User Reviews

This episode starts with a massive and tremendously exciting battle before getting up close and personal as we see a lot of interaction between Merlin and Arthur in some well acted, crucial and moving scenes. Their story arcs arguably remain somewhat open, while Morgana and Mordred both find the end of their arcs. As for what happens to everyone else, we can only guess. A surprise final twist leaves open the possibility of a sequel, should one ever be decided upon. The knights do get involved to some degree, although not all of them. It was a satisfying story, if a little dissatisfying due to some loose ends which were surely deliberate, also due to being a little bit abrupt the show could have sustained a few more seasons.

I was absolutely shocked after watching the final episode of Merlin. In my opinion it was a weak ending for a weak 5th series. Here are only some points why I come to this conclusion:

A lot of things didn't make sense: Why could Merlin carry Arthur as an old man (at the beginning of the episode) but later, when Merlin was young he was too weak and dragged Arthur?

Why didn't Merlin summon the Dragon earlier? Merlin knew that he had only 2 days until Arthur will die. The loss of the horses can't be seen as the reason why they didn't arrive Avalon in time, because Arthur died only minutes after the horses stampeded.

I wouldn't have a problem seeing Arthur dying, if his dead would make sense either. How can Albion be created now? The whole series was about creating Albion and re-allowing magic in the kingdom as an final aim. The Dragon says, this has happened and everything Merlin was striving for had become true. But how? Arthur is dead without doing anything like building Albion. Merlin seems to stay next to Avalon and did not return to Camelot (he didn't attend Gwens crowning ceremony). How can Merlin be remembered as a great sorcerer if no one in Camelot know who he is? (It doesn't seem to happen that Gwen will stand up and tell everybody).

Why did the writers waited for Merlin to reveal his magic secret to Arthur until the final episode? Even at that stage it either did not make sense. Why had Merlin to face the army as an old man? e.g. If he'd be young, everybody in Camelot knew who has saved them. There was only little character development in the whole fifth series. Alas!

And, what I disliked most, in the end, Merlin is changed into a very tragic figure, like a puppet. He abandons his own life, waiting about 1500 years for Arthur to return. How sad a life can become?

I liked the whole Merlin TV show, because it was not a 1:1 retelling of the legend. Morgana living in Camelot in the beginning, Merling being young etc. This was new. You never knew what will happen, because the writer made their own interpretation of the legend. But the whole fifth series suddenly follows the legend, and no matter was Merlin was doing, Arthur has to die.

In Series 5 I also felt that Merlin was not acting like himself especially concerning Mordred. He was not the Merlin I knew from previous episodes as he takes Mordred's and his girlfriends death into account. The Merlin I knew from previous episodes would have seen the good in Mordred and has tried to support him, instead of deceiving him. That could have been naive, but it would have better suited to Merlin's character.

In the end I am really sad, that a series with so much potential had such an ending.

And finally: Why airing such an ending on Christmas eve??

I will admit that I have become addicted to Merlin over the last 5 years, although the writing has been spotty on a number of occasions, especially during season 5. "Merlin: Diamond of the Day - Part 2 was not one of those shows that disappointed. I have been fortunate enough to have been able to Season 5 before it comes to the US. (This, however, does not mean that I won't watch it when it comes to SyFy next month and buy the DVD when it comes out)There have been a lot of reviewers that hated the ending, who find the idea of Arthur dying as unacceptable. Since the series has some story base in 'The once and Future King', Arthur dying was inevitable and necessary. I found the whole episode to be well written and wonderfully acted and totally in keeping with previous episodes. That Arthur had difficulty in accepting Merlin's tearful confession of his magic (one of the most emotional scenes) is totally in keeping with Arthur's character and egotism. That Arthur comes to appreciate Merlin for what he is (finally) and what he has done for Arthur and Camelot (finally, a thank you) by the end of the episode, right before he dies (the most emotional scene in the episode)is gut-wrenching. There is no happy ending on this, how could there be? Arthur is the once and future king, and he has to die to become the future king, rising when Albion is of greatest need. When he does, Merlin will be there waiting for him. (as the final scene hints at) Truly, an eternal Bromance.

I found this show very late. When I first watched the last episode I was disappointed on how it ended. However, after a couple minutes of thought I realized what an amazing ending it was. I wanted to see what other people thought of this ending so I came here. I was disappointed to read that many did not like it. Some people claimed that they did not like how Arthur died (which we all know how the legend ends) and other claimed they did not like the truck at the end. However, I believe that it was very creative of the writers to show how much time has passed. In a matter of seconds the writers were able to have the viewers go from the late 800s to the 2000s. It shows Merlin walking along and he looked out at the island. This shows how he is still waiting for the day when Arthur will rise again. Many people who are saying they did not like the ending because of the writing are just upset that there was not a happy ended, which as I said earlier we all know how it was going to end, and need to chill out and appreciate the series. This series had some amazing writing and acting and I am glad to have watched it.

