Vidlet: Backseat (Merlin, episodic)

[such_heights]

Backseat
fandom: Merlin
characters: Gwen, Morgana, Merlin, Arthur
music: Carina Round - Backseat
length: 2:00
summary: We were born into the wrong time. Episodic for 3x01/3x02, no further spoilers.
notes: Thanks to avendya for her usual beta magic, and to wanderlight for the song, which I cut ruthlessly.

download 17MB .avi @mediafire | subtitle file



stream with subtitles

stream without subtitles

lyrics:

It should be forever
God told me
We're born into the wrong time
(Whatever you're doing, I'm there with you)
(God bless you)
(Whatever I'm doing, you're here with me)
(God bless you)

Comments

[netgirl_y2k]

One of these days I will come up with something more articulate to say about your vids than: this is gorgeous.

But, you know, it is gorgeous.

[such_heights]

Thanks so much!

[gorgeousnerd]

See, this is how the show should've covered it. But I'm not too upset they didn't, since you did an amazing job.

[such_heights]

Thank you! I still hold out some small hope that they might address their own messes sometime.

[gorgeousnerd]

Me too. The mere existence of Gwen means my hope'll probably never disappear.

[aoftheis]

Oh, Amy, Amy, AMY.

I am sobbing. That's not even an exaggeration -- it's not just a few tears, I am sobbing all over my desk, Kleenex was required. I love what you did with the song, and I am never going to be able to listen to it again without thinking of this.

I don't even know what to say. The editing here is just perfect. I have to admit: I haven't even watched 3.02 yet, I'm afraid to, because 3.01 broke my heart so badly already. I feel like the show that took me to my warm, happy place is completely gone -- the relationships I loved so much are being fractured -- and I knew it was inevitable but it still hurts. And this captured all of that so, so perfectly. So thank you for this, love. ♥ ♥ ♥

[aoftheis]

... So yeah, cried even harder the second time I watched it. I am going to drum up the courage to watch 3.02 sometime tomorrow, and then report back again with proper Observations. *nods*

[such_heights]

<33333

Wow, Rita, I am both delighted and feel kind of bad that this had such an effect on you! Thank you, so much.

[jeeps]

oh. :( absolutely lovely.

[such_heights]

Thank you! I share your :(, sigh.

[fiercynn]

ohhh, okay, I think I need to save this as incentive for me to do some of the hundreds of VERY PRODUCTIVE things I need to do today? Downloading, back with thoughts after I have BEEN PRODUCTIVE. Or something.

[fiercynn]

AUGH. This gorgeous and heartbreaking and OH, KIDS. I miss my happy OT4 so much, but if tragic OT4 can always be like this, well. ♥

[such_heights]

MAH POOR BROKEN OT4. :((( Thank you so much!

[metonomia]

dakjeioheti this is perfection, omg. The way the vid builds with the music, these poor amazing kids! I love this so so much.

[such_heights]

Thank you, I'm so glad you enjoyed it!

[giandujakiss]

That was really gorgeous - I love the way you build with the music.

BTW, the streaming doesn't work, at least for me - vidders.net has a thing where they have to approve videos now, and it looks like yours hasn't been approved yet, so I can't see it. You may want to try Viddler or Blip instead.

[such_heights]

Thank you! The song was a joy to work with.

Huh, well, I've changed it over to blip now but still can't figure out embedding - I'll have to mess around some more, I guess. Thanks for letting me know!

[ella_bane]

Lovely, lovely, lovely. <3 You are an excellent vid maker. Thank you!

[ella_bane]

So, I watched it again, and I'm sad all over again that Merlin never told her. Gaius was so, so wrong. *cries*

[ella_bane]

And again I'm responding because I couldn't stop thinking about it. I left you a rec (http://ella-bane.livejournal.com/97327.html) on my lj. Forgive my comment clutter, please!

[such_heights]

Thank you very much! I am so thrilled you enjoyed it, and I absolutely share your frustration with Gaius, yes.

[merisunshine36]

Seeing this pop up made my day. Your editing skills are spot on, and this was a wonderful song choice for the beginning of S3!

[such_heights]

Thank you so much!

[swatkat]

God, this is beautiful and heartbreaking.

