Camelot (2011) - Episode 1.8

"Igraine"

It's been a few weeks since I last graced Common Sense Movie Reviews with another "gripping" episode review of Camelot.  Yes, that was indeed dripping with sarcasm.  Seriously though Camelot's average, to below average start has finally taken a toll on me as I struggle to drum up much enthusiasm to not only watch the show but spend another hour reviewing it!  But with three episodes left and the complete impracticability of Starz bothering to bring this back for another season (though stranger things have happened) I'll finish what I've started, but make it brief.

With Morgan having gained the ability to take the form of Igraine (Arthur's biological mother, and her step mother) she kidnaps her and takes her place as the Camelot entourage begin their journey home following the feast and "false" attack on Castle Pendragon in the prior episode.  With Morgan's insider information on Arthur and Guinevere's affair she sets out to crumble Arthur's reign by turning his men against him, starting by informing Leontes of the little fling on the beach the day of their wedding.  Along the way Igraine (Morgan) is also able to break through Merlin's emotional wall and temporarily exploit him.
 

The only thing worse than a mediocre episode of Camelot is an episode that's also "Greenless".  The only excellent constant in the series is the performance of Eva Green, who simply stands out as a veteran among everyone else in the series.  With no Eva and an episode devoted entirely to a character whose seen maybe a combined ten minutes of screen time the entire season it's almost as if the series has given up hope of even trying.  Claire Forlani (Igraine) does a decent job in her first real starring role in the series playing both the captured Queen and Morgan in disguise.  But to devote an entire episode to a up-till-now minor character seems a bit lofty, especially when the only other supporting character in the story is Merlin, who has proved to be a major disappointment.  Like all the other episodes Igraine has it's moments but with no Eva Green and the lead of the episode going to Merlin and Igraine it's probably my second least favorite of the series, second to the horribly corny Merlin episode Lady of the Lake.

6/10

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Camelot (2011) - Episode 1.7

"The Long Night"

Last week I mentioned I'd like to see the series revert back to a singular episodic storyline instead of the continuous trend of triple parted adventures that continuously divert the three main characters from interacting, and never seems to succeed much in progressing whatever the plot of the series is.  Well my wish was granted with The Long Night, bringing all the characters together and finally beginning to put Morgan's plan of attack into action.  Hey, it only took over half the season to get here!

Morgan (Eva Green) has invited her half brother Arthur and his entire Camelot entourage out to castle Pendragon for a feast to celebrate their blessed alliance.  But in all actuality Morgan has invited them all to find out their weaknesses, find out what makes them tick and use it to exploit her way to the throne.  She has an elaborate scheme setup which involves a fake sneak attack on the castle, a scouting party sent out and one of her men even returns wounded from an attack by a non-existent army.  Arthur's clan buys into Morgan's game and begins to play into her every move.  She secretly watches them as they interact with one another in what they believe to be their last few hours before a possible slaughter.  It's her goal to use the information she gains to cause the group to turn on one another as she plans to take the place of Arthur's biological mother (her step-mother), Queen Igraine, whose image she has recently acquired the power to morph into.

Keeping this review short, because overall The Long Night is no better or worse than most of the prior episodes, I was glad to finally see some progress made on what appears to be the main storyline of Season 1 which is Morgan's attempted conquest of Camelot.  As always Eva Green stands out in the crowd while the performances of everyone else simply seem to blend together.  This wasn't a memorable episode, but then again the series hasn't been memorable to much degree either.  But if your a fan of Eva Green each episode continues to provide a weekly amount of viable entertainment and a reason to keep watching because of her alone.

7/10

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Camelot (2011) - Episode 1.6

"Three Journeys"

If you're still watching Camelot by now you're either a enthusiastic fan, have accepted the show for what it is (or isn't), or in my case stuck around because of the appeal of a certain actor or actress.  As an overall series Camelot has failed to really impress me but it's not a horrible show by any means, obviously my expectations of what the series was going to be like were a little misinterpreted.  I understand not every show is going to have a stellar start, even Seinfeld (the greatest sitcom ever) was pretty bland the first season. Camelot continues to show promise but whether or not it can live up to that promise is still the million dollar question.

