little Gwen actually gets to see the real Arthur :/ Which makes it even more bizarre that on screen and off we're getting told how she's his confidante and he can be himself with her. YEAH OK.

[dk323.livejournal.com]

I know. :( There was "The Moment of Truth" after all where Arthur and Gwen had that conversation...

It does lay a shaky foundation for Arthur/Gwen, yes, and it just makes Gwen/Lancelot look better. Really, I could see them killing Lancelot because otherwise, Arthur/Gwen will continue to look like a bad idea...especially since Gwen still has to harbor feelings for Lancelot (that declaration of love in "Lancelot and Guinevere" didn't come out of nowhere).

Yes, I agree about seeing the real Arthur. Arthur's a prat with sometimes noble tendencies -- Merlin definitely sees the true him. I'm sure in front of any girl, Arthur puts on an act and hides his prattish side (especially if he's trying to impress her).

By the way, off topic, but are you still following my apocalypse fic? I know the word count is a bit ridiculous *shakes head at self*, but I'm just wondering if you're still interested in it. Or waiting until the fic's completed, which I'm guessing is what most are doing.

[giecast.livejournal.com]

It's for the marshmallows, obviously. Please don't kill off Gauis, show.

[magog-83.livejournal.com]

Marshmallows and slightly drunken campfire singing :D Sounds good to me!

I really REALLY hope they don't kill him off. Especially when Arthur is still acting like a git to Merlin a lot of the time, Merlin won't have anyone :(

[giecast.livejournal.com]

Yeah, maybe they'll even get drunk on cider haha.

Exactly! They just take everyone he's got. Well, there's still Hunith but she's in Ealdor and can't really give Merlin support. So that just leaves Gauis and I just don't want him to die!

[magog-83.livejournal.com]

It's a jokey term used for the vampires in the 'Twilight' series, as used (as far as I know) mainly by Cleolinda on LJ. I just couldn't resist adding it in there ;)

http://cleoland.pbworks.com/w/page/10373763/Twilight#Sparklepire

Capps is SUCH a sadist when it comes to Merlin. I mean, I know Colin looks pretty when he cries but can't the boy have a bit of happiness? Everyone else gets to be happy!

[magog-83.livejournal.com]

I would be fine with those sorts of tears :D :D And maybe Arthur would say "...Are you CRYING?" and Merlin would be all "IT'S DUSTY IN HERE OK?" which would probably cause Arthur to wax lyrical about the trials of incompetant servants ;)

[magog-83.livejournal.com]

Hahaha they would definitely need to be there! Probably causing no end of trouble around the castle and then hiding whenever anyone got suspicious :D

[mysecretashes.livejournal.com]

Oh. I watched the videos, and now I'm sad. :(((

[magog-83.livejournal.com]

*hugs* Yeah me too :( I kind of wish I hadn't, I didn't think they would give it away on there (or seem to anyway). This show is determined to break my heart one way or another.

[magog-83.livejournal.com]

Ooooh maybe the classic 'Pearl Harbor' plotline where he goes off to fight after he and Gwen have a Moment, then OH NOES HE'S DEAD. Then, just when Gwen is about to marry Arthur, Lancelot flings the doors open like Aragorn at Helm's Deep and claims his lady.

Possibly I watch too many films :/

[a8c-sock.livejournal.com]

I really hope it's the annual barbecue but I do have a funny feeling it's Lancelot. In which case words and caps will not be enough to express my RAGE OF FURY.

I really hope for a spoiler that Santiago will be back filming later in the year.

Although Dale's Tweet said 'he's done for the time being sorry' which does suggest a comeback unless he was deliberately trying to pretend Santiago would be back.

My head hurts.

Also I want a sparklepyre because it would be awesome.

[magog-83.livejournal.com]

Lolafeist (just above) suggested that it might be a fake death! Looking over at Gea's journal, someone is suggesting they are burning a sword. So maybe a symbolic death? Then Merlin and Gwen would be all upset and then BAM he could come back in time to shake things up before the wedding :D

I am so evil :/

SPARKLEPYRES WOULD BE AMAZING. And so pretty!

[a8c-sock.livejournal.com]

There isn't a body anyway is there? If there isn't a body then they can't be really dead! THIS IS MY THINKING AND HOPING.

I have rewatched and examined the pictures and it looks like a knightly cloak and a sword. Also note Lancelot is the only knight not there. Having said that we know they are filming several episodes this block so...that might be why.

Come on Santiago! Return! I demand spoilers you will be coming back!

YES THEY WOULD BE THE ULTIMATE DEADLY SHINY.

[a8c-sock.livejournal.com]

Yes. I really hope so.

