#merthur season 5

[gldnstrngs]

the way arthur is staring at merlin… he’s so fond of him :(

[godihatechoosingusernames]

Arthur when he calls Merlin a useless idiot and Merlin doesn't retaliate by calling him a fat bastard:

[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.

[merlin-gifs]

MERLIN | 5x07 “A Lesson in Vengeance”

[merthurdaily]

MERLIN | 5x01 “Arthur's Bane: Part One”  

[silverameco]

I'm not saying merthur is canon... i'm just saying there is no heterosexual explanation for these scenes in 5×01

[emrys-merlin]

I still don’t understand why Merlin was never made a counselor in the show. He was already Arthur’s advisor (just not officially). Especially in season 5.

Seriously, this is Arthur with Merlin in every single episode

Merlin should have been made an official advisor to the king. Even without the magic reveal. I don't need Arthur to worship Merlin, but I definitely was hoping for something more akin to Merlin's relationship with Gaius (mentor/boss/uncle)--a hierarchy but one with clear mutual respect. It's sad that Merlin was still a manservant... Feels like he should have been at least a senior advisor in the series.

In season 5 everyone but Merlin is seated at the round table. Wtf?

[diazevan]

I believe Season 5 of Merlin, could have been improved simply by altering one variable; Arthur should have found out about Merlin's magic in the two part opener. I wouldn't have minded if he'd had the exact same reaction that he had in the finale, but at least then we'd have an entire season of him knowing the truth. It's not only about knowing Merlin's secret, I would have loved to see an entire season where Arthur played an active role in his destiny and was fully aware of what was to come. We saw four seasons of Merlin battling it alone, I would have liked a couple of episodes where they were battling it together.

[regulusrules]

So remember in s5e7 when this iconic scene happened:

Merlin rested his hands on Arthur's chest, right? And Merlin, being so connected with earth and its magic, told Gaius that “the sickness is so deep in him.”

Which means that, a few episodes later in diamond of the day, Merlin literally felt the exact moment Arthur died.

[the-moonprophet]

A lil something for my fellow BBC Merlin fans out there: imagine a fic written from the POV of Cedric from the Curse of Cornelius Sigan episode…

As a thief, Cedric is willing to go to any lengths to get his hands on valuable riches. So when he has to infiltrate the castle and gain Prince Arthur’s trust, so be it.

He manages to get under Arthur’s wing by humiliating the Prince’s servant, Merlin. It’s easy enough; the boy's an absolute moron. But it amazes Cedric that, even in the boy's absence, the Prince will not stop talking about him.

Granted, it's mostly insults, but it gets old nonetheless. With the Prince, it's always, “Merlin this," and "Merlin that." Cedric can't wait to get his hands on the key to the tomb so he can pillage the treasure and get out of Camelot.

Finally, Cedric sees his plan coming together when he stages an accident in the stables and blames it on Merlin. He suggests to the angry Prince that, "Merlin’s tired." He wasn’t confident about this part, but somehow, it convinced Arthur to give Merlin the day off.

With the oddly perceptive boy out of the way, Cedric is granted the position of Arthur’s manservant for the rest of the day. This is perfect, considering Cedric’s plan is going along nicely, but there's a downside; now, he has to listen to even more Merlin talk.

"I don't see why he can't just take care of himself. It’s a basic human function," Arthur grumbles as Cedric serves him dinner.

"I mean, is it really that difficult to get a full night's sleep?" the Prince mutters from the bath while Cedric waits patiently for orders.

"And don't even get me started on his personal hygiene!" Arthur groans as he gets ready for bed. "I mean, really! Is he so exhausted that he can't even spare a few minutes to bathe?"

"Yes, my lord," Cedric repeats for the billionth time. He cannot wait until he never has to say those words again. Will this royal prat of a Prince ever shut up about his servant? It’s just strange—they’re strange.

Arthur heaves a sigh, plucking his keys off his waist and tucking them into his bedside drawer, mumbling something about incompetence. To Cedric, he was beginning to sound like an irritated housewife.

It isn’t long before Arthur’s grumbles are replaced with snores, and Cedric launches to action. He plucks the keys from the bedside drawer and creeps toward the door, but not before staring down at the unconscious Prince. Considering how easy it had been for Cedric to pull this off, Prince Arthur doesn’t seem like a very capable ruler. If he can’t even keep his keys safe, how can he protect an entire kingdom?

Although, as Arthur rolls over and murmurs an all-too familiar name in his sleep, Cedric considers the importance of a lowly servant. It’s a position of great trust (which is probably why Arthur didn’t think twice about falling asleep with a stranger in his room). A person this close to the Prince during his personal moments is expected to assist in the mundane—like making sure his belongings are kept safe while he sleeps, for example.

Cedric allows that, given the treatment Prince Arthur is used to, the man might not expect betrayal from his servant.

Cedric thinks about the Prince’s real servant, doing who-knows-what after that stables incident. Merlin had caught onto him unusually quickly. Normally, Cedric has a few days before anyone suspects him.

It’s odd, the close attention Merlin paid—not just to Cedric, but to Arthur. Almost as though he wishes to protect him, but how could a servant protect the strongest knight in Camelot?

The boy had seemed a bit too devoted to his Prince… Cedric wonders what that’s all about.

Well, no matter now. It’s time to get rich.

Cedric stalks out of the room.

[d-one-in-the-dirty-trench-coat]

when the Fandom's need is greatest, the Merlin Fandom will raise again

[gldnstrngs]

god made sure i couldnt edit bc he knew i would be too powerful and edit merthur to the outro of loml by tswift

[needsdean]

Mordred: *breathes*

Merlin:

[merlin-gifs]

MERLIN PARALLELS 3x13 | 5x13

[merthurdaily]

I think you, Merlin, are the only person I can trust.

MERLIN | 5x06 & 5x10

[emrys-merlin]

I'm still so pissed about Merlin ending not because the episode was bad. Actually the episode per se was beautiful. Colin and Bradley were perfect. I cried.

I'm pissed because the protagonist was set up to fail, which doesn’t make for satisfying storytelling at all.

That's what gets me about the finale. For 5 series and 65 episodes, we've been promised Albion and freedom for sorcerers. And, okay, sure maybe Merlin got that when he went back to Camelot under Gwen's (and possibly Leon's) rule, but Arthur was supposed to be at his side as they unite the lands. When you watch it you're kinda just left going 'What the fuck?', and not in a good way

I mean, you could probably argue that the ending makes some sense, because Arthur did accept Merlin in the end, and it can be assumed that he was made free and Albion was perhaps born even after his death. In a way, they did unite the lands and make magic free and Arthur was at his side, albeit for only like a day. But that's the thing, we are just left to assume, because of that strange lorry-Dragon scene at the end. For all the emotional impact they've put into the show to make sure we latched onto the characters and their goals, etc, just leaving us to assume isn't enough, and I think that's where a big part of the problem lies.