Merlin Reveiw

Merlin

Review/Story Plot

Unlike the classic image of Merlin as an old, wise wizard, Julian Murphy’s and Johnny Capps’s Merlin rewrites the image. The series starts as a twenty-year-old Merlin travels to Camelot, sent by his mother to her friend, Camelot’s physician, Gaius. Her intention is for the physician to become the father-figure for her fatherless, magical son. It seems easy. Merlin even smiles with excitement as he sees Camelot for the first time, a shining white castle on the horizon.

Mood and music quickly alter, however, as the wizard arrives inside the city just in time to witness King Uther’s execution of a person charged with performing magic. As the ax falls, the king commences to remind those gathered that all magic is pure evil and punishable by death.

Despite the imminent danger, Merlin finds Gaius and remains in Camelot. And like the naïve boy he is, he shrugs aside his peril, carelessly using his own untrained magic, even in a bout with the young, seemingly arrogant Prince Arthur. When Gaius warns the budding wizard that he must stop using magic, Merlin snaps, saying he is nothing without his magic, and if he stops, he might as well die. Not long after, however, he earnestly asks Gaius why he was born and if his magic makes him a monster.

Gaius has no desirable answer to the question, yet, late that night, Merlin wakes at the sound of a voice calling his name. Following the sound deep beneath the castle, deeper even than the dungeons, the wizard comes face to face with a dragon whom the king has had imprisoned for life as an example. There, the dragon tells Merlin that he was born a wizard in order to protect Arthur, Camelot’s future king, and thereby return magic’s reign to the kingdom. Merlin denies that possibility, insisting that he would happily help assassinate the only Arthur he’s met.

Despite his assurance that the dragon knows nothing, Merlin jumps to Arthur’s rescue as a knife flies toward the prince. All of Camelot watches as the wizard pulls the intended victim to safety. As his reward, Uther appoints Merlin as Arthur’s servant, and so begins an unlikely brotherhood.

Positive Elements

The largest factor in the series is Merlin’s friendship with Arthur. Despite the fact that they can be polar-opposites, that they love riding each-other, and the dramatic changes over the years in their own characters and the world around them, their friendship remains. Throughout time, it only strengthens in its own unique way.

Both friends put their own lives in danger countless times for the other. By keeping his abilities secret, Merlin even sacrifices his own credit and freedom for Arthur, becoming, as titled by the creators, the unsung hero. His unyielding loyalty is often the source of wonder for Camelot’s enemies.

Arthur’s own love for people is beyond human reasoning. While his half sister, Morgana, rages against their hate-driven, tyrannical, occasionally abusive father, Arthur supports where he can, ceaselessly attempts to reason, and, only as a last resort, just does what he feels is right, yet currently forbidden, without any judgment toward the king. When the king finally dies, Arthur is the only one who mourns his passing. Others only cry because they feel Arthur’s pain.

When Morgana decides that her one goal in life is to gain power by murder and force, Arthur tells her that, even if she kills him, they are “still brother and sister.” He repeatedly stops bloodshed and gains allies through his grace and mercy.

Throughout the series, the biblical truths of love, predestination versus free choice, true honor, and selflessness take a front row seat. The series also reveals the destruction of hatred, arrogance, fear, and even secrets.

Spiritual Content

The series was not written by Christians. Despite the Catholicism pervading Arthurian legends, there is not any mention of God. There is however, an “old religion”, which is the religion of magical beings. This religion is usually shown to be entirely satanic, led by people simply seeking to enslave all beneath them, forcing worship. Despite “belonging” to said religion, Merlin rejects it at the end of the first season.

However, the series confuses itself. Later, the series introduces priests/priestess of the “old religion” who choose to help Arthur, despite the fact that they fear him and that they also petition for the freedom to openly practice their magic. In season five, Merlin says of one place that it is bathed in life and richness, although it is an “old religion” “holy place”. Merlin also speaks of an afterworld when speaking to his dying mother, saying that “the gods will look after me and, one day, we’ll see each other again.”

Merlin is lightly superstitious, which is a source of frustration to Arthur who is very down-to-earth, sometimes to the extent of seeming that he believes in no god at all, although both he and Guinevere (Gwen by her common name) frequently refer to a higher law to which even they as monarchs are held. Gaius himself dabbles with superstition, even giving Merlin a rabbit’s foot at one point.

