If you want something really, really bad...

Having completed my rewatch of Merlin, I find it now completely impossible to say how many kingdoms there are. And are they friends or foes of Camelot?
Also, could they please get names instead of simply being named after who rules them. I mean, it's all "Cenred's kingdom" - btw, who rules THAT now? Hunith? The town council of Ealdor? - "Carlyon's kingdom" etc. Meanwhile, Camelot is Camelot and everyone adresses it as such. I have never heard it be called "Uther's kingdom" or now "Arthur's kingdom".

In Season 1 we met King Bayard who was referenced in the Troll episode as a friend so I guess that's one kingdom accounted for.

In the jousting episode, there was a King Odin who put a prize on Arthur's head for killing his son. Btw, ( minor spoiler for last episode )

In the episode with the love spell in Season 2, we had a meeting with "the five kingdoms". Which would suggest, phrased like that, it IS only five. But neither Cenred nor Carlyon/Annis were invited. What were they and their kingdoms then, chopped liver?

We met Olaf, with the now enchanted daughter. We met that other king who said he was attracted to Arthur!. In this Season we met ( spoilers  )

Guess the "five kingdoms" are actually fifteen or so. I still wish they would get names. At least before Arthur reunites the whole lot of them and becomes King of all Britains. I assume show more or less will keep that part of the legend?

Also, where are the tournament episodes? I kinda miss them. Maybe they were an Uther thing and Arthur secretely hated them? Can't say I blame him, in three out of four, someone tried to assassinate him.

Courtesy to frogspace, I just watched the newest Merlin preview and I believe something totally unprecedensed is happening here.

I mean, there are lots of shows that feed the slashers in its first Season to cultivate a little fanbase and grab the free online pimping for the show that comes with it. And then, by Season 2, the writers act like "ZOMG, people think our characters are GAY for each other, stop the presses" and then said characters will
1) stop having so much (or any) scenes together,
2) at least one part (if not both) will get a love story with a girl that will be foisted on viewers in unorganic (and often inconsistent) ways, meaning it's on/off according to plot
3) they stop acting like friends even and at least one (if not both) will act completely jerktastic to the other for no real reason
4) just to add insult to injury they will throw the occasional bone to the fans of the slash pairing, making the guys act nice or caring to each other in a grand sweeping dramatic gesture/episode that sticks out even more like a sore thumb because of number 3)

And that's usually how it goes for the remainder of those shows - hello Smallville - but I've honestly never seen a show do what Merlin seems to do this Season. It's like they not only turned that carriage back around again but it's basically trampling over the poor, downtrodden slash fans on its way back. In a good way, you know. :D

It's like doing the anti-number 1-4 and go all in. In Season 1, it was still just goofy and innocent with a lot of subtext, this Season, it's all grabby hands and physicality, it's not even text anymore, it's ACTS. At the rate it's going, I can only assume the Season will culminate in actual Arthur/Merlin sex. Happening onscreen. In highdef and surround sound. While the slash dragon watches. *g*

Merlin 2.12 ( Where apparently my old meta-days have not completely left me )

I didn`t want to write anything more on this topic but what the heck I`m under serious medication. :)

So, full disclosure: I`m a woman. I like being a woman. It gives me advantages and disadvantages. However, how I approach both life and fictional situations is never: how does it affect me as a woman? How I approach things is always:
How does that make me feel as a person?

Because being a person defines me way before being a woman, a redhead, a lefty, a geek etc. And in that question I also look at the gender of the people involved second and their personalities first. Do they put me off? If so to what degree? Do they have kinks I can "live" with or not? I know I have my kinks and so do my friends and it`s basically the same there.

Context always matters. Especially in fictional universes. If fictional universes establish situation X, I`ll go by situation X if I value certain situations. Now I realize not everybody will go that way but I do.

Therefore, did I see an amped up fratboy humour in Season 3? Yes. Did I read misogyny in the show? No. In any of the characters? No.
It doesn`t fit my criteria for such and I will not apologize for that. I can explain as to why I feel this way but I won`t defend my right to feel this way. Because I don`t have to. That which doth offend you, doth not offend me. Simple as that.

Doesn`t make me silly, a hater, a shamer, an apologist, a bad woman or anything else. It means I have a different outlook in life. And unlike bodies in physics more than one opinion can be right and in one place at the same time.

Which is really all I have to say on the subject.

I have a slight question - and some meta, especially on gender issues - about something in ( SPN 3.03 )

Totally random observation about the latest episode which seques into a mini-meta about Dean and his women.

You know I thought so back in Season 1 but intensive rewatching of a certain scene in "What should and what should never be" confirmed it for me. ( Of Blonde Madonnas and freaky casting )

The latest episode seemed to have picked up on a point where I seem to part ways with the show, namely the brother`s attitude to the Supernatural. ( Hate and Relate )

So OC got cancelled? Never watched it so it doesn`t really matter to me but well, ratings for shows tend to go UP afte cancellation has been announced. Last thing we need is even tougher competition. And the show will run through right into February sweeps. Meh. And then anything new in its place has the first draw of being new. Le sigh.

Cocerning Hunted there is a little discussion going on right now at TwoP how Sam will react to the secret...and the lies and of course my brain immediately flashed to a scene where a pink-clad Sam stormed into the barn and confronted Dean about all the "secreths and lieths" - passive-agressively of course. Eek. When fandoms collide. *g*

Personally I would hope that "Hunted" makes a clear statement about the Myth-arc one way or the other. Yup, I do have issues with the arc where others might not but I feel - and not even Lost has this problem - that the arc is totally not in-step with the show. Yes I will long-windedly babblemeta about it behind the cut, it`s my way. :)

( When Arcs and Shows collide )

Haven`t stretched my meta muscles in a while, so mini-meta incoming. :) It`s just I`ve been reading so much of "Dean is just like his Dad" over the last few days and it always baffles me.

( Fire and Water or Fathers and Sons )

Usually I`m pretty good in (for)seeing where a storyline will go on any given show - with SPN right now I have some doubts and fears as well as some hopes - but I have an idea for the basic structure of Season 2. Will not contain spoilers for specific episodes but more general theories. Especially in comparism to Season 1. ( The anatomy of Season 2 )