[such_heights]

Thank you! *is heartbroken also*

[amelia-petkova.livejournal.com]

First time commenting here, though I've been watching your vids for a bit already. This one is just...waah! So much of that tragedy being just because people refused to talk to each other.

[such_heights]

Thanks so much for the comment! And yes, gah, it's a very frustrating tragedy to watch play out.

[melusinahp]

Your vids always break me to pieces and then make me spend hours thinking.

Really wonderful.

[such_heights]

Thanks so much, that's a really great compliment!

[ender24]

this was so very beautiful!

[such_heights]

Thanks very much!

[emeraldsword]

beautifully done.

[such_heights]

Thanks so much!

[briar_pipe]

I'm actually not allowed to tell you how awesome it is that you made this vid right now, but in about 2 weeks I'll let you know. YOU'LL HEAR ME SQUEE FROM THE RAFTERS, OKAY?

[such_heights]

Hahaha, noted, thank you!

[sol_se]

This is absolutely gorgeous!!

[such_heights]

:D Thanks so much!

[vahinkoelain]

I'm a sniffling mess. Your videos really make me feel, and somehow they often resonate with my personal thoughts in a way that's, how to say, beyond this or that particular fandom.

I sort of interpreted this vid in two ways. First: You show clips of Merlin and Arthur together when the singer goes "It should be forever", and after that, of Morgana and Morgause when the lyrics repeat. I ship both of those pairings, and it seems like the show does not have a happy ending in store for either of them.

There's this absolutely heartbreaking knowledge that things could have gone differently for them. They could have been happy, somewhere else, in some other time. All these people could have been so much happier. Even if Gwen gets her fairytale ending with Arthur in canon, there will still have been needless sorrow in her life. I feel very sorry for them all.

The thought that somewhere, we could have have been happy, is also something that haunts me personally.

My second interpretation, and the way it makes a bit more sense - because you probably intended it that way - is to view it as a re-telling of episodes 1 & 2. Viewed this way, it becomes Morgana's story. I love how much you show her expressions. It caught my attention, that at 0:23, Morgana's face shows for a bit before Arthur sits down, somehow making me think of a causal effect (without Morgana, Arthur wouldn't have to be making these big decisions). I'm not sure if it's intentional though, because it shows for such a short time. But all the others clips together give me the feeling that this is about Morgana, what her actions have caused and what were the causes behind her actions and how she is affecting everyone.

(And now I'll give a slightly melancholic cheer for the fact that at least S3 has given her some agency!)

The part from 01:15 to 01:30 is very poignant. It is what probably everybody feels on the subject of Merlin's actions toward Morgana and self-fulfilling prophecies, put into amazingly beautiful audiovisual form. It expresses the things I could have written a 1000+ words rant about, and does it elegantly and succintly. You deserve a trophy for that.

PS. I could probably write a whole essay on the things that your vid made me think of, and that's a compliment! And, err, it seems like I already wrote over 400 words. But since I've actually put off commenting on one of your older vids because the comment just kept on growing and growing, I think it'll be nicer to you if I restrain myself to these little medium-sized at least not huge observations.

[such_heights]

Goodness, thank you so much for this generous feedback! I am completely thrilled the vid had such an effect on you.

There's this absolutely heartbreaking knowledge that things could have gone differently for them.

That was my central feeling while I was making this vid - I only discovered the song recently and found the words really haunting when applied to these characters.

And yes, Morgana is a key component of this vid - I wanted to try and look below the evil smirks and show what I think is really going on there, whether the writers agree with me or not. The whole thing is so sad, really.

Thanks so much, again! Elongated feedback is such a fabulous compliment.

[tearful-eye.livejournal.com]

ow, my heart. *sniffles*
this is too gorgeous <3

[(Anonymous)]

ah this is so good! You do the show better than the show.

[kirinin]

You do a much better job than the show of making Morgana's departure from the canon team seem a tragedy rather than an inevitability.

The cuts with Morgana pulling Merlin into the alcove? Wow.

-K

[such_heights]

Thank you so much! I'm really thrilled this redeemed Morgana's arc a little for you.

[legoline]

Oh, this was beautiful. The way more and more voices joined in and how thus the song became more powerful, and that effect even emphasized by the chosen scenes...gave me chills.

[such_heights]

Thanks so much, that's great to hear!