Episode III.XII & XIII – The Coming of Arthur – Part I & II
Join us for The Coming of Arthur – Part I & II, epsiode 12 & 13 of Season 3 of BBC Merlin
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1st April 2021 @ 9:49 pm
I’m so far behind! I loved the episodes but I also thought the high points of Arthurian legend were just rushed through. My favorite scene is with the round table. Did you know that the symbols on the table have meaning and each person sits at the correct meaning? I always thought that was really cool and that someone actually thought about something that was on screen for only such a short time.
I love your podcast but I can’t listen and write at the same time. 🙁 Which is why I’m so far behind.
1st April 2021 @ 11:45 pm
I watched basically every minute of the Lord of the Rings behind the scene DVD extras back in the day and was reeling for months that there’s so many people who’s job it is to come up with and create all of these AMAZING props and give movies and television such history and depth… and then most people would never even notice, and if they do, they’d go ‘oh, that’s cool’ before moving on with their lives… I’m frankly not sure I could do it. But I admire the skill and effort that goes into all of that stuff!!
I thought there was a story that due to blocking etc they actually ended up sitting behind the wrong symbols? Did I make that up?? 🤔
M Xx
3rd December 2020 @ 8:46 pm
Mary’s many words, part 2:
Season 3 Round-Up
After I finished watching the entire series for the very first time, I used a self-devised point system for ranking epsiodes and seasons and season 3 ended up in 2. place with 43 points. 1. place was season 4 with 45. I’ll be interested to see if this holds true!
Overall, I very much enjoy season 3 for the sheer number of amazing moments and individual character beats. In season 3, I think we have seen how great this show is when they get it right. And the moments when they don’t get it right are usually outweighed by those awesome moments. In general, I think I can look at different scenes of this season and put them into different categories: 1. Amazing, 2. Good, 3. Not great but I’m not too bothered, 4. Nonsensical, 5. Awful.
Using those descriptors, I think there were just a greater number of scenes or even episodes at the higher end of the scale and far less on the lower end. I also don’t think previous seasons were quite as varied, went quite as in-depth with themes, character development (or regress) as those before so I really enjoyed the greater scope of the world.
A note on overall sense and coherence: if things made sense, Gaius would never have left the injured guard alone or told Arthur of the spy in front of everyone, so that Morgana could have a chance to dispatch the witness. Then Morgana would have been discovered straight away and the rest of the season would have been rather different. If not that, Morgana should have accused Merlin and get him killed by the end of 3.2 at least. And then the rest of the season and series would have ended rather abruptly. So, I guess I am grateful that, if I couldn’t have a season that relied on sensible plotlines and decisions, at least we had a season at all.
Also, even though they have tried to include some greater destiny beats (more or less successfully) throughout the season, I do not yet feel that it is weighing down the characters, plot or overall atmosphere as much as it does later. So, I’m thankful for that.
I love looking at Arthur and Merlin’s relationship from the start of the season to the end and I think, even though it felt like a bit of a reset after The Last Dragonlord at the start of season 3, their relationship has travelled farther than ever before and, as far as I can remember, there isn’t too much of a reset happening from here on out.
Season 3 List of Destiny (Going by quality/sense but also how likely I am to rewatch the episode)
1. The Sorcerer’s Shadow (my first by a long way!)
2. The Queen of Hearts
3. The Tears of Uther Pendragon Pt 1 & 2
4. The Eye of the Phoenix
5. The Coming of Arthur Pt 1 & 2
6. The Changeling
7. Gwaine
8. The Castle of Fyrien
9. Goblin’s Gold
10. The Crystal Cave
11. Love in the Time of Dragons
Best scene: Merlin revealing his magic to Gilli and his speech that follows (3.11)
Best tear-jerkers: Merlin’s abandoned seat and plate/ Merlin alone on the steps (3.9); runner-up: Merlin’s conversation with Freya (3.13), second runner-up: Merlin crying over Arthur (3.5)
Best bromance moment: Merlin and Arthur’s conversation + push & shove at the end of 3.4
Most epically awesome: The dragon swooping in to rescue Merlin from the serkets + accompanying soundtrack (3.1)
Most romantic scene: The picnic (3.10); runner up: ‘Is what I want really that insane?’ (3.6.)
Best word addition: ‘dollophead’
Most intriguing relationship that we didn’t see enough of: Morgause & Cenred; runner-up: Gilli & Merlin
Best hairstyle: Arthur, all this season! Runner-up: Morgana emerging from the woods (3.1)
Worst hairstyle: Sir Oswald (3.4)
Best Arthur moment: Letting Uther win the fight (3.11)
Best Merlin moment (apart from the scene with Gilli): Meeting the Fisher King
Worst Merlin moment: Screaming at camera (3.5)
Best set: Gwen’s house
Worst decision: Allowing Merlin’s arrest for magic to happen in the absurdist farce episode – and not honing in on his trauma or that Arthur DIDN’T do anything to rescue him
Scenes I could watch all day every day: Gwen’s coronation; all Merlin & Gilli scenes; Merlin trying to enchant the vial with the Waters of Avalon and growing sleepy like a little puppy
Things this season ought to have explored: What happened to Morgana in her absence from Camelot; Gaius
Best Art Direction: Arthur’s quest vision ritual trance thingy + music (3.8)
Best Merlin-Gwen friendship moment: ‘You look lovely.’ (3.10); runner-up: their conversation when they watch Arthur trough the crack in the door to the throne room (3.8)
Best Antony Head performance: His one-sided conversation with Merlin about parents and children (3.5)
Worst On-screen chemistry: Alice & Gaius
Worst creature design: The manticore
Merlin’s most stupid decisions: Following an unknown old man into a cave; healing Morgana; not holding on to the Cup or tip over the Cup with magic; not ending Morgana; listening to Gaius telling him not to tell anyone anything ever!
3rd December 2020 @ 6:00 pm
Okay, okay, I know it’s long (and it’s only the comments for the last episode not the round-up) but it WAS a double episode and you DID give us four extra days and DIDN’T you say you looked forward to my many words? Anyway…sorry. But here is part one of them:
The Coming of Arthur Pt 1 & 2
Things I love:
One thing I love about this episode is how much time we spend in real forests and how well they have been ‘cast’, lit and ‘fogged’ to suit the mood of the scene. In the opening shots with all the dead Camelot soldiers, the forests are really lush and green. It’s really beautiful but the thick underbrush, fog and eerie choir voices also create a sense of danger. It’s like the forest is a beautiful witch, luring you in with its charm only to enchant you and make you lose your way. It somehow reminds me of Keat’s ballad ‘La Belle Dame Sans Merci’.
