Board Thread:Rewatching "Merlin" - Season Four/@comment-5102537-20131103103427/@comment-5102537-20131114123003

Edrea wrote:

About Lancelot. OMG!! I can't believe that he had to die so soon and like that. I think everybody is right to say that he was not involved enough in the show given that he was the most noble and the bravest knight of them all. Sorry for fans of sir Leon, but I have to say this, why keeping Sir Leon alive again and again but not Lancelot. Sorry to say this (again) but  in the legend sir Leon was nobody compared to Lancelot, right? or in this case any other knight too. He should be the bravest and most noble knight, but when did he get the chance to show that? Only in this episode when he sacrificed himself. Not enough appearances. If sacrificing himself made him that, I think every other knight would gladly lay down their life to protect Arthur too, over and over again.

I agree with everything you posted above, Edrea. Though I didn't mind Gwen becoming sexier. I've always thought that she was a beautiful woman and always looked great, no matter what she was wearing :-) I only found it disappointing that her great character was changed and became more flat with the seasons progressing.

Anyway, Lancelot and Leon.

I'm a fan of keeping characters on a show and not parting with them. So keeping Leon was totally fine with me, yet I would have wished for more depth and background for his character because I've never ever figured out what he was like. What was going on in his mind, what did he think about others and Camelot and the laws, what were his emotions? To me he seemed to be part of the inventory, like a recurring tool or something. Shame they didn't give him a story and more depth.

I assume that Lancelot was killed off because (maybe aside from the time schedule of the actor) he was too mature and too much of a competition for Arthur and also Merlin and Arthur's friendship. In comparison to Lancelot, Arthur came across like a teenager from Highschool whereas Lancelot could have been the older and more mature mysterious and charismatic mentor. He had more depth than Arthur and the other knights. Moreover, his friendship with Merlin was also more mature and believable than the friendship between Arthur and Merlin, also due to the fact that Lancelot knew of Merlin's secret.

The first few minutes that Merlin and Lancelot met convinced me more than the entire show convinced me about Merlin and Arthur's friendship. I think their chemistry was great but at the same time in the way regarding Arthur and Merlin. And imagine Lancelot's reaction when Arthur and the knights bullied Merlin later. It would have been out of character for him to join them, as well as it would have been out of character for him to just let Arthur kill Caerleon without objection.

But then, it's just my assumption. However, I found it odd that, except for Gaius, the mature and deeper characters were killed off.