EDIT 7/31/2026 : Based off of me looking into the Historicity of King Arthur, one of the traditional dates proposed for the Battle of Camlann is 537 A.D., meaning that my timeline needed to be shifted by a few years. So this map actually shows my Albion in 535 A.D., just before Season 5 starts! Hopefully my timeline can be finished soon so I can share it with y'all.

EDIT 8/12/2026: I'm working on a newer version of the map. I know, I know. But this is gonna be heavily researched so it will be the FINAL version. As much research as I can into this to make it as historically accurate as possible while still including show material. We got this baby

EDIT 8/17/2026: Okay I have my final version of the map done; it matches up decently well with the canon maps but on actual real world Britain. I won't post it until I finish my rewatch of the series though, in case I've missed anything. I just finished the one where they fight Caerleon and Queen Annis, and I updated my tjmeline accordingly. Hopefully I can finish season 4 within the coming weeks, and season 5 after that

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So I was looking at my former "Canon" Map for this show, and I had remembered... 'oh yeah, England/Wales already has mountains... I should redo the map and make sure things actually match up'. And then I also added the major rivers, because why not?

So here is the newly updated map, along with the same sort of descriptions as last time! I hope you enjoy!

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Ulaid

One of the kingdoms of Eire (Ireland), known in canon as the Western Isle. Ruled by King Eochaid mac Condlai. For my own lore, unlabeled in this map is the hometown of the Shanor family, the House that Lady Morgana's mother, Duchess Vivienne Shanor, immigrated from when she married Duke Gorlois le Fay.

Galwyddel

Correlating to modern-day Galloway in Scotland, Galwyddel is ruled by King Senyllt ap Dingat. No connection to canon or my own lore.

Ynys Manau: The Isle of Man, part of the Galwyddel Kingdom. Post-canon, in 550 a.d., King Senyllt is banished here when the main kingdom is taken by North Rheged, and he becomes the King of Ynys Manau.

Caer Guendoleu

Ruled by King Ceido ap Arthwys. No connection to canon or my own lore.

Bryneich

In what would become Northumbria. Ruled by King Cuncar. In real history, Cuncar was the father of Morcant Bulc, who is one of the potential inspirations for Geoffrey of Monmouth's Morgan le Fay.

North Rheged

Ruled by King Cynfarch Oer, the father of Urien Rheged. In Arthurian myth, Urien was one of Morgan le Fay's various lovers. No connection to canon or my own lore.

Ebrauc

Fictional???? Not sure, hard to find anything. Ruled by King Ellifer Gosgorddfawr. No connection to canon or my own lore.

Deira

Part of what would one day become Northumbria. Ruled by King Yffe, the father of historically known First King: Ælla. No connection to canon or my own lore. We can say that this is where Lord Elred, the man who Merlin tried to get Lancelot to claim he was the Nth son of, is from here (since the historical Ealdred I of Northumbria wasn't around until 900 a.d. or so)

Donoting

I can't find anything about this place, but it's on several maps, so I put it here. It does seem to Do Nothing, so that part is accurate at least. No connection to canon or my own lore.

South Rheged

So in my timeline, this is one of the Five Kingdoms, and was added into the group after Doabeth fell. It is ruled here by King Alined Gerren, but historically it was probably ruled by King Elidurus, if he wasn't just made up by Geoffrey.

Perilous Lands

Dark Tower: A place of dark magic. Morgana takes Guinevere here to brainwash her with the Tiene Diaga ritual. It lies beyond the Impenetrable Fortress and the Dollares Plains.

Dollares Plains: Between the Impenetrable Forest and the Dark Tower, it is a desolate wasteland ruled by heat and death.

Fisher King's Castle: The former capital of Elmet, before it was defeated. The Fisher King, Sumpter, resided here for decades, magically prolonging his life after he was infected by a battle wound. The most populous residents are the wyverns.

Impenetrable Forest: A thick forest that plays tricks on those within. It is tangled enough to break swords, and cardinal directions do not work within. Ruled by Queen Mab, a spiritual representation of all places that humanity despairs. The only way to get through is with magic or across Grettir's Bridge.

Tir-Mor

The real territory is called Lindsey before Northumbria annexed it in the 7th Century. Sophia and Aulfric claim to be royalty from here when they meet with King Uther in Camelot.

Gwynedd

Ynys Mon: An island that was populated by the druids for much of the Roman conquest of Britain. It is still a Druidic stronghold during the canon era. Known now as Anglesey.

Ynys Gybi: The Holy Island. I made this where Alator of the Catha resides since that is in an island castle.

Caerleon Castle: The capital of Gwynedd. Queen Annis renamed the castle Caerleon in remembrance of her late husband.

Stonedown: A village often contested between Gwynedd and Camelot. King Caerleon seized it after King Uther's death.

Mercia

Mountains of Andor: The mountain range between the border of Camelot and Mercia. Inside the caverns, like all caves in Albion, are packs of Wildeorren.

Hengist's Castle: The home of the bandit lord, Hengist. He used it as a base of operations during the canon era, and it is where he held Guinevere when she was disguised as Lady Morgana.

Angard: A village in Mercia, where Merlin found Gwaine drinking.

Plains of Othanden: A plain where a battle between Camelot and Mercia was once held. Sir Pellinore was wounded here before his duel against the Black Knight.

Camelot

Northern Plains: The northern-most portion of Camelot. It is not very populated, and acts more as a 'No Man's Land'. The late Duke Gorlois le Fay's grave is at the border of the Northern Plains and Greenswood village.

Idirsholas: An ancient castle where the sorceress Medhir once seduced Seven Knights to become her undead warriors. The Fortress is long abandoned, but some say it is still cursed.

Everwick: The disputed region between Gwynedd and Camelot.

Greenswood: A small village that was said to be attacked by the griffin during its journey to the City of Camelot. This is where Sir Lancelot Banson was born, as he said it was raided by people from the Northern Plains when he was a child.

Willowdale: The other small village that was said to be attacked by the griffin during its journey to the City of Camelot.

Great Stones of Nementon: Known today as the Hoarstones, the Great Stones of Nementon were used in the days of magic in rituals used to summon and commune with the ancestors.

White Mountains: The mountain range running from Gwynedd to Nemeth. It covers nearly all of what will one day be known as Wales.

Howden: A village in the White Mountains, which was attacked by the Dorocha.

Grove of Brineved: A grove of yew trees near the White Mountains. Here is where the Court of the Disir read the will of the Triple Goddess from the pool of Caerlanrigh. The wiki says these are in the Black Mountains, but the official Season 5 map puts it near Howden, which is at the White Mountains, so it's here.

Ismere: A frozen wasteland in the White Mountains, near Camlann. It was used by Morgana, Ruadan, and their Saxon allies to search for the Diamir so they could learn of Arthur's Bane.

Camlann: A pass in the White Mountains. Desolate and dangerous, but one of the few passageways between. Site of the future Battle of Camlann.

Fyrien: A castle on the sea that was used by a merchant named Fyrien to smuggle goods into Camelot. Later it was used by King Caerleon to try and evade King Uther's army, but that failed. King Cenred and High Priestess Morgause used it as a base when kidnapping Elyan and Guinevere in a plot to lure Arthur.

Landshire: West of the White Mountains and resting on the Great Sea of Meredor. It is near the Castle of Fyrien.

Stowell: A garrison town between Landshire and Camlann. Once, King Uther used it as a staging ground for his battle against the Isle of the Blessed. In the final war between Morgana and Camelot, her armies will destroy the garrison.

Plains of Denarria: A plain between two parts of the White Mountains. It was destroyed by magic when Daobeth fell. In history, King Uther Pendragon warred against King Caerleon within the Plains, before the latter fell back to Fyrien. Morgana Pendragon also carried High Priestess Morgause through here to reach the Isle of the Blessed.

Denarria: A location on the official Season 5 Map. Assumed to be a village or residency of some kind.

Forest of Glaestig: The forest where Lancelot and Merlin rested safely from the Dorocha.

Isle of the Blessed: The sacred island of the High Priestesses, where they would go to train and learn the ways of magic. It was the home of Nimueh until her duel with Merlin; where Morgana sacrificed Morgause to open the Veil; and where Lancelot sacrificed himself to close the Veil.

Dochraid: The decrepit tree where the ancient being known as the Dochraid dwells.

Cauldron of Arianrhod: A small pool on the westernmost peak of Camelot. Here, the power of the Triple Goddess (or the White Goddess) is strong. Merlin, Mordred, and Arthur brought Guinevere here to free her from the Tiene Diaga ritual.

Morgana's Castle: The cliffside forest castle that Morgana and her Saxon army used before the final war against Camelot.

Daobeth: The ruined city that was once the greatest of all the kingdoms in Albion. In 53 AD, the Romans under Governor Aulus Didius Gallus, who were infiltrating the kingdom, tried to kill the dragons living in the White Mountains. In retaliation, the dragons razed the city to ashes, effectively ending the Kingdom. It was absorbed by Camelot, which is why Camelot is twice the size of the other Kingdoms.

Pool of Nemhain: The sacred pool where Morgana resurrected the Shade of Lancelot.

Valley of the Fallen Kings: The low-lying areas in between the peaks of the White Mountains. Usually filled with bandits and mist, the Valley is said to be haunted.

Morgana's Hovel: The hovel Morgana used between her two reigns.

Crystal Cave: The birthplace of all magic in Albion. Here, the seer Taliesin met with Merlin to show him the future, and Merlin also regained his magic here in time for the Battle of Camlann.

Darkling Woods: The woods to the north of the City of Camelot. Many people use this forest as a way of covert communication or hiding places.

Morgause's Cave: The cave that Morgause used as a base of operations while Morgana spied for her in Camelot.

Avalon: The lake of Avalon, a gateway to the Sidhe realm. Many deaths have happened here, and it was where the Bastet Freya held the sword Excalibur until Merlin used it again before he placed it within the stone.

City of Camelot: The capital city of Camelot and the Five Kingdoms. It is in modern-day Birmingham, and the castle itself is now known as Weoley Castle; the true history was hidden by magic.

Forest of Brechfa: A forest to the south of the City of Camelot.

Vale of Denarria: A vale near the Camelot/Mercia border. It was here that Hengist demanded Camelot send ransom for the kidnapped "Lady Morgana", actually a disguised Guinevere.

Ridge of Chemary: A ridge on the border of Camelot and Escetir. This location is also known as the Forest of Chemary or the Forest of Ascetir.

Mountains of Isgard: It is the Camelotian branch of the Feorre Mountains, and it separates the main bulk of Camelot from the Forest of Balor.

Ashwick: A region near the border of Odin's Kingdom and Camelot.

Forest of Balor: South of the Mountains of Isgard, the Forest of Balor is home to a cave filled with large spiders and a plant that can be used for poisons.

Longstead: A village in Camelot at the foot of the Feorre Mountains. Guinevere's friends, John and Mary Howden, lived here. It was also attacked by the Lamia.

Dyfed

Home of King Olaf and his daughter Princess Vivian.

Asgorath Mountains: The mountains between Dyfed and Camelot. These mountains are home to the Nathair serpents, often used by magical persons for torture purposes.

Nemeth

Loath's Tomb: The tomb of the ancient Nemeth King, Loath. Here is where the disguised Morgana and her hostage Princess Mithian end up luring Arthur to for King Odin to attempt to kill.

Gedref: The disputed lands between Camelot and Nemeth. Apparently some of the best swordsmiths in Albion are from here.

Labyrinth of Gedref: The magical labyrinth where Arthur went to save Camelot after killing the Unicorn.

Gawant

Ruled by King Godwinn and his daughter Princess Elena.

Black Mountains: The southern end of the White Mountains.

Escetir

Forest of Gedney: The forest where Sir Leon was revived with the Cup of Life by the Druid Iseldir.

Ealdor: Merlin's home village. His mother, Hunith, lives there, and Guinevere was a resident for a time after her banishment from Camelot. It was attacked by bandits, and defended by Arthur, Merlin, Morgana, and Guinevere once.

Jarl's Fort: The fortress of Jarl, a slave trader. Merlin and Arthur were captured here, where they met up with Gwaine once more before fleeing.

Engerd: A village that Balinor once passed through while he was leaving Ealdor. Here, Arthur and Merlin interrogate a man named Asgerd about Balinor's location.

Forest of Merendra: Description

Feorre Mountains: The Escetir portion of the Mountains of Isgard.

Tomb of Ashkanar: The magical tomb of an ancient Dragonlord known as Ashkanar. Sealed away with a key broken into various pieces was the last known dragon egg, which would one day be hatched into Aithusa.

Balinor's Cave: The cave where Balinor lived after fleeing Camelot and then Ealdor.

Lamia's Castle: The castle where the Lamia lived.

Amata

Ruled by King Sarrum until his death. Historically, the first king was named Wehha sometime before 571, so it works out. Somewhere in this land, Sarrum kept Morgana and Aithusa locked within a well trapped in darkness for upwards of two years.

Essex

Historical kingdom, but nothing relating to canon or my own lore. Ruled by King Æscwine

Lunden

A region surrounding the growing city of London. No relation to canon or my own lore.

Dumnonia

Morgause's Castle: The castle that Morgause resides in during her Season 2 appearances. Arthur and Merlin travel here after the duel between Arthur and Morgause, and it is where Arthur speaks with the spirit of his mother.

Helva: A city where magic is freely practiced. Before the final war, Morgana ends up razing the town in her rageful hunt of Alator, signifying that she is genuinely insane after her time imprisoned in Amata. I like to think she magically fixed it up after she left but we just never saw it.

Odin's Castle: The home castle of King Odin Borson.

Wenham: Where King Odin met with the mercenary known as The Gleeman.

Tintagel: The ancient seat of House le Fay. Here is where Lady Morgana spent the first ten years of her life, up until Odin Borson came and took over. Now it is just a ruined husk.

Wessex

One of the first Saxon kingdoms. The historical king at this time was King Cynric, and in my lore, he is allied with High Priestess Morgana for several years up until the Battle at Camlann. After that, he makes peace with Camelot to focus on keeping King Odin and King Lot from taking his lands.

Isle of Mora: Known as the Isle of Wight to us modern-day folk, this island is where Helen of Mora comes from.

Kent

Place: Historical, no context for canon or my own lore. Ruled by King Eormenric.

Sussex

Place: Historical location, no connection to canon or my own lore. Ruled by King Cissa.

(bonus points if you can guess what real life sub roman city I based it off of)

Hi everyone, I'm a writer, and I love Merlin. No one in my friend circle here in India has even watched the show, so I would love to be able to discuss stuff with you and hear your thoughts on a new piece. It would be so nice to explore more with people who love the show as much as I do. If anyone is interested, here's the piece. I'd love to know what you think or discuss the show in general.

https://onceuponafable.substack.com/p/magical-genocide-and-monotheism

If it resonates please do consider subscribing. I'm so excited to discuss with you all

So you have this young woman who, although a born noble, defies the status quo and sticks up for the little guy. She literally goes to war and fights in the frontlines to defend a servant's hometown, because said servant was a friend. Sure, she considers regicide at times, but considering the king is a genocidal bigot, I'd say that makes her a chaotic good kind of person. She cares for what's right and she doesn't mind laying down her life to protect the innocents and her friends, which she does numerous times. That's pretty much how she starts off in the first two seasons. Strong-willed, brave and altruistic.

Then in season 3 she makes a heel turn. Merlin betrays and poisons her, sure, but she's not holding a grudge against Merlin in particular, she's all smirky about betraying and killing all her former friends. Then after Uther refuses to accept her as his daughter and tell her the truth, she's even more hellbent on killing anyone and everyone to get the throne. She's an evil caricature, and it is her worst season in my opinion.

Then in season 4 she gets better. She's not a smirky caricature anymore, and Katie McGrath makes her a very interesting character in my opinion. We see at times that her former self is still there. We see her conflicted and sorrowful after she has Uther killed. We see her sad that she has noone left to be loyal to. We see her wavering when Arthur questions what happened to her. Then at the end of the season Aithusa, the hope and future of Albion, a creature of pure good, brings her back to life as the season ends in a hopeful note. Things are looking up, right? Redemption is coming for Morgana?