Later on, after when Merlin, Gwaine and Arthur have escaped from Jarl, the forest is young and sunlit and open but just before they are attacked by Cenred, they suddenly come into a dark coniferous part. Sunlight is still slanting in at an acute angle from their left but even as Arthur notices that the forest is silent, you can see the fog rolling in behind them.
On another note about set design/ art direction, in the first part, I really noticed the sheer number of different flags, crests and little shields that adorn Camelot. Almost oppressively so! I’d probably go nuts with so many colours around and knowing Merlin’s clumsiness, he must constantly entangle himself in any number of them. But I think it is so on-the-nose in this episode to provide a contrast to the opening of the second one where all we see is the Rowan tree emblem. I think the diversity of crests displayed in pre-Morgana Camelot is to signify that this kingdom is build oaths of fealty, cooperation, teamwork and diplomacy whereas Morgana’s is run by the power of oppression of a single force. Again, it is an interesting contrast to draw seeing that we are mostly regard Uther as a despot who gets his will by, for example, murdering an entire group of people to project his own guilt onto them. But then, maybe it’s meant to look forward to the coming of Arthur and his kingdom. It’s the title after all.
I also like the symbolism of Morgana’s twisted snake necklace when she tells Gwen that not everyone has to die. This comes pretty much right after Gaius tells the King that there is a traitor among them. Morgana is literally marked as the snake in the grass. I wonder if King Gormause gave her that necklace as a birthday present…
I have realised that Gwen basically personifies safety, security and reliability for all the characters and the story. Her house has been acting as a safehouse for so many people throughout the seasons and like I commented for 3.10., it feels like an extension of Gwen herself: beautiful, comfortable but also utterly sensible. It’s where Arthur & Co come first when they return from the unsuccessful cup quest; it’s where Elyan hides. I wish they had textualised Arthur’s grief over her loss a lot more (since they must all have been assuming for a week that she is dead!) but it is telling that things begin to move again as soon as Gwen returns. I realise it’s not great that Gwen is the only one left behind when they reclaim Camelot, but I guess it makes sense if she represents security, reliability and safety. They’re keeping safety herself safe. Otherwise they all would be unhinged and floundering. And then at the end, the knights all escort safety back to the castle where she can now return. I like how they have taken her in the middle to keep her safe.
Things I wonder about:
I always wonder how the Cup of Life got from the Isle of the Blessed to the druids and then, after these episodes end, it just seems to disappear again. Maybe the Cup of Life is like the One Ring in LOTR. Perhaps it has got a will of his own and keeps ‘ensnaring’ new bearers to get wherever it needs to be. That’s a bit of a sinister picture…
I really like the scene with the thousands of soldiers in Cenred’s new castle courtyard (no longer the one by the sea although he’s kept the same interior decorator on to do up both places). However, I always think that the castle looks too tiny for all these people. Where are they housed? Who is feeding them? Also, I have suddenly realised that someone must have had the rather uncomfortable and precarious job to carry the Cup of Life filled with blood all the way to Camelot, holding on to it even during the attack and making sure that nothing spills out. If this were a parody, a gnarly root, a stumbling horse or rickety cart could have saved Arthur, Merlin & Co all that trouble!
Also, WHY is no one killing or at least arresting Morgause and Morgana after the Cup has been emptied. They are literally on the floor. Nope, they just run instead of putting a quick end to Morgana screaming down the castle and then…somehow vanishing. Yeah, I wonder about that too!
Things that make me laugh:
When Morgana’s soldiers are stopped from following Arthur & Co by the rock fall in the gorge, Arthur asks, ‘Who is that?’ I always find that a funny question, since you don’t actually see anyone pushing down rocks. ‘What’s happening?’ seems to be more appropriate. I usually forget and just assume it was Merlin.
Things that annoy me (mildly):
Why is the lake of Avalon suddenly 20 leagues away? That’s about 70 miles/ 100 km? In season 1, Merlin ran that twice in a night! And surely it can’t be a different lake/portal to Avalon since in the boat scenes, it looks the same as in season 1 and Merlin threw the sword in THIS lake. What is happening?!
I love the Round Table scene, of course. But…(sorry!), I am a little annoyed by the insistent ‘oos’ in the choir track. Like, thank you, we got it, this is a crucial scene. Stop hammering it home and overdoing the soundtrack ‘oos’! Also, I wish that Arthur had come up with the Round Table idea himself and not just rediscovered something the ancient kings had done before him. That somehow takes away from how unique he is as a king. Also, I of course like all this about equality and swearing loyalty to Arthur when he has nothing left to offer them. But I almost wish that they had waited for the scene when he was a powerful king in all his glory. His speech about equality would have been a much greater sign of Arthur’s humility and character if he hadn’t already been ‘equal’ with everyone in the room anyway. It’s easy to promise brotherhood and equality when you are quite literally their equal in that situation. And his later conversation with Merlin about cleaning his boots suggests that now Arthur is back in power, equality won’t be on his mind anymore. At least it won’t be extended to Merlin. All that makes the entire Round Table speech sound a little phoney.
Things I wish the episode had done:
I completely agree: Gaius, Uther should have died. Merlin and Arthur have clearly outgrown them. And Morgause should have died as well actually. I love how frightened she looks when Morgana declares that she will make the people yield. It’s like Morgause has realised: Oh darn, what kind of monster have I created?
I really wish that Morgana had directly revealed her magic to Uther. Because she doesn’t, her entire speech about wanting him ‘to be lonely…to be disgusted with who and what you are’ seems to be about her illegitimacy. Also, Morgana’s line about wanting Uther to suffer as she has suffered would work so much better if we had spend a little bit more time giving Morgana scenes and a consistent, logical character arc. Without that, I am wondering: when did she actually suffer?
3rd December 2020 @ 12:18 pm
Oh man. Ok, I agree with 90% of your criticisms of this episode, but tbh I just want to think about all the really good things about this episode so that’s what I’m gonna do:
Lancelot and Merlin’s little talk while the others were asleep!! I love it for serious character reasons and also for silly “Merlin and Lancelot whispering at a sleepover”-y reasons
So many good things with lighting! And colours!
