Camelot 01x02

SPOILER WARNING FOR SEASON 1 EPISODE 2 OF CAMELOT.

So, I finally saw episode two of Camelot (the one on Starz) and I thought I'd review it.

This will probably be pretty long. Just warning you.

I actually liked this episode a lot for several reasons.

1) I love Morgan. She's so much more how I imagined her in my head than Merlin's Morgana. I mean, yeah, it kind of annoyed me at first that they combined her and Morgause into one person, but I think they've actually stayed more true to her character, in some ways. And this isn't something I thought from the first episode, but seeing this episode really changed my mind. The part that did it was after Lot had her tied to the pole in the middle of a field and he comes back and asks if she wants to still have their alliance and she says "yes". I was worried at first because I didn't think she'd willing have an alliance with a man who treated her like Lot did. She kind of seems, to me, like the kind of person who has to be in charge and has to be surrounded by people who... fear her, I guess, for lack of a better word. Which is why I think her and Lot clashed in the end, because he's also like that (except he's more stupid, IMO) and he doesn't like that a woman is trying to be more powerful than him. So, I was confused, but then when she came and told Merlin that Lot was going to attack them, I understood. It's not that she's on Arthur's side, because she's not, but she doesn't want Lot to win because she knows if he won, then she wouldn't have any of the power. So, instead of helping Lot like she said she would, she sort of becomes, like, a double agent or something. She'd rather help Arthur, who's her enemy, than sacrifice the power she would have to give up if Lot killed Arthur and became king. It's like, she does what's best for her and what will give her the best advantage or the most power and she doesn't care what anyone thinks or what she has to do to get there. She's not really on anyone's side but her own, basically. Which I like, because that's how I've always seen Morgan. She's not good or evil, she just does what will help herself.

2) I said this when I reviewed the first episode, but I love the way they handle the magic in this show. It's not like waving a wand or whatever, it's more like a part of the person. Not that I have anything against stories where the wizard's and witches have wands (I love Harry Potter), but I really like when tv shows or books or whatever like this have this sort of magic, as opposed to the kind that's more fairy-tale-ish. I think it's especially important in Camelot because the setting seems to be more historical, rather than somewhere made up. It just seems more realistic to me. I don't know how to explain it.

3) I love Merlin. I love how he's always creepin', I love how he's so mysterious, I love how you don't know why he won't use his magic, I love how he's kind of like all-knowing, I love how they hinted that he might've put the sword in the stone. He and Morgan are probably my two favourite characters right now, just based on characterization.

4) One of the things I don't like about Merlin (although I understand why they're doing it), is that it's taken them so long to get to the whole Round Table and sword in the stone bit. I mean, that's what I'm watching these shows for, is to see the knights of the Round Table and to see them go on quests and what not! That being said, I really liked that they had the sword in the stone (or their interpretation of it) in the second episode. I think that it was more important for them to do this earlier in the show because, whereas in Merlin it's more of a story of what happened leading up to Arthur becoming king, Camelot is more about what happened when Arthur was king and how he became king. Also, as much as I hate Lancelot, I mean "Leontes" (although he's basically Lancelot so whatever), I liked how they set it up for him to become Arthur's champion and then find out that (oops) he's getting married to Guinevere.

On that note, some problems I still have with the series:

1) I hate that they killed off Sir Ector! I, literally, almost cried during that scene, and I never cry! I loved his death scene, but I hated that he died. It just doesn't seem right to me.

2) WTF is with this Merlin/Igraine nonsense? I don't understand! And not only that, but it's kinda gross, IMO. I mean, maybe it's just me... I just... eww.

3) I still don't understand the whole Leontes instead of Lancelot thing. And I don't understand why they've made Guinevere married to him. I just think it takes away some of who Arthur is (as in his character in general, not just in the show, but the obvious characteristics he's supposed to have) to have Arthur have an affair with Guinevere. It's not nearly as romantic, IMO because it just doesn't seem like something he'd do and I feel like, as king, he would want to be above that sort of thing because he has to set an example for everyone else and if the king is having an affair with one of his knight's wives...? How does that look for him? Isn't he supposed to be the person that people look up to? I just... ugh. I don't know if that's where they're going with this, but that's what it looks like, at the very least. I really hope this doesn't happen because it might ruin things. Of course, I'm not going to make judgments until I see what happens because that's unfair and, you never know, they might have a reason for doing it that way. Of course, if it's just to make it more sexy... then we have a problem.