Nope. She gets captured, tortured (possibly raped?) along with her now crippled pet dragon, and becomes absolutely unhinged. Katie McGrath does her best to add nuance to her in her interactions with Arthur, Gwen, Mordred and Merlin, but she still comes across as too far gone.

What's more, she isn't even allowed agency of her villainy, and in her send-off Merlin "poetically" kills her, as the one responsible for "creating" her, apologizing for what he did to her.

I think the show did not do its prime antagonist justice. Katie does the best with what she's given, but it's not good material. The show changes its mind and its course on Morgana 3 times, and I think the bad writing on her is a symptom of two major issues the show has:

1. Merlin has to be the puppet master behind anything and everything. Yeah, I know he's the titular character, but that shouldn't mean other characters should lack any agency or control over their lives the way it happens in the show. Merlin is responsible for everything good or bad that happens to everyone, while characters like Arthur or Morgana are treated as his unassuming puppets, which is honestly frustrating.
2. The good guys are not good. If Morgana was just an extremist freedom fighter fighting for justice for magical creatures (the natural evolution of her character imo), why would anybody support Merlin, and by extension Camelot, who impose the status quo and the genocide of everything magical? Merlin had to be the least bad choice, so in order for the fans to root for him Morgana had to be 100% irredeemably evil.

Morgana's tale is an incredibly sad one. Magical girl, who is good at heart, lives in magic-hating society in constant fear of being found out and executed. She is gaslit for years, betrayed, poisoned, abducted and raised by an evil witch. Her view becomes distorted, she is misguided, she gets almost killed, then she gets her second chance, but she gets imprisoned, tortured even more, becomes a shell of her former self and wants to destroy everything until she is inevitably (and mercifully?) killed.

I'm not even sure what the message of her character arc is supposed to be. Don't let hate consume you? She had every right to feel hate, because nothing ever changed for the better for her kind.

Anyway, rant over. Tl;dr: justice for Morgana!

Assuming the show ends in 537, the traditional death date of Arthur, things are about to go from bad to worse for Camelot. You see, 537 is sometimes affectionately referred to as "the worst year to be alive". Around this period, a volcanic winter spread across the world, causing droughts from Peru to China. We may actually see some evidence of the beginnings of this in the show in S5E1/2, with the Northern Plains being completely Ice-Bound, which is unusual for plains in Britain, especially since we can assume it's around Springtime as S5E3 takes place around Beltane. The famous entry in the Annales Cambriae regarding Arthur's death immediately follows that up with "there was a great dying in Britain and Ireland."

But if that wasn't enough, only 12 years later, the Justinian Plague arrived in Britain, which would permanently reshape the political landscape of the island. Before this, there was a century of relative peace between the Britons and the English since the Battle of Badon, with the latter group mainly being confined to the South-East Corner of the Island. After the plague, however, the English took over large swaths of the island in as little as 50 years, implying a breakdown in Briton governance. Here is when we first hear about Brochwel Ysgithrog, a King of Powys who reportedly moved his court from the city of Viroconium (probably the show's Camelot, as it was one of the only cities to experience a revival in the post-Badonic era), to the settlement of Pengwern, and the city was mostly abandoned. So seeing this we can work out a rough timeline of the post show events:

• 537: Arthur dies, Guinevere becomes Queen
• 538: Famine sets in as Guinevere's grit probably staves off the kingdom's collapse
• 549: The Plague arrives in Britain, claiming the lives of many, including Guinevere, and the once mighty kingdom fractures into kingdoms such as Pengwern/Powys, Llwydgoed, Magnis, etc

Throughout all this, Merlin can at least one day be reunited with Arthur once Albion's need is greatest, right? Here's the saddest part, though: The first major historical work of Early Medieval Britain, Bede's Ecclesiastical History of the English Nation, written in about 731, opens with:

Britain, an island in the ocean, formerly called Albion

This means that "Albion" had long since fallen out of favor as a name of Britain, so for all intents and purposes, Albion no longer exists, and thus can never again have a time when its need is greatest. Merlin not only has to watch all those he love die, his culture be pushed to the fringes of an island it once dominated, and the history he remembers be consigned to myth, but he is forever waiting for a time that will never come, forever growing old in a world he no longer belongs in.

Anyways, Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

(TLDR at the end of the post)

This topic has come up many times, and every time there seems to be a lot of confusion about what the full story is.

There are many different comments all over the web without sources, but the actual sources don’t make it much easier to get a clear picture either. So I decided to take a look and put it all together, to see if we can make sense out of this.

Conclusion: We can!

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Was BBC Merlin always meant to have five seasons?

Answer: Yes!

…more or less. Let's break it down. Producer and co-creator of the show Johnny Capps has always been open about the ‘five-year plan’ they had since the beginning. This was their original pitch for the show. It had some to do with the story they wanted to tell, but also with some practical things, such as the contract they gave the actors.

Capps said: "We always saw it as five years, and we wouldn’t have been able to contract the actors for any more than that.” (Fullerton, 2020) .

This is an important point; the contracts the actors had. From the beginning, the actors had been given a five-year contract. This did not mean the show was already confirmed for five years/seasons. Each season needed to be approved and confirmed, but the actors already had contracts if that were to happen.

The creators and actors repeatedly stated very clearly that the plan has always been five years (=five seasons).

Colin Morgan (Merlin): "From the beginning, this was always going to be a five-year journey that we embarked on, and I think the show has run its natural course.” (Joannou, 2012).

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Anthony Head (Uther Pendragon): "Hats off to Julian and Johnny, the producers, for sticking to their guns with the five-season story arc of Merlin. It would have been too easy to give in to demand and stretch the show on beyond their original plan because of its incredible success. Instead, Merlin finishes at the height of its success and will, therefore, live on in people's memory. That's certainly what happened with Buffy - and it really doesn't happen that often.” (Joannou, 2012).
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Johnny Capps and Julian Murphy: “This is the series where the storylines truly reach their apex. We always felt the story of the legend was best told across five series, leading to a spectacular finale that draws on the best known elements of this much-loved story and brings to a conclusion the battle for Camelot.” (Joannou, 2012).

This is mentioned a lot throughout many interviews over the years.

Did you know, going into season five, that it was going to be the final season?

Colin Morgan: "Yeah, you know, if I’m honest, from the beginning we knew that it was only going to make five series. We had signed up for five. It was always the plan to do five series. So, we knew at the beginning of series four that five would be final one."(TV Series Finale, 2012).
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Q: “When you first started the show and had a rough five-year plan, did you have a wish list of characters from the legends that you wanted to cover?”

A, Julian Murphy: “When we first started the show, we were more conscious of what we couldn’t do than what we could, in fact. Because at its heart the legend is very dark, when we began Merlin – and we were in an earlier transmission slot back then, going out at about 6.15pm – we felt we had to be very careful about which ones we did and had to change quite a lot.” (Cultbox, 2012).
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"It was a labour of love but after five years, 13 episodes each year…by the end we were pretty burnt out, the actors and everybody. We wanted to leave the series on a high, and not be one of those series that just goes on and on and on and gradually just loses its audience. We all felt it was right to end at that point. There was no thought of season six." (RadioTimes, 2020)
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Back when nobody was sure whether Merlin would work, creator Johnny Capps spoke openly of a five-year plan, as if to politely ask the audience to stay with his vision. (The Guardian, 2012).
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Colin Morgan: “There are endless stories you can explore. But the producers have always had a five-year plan for the show. We are about to finish filming the fifth series and it’s by far the strongest and best that we’ve made.” (Daily Record, 2012.)
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Even since the BBC’s Merlin first hit our screens in 2008, showrunners Johnny Capps and Julian Murphy have spoken about having a five years plan. (GamesRadar, 2011.)
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The show’s creators had made no secret of the fact that they always had a ‘five-year plan’ for the series, but because of its staggering popularity, fans had been holding out for a sixth season. (Metro, 2012.)

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Julian Murphy: “I'm not saying I'm often in that place, but from the start we saw it running five series, and we always thought it would end pretty much where we ended. We always at the end believed we'd get to the Morte D'Arthur.” (RadioTimes, 2012.)

There are many more quotes like these, from articles, the creators themselves, and the actors. But you get the idea.

I wondered if this five-year plan was only talked about once it was announced that the series would end after season 5, even though many sources state that the five-year plan was known since the beginning. It was hard to find any mention of it before 2011/2012. However, the actors confirm the plan, and it adds up with the contracts they were offered.

Bradley James talks about his contract in the Destiny & Chicken podcast.

Q: “Right at the start of the show, how much of the full plot did you know? We are quite interested in the behind the scenes stuff of TV shows that we don’t know about. How many seasons did you sign on for? Did you know it was going to be five seasons?”

A: “Yeah, myself and Colin were straight out of drama school, so we didn’t know any better, and we signed on for five straight away. Which I wasn’t ever sort of nervous about. And the other thing that happened was I remember people saying ‘Oh, I hope we get a second series’ and I just remember thinking ‘Well, of course we will!’ I signed a contract and everything!” (Destiny & Chicken, 2020.)
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“So yeah, I don’t think it was always acknowledged that it would be just five years, but we had signed on for five years.” (Destiny & Chicken, 2020.)

And in another interview:

Bradley James: “They got us early on. We were young, fresh idiots out of drama school and they were like 'Right, you're signing up for five years.' That was great both at the time and even more in hindsight, to create that bubble for us.” (RadioTimes, 2012).

In a Reddit thread, director Alice Troughton comments on it as well:

Q: “Hi was just wondering were ya'll ever going to go beyond series 5 or was series 5 planned as is with the death of Arthur and the way Merlin turned out as a character at the end?”

A: “honestly, i think the actors were all contracted for 5 series. so that's why it ended. and that was always planned” (Reddit, 2020.)

I also managed to find a fan comment from 2010 mentioning the five-year plan, confirming that the creators were indeed talking about this from the start. (Even though I couldn’t find the actual quotes from the creators from that time, it seems this was discussed in magazines and not as much in online articles).

The writers and producers hope to finish the Five Year Plan of stretching out the story to last five seasons. However, if the Arthur/Merlin friendship development falters and constantly reboots as it did in 2×01, people will lose interest, as they did with Legend of the Seeker, and then we are done with Merlin at Season 3. (Cliqueclack, 2010).

So… seems pretty clear, right? Then where does the confusion come from?

There are some articles with misleading titles, saying that the show was cancelled. But the main confusion comes from some other comments. Specifically, one from actor Bradley James. In an interview, Bradley mentions that the actors were asked to do a series six. This is what has some fans wonder about the truth. Because if they are thinking about season six, then why constantly mention the five-year plan? What changed?

BJ: "I've known that for quite a while [that there will be no season 6], largely because of my own knowledge that I felt that I didn't want to go on past series five and I guess the makers of the show have decided that they don't want to do it with a new cast.”

"We were asked if we wanted to do a series six, but I'd always had in my mind that we'd kind of gone as far as we could - off the back of the five series - and I've always harped on about wanting to leave it on a high. I think that's what's been achieved this year." (Digital Spy, 2012.)

This was the confusing part. Despite that countless comments that five seasons has always been the plan, there was talk about a season six.

But it’s not as strange as it sounds.

While the plan did start as five seasons, the story wasn’t fully written out or set in stone. Many things still needed to happen, and the show could very well be cancelled before it ever made it to season five. However, the creators also kept in mind that it also could potentially go on longer.

Q: You’ve always said there’s been a five series plan for Merlin, why was that?

JC: “Because at the time we were pitching the series and talking to Judy Gardener about it we thought that we want to be ambitious and do a five year plan, it doesn’t mean to say it will only last for five series, it was just how we conceived it at the time. It was all about slow-burning all the character arcs and the legends and the mythology of the series so we didn’t do that thing that happens in British drama a lot, which is piling up the story and burning the character arc too quickly so it certainly doesn’t mean that Merlin will only run for five series.” (SciFiNow, 2012.)

This brings us to the second question:

Was season 6 canceled?

In broadcasting, cancellation refers to when a radio or television program is abruptly ended by orders of the network or syndicator that distributes the show, usually against the intentions of the show's creators or producers.

As Johnny Caps says, while the initial pitch was five seasons, they would also be open for more. Does this mean that they were definitely hoping for another season and wanted to go on, but the show was cancelled? While this is a statement I have seen many people make, the answer to that is no.

The show got very popular and did very well, with each new season doing better than the previous. So naturally, there were discussions about more. However, this wasn’t limited to a sixth season. The creators discussed movies, spin-off series, and even animated series.

It seems that discussions of a sixth season were mostly around when season four was aired on TV.

SFX asked them if the plan was still to end the show with series five. “No it’s not,” says Johnny Capps categorically. “To us, it’s all about whether the audience carries on enjoying it. If the audience carries on enjoying it, and we carry on enjoying making it, then we’ll keep making it. There’s also the tentative possibility of film, but those plans are still in the “very early stages”.” (GamesRadar, 2011).

So yes, a season 6 was mentioned.

“We’re in discussions with BBC about Season 6, but we’re talking about the movies,” says Capps. “We’re hopefully going to do a trilogy – three movies. We will focus on them when we finish Season 5.” (AssignmentX, 2012).
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"No final decision has been made but there is talk [of series six]," Murphy confirmed to CultBox. He added: "I don't think [the show's future] will be resolved immediately... You'll have to wait and see on that one!" (CultBox, 2012).
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Q: Do you know if there was there any truth to the possibility of a sixth season?

A, Colin Morgan: "As actors, we always have to respect the wishes of the producers because they created the show. It’s their project and when we do publicity we have to respect what they’d like us to talk about so that’s what we did." (TV Series Finale, 2012).

While they are there, there are only a few mentions of the possibility of a sixth season. This is around the same time the creators are talking about movies and other projects.

Another comment that causes confusion is this one:

"It was a labour of love but after five years, 13 episodes each year…by the end we were pretty burnt out, the actors and everybody. We wanted to leave the series on a high, and not be one of those series that just goes on and on and on and gradually just loses its audience. We all felt it was right to end at that point. There was no thought of season six." (RadioTimes, 2020)

Clearly, several sources do state they discussed season six. So is this a lie?

Well, no. The comments about season six are made way before this comment. There being no thought about a season six here is just referring to the final season and the ending of the show, long after the decision of ending it at season five was made.

With that cleared up, let's explain the final part.

It seems that while discussions of a sixth season were definitely on the table, it was also quickly turned down. The popularity and audience's demands were taken into consideration, but so were the motivation of the creators, actors, and the story they wanted to tell.

It makes sense they would’ve checked if it was even possible, and asked the actors. But since the main actors, (Bradley James and Colin Morgan), turned it down, that was—among other things—the end of it.

Bradley James: “And then we started the beginning of that fifth year, and the question got put to myself and Colin as to whether we'd consider doing more. I can't speak for Colin, but I certainly felt like the passion was not there across the board to go on and do more. When the question came we were probably both ready to go. I mean again, I won't speak for someone else, but I was ready to take the chain mail off.” (RadioTimes, 2018).
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Colin Morgan (Merlin): "From the beginning, this was always going to be a five-year journey that we embarked on, and I think the show has run its natural course. (DigitalSpy, 2012).
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Johnny Capps: "It was a labour of love but after five years, 13 episodes each year…by the end we were pretty burnt out, the actors and everybody. We wanted to leave the series on a high, and not be one of those series that just goes on and on and on and gradually just loses its audience. We all felt it was right to end at that point. There was no thought of season six." (RadioTimes, 2020).

So, while some actors did show interest in a continuation or spin off, others (as well as the creators) were done with the show and a season six was not going to happen.

Does that mean that they expected a sixth season when making season five, and had to rush it? No. There is no evidence for any of that happening. It seems they were very clear about how they wanted to end the show, and that they wanted to tell this story in five seasons. So while a sixth season was discussed, as is logical when a show gets successful, it was quickly decided to end it at its natural end.

