She Giggled: Meta-textual Shit About That Time Merlin Flirted With an Underage Girl
So anyways, y’all know that scene? The one people really hate where Merlin flirts with Claire? When I first saw that scene, it made me really uncomfortable, and I had a hard time pinning down why. So I was thinking about that instead of sleeping and now I’m writing this instead of sleeping.
Disclaimer: This isn’t Merlin hate discourse or some shit. I know there’s been discourse about the hate train and this whole rant/analysis has nothing to do with it. I do my best to stay out of fandom discourse and I ain’t gonna ruin my streak because of a crusty old animated dude. If you’re looking for hate, it ain’t here. If you’re looking for analysis on a particular scene in the context of Trollhunters being a fictional text created by real people, then welcome friend. I also know this is an art blog, but I have other hobbies too dammit.
Anywho here’s my humble opinion/analysis on the scene and why it failed: (roughly 1300 word rant/analysis under the cut)
Objectively, it’s gross: an old man flirting with an underaged girl, referring to her as a “lovely creature”, touching her in a non-platonic way etc. these are behaviors that, in real life, shouldn’t be acceptable. These are behaviors that I can say from personal experience are not pleasant to be on the receiving end of. These are also behaviors that women experience regularly and are often told that they have to put up with. Stay with me I’m going more in depth.
So why is the scene within the show unbearable? I’d say because of the in-text reaction to it. (Now I don’t have Netflix this month so I’m going from memory and can’t pull up screenshots bear with me) The response that draws the most attention is Claire’s giggle. She giggles in response. She appears shy at first, Merlin walks up to her and gently lifts her chin, and her response is positive.
Now, one could assume that she was laughing out of nervousness. I could relate to that. The times when I was underage and being hit on by significantly older men, my first reaction was to giggle or chuckle politely, do nothing to upset them, and then extricate myself from the situation however I could. However that’s irl and my being uncomfortable existed with or without any external observation. Trollhunters is a fictional text whose job is to communicate everything it wants to to the viewer. Anything it does not communicate does not tangentially exist. That means that if the creative team indeed intended to have Claire’s giggle be one of discomfort, it would be their job to communicate it to the viewer via cinematography, her body language, dialogue, or an extra scene where she discloses her feelings on Merlin’s actions, that she did feel uncomfortable. All it would take would be a nervous side glance and a brief close-up shot of her face or something of the like. However, the scene only displays her reaction as a surface level giggle, which portrays a positive reaction.
The other reactions in the scene are Jim, Toby, Aaarrrgghh, and Blinky’s. The issue here is that they don’t react. None of the characters bat their eyes at this. Now there’s that screenshot that I’ve seen going around where Blinky is looking at Merlin with indignation while the wizard is ugh caressing her chin. The point being made, partially in jest, is that Blinky’s angry about it just like the viewer. But that screenshot is actually slightly out of context. During that part, Blinky was reacting to something Merlin had said that was entirely unrelated to the inappropriate behavior. Someone could say that maybe the Trolls don’t know about such human customs and that’s why they didn’t bat an eye, and Toby and Jim are uncomfortable but don’t feel like they’re able to speak up or some manner of such. But, again, nothing in the text shows or says this. Again, all it would take would be a shot of a nervous glance. If you assume that one of the characters did indeed feel discomfort, then feel free to assume it, idc. But at that point it’s a headcanon. And headcanons, while they can make canon more fun, are by no means a way of dismissing canon of the roles it failed to fulfill, or absolving it of issues with its content.
Okay, but maybe someone would say that you don’t need characters to tell the viewer what’s right or wrong. Obviously, the scene was meant to show Merlin as the unsavory sort and somehow also comment on society’s intentional obliviousness to the lighter forms of sexual harassment. To which I would respond by saying that if that were the case, then the creative team would have to communicate that message if not by the characters, then by the cinematography. For instance, a change in shot composition, lighting, camera movement, or by the sound design or the background music. To which that scene has none of that. It is something that happens and then is immediately forgotten about, no significance whatsoever is added to the part where Merlin flirts with an underage girl in the context of the episode or overall show.
If the creative team intended to comment on Merlin’s specific actions of flirting with Claire, then they failed, and it did not make it into the finished product.
People might also say that it’s fine because Merlin, a fictional character created by a group of people, is from the middle ages, and during that time Claire would have been considered an adult. This is an argument I have multiple problems with that I will not get into, but first of all, the show does not communicate this. If they really wanted to address the social changes Merlin has to adapt to, the creative team would have had Toby and Jim onscreen explain to Merlin that 18 is now the age of adulthood, slavery is no longer okay, and equal rights are a thing. Also on a storytelling level, they would need a way to juxtapose Merlin’s way of thinking with another character’s or by cinematography to show that the characters who grew up in modern times don’t think underage flirting is okay like he does. Which I’ve already established did not happen.
So at the end of the day, what does Trollhunters have to say about Merlin, an old man, flirting with an underage girl and, urk, gently lifting her chin like a goddamned creep if in its text all it has is non-reactions, no commentary, and a single positive reaction? Well, perhaps not an endorsement of, but most certainly an unintentional normalization of such an action.
