netgirl_y2k (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
netgirl_y2k) wrote2013-12-10 09:43 pm
netgirl_y2k) wrote2013-12-10 09:43 pm
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Today's Post is About Morgana
Specifically, my continuing, inexplicable, and seemingly unending fascination with her.
Merlin was a show which, by the end, I... did not enjoy. Indeed, by the last couple of series it was offending both my sensibilities and my intelligence on an almost weekly basis. Now, a reasonable person might ask: why not just stop watching it and disengage from the fandom entirely? And my answer is twofold, 1) I tried, and 2) this silly, sexist, often deeply unpleasant little show also gave me my favourite character ever.
I know, right?!
And the thing is, I don't know why she's my favourite. The redemption arc that I always naïvely hoped Morgana was going to get is currently being done far better on Once Upon a Time with Regina. There are characters whose presence on the page or screen delight me more; if only because I'm not already cringing in advance of their creators somehow making it worse. There are characters who I am much more prepared to defend in fannish arguments; Morgana is my all time favourite character, but even I concede that she is badly-written, incoherent, and generally unpleasant, and if you dislike her, well, you're probably right.
I don't know-- my initial glomming onto her was a confluence of different stuff, what was going on in my life when I watched Merlin S1, a deep attraction to the actress, some stuff I was reading into the character (Gay! Gay! Magic as a metaphor for gay!) But I've liked plenty of characters who I've disengaged from when their narrative fucked up, and the only way I can explain why that didn't happen with Morgana was that the narrative really fucked up. You ever hate something so much it gives you energy? That's me with Merlin.
The problem with Merlin (well, the biggest structural problem, we don't have all day here) is how static and reactive a character Merlin is. He never develops, never grows-up, never reveals his magic, never acts unless backed into a corner, and then only so much as is required to save Arthur's immediate life. And this lack of development warps the other characters around him. Arthur becomes king, but never the great leader destiny promised. I always thought there was an interesting story in there about how Merlin's "destiny" went from protecting Arthur's life so that he could become the once and future king someday, to wrapping him in cotton wool and protecting him from any sort of upsetting knowledge or difficult decision until he was incapable of becoming that destined king.
And as for Morgana, after three years of being set up as antagonist to Uther because the king hated sorcerers (it's worth noting that this was always selfish, she hated Uther because if he burned sorcerers then someday he might burn her; there was some interesting anti-villian stuff there) over the course of one episode she decided to kill Arthur to usurp the throne, and I don't think she ever mentioned the laws against magic again. Then again, neither did Merlin. And it always struck me that Morgana's quick descent into smirking pantomime villainess who spent most of her screen time butchering extras and, I don't know, kicking puppies, was not least because as long as Morgana was Cruella de Vil it didn't matter that Merlin hadn't done much of anything laudable, all he had to do was not be quite so bad as her.
Merlin was a show that disdained character development, but with Morgana it couldn't be avoided, the legends are well-known; Morgana had to go from being at least a coincidental friend of Camelot, to the kingdom's mortal enemy. But Merlin was also a show that disdained giving screen time to any characters other than Merlin or Arthur; I'm thinking especially of the scene where Gwen has been banished and is leaving the city with a cart of her belongings, and Merlin is standing in the back of shot looking constipated - because otherwise how would we know to be sad. So Morgana's character development (character development, lobotomy, evil twin, brainwashing, magic spell; could've been anything) all happens off-screen, which is frustrating as hell, but also gives you a fuckton of room to play in.
I have a special hatred in my heart for that thing where interesting female characters disappear into male narratives -- and this is what Merlin did with Morgana, but the character herself, when faced with being sacrificed for the great destiny of Arthur & Merlin (even if she didn't know that's what was happening at the time) reacted by having a decade long, murderous, foot-stomping temper-tantrum because it wasn't fair; and that appeals to my inner eight-year old.
I love her epic poor life choices; that Gaius and Merlin may have had a hand in pushing her towards the dark side of the force, but it wasn't their fault (take note, fandom) Morgana's fuck ups are her fuck ups. I love her love for Aithusa (yeah, Morgana's best friend is a magic resurrection dragon; no-one is ever going to convince me that Morgana wasn't up and walking five minutes after the finale). I love even the tiny scenes she gets with Arthur, epic fucked-up siblings that they are. Morgana's story is a terribly executed story, with just enough hints of the much better story that I want to believe is in there to keep me hooked.