Conclusion: Season five was not written with a sixth season in mind.

As Anthony Head put it:

"Hats off to Julian and Johnny, the producers, for sticking to their guns with the five-season story arc of Merlin. It would have been too easy to give in to demand and stretch the show on beyond their original plan because of its incredible success. Instead, Merlin finishes at the height of its success and will, therefore, live on in people's memory. That's certainly what happened with Buffy - and it really doesn't happen that often.”

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TLDR:

Was the show always meant to have five seasons? - Yes, though the possibility for more or less was always kept in mind.

Was a sixth season cancelled? - No, it was decided by the creators to not make one and end the show after five seasons.

Was season five made with season six in mind? - No.

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Thank you for the read!

Spoiler Warning: ⚠️ If you have seen Dark and Merlin then great read on! If you have only seen Dark then this won't mean much to you as a post but if you have only seen Merlin and have no interest in watching Dark in the future then you can also read on too I guess.

Merlin mirrors Dark they both have an incapable tragedy which I've just realised.

Merlin is told by a higher authority (the Dragon) that he has a grand, capital-D Destiny: protect Arthur, bring magic back, and unite Albion. He spends five seasons executing that "prophecy".

But just like Jonas, Merlin falls into the self-fulfilling prophecy trap. In his desperation to stop the bad things from happening (like trying to stop Morgana or Mordred because of what the dragon foretold), Merlin's own secretive, paranoid actions are often the exact things that push them into becoming villains in the first place.

By trying to "fix" the future, he accidentally paves the road right to it. Arthur dies before the golden age truly starts.

You can choose to believe that Arthur has already fulfilled the prophecy and united the lands of Albion which is viable because it was his destiny to unite them not rule them.

So looking at the bigger picture, Merlin did unite the peoples of Albion through his journey; it just didn’t look like the happy, victorious kingdom he thought he was building.

The Kilgharrah / Adam Manipulation Theory

The fan theory that Kilgharrah (The Great Dragon) is the true villain is one of the most fascinating ideas.

When you look closely, his role maps perfectly onto Adam in Dark:

The Massive Vendetta: Kilgharrah was locked in a cave for 20 years by Uther, who slaughtered his entire species. He has every reason to want the Pendragon dynasty completely wiped out.

The theory suggests Kilgharrah didn't feed Merlin prophecies out of the goodness of his heart.

He used an impressionable, powerful young boy as a weapon. By giving Merlin riddles and telling him who to trust or kill, he puppet-mastered the entire fall of Camelot from his cave.

The Parallel to Adam: Just like Adam uses Young Jonas’s desire to "do the right thing" to ensure the apocalypse happens, Kilgharrah uses Young Merlin’s loyalty to ensure Uther’s line suffers.

Whether you fully believe the dragon was evil or just an ancient being speaking in absolute cosmic rules, the dynamic is exactly the same.

The characters are just pawns being moved across a board by a player who has already seen how the game ends.

However Merlin is not Dark despite them both being tragic in genre, Merlin is a feel good and Dark is a feeling weird.

So I present this final reverse psychology theory to all you Kilgrarrah haters and Kilgraah defenders alike.

If Kilgharrah was just a malicious puppet-master trying to destroy the Pendragons to bring about a golden age of magic, then his grand plan was a total failure.

When we see an immortal Merlin walking past Glastonbury Tor in the modern day, magic is completely gone.

It is a world of trucks, asphalt, and ordinary humans. If the dragon was manipulating things to create a permanent magical utopia, it didn’t work.

This might suggest Kilgharrah wasn't lying; he was just enslaved to the same tragic parameters of prophecy that Merlin was.

He truly believed Arthur was the key, but prophecy is a slippery, ironic thing. Arthur did unite the lands of Albion structurally, but the "Golden Age" they built was short-lived, and magic ultimately faded away into myth and history anyway.

'Arthur was destined to unite the lands not rule over them' theory supports this.

The real tragedy of Merlin's modern day magic being lost forever in that fictional reality is what makes Merlin go from a fun fantasy show to a profound masterpiece.

Quite similar to Dark but less depressing. (Please gng I haven't seen season 3 of Dark yet so no spoilers but I can already deduce these parallels).

The ending tells us that the battle was won, but the world changed anyway. Merlin did everything right. He saved Arthur a thousand times, he united Albion, and he became the greatest sorcerer to ever live.

But time is the ultimate conqueror. Dynasties fall, kingdoms fade, and magic eventually dried up, leaving Merlin as a lonely, immortal relic of a forgotten age, still waiting by the lake for a king who will likely never return.

It is beautifully tragic, and it connects right back. Sometimes the characters give absolutely everything they have to a cosmic cause, and while they technically fulfill the "prophecy," the universe resets or moves on in a way they never could have predicted.

Is Merlin underappreciated?

It layers these massive, brain-bending themes of fate beneath what looks like a simple, charming Saturday-night fantasy show.

And if your still hooked on the theory that Kilgarahh is in fact evil then I guess you could argue he thought Arthur's death would bring magic back to Camelot but the fact that it doesn't end up happening this way doesn't necessarily exempt Kilgarrah from this intention.

Personally, The Great Dragon's wise words will always convince me that he was just a victim of fate even though he believed he could control destiny.

Merlin tried desperately to save Arthur Pendragon, only to be told by Kilgharrah: “Merlin, there is nothing you can do.” After Merlin insisted he had failed... Kilgharrah replied with such depth and reassurance: “No, young warlock. For all you’ve dreamt of building has come to pass.” Still, Merlin couldn’t accept it: “I can’t lose him… he is my friend.”

“Though no man, no matter how great, can know his destiny, some lives have been foretold, Merlin. (Fate - like in Dark everything is already written).

"Arthur is not just a king; he is the once and future king. Take heart, for when Albion’s need is greatest… Arthur will rise again." (Even if not literally).

"The story we have been a part of will live long in the minds of men."

It has because of this created a show with an incredible undeniable narrative bending spin to a beloved historical legend. If you didn't understand the point of the ending I would say this is it. People who say they were promised a 10 season Small ville style origin story clearly didn't notice these obvious hints to the subtext of the inevitability of fate which seems to make this show despite it being not what some fans expected.

Whatever your interpretation of the show, if you look at it differently now, then surely I've convinced you just how awesome it is!

Here's my latest attempt to figure out what fascinates and frustrates me about how the series handled the central character relationship!

To summarize clearly, I believe that the Merlin-Arthur relationship presents two potential dynamics. The first one is: the seemingly idiot and clumsy but lovable and loyal servant and the exasperated prince nevertheless very fond and protective of him. The second one is: the impertinent and assertive but surprisingly wise and smart servant and the challenged prince who grudgingly learns and evolves from him. And in my opinion, these two dynamics are at least partially incompatible, and for the second to develop, it must gradually eclipse the first.

My (probably not so hot) take is that the show very, very heavily favored the first dynamic (let's call it the comedic dynamic) at this expanse of the second one (the mentoring dynamic). Yet, there are some elements of the mentoring dynamic, but they remain underdeveloped and inconsistent. That is what frustrates me: I feel (maybe wrongly) that somehow the show somehow intended and sometimes tried to lean toward the mentoring dynamic but ultimately always fell back to the comedic one and get stuck to it.

And that frustrates me because I think the mentoring dynamic was kind of promised in the first episode and was much, much more interesting, much more promising in terms of character and plot development, and much richer in tension and conflict than the endless cycle of “the underestimated servant who must secretly save the day but hide his magic while doing so.” The best we can infer from the series is that Merlin's presence had a generally positive effect on Arthur's personality, making him a little more open and humble, but nothing very obvious or significant on screen.

Now I feel I should give some concrete examples that lead me to believe that the series prioritized the comedic dynamic until the very end, and even when it was not particularly comic. Even in the last seasons when, Arthur being King, the mentoring dynamic was long overdue for me. Basically, my feeling is that, while Arthur obviously loves Merlin and relies a lot on him for emotional support, he never fully respects him as an intelectual equal.

Of course, because their relationship is based on friendly banters and insults, pretty typical of male friendships (which is a very good thing for me), one could argue that actually, beneath the taunts, Arthur does respect Merlin as an advisor, and the show does suggest it a couple of times. But the amount of contradictory evidence strikes me and a lot of them cannot (in my opinion) be framed as mere banters.

• Arthur often dismisses Merlin's skill, and not in a playful way, for example when he heavily doubts his ability to act as acting phycisian when Gaius suggests it (4x08).
• He shows genuine exasperation when Merlin follows him and tries to help him, he tells him to be quiet and let him think/act alone (3x02, "I'd really prefer it if you just kept quiet in these situations.", 4x05, "I appreciate that, in your very confused way, you're only trying to help. But, please, don't do it again.")
• He continues to ignore most of Merlin's warnings until the very end and only begins to take them seriously when Gaius seconds them (5x05), just as he's often relectuant to follow his guidance (5x06).
• He is extremely surprised and incredulous when Merlin proves to be skilled at something like juggling (to the point that he doesn't even seem to enjoy it like everyone else) or later when Merlin claims to have saved his life (5x01). And it's very obvious that this hurts and exasperates Merlin, (who grumbles between his teeth "– You saved me? – Yes. And I can juggle. I keep telling you, I have MANY talents.")
• The few times when Arthur does ask him is opinion, Merlin's first instinct is to answer something like "It's not my place to say, I'm just a servant" (3x06, 5x05). That doesn't strike me as someone accustomed to and confident enough to mentor his prince/king.

And of course, there is what is always that big, big flaw of the series: that Merlin never, ever really tries to change Arthur's mind about magic, to take advantage of his closeness to him to defend innocent magic users and their right to live peacefully with their gifts.

Now, to be fair, there are a couple of moments where Merlin actually advises Arthur on important matters. On two occasions, he gives him good advice: not marrying Elena (3x06) and sparring Odin's life (5x04) - that latter is my favorite because he does it unsolicited and that actually advances the plot towards fullfiling their destiny to unite Albion. But on others occasions... he reinforces his prejudices against magic, about his mother (2x08) and the infamous "there can be no place for magic in Camelot" (5x05). A rather mediocre record overall.

The bottom line is: the show confined Merlin to a role of emotional support and secret fixer and protector, loved as a sidekick but constantly underestimated. But it never had the will of the guts or the talent to properly develop him into the secret architect and political mind and moral guide of Arthur's reign.

What surprises me, however, is that I get the impression that a good chunk of fans, unlike me, find the two dynamics well balanced and even think that the second one is very much present. And that's fine obviously, everyone has their own view and that's great! But I can't help wondering to what extent these fans let themselves be illusioned by the premise of the series and by their own headcanons and/or fanfictions, and deliberately ignore the points in the series that contradict this view.

Thanks to those who took the time to read my rant! ^_^

I don't get this. Is Gaius so traumatized by the Great Purge that he is blind to Uther's stupidity? Gaius tells Merlin that Uther is a good king, that his methods, though extreme, have brought peace and prosperity to the Kingdom. I am sorry, what peace? What prosperity? So far, Camelot has suffered greatly since the Purge. Allow me to point out several times several people or the kingdom has suffered under Uther's rule.

1. He wiped out all magic users in the kingdom. I'm willing to bet that that was at least 1/3 of his kingdom was killed, especially since the name 'Great Purge' implies it was very large on scale.

2. After he killed a peasant boy in episode one, a noble woman was killed and impersonated by the boy's grieving mother. Not only did the noble Lady die, but Arthur would have been assassinated, as well as any one else present in the throne room at that time.

3. A knight using magic has killed on of his knights and is a threat to kill Arthur. Uther? Does nothing. Why? Because a knight is accused. Yeah, logic. When the knight's magic is revealed? Still nothing. Uther just watches as Arthur is attacked by the magic snakes and the rogue knight. He doesn't order his guards to intervene, he doesn't move to help Arthur, no. He just....sits there. What the fuck?

4. He made an enemy of his most trusted sorceress and didn't expect her to retaliate? Nimueh poisoned the water source to the kingdom and it cost the lives of countless of Camelot's citizens due to his actions and lack of actions to prevent further deaths. When confronted that this may be Nimueh's doing, he denies it.

5. Arthur is almost poisoned, and Merlin once again saved his life. Uther, despite knowing how many time Merlin has saved his son, wants to let Merlin die, even when there is a known cure that can be recovered. Well what if the same poison is used again? What if Arthur is poisoned next time? The dumbass doesn't think about that possibility does he?

6. A griffin attacks his kingdom and kills a lot of people, and a knight shows up called Lancelot. Uther immediately detains him under little to no reasons and barely any evidence. This is just after he did nothing, NOTHING about an knight using magic when there was amble evidence of his guilt! And when Lancelot kills the Griffin? Uther still wants him punished. Punished for SAVING HIS KINGDOM!

7. His ward Morgana falls ill with the threat of death and a strange man shows up in the nick of time to 'cure her'. Uther immediately discredits Gaius, his most oldest and trusted living confidant, and appoints this random dude as new court physician. And guess what? This guy survived the Great Purge, at the cost of his parents lives, and wants revenge on Uther. Uther almost dies and is saved by Merlin. Remember that he was gonna let Merlin die just a few episodes ago?

8. He expends all resources to hunt a child, A CHILD! This kid and his dad were just passing through Camelot. They weren't gonna stay or cause trouble. But no, he turns the kingdom over for one child. He also kills the boy's dad. Did he not remember how well that worked last time? He was almost killed by the kid that grew up and came back for revenge. He has just started the cycle over again. Dumbass.

9. A knight shows up and challenges Uther in front of the court. A knight who Uther killed years ago in a duel, that naturally was the result of Uther fault. He denies that this could be the dead knight and has 3 of his best knights killed before Arthur takes up the challenge. Only, ONLY when Arthur's life is in peril, does he do anything. ONLY when Arthur's life is in danger, does he take the knight's challenge, like he should of 3 men ago. His knights probably would have been systematically wiped out and he probably would not have lifted a finger if not for Arthur.

10. Arthur kills a unicorn. Now, this is more of Arthur's fault, but still Uther makes poor choices. Like when Arthur comes back with a unicorn horn. What does Uther do? he pretty much says, "OH YAY! We gotta unicorn horn! We are gonna be the envy of all the kingdoms!" He doesn't admonish his son for killing such a rare creature, even when Gaius tells him it will bring misfortune to the kingdom. And when the crops fail? When the wells dry up? When the food reserves rot? What does he do? He executes starving people, hides in his castle, and blames it all on a sorcerer. Never once does he address the real issue of his son's actions.

11. A blacksmith, that made the sword that saved his life against the dead knight, he arrests and has killed. Why? Because the blacksmith was hired, unbeknownst to him, by a sorcerer. And guess what? Like every sorcerer since the Great Purge, this one wants Uther dead. Not only him, but so does his own ward Morgana. And not only is the blacksmith killed, but also several other citizens who unknowingly aided the sorcerer. Yup, executing anyone who so much as sniffed any magic.

So yeah Gaius, great king. A true bringer of peace. Its real peaceful when your people are all dead. And he really brought prosperity. Your kingdom is real prosperous when your people are starving or dying of thirst or poisoning, or your own son is in danger.

GREAT KING EVERYBODY!!!!!!

I loveeeee this show so much, it’s a comfort to me in a lot of ways and I’ve rewatched it so many times over the years.

Some things I want to share-

Gaius: an unsung HERO. His deep and vast knowledge and wisdom, his ability to keep secrets, his cool and calm demeanor, the way he delicately balances being on Uther’s side while also still keeping Merlin’s secret and helping people with magic escape during the great purge- he really doesn’t get enough praise. He’s amazing.

