# Merlin



## Sheilawisz

I have already searched the entire Film and Television Forum, looking for a thread dedicated to _Merlin_ (the TV series) and failed to find one, so I decided to start my own =)

After watching almost all of the First Season, I have to say that I am falling in love with this series. I love the setting, the costumes, the characters, the freaking castle... all the cast is great, every episode hooks me totally and I even like the Magic system, which I find attractive and intriguing.

I know that every season is composed by thirteen episodes and that Season Five has ended the series, and I really cannot wait to watch it all!!

My favourite characters so far are Merlin, Gaius and Morgana... so, are there any other _Merlin_ fans in Mythic Scribes?


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## Zero Angel

Sheilawisz said:


> I have already searched the entire Film and Television Forum, looking for a thread dedicated to _Merlin_ (the TV series) and failed to find one, so I decided to start my own =)
> 
> After watching almost all of the First Season, I have to say that I am falling in love with this series. I love the setting, the costumes, the characters, the freaking castle... all the cast is great, every episode hooks me totally and I even like the Magic system, which I find attractive and intriguing.
> 
> I know that every season is composed by thirteen episodes and that Season Five has ended the series, and I really cannot wait to watch it all!!
> 
> My favourite characters so far are Merlin, Gaius and Morgana... so, are there any other _Merlin_ fans in Mythic Scribes?



I enjoyed the first few seasons. Missed Season 4 and 5 due to moving and lack of cable/satellite. Chilari is a fan of the series I believe (at least, she just wrote a review of the series finale in her blog and she came off as someone who at least watched the entire five seasons).


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## Mindfire

I loved that show! All the way to the end. Some of the best fantasy on TV.


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## Zero Angel

Mindfire said:


> Some of the best fantasy on TV.



Outside of my own personal experience with Merlin, this would not have inspired much confidence in me to see the show! -_-


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## Mindfire

Zero Angel said:


> Outside of my own personal experience with Merlin, this would not have inspired much confidence in me to see the show! -_-



Well, for me personally it was THE best fantasy currently on TV, except for Avatar: The Legend of Korra. But I didn't want to bring out all the Game of Thrones apologists by saying that.


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## Zero Angel

Mindfire said:


> Well, for me personally it was THE best fantasy currently on TV, except for Avatar: The Legend of Korra. But I didn't want to bring out all the Game of Thrones apologists by saying that.



haha, I was just saying that in general, fantasy on TV isn't particularly stellar. I enjoyed Merlin, but as Chilari had mentioned in her review of the series finale/series, there was so much potential there. I feel that is true with most TV fantasies. They have so much potential to be amazing, but then they're just flubbed along the way. 

Not to say I didn't enjoy the experience of Merlin.


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## Jess A

I quite enjoyed this show. I've yet to see season 5 - I've had so much to watch that I just haven't gotten around to it. I'll have to go and buy the DVDs this week and dive into it, perhaps re-watch the end of season 4. I've kind of forgotten what happened, I watched it a while ago. It's very corny, but I like that - it's a bit of comic relief compared to some of the other shows I watch, such as _Game of Thrones_ and _Spooks_.


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## Sheilawisz

Today I have to watch Episode 11: _The Labyrinth of Gedref_ that is about a unicorn and a curse of some kind that is causing trouble in Camelot, and after I have watched the first season's final episode, I will come to post my review of these first thirteen episodes of the series =)

I am lucky that I can watch an episode all seven days of the week, so watching the entire series should take a little more than two months. Well, I am not sure if Season Five is already available in my system of satellite TV, but for now I want to enjoy the first Four seasons and watch again the episodes that I have seen already!!

@Jess: That's true, _Merlin_ has excellent good humor and not only Magic and Sword fights. I laugh a lot with some parts while in others I am on the edge of my seat, this series is like the perfect combination...