Like many of you I was first very disappointed about the last episode although I loved the acting and the characters. Colin Morgan is outstanding, what an actor! He moved me so many times with his acting. After giving it some thought, especially about the last 10 seconds I thought okay.... why would the writers kill such popular series that have still loads of story lines for more seasons? That just doesn't make sense. Were the 10 seconds with the truck a trick to fool us or to wink at us? Well, it might be that wink. I suppose the writers are preparing us for something new that is going to happen. Think about this: if Merlin is able to travel through time, and if this end is, as the Dragon also said in previous episodes, just one of the many possible outcomes, than you can figure out what is going to happen in season six, if there ever will be one (which I personally hope for). I think Merlin is going to travel back in time, prevents Mordred from killing Arthur, the other knights such as Gawain will be saved as well. And because Morgane is such a very important character she might live on Avalon and plan her evilness from there, possibly with Mordred who will become more bitter even than Morgane. Arthur will rule with Merlin at his side. Maybe even Lancelot rises from death again to take his place at the round table, because also his part was not so very big as it should have been according to the old tales. And honestly, how much did young Arthur actually achieve to deserve the title of great King? Not much yet and neither do his knights. So there is still much to come I believe. Would have loved it if the white dragon was more present, but that might come in the next series perhaps? He also should have given a bigger role, because it felt for me that part was left out while it was so promising before. Truly Merlin is one of the best TV-shows I have ever watched. Especially Merlin calling the dragons, that is just a huge WOW. I have to admit however that the revealing of Merlin's actual powers to Arthur deserve more attention, more talk, just more of everything. I am hungry, writers, I beg you to continue :)

I just saw the last episode of Merlin on Netflix... and contrary to a lot of the comments, in my opinion, the "present day" scene was an inspired / smart ending...

Look, we all grew up with the myth / legend of Arthur and Camelot; and the final "prophesy" that Arthur (a brave, just, noble King) will return when "Albion needs him the most", is pretty compelling. The final scene, with Merlin / Emrys, still waiting, was shockingly poignant.

Maybe it's foolish to "believe" in myths. And that final "prophesy" in particular... But to hope for it? Well that's a different matter. And, for me, that is why it was so perfect. The point of that scene is this: that Merlin, like us, is STILL waiting.

I don't know. There's a part of me that flatters himself in thinking he's "politically sophisticated". That the modern world is Hobbes- ian; that power is exercised not for the benefit of the people, but in service of self-interest; that the men who wield it, do so in a haphazard way.

But, still, I wish for someone who embodies the triumvirate of Arthur/Merlin/Guinevere to emerge and to lead. So, yeah, it was the perfect finale - no happy ending and a great deal of sadness; at Arthur's death, Guinevere's bereavement and Merlin's long, long wait for his friend to return.

But an ending with just a sliver, a touch of hope

What kind of finale was that? I kept thinking that Morgana will rescue Mordred and Arthur will live. With that the prophecy will not be completed. The only think we would have concern, Arthur now know Merlin's magic. There will be another season about Merlin-Arthur, magic-sword-courage collaboration. I was thinking that way and I still have faith. Without Arthur, Albion is lost. He is the Once and Future King so without him how can they build a magic-free world? They can show fifth season as a dream. Dream of prophecy. Merlin sees and stops it. Dream stuff was done in Dallas and this is a magical drama so it will not weird for this show. Please think again Bradley, Colin, Julian Jones, Julian Murphy and BBC! You should continue to this Journey, please you can not abandon us like that!

To me, it's an extremely sad finale considering how much I love the characters, most importantly, Arthur and Merlin. I think it shouldn't end so quickly because Arthur just started to learn and accept Merlin's magic, and then what? He's dead. Ending. It'll be better if Arthur knows this earlier and probably has more time to talk about the relationship between them. Plus, is Arthur that "stupid"? He should've found something magical or weird about Merlin, but his reaction when knowing he is a warlock to me is like your best friend turned to someone you don't and don't want to know.

I thought it would end after the magic reveal and a long peace period in Camelot with magic.

