Morganna: The Ice Princess

Despite the fact that Gaius described Merlin as 'a riddle wrapped up in a mystery' last episode, I think that title might more accurately apply to Morganna.

In my opinion, Morganna is the most interesting of all the characters in the show (not my favorite, just the most interesting). And the funny thing is, I can't put my finger on why. I explained why Arthur (the second most interesting character) fascinated me so much in my last post, however, I have a much harder time describing what is so interesting about Morganna.

In an attempt to explain this, let me side track for a moment.

I think that the writers and casting managers did an excellent job casting all four of the leads. Merlin and Gwen are very much examples of their class. I love them dearly, but I can't say that I'm really intrigued by either one of them. I think I understand them pretty well. I like them in a way that makes me want to be best friends, and give them big hugs. With Arthur and Morganna, I don't think this way at all. They seem, well, much less personable. And yet they aren't. Their humanity is slightly hidden and skewed by their bearing and manners, which are significantly more formal and aloof than their servant counterparts, but it is there none the less.

Even between Arthur and Morganna there is a difference. So much so, that she has earned herself the nickname of 'Ice Princess' from me and my friend. And perhaps it is in this that the issue stands. At first, maybe even second and third, glances, Morganna seems cold. Not necessarily in a bad way, but as different from Gwen as the moon is from the sun. And yet, as in the last episode, she shows bursts of tremendous feeling.

Is it this what causes the uncertainties of her character? Do we unconsciously fear a person who can seem so cold and emotionless one moment, and yet feel so passionately the next?

I also think that Katie McGrath was excellently cast for this part. She looks the part, with her long black hair and snow white skin, and yet can convey a great deal of emotion without saying a word.

One last note on something that I was discussing with a friend. Of all of the characters in Merlin, Morganna is the one I feel the least certain about. I feel like I know her the least, even though she has had plenty of screen time. And, perhaps due to the usual interpretation of the character Morgan Le Fay, I'm not quite sure how far I trust her. There is (again) something about her I just can't put my finger on that makes me wonder if she'll always be on the 'good side'.

Even in the last episode where she helped Merlin, and saved the little boy's life, there were a few elements that keep me unsure of where her character will go. Why was she so strongly attached to Mordred, when the dragon made clear that he was evil? Obviously Morganna couldn't have known this, but even Gwen remarked how odd it was for Morganna to feel this strongly about something.

The character of Morganna is a walking enigma. A riddle wrapped in a mystery. A character full of nuances that could be taken (realistically) in any direction the writers choose. And perhaps that is what is so fascinating about her.

We have no idea what she is going to do next.

Prince Arthur: Just the Future King

Almost everyone has heard of King Arthur Pendragon. The once and future king. Ruler of the knights of the Round Table and friend of Merlin the enchanter.

And as such, I think that the BBC took a great risk in portraying Prince Arthur the way they did.

When Arthur made his first appearance on screen, I must say that I was surprised not to like him. I had gone into the show expecting to like him, and yet his first scene left a very bad taste in my mouth. This Arthur was far from noble, kingly, and gracious. This Arthur was a selfish bully, who thought that he was the greatest thing since sliced bread.

His second scene improved him a little in my estimation, but mostly because of Merlin's uproariously funny lines. He and Merlin definitely play well off of each other, and the first step towards me liking Arthur was Merlin becoming his servant... and the look that passes between them after that. LOL!

The second episode was a giant leap in the right direction. In this episode we were shown the other side of Arthur. The side that is frightened of failing. Of disappointing his father. Of being anything other than a confident unbeatable Prince. Sure, they didn't say that in as many words, but the lesson of duty is very clear. Merlin complains about it at the beginning of the episode, and by the end we have been shown that although Arthur has more privilege than Merlin, he also bears his share of duty. A duty which requires him to never lose.

Along with a greater understanding of Arthur's life (and the reason he behaves so pridefully?) comes a greater sympathy for him. The show also goes out of its way to show us flashes of the justice and nobility which are characteristic of Arthur's legends.

He frees Lancelot. He saves Merlin's life by fetching the poison antidote. He helps save Gwen from being wrongly executed for sorcery. And I believe that he has truly come to like Merlin as a friend. Whenever Merlin has done something idiotic, Arthur has at least tried to take the fall for it. Or at least help Merlin get out of trouble. Two examples...

