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@gaywaine
Still pains me that Gwaine didn't know about Merlin's magic.
Like at leaaast after Lancelot's death Merlin deserved another person who truly saw the real him, Gwaine would have been perfect for that based on his personality
And we never got that
*screams into a pillow*
"You're quiet."
"That's what happens after three days of listening to Gwaine."
GWAINE || THE DARKEST HOUR PT ONE AND TWO
....aka Gwaine being Gwaine
I think that If merlin ever got the chance to freely explore his magical abilities, it wouldn’t take long before he started hurling random spells at people just to see what happens
Arthur would just have to follow him everywhere and trying to minimise the damage
I love Merlin fanfics that are like:
"To pass through this cave you must say your full name and titles!"
So the knights and Arthur all go through while merlin is internally panicking about having to say allllll those titles. And the whole revealing magic thing as well, yeah.
i imagine it goign something like
"I am Merlin."
"Your title please?"
"Servant of Camelot?"
"And?"
"Merlin of Ealdor..?
"AND?"
"Son of Hunnith?"
"Are you even trying?"
"...Yes?"
"That's not even both your parents!"
"I don't know my dad."
"Yes you do."
"Nope."
"Yes."
"Nuh uh."
"I can tell when your'e lying!"
"FINE! Son of Balinor!"
"Now we're getting somewhere! And what would that make you?"
"The Last Dragon Lord."
"Now the rest of them!"
heavy sigh
"Emrys, Most Powerful Warlock, Protecter Of Arthur Pendragon, Guardian of the Once and Future King, King of the druids, magic incarnate- ect ect
🚶🏼🚶🏻♂️🚶🏻♂️🚶🏻♂️🚶🏻♂️🚶🏾♂️🚶🏻♂️
bbc Merlin if they let me design them
5.05 The Disir
See when I say there's no show like BBC Merlin, it's like... it's the little things you know....
For example, Merlin casually spilling wine (water?) on Arthur as he serves them. It's not a main focus of the scene and they don't pull any attention to it, yet it's so funny and so in character. Esp with Arthur about to say something, realising it's not worth it and just wiping his hand as Merlin continues serving, none the wiser
My little guys,,
The inherent homoeroticism of BBC Merlin’s Knights of Camelot
absolutely obsessed with the guards in merlin. they get paid minimum wage, they're not going to interfere, even though i bet the gossip between them is wild
Nothing goes harder than a BBC Merlin after episode preview for a season finale two part special
For folks trying to binge BBC Merlin before it leaves Netflix:
If you download the episodes you still need it says they’re available until 12/15 instead of tomorrow. So if you need more time, download!!
Merlin's Arc - The Ultimate Tragedy Post
I ramble here a lot about how BBC Merlin is a tragedy, how for me it was visible from the very first season, etc. But I've actually never explained in detail how I see it - and it's closely tied to Merlin's arc, because, after all, this is a series about him.
Merlin is a fascinating character. He starts out hopeful, ends up in despair. He has a negative character arc. You can write like a whole PhD thesis on it, so this post will be only a summary, bc needs must.
To me, Merlin's arc looks something like this:
(as usual, please admire my Paint skills)
Let me explain.
Season 1 - hope and uncertainty
The starting point for Merlin: young and hopeful, but also desperately lacking guidance. Unsure of his magic's purpose, slightly worried that he might be monstrous because of it - but not convinced about it. He needs a confirmation that he's okay and has a purpose. So he immediately latches onto Gaius' words, and then onto Kilgharrah's (despite the initial reluctance).
Merlin is also impulsive. He wants to bring change NOW. He wants Arthur to know about his magic NOW. This is an important thing to keep in mind.
The Beginning of the End: first shaking of Merlin's world. For the first time, he actually considers letting an innocent child die because of a prophecy. Merlin in s1e1 wouldn't have even considered this. This is a taste of what's to come later.
The Moment of Truth - Will dies, Merlin loses a person who knew about his magic and accepted him. Merlin keeps his magic secret for the sake of Will's sacrifice. This is not a tipping point, but Merlin loses support.
To Kill the King - Merlin gets persuaded to save Uther in a tragic series of events. He takes Gwen's words about not seeking revenge as a sign that he shouldn't seek immediate change of the system. From now on, Merlin will believe when Gaius says Arthur isn't ready to rule (even though it's not true!)
The ending point of S1: Merlin is still hopeful and rather happy, also happy to serve Arthur because he loves him, not because of prophecy. But already he shows very self-sacrificial tendencies. He's slightly disillusioned with Kilgharrah and there's already a dent in his moral system. He knows what's at stake: Arthur's life is extremely important to him.
Season 2 - Tragic decisions
The Nightmare Begins: Merlin's first tragic decision. Persuaded by Gaius, he doesn't talk to Morgana about magic, doesn't tell her he has magic. The situation is complex and there are no easy solutions, but I believe Merlin makes a decision here that ultimately will lose him Morgana.
