Years after this show has ended, I am still watching and re-watching! As others have noted, Merlin has many strengths. In terms of structure, each episode of the series contains its own mini-adventure. Sometimes, these adventures spur the season arc onwards or create consequences that characters must grapple with in later episodes. All of the seasons, except Season 1, end with a double feature that closes out the season's main danger. The reimagining of the Arthurian legend is very well done in many ways, showing that the creators have perhaps drawn on a variety of tellings of the story to create something new.
The lead actors are all exceptional. Bradley James and Colin Morgan have incredible chemistry - it's even a lot of fun to watch their interviews with each other, as they seem to have the same chemistry in real life! Colin Morgan is flat out amazing as Merlin, often conveying two or three emotions simultaneously and even portraying Merlin himself as an actor (as the older Emrys, as the old sorceress.) He effortlessly handles everything from tragedy (Lady of the Lake) to comedy (A Servant of Two Masters.) Bradley James is stoic, handsome, and good-hearted, exactly as we would have wanted Arthur, and he also rustles up quite a bit of feeling in certain episodes (Sins of the Father, The Wicked Day.)
Katie McGrath is exceptional as Morgana (and so beautiful!). She successfully charts an incredibly tricky character arc, layering tension into her character season by season. Those who claim she is too emotional or overacting in her scenes miss the point of Morgana's character - it is her very excess of passion and empathy for others that bends her from light to dark.
There are also great cameos from talented actors sprinkled throughout the series, including Michelle Ryan, Sarah Parish, John Lynch, Miriam Margolyes, Charles Dance, Emilia Fox, Tom Ellis, Santiago Cabrera, John Hurt as the dragon, and others. Asa Butterfield as the young Mordred is incredibly creepy and wonderful to watch. The locations are also beautiful and well imagined.
But the series suffers from two main weaknesses. First, the characterization and character development are inconsistent. Bradley James and Colin Morgan manage to show that their relationship has evolved due to their own talents, but their characters are not written that way. There is little growth in what Arthur sees in Merlin, and Merlin rarely acknowledges Arthur's flaws, especially his lack of judgment. The relationships between other characters are also chronically under-imagined: Gwaine and Merlin, Arthur and Gaius, Merlin and Gwen, Gwen and Gaius. Some episodes reset to zero, ignoring whatever has come before between two characters. The entire web of relationships that would support a close-knit Camelot community is never explored or used. Many of the characters are therefore rendered static rather than dynamic.
Angel Coulby suffers the most from this poor character development. Guinevere unfortunately only becomes an interesting character when she falls under Morgana's spell in Season 5. Otherwise, Guinevere is unnaturally obedient, docile, and strangely Pollyanna-ish. There is little reason why she should be lovable or attractive to two gorgeous and talented men and her love story with Arthur is largely unbelievable. It is also difficult to understand how she transitions so well from servant to queen, seemingly growing in confidence by leaps and bounds between seasons. In general, the show has an irritating tendency for all the interesting women to cluster on one side (Nimueh, Morgause, Morgana) and all the interesting men to cluster on the other (Arthur, Merlin, Lancelot, Gaius.)
The second weakness is that the series ENDS with Merlin revealing his magic to Arthur, meaning that we never see the two of them working together as true equals. Throughout, the audience sees Merlin undertaking dangerous and difficult tasks, with no thanks, but we never see the pay-off, i.e. a proper discussion/reckoning between Arthur and Merlin about the role of magic in society and Merlin's beliefs vs Arthur's beliefs. The show has to contrive absurd scenarios to ensure Arthur never sees Merlin use his magic but he also never benefits from Merlin's huge trove of knowledge.
This ultimately undercuts the message of the stories. The characters keep waiting for the mythical day when Albion is real and magic will flourish again, but they exercise little free will in getting themselves there. For a show aimed at young adults, getting the themes right should be incredibly important. What harm is done when you keep secrets from your friends? Why should you not deny who you are to appease others? Why should you treat others with respect and dignity? Why is it wrong to persecute those who are different from you? By not providing closure on these themes, the show ultimately ends on a rather dismal and disappointing note.
The lead actors are all exceptional. Bradley James and Colin Morgan have incredible chemistry - it's even a lot of fun to watch their interviews with each other, as they seem to have the same chemistry in real life! Colin Morgan is flat out amazing as Merlin, often conveying two or three emotions simultaneously and even portraying Merlin himself as an actor (as the older Emrys, as the old sorceress.) He effortlessly handles everything from tragedy (Lady of the Lake) to comedy (A Servant of Two Masters.) Bradley James is stoic, handsome, and good-hearted, exactly as we would have wanted Arthur, and he also rustles up quite a bit of feeling in certain episodes (Sins of the Father, The Wicked Day.)
Katie McGrath is exceptional as Morgana (and so beautiful!). She successfully charts an incredibly tricky character arc, layering tension into her character season by season. Those who claim she is too emotional or overacting in her scenes miss the point of Morgana's character - it is her very excess of passion and empathy for others that bends her from light to dark.
There are also great cameos from talented actors sprinkled throughout the series, including Michelle Ryan, Sarah Parish, John Lynch, Miriam Margolyes, Charles Dance, Emilia Fox, Tom Ellis, Santiago Cabrera, John Hurt as the dragon, and others. Asa Butterfield as the young Mordred is incredibly creepy and wonderful to watch. The locations are also beautiful and well imagined.
But the series suffers from two main weaknesses. First, the characterization and character development are inconsistent. Bradley James and Colin Morgan manage to show that their relationship has evolved due to their own talents, but their characters are not written that way. There is little growth in what Arthur sees in Merlin, and Merlin rarely acknowledges Arthur's flaws, especially his lack of judgment. The relationships between other characters are also chronically under-imagined: Gwaine and Merlin, Arthur and Gaius, Merlin and Gwen, Gwen and Gaius. Some episodes reset to zero, ignoring whatever has come before between two characters. The entire web of relationships that would support a close-knit Camelot community is never explored or used. Many of the characters are therefore rendered static rather than dynamic.
Angel Coulby suffers the most from this poor character development. Guinevere unfortunately only becomes an interesting character when she falls under Morgana's spell in Season 5. Otherwise, Guinevere is unnaturally obedient, docile, and strangely Pollyanna-ish. There is little reason why she should be lovable or attractive to two gorgeous and talented men and her love story with Arthur is largely unbelievable. It is also difficult to understand how she transitions so well from servant to queen, seemingly growing in confidence by leaps and bounds between seasons. In general, the show has an irritating tendency for all the interesting women to cluster on one side (Nimueh, Morgause, Morgana) and all the interesting men to cluster on the other (Arthur, Merlin, Lancelot, Gaius.)
The second weakness is that the series ENDS with Merlin revealing his magic to Arthur, meaning that we never see the two of them working together as true equals. Throughout, the audience sees Merlin undertaking dangerous and difficult tasks, with no thanks, but we never see the pay-off, i.e. a proper discussion/reckoning between Arthur and Merlin about the role of magic in society and Merlin's beliefs vs Arthur's beliefs. The show has to contrive absurd scenarios to ensure Arthur never sees Merlin use his magic but he also never benefits from Merlin's huge trove of knowledge.
This ultimately undercuts the message of the stories. The characters keep waiting for the mythical day when Albion is real and magic will flourish again, but they exercise little free will in getting themselves there. For a show aimed at young adults, getting the themes right should be incredibly important. What harm is done when you keep secrets from your friends? Why should you not deny who you are to appease others? Why should you treat others with respect and dignity? Why is it wrong to persecute those who are different from you? By not providing closure on these themes, the show ultimately ends on a rather dismal and disappointing note.