By Helen Fulton
When I found out that BBC 1's hit Saturday night TV show Merlin was coming to an end, I must admit I shed a tear. I have been a Merlin fan since episode 1 aired on the 20th September 2008; that's 5 whole years of my life dedicated to the fandom of Merlin.
However, the final episodes have aired and the final box-sets have been delivered to my door. I was very pleased with how the writers left it with no loose ends, that every question was answered. I know more than anything that if there were any loose ends, I would search the Internet for potential answers.
When I found out that BBC 1's hit Saturday night TV show Merlin was coming to an end, I must admit I shed a tear. I have been a Merlin fan since episode 1 aired on the 20th September 2008; that's 5 whole years of my life dedicated to the fandom of Merlin.
However, the final episodes have aired and the final box-sets have been delivered to my door. I was very pleased with how the writers left it with no loose ends, that every question was answered. I know more than anything that if there were any loose ends, I would search the Internet for potential answers.
The final 2 episodes, a 2-parter, sees our heroes, Merlin (Colin Morgan) and Arthur (Bradley James) start things off with a few games of chance in the local tavern. Comedic lines flow as much as the ale and this proves why these two characters make for such a great pairing. However, while all the fun is happening in the tavern, a hooded man working for Morgana (Katie McGrath) sneaks into the castle and hides an Eancanah (a snake-like creature) to steal Merlin's magic. Gaius (Richard Wilson) kills the creature, but realises too late that it has already completed its mission and taken Merlin's magic.
Shortly after losing his powers, Arthur announces that they are to have their battle with Morgana at Camlann. Any die-hard fan would know that this was now lined up to be Arthur's final showdown. Merlin heads off to the crystal caves in the Valley of the Fallen Kings to restore his powers, but becomes trapped when Morgana gets wind of his plans. Through the crystals, Merlin warns Arthur of the impending attack at Camlann. Even with the warning, the battle has already begun. The final moments of the first episode shows Merlin escaping the cave as Emrys and heading to Camlann.
Shortly after losing his powers, Arthur announces that they are to have their battle with Morgana at Camlann. Any die-hard fan would know that this was now lined up to be Arthur's final showdown. Merlin heads off to the crystal caves in the Valley of the Fallen Kings to restore his powers, but becomes trapped when Morgana gets wind of his plans. Through the crystals, Merlin warns Arthur of the impending attack at Camlann. Even with the warning, the battle has already begun. The final moments of the first episode shows Merlin escaping the cave as Emrys and heading to Camlann.
Onto part 2, we start the episode in the midst of battle. Morgana looks to be winning, what with the Dragon under her command, until Merlin steps in and surprises the Saxon army with his magic. However, Mordred makes his move and stabs Arthur with a blade forged in a Dragon's breath. All seems lost...until Arthur stabs Mordred with his sword and kills him! Merlin takes Arthur away from the battle and heads to the lake of Avalon to heal him, leaving Gwen to believe that Arthur is already dead. Gwaine and Percival head after Morgana, but they are captured by her henchmen. Morgana tortures Gwaine until, unfortunately, he dies in Percival's shirtless arms. (sorry had to mention that, I love Percival). With Arthur still severely injured, Merlin makes the biggest decision of his life… HE REVEALS HIS MAGIC! Arthur takes this badly at first, and I mean really bad, but just before Arthur passes away, he says thank you to Merlin for being there for him and for saving him. The last image is of modern day, and a mysterious, Emerys-looking man, is walking past what once was the Lake of Avalon.
At this point, I wept like I have never wept before. Even now I'm still sad that it's all over. Overall I must say I thought the finale was very well put together, and like I said earlier, it tied up any loose ends. As a Merlin fan, you have to think that you've been waiting 5 years for the ‘big reveal’ and so when you hear the preview of the very last episode saying "I have magic" you can't help but feel excited! It’s safe to say that the reveal was almost everything you could have wished for, though I would have liked to have seen the ‘big reveal’ a bit sooner in the episode, so we could have seen more of how Arthur would’ve reacted. They had about a quarter of the episode to explore what had happened but a reveal that huge needs at least half, maybe more time to really explore the emotions of the characters.
At this point, I wept like I have never wept before. Even now I'm still sad that it's all over. Overall I must say I thought the finale was very well put together, and like I said earlier, it tied up any loose ends. As a Merlin fan, you have to think that you've been waiting 5 years for the ‘big reveal’ and so when you hear the preview of the very last episode saying "I have magic" you can't help but feel excited! It’s safe to say that the reveal was almost everything you could have wished for, though I would have liked to have seen the ‘big reveal’ a bit sooner in the episode, so we could have seen more of how Arthur would’ve reacted. They had about a quarter of the episode to explore what had happened but a reveal that huge needs at least half, maybe more time to really explore the emotions of the characters.
I am a bit biased when it comes to choosing a favourite moment, seeing as I love Percival… and he was shirtless... just yes all over! However, I can look past this and say that my favourite moment of the series finale was the scene in the tavern, right at the beginning, when Merlin and Arthur are gambling. It is one of the funniest scenes they have shot together and just had me in stitches from the start of the episode, which was a great way to start the beginning of the end.
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