As Arthur's reign begins to settle in, it's time to begin transforming Camelot into a suitable and habitable castle, removing the plant growth that has lined the inside walls, rebuilding the rooms and marking King's ruling boundaries throughout the land with large banners emblazoned with the emblem of the King.  Merlin assembles Arthur's most trusted men in a mission to travel back to Arthur's home and bring back his father's collection of books to start building Camelot's library (not sure why he needed to take Camelot's three best warriors to do it), for Merlin knows the power of knowledge and what castle would be complete without a library?  Along the way the other men question Merlin's hesitance to use his magic which leads him to once again test whether or not he can control his powers without them controlling him.

Meanwhile Arthur accompanies Guinevere after she receives news of her father being close to death, with the countryside having turned into a playground for raiders and thieves Arthur puts his past with Guinevere behind him to insure her safety.  Speaking of safety Arthur is still unaware of his half sister's uprising against him, Morgan (Eva Green) is slowing building a strong following with those who feel they're being neglected by the King.  Everything seems to be going well for Morgan as she skillfully and fairly begins hearing and settling personal disputes among the commoners, but she's thrown a curve-ball when a woman shows up with a charge of murder against her adviser (the nun) Sybil.  With the woman demanding Sybil be put to death, Morgan must arrive at a decision that will be seen as fair among people without putting her closest confidant to death.

After one of the series best episodes last week Camelot takes a bit of a step back in Three Journeys, it's clear the writers are trying to build some much needed character development with Merlin's continual struggle in accepting his abilities and the requited love between Arthur and Guinevere but the only true success continues to be the series most elusive character, Morgan.  With this role Eva Green has proven she can make something out of a lot of nothing.  The character of Morgan is easily the most dynamic and charismatic in the series but the writers have essentially left her locked up in her castle for the past four episodes, even with no interaction between the other main characters, a still rather elusive storyline which hasn't progressed much, Morgan excels in becoming the series most entertaining character.

While the other characters are growing on me I'm still confused by the rather erratic Merlin, and still trying to accept Bower as a legitimate Arthur.  Their character development is definitely improving, and while the Merlin and Arthur stories this episode were overly simplistic and ultimately uneventful in the grand scheme of the series they were executed well enough that I at least didn't find myself bored.  Though I'd like to see some more central based story-lines instead of weekly separate stories centering around the three main characters, it would help the episode flow more smoothly without the constant jumping back and forth.  Overall, Camelot remains consistent in it's own way, good or bad, for the sake of the series I hope they keep Morgan around if this turns into multiple seasons, at this point she's still the only thing keeping me interested.

7.5/10

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Camelot (2011) - Episode 1.5

"Justice"

Up to this point Camelot has seemingly been on a one way train to nowhere, quite stale, stiff and mired in it's own muck of cardboard characters and standard story-lines.  But Episode 5 (Justice) might possibly be the spark that's lights the catalyst and turns Camelot into something worth watching again.

With Merlin hidden away in the depths of Camelot, sulking over his encounter with Excalibur in the previous episode Arthur finds himself in a position to finally make some decisions for himself and possibly grow as a King.  While making his way back to Camelot with his party he stumbles upon a man about to be hanged for murder, in the nick of time Arthur saves his life and demands that all parties involved convene at Camelot that a proper hearing might be provided for the accused and the true reason behind the attack might be revealed.  The result is Arthur being made aware of some despicable acts that are being encouraged among his kingdom and an opportunity for him to begin to act as King.

Meanwhile Morgan continues to plot her takeover of Arthur's throne, but comes to the realization through the wisdom of her new house guest, the nun named Sybil who raised her for many years, that she has to think further ahead.  What Morgan needs to do first is gather the people on her side, prove to them that she cares and feels their pain, make them believe that her brother, Arthur, has no time for them.  If she can get the people on her side, it will make claiming the crown that much easier to obtain and retain, and Sybil is willing to do anything to assist Morgan in doing that.

After the rather choppy and misconstrued Lady of the Lake, followed by a one week hiatus I must say I wasn't too eager to sit down and watch another episode of a series that simply didn't appear to be moving in any direction.  But at the official half way point of the season Camelot has proven it has something to offer.  Not only do we finally move beyond the clouded veil of mystery surrounding Morgan as she begins to enact a realistic form of attack, but Arthur appears to be growing a pair and stepping into the role of King.  Justice also avails the series to finally spice up things a bit by throwing in some action, which has been sorely lacking, and a few surprises such as Sybil's plan to unite the people to Morgan and even the reason behind murder Arthur was preceding over.  All in all Justice is an extreme improvement over the prior episode and undoubtedly the best episode of the series thus far, hopefully this signals the series is finally beginning to rev things up and that the remainder of the season will be fast paced and exciting.