1. When Merlin tries to take responsibility for magically healing Gwen's father.
2. When Merlin claims that Arthur's cup is poisoned.

And that's only two! But he has several times taken Merlin's word for something that could have gotten him in serious trouble.

The other dynamic that I like about the way this character is written, is that the change doesn't come from nowhere. There has been a gradual building up of trust and friendship between Merlin and Arthur, which explains why Arthur would risk his life for Merlin. Along with Morganna's influence, of course. I don't think he would have had the strength to disobey his father if she hadn't encouraged him.

Both she and Merlin have had a positive influence on him, and in Lancelot's case, he was able to do the right thing without any encouragement from either of them.

I, personally, am very excited to see how the writing team continues to develop this character. They have given him just the right balance of flaws and virtues to make him interesting, and give him room to soar. Plus they have surrounded him with people who are equip (yet have issues of their own) to help him in his journey towards being the King Arthur we all know from legends.

I think that there may be more than two sides to this particular coin...

I'm Back!

You may be wondering why I haven't been posting lately. Honestly, I'm trying to forget that the season 3 finale ever existed, and I don't think that writing about it is going to help.

So, my favorite show has gone and broken my heart, so what do I do? Can you say Rebound?

In this case, my rebound is named Merlin. Which is just now airing for the first time here in the US. Perfect timing!

I know that many people didn't (and don't) like the way this Merlin was created, but it's exactally what I need right now. It reminds me a lot of what Robin Hood was like at the beginning. It's light-hearted, yet suspenseful. It is exciting without being too violent or having any 'content' issues. And the characters are interesting and likable. See, I'm not picky!

In some respects, I think Merlin is better made than Robin Hood, too. The knights actually have real chain mail, and it was filmed on location in France. The entire castle is real, and it's beautiful! However, then there is the CGI, which is quite laughable at times.

The characters, as I said before, are really great. Except for Uther, who is supposed to be nasty. The nice thing about these characters is that they are likeable without being perfect. I think I'll go into all of this in a whole post, but Arthur is a great example. He really is a snotty brat, but somehow I still like him.

Now that I'm back, I should put out some more articles. Merlin, you have brought me back!

Thank you!

Episode 11: The Enemy of My Enemy

Ok, this is the first episode in a while that I've actually felt excited to write about. Don't even get me started on last weeks. I'm trying to forget it happened...

Robin and Guy are riding through the forest towards the camp. Already their truce is becoming strained. A few 'your father this' and 'your mother that' comments, and they're back to rolling around on the forest floor trying to kill each other. Allan witnesses the skirmish and runs to get the rest of the gang.

They run to help Robin, only to have Robin stop Kate from killing Guy. After having a slightly more honest discussion of Marian's death between punches, Robin's willing to resume their 'alliance'. Guy comes back to the camp with them, and Robin explains what he and Guy have learned about their family situations.

Guy and Robin head off to York, while the rest of the gang stays behind to keep an eye on Isabella.

Meanwhile in York, Archer does not seem to be terribly in need of rescuing after all. Despite the fact that he's in the dungeon, he's got the unhappy wife of the Sheriff of York wrapped around his finger. He has already persuaded her to talk to her husband when he gets back to get him pardoned.

Robin and Guy ride as quickly as they can towards York, only stopping to rob a toll house on the road. Unfortunately for them, the toll master is in the pay of Isabella, who is desperately looking for revenge on her brother and Robin Hood. As soon as she hears they are going to York, she sends and emissary up ahead to inform the Sheriff of York that two dangerous criminals, Guy of Gisbourne and Robin Hood, are headed his way.

In the forest, the outlaws are not taking Guy and Robin's teaming up lightly. Little John is so distraught that he drops his stick and storms off. A little while later when he has not come back, Allan goes to look for him. From a view in the trees, Allan sees Little John get captured by Isabella on her way to York. She sends two of her men back to the castle with Little John bound behind. Allan helps him to escape and then they quickly go to inform the others that Robin and Guy are in danger, and they have to be sure that Isabella doesn't reach York.

Robin and Guy have now reached York, and are trying to formulate a plan. They have quite a bit of trouble making one, seeing as neither one truly trusts the other, but in the end, Guy gets captured by York's guard and taken to the dungeons for brawling in a tavern (Robin's plan). There he finds Archer and they wait for Robin to turn up and rescue them.

