User blog comment:Morganaforever/Thoughts on Merlin's finale/@comment-98.237.96.242-20130102025410

The end was contrived at the last minute when the actors decided not to return for a 6th series. So everything was rushed into a handful of episodes. Capps, Murphy and Jones played fast and loose with the legend and conveniently forgot so many events, people or items that appeared in previous episodes. I can't take their ending seriously.

The show shouldn't ended with the Battle of Badon, not Camlann. The Golden Age of Camelot still laid ahead. It didn't because the producers felt rushed to get to Camlann. That would have left a living Arthur and a happy audience.

The dead of Arthur was heart rendering. Yes, it was a love story between two men and one that no one should reject. Society should be ready for that. I don't believe that Merlin stood by the lake for the next 1500 years or that his old man identity is permanent. Yes, he returns to the lake from time to time, but the Crystal Cave may give him some idea when Arthur's return is imminent. Merlin changes from old to young because it would be obvious if he kept showing up as an 26 year old man to the generation living.

I assume that Gwen allowed magic to return. Merlin would have returned to Camelot to his friends Gwen and Gaius. He would NOT have abandoned Gaius in his old age. Maybe he became court sorcerer; maybe he remained in the shadows as before. When Gwen died and as time progressed on, probably corruption and noble revolts turned Merlin away from Camelot and then the Saxons conquered it.

Maybe even Merlin meets with Arthur from time to time at the Crystal Cave or Avalon. I'm surprised that Merlin didn't cross the lake with him since he could have returned.

Where was the Cup of Life? Why didn't Merlin try to save Arthur with magic? How about the Great Dragon why didn't be try? How did Gaius know that the blade in Arthur's body was forged by a dragon's breath? How did Arthur even survive those two days? All conveniently ignored by producers in the interest of finishing the show.

Colin Morgan and Bradley James did one hell of job. I will miss them. They took some mediocre scripts and made them gold.

The good news is that cryptic double talking Great Dragon died. Good riddance. Merlin should now know to be wary of talking dragons.