kbrand5333 I just read that fic this evening, too, Rosebull. It was beautifully done.

sportyshuie I decided to write this today rather than yesterday because by the time i finished watching, my fingers were shivering and i can barely see the keyboard, because of my tears. To be honest my head is throbbing because of crying throughout last night. I even had sleepless night because my dreams were filled with the ending. GOD ... to think a tv show can do this to me .. I love and hate the finale, to put it simply. I liked it because it had all the elements needed to make an ending worth remembering, drama, humour, love, action, suspense, cliffhangers etc. But i also hate it because i feel cheated and deprived of somehing precious from my wait all these years. Like Stacey mentioned earlier, there are two groups here; one who'll love it and one who won't. I think i am a bit of two here. I love the legend. I have my respect, adoration and takes the liberty of equipping myself with every possible knowledge of the legend; be it from the old version or the new ones. That's why when there is a movie or series done based on the legend, i fall for its charm. But of all that i saw, this is the one that affected me the most. I loved it, right from the beginning i was hooked onto its charm. And i invested all lot in this series; be it my time or money and i believe that is why it's hard for me to accept the ending. I understand the legend says Arthur dies in the end, but wasn't this supposed to be a fresh take on the legend. I still remember the words given by J&J in an interview, this is a new take on the legend so, i was waiting for a different ending. Afterall, they did alter a lot of legendary issues in the series, so the death part could have been spared as well but no! Of all that mattered, Arthur's death is where they decide to stick to the legend and have it their way. No, but that is not acceptable. Everything seems rushed in this episode, like they had so little time and plenty of loose knots to tie. Well, it wouldn't be Merlin if they didnt rush things, would it? The acting part needs no elaboration. We all know what the cast, bar Katie are capable of. What i liked in the episode are; - Arthur acceptance of magic. He didnt do it quickly but as we rode along with him and merlin, we saw his pain, hurt, admiration and later the acceptance. WELL DONE bradley. Arthur's yours forever. - Colin's pain. I love him and the pain he holds in his eyes after revealing the magic and later trying to save his friend is remarkable. He is an excellent actor. The only Merlin for me. - Angel. She is brilliant. Small screen time, little to say; no problem. She nails whatever she is given and which is why i love her. The best Guinevere for me. The rest of the cast are superb too,especially Gaius and Gwaine. Well acted. - No arwen, no problem. For me Arwen need not have to meet face to face to elaborate their love. Their love is strong and we felt all throughout the five years so, even without a single scene in this episode, i still felt their love. And Arthur thought of her all the way to Avalon. And she of him. The enigma of their love hovered all over the episdose ... - The brotherly relationship both Arthur and Merlin shares in the series is warm and lovingly remarkable. Methurs can gloat with that single line that Arthur says to Merlin but kudos to Bradley and Colin for making it seem befittingly honest in the name of friendship and nothing else. And all the emotions that runs between them; brotherly, friendly and as a king and his servant ... i teared up everytime i saw those scenes. I think it's one of those things that will still me sleepless nights. But as good as the episode was, there are glaringly so many questions left answering. - Why didnt Merlin use his powers to save Arthur? I know Gaius said that it was an ancient power and needs powerful magic to cure but isnt Merlin powerful enough? Balinor said Merlin isnt just born out of magic but he is magic himself. SO GAIUS? - Why didnt Merlin call for the dragon earlier? - How on earth did Gaius knows that the blade was forged in dragon's breath whilst being in the forest without his equipments? - Didn't Mordred stab Arthur by his side? How come Gaius mentiones that a fragment of the blade is left on Arthur's chest? - Merlin carried Arthur from Camlamn while being Dragoon but he couldn't carry Arthur whilst being himself? - How did Merlin know that Elira or whatever that girl's name is, is the traitor? - Why didn't we get a proper battle between Arthur and Mordred & Merlin and Morgana. To have the two important villains dead quickly and so, simple is just ... not so right. Guess i expected too much. Maybe that's my mistake maybe not. I don't know what to say or feel right now because i reaaly felt let down. This was a potential series and it could have been if Mickey and Minnie didn't ruin it for us and the cast. Yet, for all its worth, we were given joy by the cast and for that alone, i stand up and bow to them. For me the biggest letdown is that Arthur and Merlin's relationship was given no room to expand. They are supposed to be the reason of the series. Where was the supposed rise of Merlin to be the greatest sorcerer in the world? Where was the promised relationship between a king and his advisor? Where is the prophecy of the two side of the same coin? Where was all this? Instead, we get slapstick comedies, unnecessary idiotic scenes and reasons for the methur fandom to gloat and troll about. (Sorry bout' that). But, it's ended and despite not liking and will never like the finale, i am happy to have been a part of something special. And i like to thank all the cast and crew bar mickey and minnie for their effort in shining in my life for the past 5 years. Best of luck everyone and if there's a potential something for the series in the near future, count my support as i'll be there like the rest of us ... giving you all i've got.