But those are just my expectations. Even though it's a sad ending, I still love it. Despite so many good people and formerly good people falling, the peace was brought to Camelot at last. S5E13 never showed us how the kingdom was peaceful again, but according to the great dragon, everything Merlin had dreamt of had come to pass. Well, it is always nice to leave some space for audiences to use their own imagination. So I still love Merlin and want to I'd like watch the show again and again.

Good episode overall, but i expected more from a series finale.

But there one thing that annoys the hell out of me.

Arthur is mortally wounded and has aproximatly 2 days to reach the lake of Avalon. Yet somehow no one thinks to take off Arthurs HEAVY armor set. This should have been done, from the moment Gaius arrived to help heal and bandage the wound You really shouln't think that they were in a hurry.

Also he should have called the dragon for help, while they were in camlan. And yes this would be less satifying and would cut the story short, but would simply be more logical.

An utterly appalling ending to a series that I had consistently enjoyed.

The cast, as always, in my opinion did a terrific job with what they were given. Unfortunately they were given a horrendously misconceived nonsense of a plot for this episode. A plot which did a tremendous job of undermining the whole premise of the show that had been built over 5 seasons.

I, quite literally, cannot understand what the writers were thinking when they wrote this script. Did they really think this was an appropriate ending? Did they really think this was an ending that would in any way please the majority of the fans of this show? Did they really think that this was a suitable way to end a show that, I would imagine, a lot of children enjoyed? I can't conceive why such an utterly miserable, downbeat episode would be produced as the finale to 5 years of what had always been an essentially enjoyable and optimistic show. And on Christmas Eve to boot!

There will be spoilers from here onwards:-

In a show where the Arthurian legends have been consistently played with, twisted or ignored, Arthur HAS to die, because that is how it was in the legends? There is so much wrong with that that it's hard to know where to start. Suffice it to say that I hate that piece of illogic.

Probably what annoyed me most was that, suddenly, everyone has become completely incompetent. Arthur, having been, bizarrely, left entirely alone on the battle-field, essentially allows Mordred to stab him. Merlin fails in every way after destroying the Saxon army (admittedly he was impressive in doing that). Merlin then drags Arthur away, after a consultation with Gaius, where, conveniently, it turns out that a piece of Mordred's magic, invincible sword broke off in Arthur's chest, and no one else notices? Cares? Wants to come with them? Again, this is simply writer fiat. His task was clear: to protect Arthur. He failed, as he himself admits. Merlin sets himself the task of saving Arthur by getting to the Isle of Avalon in time. He fails. Largely because he didn't summon the dragon until too late because the dragon was dying. Although, clearly, not dying as much as his closest friend, whom he was trying to save. I don't understand how the writers thought this made sense. The prophecies that we have heard about for 5 seasons, that Merlin was going to help Arthur to bring about? That Arthur would create Albion, and a Golden Age and restore magic to Camelot? They do not come to pass.

It goes on. Morgana, after descending into shrieking madness, gets an utterly ridiculous, banal death. No magical fight, no climactic struggle, not even any decent lines. She's just stabbed after behaving stupidly. Gwaine's death is worse. As well as being grim and depressing, he dies believing he has failed, and betrayed Arthur in doing so. Another thank you for this one writers!

The reveal of Merlin's powers was reasonably well handled and brilliantly acted. But it came far too late, in my opinion. The friendship of Arthur and Merlin is given a good show-case, which was welcome. But the change of dynamic due to Merlin's open use of magic cannot now be explored in any depth.

Arthur decides that Gwen will now be Queen Regnant and that everything has come out all right? It doesn't make sense. The two don't even get to say goodbye! Leaving aside issues about laws of succession, when we see Gwen being acclaimed Queen she looks determined but also miserable and overwhelmed. There is no hint that Merlin ever returns to Camelot, that Gwen is expecting, no mention of magic being legal, no mention of the creation of Albion or of the Golden Age. I suppose we are meant to infer all of these things (possibly excepting the expecting part), but why should we be left to infer such fundamental elements? Why leave everything so open-ended and unresolved? How is this better? If they were going to do that the writers could have skipped the last episode entirely and left it with Merlin escaping the Crystal Cave and heading toward the raging battle. We could have inferred from there that all came out well.

And then Arthur dies. We have, in essence, had a 35 minute death scene for a favourite character. That's Christmas Eve entertainment folks! The dragon then flies off, leaving us some nonsense about how Arthur will be back some day and that some peoples' fates are fixed in advance and can't be changed. Which, apart from being a terrible message, essentially means that what the dragon has been saying about the prophecies and guarding Arthur over the last 5 years has been a lie. I assume this was just a stupid mistake on the part of the writers.