The Sins of the Father: Merlin's second tragic decision. By saying that Morgause is lying - even if she actually was - Merlin hardens Arthur's heart against magic for the first time. Again, he's put in an impossible situation. It's clear that making this decision causes something to die inside him - he's crushed when people start congratulating him for being "an ally in the fight against magic", even though he tries to retain a jokey facade.
The Fires of Idirsholas: Merlin's third tragic decision. Again, an impossible situation, but Merlin already is so used to secrecy that he can't find any other solution than poisoning Morgana. This is the irreparable damage between Merlin and Morgana.
The ending point of s2: Merlin has moved from a positive protagonist to a morally ambiguous hero. He's made terrible decisions which caused a lot of damage (this includes freeing Kilgharrah). He also, cruelly, got a glimpse of happiness and love (Freya, Balinor) which then were snatched from him. S2 is the point of no return.
Season 3 - How far did he fall?
Interestingly, season 3 doesn't bring big tipping points for Merlin, but instead, demonstrates how low he's gone so far. This is demonstrated in 2 episodes:
The Crystal Cave: this episode is like the whole show in a nutshell. Merlin wants to prevent the future, but he makes it happen. This shows how caught-up in the prophecy and destiny he is already. He doesn't seem to learn from this.
The Sorcerer's Shadow: Gilli rightfully points out that Merlin has forgotten who he really is. He's no longer fighting for magic. Merlin tries to establish moral superiority over Gilli in this ep, but imho even though Gilli is far from perfect, he's right and Merlin's wrong.
But there's some unexpected hope in s3, too. Ironically, Morgana's machinations bring about Arthur's rule, with some needed changes in form of knighting the commoners and bringing together a group of allies. Lancelot and Gwaine come as Merlin's support. There is more hope, but Arthur's Golden Age is slightly warped: Uther still lives, and magic is off the table: Merlin no longer fights for it, prefers to stay in the shadow.
Season 4 - Merlin breaks
The starting point is hopeful, just as s3 ended cautiously hopeful. But it immediately ends.
The Darkest Hour: Lancelot dies. Yet another person who shared Merlin's secret is taken from him. Merlin has conversations with Lancelot before his death about how his magic doesn't make him a monster. From now on, there will be no Lancelot to listen to this.
The Wicked Day: another tragic decision. The beginning of Arthur's reign, even though it brings hope, is marred by the further hardening of his heart against magic. This was the last time Merlin even tried to fight for his rights.
Lancelot du Lac: this might be an unpopular opinion, but imho, THIS IS THE EPISODE WHERE MERLIN BREAKS BEYOND REPAIR. Lancelot is brought back, only for it to turn out to be Morgana's cruel trick. Arthur and Gwen split up, Agravaine triumphs. Merlin and Gwen's friendship ends and is never repaired! Gwen later reconciles with Arthur, but not with Merlin - in s3, when Gwen was accused of enchantment, Merlin was ready to go with her into exile. Now, he stays behind, looks at her with a cold face, and doesn't even hug her. From now on, Merlin retreats into himself, pushing away Gwaine and everyone who's still friendly towards him - apart from Arthur, whom he starts to serve obsessively, like a snake in the shadows.
Sword in the Stone: very ironic episode. Iconic moment and a hopeful one from a viewer's POV, but from Merlin's, this is further proof that he's a manipulator. In the whole episode, Merlin is very morally dubious: takes away Arthur's will, manipulates him with a powerful myth (even if it serves a good cause), uses dark magic - puppet-burning - to take away Morgana's magic. Merlin is in the full "Merlin from the legends" mode. He doesn't believe in morality anymore
Season 5 - Lowest point
No wonder Merlin in s5 is at his lowest. It doesn't come out of nowhere. Merlin is no longer a positive character! He's obsessive, paranoid, only focused on destiny. Merlin in s5 is an antagonist to Mordred and to Arthur's goodwill! He basically influences Arthur into making bad decisions!
The Disir: this feels like another tragic decision, but really, this was long coming. When you think about it for a moment, it's obvious that Merlin no longer cares about magic. But the scene of his choice feels tragic because this is literally the last moment where he can still make a good decision.
The Drawing of the Dark: yet another "crystal cave" moment in which Merlin brings about Arthur's doom even if he tries not to.
The Diamond of the Day: Balinor is a deus ex machina which prevents the whole series from being a complete Shakespearean tragedy. He reminds Merlin of who he really is; he doesn't speak about destiny and prophecy, but about magic as a benevolent force. For the first time since s2, Merlin does gentle magic (the butterfly). The conversation with Balinor allows Merlin to finally master the crystals in the Crystal Cave, to destroy Arthur's enemies, and to come clean and reconcile with Arthur. It doesn't prevent his death, though.
So here we have it. The brilliant thing about the writing of Merlin's arc is that the seeds of darkness have been in him from the beginning - but if he was given different guidance, they might have stayed hidden, instead of coming into forefront.
Please, give this post some love if you managed to read that far. I know it hurts, but it hurts so good.
so are we going to annoyingly try to get merthur to top 10 ships next year or what
Every year we grow stronger