However, things get a bit more complicated when Archer shows that his loyalty to his new brother's rates about 0, and York decides to disregard the Sheriff of Nottingham's request that Guy and Robin be returned to her alive...

The Good:

Jonas Armstrong and Richard Armitage were in rare form this episode. It was very fresh and fun watching them try to work together. Unfortunately, it's not that simple. But this is the good section, so I won't go into that. The tavern scene was really good, where they argued about who's plan to go with. And Robin's grin when he manages to get Guy captured is priceless! This is the Robin I know and love!

Guy was really good too, this ep. He got some really funny lines which were nice to see. He hasn't really been a humorous character up till now, and RA does a great job delivering lines. Also, the genuine fear when Guy was in the dungeons or about to be executed was very well played. He looked completely terrified!

I'm still undecided about Archer. If they would have played down his affair with Mrs. Sheriff of York, I might have liked him better. He was very good in his scenes with Robin and Guy, managing to be both a shameless rogue, and someone who does care about fellow human beings, both at the same time. I also think he was very well cast. Clive Standen looks very much like a cross between Robin and Guy.

Izzy was good this week, but I've come to expect that from her. She's utterly unpredictable, but I really like Lara Pulver as an actress. Plus her costumes are scrumptious!

Now, the best for last... Allan and Little John! Allan finally got some screen time. I was bouncing and clapping during their whole exchange. The only thing which could have made that scene better would have been for Much to be there. All that is left of the original gang. *sigh* However, it was really good the way it was. I liked the fact that it was Allan who was concerned about Little John. Tuck is too busy with his high and mighty ideals, and Kate is only good for holding sword while they're sharpened. And Much has never been one to be a leader. Allan is the one who is stepping up and caring about the individuals in the gang.

The Bad:

Ok, seriously. When did this show start having so much kissing? I know season two had some, but probably about 1 or 2 per episode. I think you could count the number of kisses in season 1 on one hand. I think there were that many in this episode alone, let alone all of season 3! As I said before, I could have done without the Archer/ Mrs. York scenes. They were seriously bad, and I did not like the actress they either. Kate's scenes with Robin were just as bad. Where did the 'Just come home safe!' thing come from? Where's the feisty-ness in that? There is absolutely no chemistry in their scenes at all, and I find myself not believing it at all. Which is bad because then I start thinking about Marian, which makes all of it worse. *sigh again*

If you actually think about the character of Gisbourne, none of this episode actually makes sense. However, thankfully, RA is a good enough actor not to make it stand out too much while you're watching the ep. In fact, watching this and seeing how well RA and JA act together, I think that the whole, Guy/Robin team up thing should have been done a lot sooner. Maybe they could have planned for it a little, and not made him such a despicable character in season 1. RA obviously enjoys doing the wry humor angle of his character. It's just a matter of being too little, a lot too late.

Kate and Tuck still continue to be useless members of the gang family.

The Ugly:

Continuity and Kate. Ugh. The two plagues of this season!

In Summary:

Well, only two more weeks of this. Then I'm free! I heard many people describe it this way, but the rest of this show feels very much like a train wreck. I just can't look away! The first (and most painful) casualty(s) come just next week. I think I'm almost going to be relieved when it's over. Then I can pretend that everything after season 2 episode 12 ever happened.

~Paige

Episode 9: The Dangerous Deal

Things are looking brighter in Nottingham as Sheriff Isabella takes command of the city. Despite refusing to make a deal with Robin Hood, she plans to be the best Sheriff ever. Her first act as such, is to pardon a girl brought before her for judgement. A girl named Meg, who has refused to accept any of the men her father has wished to marry her to. Isabella sympathizes with her at once, and not only frees her, but makes signs of friendship towards her.

Robin and the gang watch all of this with grudging approval, but are quite concerned when a man interupts the proceedings claiming to be their new Sheriff by virtue of being Isabella's husband. Isabella is instantly terrified, as Squire Thornton forces her inside to have a 'little chat'.

Meg follows them, and is able to save Isabella some discomfort by telling Thornton that she knows where some hidden gold is. As a reward, he throws her in the dungeon, to await punishment should she be telling a lie.

Meg happens to wind up in a cell next to none other than Sir Guy of Gisbourne himself, set to be executed the next day. While Isabella and Thornton leave to search for the treasure, Meg and Guy have some very deep 'heart to heart' conversations through the bars of their respective cells.