And you know what, who cares? Right? Its just a random kids show. Why did I write all this down? Well, partially because I’m a film buff who over-analyzes fictional texts on my free time. But also because this is just a minor example of how fiction reflects even the less than savory aspects of our society. The creative team of Trollhunters probably didn’t see an issue with Merlin flirting with an underage girl, or if they did, it wasn’t a large enough one that is was removed from the finished product. And also, because this is a very good example of the greater issues of the show. Specifically why Merlin breeds so much hate: because the text of the show does not do enough to comment on his moral ambiguity (he is framed as a morally gray good guy who “looks at the bigger picture”, but not all of his eh, less than savory actions are addressed and it leaves viewer feeling as though some of those behaviors are then seen as normal which can leave a really icky feeling [see the Philadelphia Story to get more of those nasty feelings]). Also the fact that while the show is not overtly sexist, it is most definitely filtered through a, eh hum, slightly uninformed male gaze. Only uninformed males (and maybe some females with internalized sexism) would assume that an underage girl would have a positive reaction to an old man calling her a “lovely creature” and gently lifting her chin and leaning over her so the old man is effectively looming over her and ugh why did it have to be like that. (If people are interested I’ll do an analysis on Trollhunters and gender ‘cause boy do I have things to say about gender and sexual dimorphism in this show)
PS to anyone who says that the creators are just waiting to address these issues in Wizards, no film maker worth their salt would intentionally do that, what the heck? who wants to deliberately make a children’s show and add an underage flirting scene and then just leave it unaddressed for years like jesus mcfeezus I would worry about more than their capabilities as a showrunner
In Del Toro’s own words, “I think in many ways, the Charlie Hunnam character in Pacific Rim is a little bit like Jim. He’s not a complicated guy. He’s good-hearted. They don’t need to be complicated by post-modern winking or ironic satiric logic. They are really earnest and heartfelt.” So, Jim is very much a what you see is what you get character—he just wants to protect those he cares about, do the right thing, and not dies in the process. Hopefully.
That is why I believe the moment Jim decides to use Angor Rot’s ring against him is one of the most important moments for the series (it is the catalyst that sets the season finale in motion), and it is most certainly one of the most important moments for Jim’s character development.
Am I going to explain myself? Of course, I am.
Fandom, meet Jim Lake:
This precious, dorky, noodle child. He is a cinnamon roll who is completely inept at combat WHEN SUDDENLY he’s the Troll Hunter; a job that comes with very much combat and near-death experiences. Friends, Jimbo did not sign up for any of this crap.
Not This:
Or This:
This was not how he thought his sophomore year was going to go:
That’s a big, fat NOPE:
He handles it a whole lot better than I would, honestly. There would be tears if it were me. And screaming. I think Jim has deferred that task to Blinky and Toby, though. In fact, that is the #1 rule of being the Troll Hunter--fear. Thus, it is meant to be the underlying motivation of the job. As Jim gains confidence in his abilities, he does a better job of harnessing his fear into focus and action. BUT, when Jim is unprepared, or caught unaware, the fear swells and he is prone to impulsiveness and desperation. This is very human of Jim, who is not a seasoned Troll Hunter, but a very inexperienced and vulnerable kid.
This bring us to the ring.
Up until that moment, Jim is confident and secure in his plan—not only recovering the ring, but righting some past wrongs (like losing the second triumvirate stone). Things are going so well, he takes a few extra seconds to be petty and spit in Stricker’s mouth (you know, for funsies). He becomes complacent. He is not expecting time to run out right as he’s staring a frozen Angor Rot in the face. But alas, poor Jim, Murphy’s Law is a thing. He’s separated from his allies, trapped in the sewers with this dangerous and unpredictable troll, and Angor Rot is ready to charge him, leaving him no time for his Magical Girl Transformation sequence presumably. What is Jim to do?
Well, he has two options: give Angor Rot the ring with no guarantee of his own safety should he do this, or use the ring to control Angor Rot and the terrifying element of uncertainty, thus ensuring his safe escape.
Jim chooses the morally gray decision to use the ring. He doesn’t know Angor Rot’s backstory and he certainly doesn’t know what Angor is planning to do to him. The only way, in Jim’s mind, to get out of his current predicament unscathed is to make sure Angor does not have the capacity to hurt him. Jim was afraid, and in his fear, he makes a decision that is otherwise uncharacteristic of him (he couldn’t even kill Gnome Chompsky, the troll equivalent of a rat, and he couldn’t finish Draal during their rematch, though Draal had no reservations about killing him). When a protagonist is typically good, righteous, pure of heart (that old cliché), some of the most compelling character development they can have is when their morals are tested and the falter in that righteousness. He has plenty of reason to let his distrust of Angor Rot get the better of him. Their last two encounters ended up with Jim incapacitated in some way—Angor’s light beam trap or whatever, and the pixie-induced hallucination-nightmare.
It was so, so important to show Jim could be tempted to make a rather dark decision, because it show the depth of his weaknesses and what he must overcome to control them. I believe this sets the stage for his decision to venture into the DarkLands alone. It’s not a very good decision, but Jim is trying to protect those he cares about and maintain control—of his fear and of himself—by taking the initiative. Jim answers the call of the Troll Hunter, but his fighting has been a lot of luck and reactivity. In the season finale, we see Jim seeking to take the first strike, and this is significant. Jim is also seeking greater reliance on himself by going alone; all part of mastering fear.
I can’t pretend to know where the series is going, but I think Jim—the first human to be Troll Hunter, whose methods are already unorthodox to troll kind—is going to surpass the set rules and establish his own. He is becoming his own Troll Hunter, and one who is a young man, mastering fear and finding a new base motivation.