I agree with you about Merlin’s presumed consent, I love what it says. I love when Arthur checks subtly anyway, but fully expects Merlin to be with him and Merlin doesn’t even consider not being with Arthur – the moment you mentioned when Arthur sends Gwaine and Lancelot (I think it was them) off and then realises Merlin is with him, and Merlin says “I’ve seen the forest already” reminded me of previous scenes in season 1 especially where Arthur is concerned about Merlin potentially dying on whatever dangerous thing and Merlin has to say “no, I’m coming with you” – here Merlin doesn’t have to say it, and Arthur doesn’t try to make him stay behind – there’s been such a progression and I love that.
Gwen’s scheming shouldn’t have gone to waste like that, BUT I do like that she has a really sensible plan and definitely would have succeeded if she hadn’t been overheard (though would it have been so hard for her to be overheard magically rather than just because Morgana suspected already? LIke, why CAN’T Gwen genuinely fool Morgana even just for a moment?) I love it when Gwen gets to be competent and I loved every choice Angel Coulby made in that scene.
I love that the Round Table moment comes when Arthur has basically nothing and no one else – he’s no longer prince of anything, so the equality message really rings true instead of being a hollow “we’re all equal but also you’re my subjects” thing – it also means that Arthur’s leadership here is because the others truly want to be led by him, there’s nothing compelling them to stand up but they do because they believe in Arthur even when he isn’t Prince Arthur.
Ok, one small bad thing: I kind of feel like we could have made more of Morgana being queen? Like, that’s such a huge blow to Arthur, and we could have had a really interesting arc – instead it just added to the pacing issues you already mentioned, with Uther going from “I’m the king, you can’t do this” to absolutely broken in the space of like half an hour onscreen. I get that that wasn’t where the series was going, but it still feels like a waste.
Right, season 3 round up (if I’m not too late – apologies if I am). Honestly, I feel like, unlike seasons 1 and 2, I don’t really have a very good sense of what season 3… was. Like, I think I’ve said before that I always think of 3 as my favourite/as what I think of when I think of ‘Merlin.’ But now that I’ve seen it again, I think maybe that had more to do with the age I was when season 3 came out rather than anything intrinsic to the season. Not that I don’t like – I really do! But I’m not sure why I was so sure it was my favourite. It contains some of my favourite episodes (the season finale (despite agreeing with all your criticisms, it has so many things that I really like), Gwaine), and my absolute least favourite (Goblin’s Gold). Season 2 contains my favourite episode (The Last Dragonlord) and my second least favourite (Beauty and the Beast). The difference is that we’re fully into Morgana’s arc and they screw that up so badly that it kind of puts a damper on the whole season. Then again, I prefer where we land Arthur and Merlin’s relationship in season 3. So, I guess 2 and 3 work out to being basically equal in my opinion.
I wish I had more thoughtful things to say, but I’m sure the annoyingly lengthy discussions about the Old Religion and such will return when my coursework’s finished 😛
5th December 2020 @ 6:45 pm
–Oh man. Ok, I agree with 90% of your criticisms of this episode, but tbh I just want to think about all the really good things about this episode so that’s what I’m gonna do–
100% FAIR!!!!
6th December 2020 @ 10:27 pm
I’m sure the annoyingly lengthy discussions about the Old Religion and such will return when my coursework’s finished 😛 –
I’ve missed those, Esmé! Hope you make good progress on your coursework. And on your thoughts about the indefinable character of season 3: I very much agree but I wonder whether that’s okay. I think it’s often like that in times of upheaval or before immediate upheaval (i.e. the start of Arthur’s reign). Things seem to be moving forward but characters in the present can’t see where; events happen but in the moment, characters do not know where they’ll lead only that they seem somehow significant. I mean, think about it: for Arthur who had no idea about Morgana’s betrayal all season, things would have seemed even more incoherent and inexplicable than to us (which is probably why he simply stopped asking questions (for example about Dragoon), just waiting for something new (a new time?) to be revealed in due course. That actually makes Arthur quite a patient and wise man which I like.
For us as viewers, knowing Morgana’s betrayal and also getting scenes with Cenred and Morgause, things are clearer but still cannot be condensed into maybe a single idea. I described the 2nd season in one word but simply couldn’t manage to do the same with season 3. A lot of words danced through my head but none were satisfactory to really encaspulate the character of season 3. Maybe we need to learn to be patient like Arthur and not continue questioning andy mad, old sorcerer that comes our way who is (somehow) willing to die so my lady love will be rescued. 🙂
3rd December 2020 @ 12:45 am
Hi. Hope I’m in time for someone to at least read this.
First off, I just wanted to say thank you for making this podcast. It took me four tries spread over several years to watch Merlin, and I finally succeeded in finishing it about a year ago. When I did, I was absolutely dying to discuss it with someone but no one I know has even heard of the show, much less seen it. This podcast allows me to have these discussions and think about the show, so thank you.
I also want to let you know how much I appreciate your attention to the technical elements of the show. As a stage manager, I’m always thinking about these things, about costumes and sets and props and especially especially light that I either love or hate. And so often no one bothers thinking about these things, instead always going on about the quality of the acting. And don’t get me wrong, the actors in Merlin are wonderful, but they’re not actually the only ones involved. I remember early on (sometime in season 1 maybe? I listened seasons 1 and 2 as like binge-listening (is that a term?) so I don’t really remember) there was a discussion about some of the Camelot banners looking like football banners. This actually made me so happy even though it was a criticism of tech, because it proves why the quality of tech matters. If it’s bad, you notice and it’s distracting. If it’s good, it’s just there. I also love love love how you bring up light almost every episode, it’s something that really stands out to me and I love feeling like you get it (even though you probably don’t, unless you have tech theatre experience).
Anyway, I am going to actually talk about the episode, not just how wonderful you are.
I remember The Coming of Arthur as one of my favorite episodes to watch. Then I was watching part one and thinking I must be misremembering and thinking of the season four finale (I mean, it’s an easy mistake to make). I was really just thinking “this cannot be one of my favorites to watch”. Then part 2 starts, and I go “oh, yeah, no I really do really like this one”. Part 2 is really really good, part one is the vegetables you have to eat to get desert.
I have never understood what’s going on with Morgana and Gwen in this episode. Like, Morgana just tried to have Gwen executed! I know she took a week off after that, but still! Is Morgana being sincere with the offer of friendship? That makes zero sense. Again, attempted execution! But Morgana can’t be setting up the trap already, we see Morgause tell her to do that later! I’m so confused and I just fast forward the scene.
I also have a tendency to get really confused when they meet Elyan, mostly because I never realized that he was in Camelot this whole time??? I thought he went back to whereever that forge he mentioned was and then this scene confuses me.