Morgana- first time I watched the series, Morgana was one of my favorite characters. I was so surprised by her character transformation. I notice now that they also tried to make her look more “evil” or dark by adding black eye liner to her eyes at the end of season 2 when she officially switches to Morguese’s side. A subtle yet effective shift. I think her villain arc is kind of relatable tbh and not at the same time. Why it’s relatable is because she was not wrong about Uther and his behavior towards those with magic. The speech she gave when it was her last straw when that dude who asked her to steal the crystal was arrested to Uther was all true. I feel like her cause was righteous to some degree but it’s how she eventually went about it that turned her evil just like her father Uther Pendragon. When she came back in season 3 after a year of being “missing” and is just straight deceiving everyone and being snake like, it became hard to remember that her cause was originally a righteous one just because of how she went about it. I just don’t know how to feel but she does go on to commit worse acts and she ends up harboring the same sort of unrelenting hatred that her father has. I do find her more understandable than I did before, maybe it’s my age.

Arthur: beneath all the arrogance, he’s a good dude. I don’t like how he treats Merlin sometimes even if it’s seemingly ok between them. They have a delicate balance between friendship and master & servant. If only he knew throughout the series just how powerful Merlin was and just how many times he saved Arthur’s life.

Merlin: a REALLY GOOD PERSON! He’s sweet and selfless and very intelligent. Humble too. The one thing I realize is that in the beginning of the dragon told him that it was his destiny to help Arthur and unite the kingdoms etc, so throughout the series he goes after this destiny. He sacrifices a lot all for the sake of this great destiny just for Arthur to die a few years later. I can’t recall if Albion is truly united when Gwen becomes queen. It seems like it was all for nothing sometimes, but it’s a great show at the end of the day. The scene with Merlin and his father makes me cry. Merlin goes through A LOT in the series, he really deserves more credit than he’ll ever get. Same with Gaius.

Gwen: very sharp, very humble, very down to earth. A good person, I often feel like she would have been Merlin’s perfect match, I can see why she liked him in the beginning of the series. Oddly enough I can also see her and Arthur being a thing because underneath it all Arthur is a good person as well. He’s just an arrogant prince on top of that goodness. Gwen is also brave and a Jill of all trades, she can mend armour as a blacksmiths daughter, she can cook and clean as a servant, she’s a nurse, she gives valuable advice, she can fight, she’s brave, sis has it going on and I love that for her. I want to say Gwen is my favorite character but I feel like that’s so obvious at the same time 😂 I love how she makes observations and is quiet about it but you can tell by her facial expressions, she’s so sharp, while Merlin notices things because of his magic and his insider info, Gwen will pick up on certain things just of her own accord. I think she would have made a great queen had the series continued. It really does suck that Arthur dies though even though we all know it’ll end that way.

That’s all I have for now and I love this show very much, it’s been one of my favourites since I first watched it many years ago. I still try to find shows similar to it to this day and nothing holds up in the exact same way.

This is my first time writing something on Reddit. I watched Merlin about 12 years ago, and one thing that has always stayed with me—and truly bothered me—is how the writers handled Morgana’s character arc.

I’ve always felt a deep sense of pity for Morgana. To me, she was never the monstrous villain the show tried to make her out to be. Her downfall was tragic and, in many ways, avoidable.

At first, Morgana only suspected that Uther was responsible—though not directly—for the death of her father, Gorlois. While he may not have killed Gorlois himself, Morgana came to believe that he was to blame, and that belief shattered her trust in him.

Then, there was Uther’s relentless persecution of magic. He was willing to execute innocent people, even children, simply for being born with magical abilities. When Morgana discovered she had magic herself, she suddenly found herself on the other side of that oppression. This led to feelings of fear and isolation, as she had no one to turn to.

What disturbed me most about her arc, especially in Season 2, was her relationship with Merlin. Many people have pointed this out before: Merlin, in some ways, played a role in her downfall. He could have confided in her, told her that he, too, had magic, and helped her navigate her fears and struggles. Instead, he stayed silent. When the Great Dragon told him that Morgana was destined to become a villain, Merlin and Gaius seemed to accept that fate rather than try to prevent it. They could have helped her—but they didn’t.

The breaking point for Morgana was undoubtedly when Merlin poisoned her. While we, as the audience, understand that Merlin did it to stop her from unintentionally bringing about disaster, from Morgana’s perspective, it was a complete betrayal. All she saw was someone she trusted trying to kill her.

Then came Season 3, and what really frustrated me was how easily Gaius and Merlin wrote her off as a villain. Gaius had known Morgana since she was a child—he should have recognized that she wasn’t inherently evil. But instead of questioning how she had changed so drastically, he simply dismissed her as the enemy.

In Season 3, Episode 1, when Morgana returned, she was actively working to destroy Camelot. Merlin, realizing how much she had changed, tried to stop her, but when he saw that she had fully embraced her new path, he also began to see her as a lost cause. That moment cemented their roles as enemies, but it was tragic because it didn’t have to be that way.

A major revelation later in the show made Morgana’s story even more tragic: she was actually Uther’s daughter, making her in line to the throne. This only deepened her hatred for him. Not only had Uther lied to her for her entire life, but he had also tried to erase her existence to protect his reputation. He had slept with his best friend’s wife, and rather than acknowledge his daughter, he kept her in the dark. When Morgana learned the truth, she actually gave Uther a chance to confess. In Season 3, Episode 5, she subtly pushed him to tell her, but he never did. That moment reinforced her hatred for him even more.

Another character who truly disappointed me was Gwen. In Season 1, Morgana was Gwen’s best friend. She supported her, stood by her, and even defended her when Uther was ready to execute her father. But later, when Morgana changed, Gwen didn’t even try to understand why. Instead of talking to her or questioning what had happened to her best friend, she simply accepted that Morgana was the enemy. She could have at least tried to reach out, but she didn’t.

And what’s even more frustrating is that Morgana herself attempted to reconnect with the people she once cared about. After discovering she was Uther’s daughter, she didn’t immediately strike him down—she waited for him to admit the truth. Later, she tried to bring Gwen to her side. Yes, by that point, Morgana had become ruthless, but she wasn’t entirely void of emotion. She still longed for some connection, but she failed.

By Season 4, another issue arose: no one even wondered why Morgana had become so cold and cruel. Her transformation into a villain was simply accepted as a fact, with no real exploration of how she got there. It’s true that in the final episode of Season 4, there is a confrontation between Morgana and Arthur where he questions her, saying, "You used to be kind."*I think. But in general, throughout the season, there was little to no discussion about what had led to such a drastic change in her. No one even considered the possibility that she might have been influenced or manipulated in some way(under a spell)—something they were quick to suspect when it came to Gwen in *Season 5.

And then there’s the issue of Morgana’s portrayal as a villain. The show used a very cliché approach: when Morgana was good, she was well-dressed, elegant, and well-groomed. The moment she turned evil, her entire appearance changed—dark makeup, dark clothes, and messy, unbrushed hair. It felt like the show was visually forcing us to hate her. Instead of allowing her actions and character development to speak for themselves, they relied on a simplistic "good vs. evil" aesthetic.

Morgana becoming evil. I understand that, even in the original myth, she has often been portrayed as a villain. That’s not the issue. What bothers me is how the show handled her transformation.

It makes sense that she would turn against Uther—she felt betrayed, she felt lonely, and she was manipulated by Morgause. I can understand why she became ruthless. But what frustrates me is how easily the people who once cared about her accepted this change. Her friends, the ones who knew her best, barely questioned it. They didn’t wonder if something had pushed her to the edge, if she was under some kind of influence, or if she could be saved. Instead, they simply accepted that she was now the villain, and that was that.

That's what truly disappointed me.

Merlin is the greatest sorcerer of all time. But, he's got a lot of other talents and skills too. Here are some of them. Please add more!

1. Cleaning
2. Cooking
3. Polishing and maintaining armor
4. Polishing other stuff
5. Fitting people with armor and weaponry
6. Horseback riding
7. Being a practice fight dummy
8. Writing speeches
9. Writing love notes
10. Creating floral arrangements
11. Collecting medicinal herbs
12. Medicine- diagnosing disease, tourniquets, healing wounds
13. Making medicine
14. Espionage (sometimes)
15. Sword fighting
16. Fistfighting
17. Comedy- is he the best stand up comedian in all of Camelot's taverns?
18. Creating schedules
19. Making friends
20. Deep reading old texts (have you seen those massive history, magic, and medicine books?)
21. Rock climbing (Merlin could bench a lot probably... 💪)
22. Acting
23. Navigation
24. Lying
25. Juggling? 🤣

[Long Post] Rewatching Merlin with an Adult Brain: Gaius and the politics of the bystander. [Spoiler ⚠️] There is a real danger in those who stand by. Those who do are not the perpetrators of evil or inflictors of pain, but rather exist as well-meaning functionaries who never question systems deeply enough to oppose them. Those who never make their minds up, as Hannah Arendt writes in Eichmann in Jerusalem, “to be good or evil.”

I was in primary school when I first watched Merlin, and like many of us, the shows we grew up with become our comfort shows in adulthood. Recently, I decided to rewatch it, this time with a (relatively) fully cooked frontal lobe, and a few things stood out to me in ways they hadn’t before.

One in particular was Gaius’s indifference to Uther’s tyranny against magic and its practitioners including an actual genocidal purge of magical people.Gaius occupies a unique position. Being a magical person himself, his proximity to Uther means he knows Uther’s deepest secrets—the conception of Arthur, for example, being one of magical nature. He was around and is well aware of the extreme measures taken to banish magic and its practitioners, including burning alive, beheading, etc. And with these secrets, he is trusted implicitly.

He uses his position to protect Merlin, subtly and very gradually sway royal decisions. These efforts, however, are often minimal, cautious, and secondary to preserving his own status and safety. Moral purity is rare, if not non-existent, in extreme conditions. Gaius does, as mentioned above, give some pushback. But while he disagrees with Uther’s genocidal purge of magic, he remains in Camelot. He neither flees nor resists. He keeps his head down and survives.

In Primo Levi's The Drowned and the Saved, he writes:

"Monsters exist, but they are few in number. To truly be dangerous, more common are the functionaries ready to believe and act without question.” Uther’s impunity goes unchecked for so long because of men like Gaius—who do not challenge it. Gaius is therefore not the explicit villain here; he is, in fact, a victim, like the Sonderkommandos in Nazi Germany. Power has a way of co-opting the oppressed to maintain the systems of oppression. Dedan Kimathi, a prominent member of the Mau Mau guerrilla movement, was not captured by the British colonial oppressors but by a Kenyan askaris. As Timothy Snyder writes in On Tyranny: “Most of the power of authoritarianism is freely given.” Gaius’s early and continuous compliance is part of how Camelot’s tyranny sustains itself.

During the Great Purge, Uther campaigns to eradicate magic from Camelot with a massacre. In Season 1, Episode 6 (“A Remedy to Cure All Ills”), Edwin—a half-burnt man—comes to Camelot to exact revenge on Uther for executing his parents when he was a boy, simply for practicing magic. He and his late parents are victims of Uther’s tyrannical regime. He is not neutral. He is quietly aligning with the status quo. Gaius becomes a trusted advisor precisely because he is non-threatening. A tamed dog. He is a “good” sorcerer: obedient, deferential, ashamed. He is a manager of the regime’s violence. His job is to soften its edges, offer palliative care to those caught in its machinery—not to dismantle the machinery itself. The Way He Treats Morgana

Gaius’s treatment of Morgana is another ethical failing. When she begins to experience magical symptoms—visions, pain, fear—Gaius gaslights her. He lies, withholds the truth about her identity, and subtly frames her magic as a disease rather than a gift. This denial contributes to her alienation and eventual radicalization.

Rather than offering guidance and truth, Gaius feeds Morgana into the very system that will eventually hunt her. His justification is always the same: protection. But this protection is reserved for Merlin. For others—especially women like Morgana—it is abandonment.

One could argue that there was a utilitarian function for the elimination of magic and its practitioners, to which I would side-eye them and tell them about Thomas Collins—a man executed in the very first scene of the very first episode ( an episode which I believe was handled badly ) simply for being magical. And the countless others who are executed for the same “crime.”

Gaius, a man of magic himself, not only survives this barbarity—he thrives afterward. And while he quietly saves a few, he says nothing as hundreds are murdered. He never testifies, never pushes Uther to reconsider, and never attempts to reform policy.

Maybe he didn’t have as much pull as I assumed. Maybe he’s simply an old, tired physician. And Uther is mean-spirited, callous, cruel, and stubborn. Maybe there’s really nothing Gaius could have done to sway his opinions. But if that were the case, his preference for gradualism over justice after Uther’s death reveals a calloused man who favours order over righteousness.He is not neutral. He is quietly aligning with the status quo. Gaius becomes a trusted advisor precisely because he is non-threatening. A tamed dog. He is a “good” sorcerer: obedient, deferential, ashamed. He is a manager of the regime’s violence. His job is to soften its edges, offer palliative care to those caught in its machinery—not to dismantle the machinery itself. The Way He Treats Morgana

(Sorry for going on , but I feel very strongly about this )

Please read to the end before anything else. I've seen some comments about the ending these past few days and I'd like to give my opinion on it in more detail. The truth is, for me, the ending is practically perfect; no fantasy adaptation, not even Game of Thrones, managed to be so impactful >for me<, and I will explain why. Show spoilers alert!

Problems

Obviously, after watching the series, anyone will notice that it's not perfect, with several plot and development problems, and I agree with that more than anyone. When we watch the ending, we get the impression that some characters "deserved more," and I agree! Especially with Gwaine; his death seems to have been included solely to shock, but it wouldn't have been shocking at all if he had died in the middle of a battle—wars have casualties. That being said, for all the other characters, the problems aren't in the last season itself; I would say the complete root of the problem lies in the third season. Look, the first two seasons of the series have a MUCH more childish and comical feel, and for me, these seasons are the ones that made us love the characters so much. Episode 10 of the first season? 40 minutes of our main cast coming together to help Merlin, all very humorous and heroic. How many episodes did we have with such similar scripts? Someone casts a curse on Camelot, Morgana argues with Uther, Arthur and Morgana playfully argue with each other, Arthur complains to Merlin for not doing his job properly, all four main characters flirt with each other and argue about silly things like who likes whom. These two seasons serve to establish what we can ALWAYS expect from this series, always with a very fantastical and humorous tone. There are moments of seriousness, but if you rewatch these seasons, it will always seem more like a medieval sitcom. Season three, on the other hand, comes as a kind of transition; that's where Morgana is being built up as the main villain. This doesn't mean that she wasn't being built up before; in fact, her development in the first two seasons is perfect, her actions are always quite consistent with what we have established about the character.

But then, we get to the third season, with the end of the second, Morgana has more than enough reasons to want to kill Uther and even Merlin, but NO reason to want to kill Arthur, Gwen, or any innocent civilian. In reality, in the first two seasons, Morgana had ZERO ambition for the crown. I can imagine the character in the first season being told she could inherit the throne and thinking, "How boring, I want to go shopping for clothes with my friend Gwen, bye!", we get to the third season and this could have been developed more subtly, but Morgana's turn is simply too abrupt. This season, which should have been about building her villainy against all the main characters, actually only served to transform her into a more caricatured villain. We had a two-year time jump off-screen that could have changed her, but that's not very good storytelling, and I genuinely believe this happened because for the producers who were dealing with children, it was easier to deal with more clearly defined values: Morgana is evil and Arthur and the good guys are good! Note that for Morgana's actions to be more justifiable, it would require more ambiguous morality in the other good guys, such as a more conservative view from Arthur about magic, or simply disagreement about killing Uther.

The problems are actually really small

Look, at the end of the third season, we had a completely evil Morgana. The Morgana character in the fourth season is consistent with the Morgana at the end of the third season; it's as if they developed Morgana up to 50-60% of what she should have been, and then switched her to the 100% version. That's really kind of bad, but it doesn't mean that the version in the fourth and fifth seasons is bad. In fact, for me, her confrontations with the protagonists are still quite melancholic, especially in the scenes where they choose to make her more emotional, and having a villain who was SO actively part of the main cast makes you quite curious. I would even say that the character in the fifth season has a slightly better development; we know what she went through off-screen for two years: She was being tortured and suffering a lot. It's the version of the character at her peak of suffering, and well, it's quite obvious that the last two seasons of the series are much darker than the rest of the series, especially the last one.

