This is a post about Merlin. Yes, I'm surprised too.

[netgirl_y2k]

*Cackles evilly*

Okay, show, if you actually go through with Merlin's lies and fucked up obsession with Arthur being the cause of the ultimate destruction of Camelot all some nothing will be forgiven. It will, however, mean that you haven't been a complete waste of my time for these last five years. It's also possible that I will never stop laughing.

Is it weird that I think Merlin saying that there can be no place for magic in Camelot was the crowning moment of characterisation in four and a half series and actually kind of beautiful? Turns out if you stop pretending he's the hero for a minute I actually like the obsessed self-destructive little shit, who knew?

*resumes evil laughing*

Comments

[miarrow]

One thing I never got was how Uther was like the worst and how that was consistent across the board and how it was clear that magic users were sometimes good and sometimes bad (and a lot of times bad because of Uther), but they were always like Arthur's not ready! (Or at least Patriarchy!Dragon was) and Merlin who was in a position to really want things to change changed himself into sort of... Gaius? I guess.

It could pretty interesting if that was what they were trying to accomplish, but can't give this show that much credit.

[netgirl_y2k]

It's weird, I've long thought that since they missed the window for the magic reveal (S2/very early S3, I always thought) it'd been pretty clear that Merlin was turning into, like you say, a sort of Gaius like character who was willing to sacrifice a better future, the destiny he'd once been so invested in, and all other magic users on the altar of the status quo and Arthur's immediate safety. But because I have, like, zero faith in the show I was never sure how much of this was intentional and how much of it was my reading my, er, unflattering view of Merlin as a character onto the show.

Mostly I am wondering what the hell went wrong where Merlin being the creepy secret downfall of Arthur and Camelot is the best way this could possibly end?

[fitz_y]

Merlin's causing Camelot's downfall? Wow, that sounds glorious. Also, can I say, these boys DO NOT LOOK 10 YEARS OLDER? wtf?

[netgirl_y2k]

So, basically there's a scene where Arthur has the option of accepting magic to save Mordred's life (Mordred is a knight now). Merlin, who learned precisely nothing from the Morgana debacle about punishing people for things they haven't done yet, is trying to manipulate Arthur into letting Mordred die.

I shall now summarise it thusly:

Arthur: I'm thinking of legalising magic.
Arthur: Seriously, this close.
Arthur: It's a shame the only experience of magic I have comes from Uther and Morgana.
Arthur: If only I had just one example of magic being used to help people.
Arthur: Just one would do.
Arthur: Merlin?
Merlin: MAGIC HAS NO PLACE IN CAMELOT!
fandom: YOU HAD ONE JOB, MERLIN!
Mordred: *is alive, bitches*
Merlin: Well, fuck.

It was kind of glorious. Don't get me wrong, I fully expect the show to back-peddle like whoa, but for one glorious moment they acknowledged that they have inadvertently turned Merlin into Gaius-but-worse.

[fitz_y]

Wow. That would be absolutely glorious. Why is Merlin SO SO SO STUPID?

[antonomasia]

This was the first season that I actually found myself actively disliking Merlin, and it was for exactly this reason - that his love for Arthur was clearly more destructive for himself and magic than it was helpful for Arthur. I still can't help feeling bad for him when he cries, though. On the other hand, I'm loving Arthur more than ever, I want to know EVERYTHING about Mordred (seriously, his life is messed up), and evil!Gwen is fun.

I don't know if you heard, but Merlin was officially not picked up for a 6th series today. As inconsistent as the show has been, I'm definitely going to miss it.

[netgirl_y2k]

I had heard that this series was the last, and to be honest I'm surprised that people are surprised. As far as I knew the show had always been intended to run for five series, it had been pitched as a five year show, and the main actors contracted for five years. And I think it's hard to blame them for wanting to use Merlin as a launch pad for bigger and better things rather than coming back for more.

re: Arthur & Merlin's relationship, I'd felt for a long time that it was becoming toxic, but this is the first year I'd felt that it was really overt and perhaps intended by the text. And while it's obviously bad for Merlin and magic, it's not great for Arthur either, because every time he show's signs of character growth or becoming the king everyone needs him to be Merlin is right there stopping him.

Mordred is fascinating to me, but he's been backgrounded for so much of this series that he's become another example of how much the show's structure doesn't work. A five year arc leading up to Arthur's coronation and the beginning of the golden age of Camelot might have worked. A five year arc laden with time jumps and plot and character inconsistencies and leading up to the fall of Camelot (assuming the spoilers are on point) when we never even got to see the rise, just doesn't. I mean, the tragedy of Arthurian legend is that King Arthur fails in the end, but it's only a tragedy if he's allowed to succeed for a while first.

So, yes, my main emotions at the end of Merlin are ones of relief, I'm afraid.

[antonomasia]

There had been rumors of a 6th series and/or some movies, but I wasn't really surprised either. I am disappointed, because they could have had more time for the new characters if there had been another series beyond this one.

Merlin goes both ways as far as Arthur's character development goes. So yeah, I hated his decision in The Disir, but in the previous episode he'd talked Arthur out of killing Odin, and in A Lesson in Vengeance he tried to convince Arthur to have mercy on the stablehand. The person I'm more frustrated with as far as advice is concerned is Gaius, because lately he's been telling Merlin to chill out about everything, including things like Mithian being controlled by someone, which Merlin was right about.

Mordred had SO MUCH POTENTIAL!!!!! His line in the second episode about needing to learn to see a lot in order not to be executed or exploited hints at a ridiculously interesting backstory, which I'm still hoping will be revealed (even though it probably won't be). And I want to know how he feels about Merlin, given that Merlin's tried to kill him fairly obviously a couple of times now, and that he himself left Merlin for dead in the cave.

I guess a five-year arc leading up to Arthur's kingship could have worked, but his character development would have had to go much slower. Unless he found out about Merlin's magic halfway through, and then we had a season of him adjusting to it, which would have been exciting. Hmm. And then, yeah, it could have ended happily with the start of Arthur's rule, although there would probably be people complaining that it should end with Camlann.