And then the ending. Merlin in the present day walking, as a tramp, along a road near the Isle of Avalon. The very clear inference being that the greatest sorcerer the world has seen has done nothing for 1500+ years other than wait for his friend's return. Maybe this was meant to symbolise friendship never dying but it's actually, literally, nightmarish.

In sum, this was far and away the worst ending I've seen to a series I had enjoyed. I don't imagine it was the intention of the writers to insult the fans of the series but, in my view, it was an insult nonetheless.

The series has had its ups and downs for sure. Always great chemistry between the actors, but the stories always contained massive plot holes and lacked in character development or really capturing th epic scale of the Arthur Legend. Anyway, the finale is extremely disappointing as it questions the whole of the series. SPOILER-ALERT: Arthur is mortally wounded and has to be transported by Merlin to the enchanted lake of Albion to get him healed in time. Well, Merlin (who just discovered his immense powers) does not take off Arthur's chain mail whilst riding two days through the woods. Merlin does not use magic to get him there quicker. He does not call the Dragon until the very last moment. And then, simple as that, Arthur dies. So Merlin's whole quest of saving Arthur throughout five series is for nothing, because there has been no golden Age of Camelot and Albion. There has been no peace with the druids or the return of magic. There has been no heirs to the throne. Everything has been...for nothing. So the last minute of the show leaves us with a lonely Queen on the cold throne, some sad and depressed knights of the round table (for those who survived), many other sad faces around them (Gaius i.e.), a dead King and the great Merlin, who still haunts the earth after a thousand years of walking around as a tramp in the 21st century and desperately waiting for some kind of undead Arthur to return to a modern world hes does not longer belong to. Wow, that all together is a real treat for the audience which feels more like a punch in the face after five years of saving Arthurs live episode for episode. Oh my dear writers, this really is a downer. It does not deliver satisfaction. It does not deliver hope or a vision of peace. It does not justify all the live-saving-episodes in the past if in the end Arthur dies anyway and "fate" cannot be changed at all. Why put in any kind of effort at all then? That's the message of this great tale? Oh my dear writers, you really messed this one up!!! I'm not even talking about killing off Morgana in the blink of an eye (no suspense there) or letting Gawain die for nothing. And even the old mighty dragon does not have a last spell to save Arthur (although Gaius tells us some minutes before that only old dragon magic could cure the wound). So in the end like many great series (i.e. LOST, Battlestar Galactica) a wonderful and fantastic series with marvelous actors is totally ruined by an ending that questions the whole of the storyline. Sad, but true.

I just want to mention one thing: this is the most awful finale I have ever seen. The writers critically destroyed the epic story of Merlin and Arthur in one hour. I cannot believe this. I do not want to admit this. I even find that offensive as a spectator and a sincere fan.

How can one kill all the main characters in a couple of minutes? Mordered.. BAM, Morgana.. BAM. Arthur ?? He SHOULD have survived! His understanding of Merlin being a sorcerer is developed through the episode which I found flawless, so emotional, but he didn't survive! COME ON! That cannot be the end! Dragon's words like "he will be remembered" cannot be accepted as an explanation, I cannot buy it. Seeing Merlin in today's world is simple BS! I am so sorry for the words I pick. But that is it.

I will erase the ending from my mind tomorrow. And will remember my own. Arthur survives and Merlin is announced as the official magician + magic will not be prohibited any more.

So this is the ending that has been planned for 5 years, according to the producers. Arthur coming to terms with Merlin's magic in the last day as he's dying, not even mentioning his wife, his kingdom or any of the problems those'll need to face. He's obviously just as obsessed with Merlin as he had been with him. "Hold me, Merlin" he says, "just hold me" and draws his last breath.

Very melodramatic and unfortunately Bradley James can't pull it off as well as Colin Morgan. Bradley was great in the battle scenes though, I hasten to point out, and it's not easy to play a dying king with awful lines for about half the length of the episode.

Again, all these great sorcerers and sorceresses are capable of is pushing people back with their magical powers (although Merlin did produce a cute little dragon out of the flames for Arthur) and they still haven't learnt that it does not kill the opponent. In fact, the opponent will be up very quickly and turn against you. As it happened, the long awaited facing of Morgana and Merlin was over in a stupid 5 seconds with a hard-to-watch death scene.

The ending, with Merlin in the modern Avalon as his old himself, Gwen being crowned as the ruler of Camelot was more confusing than anything with more false promises in the air. "Arthur will be back ONE DAY as Kilgarrah said, Gwen will be the head of Camelot we'd all been waiting for" etc. Without any foreshadowing in the 5 years, I didn't believe it for a second.