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## Jess A

Sheilawisz said:


> Today I have to watch Episode 11: _The Labyrinth of Gedref_ that is about a unicorn and a curse of some kind that is causing trouble in Camelot, and after I have watched the first season's final episode, I will come to post my review of these first thirteen episodes of the series =)
> 
> I am lucky that I can watch an episode all seven days of the week, so watching the entire series should take a little more than two months. Well, I am not sure if Season Five is already available in my system of satellite TV, but for now I want to enjoy the first Four seasons and watch again the episodes that I have seen already!!
> 
> @Jess: That's true, _Merlin_ has excellent good humor and not only Magic and Sword fights. I laugh a lot with some parts while in others I am on the edge of my seat, this series is like the perfect combination...



Hehe yeah I adore the corny humour. Merlin is so awkward and Arthur so arrogant - it's a good combination. I also adore a good secret (Merlin's magic). 

I must admit I will always wait for the DVDs to come out - almost always, anyway. I cannot stand ads! I like to pick and choose when I watch things. Even though it costs me money to buy the entire set when it comes out.


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## PlotHolio

I like Merlin as well, but I haven't watched Season 2 yet. Netflix is my window to the world, though, so I can watch it anytime I want.

Sheila, how in blazes are you that busy?

As an afterthought, I really like the eye thing. Yellow eyes are cool.
Then again, so are red, lilac, and ice blue eyes...


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## Jess A

I just got season 5 finally. It's been out for a while...but I've been slow to get it. Loving it so far! Some of the plots are a tad silly but quite entertaining!


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## saellys

I'll watch anything with John Hurt in it, even if it's just his voice. I made it through most of the first season, but I don't have a lot of time for TV and I stopped around the time Lancelot showed up. I look forward to watching the whole thing with my daughter in about ten years (around the same time she'll be reading _The Once and Future King_). As fun, family-friendly fare, it doesn't get much better. The episodes are fast-paced and the characters' relationships feel real. 

Can't beat all that eye candy, either.


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## Sheilawisz

@Jess: I am watching Season 2 now, the episodes when a Troll drinks a potion to take the form of a beautiful lady and now she's trying to take over Camelot. I know some of the plots are crazy, but so far every episode has kept me entertained all the way from start to end =)

@PlotHolio: Well, I can choose to watch _Merlin_ at 16:00 or 20:00. Sometimes I am not home at 16:00, then I watch it at night. Still, I have missed a few episodes but they get repeated Saturday and Sunday.

@Saellys: The second season is even better than the first.

The final battle between Merlin and Nimueh that closes Season 1 was _great!!_


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## Sheilawisz

After watching the episodes _The Witchfinder_ and _The Sins of the Father_, I must say that I absolutely hate that freaking Uther Pendragon!!

I really hope that Uther will get killed at some point in the following seasons, he is really a very crazy character. I watched the episode when Morgana is taken away by Morgause, and today's episode will be _The Last Dragonlord_ which is the final of the second season =)

Morgana is so cool, she is my favourite character now.


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## Zero Angel

Sheilawisz said:


> After watching the episodes _The Witchfinder_ and _The Sins of the Father_, I must say that I absolutely hate that freaking Uther Pendragon!!
> 
> I really hope that Uther will get killed at some point in the following seasons, he is really a very crazy character. I watched the episode when Morgana is taken away by Morgause, and today's episode will be _The Last Dragonlord_ which is the final of the second season =)
> 
> Morgana is so cool, she is my favourite character now.



I enjoyed her in Season 1, afterwards I just felt too railroaded towards where they wanted to go. 

The Last Dragonlord is pretty cool from what I remember. It's strange seeing you go through the seasons in fast-forward. It seemed like it took forever to progress from Season 1 to Season 2 to Season 3 (of course, being cancelled on NBC in America sure didn't help).


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## Mindfire

Sheilawisz said:


> After watching the episodes _The Witchfinder_ and _The Sins of the Father_, I must say that I absolutely hate that freaking Uther Pendragon!!
> 
> I really hope that Uther will get killed at some point in the following seasons, he is really a very crazy character. I watched the episode when Morgana is taken away by Morgause, and today's episode will be _The Last Dragonlord_ which is the final of the second season =)
> 
> Morgana is so cool, she is my favourite character now.