Meanwhile, Robin stays back at the castle to watch what will happen after Thornton comes, and Kate stays with him. They see Thornton and Isabella leave the castle, and across a couple of scenes Kate reveals her feelings for Robin. Feelings which he apparently doesn't share, or is too considerate of Much to confess.

After Isabella and Thornton find the treasure, the gang sets up a plan to steal it away. However, Much gets distracted and all sorts of things go wrong. The treasure escapes, and in order to get it back, the gang may have to make another dangerous deal with Isabella...

The Good:

The highlight of this episode, possibly of the season, was the storyline with Guy and Meg. Which is really surprising considering the fact that I'm a lightsider. I've never been a huge Guy fan. As a matter of fact, the last time I felt something akin to 'liking' for Guy, was Treasure of a Nation. Two episodes before he killed Marian. As a result, I'm loath to trust him (or the writers) again. But I can't help it! While Robin is off galavanting (and yes, I do mean galavanting) in the woods with every girl he meets, Guy is tortured and guilt stricken by the memory of Marian. And all of this is brought to a head when he meets Meg, and is stuck near her for about a day.

Meg is the perfect example of a strong, female character that is not annoying or whiny (see:Kate). Despite the odd feminist propaganda they had going this week, Meg was a really interesting character, and the relationship she had with Guy was AMAZING! Those two actors blew me away in all of their scenes. The way they both slowly came around to each other, and how Meg really helped Guy to face himself and deal with his problems was soooooo great. Guy got to talk about Marian, and about how he had destroyed the only good thing in his life, and Meg got to see that not all men are terrible.

I hated the fact that Meg died at the end. I realize the literary signifigance of it, but it still hurt. Guy finally got to mourn for Marian through Meg. He mourned them both. The two women who saw better things in him. One of them he destoryed, and the other brought him back from that, only to die protecting him. He (figuratively speaking) held them both in his arms as Meg died, and brought his struggle with Marian's death to a close as he finally cried for her. He still may deal with it more later, but now that he has accepted responsibility he can truly move towards redemtion.

On to a different subject, anyone who didn't think that Isabella was a very mentally disturbed woman has now been convinced. And I don't blame her! Squire Thornton is by far the most disturbing character this show has had. There is nothing funny about him. I'm actually surprised they had got away with having a character like that on a 'kids' show. He was legitimately abusive and down right scary. Lara Pulver did an excellent job this week playing the slightly insane side of Izzy, and seeing her husband, we are able to see one of the major reasons she acts the way she does. I really felt sorry for her this episode.

Much was absolutely adorable this episode, and I felt so sorry for him! When he left the camp I almost cheered! It's about time that Much just showed them. He's the most abused character in the whole show. Why can't we have some be nice to him?

The Bad:

Allan continues to be completely ignored. It is so sad! He's such an interesting character and he's been completely wasted this season. I'd better stop now, or else I'll just get into a rant about how I'd rather have Allan than Tuck or Kate.

Robin jumped in between being tolerable and down right obnoxious this episode. Apparently this particular writer put all of his creativity creating interesting storys for Gizzy and Izzy, and forgot to pay attention to continuity in Robin's character. At one point he trys to set up Much and Kate cause he knows about Much's feelings, then later he just decides to kiss her. And don't even get me started on his inconsistencies with Izzy. At this point, I don't think the writers know where they are going with Robin, and it really shows. So instead of turning on Robin, as many lightsiders have lately, I'm just going to blame it on the writers and maintain that the real Robin wouldn't have acted in any of those ways.

The Vikings buried treasure was slightly odd, but considering the dramatically good reactions to some character developments, and dramatically reactions to other character developments the actual plot of this episode is rather inconsiquensial.

Squire Thornton was really really creepy. Which gets him a place in both the good and bad sections.

The Ugly:

Ok, Kate is really lucky that I don't live in the 1190's. Because if I did, she would be dead. Kate ruined every part of this episode that she was in. She was obnoxiously jealous of Robin, rude and inconsiderate to Much, self-righteous and know-it-all-y (a word I made up especially for Kate) and then at the end, Robin has the nerve to call her compassionate and brave. Seriously? When?

