#merlin final episode

[dollopole]

Sometimes I think about the, “Where have you been?” scene, and I remember that since the moment Merlin crouches down next to Arthur, Arthur never once leaves Merlin’s shoulder. He holds onto it, grips it like it’s the only life line he has that ties him to Merlin.

Arthur cannot leave Merlin because it would mean to leave the only reason why he’s still alive and the reason why he waited for Merlin and the reason for why he did not die on the battlefield.

Because Arthur had to see Merlin again, hence the, “Where have you been?” followed by Merlin who tells him that his side is bleeding, only for Arthur to answer him with, “That’s all right, I thought I was dying”,

I thought I would die without seeing you again.

[noodles-and-tea]

Screencap redraw or something

[theroundbartable]

I want an episode that's basically Merlin and Arthur facing the usual, magical threat of the week, but they have to keep it a Secret from everyone (like with Uther's ghost).

So, Arthur carries the torches and the weapons and Merlin does the research on whatever magical creature it is and is, although he tries to do everything on his own, forced to show Arthur the results.

Arthur: it can only be killed with magic?

Merlin: I'm afraid so. There is this spell -

Arthur: but... Can we even use that?

Merlin: *hesitantly* I mean, If we do the pronounciation right?

Arthur: ... Alright, I'll do it.

...

Merlin ends up doing it in the end.

Arthur: holy shit, it worked!!!! *So excited he hugs Merlin*

Merlin: *trembling because he's still lying about his magic but also, Arthur saw him use magic and isn't mad*

A week later, Arthur puts an old cold case on the table: we have work to do

Merlin: oh no

So basically, the ghost hunter au we were teased with but never got.

[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?

[denissepalacios21]

Happy 5 years of episode 100 where Kara tried to change the reality so she could save her relationship with Lena and be the one to tell her she's supergirl 💙❤️

[mythmerth]

I really don’t think there’s any way that arthur didn’t know that merlin loved him, even if it’s never acknowledged by name between them for the whole show. he just doesn’t realize the sheer magnitude of it until the last episode, until he utters that

I know now.

Merlin, from his perspective, was someone so helpless but so keen on keeping arthur safe. he was someone who was completely defenseless yet foolish enough to go with arthur on the most treacherous of quests and to face horrors by his side just to be sure arthur was safe. Arthur knew all this, and I really do think he attributed it to merlin loving him in this unsaid unspoken way, and I also fully believe he reciprocated (again, in this unspoken way). I think maybe it was also something he had to come to terms with when he found out about Merlin’s magic— the thought that merlin wasn’t actually there just because of sheer love like he thought, but because he had power to protect that arthur never knew. maybe it was just duty, maybe he misread the whole thing. but in the end, that I know now… he knows. he knows the depths of Merlin’s love that is far beyond any protective duty, he knows just how much merlin was risking to love him and keep him safe.

[gvaine]

5.13 ⋄ The Diamond of the Day

[gldnstrngs]

thoughts post merlin season finale rewatch for the anniversary:

(let me preface that ive never cried to the finale despite me watching it twice and rewatching arthurs death scene several times— i definitely got emotional but never cried)

1.) …so i cried… from the beginning of the episode… i just hated how gwen never got a proper goodbye from arthur and was aiding all of his men, wondering where he was and if he was okay😭 and then later on, when leon tells her that arthurs missing and she turns around and silently cries, but quickly recovers… that was SO heartbreaking. she just keeps going and cries to herself like she deserved so so so much better and i hate that she never got closure

2.) i know that merlin has really truly become emrys but im not sure if it was necessary for dragoon to be his Final Form. i didnt watch the first part so maybe i missed the importance of that, but i feel like the scene would’ve been so much better if merlin looked like himself and casted all those badass spells and everyone would see him

3.) WHEN ARTHUR WAKES UP TO MERLIN AND THE FIRST THING HE SAYS IS “merlin, where have you been?” IM NOT OKAY??? it wasnt “merlin, what are you doing here?” or “merlin, how did you get here?” it was merlin, where have you been? that whole time arthur was in battle all😭he😭wanted😭was😭merlin😭

and then the magic reveal. the goddamn magic reveal. that entire scene is so heartbreaking. tell me why i was so distraught when ive seen that scene more times than i can count. and he doesnt just say “i have magic, i used it to protect you” NO. he says i use it for you, only for you. THAT IS A CONFESSION. it’s such a subtle shift of words but it says SO MUCH.

