Merlin Final Episode

[kriadydragon]

*Heart Breaks* Well, now I'm depressed. But in a good way, I think. I mean, considering the legend it was pretty obvious the direction the show was going, and frankly I like how they ended it. All I personally really wanted was for Merlin to get at least a bit of recognition from Arthur, and he got that, along with the most heart-felt friendship scenes ever. It also didn't end how I feared - Merlin revealing himself and then Arthur immediately croaking after. It is rather sad that Merlin lives on still waiting for Arthur, with all his friends and family long gone but, well, that's part of the legend as well so what can you do?

But, wow, the emotions! Seriously this ep almost had me crying and that's not easy to do when it comes to a TV show. Heck, I still kind of want to cry (so it's possible this may be an episode I never watch again - except maybe in January. As superb as it was, I hate it when a show makes me all emotional). It was so beautifully done.

But, while I'll miss this show, I'm kind of glad it's over. When I say I got sucked into this show, I mean sucked in. Seriously, not since SGA and White Collar have I been this invested in a show and it was really rather stressful. I kind of hate it when I get so into a show that I start stressing out about it. Although a lot of that had to do with watching the episodes on Youtube and so constantly worrying whether the episodes or channel I was watching the show on would be removed. Plus fandom reaction. As fun as fanning with other people is, there are times when I really hate fandom and what it does to my enjoyment of a show. I'm not even into the Merlin fandom except where writing fic is concerned but I still managed to stumble onto all the naysayers. I would get so nervous about all of the above that I'd actually feel a little queasy about it at times. That's how much I was into this show.

But be that as it may, I'm both sad and relieved. I know there was talk that there might not be any movies but I hope there are, because from here on in the writers could have a field day with what happens next - start making their own legends, make a modern day Arthurian legend that explores Arthur coming back, and so on. Of course I say movie since I'm not sure the actors would want to do a spin-off, seeing as how I believe they're ready for other things.

Speaking of which, I really hope Colin gets a new project soon because I really want to see him in other things. He really is a superb actor. The entire cast was superb but, yeah, Colin's my favorite ;). One thing I do hate about a show going off the air is trying to follow a favorite actor and see them in new shows or movies. It can be kind of tricky especially if their next project is something rather difficult to get your hands on (I'm still trying to get my hands on Parked), or rather disappointing if all they do is end up as a guest star on various shows - or, worse, end up in something incredibly cheesy *cough*SyFy movie!*cough* And, I'm sorry, but I really hope Colin doesn't do a vampire movie. I know he said something once about wanting to be a vampire but... I'm so sick of vampires! Of course, if he did end up in a vampire show I'd watch it, anyway, just because he's in it ;) But what I would really like to see him in is a new series - preferably one where all his friends don't keep dying :/

So what all this rambling is trying to say is, I liked the episode, I'm sad the show is over, and also glad it's over, and I never, ever, ever want to get that invested in a show again. Ever! Now I will go and console myself with some Skyrim.

Comments

[ccmom.livejournal.com]

I just watched it about a half hour ago. I'm still in shock. I have to agree with you. I'm sad and relieved it's over as well. I don't have the energy or time for another new fandom. I'm thinking it's time for an intervention.

Just realized I've been buried in one fandom or another since...well always to be honest. But my online fandom since Harry potter in 2001

Guess it's time to find a new hobby. Place your bets now.

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

Heh, I love writing fanfic as it's a relaxing past time for me but fandom... it's fun for a while but then you always reach this point where you kind of want to back out and back out, now.

The thing about Merlin and me, however, was that it was a show I got into when it was nearing it's end. I also got into it at a rather stressful time in my life that kept getting even more stressful, and Merlin inadvertently became part of that stress - not because of anything the show itself did, but merely due to me getting deeply into it when so much else was going on. Thus why I'm kind of glad it's over, because now I can enjoy the entire series stress free :D

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

One thing I forgot to mention in my post that I am going to miss is the cast interviews. I've never been into cast interviews until Merlin, because the cast is so adorable and just as entertaining in real life as they are on the show, and I'm going to miss their RL interactions.