Now I’m talking about part two, for anyone who is still reading this essay-length comment.
I LOVE part 2!! I really like the timing on the water of avalon, if that makes sense? It was introduced long enough ago that it feel, idk, realistic? But not so long we’ve forgotten about it? I just think that works. I also really like Freya’s attitude being one of “you helped me so I’ll help you. I promised you I would repay you and I will” that kind of thing, rather than “I’m doing it because I love you, true love and all that”. I think it actually fits with their relationship and it almost feels like giving at least Merlin (idk about Freya) the closure he needs to move on. I love Freya, I really really do, but her relationship with Merlin always felt desperate, like it was beautiful but it was also short and chaotic and doomed to vanish (would comparing it to a firework make any sense?). Compare this to Arthur and Gwen’s relationship. Their’s feels real and permanent, more like fire than a firework.
Spoiler warning:
I don’t get why they don’t kill Uther here. He does nothing in the two part season four opener and then dies as soon as that’s done. I don’t get it. It wouldn’t change anything plot-wise, it would give Arthur another emotional gut-punch, and would cement his hatred of Morgana and would give him a reason why he never tries to reason with her. It would also be more impactful for the audience if he died here rather than killing him and crowning Arthur King of Camelot, having him become King Arthur, in a comedy episode.
End of spoilers
I wanted to weigh in on the fact that there are not very many positive magic users in Merlin. I think the reason for this is that it’s easier to introduce a villain of the week than a friend of the week, and then it’s fantasy so every so often there’s magic. Think about it: the villain can come in and be evil and have zero character and then die and it really doesn’t matter, no has any emotional attachment to that character. It’s much harder to deal with a friend of the week because the audience is emotionally attached, and the writers only have three options: 1: make the character a semi-regular on the show. This is Lancelot and Gwaine and Elyan (all figures in Arthurian legend, that’s my asumption anyway). They’re not gonna do this, they already have maybe a little too much going on for another subplot. 2: kill the character. This is the Freya box. If you do this you have to make sure that your main characters remember friend of the week from a season ago and you also have to deal with the consequences of the death for both the characters and the audience. And if you kill characters too often, the audience stops caring. 3: pretend the character never existed. This is Gili, and honestly, it’s frustrating, I don’t think I need to explain that one. The villain can just at the end and we never have to deal with them again. Adding a friend inherently creates another subplot throughout the rest of the show. It’s not a justification of the lack of positive magic users, but it does, i think, explain why.
One last thing, then I’ll promise I’ll stop, but just another thing I appreciate about your podcast is how you talk about what makes it art rather than entertainment. I had to write a college essay over the summer about what is art and why do we care, so I’ve been paying much more attention than even I normally would recently.
3rd December 2020 @ 3:27 am
As to the possibility of Uther’s death in this episode, while I think it would have been good to kill Gaius off here (especially since he was actually given some heroic scene, it would have been a nice way to go), I do think that Uther’s death would have been a bit much for this episode. There is so much happening in the second part, and I’m not sure it would have been believable for Arthur to have processed both Morgana’s betrayal and Uther’s death in such a short time. Not even mentioning that he also learns Morgana is his sister. While it may provide him with a lot more rage and energy for taking Camelot back, I’m not sure it would allow to end the season on a high. Of course you can disagree 😉
And (BEWARE SPOILERS) while I do agree Uther’s death comes in a weird moment in the 4th season, pacing-wise, I do actually LOVE The Wicked Day, I don’t think it’s a comedy episode at all and when the time comes, I’m more than happy to defend it like a lion 😀
5th December 2020 @ 6:42 pm
you were very much in time! Separately from that, we are only just sitting down to gather up and sort out all the comments, so even if you had been late, you would still be in time. But you didn’t even need the ‘we are late’ loophole, you were in time in time!
and I am rambling and probably a little punch drunk from having gone through and copied comments into three different word documents, to try and wrestle them all into a semblance of order, for tomorrow’s episode recording…. but please do not let that detract from what i actually meant to say, which is thank you for the kind words and all of the thoughtful and insightfull commentary!
It is hugely appreciated!!!
Thank you for joining us for season 3 and we’re hugely looking forward to season 4 starting next year and your thoughts and comments on that!
M Xx
6th December 2020 @ 10:17 pm
Hi Scott – I felt like you: no one seemed to know about Merlin that I could talk to when I first saw it. (And then I ‘forced my sisters to watch it too and now we’ve got our own little fanclub going on. So, bottom line, get siblings and recruit them!)
You are absolutely right: I have no idea about the technical side of theatre but I can still appreciate it when it’s good. And listening to this podcast has actually taught me to pay attention to those things a lot more. I think we all have different areas we tend to notice more. You see and appreciate the technical side, Danuta loves her musical observations, there was someone who always did historical background search (whose name I’ve forgotten – sorry), Ruth knows all about how to construct a narrative so it works and Michelle notices and appreciates everything Bradley James does. 🙂 I’m in the mix somewhere as well. My point is, that’s why it’s so cool we can all come together here and exchange our ideas, present our unique viewpoints, informed by our individual giftings and knowledge and thereby enrich each other. Did I mention that I love the little Destiny & Chicken subsection of the greater Merlin fandom?! 😀
I don’t get why they don’t kill Uther here. He does nothing in the two part season four opener and then dies as soon as that’s done. –
I sometimes think the show was hampered in doing the things that make sense/ were right for the plot by doing the unexpected at all costs. Having Uther die at the end of a season would have been the expected thing to do: start the new one with Arthur’s reign etc. There are quite a few moments and decisions where the show wanted to be unconventional at all costs and it ended up backfiring. I’m going to draw a very tenuous link to Harry Potter here and say that they were being their own Dolores Umbridge to their own Hogwarts. Change for change’s sake isn’t always the best way forward.
I think it actually fits with their relationship and it almost feels like giving at least Merlin (idk about Freya) the closure he needs to move on. –
If only he would move on! If only! I’m so pathetic, I know. But I was waiting for Merlin to fall in love again quite as much as I was waiting for the Golden Age of Albion to arrive. And maybe if he had, other things would have played out differently as well…. (Insert Michelle’s singing here!)
Adding a friend inherently creates another subplot throughout the rest of the show. It’s not a justification of the lack of positive magic users, but it does, i think, explain why. –
I have never thought of it that way! That’s so perceptive – and makes me bemoan the loss of Gilli and his potential as Merlin’s friend even more. Perhaps another way to deal with potential friends is also to make them ambiguous or then make them into traitors, right. Look at Morgause, for example. In Sins of the Father, even in the Fires of Idirsholas, you can’t actually say that she was against Arthur – against Uther, yes, but there isn’t really any real indication that she meant harm to Arthur until later.