8/10

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Camelot (2011) - Episode 1.4

 "Lady of the Lake"

As we begin to approach the halfway mark of the first season of Camelot we begin to see a glimmer of Arthurian charm with the inclusion of the Lady of the Lake tale and the acquisition of Excalibur.  But with the first season already nearing the middle-age mark is it all too little too late?  Is there anything left in Camelot that's salvageable for those who have been thoroughly disappointed from the start?  And with no noticeable improvement from episode to episode is Camelot simply going nowhere fast?

As with the prior episodes, Lady of the Lake is broken down into three separate sections that focuses on the three main characters, Arthur, Merlin and Morgan.  The morning after the wedding of Guinevere to Leontes offers no solace for the love sick King, in an attempt to quell his jealously he begins the training process of his army lead by the outspoken warrior Leontes and Arthur's brother had recruited in the prior episode.  It's upon this exercise that Arthur realizes he needs a real sword, a sword made for a King.  Merlin sets off to obtain a sword from a man named Caliburn, who has been spoken of as one of the greatest sword makers in Britain.

Meanwhile Morgan is planning a visit to Camelot to meet and congratulate the newly married Guinevere, obviously a move with an ulterior motive as it's presumable Morgan is aware of Arthur's feelings for her following the conclusion of Episode 3 (Guinevere) when Morgan performed a spell that allowed her to see through Arthur's eyes, and possibly sense his thoughts.  But Morgan's recent dabbling in dark sorcery has continued to take a toll on her and she's forced to turn back, only to discover a familiar face from her past has come to visit her, a person whose arrival is in such good timing that they might save Morgan from enclosing death.

Merlin's story-line puts an interesting twist on the Lady of the Lake lore and Arthur's acquisition of Excalibur, two well known portions of Arthurian legend which oddly enough in this story Arthur has absolutely no part in!  Without spoiling anything, essentially Merlin's determination to acquire this sword entices his previously subdued use of sorcery which ends up having nothing but horrible consequences for those around him.

As the series progresses I'm beginning to find myself in the position of many viewers as I struggle to discern exactly what the point of this series really is.  So far Camelot appears to resemble a varied cliff notes version of the Arthurian story, all the major characters and events chronicled but done in such a flippant and mundane manner that the audience is having trouble identifying and caring about the characters.  Adding to the problem there simply does not appear to be a cohesive plot, aside from Morgan seeking the crown, that binds the series together to give you a reason to want to keep watching.

While it was nice to finally see a little fantasy thrown into the series, and I actually found the writer's twist on Excalibur and the Lady of the Lake interesting, nothing in the series appears to be gelling and for a season that's only ten episodes long I'm beginning to lose hope that the series is going to get much better.  When the story isn't formulaic and chopped up it's just plain confusing, the plot-line of Morgan continues to make me scratch my head and wonder what's going on?  For a series that hasn't proven itself in any fashion continuously leaving the audience in the dark about a main character isn't the brightest move, as the mystery isn't going to hold viewers who would have otherwise given up on the show.  Overall, Camelot has seemingly become stagnant, with only six episodes remaining in the season it's hard to imagine the series improving much unless once the writers have cracked out their cliff note story-lines centering around the typical Arthurian legend they'll be able to bring something fresh to the table, but so far nothing has clicked.

6/10

 Episode 5 Review

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Camelot (2011) - Episode 1.3

 "Guinevere"

Moving away from the introductory episodes of Starz new series Camelot may further disappoint some who were looking for a series that rivaled Spartacus in terms of sex and violence, as Episode 3 entitled Guinevere focuses more on improving the story than displaying blood, guts and flesh.

Guinevere focuses obviously on the character of Guinevere and the awkward situation which revealed itself in Episode 2 (The Sword and the Crown), where Arthur discovers she is to be married to one of his trusted men, Leontes.  When Guinevere's village is pillaged she and her family travel to Camelot to seek refuge, it appears the marriage between herself and Leontes will have to be put on hold, that is until Merlin suggests they have the ceremony at Camelot.  Merlin is aware of Arthur's love for Guinevere but wants nothing to stand in his way of the challenges that soon await him, the quicker Guinevere is married the better, for everyone.  Arthur tries to persuade her to not go through with the marriage, which leads to a brief "fling" on the beach, but even though it's clear Guinevere has a real love for Arthur he still ends up becoming the odd man out.

