#Merlin s5

[thefabledpheasant]

The finale to Merlin is devastating, but you know what kills me? The tiny glimpse the episode gives us as to the banter we could’ve gotten if we had an earlier magic reveal:

Arthur is dying. And yet he gets this incredibly fond look on his face when remembering the day they first met.

Arthur is dying. And yet he looks at Merlin, the person who’s only just revealed his decade long lie regarding this thing that Arthur’s been raised to hate, and he jokes that Merlin cheated during their first meeting.

Arthur is dying. And he doesn’t really care that Merlin has magic. Only that he lied to him.

Can you imagine all the other moments of banter we could have had as Arthur found out all the other things Merlin did? How he didn’t really know how to juggle and that Arthur had a donkey voice for a bit because Merlin allowed it?

[counting-stars-gayly]

Sometimes, I think about how Merlin purposefully turned Arthur against magic twice—the first time to save his soul and the second to save his life—so when he finally told Arthur he was a sorcerer, it was the ultimate bamboozle.

“How could the bumbling idiot I’ve known all these years have been my greatest protector the whole time?” Yeah, sure. But also: “How could a sorcerer have chosen me over magic? Over his own freedom and the freedom of those like him? Over the gods who created him and the religion that saves him?” It’s one thing to die for someone and another thing entirely to give up who you are for them.

Obviously, Merlin was wrong, and that’s why playing God had an effect opposite to what he’d intended. But I think it’s so interesting to consider how Arthur might have viewed this confession. He was betrayed by Morgana because she loved herself more than her own brother and betrayed by Uther because he loved himself more than his own son. And all of this while Merlin, at first, fell in love with the cause and, then, even more with the man behind it. His loyalty to and love for Arthur was so pure it turned sinful, and I don’t think Arthur would have ever gotten over that. If he hadn’t died.

[merlinemrys]

s5 merlin’s voice becomes SO low and im SOOOO flustered about it

[fixing-bad-posts]

I am holding you so gently

[loumandivorce]

the top 10 funniest merlin bbc moments is after arthur and gwen had sex and they're cuddling in bed and arthur's eyes fly open and he just says "merlin" out of nowhere

[xviruserrorx]

MerlinRewatch2023 -> "Diamond Of The Day II" The Bad List ~ Masterlist [Prev <-]

[alex-the-bringer-of-chaos]

Okay, so this:

Is Merthur before Battle of Camlann,

during

and its aftermath

and I'm right.

[grandmameredith]

one thing i really appreciate about merlin is how he has absolutely secured his job within an inch of his life. like broski reduced arthur from a competent person to someone completely incapable of putting on a fucking shirt, got injured so many times that he can guilttrip arthur ANY time, and I'm convinced that at a minimum half of Camelot is in love with him.

respect, my funky little warlock. respect.

[takingasterix]

Warning: Spoilers for the end of BBC Merlin Ayo, ao3 (and the internet in general) spoiled me for SO MUCH in Merlin, but somehow not for the fact that GWAINE FUCKING DIES???? HELLO??? AND IN SUCH A HORRIBLE WAY TOO??

[nightninjaboy]

No its me and merlin S5 against the whole planet

[astraea802]

Merlin "Rewatch" w/ Mom -- 5x10

("Rewatch" here meaning "Mostly first time watch, but with the knowledge of what happens.)

First of all: WHAT THE HECK WAS UP WITH THAT HORRIFIC FACE DISFIGUREMENT THING AT THE END?? I've never seen ANYONE discuss how messed up that is, and they SHOULD. I know this aired in the same time slot as Doctor Who, but Mom and I were NOT prepared.

Second of all: Uggghhhh

We're coming into the final three episodes.

Mom doesn't want to know what's coming, but knows it won't end well. She suspects Arthur's going to die (but we all know it's the execution that's the real kicker).

I will say, I was surprised Season 5 has actually had a lot of nice moments I never knew. It's a little moodier than I'd like, and Merlin as a character makes me sad, but there's still some nice comedy and character moments. Like Arthur saving that woman from being burned at the stake, that was so good! (Maybe it's easier for me to appreciate certain scenes knowing what's going to happen? I'm not as tense?)