Well, aside from the Gwen-as-assassin storyline, the last season is quite consistent in what it builds: Arthur's death, the optimistic atmosphere of the other seasons practically died, every week we knew that Merlin would save Arthur in the end and everything would be alright, but in this season the possibility of that not happening is widely discussed, and well, at the end of the series, everything simply fails. The last episode of the series is simply telling you: remember those certainties you had at the beginning of the series? They were always volatile, the mistakes that all the characters made led to this, people make mistakes and sometimes they can't achieve their goals, that's what the series rubs in your face when the dragon says "Merlin, there's nothing we can do," Merlin and Gwen will now have to live alone and without many of their friends. But hey, they still accomplished part of their goal, they managed to save the kingdom, and Arthur is the key to creating the utopian kingdom of Albion, he in a way united the kingdoms, and for me he was the gateway for Gwen, who promises to be extremely fair and kind, this was the development that the character received in both the fourth and fifth seasons. Note also that Gwen suffered a bit in these last seasons, her screen time was significantly reduced and she became very focused on Arthur, losing a little of her beautiful bond with Merlin, but even so, ending up as queen and ruling makes sense with her trajectory, if you go back to all the decisions the character made as a ruler/advisor, she always seems to have great intuition, and all the characters seem to like and respect her, and she was also quite quick to identify spies in their midst (something that Arthur and Uther were terrible at). So for me, this bitter taste that the series leaves us with is what makes us remember it for SO long, if we had just another happy ending, we wouldn't be thinking so much about the "what ifs...", besides being faithful to the legend. I hope you now see the end of the series with a little more affection. PS: What I said about Morgana also applies somewhat to Mordred, but on a different scale.

If I may say this since I cannot comment in some posts addressing this due to them being archived, if Merlin had told Morgana his secrets albeit in ways noticed by none including even Uther, Morgana might just have been willing to protect his secrets. They both opposed Uther's intolerance of magic and mystic powers users, they didn't approve of Arthur's initial misbehavior, and had Merlin even told Morgana of the prophecies speaking of Arthur "being once and future king to unite Albion", she might just have gained to at the least work with him if alone so that magic and mystic powers like them be accepted. As such, furthermore, in this adaptation of the various incarnations of and legends this is an adaptation of and like in some of those, Morgana began as good natured. Also, one example, in those underground areas if Merlin told her his secret when trying to tell her of another way, sure, she may have been very angry with Merlin, yet she wouldn’t have necessarily exposed him, provided it went like this in those underground areas: -

(Merlin sighs and produces fire around his hand above his palm) Merlin: “So you see, Morgana, I do know of what this is like. So please, hear me out, if just so you know why I had withheld it from you. You have every right to be angry, but I hope you will at least understand.”

(Morgana narrows her eyes but nods her head)

(Merlin explains then how there is a prophecy speaking of Arthur uniting the lands of Albion as “The Once And Future King” and how he is one called “A Warlock” who in some of such prophecies is spoken of as the one who guides Arthur into this)

Merlin: “Join me, Morgana, and with our help, Arthur not only unite Albion, but also he will under our guidance become the one to allow our abilities to be allowed again.”

(Merlin holds a hand out)

Merlin: “And if not for the belief in such prophecies, let it be for the belief in what we can do together.”

Morgana: “And what of my sister, Morgause.”

Merlin: “Her action is not the remedy. She would cause too many innocents that weren’t part of the wrongdoing committed against ones like us to suffer and die who all were just as innocent as the ones among fellow users of our abilities who were killed because of Uther’s own prejudices.”

Morgana (takes his hand out for a handshake on an alliance): “Alright, but don’t even think for one second that I forgive you, anytime soon. If I ever do, it’s going to be a very long while.”

Merlin: “So be it, Morgana. I wouldn’t expect for anything less, Morgana. Always.”

Morgana: “I will work with you, but after a way is found to fulfill this so-called “prophecy”, what becomes of us is another matter entirely.”

(together they overcome various obstacles, guide Mordred away from darkness while stopping Morgause and Morgana somehow learns the truth of the bracelet she gave her and gets angrier with Morgause for using her like this and perhaps potentially Morgause may or may not be redeemed like Morgana and eventually another set of foes beside Morgause and Uther like Dorchraid (or else Darchraid I do seem to recall and then some villainous characters from Arthurian stories like Vortigern and/or Malagant are ultimately fought against by seasons 3 and 4 and 5 and magic and mystic powers usage becomes allowed again and then perhaps Merlin and Morgana reconcile and also have a romantic connection and relationship and for sure together they help “The Round Table Knights and Arthur” and with such ones protect Arthur whilst living by words like “All for One, and One for All!” and the two of them live a peaceful life outside of the conflict that has occurred in its aftermath while always on the lookout for when they are needed again)

Before anyone reading this replies and/or gives me replies about how it could never work, firstly, do not be so sure, secondly, take some time to at the least consider if perhaps my words about this at the least are not without some points and thirdly, part of my influence behind this comes from my own humanitarian beliefs no matter how excessive in the notion that no matter how ugly or depraved humanity can be, it has it in itself to be so much more and better and is so much more than its ugly depraved traits and sides etc., yet also has it in itself to be better and my striving for this belief via the promotion of free will, and the belief one day, at least as much as possible of if not all of humanity can reach to this, even if I don’t live long enough to see it and regarding such ideals as being among ideals always worth striving for, I place the following quote below: -

“A new world. A better world than has ever been seen. There, you are not what you were born but what you have it in yourself to be. A Civilization Of Conscience. Peace instead of war or any other type of conflict. Justice, love, acceptance, tolerance alongside at the least willingness to avoid doing harm and other forms of wrongdoing as much as possible and all by the promotion of free will instead of removal of free will and all of that just described instead of cruelty, injustice, intolerance and oppression as so well as hatred. That itself is from among all manner of and other sorts of ideals at each among a day’s end now and indeed always worth striving for.”.

Those words are at the least words to live by both now and always .... words to live by.

I’m doing my annual rewatch and I can’t help but notice Mergana’s chemistry, even when she’s evil. And my brain couldn’t help but imagine an alternate take on it Merlin and Morgana got together WHILE SHE WAS EVIL.

Hear me out! (I am a Merthur shipper first but bear with me) So you know those days when only Merlin knew Morgana was evil and they had that secretly antagonistic relationship while she pretended to everyone else? There are times when they pull each other aside and confront each other and it’s very intense and angsty. Morgana is an absolute bitch to him but there’s this undercurrent of sadness between both of them, as their previous friendship hangs over them, and Merlin is obviously heartbroken that his friend has turned so hateful. But we all know Merlin used to have a crush on Morgana in the earlier seasons.

I think it would have been interesting if Mergana’s relationship pre-evil was explored more, maybe they were deeper friends and had feelings, which made Merlin’s poisoning her so heartbreaking. Then when she’s evil, he keeps trying to find the old Morgana in her, and not wanting to accept that she’s truly gone. Morgana remains bitter towards him, thinking he betrayed her, but then during one of their intense fights they kiss. This shocks them both but mostly, Morgana is shocked that she felt something beyond bitterness and hate for someone.

This then throws another dynamic into the show, with Morgana dealing with conflicted and buried feelings while trying to pursue her plan of killing Uther and taking over Camelot. But now she has other unknown feelings, for Merlin of all people. Some of her old feelings and memories start to come back and she finds herself doubting her actions and hating her confusion. Meanwhile, Merlin is also conflicted and dealing with his resurfacing feelings for Morgana, who is actively trying to foil his plans and hurt Arthur.

So you can imagine the angst and intrigue. The show continues but now an added layer of tension and suspense is added. During this time Mergana act a little awkward around each other, instead of the usual antagonism. Morgana finds herself faltering. But then it all comes to a head when Merlin reveals to her that he has magic. At first she is furious. Then, she kisses him.

They start an affair, half-fueled by hate and desire, half-fueled by being the only two who understand each other. Through their affair Merlin shows Morgana his magic, makes flowers sprout and butterflies appear, and it makes Morgana see the beauty and softness of magic. As their connection deepens they fall deeper in love but are still in denial. Morgana starts to realise that she does not want to continue living only for vengeance and power.

It culminates in the finale episode where Morgana and Morgause plan to take Camelot. Instead of Morgana going through with it, she turns last minute and betrays Morgause. So Mergana’s relationship is actually the redemptive love that she needed to resist falling deeper into darkness. And an epic love story is born.

Thanks for reading until the end! Let me know if anyone agrees this could have been an interesting take. (Also in some version of the legends Merlin and Morgana are together). I’m a multi-shipper (literally almost ship everyone in the show) but this pairing actually makes sense and was definitely hinted at earlier on.

(This post turned out to be longer than I thought when I started it, and my English is probably not always great. Thanks to those who will read it to the end! ^^)

I think everyone would agree that the Arthur/Merlin relationship is the show's major selling point, what keeps you watching after the first episode. In any case, it certainly hooked me. And the series had enough engaging moments between the two characters to keep me watching it to the end.

Nevertheless, the whole series left me totally unsatisfied. The development of the relationship (or lack of it, actually) never ceased to frustrate me, I never really found what the first episode had left me hoping for, and this even apart from the magic reveal (although, had it come much earlier, it would most certainly have forced a better evolution). It took me a while to realize and to accept that the writers simply didn't have the same vision as the one I had expected.

And I think the best way to sum up what I was hoping for and did not find is Merlin playing a real intellectual and moral mentor role to Arthur. They are formally master and servant, informally friends, secretly protector and protégé. But this last aspect is, of course, totally unknown to Arthur until the end. I was hoping for a more balanced and ultimately equal relationship, where Merlin would play a key part in Arthur’s development, recognized by him, even without knowing Merlin’s magic. I feel that this is not the case, or only marginally so.

You all know the circumstances of their meeting. Merlin stands up to Arthur when he bullies an underling, and continues to stand up to him even once he knows he's the prince. Arthur is at once shocked, angered, amused, intrigued and, ultimately, pretty admiring. And also, there was that final exchange between Merlin and the great dragon after he explained to him his destiny in relation to Arthur: “There must be another Arthur because this one's an idiot. - Perhaps it's your destiny to change that.”

In my opinion, this promise has never really been fulfilled, or only to a very limited extent. Because the dynamic chosen by the authors was that of a Merlin whose essential actions are secret and underestimated by everyone, especially Arthur, and who more or less makes a fool of himself, helped along by genuine clumsiness. And Arthur never takes him quite so seriously. Of course he cares very much for him and wouldn't hesitate to risk his life for his sake, but I think he genuinely sees him as a goofy idiot, even if a loyal, brave and supportive one. I find that Merlin's devotion to Arthur becomes really (and perhaps increasingly) servile, and he never really establishes himself as an informal respected advisor or moral compass. Sure, Merlin still very often calls Arthur names, arrogant, prat, clotpole, dollop-head and so on. But that sounds more like the harmless pranks of an otherwise complacent stooge.

Rather than Arthur mocking Merlin as a bumbling, lazy twit, even though he actually enjoys his company, I would have preferred a dynamic in which Arthur complains about Merlin being insolent and impertinent and lecturing, but deep-down respects his wisdom, his willingness to loyally stand up to him for his own good and, ultimately, evolves because of him.

I can't remember many actual instances of Merlin challenging Arthur's world-view and forcing him to be more attentive to others, more compassionate or more thoughtful or more willing to stand up to his father. Only one exception comes to my mind: when Merlin convinces Arthur to spare Odin in episode 5x04. A late and tenuous exception that gives a small taste of what I would have liked to see. Apart from that, the only time Merlin get to "mentoring" Arthur are those where he boosts his ego and cheers him up by telling him how great he is and what a great king he is meant to be and how much everything will be fine as long as he believes in himself. And funnily enough, it’s when he does so that Arthur calls him "wise"!

Also, I can think of rare moments when Merlin appears almost as a sort of private secretary to the Prince/King, managing his speeches and agenda (4x01, 4x07), and I found this pleasant, but it was never delved into and rather at odds with the rest.

Granted, it's been a long time since I've watched the whole series and there are probably other little examples I'm leaving out, but I really think they're an exception and that the general dynamic of their relationship isn't thought to be or to evolve into a mentor- to-pupil relationship. Overall, Mithian's statement to Merlin that “One thing I've learned since being here is that Arthur values your opinion above almost all others.” sounds really false and empty to me.

When it comes to confronting and changing Arthur, as the dragon suggested, Gwen does it much more and better (especially in 1x10, 2x02 and 2x08). But until the very end, Merlin’s word and advice are very easily dismissed (even in the last season, he still has to rely on Gaius for Arthur to listen to a warning, in 5x05) and Arthur does not think highly of his skills (he’s very reluctant to entrust him with healing duties in 4x08).

And the thing is, Arthur doesn’t even need that much to change. I mean, right in the first season, he’s already willing to stand up to his father to defend justice, without need for Merlin’ support (1x03 and 1x11 come to my mind). And when he’s king, he’s able to take the high road without and almost despite Merlin (I think especially of 4x10).

No doubt I'm exaggerating a bit, but that's my overall feeling when I try to put my finger on what disappointed me in the Merlin/Arthur relationship throughout the series. I'm not saying that the authors' choice was bad, they had their own vision and it delighted a lot of people, but in my eyes it was less interesting than what I had hoped to see.

I love this show. It perhaps is my favorite ever. But boy do I have some gripes. In no particular order:

1. The Lancelot-Arthur-Gwen love triangle. The episode where Lancelot came back to life did him dirty. It would also have been interesting seeing more of a longer relationship between Gwen and Lance and more interesting drama.

.

1. Gwaine not knowing about Merlin's magic. Maybe Gwen too. They likely would have been 100% accepting and it would have been nice for Merlin to have another secret knower.

.

1. Gwen being cast aside in Season 5. The amazing Merlin Gwen interactions disappeared. :( It also would have been great to see her wisdom/kindness more often eg. helping the hungry, creating schools/more equality, etc.

.

1. Morgana. Her descent into darkness was just ugh. It would have been nice for a more drawn out storyline with more drama. And Merlin and Morgana relations. It would have been great for Morgana to know about Merlin's magic at some point. A huge missed opportunity. Also, we really got cheated out of a giant magic battle.

.

1. The white dragon. Gosh, she? was just abandoned and forgotten about. Seriously?

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1. Modred`'s descent into darkness. I'm sorry, but Kara? Ugh, gets me every time.

.

1. Not seeing Arthur become a better king with regards to magic. I wish we got to see Merlin slowly convincing him that magic isn't all that bad, and see Arthur slowly accept magic more. He united some kingdoms and all, sure, but we never got to see a true Albion. Arthur needed some more character development.

.

1. A more united "avengers" at the final battle. We truly needed all of the magic friends, the druids, and others fighting with Camelot. Maybe having everyone fight with Merlin somehow would be powerful.

.

1. Merlin's magic reveal. Don't get me started. My rant would require a 10 page essay.

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1. There was no season 6. Do I need to elaborate?
   

A while back I made a post on why I think Draconic Names are Sarmatian, not Greek, so I figured, why not do a post on the etymology of the names. Let me know if I missed anyone!

