oh my god, they were roommates

18+ | she/her A look back at BBC Merlin through a queer lens All original posts tagged #rainbow thoughts

[rainbowofcamelot]

It always appears that Merlin looks after Arthur’s domestic tasks and is in a sort of caretaker role, but I think we overlook how much Arthur has to teach Merlin as well. From the beginning of Valiant, we see Arthur teaching Merlin about dueling and swordplay, i.e. the standards of masculinity in Camelot. If a man, even a servant, possesses enough of this knowledge, then he is respectable and passably conforms to the gender norms of society. Merlin’s misery during these lessons is played for laughs, and even when treated seriously later in the episode, it’s still a bit of a simple dichotomy between intellectual men and brawny men. While that’s somewhat true, it also gets deeper into magic vs. no magic (read: queer vs. passing as not queer).

Despite hiding his magic for safety, Merlin wears his heart on his sleeve and appears to struggle with dishonesty. This makes it frustrating for him to pick up a lot of new knowledge about armor and the physical demands of being a sparring partner when he doesn’t have an interest in the activity beyond what Arthur requires of him as a servant. When Merlin complains about this to Gaius, he sagely replies, “we all have our duties, even Arthur.” For the first time, Merlin questions whether Arthur is also taking part in the tournament out of a sense of duty or because he truly enjoys fighting. While there is often jealousy of those who conform to their assigned gender roles more easily, many of those who appear to fill those roles are just as miserable but are burying that sense of obligation under the rewards they get: in Arthur’s case, his social status as the prince. This episode shows us Arthur is really just as compelled as Merlin by society to perform masculinity and despite making fun of him for his lack of knowledge is actually displaying his kindness by training him in swordplay.

[rainbowofcamelot]

Ok last post on The Dragon’s Call. Magic is so central to Merlin’s identity that it’s obviously difficult for him to repress it. He wonders why he was born a monster, and Gaius exercises humility in saying he doesn’t truly know and there may be others with more knowledge. This furthers my perception of Gaius as a queer elder, who knows quite a lot about the history of magic decades ago yet is still himself learning as he finds Merlin’s powers to be quite strong and unseen before. Our vocabulary and understanding of our own identities is constantly evolving to describe the nuances of queerness, and it is easy to see why Merlin questions himself and if there is a deeper meaning for why his magic is there. This is reframed by Kilgharrah calling Merlin’s magic A GIFT and celebrating his abilities.

And finally, Gaius relenting at the end and giving Merlin a book of magic to study showing how he is willing to accept and help Merlin discover his identity and the extent of his abilities. Merlin is thrilled and promises to dutifully “study every word.” I found this very touching as young queer people very often don’t learn the extent of our history in school and will turn to any scrap of information to help in our understanding of ourselves and each other.

[rainbowofcamelot]

Another great moment in the first episode is Merlin asking Gaius if he ever studied magic, and he responds, “Uther banned all such work twenty years ago.” Rather than saying yes or no, this implies he did study magic but has since rejected those curiosities to live under Uther’s rules. I find this interesting because we see this in real life all the time as many folks who live in conservative communities concede visibly queer parts of themselves in exchange for safety.

[rainbowofcamelot]

It’s so interesting to me that there’s no room for nuance in Camelot of whether magic can be used for good. When Gaius says, “the practice of any form of enchantments will get you killed,” it really shows how deeply ingrained the death penalty as an immediate answer for use of magic is. The consequence is inevitable much the same way there is no room for divergence or fluidity of sexuality or gender in a society that enforces those strict roles.

While most of this episode is about Merlin testing the boundaries of his new home, this same narrative manifests in Morgana right away. As she readies herself for the feast that night, she says to Gwen, “just because I’m the King’s ward doesn’t mean I have to accompany him [Arthur] to the feast, does it?” She’s testing the boundaries of gender roles and expectations just as Merlin is figuring out when magic is acceptable and can be used without getting caught and punished!

That brings us to the blatant innuendo that we all know and love: “I could take you apart with one blow.”/“I could take you apart with less than that.” Despite his very obvious privileges that allow him to harass others with no consequence, Arthur also has social expectations, namely that he will be king one day. As such, the means of reconciling his sexuality with those expectations of leadership comes across as hypermasculinity, bullying, and of course, teasing Merlin about his knee walking abilities.

[rainbowofcamelot]

The opening of The Dragon’s Call on an execution immediately made me think “the crime of magic” is a fantasy genre analogue to a real-world crime. I, like much of the present day audience of BBC Merlin, was quite young when I first watched the series, so it’s only now that I’m looking back with more knowledge that I believe “magic” shouldn’t be taken at face-value within the context of the story.

For starters, casting Richard Wilson as the mentor role of Gaius. This is a man who has long been a gay rights activist and has himself come out later in life. While he wasn’t out yet at the time the series was on the air, this feels even more significant looking back on the story, and I can’t help but think of him as an elder that Merlin (and by extension, Hunith as a supportive mother) looks up to and trusts. There’s a lot of language that mirrors 2000s political discussions of gay rights like Gaius’s amazement upon meeting Merlin that he was “born this way” and can’t help that he has magic.

One of the most interesting exchanges in this episode is between Uther and Morgana where she protests celebrating the execution of the boy who practiced magic. She asserts that she views magic as relatively harmless and is fiercely opposed by Uther, who argues it’s simply because she is young and does not know of the time “20 years ago”. While this is narratively convenient because it’s approximately how old Arthur is and relates to his mother’s death, it also mirrors generational attitudes of the time this was released. This show began airing in 2008, and for an adult with authority to tell a daughter-figure that she has “no idea what it was like”, it really echoes the sentiments of the HIV/AIDs crisis that anyone who engaged in homosexual acts was not only an enemy but practically deserved an ill fate.

Morgana pushing back against this is just what really hammers the nail in the coffin for me, especially recalling some of her character arc in future episodes.