BBC’s “Merlin”: Take Everything You Thought You Knew About King Arthur and Forget It
Way back in September of 2008 I was roaming the U.K. as a start to a European backpacking trip with a friend of mine. Though I didn’t pay much attention to them, I remember ads on the side of every bus for a show called “Merlin”. Despite my affinity for science fiction and fantasy, I wasn’t sure about this one. Arthurian legend’s been done a million times before (see “Excalibur”, “King Arthur”, the “Merlin” miniseries with Sam Neill and so many others) and I’ve never really cared for it. Something to do with every female character being one of either an evil witch or a slut. OK maybe this isn’t always true but its true often enough to turn me off the stories. Needless to say, with all that bias, it was a while before I took the time to watch “Merlin” but when I did, it was well worth it. It took all of about four episodes before “Merlin” became one of my favourite shows on television and, as it goes into its third season, it still is.
Merlin
I won’t say “Merlin” is always the most intelligent show around or the best written but its fun and sometimes that counts more than anything. The writer’s have managed to find a wonderful balance between drama, humour and fantasy that keeps you watching even through the episodes you’d rather forget.
“Merlin” is the story of, that’s right, a young Merlin. He comes to Camelot with hopes of a better life and finds himself on a whole new path. The show has what we’ve all come to expect from Arthurian legends; that is Arthur, Guinevere, Morgana, Lancelot plus some clearly magical creatures but changes it up in such a way that it feels new again. None of the characters are how you’d expect them to be (Arthur the pomous prince, Guinevere the serving girl and Morgana the opinionated ward of the king) making the journey of how they become those people all the more interesting.
TV shows that have an overarching series plot seem to be becoming more and more popular these days. Programs like “Lost” and “Battlestar Galactica” spend seasons worth of episodes leading up to their conclusions. “Merlin” too has this element as we watch things change into the legend we know the main difference being that here, we know how it ends. Or at least roughly how it ends. I’ve been sorely disappointed by shows in the past that take the overarching plot path (the finale of “Battlestar Galactica” all but ensured I’d never watch the series again). Because you never know when the show will be cancelled its hard for writers to plan out exactly where they want the show to go and how fast it should get there. It would be so much easier if you could start knowing how many seasons to go for without threat that the show would never make it there. Hopefully, with a built in ending, “Merlin” can do better.
By nature of being a family show, “Merlin” is usually fairly light fare. As the series continues though the darkness is seeping in leading to more intriguing plot lines and emotional journeys for the characters. Where the show really shines though is bringing in elements of the legends we know and giving them a new lease on life.
The Dragon is needed to give Excalibur its power.
Another important element to the show is the “bromance” between Merlin and Arthur. Though they start rather set in their ways, the influence of one on the other starts to bring out the future king and wizard they will become. The two lead actors are very talented and have great chemistry making them a pleasure to watch on screen. In fact that acting in general on “Merlin” is better than what you’d expect considering the young age of the stars. They deliver on both the strong emotions as well as the comedy; something the show wouldn’t be nearly as enticing without.
Arthur and Merlin lurk in the bushes.
Of course no show is without its flaws and I can’t help but wish for better in the future from “Merlin”. The female characters are often largely underwritten and they certainly never both feature in the same episode (if Morgana is important to the storyline, Gwen won’t be and vice versa) which is a pity considering how much of the fan base is female and the potential the actors and characters possess. Being a family show means that the so called “comedy” episodes include a few too many flatulence jokes for my taste but that can be overlooked providing it’s not every week.
Gwen and Morgana try to convince Arthur that he'll need the women to fight as well. As proof of what I was saying above, there are actually no promotional photos of Morgana and Gwen together.
“Merlin” airs on BBC One in the U.K. but here in North America it’s seen some shuffling. The show started on NBC and CTV (in the U.S.A. and Canada respectively) during the summer of 2009 but NBC failed to promote it and cancelled it when the ratings were sub par. CTV followed suit and for a while it looked as though the program would be gone for good. Thankfully “Merlin” found a new home on SyFy in the U.S. and Space in Canada, finally allowing those people who don’t just illegally watch television on the internet, a chance to continue watching.
Merlin shows off his magic.
So if you happen to be interested in fantasy dramedies than there’s really nothing out there quite like “Merlin”. Season three bows tomorrow on BBC One and I know I’ll be tuning in.
The People Behind the Show:
Writing:
Johnny Capps, Julian Murphy, Jake Michie, Julian Jones
Cast:
Colin Morgan as Merlin
Bradley James as Arthur
Angel Coulby as Guinevere/Gwen
Katie McGrath as Morgana
Anthony Head as Uther
Richard Wilson as Gaius
John Hurt as the voice of the Dragon
Now In Colour 