Well of course Uther dies. How else will Arthur become king?


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## Zero Angel

IT COULD BE THE CLIMAX TO THE WHOLE SHOW!

Just saying. How are we to know way back in Season 2?


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## Steerpike

Mindfire said:


> Well of course Uther dies. How else will Arthur become king?



He could abdicate


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## Mindfire

Steerpike said:


> He could abdicate



That would be out of character.


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## Ophiucha

Uther is played by Anthony Stewart Head! Who needs the once and future king when you have _Giles _on the throne?


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## JediKnightMuse

I LOVE _Merlin_, and I was so sad when they ended it, especially with the WAY they ended it. Since there are some people who haven't seen the final season/episodes yet I'll keep from saying too much more. But _Merlin_ was one of the best shows I've ever gotten into, and I'm sad it's over. I use Katie McGrath/Morgana from before she was super evil to represent a Jedi character I made for a role play I'm in. Story and personality-wise, they're nothing alike, and technically it's a redhead!Morgana. 



Spoiler: Spoilers for the last few episodes/last season!



I wish they had done the magic reveal way, way, way sooner than they did. And I wish some of the plots they went with didn't end the way they did- either in a really crappy way or totally forgotten about. And I wish Morgana had been a better villainess at the end. And I wish we'd gotten to see Merlin as an adviser to Arthur with Arthur KNOWING about Merlin's magic. And I wish Gwen had been handled better, especially toward the end.

I didn't feel very satisfied with the ending, unfortunately. It sucked that I ended up feeling unsatisfied and sad.



I own all but the latest season on DVD. _Merlin_ is the kind of show I wish there were more of on TV. I mean, yeah, there's _Game of Thrones,_ which I don't watch at the moment, but we need more shows like _Merlin,_ whether it's based on a book/legend/whatever or completely made up. I hope that Colin and Bradly are able to land awesome roles for themselves in the future and can be on another project together.


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## CupofJoe

BBC announces new series 'Atlantis' to replace 'Merlin'
The BBC has announced a number of new commissions including a series from _Misfits_ creator Howard Overman called _Atlantis_.


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## JediKnightMuse

-Drools- Atlantis sounds awesome.

Hm. Another show I'll probably have to use online methods to watch. >.> I think I only get BBC America, not the BBC that actually aired _Merlin._


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## Zero Angel

JediKnightMuse said:


> I LOVE _Merlin_, and I was so sad when they ended it, especially with the WAY they ended it. Since there are some people who haven't seen the final season/episodes yet I'll keep from saying too much more. But _Merlin_ was one of the best shows I've ever gotten into, and I'm sad it's over. I use Katie McGrath/Morgana from before she was super evil to represent a Jedi character I made for a role play I'm in. Story and personality-wise, they're nothing alike, and technically it's a redhead!Morgana.
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Spoilers for the last few episodes/last season!
> 
> 
> 
> I wish they had done the magic reveal way, way, way sooner than they did. And I wish some of the plots they went with didn't end the way they did- either in a really crappy way or totally forgotten about. And I wish Morgana had been a better villainess at the end. And I wish we'd gotten to see Merlin as an adviser to Arthur with Arthur KNOWING about Merlin's magic. And I wish Gwen had been handled better, especially toward the end.
> 
> I didn't feel very satisfied with the ending, unfortunately. It sucked that I ended up feeling unsatisfied and sad.
> 
> 
> 
> I own all but the latest season on DVD. _Merlin_ is the kind of show I wish there were more of on TV. I mean, yeah, there's _Game of Thrones,_ which I don't watch at the moment, but we need more shows like _Merlin,_ whether it's based on a book/legend/whatever or completely made up. I hope that Colin and Bradly are able to land awesome roles for themselves in the future and can be on another project together.



Agreed about the spoiler. REALLY agree.