Kate is the most annoying character this show has ever had, and I really wish that she didn't hog so much screen time. She's just daft! After Robin tells her that a relationship is impossible because Much likes her, she has the nerve to ask Much to tell Robin their only friends. Of course Much agrees, because he's just the sweetest character in the show! Much was slighted by both Robin and Kate so many times this episode, that it was terrible to watch. Why doesn't anyone appriciate him? They don't even use this as an opportunity to develop a relationship with Allan and Much. they just push Much aside.

Now for the Kate/Robin thing that some people are calling a 'romance'. I am so unconvinced about this that it's laughable. Robin has never shown any interest in Kate beyond a little sister type interest. Now all of a sudden, he's kissing her? Despite the fact that this is wrong on so many levels, I just don't think anyone, least of all Jonas Armstrong, is buying it. His scenes with Kate are so bland that I find it hard to believe anyone sees romance in this. Jonas puts much more into his scenes with Izzy or almost anyone other than Kate. Overall, I think that many of the actors are worn out with playing characters that change as quickly and the weather. Much still manages, Allan hasn't has anything to do, and Robin is just tired. I find myself looking forward to his death, because watching this character 'develop' is just painful.

In Summary:

This episode was filled with contrasts. There were parts that I loved, and there were parts that I hated. Unfortunately, my favorite characters had the parts that I hated. They had to go and give the good development to characters that I'm used to disliking.

I'm really looking forward to next weeks episode because it's not going to be a regular episode. Hopefully, we'll be Kate free! The story takes a dramatic turn tomorrow, and I'm looking forward to seeing where it goes.

~Paige

Episode 8: The King is Dead, Long Live the King

Sorry to be so late again. This week has been insanely busy.

Somewhere in London, a craftsman slaves away over some mysterious object. A man enters behind him, and expresses congratulations on a job well done. Before stabbing him in the back. The plan which is being carried out can have no witnesses.

Later, in Sherwood forest, the gang is alerted to a royal coach driving towards Nottingham, with King Richard's insignia on it. They follow it, and are shocked when Lord Sheridan, keeper of King Richard's crown, declares to all of Nottingham that King Richard is dead.

Loudest of all in lamenting is Prince John, who throws himself down on the coffin in desperate weeping. However, his weeping is short lived, for someone, of course, must be crowned as a new king, and Lord Sheridan has convieniently brought the royal crown with him. The Archbishop is reluctant to believe that King Richard is dead, and perform the coronation, but when he sees the body with his own eyes, he has no choice.

Robin Hood cannot believe that King Richard is dead. He refuses to believe it, until he has seen the body for himself, so late that night, the gang sneaks into the crypt of Kirkless Abbey, and opens the casket. It is Kate who realizes what Robin doesn't, at first glance. The body is made out of wax.

Just then, they hear Prince John riding into the courtyard, and have no choice but to hide in a pair of coffins. As they wait in silence, Prince John comes and takes out his frustration with the real king on the wax model, pounding it's face in. Then he orders some guards to burn it, and leave no evidence. By the time people realize there is no body, he will already be king.

Robin and the gang are too late to stop the wax model from being ruined, but Robin gets another idea. To prevent Prince John from becoming king, all he has to do is steal the crown...

The Good:

The 'waxwork of the king' thing was very clever, and Prince John gave another amazing performance. I really wish he was a regular, because Toby Stevens just lights up every scene he's in. I'd even give up Kate if he stayed!

The Archbishop was very good, as well as Lord Sheridan who reminded me a little of the Sheriff of Nottingham.

The Izzy/Gizzy situation took a very interesting turn this week, as Guy was on the run, and most definately out of PJ's favor. Isabella, on the other hand, is alternately in and out of PJ's good side, because of various situations. At first Guy comes and threatens to kill her (marvelously acted scene). He holds a sword to her throat, but just can't seem to bring himself to do it. Then they agree to a tenuous alliance, where Izzy will speak to PJ about pardoning her brother. Her only condition is an apology. Of course, if Guy were to apologize he would be admitting something he did wrong. And he can't to that, so she poisons him instead, and ties him up to show Prince John.

All of this was very well acted by Lara Pulver and Richard Armitage. Despite the fact that Izzy seems to be switching sides every five minutes, Lara does a great job of making this credible.

As cheesy as the motion sensative ropes in the dungeon were, I have to admit, they were kinda cool. Watching Robin crawl carfully through them on the way to the crown and then just bust through all of them on the way out was comical.

