Board Thread:Rewatching "Merlin" - Season Five/@comment-5102537-20140517082836/@comment-5102537-20140521093857

Issy5209 wrote: Why they felt they had to end it by sticking with tradition  by having Arthur killed (or the more common re-telling - being mortally wounded and taken of to Avalon in a barge by priestess's) at Camlann, I will never know.

Basically, sticking with the legend that way would have been an interesting new take of it if it hadn't been for the positive beginning and the whole style of a family show. The end of it didn't fit into the previous happenings at all, especially not in regards to the golden age that never really happened. When comparing the very first episode to the very last one, I don't have the feeling that the show grew over the years but that it simply changed.

The dragon's words in the end didn't make any sense regarding the prophecy and the previous seasons, and Arthur died before he achieved anything as the Once and Future King.

With Merlin wandering the streets in the modern world, a world that looks like ours and probably is ours, the "land of myth and the time of magic" all of a sudden becomes a time era in the past, something that really happened in the dark ages, something historical. I don't know if this was a wise move, because people are wondering what in the world could ever be so bad that Arthur will have to return. Plus, it takes away the unique aspect of a fantasy-land when seeing it developing into our modern world of progress.

The finale was a huge disappointment to many fans, if not the majority. Instead of tying up loose ends the episodes rushed through illogical situations that only led to Arthur's death. A death that might have been prevented, had Merlin called the draon much sooner while Arthurv was still alive. I also don't get why Gaius told Merlin not to ride to the Lake of Avalon in the dark but to wait for sunlight. Merlin, the most powerful sorcerer.... and Arthur who was dying of a mortal wound when time was of the essence... What could have ever happened in the dark other than things that could happen in the forest anyway, whether at night or day? Things that Merlin would have been able to fight off. I'd rather hurry to save someone's life and take the risk of the night than wait for hours and risk the death of the one I want to save. The only right and logical thing would have been to immediately call Kilgharrah and arrive at the lake just a short while later instead of roaming the woods for two days or so.