Okay, so that's what I liked and what I didn't. Other than that, I'm interested to find out who, or what, this thing is that Morgan keeps talking to in the woods, especially after what Merlin said to her. What does he know about it? And, more importantly, how does he know? In general, I'm just excited to see the next episode and where they're going to go from here, now that Lot's dead. I think the thing in the woods has something to do with a way Morgan is trying to take over Camelot, or I hope so because that would be interesting. I really want to see some quests, but that probably won't happen for awhile, so I'm just going to have to wait :). Also, Gawain needs to hurry up and be in this series because I miss him and I want to see what they do with his character. The character profile they have on the website isn't too promising, to me at least, but we'll see. I'm trying to accept new things and look at this as just another version of the story that's separate from other's I've read.

Overall, I really enjoyed this episode and I'm looking forward to the new one!

--Sir Lancelot the Unicorn.

Advice

Disclaimer--I don't own anything.
Summary--"If he could just be better or smarter or something, Lily would like him more, maybe even give him a chance." TFC drabble contest entry. Kind of cheesy, I think.
Pairings--Lily/James. Sort of one-sided, I guess.
A/N-- It's uber cheesy, but whatever. It's supposed to be right after the whole part in Order of the Phoenix where they're making fun of Snape and what not.

***

James hurried after Lily, ignoring the thump as Snape fell to the ground.

"Evans, wait," he shouted, trying to catch up, but she just walked even faster.

"Leave me alone, Potter," was the only response he got.

"I just wanted-," But the look she gave him as she turned around made him stop. It was times like this that made him realize how stupid he could be. If he could just be better or smarter or something, Lily would like him more, maybe even give him a chance.

"Here's some advice," she said, as if reading his thoughts. "Grow up."

A Game Show Love Connection

Disclaimer--I don't own anything.
Summary--"But the truth was she needed Peeta, probably more than she cared to admit."
Pairings--Katniss/Peeta
A/N--This was the first HG fic I wrote :). Also inspired by Train.

***

I've been up, I've been down
I've been so damn lost since you're not around
I've been reggae and calypso
Won't you save me San Francisco?
-Save Me, San Francisco; Train

It was funny how she had changed so much in so short a time.

Sometimes she thought about the Games and Peeta and she wondered how she could've not loved him.

Sometimes she wonders how he could love her.

It was funny how they were so messed up, they were hardly the perfect couple, but in some ways, they were.

She imagined her life if she had married Gale or if she hadn't married at all. Where would she be now, if things had happened differently? What would she be like? Would she have changed at all?

On bad days, the answer would be no, she hadn't changed. She still had nightmares, she still feared for her children (Not because of the threat of the Hunger Games, but how she could explain it to them, what people would say. She wanted them to know the truth.), she still missed Prim and Rue and everyone who had died because of her.

But the truth was, she needed Peeta, probably more than she cared to admit. The pain and the nightmares and the fears were still there and neither of them were the people they had been, but they had each other.

It might not have been much, but it was something.

Goodbyes

Disclaimer--I don't own anything
Summary--"She looked down, feeling stupid for wanting to cry, but Gale had always been her best friend and part of her didn't want to see him go, despite how she felt." Katniss/Gale, but in a friendship type way.
Pairings--None.
A/N--Even though I ship Peeta/Katniss, I thought it was weird how Katniss just forgot about Gale. I mean, they were best friends! So, that's why I wrote this. My inspiration for the fic was the song "This Ain't Goodbye" by Train and I had a quote, but it was much too long, so I took it out. And I'm gonna shut up now so you can read :).

***

She hadn't wanted to know when he was leaving. She needed to distance herself. But there was so much she wanted to say and, somehow, she ended up finding him outside as he waited for the hovercraft that would take him to District 2.

"Gale," she said, walking up to him. He turned and for a moment they only looked at each other, neither knowing what to say.

"I didn't think I'd see you again," Gale said, breaking the silence.

Katniss opened her mouth to say something, anything, but the words were stuck in her throat.