arthur immediately being in denial kills me. it was never a thought in his head that merlin would actually have magic because he associated it with evilness and cruelty. but then he finds out that merlin has always had magic and the way his eyes become so sad… the way his finger brushed his merlins chin right before realizing the truth… im so…

4.) i couldnt stop crying when the scene cut to gwen in the castle, staring out the window and feeling that arthur is alive. her eyes are so sad. i just can’t get over the fact that she never had the goodbye she deserved

5.) as much as i hate the way arthur reacted to merlin having magic, i do understand. he was literally just in battle, was mortally wounded, and found out that the only person he thought he could trust had been lying to him from the moment they met. i dont believe arthur actually thought merlin was dangerous— he’s prone being angry before being sad as a defense mechanism and that was only fueled by finding out that gaius was also lying to him. at that point, it must’ve felt like every person he’d ever known and trusted only ever lied to him. its so tragic I CANT.

BUT ALSO on the other side of that i actually cannot handle how utterly heartbroken merlin looks. his red rimmed eyes because he was crying all night😭 thinking that arthur would hate him forever…

5.) this entire scene bro…

“why did you never tell me?”

“…i wanted to, but…”

“…what?”

“you would’ve chopped my head off.”

“…not sure what i would’ve done.”

“and i didn’t want to put you in that position.”

“…that’s what worried you?”

“some men are born to… plow fields, some live to be great physicians, others… to be great kings. me… i was born to serve you, arthur. and i’m proud of that. and i wouldn’t change a thing.”

UMMMM SO I HAVE MANY THOUGHTS. i have rewatched this scene so. many. times. it is genuinely one of the most beautiful scenes ever written in cinema call me dramatic but im just speaking facts

arthur’s face when he realized that merlin really did care for him. the way he instantly lights up, despite being in pain. and his eyes… theyre glued to merlin. the whole time, he couldn’t look at him directly, but now he was. he was just scanning his face, memorizing all of merlin’s features AND MERLIN IS JUST STARING AT ARTHURS LIPS

also. ALSO. how have i seen this so many times and never. NEVER. caught onto the fact that gwen and arthur’s theme (which is originally titled the love theme) WAS PLAYING IN THE BACKGROUND. there was no mention of gwen at all in that scene. that was all merlin and arthur. this just confirms to me that this is the moment arthur fully realized and accepted that he was in love with merlin

6.) gwen deserved to know that merlin was a sorcerer FROM MERLIN. they were best friends. THEY WERE BEST FRIENDS!!! HE SHOULDVE BEEN THE ONE TO TELL HER!!! they deserved a scene where merlin comes back from avalon and he and gwen hug and cry.

7.) gwaine and percival should NOT have gone after morgana. i understand their rage but there was no way they were going to defeat her unless they had excalibur or something…

and gwaines death was so unnecessary. that was clearly for shock factor and i hated it. but i did get emotional when percy was able to free himself because he heard gwaine was being tortured… and then hes there when gwaine dies… their foreheads touching… (im not ok)

8.) it breaks my heart that morgana felt no guilt or remorse when she saw arthur, wounded and on the verge of dying. you can so clearly see that arthur feels that way when he sees morgana die, but there’s nothing on her end. i know it’s meant to show how far gone she is but it genuinely doesn’t feel right. i really do think she would’ve experienced some sort of internal conflict when seeing her own brother dying… like maybe she realized that none of this was worth it. it didnt feel as good as she thought it would

and when she’s stabbed by merlin😭 and he says he blames himself for what she’s become. people don’t recognize it enough how merlin feels so much guilt for the way he treated morgana. i just know he didn’t want to kill her, but he had no choice and he knew it was his fault…

9.) is there a reason why merlin didnt call for kilgharrah. i know kilgharrah said in the previous episode that he would finally be lying to rest for eternity, but i feel like this was an especially dire situation where he was needed😭 AND MERLIN SUMMONS HIM LATER ON!!!

or what about aithusa??? LIKE THEY DID NOT HAVE TO BE ON HORSES THE WHOLE TIME

(if anyone can explain the reasoning then lmk otherwise it was just a plot hole and that pisses me off bruh)

10.) arthur’s death did not need to happen, yet it was one of the best death scenes i’ve ever scene. it was just so raw and painful. “just… just hold me…” WHAT IF I DIE??!?!,,!!, he thanks merlin, he pats his head, he brushes his cheek, he tries to hold his hand like im fjwjdjsjjswhshshsj

also originally i was not fully convinced by the theory that the breath arthur took before saying “thank you” was “i love you.” i didnt want to be delusional but i actually do think he did say that he loves merlin. AND THAT CAN BE INTERPRETED AS ROMANTIC OR PLATONIC!!! i def see it as romantic but yes… im so Normal…

11.) “i’ve failed?” just. don’t talk to me.