The final scene in the church, with Guy, Robin, and Prince John in a stand off, was pretty cool. Gizzy having to choose between shooting Izzy or PJ before Robin shot him was interesting, and Izzy diving in front of PJ to save his life was well thought of. Earned her the Sheriff spot, it did.

The Bad:

Allan and Much had more to say this week, but if they're going to turn Much into pure comic relief, and Allan into a brainless idiot, I'd rather they just stopped talking. Kate continues to be annoying, and holds the show record for getting into trouble. Has there been a single episode where she wasn't captured, wounded, or otherwise troublesome? I truly can't remember one. If the writers are trying to get us to like Kate, by having her stand up and tell Much and Allan to stop protecting her, it's not working. Why should they stop protecting her when it's obvious she can't take care of herself?

Oh, and by the way, Much's only crime was aceeding to Lord Sheridan's demands becasue he had a knife at Kate's throat. Just like he would have done if it had been Robin, or Tuck, or Allan, or LJ. Kate acts like it was something special for her, and yet, it's no more than would be expected from a member of Robin's gang. They don't let bad guys kill their friends. Now, of course, Robin, Tuck, Allan, and Little John wouldn't have let themselves get in that position anyway.

With the Allan rescue, I felt that him blowing the scam thing, was way way way out of character. This is Allan we're talking about! If he talked in his sleep he would lie then. Sure, he has become more honest lately, but that's no reason to think that he's become some niave idiot. When he 'saved' Kate, he could have easily called her his sister, or something like that, without blurting out 'you ruined the plan!' Oh, really, there's a plan? However, her chewing him out for it, was not exactally what I had in mind, since she was the one in trouble. I maintain that Allan rescued her because of a brotherly affection for her, not out of jealousy. That makes him right, and Kate wrong, and all is right in the world.

The whole, 'we'll blind them with our shiny shields so that they think we're King Richard thing was lame. Couldn't they come up with anything better? So cheesy. However, I think I need to remember what show it is that I'm watching.

The Ugly:

Allan and Much fighting about Kate! Seriously? I wanted to gag. And then Kate tells them to cut it out. *strangled cry of rage*

Kate is really useless for anything other than being a liablity and love interest. She has to be the most bland annoying character this show has ever had. I feel quite sorry for that actress.

In Summary:
This episode was ok, but didn't hold up to analysis. I enjoyed it more than average, but it was nothing great.

Next week we get Isabella as the Sheriff of Nottingham, and meet her husband, Squire Thornton. Oh, and it looks like she tries to kill her brother. That should be interesting.

~Paige

Allan and Kate: The Next Will and Djaq? or The Day I Became a Cynic

Let me start off my post with a story, which may, at first, seem to have nothing to do with the title. I'm going to talk about one of my favorite couples from seasons 1&2, Will and Djaq.

What made me like them so much, you ask? There really wasn't ever much to it. Their entire love story was done behind the action, so that only those who were really watching would pick up on it's development. A lot of the credit for making small things count has to go to Harry Lloyd and Anjali Jay, two fantastic actors; able to infuse so much energy into small movements or glances that it actually became a credible romance.

It was one of the few subtle things the writers did in the first two seasons, and it's possible that they just plain forgot about it. And if that's the case, I wish they'd forget about more things, because their love story was sweet, genuine, and beautiful. By the end of season two, I had been a follower of their story for quite some time, and adored every small second of it.

That was my position when I started to see screen shots from episode 12, the first half of the season finale. And one of the pictures showed Will and Djaq kissing. To say the least, I was very excited, and yet at the same time, nervous. I was excited that my precious couple was finally going to get some screen time publicly declare their love, but I was nervous too. I was nervous because this couple was special to me, and I didn't want their story ruined. Something about what I was hearing just didn't seem right.

I comforted myself, reminding myself of what an amazing job the writers had done keeping Will and Djaq in character throughout the story. Surely this would be no different? I tried to think through a way for what I was seeing in the screen shots to come about in a way that didn't compromise the characters, but I wasn't having any luck. 'Well, duh!' I told myself. 'These writers get paid to do this. Obviously they can think of better ideas than me.

Alas, I was wrong, and that was the day that I stopped believing in the writers of this show. I trusted them, and they let me down. That, compounded by the fact that two weeks later Marian was murdered.