2nd December 2020 @ 9:02 am
I would happily take the Series 3 final as the final of the whole series! The episode is uplifting, and you get to be proud of every character. I’d even use a quote some people used a lot around Christmas eve in 2012… ‘It ended on a high’! Here are some Series 3 thoughts:
Writing Ladies:
I think we all agree that Merlin tends to sometimes fall into the old trap of there only two female characters: the mother/lover or the villain. So imagine how curious I was when I found out about the post-Merlin show by the Merlin producers, written by Howard Overman, called Crazyhead. After watching the first two episodes I can say it’s not my type of show. But I can say the leading characters of the show are a pair of young women, so naturally they have the most agency on the show. And neither -especially one of them- fall into a typical female pigeon hole. So perhaps, the “family audience” thing on Merlin put them under some kind of pressure to play it safe with female characters? Such a shame if it was. : )
Courtly love:
I was researching Courtly Love (due to a show about The Medici, ahem) and one of the ideals of Courtly Love for a knight was that he is to never have physical union with his Lady. He is to pine for her, go mad for her, but er…get no bedroom action. Which is why your Lady being someone’s wife was totally okay! His love for her will be all kinds of pure, making him a better, more pious man. Or so the idea went. I’m glad that Arthur and Gwen’s pining for each other is about a 2 on a scale of 1 to 10! But I like the subtle nod to medieval romance in the love-from-afar bit of their relationship.
A bonus bromance:
I think there should have been an interesting bromance between Arthur and Elyan given Arthur is dating Elyan’s sister. Officially, Arthur holds more power over Elyan but from a “you’re dating my younger sister” context, Elyan sort of holds the power!
6th December 2020 @ 9:57 pm
Hi Rez – nice to comment on your comment again. 🙂
THIS CONTAINS SPOILERS!
I’d even use a quote some people used a lot around Christmas eve in 2012… ‘It ended on a high’! –
You know, I have watched so many Merlin interviews and am always completely flabbergasted when pretty much everyone in the cast, before the final episode aired, said that they were happy with the episode and the ending and they think they ended on a high, that the audience will be satisfied. What planet were they living on?! Were they told to say this? Or did they actually feel like this about the finale? And then that makes me wonder: is there a layer of meaning and understanding that simply no one in the audience got but that was clear to them when they were filming the episodes? Maybe there was a lot of material cut from the finale? It’s all a mystery!
The only sensible person (in the show as in life) seems to have been Angel Coulby because in one interview, when the four young actors are asked how they think the audience would agree and after Colin and Bradley have stated what I wrote above, Angel said that she thinks that the audience will be sad. Very perceptive indeed!
But still: what planet were any of the others living on???
I can’t really wish that Merlin had ended after season 3 because then we’d not have more Merlin. But I wish whatever the final season was, had such a successful, gratifying ending as season 3!
6th December 2020 @ 11:57 pm
“I’d even use a quote some people used a lot around Christmas eve in 2012… ‘It ended on a high’! –
You know, I have watched so many Merlin interviews and am always completely flabbergasted when pretty much everyone in the cast, before the final episode aired, said that they were happy with the episode and the ending and they think they ended on a high, that the audience will be satisfied.”
Hah I always felt like this quote was addressed to me 😀 Like, I’m this one single person in the fandom who’s just sitting there with a ton of tissues and shouts “yes, tragedy, bring me more tragedy” and then proceeds to ramble on the internet on how tragic endings with unfulfilled destinies are great, because they’re so life-like. I wonder if the cast agree with me or, rather, if their idea of a “high” consists of something totally different after all… 😀
29th November 2020 @ 7:37 am
I’m so sorry if it’s too late. Life is so busy, but if you can’t read my comments it’s fine.💛
5th December 2020 @ 6:13 pm
we’re literally only just sitting down to pull together all comments for recording tomorrow, so it’s another everything goes situation haha Xx
29th November 2020 @ 7:36 am
I agree that coherently it’s not a perfect episode but because of the moments I really love it and I think it’s why I love season three.
My biggest story complaint is that I wish there had been a magical reveal on Morgana’s part. It was the beginning of her betrayal and I would’ve loved to see Uther’s reaction. It would’ve rubbed salt in the wound rather nicely.
My favorite bit of the episode and the entire season, is Merlin and Arthur’s exchange at the round table. It’s so light and layered and encompasses their relationship. Fierce loyalty without question underneath some pleasing banter. I love it and it makes me grin from ear to ear.
I feel bad for Tom Ellis’ short lived role but it was a satisfying death for his character.
The scene in the pit with Arthur and Merlin’s shock at Gwaine being the champion is hilarious. They turn in sync and are just like “wait what?”
The round table scene all around is beautiful. Merlin’s reaction to Freya is beautiful and pulls on my heartstrings. I personally really shipped them. The sword in the stone bit also beautiful. But yeah some of it felt a little jumbled and wasted unfortunately.
Yeah I loved it.
My favorite new characters are Gwaine and Elyan . My favorite episodes were the queen of hearts, the fisher king, the sorcerers shadow, and the finale.
29th November 2020 @ 11:38 am
I agree that it’s a shame there was no Morgana magic reveal- it kind of becomes irrelevant once the actual betrayal is revealed. Maybe Uther just needed to ask her about it as he did whether she had hated him the whole time? Maybe it was just too much to pack into two episodes.
28th November 2020 @ 5:20 pm
Ok wow so this was a tough week for Leon.
These episodes held up wayyyy better than I imagined which was such a relief! I love when finales remind me of the rest of the season, even if it’s not on purpose-
-Quest aspect from Eye of the Phoenix
-Elyan (Castle of Fyrien) and Gwainey
-Arthur getting shot by an arrow again like in the Crystal Cave (ok maybe not the most relevant)
-the utter confusion with all the soldiers were exploding as in the Queen of Hearts when Dragoon shows up!
I love the Morgana/ Gwen relationship of this episode. Morgana wears a green dress and serpent necklace when she first speaks to Gwen- classic deceitful/evil getup. Gwen tears up when she says she will always be loyal to Morgana; she knows she is lying, I thin the very thought of having to really betray Morgana as she will later is a struggle for her but also because it’s becoming real. What were just suspicions and ideas about the nature of Morgana before have now manifested into something that Gwen knows will be ruthless and horrible, and she is going to have to watch it all happen.
