Board Thread:Rewatching "Merlin" - Season One/@comment-5102537-20130214143847/@comment-5995315-20130223120936

Arthur and Merlin's relationship wasn't solved by Merlin saying that he was totally and completely loyal to Arthur, nor was it ruined in the first place because it showed that Merlin was "above" Arthur.

What you saw in the finale was season six in a nutshell. I think you're too young to understand the subtle role dominance and submission play in all actual relationships, including friendships. The reason I think this is that you back your claim that friendships cannot be that way on your own assertion that that's the case, without explaining it any further.

Also, the finale made clear that the relationship between Merlin and Arthur had gone way beyond what's ordinary. It had become, as Alex Vlahos said, a love story between two men. To ignore this point is to miss the vital cues that unlock the meaning of many, many previous episodes and individual scenes. However, I have noticed people on this site going to extremes to deny it, and for me there's little wonder what motivates them.

Once rationality has broken down, hateful exchanges start to creep into discussions of the Merlin/Arthur relationship. I think it's admirable that you might try a composition notebook style of working this out. But as your analysis of this relationship proceeds, I hope it does not take this all-too-typical turn.