ellarose88 Oh I read that read and commented. It was very well written!

afirewiel I have decided to climb aboard the "Gwen is pregnant" boat. Cause if she isn't, she'd have to eventually remarry in order to produce an heir...and I refuse to believe Gwen would ever marry for political reasons. So, pregnant she is!

ellarose88 Lovely review Shu! I agree with it all! So many unanswered questions and plot holes! But it wouldn't be Merlin without it!

sportyshuie Thanks Ella and I like to add ... i left this one out while hurrying to work. I also feel for Gwen and Merlin. They are best of friends but they have both lost a very important person in their life, Arthur. In Gwen, she lost her husband and in Merlin he lost a friend. How will he ever see her in the eye and say he failed. Despite the Dragon saying that he didn't and knowing Merlin, he will put it on his shoulders and take all the blame himself for Arthur's death. And Gwen, how will she face Merlin? She seemed happy knowing he was a sorcerer because she knows Merlin won't let her down that he will save Arthur but then ... I am still sad ... and despite people telling me that's its just a tv show, I still couln't let the fact that Arthur died sink in me yet. Not just yet.

kbrand5333 [i]- Merlin carried Arthur from Camlamn while being Dragoon but he couldn't carry Arthur whilst being himself?[/i] This occurred to me as well, even when I watched it. I was like, "No way can 80-year-old Merlin carry an unconscious Arthur wearing chainmail." I'm surprised my husband slept through my comments while I was watching (I was in the next room, but I wasn't exactly being quiet). I agree, Shu, there are SO many things that were either glossed over or left out completely: Arthur deserved to know the truth about his birth. Arthur never found out that Tom made Excalibur. The magic reveal could have been a MAJOR plot point if they had done it halfway through the season. No issue was ever made about the fact that Gwen had not conceived an heir. As queen, that would have been her main objective, and there most definitely would have been talk, both between Gwen and Arthur and amongst the nobility in general. We never got to see Arthur and Merlin fulfill their destinies in the way that TPTB led us to believe we would. I don't know if I can ever forgive them for that deception, be it intentional or not. It was a huge "F*ck you all" to the fans. And I actually liked the finale. I didn't like that they killed my Arthur, but I did like the episode.

sportyshuie I think it was a huge FUCK U to all the arwenites in particular not the Methurs. If I am shine, i will reboot the entire season 5. Everything right from episode 1 till 13 will be rewritten and reacted by the same cast. Because for me, season 5 is the worst of all the seasons. My Merlin ended at season 4 episode 13.