Fandom is about stories for me, and there are so many stories that I want to tell about Morgana, and until I get bored of telling them, which doesn't look to be happening anytime soon, I guess I'll always be a little obsessed with the ludicrous, tragic, awful, tyrant witch queen.
Merlin was a show which, by the end, I... did not enjoy. Indeed, by the last couple of series it was offending both my sensibilities and my intelligence on an almost weekly basis. Now, a reasonable person might ask: why not just stop watching it and disengage from the fandom entirely? And my answer is twofold, 1) I tried, and 2) this silly, sexist, often deeply unpleasant little show also gave me my favourite character ever.
I know, right?!
And the thing is, I don't know why she's my favourite. The redemption arc that I always naïvely hoped Morgana was going to get is currently being done far better on Once Upon a Time with Regina. There are characters whose presence on the page or screen delight me more; if only because I'm not already cringing in advance of their creators somehow making it worse. There are characters who I am much more prepared to defend in fannish arguments; Morgana is my all time favourite character, but even I concede that she is badly-written, incoherent, and generally unpleasant, and if you dislike her, well, you're probably right.
I don't know-- my initial glomming onto her was a confluence of different stuff, what was going on in my life when I watched Merlin S1, a deep attraction to the actress, some stuff I was reading into the character (Gay! Gay! Magic as a metaphor for gay!) But I've liked plenty of characters who I've disengaged from when their narrative fucked up, and the only way I can explain why that didn't happen with Morgana was that the narrative really fucked up. You ever hate something so much it gives you energy? That's me with Merlin.
The problem with Merlin (well, the biggest structural problem, we don't have all day here) is how static and reactive a character Merlin is. He never develops, never grows-up, never reveals his magic, never acts unless backed into a corner, and then only so much as is required to save Arthur's immediate life. And this lack of development warps the other characters around him. Arthur becomes king, but never the great leader destiny promised. I always thought there was an interesting story in there about how Merlin's "destiny" went from protecting Arthur's life so that he could become the once and future king someday, to wrapping him in cotton wool and protecting him from any sort of upsetting knowledge or difficult decision until he was incapable of becoming that destined king.
And as for Morgana, after three years of being set up as antagonist to Uther because the king hated sorcerers (it's worth noting that this was always selfish, she hated Uther because if he burned sorcerers then someday he might burn her; there was some interesting anti-villian stuff there) over the course of one episode she decided to kill Arthur to usurp the throne, and I don't think she ever mentioned the laws against magic again. Then again, neither did Merlin. And it always struck me that Morgana's quick descent into smirking pantomime villainess who spent most of her screen time butchering extras and, I don't know, kicking puppies, was not least because as long as Morgana was Cruella de Vil it didn't matter that Merlin hadn't done much of anything laudable, all he had to do was not be quite so bad as her.
Merlin was a show that disdained character development, but with Morgana it couldn't be avoided, the legends are well-known; Morgana had to go from being at least a coincidental friend of Camelot, to the kingdom's mortal enemy. But Merlin was also a show that disdained giving screen time to any characters other than Merlin or Arthur; I'm thinking especially of the scene where Gwen has been banished and is leaving the city with a cart of her belongings, and Merlin is standing in the back of shot looking constipated - because otherwise how would we know to be sad. So Morgana's character development (character development, lobotomy, evil twin, brainwashing, magic spell; could've been anything) all happens off-screen, which is frustrating as hell, but also gives you a fuckton of room to play in.
I have a special hatred in my heart for that thing where interesting female characters disappear into male narratives -- and this is what Merlin did with Morgana, but the character herself, when faced with being sacrificed for the great destiny of Arthur & Merlin (even if she didn't know that's what was happening at the time) reacted by having a decade long, murderous, foot-stomping temper-tantrum because it wasn't fair; and that appeals to my inner eight-year old.
I love her epic poor life choices; that Gaius and Merlin may have had a hand in pushing her towards the dark side of the force, but it wasn't their fault (take note, fandom) Morgana's fuck ups are her fuck ups. I love her love for Aithusa (yeah, Morgana's best friend is a magic resurrection dragon; no-one is ever going to convince me that Morgana wasn't up and walking five minutes after the finale). I love even the tiny scenes she gets with Arthur, epic fucked-up siblings that they are. Morgana's story is a terribly executed story, with just enough hints of the much better story that I want to believe is in there to keep me hooked.
Fandom is about stories for me, and there are so many stories that I want to tell about Morgana, and until I get bored of telling them, which doesn't look to be happening anytime soon, I guess I'll always be a little obsessed with the ludicrous, tragic, awful, tyrant witch queen.
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