Morgana/Morgauses relationship has been difficult to watch this time round because I just don’t understand Morgauses feeling towards Morgana, she is consistently unsympathetic and opportunistic- as in this episode when she takes advantage of Gwen’s betrayal. To me it felt that, particularly in part 2, neither of them had any regard for the other on a personal level now they had achieved their goal. There was not much interaction between them and to me, when Morgana is screaming over Morgauses body at the end, she is screaming because this symbolises the end to her reign- she knows it is too late and Morgause might have done something but she can’t now.
It’s interesting how Uther says he would give his life for the innocent people Morgana killed because he would never say that as king. Perhaps underneath his title as King, Uther was a reasonable person. Once it is removed, he is allowed to be compassionate and give his life like that, but as king he knows he can’t act like this. It’s a lesson that he has tried to teach Arthur many times, it’s interesting and quite harrowing to see it in Uther here.
LESSONS
So both Uther and Arthur learn that Morgana is evil. They are both completely heartbroken- Arthur pulls himself together but this looks like the final blow for Uther. I think part of the surprise comes from her deceit- Uther has murdered and done all sorts of evil thing, but it is always so blatant and brutish. To them it appears Morgana has been strategic and clever (though we know how bad she is at evil-ing) and it shocks them because it’s not something they would ever think to do. Even Arthur admits his differences to his Father- he admits them this episode- but he would just never even consider this kind of action. Sadly we don’t see them try to understand why- do they understand Morgauses role in this? Do they know what really happened between this season and season 2? It is a massive event that shifts Uther on an emotional level and I think changes Arthur’s world more than it does his character.
I think Merlin learns that sentimentality can bring him strength. With Freya’s appearance as a guide and helper, he is reminded that she ( and presumably others) are with him even if he can’t see- they are rooting for him. I think this is especially important in the context of Arthur and Gwen’s romance- when he kisses her in the courtyard and the camera goes back to Merlin, it feels written on his face that he is thinking of Freya. Arthur is now surrounded by people who will support him when before, Merlin was the only one, and I think Merlin realises that it’s ok to reminisce on his times with Freya (and also Blainor) because he was a different, bigger person with them and had their support. This doesn’t take away from his closeness with Arthur or the group, but it reassures him of his place and importance.
28th November 2020 @ 6:14 pm
Oh yea also I wish there had been more stress on Gwen’s betrayal of Morgana, I feel like it was kind of there but not really, because it could serve as a really impactful moment for Morgana, instead her anger is all directed at Uther which is ok, but (SPOILERS I MEAN IT DO NOT READ) when Uther dies ( mean he basically is at this point), she is going to need some more motivation than that, particularly in the season 5 episode with her and Gwen, there is no real connection to Gwen from Morgana’s perspective, but it really would have added something. We don’t have many female characters in this show and this would have helped to make their relationship more consistent and interesting while also bringing Gwen closer to the action, which becomes a problem as we go forward.
6th December 2020 @ 4:56 pm
Hi Maddy, just some thoughts on your thoughts. 🙂
I also agree that the Gwen’s betrayal could have provided a good reason/ motivation for Morgana to turn her ire against her. I would buy that completely – except that it would have had to be done at the end of season 2 or the beginning of season minimum because Morgana has already worked against Gwen, even directly seeking to kill her! So, yeah, it would have been great to stress the betrayal but much, much earlier in the series.
Perhaps underneath his title as King, Uther was a reasonable person. Once it is removed, he is allowed to be compassionate and give his life like that, but as king he knows he can’t act like this. –
I actually made a note on this when I was watching the episode but didn’t end up including it in my notes. I absolutely think that once the kingly status is stripped from Uther, his humanity is allowed to appear underneath it all. We have seen it come out several times in his most vulberable moments but it is beautiful to see that it actually still exists. Perhaps Uther is surprised about this as well.
When Uther was shouting at the guards that they can’t manhandle him, that it’s against the law or that Morgause has no right to the throne, I am always chuckling, thinking: Well, have you noticed that you are not in charge anymore? But on some level, Uther doesn’t see what he says as ridiculous or unreasonable. As king he IS the law, he decides what is reasonable and what is right or wrong. And he expects people to treat him as such as well, no matter how flawed or volatile a king he is. To Uther’s mind, once you’re king, you’re the first and final word and no one can certainly tell you that you are wrong about something because then you, the king, will simply say that it’s right.
It’s only when Morgana reveals herself as his daughter and puts on the crown and now becomes ‘the first and final word’ (i.e. queen) that Uther’s humanity is allowed to resurface.
I’m not sure that all this makes sense – hopefully you get what I meant to say. 🙂
26th November 2020 @ 4:23 pm
As to Season 3 in general: I totally get it that coming straight from The Sorcerer’s Shadow, and then going through the iconic scenes in The Coming of Arthur, one would get a reaction of “OMG Season 3 is the best!”. But upon a longer reflection, I think that, while having delightful highlights (The Eye of the Phoenix, Gwaine, The Sorcerer’s Shadow, The Coming of Arthur II), it also had much more “meh” episodes than Season 2. In Season 2 even the episodes which weren’t the best still had more highlights than the not-the-best episodes of Season 3. Both seasons had also their fair share of awfulness (trolls and goblins anyone?), but even the troll two-parter had some surprisingly good scenes while the goblin episode just didn’t. So all in all, I’d say that when Season 3 is good, it’s delightfully good – but when it comes to the enjoyment of the whole, Season 2 did it better for me. Of course, I’m not going to make a comparison to later seasons, there’s gonna be time for that in the future.
A short list of my favorites:
Favorite character: Gwaine!
Favorite episode: The Sorcerer’s Shadow
Favorite scenes: Arthur confused about Uther’s weakness in The Tears of UP (“he was CRYING, my father was CRYING”); the meeting of Gwaine; the shoving scene between Arthur and Merlin when Gwaine leaves for the first time; the “destinies are troublesome things” speech before Arthur is about to marry Elena; The Keeper of the Bridge scene(s); The Fisher King + Merlin scene; all the conversations between Merlin and Gilli, but especially Merlin showing Gilli his magic and his speech about pretending to be a fool; the Round Table and knighting as a whole; the conversation between Lancelot and Merlin; the Sword in the Stone scene.