HumbleQueen Had a wonderful day with family, had my hot soaking bath, and came here to read all the comments. I couldn't wait to get here as I 've been getting email notifications all day letting me know there were tons of reviews coming in. This made me excited because I know when my Arwen buddies do their reviews they are the best around. And I was right. But always, each time we have a thread there's a review that really stands out and I have to say ShuShu yours had me going. Right on. Every word. You captured just about everything. I've made a point not to go anywhere where I needed to confront any of the Merthur mindset on this. Not even on Tumblr where there's always something controversial going on. I can't deal with that right now. As I've said over and over regarding this episode, it was right and fitting that the finale should focus on Merlin and Arthur and on the reveal. And I myself have no problems with how they portrayed it, including the hold me line. What upset me in times past was the slapstick stupid stuff, but again, as in the goodbye scene in episode 12, this time we had a mature and poignant portrayal of two men who had formed a beautiful friendship, had become brothers, as unlikely as their positions in life made it. If there are people who want to make it into something else, even though both actors have stressed the "friendship" aspect time and again, then I'm just going to leave them to their fantasies. It's a crying shame and I feel for the fans and producers who brought this about. Enough of that. I really am sick of talking about the whole crazy fan issue. And when you come down to it, I suppose they have as much a right to their opinion as I do mine, as long as they don't come at me with hate about my views. [Quote by Shu] "- No arwen, no problem. For me Arwen need not have to meet face to face to elaborate their love. Their love is strong and we felt all throughout the five years so, even without a single scene in this episode, i still felt their love. And Arthur thought of her all the way to Avalon. And she of him. The enigma of their love hovered all over the episdose ..." Thank you, thank you, THANK you, Shu. This is exactly my feelings as I even have expressed to others. And for me, the tent scene was their goodbye to us fans seeing them together and I could ask for no better. And in my mind's eye (and ears) I can see and hear all the things they said and did together while they had their final "rest" together as Lorna said. In my mind there was no message Arthur needed to send to Guinevere; he had said it all to her himself in that tent. And for those who didn't like that the last she saw of him was him jumping up without saying goodbye, again I repeat, he had his armor on in the battle. Who do you think helped him get that armor on with Merlin not there. And you can bet your bottom dollar there would have been a heavy kiss exchanged before he left that tent and left her for the last time, they just weren't going to be nice and kind enough to let us see THAT, not on a M/A heavy episode. It's the way this show has always operated. So we've lived with that all along but as we all know even with that, Arwen never died and instead flourished. Aren't you glad when Arthur got his telepathy message from Merlin in ep 12 that they were cuddled there together, visible in the crystal, intimate in their sleep and still embracing even when they woke? Let's be grateful for that; they could have had Arthur sitting on the side of the bed worrying or fretting when he got Merlin's warning. Which brings me to one more question for me. What did Arthur think of that? How did he think Merlin got that message to him? He was so sure it was real he immediately changed his battle plans. Sooooo, there should have been something in his mind about that. Yet they reset once again and made Arthur seem clueless when Merlin final made his revelation. There are always so many things that don't fit. Guinevere will make a great queen. Another thing we can be grateful for is what they did with her character after taking her to a dark place so many times, and giving her so many sorrows, she was portrayed as noble. brave, and loyal. Her relationship with her husband was loving, affectionate, and intimate, even without a kiss. She never betrayed him of her own will. They changed a lot from the legends and how they managed to let her keep her integrity in the eyes of the audience is one of the things I'll long appreciate from the show. I'll also appreciate that they portrayed this romance as courtly, wholesome, and epic. That's important to me and one of the reasons I embraced it in the first place. And I agree with everyone else. I hated that they had my Arthur die. I was so sad and disappointed and it sunk in even more today after all my Christmas festivities were over and my thoughts went back to it. The one area I would probably not totally agree is that this episode was purposely negative towards Arwenites. I say this partly because of how Arwen was handled in ep. 12 and the way Gwen was portrayed. also because they really did need to deal with the magic reveal and how it affected the two men. In the five years of the show, we know that is their focus and to be honest, except maybe ep. 3, I don't think the M/A relatonship has had an inordinate amount of screen time. Even the evil Gwen thing took up four episodes. Instead of giving Arwenites the finger, I would lean towards the writers inability to integrate stories and plots as they do in the really successful shows.

faithlessducks To be honest, Merlin has been god awful since the middle of Season3. Merlin used Arthur's sword to get rid of Morgana and Morgause's blood warriors. ReallY? Morgause came back from the dead. I was deeply offended as a Special Education teacher when Merlin claimed Arthur was simple. Arthur's bipolar personality in Season 4. Arthur couldn't pull his sword from the Stone without Merlin's help. They let Zombie Lancelot walk into Camelot, and nobody blinked. Nobody noticed that Gwen wasn't mourning her brother's death. gwaine had a serious girlfriend? I waited for Merlin to chew Arthur's food and spit it in his mouth. Every year, Morgana was able to take over Camelot? What was Kara's problem? Arthur made peace with the Druids years ago. They lived in peace. Uther sudden and great love for Morgana? I watched Series one, and he was pretty brutal with her. Merlin finally grew a set and killed Morgana with Arthur's sword. After everything that she had done, just like that? She didn't have a valid reason to attack Arthur and Camelot. They turned Arthur into an insecure bumbling King from a sensible, loyal romantic hero. What happened to the guy that defied his Father? what happened to Arthur with his own free mind? Where did the almost King go from the Series 3 opening show. Merlin was on a decline for years. Actually, I enjoyed the finale because Arthur was his own man.

MISAforever I meant to comment but Shu really said it all. Though I'm the "one not liking the ending" more. It was legendary, but to see him die so young and not fullfilling his destiny, that is the thing I cannot accept. Maybe it is cause I'm shallow but I feel there is so much more to tell, and I do not like the ending. And don't get me started on Arthur and Guinevere this season.

HumbleQueen @faithlessducks: I can feel your frustration, but you did give me a good laugh this morning because most of what you said is so true. I said to myself I a grown lady have really been caught up in a kids show because only a show for children would get away with all those inconsistencies, lol. Seeing them listed like that is rather hilarious. Get yourself a nice hot tonic and take a warm bath. We all should. We all need it. *sigh* But that doesn't mean we haven't loved the show, even with all that. Your listing is really funny though.

sportyshuie YUP, faithlessducks, all said above is true indeed. In fact if we all sat down and listed all those glaringly missing plots from season 1 to 5, we can come out with our own version of Merlin's Wikipedia for Plot Holes by chimps J&J. Ahh .. talking about plot holes, i just thought of this one since my mind isnt really in the state of thinking these days ... The part where Merlin confesses to Arthur about his magic. He says he fought the saxons and the dragon but missed the Mordred part. Didn't he get the glimpse of that in episode 1, and the warning given by the disirs, then cathar's assistance? He should have been looking for Mordred! WTF is he talking he missed out on Mordred? I don't really get it ... But then, he missed out on some many other things so this i'll pass. *facepalm*.