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## CupofJoe

The BBC are almost universally bad at bringing shows to an end. I can only put this down to that they record all [or nearly all] of a season before it is shown.
The producers of Merlin may not have known they weren't getting another season until after filming and had to cobble together a final...
Whereas US shows are often only recorded a few weeks ahead of broadcast and do know they are ending. The last eps of Buffy and Angel [especially Angel] stand out for me as the right way to end a show!!!
I have to admit that after season 1 I stopped watching Merlin... I really didn't like it or the way it strayed away from what I know as the story. I really wanted a  "real" dark ages Merlin and not a "faux" medieval Merlin... 
Now where did I leave that Kickstarter link... [It worked for Ron Thomas]


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## Ophiucha

Spoilers for the last season and finale, summarizing my thoughts.



Spoiler: Merlin S5



I definitely agree that the magic reveal should have happened sooner. It is such an interesting plot point and they leave it until Arthur is incapable of doing anything except lying there listening to Merlin apologize and explain himself. How droll. Morgana was underutilized and got a really weak ending. Stabbing her? How had we not thought of that before? C'mon.

The whole season was a bit boring, to be honest. Every episode, like clockwork, was somebody giving Merlin a perfect opportunity to change Arthur's opinion on magic, then opting to make him hate magic viciously. What is wrong with you? I genuinely ended up hating his character by the end of the season because Arthur, really, did nothing wrong. He was willing and able to change things for the better, but Merlin would get in there and be like "NO MAGIC IS EVILLLL", why are you stabbing yourself in the foot, Merlin, WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?

I'm still scarred for life by the terrifying blue alien/fae that appeared in the season opener. What the Christ was that thing? Biggest compliment to the show is that they opted not to keep bringing that abomination back.

Guinevere. LONG LIVE THE QUEEN! Hell yeah. I love Guinevere and I love actual angel Angel Coulby. She's gorgeous, she's compassionate, and she gets stuff done. My husband and I joked that Arthur's destiny to unite Albion was more of a 'Sarah Connor in the first Terminator' sort of situation, where _Arthur _actually does nothing of any importance except marry Guinevere, hence giving her the throne, and now that she is Queen and will presumably rule for many years to come (maybe they'll resurrect Lancelot so she can get herself the man she's *meant* to have) and under _her _rule Albion is united and there is peace and prosperity throughout the land. And Arthur was only there to give her a crown and faff about in the woods with Merlin like an idiot.

Boo on killing Gwaine. And poor Percival. ; _; A thousand more boos on not using Gwaine these past two seasons. Remember the episode with the short dude and the wyverns and whatnot? Remember how Merlin, Arthur, and Gwaine were meant to be this magical triumvirate? Where did that plot point go?

Eh, yeah, last season was a real weak ending to an otherwise pretty good show. But the actors maintained their flawlessness and I wish them all well in the future, particularly Angel and Bradley. Those two really blew me away with their portrayals of the characters and I think they deserve some great roles after this.


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## Jess A

Zero Angel said:


> Agreed about the spoiler. REALLY agree.



Me too. Completely. I actually didn't like the 5th season at all. I had to 'sit through it'.



Ophiucha said:


