VID: Handlebars [Merlin]

[such_heights]

Handlebars
edited by such_heights
fandom: Merlin
music: Flobots
spoilers: Season one only.
summary: "What would that solve? That would make me a murderer. That would make me as bad as him."
download: @mediafire [43MB .mp4]
stream: below
notes: Many thanks to sunnyrea and kel_reiley for audiencing, and avendya for the beta and general support. If you're having trouble playing the file, I recommend VLC.



"If you had, you know, the choice, what would you do? If you had the power over life and death over Uther? Would you kill him for what he did?"

"No."

"No?"

"What would that solve? That would make me a murderer. That would make me as bad as him."

-- Gwen & Merlin, To Kill The King

Indeed, Gwen. Indeed.

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Comments

[swatkat]

I'm another viewer who associates this song with one POV, mostly thanks to the Dr. Who vid and also my own conjectures about various characters who fit the song perfectly. So I came in expecting a vid about Merlin alone, and was initially a bit surprised by the POV shifts. But THEN it began to make sense, and wow, what a wonderful job you've done with it! I love the darker twist it puts to Arthur's character, who often gets away uncriticised. I loved the parallel Merlin-Gwen and Arthur-Morgana scenes, and the image of Merlin snatching his hands away from Morgana's grip. I'm not certain if I read the end as Morgana simply walking away (because she can see the future), or a more sinister Morgana walking on a similar path (because of the dying echoes of the chorus). Hmm. Either way, fabulous job. I loved this.

[such_heights]

Thanks so much! I'd hope the vid would go in unexpected directions for people who are fans of flummery's work, because that's basically an impossible act to follow.

I also LOVE your reading of the end as possibly ambiguous, that's brilliant. Morgana's overall arc remains so murky still, doesn't it? Will she go dark side or won't she?

[swatkat]

I also LOVE your reading of the end as possibly ambiguous, that's brilliant. Morgana's overall arc remains so murky still, doesn't it? Will she go dark side or won't she?

I hope it will be something along the lines of 'Morgana stands up for what she thinks is right and therefore can no longer see eye to eye with Camelot', but who knows? But I do love the idea of Morgana doing morally questionable things in the context of this vid, especially because of the place where you juxtapose Merlin snatching his hands away from Morgana's with Merlin and Nimueh, and it kind of works as foreshadowing.