(It also helps I sat out The Disir and The Dark Tower since I was walking the dog. I don't know I could have bore either without spoiling the finale out of pure frustration)

Mom's been just absorbing it all. She's had a lot of questions, like:

Mom: Why did Aithusa join Morgana? Me: We don't know. They never told us. 😒

Mom: (after The Dark Tower) How did Gwen turn evil? Me: Magic. 🤷🏻‍♀️ Mom: Oh, for gods sake! 🤦‍♀️

Mom: When do they find out about that bracelet Morgana gave Gwen to make her love Lancelot? Me: They don't. 😤 Mom: ...Are you kidding??

The deaths have been a little tougher this season, especially Elyan's. She liked the Dolma, but rolled her eyes a bit at Merlin trying to "act like a woman" instead of just getting on with curing Gwen. And she was NOT happy with Uther's ghost (who was??) or Gaius telling on Merlin and endangering Finna.

But god... watching Merlin's struggles, I just keep thinking, what was the point of it all?

There's so much back and forth the whole season, the whole series really, about destiny and duty and following your heart, and I just... what's the moral here? Follow destiny and get screwed? Follow your heart and still get screwed? It's good to know prophecies and Merlin just didn't know how to handle it? It's bad to know prophecies because you cause them to happen? If that was the case, why did Finna die to pass that last prophecy on? Also, you deserve to die, even when you haven't done anything wrong, because a prophecy says you will? You have choice? You never had one? Some will say the point is "the friends we made along the way", or there doesn't need to be a moral, but there's just no consistency, except whatever keeps the drama going.

It doesn't help that, except for the Camlann prophecy, we never actually hear any of the other prophecies everyone talks about. So we never know for sure if the problem was a misinterpretation of the prophecies in terms of what the Golden Age looked like, or if Merlin failed because of his choices, or if he was ALWAYS going to fail no matter what he did, or if he even failed at all! Because the dragon tells him he didn't in the end, but it doesn't make much sense.

Did the writers even know? They have admitted in interviews they were working nonstop on the show for five years, at grueling pace, so I forgive them for being fuzzy, but it seems like the show's moral code and prophecy lore really depended on who was writing the episode that week.

What I've always loved about Harry Potter is that while prophecies exist, the power of choice is emphasized. Prophecies can be, and often are, misinterpreted. Not every prophecy in the Department of Mysteries was ever fulfilled, so destiny is not the be-all end-all. It's made very clear that it's whether you act on prophecies or not that matters. The characters' beliefs and convictions still matter. It's consistent, it's clean, and it leaves the characters' agency.

In Merlin... you can interpret it a million different ways and still be wrong. And maybe part of the issue is that while Harry agrees to be the Chosen One since he already wanted Voldemort dead, Merlin's heart and destiny are so often divided. And that's what makes it so darn frustrating. And why I believe they gave Merlin too much of a burden for one person. No "almost" about it.

(We'll see if I revisit this after the finale)

[none-ofthisnonsense]

Merlin S5E13, “The Diamond of the Day: Part Two”

Can’t believe this is the last time I’m hearing this intro for the first time.

Merlin (as Dragoon) riding through the night is a very powerful image.

Rapunzel!Gwen.

I didn’t expect it to happen that way. There being no music and only one shot makes it more powerful.

Arthur’s incredulous little “Merlin?!” made me snort.

The Isle of the Blessed?

I cry for Morgana. For what could’ve been.

They look so young here. Especially Merlin.

I can feel the tears welling up.

They all look so young. Except Gaius, who looks so, so old.

There’s so much potential for bandit Gwaine.

I have a fic idea. (Not a fix-it.)

Didn’t Gwaine already get tortured by Morgana and the Nathair before? 

GWAINE

The tears are almost starting to fall.

Gwaine should be there with Percival.

I cried.

[decisivelyindecisivelibra]

I submit: the distance between Merlin and Knights+Gwen in S5 wasn't because of the Knights+Gwen. Consider it being Merlin's own doing.

[merlinemrys]

it has been literal YEARS since i’ve watched the last few episodes of merlin but i will truly never forget arthur’s “merlin, you are not a sorcerer. i would know.” I WOULD KNOW. THAT SHIT IS SO DEVASTATING I NEED TO BASH MY HEAD INTO A BRICK WALL.

[bugbonz]

my wife suggested that i get very drunk and we binge s5 and maybe when i won't be able to fully remember it, i'll finally be able to watch the last two episodes

[squorttle-pox]

for your consideration: s1 arthur + s5 merlin