Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-24762954-20140731125438/@comment-5674726-20140805213526

Machairodus wrote: Then I'd rather call it a clash between the story and the family show. Arthur was supposed to unite Albion, create fair and just kingdom etc. They could show Merlin and his magic necessary for that purpose. But since it's much simpler series, we got "threats" that need to be solved. True. I think that the wider arc of Arthur building a just kingdom was lost in the Monster of the Week plotlines. Merlin got to be the hero of the latter stories but it was at the expense of Arthur's character development in the former, more important story arc.

We never got to see Arthur as a great King, never mind the Once and Future King of legend. It'd be one thing if we saw him having to struggle to get things like the knighting of commoners accepted, as it would have let us see him work to make changes to Camelot but, instead, the previously unthinkable is accepted without anybody blinking, let alone protesting so an opportunity for Arthur's character development is lost.

Even the usually very powerful moment where Arthur draws Excalibur from the sword is cheapened in this adaptation because viewers know perfectly well that it isn't divine proof that Arthur is the Once and Future King, destined to unite Albion and rule over a golden age. It is just Merlin's way of coaxing Arthur into fighting to retake Camelot, like he's a little kid who needs to be fed a fairytale or to have the closet checked for monsters. Instead of getting to stand on his own two feet, Arthur is shown to need Merlin to hold his hand, and resort to magic tricks to boost his confidence.