Merlin Season 5 Brings The Legend Alive

Can you believe that Merlin is now all done and over with? I can't, but Merlin had to end at some point and the five years we got was a real treat. Season 5 was charged with seeing the legend of Merlin and Arthur come to be, and breaking fans hearts along the way. It's time to take a look at season 5 overall and the journey that brought the legend to an end.

Unlike the previous season opener, Merlin's premiere two parter opener wasn't as impressive as previous season, but it didn't mean that it didn't have purpose. Arthur's Bane had quickly informed the audience that destiny was coming and Arthur and his kingdom were going to be in danger. Meaning Merlin's burden of destiny just got much more heavier, and the appearance of Mordred didn't help either. This meant Merlin had to keep an eye on Mordred and be wary of what he could become. Morgana was also back as her big mean ole self as she continued her quest to become Queen of Camelot. The die was cast people.

Gwen issues a death sentence.

First let's talk the relationships in season 5 of Merlin and how they were used and developed. There is the obvious Merlin and Arthur friendship, but let's first dive in to the Arthur and Gwen relationship. A lot has changed between the two of them and Gwen has grown into a strong woman as she is now Queen. There is no waver in their feelings for each other and have a protectiveness between them. From the very beginning we could see this in the first episode as Gwen gives out her first on screen death sentence to her traitorous maid. Then things take a turn towards the dark when Morgana gets her hands on Gwen and strips Gwen's mind. Making Gwen her servant in order to kill Arthur and help Morgana become queen of Camelot. I did like evil Gwen as it really did add this new dynamic to the show as we saw someone holding a position of power with evil intentions. Not only that, but Arthur completely trusted her thus making her able to get away with about anything. That until Arthur found out about Gwen and decides to trust magic to free her. In the end though it was the power of love that helped save Gwen as Arthur reached out to Gwen's heart to save her. That had to be one of the most beautiful scenes in Merlin to that point.

Let's not forget the Merlin and Arthur's friendship that has been the center of Merlin since day 1. There is the usual Arthur picking on Merlin and the bantering between the two of them in season 5. In this final season though, we saw Arthur really putting his trust in Merlin and putting his friendship with Merlin first. Like in The Death Song of Uther Pendragon, Arthur choose to save Merlin over trying to save his father's spirit. Arthur wouldn't stand for Uther hurting his best friend and choose to send Uther back to the spirit realm. In The Disir, Arthur asks Merlin for his advice on whether to let magic live again in Camelot. The king asking a lowly servant on how to decide the fate of the kingdom. Then the moment we all have been waiting for comes and Merlin finally reveals his magic to Arthur. It was understandable that Arthur was angry and hurt, but the journey it took to make Arthur realize all that Merlin has done for him made 5 years of waiting worth it. In addition to making the ending of Merlin hurt even more.

Merlin as a woman.

There was more to Merlin than just the relationships (much as they were fantastic), as it continued to excel at telling the legend, having great fight scenes and making us laugh. Good times. My favorite moment of Merlin has to be hands down the scene where Merlin becomes an old woman. In short, Merlin transforms into a woman. This is mostly because of Giaus telling Arthur that he will be meeting a witch a the lake in order to save Gwen. First the tavern, and now this? Giaus, you could have been the death of Merlin. Oh and remember the time Merlin though it was a good idea to see if he could get away with hitting Arthur? Now let's get away from all the happy thoughts as Merlin was indeed darker this season than previous ones. For the first time in a while, Merlin himself was in danger and hunted by enemies. This required him to be saved by others instead of Merlin saving someone else. Speaking of others, the knight each got their time to shine, and I was glad to see the return of Gwaine's friendship with Merlin. Oh we haven't talked about Morgana have we? She got herself a pet dragon last season and in addition to a new army of sort. She actually had some good plans this season like controlling Gwen, going after Merlin and leading everyone into a trap.

Now what didn't work this season of Merlin? Well there is the whole Diamair thing which annoyed me. It looked too much like an alien and it didn't really fit into the whole Merlin universe. At least Merlin learned from that mistake fast and nothing like that appear again. Now as much I love seeing the knights, sometimes it really annoys me that they are tended to be used to fill space within the episode or comic relief, or something pretty to look at (not that I'm complaining). Much as I would love some more back story, it probably take away from the Merlin/Arthur dynamic. Oh another question, where does Morgana find all her evil minions? In addition to how does she keep them? I bet it's her lovely smile. On a finale note, Merlin fans had to brace themselves to multiple character deaths this season. So if your favorite character got killed off, you were not a happy camper.

So that's it boys and girls! Merlin is all over and done with. Season 5 finally saw Merlin revealing his magic to Arthur after years and years of keeping it a secret. For those of you who have not seen the ending, be sure to have your feelings in check as it will break your heart as well as giving you some hope. For me, I was confused and then angry at the fact I'm never going to see anything come out of it. I was also glad my favorite knight Percival survived at the end. Thank you all for sticking with me for the two years I have been reviewing Merlin. So here is a little something to make you smile.

What was your favorite moment of Season 5? Did your favorite character survive?