Meanwhile Morgan is continuing her sinister plans to become ultimate ruler of Britain, but those plans still seem to be rather clouded, and she appears to be suffering some of the effects of her practice of dark magic.  She invites Arthur to her castle that they might get to know one another, and Merlin tags along out of protection for the King. Everything seems to be rather normal until Morgan drugs Merlin and chains him a bed post, not in a kinky way but more in an attempt to prove her worthiness as a sorceress and tempt Merlin to use his powers to free himself.  Obviously her invitation had some ulterior motives, those are ever so slightly revealed at the episodes conclusion.

In terms of acting and the overall quality of the story (not the episode as a whole), Guinevere is easily the most balanced of the first three episodes thus far, which can be a good and bad thing.  Balanced in the terms that no one performance stands out as great or horrible, and with the absence of any action the story is given an undivided attention and a fuller amount of detail.  But it's certain that this episode is only going to fuel the fire of those who claim the series is dull and uneventful, those who would like to see all discernible boundaries removed as in Starz Spartacus.  Personally, I like the restraint the writers are taking in this series, I've never found overwhelming amounts of violence a nudity anything but a unnecessary replacement for a story that's incredibly lacking.  Granted this episode is not brilliant but it shows some improvement in the categories that make a good series, overall character performances and more attention to detail.  

With that said there are still some areas of the episode which slightly annoyed me due to it's predictability to the norm.  First of all Arthur's quick acceptance of his step sister's invitation, especially after Episode 2 The Sword and the Crown ended with her essentially telling him she wasn't going to give up until she had what she wanted.  Then this episode she invites him to dinner as an "ally" and Arthur doesn't stop to think it's a trap?  Obviously Merlin is weary, which is why he joins him but even he gets sloppy and allows himself to be drugged.  

The other predictable moment is Guinevere going through with the wedding even though it's obvious she doesn't love Leontes and is quite smitten with Arthur.  I understand this is all simply a diversion to extend the plot and revisit this at a later time but it's too cookie cutter for my tastes and it would have been nice to have seen a new spin thrown into the mix.  Why couldn't Guinevere not marry Leontes due to her love for Arthur?  Arthur is the King for crying out loud, if Leontes was the King and Arthur a servant her resistance would have made a little more sense, but Guinevere marrying Leontes solely because it's the man her mother liked doesn't fly for me in this situation, because it' all simply done to be able to milk the situation more throughout the series.

7/10

Review of Episode 4

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Camelot (2011) - Episode 1.2

With the official television premiere of Camelot I've read quite a few mild to mediocre reactions to the series premiere thus far.  Again I'll echo my sentiments from my review of Episode 1 from about a month back, my experience with Starz programing is it usually takes a while to build up to a nice consistent sizzle.

Episode 2 resumes the quest of making Arthur a well known name among the people and their new and accepted King.  Merlin states:

"A King exists primarily as an idea, we persuade the people to believe in the idea of you, we can make it a reality."  

To succeed in this Merlin purposes that Arthur accomplish a feat most believe impossible, the removable of The Mars Sword aka The Sword of the Gods (not to be confused with Excalibur) wedged high atop a mountain of a gushing waterfall.  Once Arthur accomplishes this he's able to win over the confidence of the people, but can he win against the opposition that is certain to befall him once he's crowned King?

Arthur's main competition is his half sister Morgan (Eva Green) and her new ally, her father's long time nemesis, King Lot who are set on usurping him of his place as King of Britain.  But Morgan is beginning to have second thoughts regarding her alliance with Lot, she doesn't entirely approve of his methods, and begins to see that he's not going to be an easy pawn to maneuver in her plan to take over the throne.  She realizes she'll have to take matters into her own hands which involves long walks in the woods, talking to fog and flashing her assets at wolves... well supposedly she's making some deal with a powerful evil force that will undoubtedly be revealed to us later on.

Aside from all that the last main character is officially introduced, she was seen for a brief moment in a dream Arthur had in Episode 1, and that is the lovely Guinevere (Tasmin Egerton) the famed love interest of Arthur.  Only the writers don't appear to be making their relationship so cut and dry, while there's obviously a strong connection Arthur later learns Guinevere is set to marry one of his new and trusted friends, love triangle anyone?