> Spoilers for the last season and finale, summarizing my thoughts.
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Merlin S5
> 
> 
> 
> I definitely agree that the magic reveal should have happened sooner. It is such an interesting plot point and they leave it until Arthur is incapable of doing anything except lying there listening to Merlin apologize and explain himself. How droll. Morgana was underutilized and got a really weak ending. Stabbing her? How had we not thought of that before? C'mon.
> 
> The whole season was a bit boring, to be honest. Every episode, like clockwork, was somebody giving Merlin a perfect opportunity to change Arthur's opinion on magic, then opting to make him hate magic viciously. What is wrong with you? I genuinely ended up hating his character by the end of the season because Arthur, really, did nothing wrong. He was willing and able to change things for the better, but Merlin would get in there and be like "NO MAGIC IS EVILLLL", why are you stabbing yourself in the foot, Merlin, WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?
> 
> I'm still scarred for life by the terrifying blue alien/fae that appeared in the season opener. What the Christ was that thing? Biggest compliment to the show is that they opted not to keep bringing that abomination back.
> 
> Guinevere. LONG LIVE THE QUEEN! Hell yeah. I love Guinevere and I love actual angel Angel Coulby. She's gorgeous, she's compassionate, and she gets stuff done. My husband and I joked that Arthur's destiny to unite Albion was more of a 'Sarah Connor in the first Terminator' sort of situation, where _Arthur _actually does nothing of any importance except marry Guinevere, hence giving her the throne, and now that she is Queen and will presumably rule for many years to come (maybe they'll resurrect Lancelot so she can get herself the man she's *meant* to have) and under _her _rule Albion is united and there is peace and prosperity throughout the land. And Arthur was only there to give her a crown and faff about in the woods with Merlin like an idiot.
> 
> Boo on killing Gwaine. And poor Percival. ; _; A thousand more boos on not using Gwaine these past two seasons. Remember the episode with the short dude and the wyverns and whatnot? Remember how Merlin, Arthur, and Gwaine were meant to be this magical triumvirate? Where did that plot point go?
> 
> Eh, yeah, last season was a real weak ending to an otherwise pretty good show. But the actors maintained their flawlessness and I wish them all well in the future, particularly Angel and Bradley. Those two really blew me away with their portrayals of the characters and I think they deserve some great roles after this.



So many agreements here too. I'm also scarred for life on the point you mentioned. What a stupid, stupid-looking thing. Crap can't even begin to describe.


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## Zero Angel

Ophiucha said:


> Spoilers for the last season and finale, summarizing my thoughts.
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Merlin S5
> 
> 
> 
> I definitely agree that the magic reveal should have happened sooner. It is such an interesting plot point and they leave it until Arthur is incapable of doing anything except lying there listening to Merlin apologize and explain himself. How droll. Morgana was underutilized and got a really weak ending. Stabbing her? How had we not thought of that before? C'mon.
> 
> The whole season was a bit boring, to be honest. Every episode, like clockwork, was somebody giving Merlin a perfect opportunity to change Arthur's opinion on magic, then opting to make him hate magic viciously. What is wrong with you? I genuinely ended up hating his character by the end of the season because Arthur, really, did nothing wrong. He was willing and able to change things for the better, but Merlin would get in there and be like "NO MAGIC IS EVILLLL", why are you stabbing yourself in the foot, Merlin, WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?
> 
> I'm still scarred for life by the terrifying blue alien/fae that appeared in the season opener. What the Christ was that thing? Biggest compliment to the show is that they opted not to keep bringing that abomination back.
> 
> Guinevere. LONG LIVE THE QUEEN! Hell yeah. I love Guinevere and I love actual angel Angel Coulby. She's gorgeous, she's compassionate, and she gets stuff done. My husband and I joked that Arthur's destiny to unite Albion was more of a 'Sarah Connor in the first Terminator' sort of situation, where _Arthur _actually does nothing of any importance except marry Guinevere, hence giving her the throne, and now that she is Queen and will presumably rule for many years to come (maybe they'll resurrect Lancelot so she can get herself the man she's *meant* to have) and under _her _rule Albion is united and there is peace and prosperity throughout the land. And Arthur was only there to give her a crown and faff about in the woods with Merlin like an idiot.
> 
> Boo on killing Gwaine. And poor Percival. ; _; A thousand more boos on not using Gwaine these past two seasons. Remember the episode with the short dude and the wyverns and whatnot? Remember how Merlin, Arthur, and Gwaine were meant to be this magical triumvirate? Where did that plot point go?
> 
> Eh, yeah, last season was a real weak ending to an otherwise pretty good show. But the actors maintained their flawlessness and I wish them all well in the future, particularly Angel and Bradley. Those two really blew me away with their portrayals of the characters and I think they deserve some great roles after this.



