I find the dimness endearing, since they are (in that sense) such believable teens.* Even though they manifestly aren't teens for the most part, or are within a whisker of not being teens anymore.
What I find harder to take is the way in which the combats against CGI monsters are so badly edited and full of fail. Especially Arthur and his Oh-So-Specially-Trained Knights of Camelot facing off against the griffin in "Lancelot". Basically it consisted of Arthur poking a spear randomly in the direction of the CGI griffin who was nowhere within range, while the other knights stood back and... well, I am still not sure what they were doing. Not anything useful, to be sure.
Ah, well, I grew up on DOCTOR WHO, I can handle terrible special effects. :)
* Which is certainly not to say that all teens are dim, but that the emotional cluelessness of the MERLIN characters is of a kind appropriate to their age and inexperience, rather than to the kind of basic raw stupidity that can affect you at any age.
Except for Uther. He really IS dim and has no excuse. But he is played by Anthony Stewart Head, which helps to make it a little less tooth-grittingly frustrating.
I have a low tolerance for CGI monsters even when they're GOOD.
Except for Uther. He really IS dim and has no excuse. But he is played by Anthony Stewart Head, which helps to make it a little less tooth-grittingly frustrating
I think he does the Prime Minister on Little Britain, which is my favorite Little Britain sketch. Every time he comes on I want this guy to be Prime Minister. He doesn't even have a name.
no subject
Date: 2008-11-24 02:12 pm (UTC)What I find harder to take is the way in which the combats against CGI monsters are so badly edited and full of fail. Especially Arthur and his Oh-So-Specially-Trained Knights of Camelot facing off against the griffin in "Lancelot". Basically it consisted of Arthur poking a spear randomly in the direction of the CGI griffin who was nowhere within range, while the other knights stood back and... well, I am still not sure what they were doing. Not anything useful, to be sure.
Ah, well, I grew up on DOCTOR WHO, I can handle terrible special effects. :)
* Which is certainly not to say that all teens are dim, but that the emotional cluelessness of the MERLIN characters is of a kind appropriate to their age and inexperience, rather than to the kind of basic raw stupidity that can affect you at any age.
Except for Uther. He really IS dim and has no excuse. But he is played by Anthony Stewart Head, which helps to make it a little less tooth-grittingly frustrating.
no subject
Date: 2008-11-24 02:54 pm (UTC)Except for Uther. He really IS dim and has no excuse. But he is played by Anthony Stewart Head, which helps to make it a little less tooth-grittingly frustrating
I think he does the Prime Minister on Little Britain, which is my favorite Little Britain sketch. Every time he comes on I want this guy to be Prime Minister. He doesn't even have a name.