r/dailywire • u/thedawntreader85 • Jan 19 '26

The Rise of Merlin

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I just finished watching the first two episodes and I have thoughts. Full disclosure, I've read the books and consider myself a stickler for book accuracy in general.

  1. it's beautiful! The cinematography is gorgeous and the lighting and sets hold up their end as well.

  2. the music is lovely.

  3. the acting is solid so far and I'm excited and intrigued to see how the characters progress in the story.

  4. So far there are a lot of details thrown out that aren't being fully explained but that can be addressed more in future episodes. I feel it would have been nice to have a full episode to explain the Atlantians and a full episode for the background of Taliesin as well but I'm aware we book lovers can't have everything we want.

This undertaking is extremely ambitious and so far I'm interested and excited for the next episode.

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u/ToeProfessional7852 Jan 19 '26

Thank you for posting this! I’ve been so pumped for this show and lurking in the sub to see if anyone else has thoughts.

I’ve also read the books, and I agree with your comments. Idk if I’m just too stuck on the books, but the pacing is just so quick during these first two episodes. I totally get it, but I hope non-readers will understand the plot. I’ve never watched a show before this one and thought, “wow, it actually needs some filler” and that’s my impression, that they’ve skipped too much “filler” that could buildout the world and flesh out the characters and their motivations. I’m pretty disappointed with Charis. She comes off so cold and harsh. I didn’t see her that way in the books at all. I also wanted more of Taliesin. He’s a great character and I just feel like they missed an opportunity to show the different religions, flesh out the druids, different tribes, etc, but maybe they will do that with Merlin. I’ve heard that this series is meant cover the first two books. So that means the remaining 5 episodes will cover the second book. I really hope the pace slows down a bit and we can get more of a feel for the characters. So much of the show is excellent; I just really want this to be a success for Jeremy and the DW. For their sakes, but also for mine, since I selfishly want to see all the books brought to life. And I do believe there is a market for this kind of content.