Speaking of the legend itself, Gawain is an interesting character in his own regard. Originally, he was the perfect knight (perfect in five ways as represented by the pentacle), and it wasn't until the French wrote in their own knight (Lancelot) that he got demoted to playing second fiddle. I couldn't find this info on Wikipedia, so I can't remember what the five perfections were, but when I took the class, "Arthurian Legend and Cultural Change" it was something I researched when doing my research paper on Lancelot. Even though I chose Lancelot as the topic of my research paper, the only Lancelot I've ever liked was T.H. White's. 

haha, I just reread my introduction to the paper. My thesis was, "the legend of King Arthur and his noble knights has become misanthropic propaganda and this is accomplished with Lancelot."


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## Mindfire

I disagree with Ophiucha in a few respects, but chiefly in her opinion of Lancelot. I hated him. Not because he was a bad guy, but because I hate "homewreckers" and romantic unfaithfulness in general. Even if the show had gotten another season, Lancelot should stay dead.


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## Ophiucha

That's fair, I suppose, but I think BBC handled the entire Lancelot-Guinevere-Arthur love triangle so poorly and so radically unlike the myths (with Arthur acting like a total ass and Merlin once again obscuring the truth because he somehow believes telling the truth would also mean he has to reveal his magic even though he _definitely doesn't_ and this would solve _literally every problem in the show since season two_) that it's hard to hate Lancelot for it in the show. Or Guinevere, for that matter. I mean, the whole thing is 1000% on Morgana; Lancelot was nothing but respectful of her choice to be with Arthur before the whole lake nonsense.

Besides which, I don't know if I'd call it romantic unfaithfulness for her to hook up with a reborn Lancelot post-S5 given how the show ended.


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## Mindfire

Ophiucha said:


> That's fair, I suppose, but I think BBC handled the entire Lancelot-Guinevere-Arthur love triangle so poorly and so radically unlike the myths (with Arthur acting like a total ass and Merlin once again obscuring the truth because he somehow believes telling the truth would also mean he has to reveal his magic even though he definitely doesn't and this would solve literally every problem in the show since season two) that it's hard to hate Lancelot for it in the show. Or Guinevere, for that matter. I mean, the whole thing is 1000% on Morgana; Lancelot was nothing but respectful of her choice to be with Arthur before the whole lake nonsense.
> 
> Besides which, I don't know if I'd call it romantic unfaithfulness for her to hook up with a reborn Lancelot post-S5 given how the show ended.



Post S5 it wouldn't be unfaithful technically, but it would still be... unpleasant. As if Lancelot somehow "won". 



Spoiler: stuff



Plus it'd devalue Arthur's heroic sacrifice.


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## Zero Angel

Can yins edit your posts to have these in spoilers? Not everyone reading the thread (specifically the OP) has watched all the seasons. I think we can expect people to know the general legends and myths, but how the series handled them should be obscured by the spoiler tags.


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## Ophiucha

I can't edit my post, I guess because it's been quoted. If a mod's around, feel free to hide that last post behind a spoiler tag to be safe.

Personally, I wanted Guinevere to get with Morgana. They had way more chemistry than Gwen had with _either_ Lancelot or Arthur. I do really like the show, but the writers were not masters of romance. Remember the episode with Merlin and his lady friend? That was the least compelling romance in TV history, I think. Though I do really like that one violin theme that seems to only play when Guinevere is getting kissed... I'll have to find it on YouTube or something, but it's like the most dramatic and generally loudest track that ever plays.


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## Mindfire

Ophiucha said:


> Personally, I wanted Guinevere to get with Morgana.



No. You're as bad as the internet shippers. -_-


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## Ophiucha

I could have said Merlin and Arthur.


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## Sheilawisz

I don't really have a problem with spoilers, because I have been reading many articles at the Merlin Wikia and I already know how the series ends, who dies, who lives and everything that needs to be known =)

The start of the third season was _fantastic_, with the siege on Camelot and Morgana raising that army of dead!! I accept that Morgana was better as the good-hearted character that she was at the start of the series, but this new and _super evil_ version of Morgana is cool as well.

I have a doubt:

At the start of the first season, Morgana realizes that Merlin has magical powers... however, later in the series she does not know this secret, like she never saw Merlin casting Magic.

Why is that??