For me Episode 2 continues to build and progress upon some character developments established in the first episode but still doesn't improve upon it.  I was impressed with the performance of James Purefoy as King Lot the most in this episode as he played an excellent unyielding force as a villain, unfortunately this was undoubtedly the last we'll see of his character.  Eva Green is the runner up in terms of performance and still holds strong as one of the better actors in the series in terms of her ability to really get into the role without making it look corny, something I can't say this time around for the followup performance of Joseph Fiennes.  

Fiennes seemed to be delivering his lines with a little more corny intensity than was needed or required for a majority of his scenes.  When every line seemed to be delivered as if the end of the world was upon them Merlin became more of a caricature and less of a character, making it a little difficult to take him very seriously.  Overall, I still have strong hopes for Camelot.  Episode 2 was no worse or better than the first, and personally I think we'll see some improvement in the story in the following episodes.  These two episodes were obviously aired together for a reason as they both setup the basis of the characters and the story.  With only eight episodes to go it's bound to start really picking up speed... at least one would hope.

7/10 

Review of Episode 3

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Camelot (2011) - Episode 1.1

The wait is over!  Well actually there's still a month until the official premier of Starz Camelot, but the network was kind enough to give us a preview of the series by streaming the first episode on their website.  Having enjoyed their previous mini-series The Pillars of the Earth, I've been looking forward to their interpretation of the Arthur legend for some time, especially since my favorite actress, Eva Green, has a rather pivotal role in the story.  Now whether or not Camelot will actually becomes a regular series in still up in the air, as far as I've read, it probably all depends on the success of the ten filmed episodes, but for me I'll take what I can get and a weekly dose of Eva Green can only be a good thing.

King Uther's daughter, Morgan (Eva Green) returns from her long term of banishment from the kingdom with a plan to seek revenge upon her father and usurp his throne.  She swiftly carries out her plan by poisoning her father and banishing her stepmother, who had stood by as Morgan's mother was murdered and her father had banished her.  Taking control of the kingdom she sends a message to his most hated enemy offering an alliance between them, she will be the Queen, he will be the King.

Meanwhile Merlin (Joseph Fiennes) is off to fetch the unknown son of Uther, Morgan's half brother, Arthur.  Arthur had been taken from his mother at birth by the will of the King and given to a farming family to educate him and keep him safe, at a later time Merlin would return for him when the time was right.  Learning of his royal lineage is obviously a shock to Arthur, but he agrees to follow Merlin to the ruins of Camelot where he will begin his new life and hopefully save Britain from a chaos that Merlin has foreseen.  Of course Morgan, unaware she ever had a brother, will not back down quietly and encourages Arthur to back-out of Merlin's plans before it's too late.

One thing I learned with the Starz mini-series The Pillars of the Earth is you've got to give the writers time build up to something truly exciting.  Every episode of that series got better, I can only hope to expect the same from Camelot.  In saying this I am in no way inferring the first episode is bad, it's not, but there is a lot of back-story and characters that have to be introduced in this first episode that make it a little less fulfilling than I expect the series to become.  

In waiting for the series to begin I predicted the best performances to come from Eva Green and Joseph Fiennes, and that definitely was the case.  Green simply excels in every role I've seen her in and even more exceptionally in the roles where she plays a rather dark and twisted character, which is the case here.  Expect her to be the highlight performance of the series.  I have a little boost of confidence for Jamie Campbell Bower (the young Arthur), after expecting him to be awful he played the part well, now we'll have to wait and see how his performance changes as Arthur becomes more comfortable with his new role, can he overcome his youthful look and become an Arthur that is not so naive?  Overall, I was pleased with the premiere episode, while the beginning was a little slow (which was to be expected) the final 15 minutes of the episode left me excited for what the series could potentially grow into and the level excitement it could produce.

7/10

Review of Episode 2

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Eva Green - Countdown To Camelot #4

This isn't specifically related to Eva or her character, but the video does show a few clips of her and she says a few things about the series.  This is a 3 minute look at Camelot and a desciption of what the series will be like from the cast and crew.

My favorite line in the video is the following by Joseph Fiennes "I think people should watch this show... because it's not a musical."  Now that's my kind of reason!

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Eva Green - Countdown To Camelot #3

Three more production photos of Eva Green in Camelot!

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Eva Green - Countdown To Camelot #2

Another Eva Green picture released in regards to Camelot. Found at Eva Green Web

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Eva Green - Countdown To Camelot #1

No regular posts today, but I thought I would post this first picture of Camelot with Eva Green.  Very excited.

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