A diamond in the rough?

Finales are a tricky thing. If they are done well and writers have been given plenty of warning, they can be wonderfully satisfying, where the work and the events leading up to that point feel necessary and complete. When it is done badly or rushed, everything is in shambles and the care and attention that existed before is overshadowed by how badly it ended. I have spoken once before about how good stories impact me and how I regard them. I have also mentioned how perceptions shift as time passes and you have an opportunity to think about things and consider events from a different perspective.

The final episode of ‘Merlin’ aired on Christmas Eve in the UK and because I once had a rant about what felt like sloppy writing, I thought that it might be a good idea to speak about how the final two episodes, entitled ‘Diamond of the Day’ held up in light of my previous uncertainties and overall expectations. Unfortunately, this will not be spoiler free so I will wait until you have returned.

There were many things that these two episodes promised and were hoped for. Not the least of which was Merlin’s revelation of his magic. We have spent five seasons with Merlin and Arthur, watching their relationship develop from uncertain strangers to the greatest of friends, which has been helped greatly by the chemistry that exists between the actors who play them. Colin Morgan and Bradley James have given these legendary characters great warmth, heart and conviction. We have shared their anxieties, triumphs and failures and watched with great anticipation for the moment when they became the characters of legend that we were familiar with, ready to stand shoulder to shoulder in the creation of Albion.

But, while the last few series have helped to lead them to that moment, there has been an element of uncertainty in regards to the Pendragons’ attitude to magic; that it is a great evil that must be purged from Camelot. So while we saw a great friendship develop between Merlin and Arthur, we have also felt anxious. After all, as I said once before, Merlin’s magic is as instinctive as breathing. He IS magic. And he spends his days serving (and saving) a Prince, a King and a friend who would feel betrayed when his secret finally came out. After all, it must.

Copyright of moody Merlin goes to the BBC and Shine

So how did I feel when the credits rolled for the final time?

Honestly, I felt a bit disappointed. Not because of the actors (who each did a beautiful job) but because of elements of the story. I will focus on the second part of ‘Diamond of the Day’ for a lot of this analysis, since this is where a lot of my problems lay.

The build-up to this finale has been magnificent. The war between Arthur and Morgana has been in existence since Morgana became a legitimate big bad back in series 4 (series 3 doesn’t count because Arthur was unaware of her allegiance at the time). Morgana’s discovery of Emrys’ true identity was something fans craved and dreaded, knowing that it would change everything we knew. When it came, it was handled beautifully and her plan to get rid of him was rather clever. Get rid of his magic, his only real form of protection, and then take him out. Of course it would have worked better if she had actually done her homework and made sure she didn’t trap Merlin in a place where he was able to re-access his magic tenfold, but she doesn’t have Gaius (aka the Knower of All Things) on her side so she can be forgiven for that.

So the battle starts, fighting takes place with a lot of slow-mo scenes, Aithusa breathes fire, Merlin is riding to king in Emrys-mode, does some fun lightning tricks and is generally awesome and epic…and Arthur gets stabbed by Mordred. Of course, Arthur is still a better fighter and takes out his attacker about ten seconds afterwards (unlike Mordred who seemed to miss all the vital body parts). Merlin finds him, hides him and finally, FINALLY, with emotion and utter exhaustion, reveals his magic to his friend.

I must take this opportunity to point out the acting of Morgan and James here. You can feel Merlin’s terror and relief as he tells his best friend everything he has wanted to tell him for so long from the way his voice quakes, while Arthur’s slow realisation and feeling of betrayal just kicks you in the gut. This is the one thing fans have feared the most; that the epic bromance we have grown to love between these characters would fall apart the minute the truth was revealed. It’s one of the reasons why I think this was so effective. Arthur is badly injured and HAS to rely on Merlin to keep him alive, which gives the pair time to get their equilibrium back.