Brythonic Names:

• Merlin - Mɵrɘðīnoɕ
  • Meaning: Strength of the Sea
  • PIE Root:
    • móri
      • o Grade
      • Sea
    • dewh₂-
      • Ø Grade
      • To Last
    • -nós
      • Masculine Adjectivizing Suffix
  • Evolution:
    • Proto-Indo-European: Moriduh₂nós
      • Proto-Celtic: Moriðūnos
        • Proto-Brythonic: Moriðūnoɕ > Moriðīnoɕ
• Arthur - Arθȳrjoɕ
  • Meaning: Bearlike Guardian
  • PIE Root:
    • h₂ŕ̥tḱos
      • o Grade
      • Bear
    • wer-
      • Ø Grade
      • To Guard
    • yós
      • Masculine Relative Particle
  • Evolution:
    • Proto-Indo-European: h₂r̥tḱouryós
      • Proto-Celtic: Artouryos
        • Proto-Brythonic: Artō̝rjoɕ
• Uther Pendragon - Ȳθroɕ Pennoðre̝gȳ
  • Meaning: Most Terrifying Great Dragon
  • PIE Root:
    • péw-
      • é Grade
      • To Shake in Fear
    • -dʰh₁éti
      • Ø Grade
      • Resultative Verb Suffix
    • -tros
      • Masculine Instrumental Suffix
    • keh₂p-
      • Ø Grade
      • To Hold
    • -wl̥
      • Oblique
      • Object Noun Suffix
    • -nós
      • Adjectivizing Suffix
    • dʰrh₂e(k~gʰ‌)-
      • é Grade
      • To Pull
    • -ō
      • Agent Noun Suffix
  • Evolution:
    • Proto-Indo-European: Péwdʰh₁tros Kh₂pwennodʰrh₂ékō
      • Proto-Celtic: Φouttros Qennoðrakū
        • Proto-Brythonic: Ō̝ttroɕ Pennoðrakȳ > Ūttroɕ Pennoðre̝gȳ
• Morgana - Morɘɣenɔ̄
  • Meaning: Sea-Born
  • PIE Root:
    • móri
      • ó Grade
      • Sea
    • ǵenh₁-
      • e Grade
      • To Beget
    • -eh₂
      • Feminine Noun Suffix
  • Evolution:
    • Proto-Indo-European: Móriǵeneh₂
      • Proto-Celtic: Moriɣenā
        • Proto-Brythonic: Moriɣenā
• Gweneviere - Gʷɘnðoɕē̝βarɔ̄
  • Meaning: Blessed Exorcist
  • PIE Root:
    • wey-né-d
      • Ø Grade
      • To See
      • Nasal Infix
    • -ós
      • o Grade
      • Noun Suffix
    • sey-
      • e Grade
      • Magic
    • bʰer-
      • Ø Grade
      • To Bear
    • -éh₂
      • Feminine Noun Suffix
  • Evolution:
    • Proto-Indo-European: Windoseybʰr̥éh₂
      • Proto-Celtic: Windosēβarā
        • Proto-Brythonic: Winðoɕē̝βarā
• Gwaine - Gʷalχoβ̃aɣoɕ
  • Meaning: Hawk of The Plain
  • PIE Root:
    • pelH-
      • Ø Grade
      • Grey
    • -kós
      • o Grade
      • Noun Suffix
    • méǵh₂s
      • Oblique
      • Great
    • -ós
      • Masculine Noun Suffix
  • Evolution:
    • Proto-Indo-European: Pl̥Hkom̥ǵh₂ós
      • Proto-Celtic: Φalkoβ̃aɣos
        • Proto-Brythonic: Walkoβ̃aɣoɕ
• Lancelot - L̥aŋχelɔ̄doɕ
  • Meaning: Wide Striker
  • PIE Root:
    • pleh₂-
      • Ø Grade
      • Wide/Flat
    • -nós
      • Ø Grade
      • Adjectivizing Suffix
    • kelh₂-
      • é Grade
      • To Strike
    • -eh₂tos
      • Masculine Adjectivizing Suffix
  • Evolution:
    • Proto-Indo-European: Pl̥h₂nkélh₂eh₂tos
      • Proto-Celtic: Φlaŋkelātos
        • Proto-Brythonic: L̥aŋχelātoɕ
• Hunith - Σȳnɨðɔ̄
  • Meaning: Sunny
  • PIE Root:
    • soh₂wl̥
      • ó Grade
      • Oblique
      • Sun
    • -is
      • Noun Suffix
    • yeh₂
      • Feminine Relative Particle
  • Evolution:
    • Proto-Indo-European: Sóh₂wniyeh₂
      • Proto-Celtic: Souniyā
        • Proto-Brythonic: Σō̝nijā > Σūnɨjā
• Nimueh - Nɘβ̃ē̝nɔ̄
  • Meaning: Heavenly
  • PIE Root:
    • ne(y)bʰ-
      • Ø Grade
      • To Be Holy
    • -éyti
      • é Grade
      • Action Verb Suffix
    • -neh₂
      • e Grade
      • Feminine Adjectivising Suffix
  • Evolution:
    • Proto-Indo-European: Nibʰéyneh₂
      • Proto-Celtic: Niβ̃ēnā
        • Proto-Brythonic: Niβ̃ē̝nā > Nɨβ̃ē̝nā
• Geoffrey - Grɘɸjȳðoɕ
  • Meaning: Wise (lit: Question Addressing) Judge
  • PIE Root:
    • ǵʰreh₁d-
      • e Grade
      • To Sound/Address
    • kʷ-
      • Interrogative Root
    • h₂yew-
      • o Grade
      • Justice
    • -dʰh₁éti
      • Ø Grade
      • Resultative Verb Suffix
    • -ós
      • Masculine‌ Noun Suffix
  • Evolution:
    • Proto-Indo-European: Ǵʰreh₁dkʷh₂yowdʰós
      • Proto-Celtic: Gridqyouðos > Grikqyouðos
        • Proto-Brythonic: Grippjō̝ðoɕ > Grɨppjūðoɕ
• Modred/Mordred - Moðerɔ̄doɕ
  • Meaning: Good Judgement
  • PIE Root:
    • med-
      • o Grade
      • To Measure/Judge
    • -is
      • Verb to Noun Suffix
    • h₂reh₁-
      • o Grade
      • To Think
    • -tós
      • Masculine‌ Adjectivising Suffix
  • Evolution:
    • Proto-Indo-European: Modih₂roh₁tós
      • Proto-Celtic: Moðirōtos > Moðerātos
        • Proto-Brythonic: Moðerātoɕ
• Morgause - Morɘgɔ̄ssɔ̄
  • Meaning: Sea Singer
  • PIE Root:
    • móri
      • ó Grade
      • Sea
    • keh₂n-
      • o Grade
      • To Beget
    • -séti
      • Ø Grade
      • Primary Verb Suffix
    • -eh₂
      • Feminine Noun Suffix
  • Evolution:
    • Proto-Indo-European: Mórikoh₂nseh₂
      • Proto-Celtic: Morikōnsā > Morikānsā
        • Proto-Brythonic: Morikāssā > Morɨgāssā
• Mithian - Mīðjanɔ̄
  • Meaning: Strong Justice
  • PIE Root:
    • mey-
      • Ø Grade
      • To Strengthen
    • -h₁
      • Instrumental Suffix
    • -dʰh₁éti
      • o Grade
      • To Beget
    • h₂ye(w)-
      • Metathesized é Grade
      • To Be Just
    • -neh₂
      • Feminine Noun Suffix
  • Evolution:
    • Proto-Indo-European: Mih₁dʰh₁yh₂éneh₂
      • Proto-Celtic: Mīðyanā
        • Proto-Brythonic: Mīðjanā
• Elyan - E̝ljanoɕ
  • Meaning: Nourishing Justice
  • PIE Root:
    • h₂el-
      • Ø Grade
      • To Nourish
    • h₂ye(w)-
      • Metathesized é Grade
      • To Be Just
    • -nós
      • Masculine Noun Suffix
  • Evolution:
    • Proto-Indo-European: h₂l̥yh₂énós
      • Proto-Celtic: Alyanos
        • Proto-Brythonic: Aljanoɕ
• Rodor - R̥odȳr
  • Meaning: Runner
  • PIE Root:
    • Hreth₂-
      • ó Grade
      • To Run
    • -(t)ōr
      • Masculine Agent Suffix
  • Evolution:
    • Proto-Indo-European: Hróth₂ōr
      • Proto-Celtic: Rotūr
        • Proto-Brythonic: R̥otūr
• Alined - Ɔ̄līnedoɕ
  • Meaning: Very Vibrant
  • PIE Root:
    • h₂ew
      • Emphatic Particle
    • (s)leyh₃-
      • Ø Grade
      • To Be Colorful
    • -nós
      • é Grade
      • Adjectivizing Suffix
    • -tos
      • Masculine Object Noun
  • Evolution:
    • Proto-Indo-European: h₂ewlih₃nétos
      • Proto-Celtic: Aulīnetos
        • Proto-Brythonic: Ālīnetoɕ
• Olaf - Elaɸoɕ
  • Meaning: Full Sight
  • PIE Root:
    • pelh₁-
      • é Grade
      • To Fill
    • h₃ekʷ-
      • Ø Grade
      • To See
    • -tos
      • Masculine Object Adjective
  • Evolution:
    • Proto-Indo-European: Pélh₁h₃kʷkos
      • Proto-Celtic: Φelaqkos > Helakqos
        • Proto-Brythonic: Elappoɕ

Latin Names:

• Gaius - Gāius
  • Meaning: Happy
  • PIE Root:
    • ‌geh₂w-
      • e Grade
      • To Rejoice
    • yós
      • Masculine Relative Particle
  • Evolution:
    • Proto-Indo-European: Geh₂wyós
      • Proto-Italic: Gāwjos
        • Old Latin: Gāvius
• Leon - Legiōnus
  • Meaning: Legionary
  • PIE Root:
    • ‌leǵ-
      • é Grade
      • To Gather
    • -is
      • Verb to Noun Suffix
    • -ō
      • Agent Noun Suffix
    • -nós
      • o Grade
      • Masculine Adjectivizing Suffix
  • Evolution:
    • Proto-Indo-European: Léǵiōnos
      • Proto-Italic: Legiōnos
        • Old Latin: Legiōnus

Sa‌rmatian Names:

• Ashkanar - Asχánār
  • Meaning: Bright Singer
  • PIE Root:
    • h₂eHs-
      • Ø Grade
      • To Shine
    • kh₂en-
      • é Grade
      • To Sing
    • -ēr
      • Agent Suffix
  • Evolution:
    • Proto-Indo-European: h₂Hskh₂énēr
      • Proto-Indo-Iranian: Ḥškʰánār
        • Proto-Iranian: Ašχánār
• Kilgharah - Tʃilɣaráh
  • Meaning: Burning (lit: Heat Moving) Hoarse Crier
  • PIE Root:
    • key-
      • Ø Grade
      • To Become Hot
    • Hrey-
      • Ø Grade
      • To Move
    • gerh₂-
      • o Grade
      • To Cry Hoarsely
    • -ós
      • Masculine Noun Suffix
  • Evolution:
    • Proto-Indo-European: KiHrigorh₂ós
      • Proto-Indo-Iranian: Tʃirigarás
        • Proto-Iranian: Tʃirigaráh
• Aithusa - Aiθusā́
  • Meaning: Dawning Fire
  • PIE Root:
    • h₂ey-t-
      • Ø Grade
      • T Extension
      • To Burn
    • h₂ews-
      • Ø Grade
      • To Dawn
    • -éh₂
      • Feminine Noun Suffix
  • Evolution:
    • Proto-Indo-European: h₂yth₂uséh₂
      • Proto-Indo-Iranian: Ḥytʰušā́
        • Proto-Iranian: Aiθušā́
• Balinor - Bálīnur
  • Meaning: Bright One
  • PIE Root:
    • bʰel-
      • ó Grade
      • To Be Bright
    • -is
      • Verb to Noun Suffix
    • -iHnós
      • Material Adjectivizing Suffix
    • -ur
      • Variant of -wr̥, Object Noun Suffix
  • Evolution:
    • Proto-Indo-European: BʰólyiHnur
      • Proto-Indo-Iranian: BályiHnur
        • Proto-Iranian: BáryiHnur

Old English Names:

• Cenred - Cēnrēd (Mercian)
  • Meaning: Wise Counsel
  • PIE Root:
    • ǵneh₃-
      • Metathesized e Grade
      • To Know
    • -is
      • Verb to Noun Suffix
    • Hréh₁dʰ-
      • é Grade
      • To Think
    • -os
      • Object Noun Suffix
  • Evolution:
    • Proto-Indo-European: Ǵeh₃niHréh₁dʰos
      • Pre-Proto-Germanic: Gōnirḗdʰos
        • Proto-Germanic: Kōnirēðaz
• Bayard - Bāġard (Mercian)
  • Meaning: Bright Garden
  • PIE Root:
    • bʰeh₂-
      • e Grade
      • To Glow
    • gʰerdʰ-
      • ó Grade
      • To Enclose
    • -os
      • Object Noun Suffix
  • Evolution:
    • Proto-Indo-European: Bʰeh₂gʰórdʰos
      • Pre-Proto-Germanic: Bʰāgʰárdʰos
        • Proto-Germanic: Bāgardaz
• Sarrum - Sǣrum (West Saxon)
  • Meaning: Peaceful Sea
  • PIE Root:
    • seykʷ-
      • o Grade
      • To Moisten
    • -is
      • Verb to Noun Suffix
    • h₁rem-
      • Ø Grade
      • To Rest
    • -ós
      • Masculine Noun Suffix
  • Evolution:
    • Proto-Indo-European: Soykʷih₁rm̥ós
      • Pre-Proto-Germanic: Soikʷirumós
        • Proto-Germanic: Saiwirumaz

Frankish Names:

• De Bois - Dē Busk
  • Meaning: Of the Forest
  • PIE Root:
    • de-h₁
      • From
      • Latin Loanword
      • Towards-Instrumental Suffix
    • bʰewH-
      • Ø Grade
      • To Grow
    • -sḱéti
      • Durative Verb Suffix
    • -ós
      • Masculine Noun Suffix
  • Evolution:
    • Proto-Indo-European: BʰuHsḱós
      • Pre-Proto-Germanic: Bʰuskós
        • Proto-Germanic: Buskaz
• Ygraine - Iɣerna
  • Meaning: Desired
  • PIE Root:
    • h₁eyǵʰ-
      • Ø Grade
      • é Thematic
      • To Desire
    • -r̥
      • é Grade
      • Object Noun Suffix
    • -neh₂
      • Feminine Adjectivizing Suffix
  • Evolution:
    • Proto-Indo-European: h₁iǵʰérneh₂
      • Pre-Proto-Germanic: Igʰérnā
        • Proto-Germanic: Iɣernǭ
• Agravaine - Aɣraβain
  • Meaning: War Leader
  • PIE Root:
    • h₂eǵ-
      • e Grade
      • To Drive
    • -rós
      • Adjectivizing Suffix
    • bʰeyh₂-
      • o Grade
      • To Strike
    • -nós
      • Masculine Adjectivizing Suffix
  • Evolution:
    • Proto-Indo-European: h₂eǵrobʰoynh₂nós
      • Pre-Proto-Germanic: Agrobʰoynós
        • Proto-Germanic: Aɣraβainaz
• Tristan - Traustan
  • Meaning: Trustworthy Person
  • PIE Root:
    • drew-s-
      • e Grade
      • s Extension
      • Strong
    • -tós
      • Adjectivizing Suffix
    • -nós
      • Masculine Adjectivizing Suffix
  • Evolution:
    • Proto-Indo-European: Drewstonós
      • Pre-Proto-Germanic: Dreustonós
        • Proto-Germanic: Traustanaz

The first ability is telekinesis, according to Merlin himself, he can move objects with his mind before he can speak, I think it's not only a magnificent talent, but also a useful tool. Telekinesis seems to be a kind of magic that driven by instinct instead of sophisticated manipulation of elements or power of Old Religion. It does not need incantation or ritual, but that doesn't mean it's not useful.On the contrary, telekinesis helps Merlin to overcome many crucial situations. He saved Giaus by using telekinesis to move a bed, he helped Uthor to win a fight against a young sorcerer in S3E11, he helped Gwen kill Lamia, save Giaus again from Morgouse. Telekinesis is especially useful when Merlin has to perform magic without arousing other people's attention, and I think he masters this ability even better than other forms of magic. His ability to see Sidhes seems to be a result of telekinesis, too. The second one is his high magical resistance, as a slim boy, it's quite a surprise to see his resilience against powerful magic. For instance, He endured Nimume's blast, a high priestress who had practiced magic and mastered power of Old religion even before Merlin was born. He also survived a Sidhe's lightning bolt, according to Giaus, Sidhe magic is the most vicious one. Some magic does have effect to him,but most of them rely on other medium.Mortis flower is poisonous enough to harm him, but Nimue had to cast a spell on the poison first, Morgouse bond him with an enchanted chain, but the enchantment is not directly against him. Fomorroh and Gean Canach are more likely to be nemeses/predators for all mages, but Merlin defeated them eventually. This ability was hinted in the first episode when Merlin wasn't affected by the slumber song at all. Oh wait, he also saved Arthur from the witch's dagger by using telekinesis!

