Camelot: 'Tis a Silly Place...(Thoughts on the Show + Torchwood + Meme)

[sherrilina]

So I finally caught up on Camelot, after discovering that it was all already on Netflix Streaming, and though I was originally more than okay with the cancellation news (I had basically put watching on hold, it had gotten to be so boring to me), I am rather disappointed now after finishing the season--I think it did get much better/more interesting by the end, and I would have liked to see how some of the storylines raised in the finale were continued.  But it was too little, too late, with too many writing flaws and the terrible casting decision of JCB for Arthur sealing its fate.  What wasted potential....:(

More thoughts:

Besides Arthur being so pathetic and weak (IDK what they were thinking casting this guy as the lead male in TMI, I sure hope this doesn't kill that franchise as well after one film!), the rest of the cast actually wasn't bad.  Eva Green as my girl Morgan obviously stole the show, especially towards the end when she was quite the flawless and stunning HBIC (with the most gorgeous dresses and looks most of the time)--as I expected.  I thought they did an interesting spin on her, especially with her traumatic childhood and daddy issues, god is Uther a horrible excuse for a human being in this one! Poor Morgan(a), she always has childhood trauma and daddy issues it seems, in almost every version (Merlin included).  And of course Eva was fantastic, playing both her defiance and steel and her vulnerability at the same time.  I wish we could know why the cunning creepy nun was helping her like that, and the significance of the Wolf thing.  It was also interesting how Morgan managed to get so close to gaining the crown--a pity she wasn't able to feel it on her head for even a moment!

But she was not the only one, I also loved Merlin in this version (more than Colin Morgan's I think, even), he was just so snarky and hilarious (definitely had some of the best lines) but also intriguing and vulnerable in his own way with his instability and issues with magical addiction--definitely a twist on Merlin I haven't seen before!  I really enjoyed Fiennes in the role.  And while I expected to love Morgan (obviously, with her being my favorite in the legend), I was not expecting to love Guenevere so much!  it probably helps that she was played by Tasmin Egerton, who played Morgaine (as a child at least) in my favorite Arthurian TV production, The Mists of Avalon! ;) (See icon).  I just liked how badass and intelligent she was, it was not what I was expecting (she had some serious hair issues though sometimes though, lol, to go with some ridic Morgan outfits! :p).  I even kind of liked her an Arthur together, or at least I enjoyed the different angle on it, making her married to someone else first and their romance all ~forbidden~....I kind of would have liked to see when they would have gotten together after Leontes' death.

Igraine was interesting for me in that initially, and for most of the show she just annoyed the crap of me, seeming so weak and pathetic and prim, but I did like her more by the end, and even liked her romance with Merlin which at first just made me roll my eyes--perhaps its d00med ending also appealed to me....;). The storyline with the little orphan boy touched me the most, and I think it exposed a really nice hidden side to Igraine and Merlin, and what they've been up to in Camelot.  I also adored the insight it gave us into Morgana, poor thing, I don't think anyone had ever really told her before that he/she loved her, you could see what those words meant to her, how hungry she was for them, and then when she accidentally killed him, and Merlin's guilt-tripping...;_;  It all really reminded me of the BTVS epp "Who Are You?" actually, when Faith is riding around in Buffy's body (sleeping with Buffy's boyfriend too) and in the process comes to realize how low she has fallen, how much she hates herself, and how much she envies and desires Buffy's network of loved ones/support and respect.  I really felt for Morgan here.  The actress playing Igraine did a good job playing Morgan playing Igraine.  (And kind of got some Merlin/Morgan shippy vibes as well...at first I thought he knew it was Morgan, since she was being so obvious about it, but I guess not!).  Poor Merlin too...

I'm just so disappointed with this show in the end, because it had SO much potential--in the premise, the storylines, the characters, the interesting twists on Arthurian Legend (the story of Excalibur was another one)--and between a fatal casting error (Arthur), and just bad or boring writing so much of the time (it was amazing how even though a storyline could be intriguing, the epps still dragged so much, especially with battles or circular cheesy conversations.  To think I was so excited for this show, and waited eagerly for it for TWO YEARS. ;_; 

I also have to say how much I did not appreciate the sleaziness and cheap objectification of women that permeated this show from the get-go, lingering far too often on naked females and sex to the point of being gratuitous--and especially where Morgan was concerned, sadly. The "entertainment" too of half-naked dancing girls was also absurd, reminding me of the costume fail in Excalibur as well--yeah, those look like traditional Dark Ages costumes alright! *rolleyes* It happens/annoys me in other shows as well (HBO is second-worst in doing this after Starz), but I can usually tolerate it more if there's enough other good substance to love.  Oh well...I watch too many shows anyway, I could use a few less I suppose...:/

Anyway, one more show checked off my summer watching list now!  And now I'm getting pretty excited about Torchwood: Miracle Day (tonight!), I've heard a couple radio spots (which was pretty exciting since I get so sick of hearing radio spots for stupid-sounding shows I have no interest in ever watching) and once saw someone reading an advance review from the looks of it in the Wall Street Journal on the subway (I tried without much success to read over his shoulder, lol, I could see a big picture of Jack in his coat).  I'm curious to see what's happening with Jack and Gwen and Rhys and the new baby, and how they'll all cope moving bases to the States....though I'm also a bit nervous about how they will handle Ianto, and just whether it will be too action-y/Americanized--I'm hoping the commercials are overemphasizing that aspect because of marketing to this audience or something.  O_o  COE was amazing, and I'd love to see something like that...

Oh and here's a meme (this one snagged from sunnytyler001), one of many cool ones I've seen over my hiatus and that I wish to participate in--I'm bored, PLEASE give me some shows! :D

Leave me a show and I'll tell you

My OTP:
My OT3:
My guilty pleasure ship:
A ship that makes me nauseous:
A ship that is too fluffy for words:
A ship that gives me nightmares:
The sexiest ship to ever set sail:

Comments

[sherrilina.livejournal.com]

Yep, it did. :( I guess now you know for sure...and yeah, I agree that it was setting some interesting things up. What do you mean by Storyteller trope, the fact that he was crafting the legend around Arthur and giving his version of the facts? I agree, it was interesting, esp as far as the hand pushing the sword out of the lake!

[odette-river.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that's what I mean. Merlin telling stories to make Arthur's reign larger than life. That was a major part of Here Lies Arthur by Philip Reeve, and I think it's one reason why I'm so into Arthurian legend--the reasons why the stories have lasted so long, and how they might once have been, and how they've been retold. Things like that.

[sherrilina.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it is really interesting, especially the myriad ways in which the same basic story can be told--how he gets the sword, who sleeps with him Morgan(a) or Morgause, how he was conceived, etc--my favorite thing about seeing different televised or literary versions of the book is finding out how each does things...

Ooh what kind of book is that, a novel or a book about the legends?

[odette-river.livejournal.com]

It's a YA novel that I quite like.