Favorite funny bits: Merlin pretending to be a bird when Arthur has a date with Gwen. And then, obviously: WILL IT BE HOT? WILL IT BE COLD? WILL IT BE WET? WILL IT BE DRY? 😀
Favorite soundtrack: I think you know by now 😛 the Gilli’s magic – Round Table – knighting motive. It just tears me apart. But the silver medal would go to the subtle, yet very clever motive that plays in the scenes with the Keeper of the Bridge.
I don’t do my own List of Destiny, because I’m not good at ranking things 😉
26th November 2020 @ 4:04 pm
Yayy! Another point! I’m getting good at this 😀
I’m going to split my comment in two, because there are a couple of things I want to say about this episode before commenting on Season 3 in general.
– First of all, a shout out to the real hero of this episode: Gwaine’s pelvis. If Gwaine hadn’t answered “the nature’s call”, he wouldn’t have startled Merlin, the water wouldn’t have been spilled and the secret of saving the day wouldn’t have been revealed. Destiny works in mysterious ways. Also, all hail Gwaine.
– I actually really like the fact that there is no siege. Granted, it’s not always handled in the neatest of ways, but I love the element of coming back to a well known place which suddenly becomes totally unfamiliar. It reminds me of The Fires of Idirsholas, the difference being that the sudden unfamiliarity doesn’t come from an eerie spell this time, but from the sheer force of destruction. The scene with Elyan is perfect.
– I also love sir Leon in this episode and the characterization he’s getting! I like how he comes out as perfectly noble, so noble that it almost verges on ridiculousness – especially when he spits out the bread that might have come from Morgana. You get the clear message that he’s good at being a knight, but probably not a very good schemer. And the contrast with Gwen’s cleverness is nice.
– The Round Table + knighting scenes. I must confess, during my first watching I did have an instinctive reaction of “wait, but what about Merlin, where is his recognition” etc. I think that coming straight from The Sorcerer’s Shadow, where you see Merlin sad and forlorn at not being recognized, it’s an understandable reaction to get. BUT it changed totally for me upon a rewatch and now I LOVE it. As you said, it wouldn’t fit in the scene for Arthur to make Merlin his advisor there and then. And the fact that Arthur doesn’t need the confirmation of Merlin’s allegiance even less than he needs it from Gwen is just so beautiful. I don’t have anything else to comment about this scene apart from the soundtrack, of course: as I said last week, the motive that appeared for the first time when Gilli talked about his father comes back in the Round Table scene, but it has more time to develop and carries on to the knighting. We get the magical harp at the beginning, then a subtle, ethereal choir joins during the subsequent allegiance speeches (the symbol of their unity maybe?). When Arthur is knighting, the strings join and the choir becomes more triumphant. In this particular arrangement, I’d call this piece The Golden Era soundtrack. It has hope for the future, but at the same time, joy of something which is already happening here and now. It speaks to me on a level no other soundtrack in Merlin does. Can’t even describe it properly.
– A quick note on Percival: although he doesn’t get much characterization, I love the bits he gets. He is a bit of a walking cliche, but I think there are worse cliches to be had than a “gentle giant” who seems menacing, but then helps Gaius to a cup of water. It’s kinda refreshing.
– I like the reversal of roles between Morgana and Morgause – another throwback to the Fires of Idirsholas, when Morgause had dying Morgana in her hands. Now it’s the other way around.
– The dragon’s voiceover at the end is, I think, a throwback to the analogous voiceover from Season 1 when Merlin was throwing the sword into the lake. The scene is constructed very similarly: the same voiceover, the same musical theme, Merlin performing the same type of action. Truly iconic, even though we don’t really know what it means that the sword could do much evil in the wrong hands.
All in all, despite this episode’s flaws, I love it with all my heart. It really does feel like the series finale, doesn’t it? But at the same time, I always want more when I watch it 😀 Sorry for the comment being so long, but at least you have double the time to read it 😉
28th November 2020 @ 5:26 pm
I didn’t notice that with the role reversal between Morgana and Morgause! That is so fitting though- being another end of the season, and also it does match up with their character arcs- Morgana was always going to surpass Morgause at some point and it makes sense for this to be the point.
I also love Leon’s characterisation and him being a little ridiculous, and ‘gentle giant’ Percival. I also agree that Elyan was so good in this episode! His fear and trauma when Arthur find him are palpable and also when he calls to ask if Gwaine is alive the crack in his voice is so beautiful!
6th December 2020 @ 9:55 am
Sorry, I know you posted this comment ages ago but I am only now finding the time to read through everyone’s ideas and add my voice to the discussion.
I had a little thought about the voice-overs in Merlin in general: the one in Excalibur, telling Merlin to put the sword where no one can find it (except Matilda), the one at the end of the Fires of Idirsholas, telling Merlin how to release the dragon with one of the swords of the knights of Medhir, the Balinor voice-over at the end of 2.13 and now another dragon voice-over at the end of 3.13.
I think it was Mark Allen who commented sometime last season on how Gaius and the dragon are basically extensions of Merlin’s own character. He called it a trumvirate, I believe. And I think we can safely say that Balinor as both Merlin’s father and dragonlord predecessor can join their ranks too. So, perhaps these voice-overs do not in fact mean that Balinor/the dragon actually spoke to Merlin at that moment or that it is harking back to a scene we never got to see. Perhaps, because they are part of Merlin himself, he can simply hear them as voices within him, knowing them so well that he knows instinctually what they would tell him as they are part of his own character. I mean, don’t we all have different ‘voices’ of conscience? I guess what I mean is a more sophisticated version of the cruder good-angel-bad-angel idea.
That makes me wonder: when the dragon calls to Merlin, is that the same telepathic speech as the druids would use? Or is it the dragon-side of Merlin demanding a debrief session with Merlin’s prophet side? I think even considering this, it must be different from druidic telepathy. Otherwise anyone could hear it, right? Morgana certainly should hear it too, since she can hear Mordred talk in druid speech.
It also makes me wonder (because I can’t remember): have we ever had a Gaius voicer-over? Or is the show’s apparent need to finish almost every episode with a debrief of Merlin and Gaius over dinner somehow the more sensible substitude for a Gaius voice-over? Having bascially realised that Merlin has outgrown Gaius by the end of season 3 (and that Gaius should have died sometime along the way), I am interested to see whether we will get fewer Gaius-debrief scenes in season 4 and 5. I can’t remember.