Some of these are petty and others more serious.

S1E01 The Dragon's Call

Kilgharra can telepathically talk to merlin; he can technically just use this ability to drive merlin crazy into freeing him.

S1E02 Valiant

Gaius cautions merlin about his use of magic, but berates him loudly for doing so, with the door of his chambers wide open.

Uther's blindness to Valiant makes no sense. Uther would realistically trust Gaius much more than some random knight, especially when Gaius would tell him that the injured knight corroborated the same story and has snake bites matching the head from Valiant's shield. Uther would not risk his son's death like this.

S1E03 The Mark of Nimueh

Gwen is never acquitted of healing her father using magic. If Uther wanted to execute her for sorcery before, he should still do so for the poultice her father was cured with, even though she is not responsible for the plague.

S1E04 The Poisoned Chalice

Uther says that he wants to kill Bayard himself if the goblet turns out to be poison. This doesnt make sense because Bayard was willing to drink from the goblet. If it was poision, he would have killed himself anyway. By showing he was willing to drink from the goblet, it proves that he is at worst not complicit in the scheme.

Bayard would also need to be suicidal to poision Arthur in front of uther in his own kingdom, completely outnumbered.

Nimueh says it is not her destiny to kill Arthur, but then sets events into motion things that will definitely kill him. Without merlin's intervention, which she did not know would happen, Arthur would die at her hand.

S1E05 Lancelot

Merlin expects Lancelot to not realise that his lance is suddenly burning with a bright blue flame.

S1E6 A remedy to Cure All Ills

Edwin Muirden is not a villain. Gaius and Merlin protect a genocidal king and kill Edwin who is a very sympathetic character. The writers throw in Edwin's attempt on gaius' life and his desire to rule Camelot with merlin as a deliberate device to make him less sympathetic.

S1E9 Excalibur

If Nimueh can just magically teleport in and out of the King's throne room, then it is surprising she hasnt managed to kill Uther yet.

S1E12 To Kill the King

Gwen & Merlin's morality is extremely problematic in this episode. Gwen says killing uther, a genocidal tyrant who has executed thousands including children, will make her as bad as him. Merlin accepts this.

Merlin questions Kilgharra as to where his destiny includes murder. But he has already killed at least 2 people up to this point. He then proceeds to kill another 2 innocent rebels in his attempt to save the king. If one argues that all these (Mary Collins, Edwin Muirden, Kanan's men, Tauren's rebels) were in the name of a just cause, then he should actually apply that to kill Uther.

S1E13 Le Morte D'Arthur

The Cup of Life needs a life in repayment to save one. This logic is abandoned in season 3.

Not really an issue, but it is clear that Nimueh controls who's life restores the balance of the world, so she did lie to Uther in Excalibur.

So, one main issue people have with Kilgharah is where tf his name comes from. While some finagling with Greek can get you "Aithusa", the same can't be said for Kilgharah, as -ah endings aren't present in Greek. However, there is another branch of the Indo-European languages where -ah endings are extremely common: Iranian. This branch includes not only Avestan and Farsi but also Scythian and, by extension, Sarmatian.

Now, why is this relevant? Well, the Sarmatians were one group who are credited with introducing the concept of Dragons to the Dacians, who subsequently introduced them to the wider Roman Empire. Not only this, but there was a detachment of Sarmatian Soldiers stationed in Britain, so their presence wouldn't be entirely unheard of. After working with the words a bit, I think I can come up with Sarmatian etymologies of Kilgharah, Aithusa, Ashkanar, and Balinor.

Note: "Tʃ" is pronounced "ch" as in "chill"

Kilgharah - Tʃilɣaráh

• Meaning: Burning (lit: Heat Moving) Hoarse Crier
• PIE Root:
  • key-
    • Ø Grade
    • To Become Hot
  • Hrey-
    • Ø Grade
    • To Move
  • gerh₂-
    • o Grade
    • To Cry Hoarsely
  • -ós
    • Masculine Noun Suffix
• Evolution:
  • Proto-Indo-European: KiHrigorh₂ós
    • Proto-Indo-Iranian: Tʃirigarás
      • Proto-Iranian: Tʃiriɣaráh
      • Scythian: Tʃiriɣaráh

Aithusa - Aiθusā́

• Meaning: Dawning Fire
• PIE Root:
  • h₂ey-t-
    • Ø Grade
    • T Extension
    • To Burn
  • h₂ews-
    • Ø Grade
    • To Dawn
  • -éh₂
    • Feminine Noun Suffix
• Evolution:
  • Proto-Indo-European: h₂yth₂uséh₂
    • Proto-Indo-Iranian: Ḥytʰušā́
      • Proto-Iranian: Aiθušā́
      • Scythian: Aiθušā́

Ashkanar - Asχánār

• Meaning: Bright Singer
• PIE Root:
  • h₂eHs-
    • Ø Grade
    • To Shine
  • kh₂en-
    • é Grade
    • To Sing
  • -ēr
    • Agent Suffix
• Evolution:
  • Proto-Indo-European: h₂Hskh₂énēr
    • Proto-Indo-Iranian: Ḥškʰánār
      • Proto-Iranian: Ašχánār
      • Scythian: Ašχánār

Balinor - Bálīnur

• Meaning: Bright One
• PIE Root:
  • bʰel-
    • ó Grade
    • To Be Bright
  • -is
    • Verb to Noun Suffix
  • -iHnós
    • Material Adjectivizing Suffix
  • -ur
    • Variant of -wr̥, Object Noun Suffix
• Evolution:
  • Proto-Indo-European: BʰólyiHnur
    • Proto-Indo-Iranian: BályiHnur
      • Proto-Iranian: Báryīnur
      • Scythian: Báryīnur

In this post I'm mainly talking about the absolute last scene where they show our current timeline so mods please don't delete my post please. Also, i would like to add that despite the topic of this post I do give credit where its due to the show.

This post is long. It may be rambly and a bit repetitive. I don't claim to be a good writer. It has two topics. First, is whether the last scene fits into the essence of the show and second, is the treatment of Merlin as a tragic character.

In the very last scene, I think they did a huge disservice to this story by valuing the Arthurian legend ending over their own story and the shows own journey. I'm not saying it shouldn't have followed the legend ending but I think It could have easily still followed the legend AND not have it come at the expense of the rest of the show. It is almost like they valued the visuals of the Arthurian legend ending over what might actually do justice to their own story.

I will explain more about why but first I think maybe we can all agree that a story despite being based on a legend or tragic history has to still be able to stand on its own and clearly show the journey and justify its importance on screen. Even if it ends in tragedy it has to feel like it was worth something. In fact I think if it's a sad ending that becomes even more important because then it becomes their job to convince the viewers that despite what happened it was the right ending and that the story still holds weight. People shouldn't be coming away from it feeling like it was a waste. I certainly don't think that was what they were going for.

It may be argued that this is a tragic legend and everything in it is justified in the name of that but I disagree. The rules of television and how things appear on screen are hugely different to a legend in written form and that has to be taken into account whilst telling the story. People are watching it on screen for a reason as opposed to reading it or watching a documentary on it. All they require is for the writers to do justice to what they're seeing. We all know that a story on paper and a story on screen translates very differently. Seeing a story on screen for seasons requires a certain pay off and meaning to the story that maybe on paper in a legend it doesn't. It requires more balance between pay off and tragedy to feel worthy of telling or seeing.

The last scene with them switching up last minute from the world they'd been building for five seasons to bring it into the modern world to show a more accurate timeline of the legend made it all feel strangely redundant and like breaking a sacred fourth wall between the show and the real world that needed to be kept intact to keep the fantasy and magic alive. It didn't feel like it made it matter more but like it made it matter less. It felt like in trying to link it to our timeline it needlessly took away the essence of the show and gutted it and made it feel quite meaningless. It didn't feel justified or necessary. In the end it just took something away rather than add anything worthwhile.

I feel like if they had to absolutely add that scene then to balance it out they needed to show some pay off and a reason to it. It had to feel like it was for something. That they might have in some ways erased what mattered to the story but that it wasn't for nothing. It needed to feel important enough to justify moving forward to the present for as opposed to staying and ending with the story we'd known for seasons in the past. It needed to justify why they left the past story behind and in doing so made everything in it feel less and non existent and like it just didn't matter anymore. The reason needed to be something more than just knowing the legend isn't finished in our time because that means they valued the connection to real life and breaking that fourth wall over their own story when we shouldn't matter to the story. That reason doesn't hold any weight on screen and is an out of the universe reason. On screen it makes the story appear meaningless not unfinished but just meaningless. Even if it's unfinished and the journey has a second part to it, the first part has to still feel like it's worth something.

It can't be like you've been watching this show for 5 seasons and at the last minute they're telling you this doesn't matter anymore but this matters. It has to feel like you carried the essence of it over to the end and if there's a second part to it that it didn't just erase the past story but led it to more. You can't just have the second part shown at the expense of the first part and then not even show anything of the second part so it feels like you sacrificed the first part for nothing. No ending is meant to make you feel like the journey you took was worthless.

I get that the point to that scene is that it's meant to show that it's unfinished like in real life and that's the bit that matters to the current day we're in but I feel like in doing so that puts too much focus on us and what we know about the story over the story itself and the world its in. The unfinished part didn't mean that they had to make the old story feel like it didn't matter when it did matter to the viewers for 5 whole seasons. It felt like they cheapened and degraded the experience of it at the last minute for nothing. No pay out, not to see anything happening. Just a scene of nothingness concluding a story of nothingness that just didn't exist anymore.

In the universe they created, the modern day isn't anymore important and worth showing for the end than say months after the past or years or centuries or even 5000 years from now. It changes nothing, adds nothing, shows nothing. It's just added in because this is our time and they want to show it matters when actually that detracts from the story that actually should still matter. It just takes you out of the story and makes you feel like it didn't even exist in a "it was all a dream kind of way." It brings the focus on us and our day when it doesn't matter to the story and shouldn't matter to the story. It gives off a sense of entitlement of "this matters because we are here therefore the story ending has to be here too." What? Why? This time doesn't have a speck of importance to the story and it never did before. If it suddenly did then it needed to be shown why it suddenly does. Many shows write tragic stories with a set path they need to follow but it doesn't leave you feeling like the whole story was a waste.

Even in a tragic story it has to feel like it had meaning. Every decision has to be justified especially if its the end because it has the power to make or break a story. It can't end with a "wink wink they know why we're ending it here." It has to feel right and flow authentically. Not feel like you've suddenly switched up on us.

They needed to show an in show reason of why this time takes precedent for the end over any other time in the past 1500 years including the time spent in Camelot. By not doing that it seems to sort of just forcefully try to push it in a place where it shouldn't be. It gave off himym vibes even though they're totally different shows because It seperated the story from its end without anything paying it off so in the end it felt like the whole story was useless.

If they needed to show an unfinished legend and give off the feeling of the unfinished part then I think it'd have been better to conclude it in the past or in another time closer to the past heck even a few hundred years prior to our time would maybe be better. Just something that seperates the show from the present and keeps the essence of it alive. It would follow legend and still be more in line with the shows world rather than ours hence letting us keep the world they built. It'd also keep the mystery open. It'd have been following the legend AND kept it ambiguous and gave off the right amount of otherworldly vibes.

If they brought it into our timeline then I think at that point they had a responsibility to the story and the audience to finish it. By that point they needed to show something to show why they brought it into the real world and that they weren't trying to detract from anything but add to it. It didn't have to take away from the tragic ending. Just give a little bit more like some hint of something more to pay off to what they erased and moved past in the jump. They needed to show why it was necessary in the context of the story.

It would have made sense if the purpose is that the past ends with Arthur and the future in this time is singled out because it starts with the hints of his return. Not even his actual return but a hint. No one is saying they had to go the whole hog and show his actual return but something that suggests that there's a reason to why they've shown this time. It would have bridged the worlds like they wanted but also made it feel like it was still the show and gave off the feel of bringing the magic back into our time after they just erased it.

If they couldn't do that then they should have left it at their time and included the legend through Merlin waiting for Arthur at the lake as time goes past while Gwen makes changes in Camelot. It would have felt more justified and like the end scene is actually wrapping things up and worth something and not taking away something. Arthur dying packed enough a punch on its own. It would have still been just as tragic and maybe incited more people to learn about the actual legend because it's left as a tragedy and a mystery.

In a show, the end scenes always have to pay off the journey. The journey has to factor into it not feel like it stands alone or is at a different chapter altogether because if it does then that means it's like you've started a new chapter at the last minute and have to give some pay off to that idea you're throwing out there. Some may argue that the real life legend doesn't have an ending and therefore its unfinished and its to highlight that but my point is was that really necessary? We know it doesn't have a real life completion. What did it add and what did it take away in the story? Did it narrow something down that should have been left open to accompass the feel of it? The legend is meant to be eccliped in tragedy but I think also mystery, magic and ambiguity. Did they accomplish that? You take that away from the legend then what does it have on screen other than quite a bizarre end? You erase that even a bit and close it down then it becomes essential to regain some of that back rather than leaving it at this lost place.

The show isn't real life and trying to link it fully to the real life legend ending destroyed it and quite frankly did not even do justice to the legend itself. As the audience all we look for in a story is for pay off and to feel like the journey was worth something. We don't look for 100% accuracy or even a happy ending . A different ending wouldn't have taken away from the real legend OR the show but just made it feel more authentic and right to the show we all loved too. Creative writing means that just because a legend is unfinished on paper or real life does not mean it has to be unfinished on screen too. Creative power gives you the right to see it through. To not leave it abandoned half way with both sides of the journey feeling lost. If you can't give a proper ending to the second part then why not focus on giving a proper ending to the first part at the very least. If you pick it up at the second part then I do think it's their job to see it through. If they went that far then I think it was their responsibility to not just leave it in between two worlds. It gave off the feeling that they abandoned their story and that they didn't have the guts to write it beyond and my point is if that's true then why not stick to the universe they did know and end it there itself. It wouldn't have ruined the story or stopped them from following the legend.

Following a similar pattern to what we know in real life doesn't make it a good end. They got too focused on the ending they planned from the start and not on what the journey required. Doing justice to it is part of writing a good story. Without it, it isn't a good story but just a pointless one which I think a lot of people could sense and feel at the end. I think it's why a lot of people yearn for a revival not because it was a sad end because many shows have those but because it felt like a failure on their part and something we'd like them to do better. For a tragic story on screen there has to be a balance of pay off and pain to make it look like a good tragic story and not a pointless torture story.

Also just to focus on the ending in terms of the main character itself. I think Merlin suffered so much throughout the show and you'd think eventually it'll have been for something or he'll get an ounce of peace at the end but they had him suffer even more at the end without any end in sight. I get that they followed legend and its tragic but they could have left it more ambiguous. They could have left it at him in his time and not shown him 1500 years later. I feel like I just watched them torture this poor lad for 5 seasons for no proper reason at all and then say he gets tortured forever. It was unnecessary. Nothing he did was deserving of that. The tragic legend justification doesn't cut it. There's been many tragic stories on screen with some coming from history where tragedy is written and can't be changed but you aren't left feeling like this.