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## Jess A

Sheilawisz said:


> At the start of the first season, Morgana realizes that Merlin has magical powers... however, later in the series she does not know this secret, like she never saw Merlin casting Magic.
> 
> Why is that??



I noticed this as well. But there was a big gap between me watching various seasons so maybe I missed something, but less chance you missed something if you've watched it all together?


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## Sheilawisz

I have missed a few episodes Jess, so I don't know, maybe one of those explains this little mystery about Morgana realizing the truth about Merlin and then ignoring it later in the series.

An update: I already watched the two-days episode that closed the fantastic Third season =)

It was wonderful and a pivotal part of the story. However, I would have liked it even more if Morgana could have enjoyed a longer reign and caused way more damage. It was heartbreaking to see her screaming like that, and also, she should have executed that bloody Uther when she had the chance to do it!!

Sadly for me, the Fourth season is not available in Sony yet and I will have to wait...


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## Chilari

Wow I can't believe I missed this thread before now. As Zero Angel has kindly mentioned, I have blogged about the series - twice, in fact. Once early in season 5 as a review, once specifically about the finale. Basically, I found I was frustrated in season 4 and especially 5 that there was little the challenge the status quo. Perhaps the writers wanted to keep it going as long as they could, and rather than make it interesting so it keeps getting commissioned, they just avoided moving things forward so there was always potential story ahead.

I do like the lightheartedness of it and the dynamic between Merlin and Arthur. I think Morgana's conflicts when she first learns about her magic were well handled. I think, though, that it falls down in that the writers knew where they eventually had to take things with Morgana, as well as with Lancelot, Guinevere and so on so those storylines were very much on rails. They never quite got off track to where they could surprise and delight. They became predictable, even if the core of the story wasn't stuck to. That, perhaps, is the danger of basing a series on a well established legend: everyone knows where it will go in the end, they're just waiting for it to happen.


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## Sheilawisz

I have started watching the series from the start again, hoping that the fourth and fifth seasons will soon be available for me =)

After watching the episode where Nimueh poisons the water causing a magical plague in Camelot, I realized my mistake: In the end, when Morgana said to Merlin "I saw what you did" and promises to keep the secret, she was not referring to having witnessed Merlin casting Magic to destroy the monster.

Morgana was under the impression that Merlin was in love with Guinevere, so that was the _secret_ that she was talking about!!

@Chilari: After watching the first three seasons, I have fallen in love with the series. Many have told me that seasons 4 and 5 are not so good, that the ending is definitely bad, but I hope that I will enjoy the final part of the story anyway.

What are your favourite episodes??


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## Chilari

Actually, one of my favourite episodes is from season 5 - when Mordred reappears. I won't spoil it for you, but I liked the dynamic between the characters. I quite like Gwaine's first appearance too. In fact, all of his appearances. He's my favourite knight.


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## Sheilawisz

Chilari, I also love Gwaine and he is one of my favorite characters =)

My fav episodes from Season 1 are: A Remedy to Cure all Ills, The Gates of Avalon, To Kill the King and Le Morte d'Arthur. Season 2 also features great episodes, from which my favs are, absolutely, the two parts of Beauty and the Beast.

The series is fascinating, and my only complain about it is that I find it really frustrating to watch how Merlin saves Arthur, Uther and Camelot from total disaster (over and over again!) and they have no idea about what really happens, only Gaius knows the secret!!

I mean, Arthur and Uther are so clueless that sometimes I want to jump into the screen and shake them, screaming: _Merlin is a powerful sorcerer, and he has been saving your lives so many times!_

Merlin's magical powers must remain a secret, but still, sometimes it's so frustrating...


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## Sheilawisz

I have been watching the fourth season of Merlin _at last_ after a very long wait, but sadly, I have to report that I am not liking these episodes at all and I am rather disappointed with the series.

The fourth season so far lacks the sparks, great stories and good humor of the first three seasons, something changed and now the story is just too grim and dark. I hated that Lancelot died, now I hate Morgana and, despite the fact that I hated Uther before, I felt really sorry when he died.