However, I will admit that I was confused by the initial timing of this. After all, Merlin has had many opportunities in the past to reveal his magic and he was in disguise when actually doing his lightning tricks so why here? Why now? Well, consider the above. Morgana now knows his secret. Merlin knows she isn’t dead and she has attacked him once before. There is no time for secrets now. She will come after him again. Either Merlin reveals himself, or Morgana will force him to do so. But this is only a theory and I would gladly welcome other inputs if you want to share them.

Back in Camelot, of course, Gwen has guessed the truth (again, a moment of ‘Why now?’), Gwaine has to learn that his girlfriend is a traitor and watch her get executed and Gaius sends Merlin on a quest to save his king. All very important points but honestly, not the focus of this review.

I know that there are probably those who are wondering why I was so disappointed with this episode. Was it the fact that it felt a bit rushed at times, knowing that this was the final episode? Did my disappointment lie  in the death of Gwaine, who has pinballed between being one of my favourite knights to being the one I want to slap the most due to stupidity? Was it the death of Morgana, who went with a whimper or Arthur, who went with a sigh of gratitude? Was it Merlin’s failure to make everything right, the lack of reset button, Gwen’s heartbreak or the final scene of Merlin all on his own?

Yes and no.

Congratulations Leon! You managed to survive 'Merlin'.

My disappointment comes from expectations that have been built up during previous seasons and interviews. From the moment Arthur and Merlin started working together and becoming friends, I had been waiting for the day when Merlin would finally be allowed to be himself around his best friend. The day when the two could stand side by side with no secrets between them and kick some serious ass. This has not come to pass. Oh his destiny has been fulfilled, just not in the way I would have hoped.

And that is what disappointed me so much.

But after a few days of ranting, I realised something important. All of my hopes and expectations were not just my own, the actors or even the fans. I had been sharing my hopes with Merlin the entire time. He has spent so long in the shadows, disguised and hidden in plain sight. He has worked behind the scenes, nudging, tweaking, cleaning and protecting without any sense of gratitude or reward. Very few people knew what he did and they became fewer and fewer as time went on, leaving him more and more isolated. Being a sucker for happy endings, I hoped that this would eventually end, with Merlin getting the respect and honour he really deserved. And Merlin, hearing what he was prophesised to do, hoped for a day when he could finally be free to be himself, standing alongside his friends and allies to create a wonderful future.

In the end, he gets a breathless ‘Thank you’ and acknowledgement from his dying King and the respect and gratitude from his Queen and friend (although it is debatable if he knows this). He doesn't get a happy ending. He gets a seriously depressing one, with only a pinprick of hope at the end of a very long tunnel. And that makes me sad, especially when our last shot is of an old Merlin in the present day, walking past the lake alone, waiting for an unknown day when his friend will return.

It is up to the fans to decide what happened after Arthur’s death. I believe he wouldn't go back to Camelot for anything except a short visit. Maybe he would keep an eye on things from the side-lines but with the promise of Arthur’s return and the uncertainty of when this will happen, I'm of the opinion that he would stay close so he know the minute he was there and that is simply not something he could do from Camelot.

The episode itself is far from perfect and, as I have mentioned, feels rather rushed at times. In a way, I wish that Merlin's revelation to Arthur had come a few episodes earlier. The writers have never made it a secret that the end of 'Merlin' would come with the death of Arthur, but the I wonder if the tragedy would have been greater if we had been given a few episodes where the two are trying to find their feet again rather than the much quicker journey we had here. The writers and producers are apparently in negotiations with Shine to create some ‘Merlin’ movies and I watch the proceedings with a sense of hopeful caution. Whatever way they choose to go with these movies (if they are eventually made) there will be problems, mostly in terms of character development. Are we going to go backwards in terms of the story? Continue where we left off? Or reboot completely?

I guess only time will tell, but I don’t think my desire for Arthur and Merlin to stand as equals, with no secrets, is ever really going to fade.

Or my hopes for a happy ending for Merlin.