It's rather like the Smallville problem. Where in order for Clark to hide his secret from Lex, after a certain point, Clark becomes a selfish jerk and does irreperable damage to Lex and their friendship by keeping the secret.
Pretty much the same dynamic here--the most charitable way I can read it is not that Merlin would think Arthur would hand him over to his father, but he doesn't want to put Arthur in the position of keeping such a secret from his father. But Arthur would want that burden. He'd see it as his right. And especially in "Sins of the Father," as you see him deciding that magic is evil, like his father, Merlin is withholding the only compelling piece of counterevidence. If Arthur does continue the war on magic and some day finds out about Merlin, he'd never forgive him for letting Arthur go down that path.
I'm also kind of appalled by Morgana. Okay, she hates Uther, and she sympathizes with magical rebels. But in both the episodes where she runs away, she gets a lot of people on both sides killed with her actions. And she doesn't seem to be thinking about what fighting Uther will do to anyone else in Camelot (like, say, Gwen). Nor does she really seem to be wanting to overthrow Uther so Arthur can be king. I mean, it makes sense as a characterization, but I do want to smack her. And I want to smack Merlin, as the only one who could confront her about her blind selfishness, for not doing so. Not even a word about the people she got killed by warning the rebels of the king's attack. Or telling her that she was the cause of the magical disease that would kill everyone. Just--argh?
And seriously, wtf with freeing the dragon? That one, I don't even.
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branchandroot
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Date: 2010-05-03 04:26 pm (UTC)Pretty much the same dynamic here--the most charitable way I can read it is not that Merlin would think Arthur would hand him over to his father, but he doesn't want to put Arthur in the position of keeping such a secret from his father. But Arthur would want that burden. He'd see it as his right. And especially in "Sins of the Father," as you see him deciding that magic is evil, like his father, Merlin is withholding the only compelling piece of counterevidence. If Arthur does continue the war on magic and some day finds out about Merlin, he'd never forgive him for letting Arthur go down that path.
I'm also kind of appalled by Morgana. Okay, she hates Uther, and she sympathizes with magical rebels. But in both the episodes where she runs away, she gets a lot of people on both sides killed with her actions. And she doesn't seem to be thinking about what fighting Uther will do to anyone else in Camelot (like, say, Gwen). Nor does she really seem to be wanting to overthrow Uther so Arthur can be king. I mean, it makes sense as a characterization, but I do want to smack her. And I want to smack Merlin, as the only one who could confront her about her blind selfishness, for not doing so. Not even a word about the people she got killed by warning the rebels of the king's attack. Or telling her that she was the cause of the magical disease that would kill everyone. Just--argh?
And seriously, wtf with freeing the dragon? That one, I don't even.