12.) when merlin stands by the boat arthur is laid to rest in, trying to hold back his tears only to sob as he touches his forehead. the way he tries to gather himself. the way he struggles to say arthurs name and cast the spell. the way he watches arthur drift off, shaking. just. pls.

13.) gwen my baby girl. i cannot emphasize this enough. you deserved so much better. my heart broke when she played with arthurs royal seal and then when i saw the empty throne beside her. she had no time to prepare for this. she just lost the love of her life.

14.) it cuts to leon and then percival. and then i realize theyre the only two left in the round table. they both look so distraught. they lost everyone they ever loved.

15.) gaius :( he was waiting for merlin with his favorite meal :(

16.) bro the truck always jumpscares me omfg why is it so loud😭😭😭 then i get sad because merlin is old and walking alone and its the present and he’s still waiting for arthur :(

they should’ve had the show end with arthur saying “merlin” instead of kilgharrah saying it. that’s literally all we needed. it would’ve been so perfect but here we are…

final thoughts:

i love that this episode wasnt just the battle and action. the focus of it was merlin and arthur, navigating their feelings from the magic reveal and arthurs mortal wound. its so painful and heartbreaking but that just symbolizes the love they have for each other. this entire episode was filled with their gentle moments, softly speaking and touching each other. then arthur dies in merlin’s arms but i dont think he’d want to be anywhere else

also!!! colin and bradley’s acting in this episode… it was absolutely PHENOMENAL. they are already such great actors, but they really nailed it in the series finale. i can’t get over how they speak with their eyes the whole time. you can the love, fear, and acceptance they experienced throughout the whole episode. it was just so beautiful and i think that was what rlly made this ep

[winternaut]

I miss you filler episodes i miss you 20 episode seasons i miss you monster of the week format i miss you character development i miss you self contained episodes i miss you tv that isn't a long chopped up movie

[dollopole]

“You would have chopped my head off.”

What was the first thing Merlin saw, as soon as he arrived in Camelot?

An innocent man, who had practiced magic, and whose head had been chopped off in front of the entire town.

No matter how Uther decided to kill those with magic, the nightmare that Merlin brought with him, for more than ten years was the first one he witnessed as soon as a young man he came to Camelot.

He had been so frightened that the man on the chopping board could be him to the point that no matter what he had witnessed, that was still his greatest fear:

Merlin was scared his head could have been cut off.

[almost-emerald-eyes]

I haven't even watched half of Merlin and I'm just. so incredibly unwell about it all. oh my god.

[emrys-merlin]

Uther will be remembered as the evil king who purged the magic from the kingdom, legends may arise about him. But about Arthur, aka the Once and Future King, the only thing that can be remembered is "the good king who died young in battle". 

WRITERS 😭

That’s my problem with the ending. The problem isn't that Arthur is dead. The problem is that he died before fulfilling his destiny. He did nothing to become a legend or to be remembered in a special way by the future generations.

He was a good king for 5 years, yes, and a good person. A great fighter. But ultimately if someone should become a legend, it's Merlin.

ARTHUR DESERVED BETTER.

[theroundbartable]

Guys (/nb), we need to fucking talk!

"Have him (Merlin) take word to Camelot."

Guys, GUYS. Why is no one talking about the fact that after the reveal, after Arthur sent Merlin AWAY, after he just told Gaius that Merlin is a SORCERER, Arthur STILL TRUSTS Merlin to take word to Guinevere???????

okay, sure, he says: "I want him gone", too. But he STILL TRUSTS HIM to go back to GUINEVERE! His wife, his kingdom, while Arthur is DYING!!! (I assume he wants him to return with the insignia, as Gaius later does) I am going FERAL over here!

Why I'm randomly watching the final episode you ask? Because it's almost Christmas, obviously.

[evedaser]

I've taken my tallies. The list has been updated.

As of December 25th, 2024, with tallies taken for 49/65 episodes of the series, the two episodes with the highest amount of spells in the entirety of BBC Merlin are 5.13: The Diamond of the Day Part II and 1.01: The Dragon's Call.

[red-enby]

you know, i’ve made a few mistakes in my life…but watching and then rewatching merlin is truly the worst mistake i’ve ever made.

[kuulpenguin]

The Grove of Brineved :)