"You still blame me," he said simply and her silence was all the answer he needed, so he turned away.

"Wait!" She reached out to stop him, but her hand fell short of actually touching him. "I just… I-I still blame you, but…" she took a deep breathe, fought back tears, "It's hard to see it any other way." She looked down, feeling stupid for wanting to cry, but Gale had always been her best friend and part of her didn't want to see him go, despite how she felt.

He sighed and stepped closer, hugging her. "It's okay," he whispered, before letting her go, "I guess we're not as alike as I thought."

Katniss nodded slightly, not knowing what to say and Gale leaves before she can form a response.

And, even though she knows she'll never see him again, she feels better. They hadn't fixed things, but it wasn't worse, and that was better than nothing.

My sister sent this to me. JD is my spirit animal, just so you guys know.

I might've squeed a little.

Studying is too mainstream for me.

Yeah. I gave up. I just can't concentrate tonight.

Anyway, I'm feeling kind of stressed and sad and bored for various reasons. I might just go to bed. I mostly just want to go home, though. I want it to be summer so I can see my friends and have my own room. Any of you who have yet to graduate high school and are living at home with your mom's cooking and (possibly) your own room, you should consider yourself lucky and cherish these things while you can. I know you think eating at home is boring and gross now, but TRUST ME, it's much better than eating cafeteria food for every meal. Every day. For months. And you wonder why people gain so much weight their first year of college (or I did, but now I understand).

So, tips for future college freshmen:

--Make sure you meet your roommate before you move in. I'm not saying you have to meet in person, but at least talk and exchange phone numbers or whatever. This way, you'll know how the two of you are going to get along and it won't be so awkward when you're moving in.

--If your school does roommate agreements, definitely take it seriously. Especially if you know that you and your roommate have different personalities and habits. For example, if you like to get up early and your roommate likes to sleep in, talk about that when making your roommate agreement. Otherwise, you could end up in a situation you don't like and have nothing to do about it because you didn't add it in the roommate agreement. (Yes, this is coming from personal experience.)

--It's okay if you're going to the same school as your best friend from high school and y'all want to room together. Everyone always says you shouldn't do this, but, in my opinion, it can make the transition easier to have someone with you at all times that you already know. This doesn't mean you shouldn't branch out and meet new people, because that's important too. It's good to make new friends, but sometimes it helps to not feel like you're all alone. Of course, this really depends on your personality. If you're outgoing, you might not need to worry so much about this, but if you're shy (like me) this might help a little.

--An added bonus to making new friends is that you have someone to help you study for classes! Especially with harder classes, it's good to at least know someone in the class who you can go to if you need help with an assignment or a study partner for a test.

--Bring lots of food back when you go home. Cafeteria food sucks. At least, it does here. I know some schools are better. But, if you're school is like mine and lets you have extra money with your meal plan to go towards on campus restaurants, chances are, the amount they allow you to have as freshmen will be tiny. As in, barely enough to get you through the first half of the semester, let alone the whole year. So, get a job or get some extra money somehow so you can take yourself to the grocery store and buy your own food or, like I did, force your parents to buy you snacks and soup and other easy to make food products whenever you go home.

There's probably more I could say on this subject, but it's past my bedtime. Okay, it's only 9:30-ish, but I'm an old lady (on the inside) and tired and bored of typing, so I'm going to leave it at that.

Goodnight!

--Sir Lancelot the Unicorn.

Ohmygod.

I haven't used this in forever.

But, the thing is, I'm actually kind of into blogging now. Which is weird, but I have this Tumblr addiction and it's awesome and so I thought why not start another blog? Or, not really start, but... actually use... I guess. So, yeah. I might use this from time to time. Not that anyone's reading it or anything, but whatever.

So, on the off chance that someone does read this: hello! You may call me Sir Lancelot the Unicorn. That's not my name, of course, but I like it, so there. I'm female, a college student, Elementary Education major... among other things. And I'm also procrastinating studying for the exam I have tomorrow. Because, I mean, what else is college for other than finding out how long you can procrastinate on whatever assignments you have? (That sentence totally made sense.)

Hmm, I think that's it for now. I really do need to study.

I never know how to end these things.

Goodbye.

--Sir Lancelot the Unicorn