LANCELOT WILL RETURN AND SWEEP HER OFF HER FEET.

[darlulu.livejournal.com]

I think it's a Lancelot fake out. This actually works for me since it implies that the only way Gwen would marry Arthur is if she believed her first choice to be dead. And I think this sets up the future triangle properly in that Lancelot can return in a grand, dramatic fashion after Gwen and Arthur are already married or at the very least engaged, making it more believable that Gwen wouldn't back out from her commitment to Arthur at that point in time but that her feelings for Lancelot would still remain and lead to their future affair.

While I would rather see Gwen/Lancelot on my screen any day of the week, I get why the writers are going to absurd lengths to keep the romantic focus strictly on Gwen/Arthur since Merlin is the prelude to to the bigger legend and therefore G/L is the future and G/A has to be the present. I don't much like it, but I am trying to accept it.

[darlulu.livejournal.com]

Having thought about it a bit more, I also wanted to add that the writers will probably write it in such a way where the audience will be made to believe Lancelot is truly dead until he returns in the final series. You know, instead of letting us know something the main characters don't like they sometimes do.

I'm sure G/A fans will be over the moon early next series, assuming Lancelot is gone for good, but they'll be forgetting the cardinal rule in TV land -- no body = no death. Especially in this case where seeing Lancelot dead with Gwen and co. crying over his dead body would be a much more powerful and effective visual if this was the way the writers were genuinely going to put an end to such a legendary triangle.

[javiiaevelyn.livejournal.com]

It's totally Morgana. Think about it, would Uther really let her live after Merlin inevitably ousts her and Arthur gets credit for it and gives the crown back to Uther?
Mind you, Arthur might have some "Oh noes, she's mah sister, I can't let my ather kill mah sister, Merlin why didn't you tell me she was magic and "evil" and patrocidal? *blames*". And Uther always did seem to love her more than he does Arthur too. Or at least lets her get away with a LOT more. Plus the writers probably don't want to kill her off, otherwise they'd have no antagonist.
Although, what's happening with Mordred?
Anyway, just sommat to think about.

[magog-83.livejournal.com]

It could be interesting if it was Morgana, but apparently there's a sword and cloak on the pyre so I'm leaning towards it being a memorial for someone now, maybe Lancelot?!

I think Morgana is going to be the big bad for the next series again. Sigh. I always liked Morgana, she was my favourite character after Merlin! I wish they hadn't given her a personality transplant :(

[javiiaevelyn.livejournal.com]

It's a bit iffy, yeah. I'm probably in the same boat as you, in that aspect.
Also, all the character development they were doing has either completely stagnated (eg. Arthur, Uther, Gwen) or gone really weird without any warning (eg. Merlin and Morgana). I'm finding it quite disappointing.
Anyway, missing season 1 days :(.

[blondielox.livejournal.com]

Hand-holding and a ~mysterious ring... that I'm really hoping is just one of Uther's, or something, that Uther's given Arthur now that he's effectively taken over. and not some sort of betrothal ring to Gwen. ack. *Needs moar absinthe*

Voted for Lancelot's funeral/memorial - I watched the facebook video, but it doesn't really make sense that they're burning a cloak and a sword if it really is Gaius' funeral...thing. Wanted to vote 'Merlin's own pyre'. Poor boy needs a break. I hope at least he gets more hugs off Gaius and Gwaine. And off Hunith, if they do go to Ealdor!! And maybe she can remind Merlin of how willing Arthur was to disobey his father and defend Merlin's home, then smack Arthur round the head. *nods* Gwaine will end up flirting with Hunith, and Leon will end up looking cross and drag him away before they come back a while later looking rather rumpled. IDEK... one set pic and I'm shipping them?? *shrugs*

*votes for Pearl Harbour plotline, also*

[magog-83.livejournal.com]

I didn't even see the ring!!! To be fair, I have a weird jewellery phobia so I probably wouldn't have looked, but I really hope that isn't a betrothal ring, it would hardly be subtle if it was. ugh ugh ugh. I hate Johnny Capps.

I'm buying into the Lancelot theory now, definitely, it does make sense in their usual clumsy plotting and will (hopefully) set up Gwen/Lancelot later.

I really want more Ealdor stuff in S4! But ONLY if it relates to M/A, if she's used to ship A/G like the dragon is, I will be mad. It's a bit ridiculous Merlin hasn't seen his mum for ages.

[archaeologist-d.livejournal.com]

I think it's Lance's funeral but no body = no death, imo. It could be any number of things but likely that they believe him to be dead. Heck, Morgana could be having her wicked way with him and they'd never know.

Or he could be an idiot and knowing that he's only coming between Gwen and Arthur, fakes his own death so that they wouldn't go after him.