This new character Agravaine just popped out of nowhere, like a device to let Morgana spy on Camelot and allow her to deliver all of these machiavellian attacks...

I watched _Lancelot du Lac_ yesterday and hated it even worse... is the rest of the series really that bad?


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## Ophiucha

Sheilawisz said:


> is the rest of the series really that bad?



Yes. The season finales are usually good, but the twenty episodes that precede them for the last two seasons are just... ugh. Particularly the last season. I just skipped three episodes in the middle somewhere just to get to the end a little faster.


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## Sheilawisz

I watched _A Herald of the New Age_ yesterday and liked it, because it was funnier and also it featured a more positive energy than the previous episodes of the fourth season. I want to watch _The Hunter's Heart_ tonight, and then report my opinion about it tomorrow.

Thanks for letting me know that I can expect more of the same style of grim, dark episodes in this season and the next... That's really sad for me, but I loved the first three seasons so much that now I want to be loyal to the end.

The season finale _The Sword in the Stone_ sounds interesting, I cannot wait to watch it =)


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## Firekeeper

One of my favorite series of all time. I have seen almost every episode and they are just fantastic, they have all the things I love in fantasy: Castles, dragons, magic, swordfights etc. Love the humor, and this Morgana is one of the most intriguing characters I have come across in a long time. I love villains who you can sympathize with; she didn't set out to be evil. All she ever wanted was to be accepted, and being constantly confronted by Uther's cruelty made her twisted with hate. An absolutely wonderful character (and it doesn't hurt that Katie McGrath is absolutely gorgeous)

But....a couple of complaints (don't read unless you have seen the series finale):

I was disappointed with the way they handled Merlin's reveal of his magic. I love that Gwen figured it out herself, but why oh why could they have let that happen halfway through the season. It would have been so entertaining to have her find out and then have to keep it from Arthur; there could have been so many storylines and jokes about her and Merlin keeping the secret from Arthur together. They really dropped the ball on this, Gwen and Merlin had a special connection going back to season one, they could have at least allowed her and Merlin to have *one conversation* where the cat was out of the bag and Merlin could be himself in front of her

And I think everyone was hoping for at least one adventure with Merlin and Arthur where Arthur knew about Merlin's magic and they fought as a team. Yeah, they kind of had this a little bit but Arthur was injured and dying and never got comfortable with Merlin's magic. I was hoping for one adventure where Arthur knew and embraced Merlin's gifts, and they fought side by side. 

I also was hoping for a big sword fight between Arthur and Mordred. All they did was stand there a stab each other. Really felt anticlimactic. Same for Merlin and Morgana. I was hoping for an epic wizard duel, the Last High Priestess vs. Emrys. Could have been epic. Instead all we had was Merlin stabbing her. What was with all the standing-there-and-stabbing with these last fights? It's like the directer just didn't care and wanted to get it over with as quickly as possible. I did like how Merlin said he blamed himself for what she'd become, and my heart was breaking as he told her goodbye. Such deep and well developed characters, they deserved more out of this finale. It was all just too rushed.


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## Sheilawisz

I have watched the fourth season finale _The Sword in the Stone_ last night, and its two parts have been, by far, my favorite episodes of the entire season. This has compensated for the eleven preceding bad episodes, so now I can understand and appreciate better the changes that have taken place in the story.

My favorite part was when the Dragon attacked and destroyed Agravaine's soldiers (I was cheering!) and also when Merlin killed Agravaine with Magic, good riddance! Tristan and Isolde were really cool characters, so sorry to watch Isolde dying. Everything in this finale was really well done, and I am left wondering what will happen now that Aithusa seems to be loyal to Morgana.

Morgana is... way too evil now.

I liked the evil version of Morgana when she appeared and I understand her reasons to be like that, but she has gone too far. I think that she is obsessed and crazy more than smart and cunning, and that she would be more successful in her schemes if she thought them out a little better.

Well, Arthur has his Queen Guinevere at last... Now, I have to watch the fifth season =)


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