Ghosts are a common occurrence in Camelot and at one point the gate between the spirit world and Earth is opened. Both evil and good spirits flood the kingdom in said occasion, before someone sacrifices himself in order to restore what was.

Sexual Content

Despite normal Arthurian legend, Merlin keeps itself fairly clean sexually. There is still some messing around by supporting characters, but it is kept off screen. Merlin’s parents never wed, to the veiwers’ knowledge. A careful observer would notice the implications that Morgause was conceived through adultery, as was her half sister, Morgana.

Although the Lancelot/Guinevere disaster is touched on briefly, it is done through enchantment, with terrible results. Without that magical control over her actions and thoughts, Guinevere remains completely faithful to Arthur. There are several occasions outside of that one in which enchantment forces romance and a two-parter episode, short-term marriage.

Ladies of higher class wear dresses that reveal quite a bit of cleavage. There are several occasions where questionable men obviously covet the particular woman’s body before them. Nothing happens on screen. A few men lose their pants and there is a scene in which a bare bottom is briefly seen as the man is thrown.

Merlin disguises once as an old crone in order to perform magic in front of Arthur. When he shows Gaius the disguise, the physician tells the wizard that “it suits you.” There is one crude joke about two men sharing a bed.

Violent Content

Unlike many modern shows, Merlin focuses on character growth and the inner struggles more than blood and guts. That said, things happen and battles are everywhere.

Blood is at minimal and executions happen off-screen by cutting from the instrument of death to someone watching it. In battle, however, many fall by swords, axes, spears, fire, knives, disgusting and not so disgusting magical creatures, and even by lightning called forth by “the world’s most powerful wizard.”

In a few episodes, voodoo is used to inflict harm. One magical creature kills her male victims through a kiss. Evil spirits take the form of skulls, and it is not uncommon for the heroes to come across fields strewn with dead.

Drug or Alcohol Content

Naturally, alcohol is part of every meal, that is, unless someone does not brew it himself and has no money to purchase it. Most of the time it is never excessive drinking, but a few people do become drunk. It is also joked about on many occasions. Later in the series, Arthur describes Merlin as someone with a drinking problem, who also likes to spend half his time at the local tavern. This is untrue, but Merlin resignedly allows Arthur to think so, rather than reveal the truth of his absences.

There are no drugs except in the case of medicine and the attacks hidden in unsuspecting victims’ drink.

Crude or Profane Language

A few instances of h—l, d—n, and g—d. Merlin and Arthur are also commonly throwing insults at each other. Idiot, ass (as in donkey), and the very British word, prat are just a few of the insults they exchange.

Other Negative Elements

Merlin keeps the fact that he is magical a secret long after Uther is dead. It is not until the end that he reveals his deceit to Arthur and it is almost too late. Through not speaking earlier, Merlin helps create many of Camelot’s enemies, Mordred and Morgana among them.

Merlin is called a warlock instead of wizard by the dragon. All use of magic causes eyes to turn yellow.

Evil is pure evil. The story never tries to make light of it or have it happen off screen. From voodoo in the first episode to devilish manipulation, it is bare-faced, satanic warfare on the defenders of Camelot. Merlin himself falls to using his talent in evil ways on three different occasions. The first time he pulls a spell out of a book titled The Art of Necromancy, in order to unmask a wraith. The second time, he reduces Arthur to a mindless fool in order to force escape. Thankfully, Merlin is not easy with the result as he has no control over it once done. The last time Merlin dabbles into the sinister, he uses something resembling voodoo in order to strip Morgana of her magical talents temporarily and thereby allow the heroes to retake Camelot from her clutches.

Lastly, a humor seen in many kid shows flows through the series. Although it is usually fine, there are a few bathroom jokes, gaseous disturbances, falling pants, and the before mentioned cracks on the homosexual and transgender line.

Conclusion

It is refreshing to have a modern story focus on character, morals, and friendship. Merlin is about love, sacrifice, and the ultimate need for God. The series also negates the common push to view humans as no more than animals in which only super powers or magical ability makes someone more. Instead, Arthur is no less important than Merlin. Both make mistakes, both help bring about the end, good and bad.

Although the writers, directors, and actors had no conscious thought about God, Merlin reveals that the world is God’s, that every movement on its surface—war and peace—is directed and allowed by Him, and our only real task is to do the best we can, in every situation, to live for our Savior for as long as He grants us time on Earth. That is the story Merlin tells.

^{All pictures from Far Away Site}

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