TV!

[sophinisba]

Here are some episode reactions, no plot spoilers for Undercovers or Nikita.

undercovers, for all you Deamwidth Undercovers needs! There is also a friending meme on Dreamwidth and on LJ!

Undercovers 1x02
Undercovers was great again, although maybe not as great as the first episode. Silly plot, sexy stars. I don't remember who said it was pretty much a repeat of the first episode. Still, I thought this one was fun for developing the supporting characters a little more. My favorite part was seeing Hoyt working with Sam and getting in a little badassery of his own. Yes, he was still over-the-top and ridiculous, but in a kind of sexy way! Sam/Steven/Leo is also looking like a ship with potential.

Nikita 1x02
Yeah, I'm still not caught up with Nikita and I'm not sure if I'm going to keep going with it. I love how lady-centric it is and I would like to watch it so I can bond with the other cool people who are into it, and because Maggie Q is hot. But I find a lot of the actual watching unpleasant, so I might just say, okay, I get the appeal and I'm glad other people are having fun with it, but it's not really my kind of show.

I...idk, I think there were three attempted rape scenes in the two episodes I've watched? And I'm fine, I don't have triggers, I watch Law and Order SVU, I write het noncon (and post it with warnings). To some extent I like exploring this kind of stuff, but it just seems like a lot, and I'm surprised I'm not hearing more about this and that most of the buzz around my flist is just "kickass women yay". Also Michael is creepy and boring, and the shootout in the subway seemed to go on for hours. This episode also had two of my major squicks: torturing a prisoner for information, and good character torturing another character to teach them a lesson. I know, okay, I know she had to get off drugs somehow, and I understand they didn't want Nikita to be all soft and nurturing, but still, it didn't need to look that much like torture. :/

House 7x02
Eh, I liked this episode better than the first one. I thought the way they dealt with their relationship was interesting and a little more grown-up, and I especially liked the scene where they end up yelling at each other in the hallway. Still kind of disturbing to realize the show is more or less openly saying the patients' lives are props we use to explore the main characters' relationships. I mean I realize doctor shows are like that but it's usually more subtle than this, right?

Merlin 3x04
This was a very guy-centric episode, even for Merlin! I liked it okay. I was very tired when I watched so I don't know. I liked the stuff about the real meaning of nobility, and Arthur trying to stand up for what's right, and Arthur trying to explain to Merlin why it's important to show the people that he deserves to be their king, and Gawain's bonding with Merlin over their lost fathers.

My favorite part was where Gawain rescued Merlin from the bad guys who were getting ready to rape bullying him, and in particular that part where Gawain asks Merlin if he's okay and Merlin whispers "No," he looked totally freaked out and in general it reminded me of all those fics I love where a visiting nobleman tries to take advantage of Merlin and Arthur gets all protective and angry <3 <3, except of course that in this case it was Gawain, and Arthur was throwing heavy objects at Merlin's head. :(

That said, I didn't much care for Gawain. I get the impression fandom's excited about him? I don't know, I'd been trying to avoid spoilers and I was still seeing his name and his face all over the place, but I haven't read other people's reaction posts. I thought he was completely obnoxious and full of himself, and I especially disliked his first scene with Gwen. I kind of want to go back to my backpacking fic and put his name on the annoying straight guy at the hostel who won't leave Gwen alone (although maybe I should just write a sequel where Morgana slaps him.) Watching him, and watching a plot so similar to Lancelot's first episode, made me wish I were watching another Lancelot episode (and that Lancelot had long hair again). I missed Lancelot's submissiveness respectful attitude toward Gwen - I think there's a big difference between him calling her a lady and treating her like one, and Gawain calling her a princess and keeping her from doing her job. I also really disliked their second scene, the one where all Gwen could talk about was how great Arthur is. :/

I don't know though, that's me. The other day I yelled at a guy for trying to hold the door open for me at the coffee shop. Afterwards I was embarrassed - the guy was just trying to be nice!

I was really tired when I watched last night, so I don't know if that made me find the fighting scenes (except for the one where Gawain rescued Merlin) more boring than usual, or if I am just bored by most fighting scenes.

ETA: Do we have to spell it Gwain, really? Gwen and Gwain? Gwaine, what? /ETA

In less spoilery news, yesterday themadlurker wrote Worker's Rights, an adorable and very funny fic based on my request for Gwen and Merlin commiserating about their jobs. It can be read without any knowledge of season 3, though it fits especially well with the current dynamics. Check out the camelot_fleet thread for some great world-building in comments.

Comments

[giandujakiss]

Yeah, I hated Gwaine's thing with Gwen, too. In their first meeting it felt like he was sexually harassing her. It was awful.

[sophinisba]

I'm starting to read other people's reviews now and see they're pleased that he's willing to take no for an answer and still be friends with her. I like that too, but I think it took him an awfully long time to take the hint in that first scene.

[msilverstar]

I'm pleased that Gwen stood up to Gwaine and didn't let his flattery affect her. He was harassing her, but she resisted and fended him off without apparently feeling awful about it. Lancelot was so much more loveable. I was thinking how Morgana was nearly invisible this episode (booo) and why was it that Gwaine didn't flatter her instead, but his intense class-consciousness gave it more sense. I think Gwaine is supposed to be kindof a dick, prejudiced in a mirror image of Uther's upperclass crap.