EPaws Yes they blew it. This story was to be about “before the legend became famous”, the J&J Chimps truncated it entirely and missed the point of the story, offing Arthur long before he had reached his peak for some reason which remains unclear to me. Please, I love Merls like nobody’s business but the Avalon bit…sorry no can do. That aside, they fucked up, they really did because the one aspect of the legend to follow is the key elements of the round table and Albion. Now they are allowed to tell the tale as they see fit, but when you make the Once and Future King pointless and as a mere device for basically impotent heroic deeds by the titular head of the show, then you miss the mark. That is what they did.

kbrand5333 OMG, Danielle, you were pretty thorough, there, I loved it. Nailed it completely. Completely agree, Stacey, they not only blew it, but they essentially lied to us all for 5 years, telling us that the story was about [THIS] and then bailing before [THIS] can ever come to pass. If they truly WERE operating on a 5-year plan (right. Who creates a show, finds it a hit, and says, "Oh, we'll only run it for 5 years" ?), they would have been able to craft a better storyline for their final season. Even so, they misled us all and for, that, I cannot forgive them. Merlin season 4 marathon was on Syfy in the US this morning. I was watching some of 4x01 (thankfully I got to see the "Do you remember..." scene) and all it did was make me more sad. What a waste. What was it I said about the show's epitaph? "Wasted opportunities in favor of mindless frivolity" ? Something like that.

faithlessducks I did ruin a group of 4th graders last year. 9 out 12 of my 4th graders are Learning Disabled, and my other three had cognitive disabilities. They read on a mid -second grade level. So, we read a lot of Magic Tree House with the Morgan le Fay ( I kept my feelings to myself) and Merlin missions. They think Angel Coulby is Arthur's wife in really life. Merlin is so young. I didn't have the heart to tell them. Arthur's hot! Gossip Girl ( yes, i watched it) cleaned up everything in the final 13 shows.

vaniadinis sooooo no one is gonna talk about AITHUSIA the little dragon did i miss something?! i mean i remember that the piss of shit big dragon said that the little dragon was supposed to help merlin and arthur that she's the son of the sun blablablabla i hate the big dragon... everything was a lie... the only thing that the lillte dragon did was to kill arthur because she's the one who helped modred kill him with that damn sord lol OMFG i cant

Bonne-Bell ^You're so right about Kilgharrah. I feel like he's been trolling Merlin this entire time. Everything he said turned out to be a lie. It's got me sitting here thinking what if what he said about Arthur coming back was also a lie and Merlin spends an eternity waiting for him and he never returns. I don't know how Merlin could even believe anything Kilgharrah told him at that point seeing as how everything that he'd told him turned out to be wrong.

kbrand5333 Yeah, what happened to Aithusa, anyway? That was a whole big parenting FAIL on Kilgarrah and Merlin both.

faithlessducks @kim.... Merlin and Kilgarrah were horrible parents. Poor little dragon. He was never on a milkbox or anything. Why didn't Merlin order Aithusa away from Morgana. They say girls without their father's love will seek it elsewhere.

kbrand5333 Yeah, he could have totally ordered Aithusa to be a good girl when he first encountered her. Why are we even surprised?

MISAforever Kilgarrah is a piece of sh*t, if you pardon my dictionary! Aithusa isn't the only fail they had.. It would be better if the ended on season 4.

HumbleQueen So Aithusa was sent back by Merlin and her mistress is now dead, so now I sort of feel sorry for her too in her loss. Yes, and I agree about Kilgarrah. We've had lots of disappointments and feel we've been lied to. But oh well. Trying not to let it get us down but savor the good memories. We did enjoy a lot, even though there were failings. At least when Arthur died, he had made right his friendship with Merlin and he and his queen's love was intact with no angst hanging over their head for a change. I don't have the emotional energy to watch right now, but someone said that the Dragon said something to Merlin that could be interpreted that Gwen could be having a baby? Did I miss something? Does anyone know anything about that?

faithlessducks The showe proved Arthur was never interested in Merlin. Arthur never took Merlin on a picnic. A play from the Arthur Pendragon playbook... picnics. They are always an epic fail!

faithlessducks @ Humble queen so, Aithusa is in dragon foster care? or better yet dragon rehab? Laughing makes you feel better. what about Arthur's magically blue cloak. Nobody knew it was Arthur under it! Or the troll porn with Uther!