I first started watching Merlin between the 4th and 5th season and I was only a lurker then. Well now everybody is getting back into Merlin (I suppose I have SG to thank for that) I figured I’ll talk about it some more. I recently rewatched 2x08, because I wanted to watch Morgause’s intro again (I’m only human) but there were a few things that stood out to me. There are many things that go wrong with this episode and maybe I’ll talk about them all later but right now I want to talk about the ending:
Is this really the action our “protagonist” should be having after the antagonist tells him they’re on the same side?? Can anyone imagine Harry Potter being this chipper after getting a pat on the back from Umbridge or Voldemort? Yeah I doubt that would’ve happened.
This moment should have been a major sign to Merlin that he’s doing something wrong. It should have seriously affected him and made him reflect on his tactics. It frustrates me that the show sacrifices character depth in order to have an uplifting ending.
And this moment RIGHT HERE is a big red flag for a major flaw of the show that will continue until the very end. None of these supposed heroes are fighting for the people of magic. Merlin and Gaius worry about two things: Merlin and Arthur.
Uther is not a threat to Merlin. If Merlin was ever found out he could easily break out of the cell/Camelot and disappear before he could be put to death. For Merlin, keeping his secret is a matter of convenience not life and death. Most of the people that follow the old religion do not have this luxury. The majority of magic users have limited skill sets and powers and cannot escape execution. It’s not a matter of their lives being easier but of them actually getting to LIVE.
Merlin however is less concerned about the people’s lives that could be saved with Uther out of power and a new king that finally understood that Uther’s genocide was wrong and the people of magic should be liberated. Keeping Arthur from having regrets about killing his father and carrying that weight for the rest of his life was more important to Merlin than the countless lives that could have been saved. Merlin’s choice to continuously put himself and Arthur above the people Merlin claims to be trying to save is his greatest failure.