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Mmmkay, so I loved "Sins of The Father"...I think its the episode with the most emotional depth we've seen from Arthur in the whole series, and damn how. Hooray for character development.
Most people think that Merlin has sunk himself even deeper by pretending that Morgause was lying to Arthur the whole time in order to stop him from killing Uther. Here is what I think; regardless of what happened in this episode, when Arthur finds out Merlin is a sorcerer he would (and will) still have been (royally) pissed. Merlin has lied about magic many, many times before. This time, however, Merlin lied to save Arthur from doing something he would regret, to save the very person that condemns magic-users to death. If Merlin, by being a sorcerer, were de facto evil, he would have let Arthur run his father through. By lying, he saved the king's life (for the second time...not that Arthur knows that). Even if Arthur puts him in chains when he finds out, all Merlin has to say is "If I were evil, why did I stop you?" to get his friend back to the ideas he had already come up with on his own ("maybe all magic users are not bad").
Okay, I'm not sure that Morgause was telling the whole truth, but I am not sure she was right-out lying either. She might know Igraine from some kind of contact w/ the dead (which we have ascertained she has the power to summon, although she can't control how long they stay). Igraine may also have been unaware of the bargain that her husband struck with Nimueh.
Put it this way: Uther strikes a bargain with a sorceress for an heir. Neither of them know the consequence will be Igraine's life (although Nimueh probably should have). Uther does not tell his wife what he's done. Igraine dies after giving birth, and in death learns why, assuming her husband knowingly traded her life for her son's. In a way, this makes sense. The dead understand why they die (her life traded for her son's) but no longer have connection to the living (understanding her husband loved her and did not know her life was the price). So....the end result is that the ghost!Igraine thought her husband killed her on purpose, although that wasn't actually the case.
Most people think that Merlin has sunk himself even deeper by pretending that Morgause was lying to Arthur the whole time in order to stop him from killing Uther. Here is what I think; regardless of what happened in this episode, when Arthur finds out Merlin is a sorcerer he would (and will) still have been (royally) pissed. Merlin has lied about magic many, many times before. This time, however, Merlin lied to save Arthur from doing something he would regret, to save the very person that condemns magic-users to death. If Merlin, by being a sorcerer, were de facto evil, he would have let Arthur run his father through. By lying, he saved the king's life (for the second time...not that Arthur knows that). Even if Arthur puts him in chains when he finds out, all Merlin has to say is "If I were evil, why did I stop you?" to get his friend back to the ideas he had already come up with on his own ("maybe all magic users are not bad").
Okay, I'm not sure that Morgause was telling the whole truth, but I am not sure she was right-out lying either. She might know Igraine from some kind of contact w/ the dead (which we have ascertained she has the power to summon, although she can't control how long they stay). Igraine may also have been unaware of the bargain that her husband struck with Nimueh.
Put it this way: Uther strikes a bargain with a sorceress for an heir. Neither of them know the consequence will be Igraine's life (although Nimueh probably should have). Uther does not tell his wife what he's done. Igraine dies after giving birth, and in death learns why, assuming her husband knowingly traded her life for her son's. In a way, this makes sense. The dead understand why they die (her life traded for her son's) but no longer have connection to the living (understanding her husband loved her and did not know her life was the price). So....the end result is that the ghost!Igraine thought her husband killed her on purpose, although that wasn't actually the case.
