For my college English class I had to write about some form of media that connects to what we’ve been learning about in class, and I chose to write about Merlin BBC and its complicated characters! Here we go!
Created by: Julian Jones, Jake Michie, Johnny Capps, and Julian Murphy
Made: The first episode aired on September 20th, 2008, and the last episode aired on December 24th, 2012
Where: It was filmed mainly in Wales and England; specifically in Château de Pierrefonds in France as the castle in Camelot.
I chose the TV show Merlin, because in my opinion it is one of the best series ever created. It shows such depth of emotion, inner conflicts, and incredible, multifaceted characters. It presents such devotion, loyalty, and love between family, friends, and subjects. Truly, the relationships exhibited are masterful. From a stuck-up prince (Arthur) and a naive young man (Merlin), to a wise, worldly king (Arthur), and a wary, guarded man (Merlin). Such growth is seen within the mere 5 seasons we got, how within weeks of knowing one another they were willing to die for each other. And yet those two are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to complex characters and relationships.
Take Lancelot, for example, he was not of noble blood, yet was determined to be a knight. Arthur—when he was able to—knighted him, and Lancelot was loyal to him. When Merlin’s magic was revealed to Lancelot within minutes of meeting each other, Lancelot kept it a secret to protect Merlin. And later on, Lancelot even knowingly walked to his death to spare Merlin. Or, on the opposite end of the spectrum, Gwaine, who was of noble blood, but didn’t want anything to do with nobility or royalty because he deemed them immoral and dishonorable. When Arthur and Merlin helped Gwaine, and Gwaine helped them in return, Arthur wanted him to come back to Camelot and be a knight because of his talents and bravery. Gwaine denied, at first, unwilling to become what he had told himself he’d never be, and yet he had faith in Merlin, and Merlin trusted Arthur, so eventually he became a knight. And over the years Gwaine saw Arthur for who he was, not an ignoble prince, but a righteous man who’d one day make a righteous king. And in the end, Gwaine died to protect Arthur. Perhaps you’d like to know about Morgana, who was a kind, loving girl in the beginning, but was twisted by fear and hatred into a despicable, cruel woman who delighted in death. The ability of the show to produce such visceral characters, was undoubtedly a byzantine feat.
I adore the characters, and every time I remember the ending, or the incredible growth the characters went through, I physically feel it. I am—admittedly—very attached to the characters within the show, and each and every person was so profound it constantly inspires such emotion in me.
“Merlin (2008 TV Series).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 16 Sept. 2025, en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merlin_(2008_TV_series).
“Series 1 - Locations.” LiveJournal, 14 May 2013, merlin-forever.livejournal.com/22980.html.
“Merlin.” IMDb, IMDb.com, m.imdb.com/title/tt1199099/locations/. Accessed 1 Oct. 2025.