And since the series is clearly going towards Gwen/Arthur, I'm going relax to enjoy it. They are going to be sooooo pretty together! And the brown girl gets the boy(s) for a change :-D

[sophinisba]

Yeah, Gwaine's not my new favorite and I'd wish they'd been a little more creative with the plot, but he does add some interesting attitudes to the mix and I was okay with the ep in general. It was nice to see Gwen acting with confidence and being ready to teach him a lesson. And I love her with Arthur, but I thought the scene in this ep where she was all "He's going to be a great king" was a little too much, seeing as how Arthur is still throwing metal jugs at his servant and, like Gwaine, still has a lot to learn before he can be a great man.

I liked the bit where we saw them chatting from a distance and the way Merlin used it to prove his point to Arthur. The episode definitely had some nice moments.

[miarrow]

I love Gawain (yeah it's Gwaine according to the show, which is ridic), but I love that kind of obnoxious kind of scallywag type character. They break up the tension and add something to the dynamic, but I do feel bad that everyone is saying how much better than Lancelot he is. Lancelot is a great guy (although kind of stupid in regards to the whole leaving Gwen because he doesn't think he's good enough for her thing, still irritated at him over that, but Gwen is a dumbass magnet so...).

Anyway, I think not liking Gwaine is a perfectly acceptable response. He was a drunkard, kind of a jerk, but I loved what came out of that (like a scene with Gwen that lasted longer than 2minutes where she got to turn him down and be herself for once).

[briar_pipe]

Jumping in but... are people really saying he's better than Lancelot? O.o I'm having a hard time following that.

[miarrow]

Yeah, but to be fair these are probably the same people that are saying Gwen is a slut for flirting with four guys in the span of 2-3 years.

Gwaine has like 5 communities that just popped up and Lancelot still has none. I FEEL BAD FOR HIM (especially since I ship Lancelot/Merlin more than Merlin/Gwaine and I'm kind of OTPing it lately since my ardor for Arthur/Merlin has cooled and I've been enjoying A/G).

But I think it's this whole deal that people don't really get Lancelot's character and most of the time they use him as a joke (even the people that do like him) for courtly love, which okay he is, but this Lancelot might be my favorite ever, because they added a whole new dimension to the character and he's honestly just full of low self-esteem and taking that hard backstory in a different way than other people might. I think it's just nice to see that kind of nice guy as an actual nice guy and not one of those guys who are sort of tools but presented as nice guys.

Not including the idiotic way he left Gwen because he thought he wasn't good enough to compete with Arthur rather than letting her decide for herself, but that goes into his fatal flaw of LOW SELF ESTEEM.

[briar_pipe]

Omg, Mia, I'm a slut and never knew it! I can't believe I flirted with 2 or 3 girls a year back in college! I'm so ashamed. /sarcasm

There's a Gwen/Lance comm, at least? We should start a Lancelot/Merlin comm, I'm totally into that ship. Though I also love Lancelot/Will. Ok, basically I'll ship anyone with Lancelot. (If you really want a character comm, Vicky would probably help.)

My secret head-canon is that, in a parallel universe which is more accurate (to the Vulgate at least), he meets Galehaut and slowly becomes convinced of his personal worth. And then he convinces everyone to have a giant poly relationship with each other because they all love him. The end. *is predictable*

[miarrow]

I kind of want to go to each of their houses and SHAKE THEM SILLY, because these are the same people who don't think they're being misogynistic or racist at all and their ridiculous comments are actually the character's fault.

There is a Gwen/Lance comm, I am pretty sure (wasn't very multiship friendly if I recall, it's an odd place to be if you like Arthur/Gwen and Arthur/Lancelot, err I mean Gwen/Lancelot).

Oh god I'm so burnt out on fandom, I can't do it myself, especially since I've been sort of "ghost modding" the ones I do have, but I do feel like he needs a character comm. It was something I always thought about, but I'm not sure it would even push people to be active anyway, with the tone of the show/fandom lately.

My personal canon is that he gets injured in a fight where he's protecting a village on the outskirts of Astolat and is taken in by a friendly maid and healed up and given a bit of a self-worth boost whilst still doggedly attempting to stay true to his unrequited love (whilst maybe said friendly maid tells him something like, "What is the point of having a noble heart if you're not going to share it with anyone?" and holds his shield for him) and make does a tourney or something awesome with favors and then goes off a little better than the last we saw him.

Or something. It can also end in an orgy though. I'm good with that. I think it's like OT14 at this point.

[sophinisba]

Yeah, I tend to go more for the Nice characters than the rakes, so Gwaine had a way to go to win me over, but he did do some things in the episode that I really liked, especially in the second half, and he makes for a more interesting group of characters, or anyway I'll be really happy if we get to see him interacting with Lancelot.

(I don't know anything about what characters are going to be in future episodes please nobody tell me!)

[miarrow]

Haha, I am so out of writing and not really fandom wise right now, but I did totally consider writing something with Gwaine and Lancelot interacting, because it'd totally be all about Gwaine being the opposite of Lancelot and them getting in each other's hair and then fighting people for HONOR. And also I think Gwaine would be an awesome wingman, whilst Lancelot would be having none of it.

[briar_pipe]

The spelling on Merlin will be the bane of me. I still can't get all the women's names right. *sigh*

[sophinisba]

I find Gwaine to be the most frustrating. Especially since as slightlytookish pointed out, the actors are all pronouncing it as two syllable. (And I think the -e makes it look like a girl's name, which...could be interesting.)

[briar_pipe]

I can't figure out British pronunciation at all. "Morgause" comes out like three different names, depending on which actor is saying it.

I'm honestly glad of the 'e', or else I'd be mistyping it 'Gwen' all the time. But yes, what's wrong with the classic spellings? Are they not cool enough? Not 'medieval' enough? *is honestly curious*