[swanpride.livejournal.com]

eh...that's exactly my reaction. Some really good dialogues and scenes in there, but they basically added up to nothing. Looking back on this show, I fell like the first season was the election speech of a polician, and the following four was the constant disappointment of not getting what was promised. "The once and future king".....I only saw a spoiled brat. Merlin should have served Lancelot, or anyone with an onze of common sense, I still don't see what was so great about Arthur...I don't even feel anything when he died. "The white dragon as symbol of hope"...Merlin should have kept the damned dragon in the damned egg. No enchanted sword, no dying Arthur. Morgana's "destiny and doom"..."doom" perhaps, but I don't see much of an destiny. Morgana decided her destiny herself (and why exactly are villains allowed to do that, but not the good guys?)...and her "did you want this" vision never came to pass. We never even got a decend battle out of this, or a proper telling off of Morgana. The "time magic comes back into the land"....when and where exactly? To me it looks like everyone and everything halfaway powerful has been destroyed. Uther has won in the end...and seeing what kind of magic the high pristresses have been up to (enslaving people aso) I can't even say I blame him at this point. And the whole "all you dreamed has come to pass" nonsense...nothing has come to pass. Basically, the four years are over, and now the politician tries to tell me that he has done somthing good, even though nothing has changed at all, and the he will change more in the future in order to get my vote again.

They had to possibilities to end the show from the start...either ending at at the point when Arthur finally accepts his destiny and the "golden age" of Camelot starts, or showing (not telling!) the golden age and ending it with Arthur dying. But letting it end with Arthur finally realizing what is going on and then immediatly going to the dying part (hell, the "I kill children out of revenge" part aside, even Uther was a better king than Arthur) that was just stupid in my eyes.

Perhaps it's emotionally more satisfying if you watch it in one go, but after all this years waiting for the show to reach it's potential, the last two seasons were a huge let down.

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

Really, I think the heartbreak is more for Merlin than for Arthur. At least mine is. While it's sad that Arthur died, it's even sadder that Merlin not only lost his friend but is still waiting for him a thousand years later, with all his other friends and family long-since passed on.

Which, to be honest, was the ending I was hoping they didn't do, because I hate the idea of Merlin, after all he had gone through, ending up broken and alone. But, then, that's just Arthurian legends for you. It doesn't matter the interpretations of them, they're all going to end rather sadly.

I do agree that the show could have benefited with a lot more show and a lot less tale. I do have one major nit in that I feel the writers got a little too caught up with the humor and less with the story-telling. As much as I love the humor and lightness, that the show goes from being light-hearted to being heavy and dark in the final season was rather jarring. It was like I was watching a whole other show. I think instead of five seasons, they should have gone for six, with the fifth season building up to the final season and easing us into the darker tones rather than dropping us into it.

That said, I do admire the writers for taking such a dark turn, and going for the sad ending rather than light and happy since I think people would still have complained, saying it was a cop-out and accusing the writers of not being brave enough to stick with the legends. Although it makes me curious what they would have done for the sixth season had there been one.

[swanpride.livejournal.com]

That's the thing: I don't think it WAS really dark. To be really dark, there should have been decisions and consequences...the first season was dark, when Arthur killed the Unicorn and the whole kingdom suffered for it. The second season was dark, when Merlin let the dragon loose and had to live with the victims of this decision. This...was more bloody, but not really dark. Gwen kills someone in her enchanted state, but as soon as she is free of the enchantment again, everything is great again. There is a lot of talk that Arthur will end up causing his own doom, but I don't see him making any really wrong decision (which is a first....beforehand he was a crappy king who ended up righting everything in the last minute, if at all, now he suddenly is a somewhat aczeptable king, but everything goes wrong).

Plus...the repeating of plots was very, very bad in the last season....I think the worse part was when Arthur honored the enchanted Gwen for discovering his assassins...the whole scene was nearly an exact copy of Morgana getting honored for supposedly resucing Camelot at the start of the thrid season, including the looks exchanged between the "evil force" in Camelot and Merling.

I think it is the other way around...the one thing the show never failed was "Show"...if it came to hamming it up to the max, it never disappointed. But it desperatly needed more "tale"...it needed to tell us a story, not create a set up and leave all characters stuck in the set up for a season, then create a new set up for the next season and let all characters be stuck in it aso. There was never ever any character development...oh, the character changed, but it was a "new season, now the character acts this way" matter and not a "this experience changed the character" matter.

Sorry for the rant....but after all this time, it is very frustrating to never get a proper pay-off. And is is frustrating to see Merlin never get a proper pay-off. Everything going wrong in the end, no problem with that, but I needed to see this golden time beforehand.