The writers took my special couple, even more special than Robin and Marian because they got less screen time, and destroyed them. It was like letting a baby play with a beautiful glass Christmas ornament, and watching it be shattered to a million pieces. Goodbye characterization!

Now, don't get me wrong, I would still rather have the 'barn scene' than nothing at all. Harry and Anjali did the absolute best they could with the lines they were given, and I still enjoy watching it, but I can't help but think of what that scene could have been, had it been more true to the characters. (What happens between them after 'the scene' is a different story. Every time I watch them in the Holy Land I want to throw up, but I won't get into that here.)

My point in bringing this up is in the light of Allan and Kate. A couple which has gained quite a following in quite a short time. (More due, I think, to Joe Armstrong being amazing, than Kate. He only has lines when he's talking to or about her so Allan fans are desperate.) And I'll admit, I'm not as opposed to this couple as I was at the beginning of the season. Could this be, as some have suggested, because Kate has less lines and thus, has less opportunities to annoy me? It could be. However, I do see the attraction.

The problem is, it's almost episode 8. Last I checked, there are only 13 episodes in a UK season (who's idea was that, anyway?). Then there is the small issue with the fact that all this couple has going is one good scene of dialog and a few more scenes of Allan being worried. That's it?

Well, you might be saying, you just went to all the trouble of telling us that Will and Djaq didn't exactly hog the screen, and yet their love story was sweet. But here's the thing. Will was a quiet young carpenter, not to mention the youngest member of the gang, who probably suffered from homesickness occasionally. He liked Djaq, but I think was slightly in awe of her. Djaq was very smart, and witty, not to mention the first girl he had ever had feelings for (probably). He was shy!

Djaq was also on the quieter side. She was one of the gang, but she was never one to waste words. So being the two quietest members of the gang (except Little John, but he doesn't count) it makes some amount of sense for their relationship to be quiet, shy, and very much in the background.

That doesn't hold true for Allan or Kate. Allan has never been someone to hide what he thinks, or be quiet about anything. If he thinks something, he says it. Also, from what we've seen of Allan on this show, he's not one to be 'in awe' of anyone. He's not shy around girls, he's a flirt. It would be completely unlike Allan to have a quiet, shy affection for someone. If he liked Kate, he'd tell her, and everyone else for that matter. The only possible exception was Djaq. Allan did like her, and yet was not overly obvious about it. I believe part of this was because he knew of Will's feelings, and didn't want to get in the way, but I also think his relationship with Djaq was special in a way. He really respected her as a person, and as a member of the gang, not just some girl.

Kate, from what we've seen this season, is very apt to speak her mind. Too apt, in fact. At this point she seems to be pretty smitten with Robin, so paying attention to Allan isn't exactly high on her priority list. Oh, and as far as gaining Allan's respect goes, how has she done that again? She's done nothing (alright, not quite nothing. But close.) to really help the gang. She is constantly getting captured, and she runs like a robot. Yes, I know, I'm missing a few things, but Kate's faults are too numerous for the rest of this post to hold.

So here we are, with six episodes left, we still have to get over the whole Robin/Kate lump, and there is supposed to be a credible couple in Allan and Kate? Sorry, but not this season. Unless the writers are geniuses. Which we all know they aren't. Much and Eve had a great relationship going with just one episode, but these are new writers who are even more incompetent than those ones.

I resent the fact that the writers couldn't just make up their mind as far as who to put her with (assuming they had to put her with somebody at all). All of the wishy-washying has wasted valuable screen time which could have been used to give Allan and Much a personality outside of Kate.

So do I like Allan and Kate as a couple? Not really. I'd rather just give Allan the time to develop his own character, rather than a love interest. There were some very interesting threads of his character that were left hanging last season, and thanks to Kate (ok, I mean the writers. I'd better put blame where blame is due.) we haven't gotten to explore that at all.

I'll always think fondly of the scene they had together in the butcher shop. They had potential then. Unfortunately, after that, the storyline has been dropped.

Kate and Allan can't be the next Will and Djaq. They can't have the sweet 'first love' type of relationship that Will and Djaq had. The dynamic just isn't there. If the writers try to force things, we'll just get more contrived love confessions (though I'm sure Joe Armstrong would be brilliant) and more ruined characters.

~Paige