6th December 2020 @ 2:38 pm
Don’t worry about the late reply, I’m always happy to engage in a discussion 😀
What you said about voiceovers is so interesting. Honestly, I have no idea how the dragon’s voice works – one thing we do know is that only Merlin seems to be able to hear it, so maybe it’s a part of him? On the other hand, when Mordred speaks telepathically to Morgana, Merlin doesn’t hear it despite being in the same room, does he? So maybe one can direct one’s thoughts only at a given person, and if the person has a gift, they would hear them? Just some random thoughts.
I don’t believe we ever hear Gaius’ voiceover. And I think it’s fitting. After all, there is always something semi-magical about voiceovers, and Gaius has given up magic. For him to express his thoughts during the “debriefing” scenes matches his character more (doesn’t mean it’s not irritating!).
I never knew Gaius’ and the dragon’s roles were actually commented upon in this way, but the theory about them being extensions of Merlin’s character makes so much sense! It can definitely be described by a “good angel / bad angel” dynamic, or, alternately, in more psychological terms. It reminds me of an analysis I found on LJ once (it’s only about season 1, but it definitely works throughout the show): https://solanyxe.livejournal.com/4344.html where the dragon is basically the Id, and Gaius is Superego 😀 (which works so much, as the dragon often expresses urges which aren’t necessarily moral, whereas Gaius says “you can’t do the thing” all the time, and imposes punishments). If we fit Balinor into this, maybe his voice is actually the closest to Merlin’s Ego? (SPOILERS) After all, when he comes back in season 5, he reminds Merlin who he truly is – not a useless person, not just a puppet of prophecy, but magic itself.
Maybe that’s also the reason why they decided to keep Gaius basically forever – to keep this dynamic. I don’t think it was a good idea – it was just simpler. Otherwise, they would have had to actually show that the battle between Merlin’s “angels” now takes place within himself. And with the dragon appearing less and less often, taking Gaius away would have been fitting. Merlin exhibits more and more “dragonish” traits himself, especially in season 5. It would have been nice if the superimposed code of behavior also came from within him. Maybe it would have prevented Merlin’s slow descent into paranoia. I hope I make at least a tiny amount of sense 😛
6th December 2020 @ 2:46 pm
Oops, only now realized that the article linked actually proposes Uther as the Superego. Well, Uther definitely represents an oppressive society, but Gaius’ voice works more as a part of Merlin himself, in my opinion.
6th December 2020 @ 4:41 pm
Oh Freud! (Which translated from German into English ironically means ‘oh joy’ – no, he does not bring me joy!) To think that this odd 19th-century doctor worms his way even into nice 21st-century TV shows. But it sadly makes an odd amount of sense.
SPOILERS!
Balinor being part of Merln’s ego as he reminds him that he is magic himself and not a puppet of destiny would work so well. Would…if the episode/ series ending didn’t bring home the exact opposite! 🙁 But maybe I’ve got it all wrong – I have never really understood Balinor’s speech in 5.12. And I am defintely not going to rewatch those episodes just to check. I’ve got my tissues and punchbag ready for winter 2021. I’ll rewatch it then but probably not before.
The idea of directional telepathic speech makes sense – until we get to 2.3 where Merlin seeks to return Morgana from the druid camp. He sits in the forest by the fire and suddenly is overwhelmed by all these voices in his head until he managed to hone in on Mordred’s. And in 2.11 (the Alvarr one), he uses the same trick to lead Arthur and his men to reclaim the crystal of Neathid (Neatidh?). So, if telephathic speech is directional, surely it would be most useful for the druids in their camp to use this. Otherwise they’d be swamped with other people’s voices all the time.
6th December 2020 @ 6:40 pm
Not a fan of Freud here either, though some of his concepts can be oddly… useful.
As to 5.12, I always interpreted Merlin’s encounter with Balinor as a kind of a “last chance” for Merlin to reconnect with who he really is etc., only, it comes so late that it allows Merlin to save the day at Camlann, but not to undo all the past bad decisions. Oh, the tragedy… ^^
Yes, you’re right with the voices, I forgot about it. Oh, well, I guess it’s just another inconsistency then. Or, alternately, there are people who can guard their thoughts better when they want to and can’t be eavesdropped upon, and then there are people who are “loud”, maybe not fully trained yet, or on the contrary, trained, but not suspecting that someone can overhear them and therefore not putting their guard up (like Mordred in the camp). Idk, just headcannoning here.
6th December 2020 @ 9:17 pm
Do you ever wonder if we think about all this stuff way more than anyone ever had time to do on Merlin? 😀 I think that’s probable. I don’t know if a job like that exists on a film set, but if I were to shoot a TV series, I’d hire an inconsistency checker!
As to Freud – it’s an interesting view of child development, certainly, and I find it most useful as a system of analysing character. But I think, as with any system, that’s all it is after all. Not the truth and not able to reveal all layers or complexities of a character or personal history…or TV show. 🙂
7th December 2020 @ 2:40 pm
they totally do exist, but sadly it’s all just about whether someone’s wearing the wrong tie, or whether their hair was parted the other way, when they did the last scene that is followed by this one… not on the script. which is really what a good editor is for!! or alternatively, a show runner that rules with full oversight and an iron fist, and isn’t afraid to send scripts back for reworking, if they need it… but all of that comes down to individual people’s ability, and so much more than that, time and money. WOE.
M Xx
7th December 2020 @ 6:12 pm
Oh okay… I didn’t know about that person. The ‘hair parted the right way’ person. I think that’d be such a cool job to have.
What’s a script supervisor then? I thought that might be the ‘check overarching plotline for coherence’ person.
But I think it’s true: the showrunners’ talent, money in the project, successful planning and timing will decide everything in the end. And knowing that some scripts came in quite last minute, I bet there was never enough time for any coherence and consistency checks. I think it’s pretty clear that the whole production of Merlin was always extremely rushed and everyone overworked. A shame! I wonder if that’d be different if it were shot today.
7th December 2020 @ 6:25 pm
I could be wrong but I believe a Script Supervisor is the (newer) correct term for a continuity person. and possibly also merged some roles, giving more responsibility? Because I certainly am aware of individual continuity people from for example the hair and make up department who run around set taking polaroids (which partially is continuity though sometimes is also because they have to report back to a head honcho in actual department, who wasn’t going to leave their heated office to come out onto set, to look at things themselves lol) and they are very much just in charge of their individual part of a shoot, whereas a script supervisor is basically in charge of overseeing the entire script’s shooting and keeping in mind that whatever the director shoots needs to eventually be able to be edited into a continuous movie. so like, uber important! I believe they are also the people who before shooting go through a script and allocate number of days needed to film each scene.
Basically, their job sounds insane!!!!