I’m so cross with the BBC today. For the past little while we’ve watching the BBC TV series, Merlin. It is a wonderful, family-friendly production of the King Arthur legend but told from the point of view of Merlin and starting from before Arthur becomes king. It’s got funny bits that appeal to all ages and our kids have loved watching it. Last night we watched the series finale which was a huge disappointment.
**SPOILER ALERT**
For the final two seasons Merlin is warned about the prophecy of Arthur’s death at the hands of Mordred. Throughout the entire production we’re told that Merlin is the greatest wizard to ever live and that it’s his destiny to protect Arthur so that he can unite the kingdoms. So we’re strung along for two seasons wondering what Merlin will do to change this prophecy and protect Arthur and it turns out absolutely nothing. Mordred drives his sword into Arthur and kills him. Arthur is dead and that’s it. There’s nothing after this other than Guinevere becomes the new ruler of Camelot. We don’t even know whether Merlin returns to Camelot. How disappointing is that? Elizabeth was in tears.
Throughout the entire five seasons Merlin promises multiple different characters that one day magic will be allowed again because Arthur will make it so. But then Arthur dies and sorcery is still outlawed. The show never properly finished but I’ve read there are no plans to make another and what can they do now that Arthur is dead?
The ending as it should have been told is that Merlin uses magic to remove the blade from Arthur’s chest. The prophecy only showed Mordred stabbing Arthur – we didn’t see what happened after that and it’s obvious that Merlin healed Arthur’s wound, confessed to being a sorcerer, after which Arthur allows magic again and everyone lives happily ever after.
rachel.blog 
Didn’t the final episode end in the present day though? With a seemingly immortal Merlin still waiting for Arthur to rise (wasn’t there a prophecy from the Dragon?) – sorry if I’m vague – it’s been a while since I watched it with the kids.
Yes, there was a brief glimpse of Merlin in the modern day and the dragon did say Arthur will rise again but that didn’t make it any better. Why could he return the next day or a year later or something?
We loved the series, but perhaps missed the finale as I don’t remember the modern day bit!
It was a terrific series but this only made the ending all the worse to bear because we were all sad that it was over and then add to that the heartbreaking ending.
Rachel,
Mordred kills Arthur and that’s it!
The script writers should have half of their pay docked.
They should watch the Sci-fi classic, “The Day the Earth Stood Still” (1951) starring Michael Rennie as the Alien (Klatu/ Carpenter) who arrives on Earth with a giant Robot bodyguard Gort (who has a death-ray stare) to warn that superior beings on another planet demand the end of war and nuclear weapons here on pain of reducing the Earth to a cinder.
It was remade in 2008 in a lesser version with Keanu Reeves.
When Carpenter is killed by trigger happy military, Gort carries the body into the spaceship where Klatu/Carpenter is resurrected on a futuristic device by the Robot.
Magic and you don’t need to be told there is a happy ending with the Earth surviving.
The kids would love the movie and this satisfying turn of events.
Superior screen writers.
I think I may have seen that Keanu Reeves movie. I just watched the trailer and it looks very familiar. Good family-friendly films and tv shows are hard to find. There’s so much violence on TV these days but Merlin was good, wholesome, family entertainment.