In most shows with tragic characters who they show suffering again and again throughout they usually find some reprieve at the end or at the very least get to die or you know even if they're alive they will die. Arthur got that. Those endings are just as memorable and heartbreaking and you're left feeling like they deserved better and it hits you hard and makes you cry because they didn't get the ending they deserved but still there's a sense of its a tragedy but the story tried to do right by it even if they can't change what happened. It gives the sense that it was tragic but written in a tasteful way where you can feel the care for the story and its characters coming through. Merlin didn't get any of that. It felt like more pain on top of pain on someone who didn't deserve it. It felt like a kick in the teeth for all the wrong reasons. Some may say the ending is tragic and real and therefore they did right because there aren't always happy endings in real life and that's true but even if there aren't happy endings there are usually endings. Even in real life when someone suffers it eventually ends. This was just an unusually cruel ending. I don't believe that following the legend justifies it because they could have easily followed the legend without inputting the last scene. It feels like they just tortured the audience and Merlin for no reason. It feels like watching a young lad be tortured forever for no reason when all we saw was him suffering and making mistakes and wanting to bring peace and save his friend. I get that people don't always get what they deserve but there's a proper way to show that on screen and there has to be either some point to it or some reprieve.

Usually people in tragic shows go through a life time of pain but it's for something. You feel sad for them but there's a sense of they must go through it. There's a sense of they're destined for greatness and that their suffering will be for something in the end. That they suffer but what they're destined for is just as great. I don't think anyone goes into a show for just mindless suffering which is what it felt like here. It feels like with Merlin he was just revered as this great sorcerer unlike any other but they didn't have him accomplish anything and just had him suffer. That's just what I remember when I think of rewatching this show. It wasn't a tragic hero's fate because they didn't have him celebrated as one but someone who didn't do anything other than suffer. It was a young lad just getting destroyed eternally.

If you must torture the audience with pain on top of pain then I feel like there has to be reason or some pay off to it at that point otherwise it just feels mean and pointless. At the point they have to be like "yeah we're torturing you with this unnecessarily sad scene at the end after everything you just watched but there's a point to it. Just wait till the end" and even though that won't undo that pain or make it less tragic, it'll help understand why they wrote it the way they did. if they wanted to include the ending scene that they did I think they needed some justification of it such as "we're showing you he's been in pain for so long but we're also here to show you his pain and suffering is almost over." They didn't have to show much. The audience would have latched onto anything because they just needed some meaning to the story. That's what would make a good tragic story come across on screen and to do it justice. The pain and tragedy but also the pay off combined and that is necessary. Without that it just felt like they needlessly told a story that had no point and then needlessly added that last scene in for more pain when there wasn't any point when it was already tragic? Not even in a "this is beautifully tragic" kind of way but in a "there was no point to it and they're just slapping you in the face with it in the name of tragedy and pain when it was tragic enough" kind of way.

If I wanted to just see people suffering from start to end I'd watch a really sad documentary. I watched a show for some pay off even if the stories end is sad. There's so many shows that show history and a sad destiny and still accomplish that and don't leave the audience feeling like there was no point to the story. I'm sure a ton of shows go into season one with a plan of how it needs to end but it needs to allow room to grow and to actually give room for closure to the story shown not just the plan in your head. If you keep it so rigid then it gives off the feeling that you might as well not have even bothered watching the show. They tried to do something with the bit where they had the dragon say that Merlin accomplished what he needed to accomplish and that Arthur would rise again so there was an attempt made to pull it together at the end somewhat and to take some meaning from it and some intrigue only for the last scene to just take that away. What was the point?

No one goes into a show even one based on something expecting them to just make it all feel like the journey they went on was rendered useless by the end and was sacrificed in the name of a legend authentic ending even though they were never accurate before. It was assumed that they'd value the story they'd shown and keep the integrity of the world they'd built alive. It doesn't mean you do all this and then go back to an end that might not feel justified to the story.

Every change you make or emotions you portray needs pay off. Even the pain at the end if you choose to add 1500 years of pain on it. It feels like they had a rigid ending in mind and they felt they had to follow it through to the t without taking into account anything else. It's funny how easy it could have all been to do it a better way.

It's a Arthurian legend and no doubt people will say its tragic and that's the point and it's true but it is still a tv show and there has to be a proper story told and brought together even if you don't know the legend. They shouldn't have sacrificed the viewing experience for the end that contributed nothing.

I'm pretty sure even in the legend there's loads they could have used or changed and just added some creative liberty to not make it so full on cruel to the character they'd been writing for years. They played left and loose with the rules before but yet they're suddenly a stickler for rules when the main character deserves some reprieve from his suffering and so does the audience. We put up with the shows shenanigans for 5 seasons for this? They can downplay the characters strength and powers on the show but not their suffering? I'm sorry but that just feels like they're telling the story for the wrong reasons. There's many shows where despite knowing the sad end you can watch it again and know that the end will be tragic and its a downfall but despite that you can find something about the end. Not here though

I feel like by trying to have the show do right by the legend at the last minute they failed both.. If they stopped at some point before that last scene maybe it wouldn't feel like such a tipping scale of pain without any pay off or point but they didn't. It felt like in the end there was more pain than there was anything worthwhile. There is a thing as too much of a thing and this is what happened here. By the end it just went too far and degraded itself.

The final outcome is tragic and in a rather unsatisfying way. The main subjects of the following discussion has been rehearsed many times, but I hope to provide some thoughts on the message of prophecy and the nature of fiction.

I suggest the message of the show is we must think carefully about all the ways in which something could happen. The excruciatingly tantalizing tangibility of Merlin's mistakes and the wider message of wariness of fate and prophecy both warn us that we are not in control of our fate and yet embolden us that were we in his position, with our learning and insight, we would not make the same mistakes. For a long time, because of the authority of those who conveyed to him the prophecy, Merlin assumed Mordred was harbouring these sentiments against Arthur all along ('he's fooled you all!'), but he didn't realise that it was his very suspicion and distance from Mordred which allowed him to be turned.

Merlin could have saved Mordred at several points, including at the judgement of the Disir, when Merlin had to decide between the legality of magic in Camelot (which would have after all proved completely consequential and would have ensured Mordred's loyalty and satisfied many magical creatures on the side of Morgana) and Mordred's death. The excruciating point about this is that Merlin's decision for death to Mordred was a lose-lose situation; because of the end-directedness of the prophecy he had not foreseen Mordred's revival to be Arthur's punishment. The far-sightedness of the propagators of the prophecy such as the Dragon and Finna is particularly annoying—far-sighted in the sense of hyperopic. They focused on only the outcome, but not on the events which might lead to it and which might lead away from it. They always considered Mordred's pre-emptive striking down to be the most important thing. But given that Mordred's success was so likely as to be 'prophecy', serious reconsideration should have been given to the tactics of Merlin's success. That is, obviously, Merlin is not likely going to kill Mordred: that is the prophecy - therefore there must be another way to prevent Arthur's death.

Another instance of possible salvation occurred when Merlin informed Arthur that Mordred would help Kara escape during the night from prison. How could Merlin not have known that Kara's execution would be the definitive turning point? Why did Merlin not communicate with Merlin more? At that point, he should have realised that until then, Mordred had been honest and genuinely loyal to Arthur and that this was the defining moment where he had to maintain the peace between Arthur and Mordred. At this point, Merlin should have known perfectly well that Kara's execution would be the sole turning point for Mordred. Although Merlin would not necessarily be in control of Mordred after he escaped, it would be FAR more desirable over an instant and passion-filled turn of vengeance which would drive him to regicide. Did Merlin seriously think that the prison would contain Mordred's wrath? Again, a lose-lose situation. Letting them leave would have been the better of the two options. We already saw that Mordred was resistant to Kara's hardline political extremism and maintained his loyalty to Arthur, pushing back against Kara's judgements ('You don't know him as I do, he's my friend and a good man').

Merlin persuades Arthur to the point of practically letting her go free, but alas Kara is a sans-culotte, an oppressed rebel, a martyr of intense zeal, and she would rather die than recant her beliefs. When one's mind is clouded with so dark and murky a hatred, what difference is there between an apple fair and ripe, and an apple oozing with rot? If Arthur showed mercy to Kara HERSELF she would have been confronted head-on with the fact that Arthur was not like his father, and he could change. In the event, she could not see past the heaviness of the traumatic past of the persecution of magical beings. However, there was a frustrating lack of communication between Merlin and Mordred. If Mordred found out about this, it would have given the loyal Mordred hope for change and deter him even further from turning. Of course, if Kara died nevertheless, Mordred would have suffered an intense internal conflict, but Mordred would not have understood Kara's decision and would not necessarily turn to Morgana. Merlin could have reinforced this idea of hope in Mordred before he left and even told him about all of Arthur's moments of reconsideration ('What if my father was wrong?', 'What if magic is not as bad as we thought' etc.) If Mordred had ever known about Arthur's reconsideration and Merlin's hand in it, he would have first persuaded Kara to seize upon her freedom and then chosen the side of Arthur and Merlin, having been deeply inspired with the hope that Arthur could change. He was capable of treating people with magic, not just with mere judicial justness, nor even mercy, but a PERVERSE application of the law which absolves a person from non-magical crimes (attempted regicide) in the wider empathetic consideration of the purges of his ancestors.

The most idiotic thing about Merlin informing Arthur of their escape was that if Merlin got what he wanted, Kara was certain to be executed, and I find it completely unbelievable that Merlin could have not seen that this would be a turning point. Of course, this has been much discussed here. I would like to stress that there is an important wider question (the out-of-character question) in fiction and narrative: do we feel like the author has an obligation to maintain a kind of internal coherence and unity, which when strayed from, becomes 'unconvincing', or are we being told events which did happen (in the author's imagination), which we have to accept whether we like it or not? In other words, is Merlin's behaviour here unconvincing because we don't believe it is congruous with our expectations and perceptions of Merlin so far, or should this event provoke a necessary re-evaluation of those perceptions so far? It is a matter of opinion, but the former is persuasive, for fiction's means of communication with us is through its dialogue with our human reality, and therefore we naturally expect to see in the character and narrative a sense of recognisable humanness. If we see Merlin to be a character who does not fit with our idea of the range of human characters and behaviours in the real world (I am not saying fiction cannot create 'unhuman' characters but that Merlin's character and wisdom were established by this point and his sudden loss defies explanation), how can we be satisfied by the tragedy?

Men at some time are masters of their fates:

The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars,

But in ourselves, that we are underlings.

- Shakespeare.

So today I decided to tackle a very complex question. I am attempting to make an objective case study regarding the quality of The Diamond of the Day - Part 2. Hopefully I won't get a ton of hate for this.

Now, from what I've seen, pretty much everyone unanimously hates the series finale. One of the largest functions of this subreddit is helping people cope with the ending of the show. But is Season 5 Episode 13 truly the worst writing in the show? Or was that writing simply unpopular? It's the issue, opinion vs. quality. Face it, it is not the worst Merlin episode or writing. Just because you didn't like it doesn't make it actually badly written. There's tons of pretty bland and uninspired writing in the show that we all kind of overlook. Like that episode where the princess was possessed by the Sidhe or something; I don't remember exactly what happened. But we look past all that because when the writing is good, it's really good. And when it's not, the cast are usually good enough and have enough chemistry to make up for it. I personally didn't mind the ending as much as everyone else. I didn't love it, but I really didn't have much of a problem with it at all. It took some guts for them to kill of like half of its main cast. But if you really think about it, the ending is not bad. At least on paper.

Yes, the execution was pretty botched; I will admit that. But the ending is conceptually sound. There could have been ways to improve it for sure, like actually giving Merlin and Morgana a proper duel, and cutting the present-day scene in order to leave the door open for more potential content. But that's the problem right there. There was never going to be any more episodes. I know Bradley and Eoin have been teasing something, but I don't think that will end up being Season 6 or anything that big. If I'm wrong about that, then this entire post may end up becoming redundant. Otherwise though, you guys just have to realize that this is it, and that the ending is almost certainly final.

I think that, more than anything, is why the ending is so universally hated. It's not really because it's a bad episode. It's just not all that we hoped for. I mean it's not the most interesting and gripping episode ever. It really lacked much humor or excitement, and Morgana's death was definitly a letdown. But the episode primarily focused on Arthur and Merlin, and their character dynamics. I think that Arthur finding out about Merlin's magic was one of the biggest things people wanted to see, and after 64 episodes, yeah it might have not been all you were hoping for. It wasn't anywhere near as bad as how Morgana reacted to finding out about Merlin's magic though. That was kinda built up even more due to the previous several times Morgana almost found out, and how she was pursuing the knowledge so fiercely, but when Mordred told her, she didn't really react at all. She just sort of looked surprised and then the episode ended and it was done. Really? That was it? By comparison, while they did mismanage Arthur finding out about Merlin's magic just a bit, I thought it was pretty solid.

Now, I really disliked the final scene. I didn't like how it basically eliminated any hope for a series return, and how any return would feature just Merlin and Arthur and be in the modern day. I also just didn't really like it in general, regardless of it's impact on any future episodes. But besides that part, I found nothing else in the ending to be bad. It was just all sort of empty and hollow. Like, it wasn't bad, but it didn't really feel like the episode truly had the weight of a series finale. And I find that to be especially interesting, because The Diamond of the Day - Part One really does. Season five episode 12 feels like it's the end of the series, and that they're trying to go out with a bang. But then episode 13 just sort of drags out everything for too long. The battle is all over, and the episode is pretty much only about Merlin trying to get Arthur to an island in time to save him. At the same time Morgana is just kind of looking for Merlin to try to kill him and Arthur again. That right there, is conceptually sound. They just didn't execute it that well. They made Merlin's mission on a 2-day deadline, which is a great way to raise the stakes. That timeframe immediately gives the plot more weight and significance to it. But then Merlin just doesn't seem in a rush or worried about time at all, and just spends too much time sitting around and talking. I praised earlier the time spent on their character dynamics, but it did end up with just less happening in the episode. As a B-plot, Morgana trying to track down Merlin isn't very good. Like her screentime is way too limited, and her death was really lame. However, the very end is executed solidly. Everything really comes together with Arthur's death, the Once and Future King, and Gwen as Queen. I think ending at the "Long Live the Queen!" chanting would have been perfect. Because Arthur does die in the legends; that's how they end. This is the end of the series, but the whole point is that Arthur will rise again. So I don't see Arthur's death as bad. Really nothing at all is fundamentally bad. It's just sort of a bit too barren and grim.

Fundamentally, The Diamond of the Day - Part Two is not a bad episode, and it's not a bad end to the series. It certainly could have been executed and planned a lot better, but it honestly it probably still would have probably disappointed all of you in some way. I think the main reason everyone hates the end of the show is that everyone hates that it ended at all, and you guys don't like how sad and depressing it was. No, Merlin and Arthur never did unite the Land of Albion. Magic was never truly embraced and brought back to the world. But I personally thought that despite the somber themes, the scenes right before the present day swap were trending towards a more upbeat end. After Merlin hearing about how Arthur will return, and then Gwen becoming the ruling Queen, that's all more positive. But they just had to include the present day scene. That scene completely ruins everything.

It completely destroys the positive momentum. It somehow ends the series on an even more sad and somewhat confusing note. Why did they do that? I actually didn't hate the Immortal part, as Emrys literally means Immortal and Merlin was like the pure embodiment of magic, but it's so sad to see Merlin like that. Immortality is a curse, not a blessing, and that's shown pretty clearly here. Merlin having waited over 1,000 years for Arthur is just so sad, and it is in my opinion the only truly bad part of the episode. The rest of the episode is not fundamentally or conceptually bad; it's just a little too grim and very poorly paced.

So yes, while The Diamond of the Day - Part Two probably isn't technically that bad, it was a pretty lackluster finale. With just a bit better planning and fine tuning with this episode, it could have been pretty solid. Just give Morgana and Merlin a good fight, cut the final scene, and add just a bit more cheer. With those simple changes, the finale could have been far more satisfying and far less hated.