Merlin?
Honestly I was ecstatic when Camelot premiered.
I thought: "finally, we get an adult version of the Arthurian legends that turned Merlin into a kids show on BBC"
but this whole season was boring, overly long, convoluted and accomplished nothing but waste a good cast...well maybe only Eva Green and Finnes.
Love at first sight is often cured by a second look.
I have never left Merlin, so I'm not exactly switching back to it. But Camelot prompted me to finally watch season 3 of Robin Hood, and I don't regret it. It is a bit childish, like Merlin, but at least it doesn't blunder along the way Camelot does. Probably because it never took itself seriously, so it's much easier to overlook the inconsistencies in the plot. it's not flawless, but it's still much more enjoyable.
"Occasionally I'm callous and strange."
You hit the nail on the head. Camelot couldn't get over itself in time to tell us an actual story. Instead they relied on cast star power to propel the series. I mean yeah it's great to see Eva on the small screen but she can't stand around looking witchy all season, we need goals, villains and some damn action.
Love at first sight is often cured by a second look.
The lack of action was probably my biggest disappointment. You don't notice as much how stupid a script is when it's action-packed, you just don't care, you got what you paid for (muscle and blood). They were all so much about gritty, and realistic, and the beginnings of Arthur's reign during the promotion, I expected all sorts of battles, with all sorts of villains. Lot was great, but there are five, later eleven kings against Arthur in Malory, and I always wanted to see that war.
"By then came into the press King Arthur, and found King Ban standing among dead men and dead horses, fighting on foot as a wood lion, that there came none nigh him, as far as he might reach with his sword, but he caught a grievous buffet; whereof King Arthur had great pity. And Arthur was so bloody, that by his shield there might no man know him, for all was blood and brains on his sword. And as Arthur looked by him he saw a knight that was passingly well horsed, and therewith Sir Arthur ran to him, and smote him on the helm, that his sword went unto his teeth, and the knight sank down to the earth dead, and anon Arthur took the horse by the rein, and led him unto King Ban."
"Occasionally I'm callous and strange."
Love your quote. That's the Arthur I want to see onscreen some day. Maybe you'll get hired as consultant on one of these Arthurian productions.
As for switching back to BBC Merlin, jeez, I don't know. One of the reasons I welcomed Camelot so enthusiastically was because of my disappointment in S3 of Merlin. I saw the poster for S4, and it looks like everything I hated about S3 is continuing. otoh, I'm still fond of the actors. We'll see ...
Camelot had writing and production problems, and there's really no excuse for that given the budget they were working with. The budget is probably why the show wasn't renewed, because the ratings weren't that bad. However, for me, JCB and the overall characterization of Arthur is what pushed this show deservedly over the age.
Ah, but Fiennes' Merlin was so wonderfully conflicted.
(Of course I was going to acknowledge your post somehow since I recognised your user name immediately. You ever hope that some of Edding's stuff would be screened?)
Now that I've seen what excellent work they've done on adapting Game of Thrones as a series, I'm pretty sure the Mallorean would make a great TV series. But would it have the necessary following? Would producers take the risk to finance yet another fantasy-show? It seems to me it's a risky business... Plus I can already hear the trolls: "Rip Off!!! Belgarath is just Gandalf with a different name!!!"
"Occasionally I'm callous and strange."
I have a vague recollection of reading years ago that Eddings would never agree to allow his work to be adapted for TV.
shareThe cast was great, at least Green and Fiennes were, and their characters were very interesting the first 3 episodes. Then Merlin's character is destroyed, and Fiennes work goes downhill after that. During the last episode when he leaves and Arthur asks him if he'll come back and he doesn't reply, I get the impression that Fiennes is thinking "not in this lifetime, I ain't coming back to this crappy show, I have a reputation to heal".
Morgan was awesome, but the last episodes the writting gets worse and even Morgan suffers the consecuences. The last 3 episodes she lacks the character, strength, Sybil over shadows her. The only good thing I found when the series ended was that it finally ended.
Couldn't have said it better myself.
shareAs for switching back to BBC Merlin, jeez, I don't know. One of the reasons I welcomed Camelot so enthusiastically was because of my disappointment in S3 of Merlin. I saw the poster for S4, and it looks like everything I hated about S3 is continuing. otoh, I'm still fond of the actors. We'll see...
There are some spoilers posted for Merlin that sound wretched. Here's hoping they're false spoilers.
Camelot, sigh. Maybe if they hustle up some new actors for Arthur and Guinivere, they can do a continuation of this series. There were some clever concepts that could pay off, eg the prefiguring for Lancelot and for Mordred, and how the use of magic drains and corrupts the body.
I won't be switching back to 'Merlin'. I watched that show for the first couple of seasons, but when the producers like Johnny Capps started becoming obsessed with throwing in random shirtless scenes of Bradley James (Arthur) instead of focusing on good writing, I decided to stop watching it.
I expect those kind of antics from a daytime soap opera, but I expected more from a BBC show.
Season 4 of Merlin is actually the best one in my opinion. It is even available in HD now!
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