"Merlin" had a great setup, excellent actors and the stories were interesting enough in the first 2 years. But the phrases often heard in the series "one day Arthur will become the worthy king", "one day magic will be back to Camelot", had never been delivered. I hoped until the last 5 minutes that something will change, that we'll get a glimpse of all these promises fulfilled but instead we only got a pathetic attempt from Kilgarrah to explain why these never happened. I loved the chemistry between the actors and I'm truly disappointed that they (and we, viewers) have been let down like this.

Overlooking the fact Gwen's enchantment to smooch Lancelot is *never* discovered (kind of farts on the whole romance in my opinion).

Overlooking the 100,000 times we see Morgana get gently knocked out so she can resume her role as villain next episode.

Overlooking the fact Merlin is secretly the cause of nearly every problem due to his weird transference with Morgana and inability to see if Arthur is a true friend of his early on who will accept his magic.

Overlooking the fact they have the Cup of Life in Camelot's basement but never decide to use it when important people are mortally wounded.

Overlooking the poor representation of medieval times where everyone eats meat and white bread, wears big capes into battle, and "train" by nearly killing each other.

I still nonetheless had some fondness for the show, probably due to the first two seasons. At the final episode all was getting tied together nicely I guess, and if they didn't kill Arthur, I think I would have rated the show 5/10 and called it an okay watch overall. But damn, Merlin could have summoned the dragon earlier than he did, saved Arthur, and Albion would have been believably forthcoming. The ending was weak and depressing -- I think they should have deviated from the original to produce something better.

My God...what the heck did they do. Such a terrible ending, they could have at least shown that magic returns to Camelot but no instead they showed a damn truck...

I still love Merlin, don't get me wrong. But they could have let Arthur live! I mean, it is Christmas eve, and you get people crying? People aren't going to be happy really on Christmas, maybe when they see their families and for the birth of Jesus Christ, but fans are going to be upset, I am teary eyed if I think about it too much.

I mean, the writers knew that Merlin was a dragon lord, didn't they think the fans would forget? I mean he could have called the Great Dragon to take him to the lake, but no the writers made them go by horse.

Since it was a TV show they didn't have to go with the legend, they could have had Arthur survive, and the actual ending, what is that? It is confusing and boring, Merlin walking along side the road, old. How is he still alive? Did he go back to Camelot? And he dies just when he learns of Merlin's magic and yes in the beginning he was mad, but he was accepting it and I wish he survived. It doesn't make sense that Merlin is a dragon lord and he didn't have enough sense to call the Great Dragon to take him and Arthur to the lake to have Arthur survive.

I still like the show, and the acting of all the actors was fantastic, and the dying scene was very touching, I am a Merthur fan so I liked the bits with Arthur/Merlin and the emotion, but still.

I have loved this series from the very beginning. I am left heart broken after the finale. I believe any fan would agree the first four seasons have built up such a big anticipation of the moment when Merlin reveal his 'true-self' to Arthur and when that moment finally came it is like hitting the snooze button. I had to keep checking the DVD timer to see how long left to the end of the episode and at the same time crossing my fingers the plot will be salvaged one way or another and that there will be the climax we have all been waiting. But as the end drew near so did my despair.

The actors gave a commendable performance despite the sloppy script. The final dialogues between Merlin and Arthur caused a few gag reflex!

Just to mention a few ANNOYING plot holes among many...

Gwen said to Gius she is glad and confident that Arthur has Merlin by his side. But then Merlin fails to save Arthur, isn't that a SLAP-IN-THE-FACE! Gius also said to Arthur he will need Merlin by his side, as the audience one would assume Merlin will save Aurthur but NO, actually Merlin by his side or not does not make a difference.

Gius said Merlin is not only a sorcerer but one of the greatest ever to walk this Earth. It would be great if we have some evidence to support that statement. The Merlin portrayed in the series is at most an apprentice graduate. Far from the greatest sorcerer status. Merlin's father-ghost- figure said Merlin have magic he is yet to comprehend...and...?

It is said Arthur is the once and future king...the last few seconds suggest Merlin is now in the present world. Is King Arthur reincarnated as Prince William? Otherwise how is he going to be King? Perhaps running for Parliament?

I cannot think of another explanation except that the writer of the last episode must held some serious nasty grudge against the studio to execute such a disappointing, unsatisfying and gut wrenching this is so pathetic ending! EPIC FAIL