Thread:Fimber/@comment-3481504-20151102233729/@comment-98.162.173.54-20151107022802

I think you're missing the point that ReganX is trying to convey. Arthur does care. There were many instances where Arthur showed his love for Merlin, the most evident one was when he genuinely hugged Merlin (covered in mud) after he had gone missing for a few days in A Servant of Two Masters. Arthur also showed he cared in The Darkest Hour after Merlin was attacked by the Dorocha; you can see it in his face and hear it in his voice when he was sending Merlin back to Camelot for care with Lancelot. Sure, Arthur looked embarrassed when Merlin collapsed in that episode (which I didn't understand why either at first), but that can be attributed to the pressure Arthur was under as Prince Regent, and his bumbling servant is bumbling again. Also, in part one of The Diamond of the Day, you can see the disappointment (and confusion) in Arthur when Merlin said he wouldn't be joining him at Camlann, and the jab Arthur gives him says it all as well. In earlier episodes, Arthur didn't do much without Merlin at his side, and in fact, took it for granted that Merlin would be there with him/for him when there weren't any other servants present when they went on patrol.

I also agree that Arthur meant more to Merlin than Merlin meant to Arthur because Merlin knew of a great destiny that Arthur did not, and Merlin did everything in his power to make that destiny come true. Who wouldn't in his situation? But that does not mean that Arthur did not care for Merlin, and in fact, he seemed to treat Merlin more like his little brother that he could bully than he did as a servant (in my opinion). Arthur truly cared for all his people, commoner or noble, and I think he cared for Gwen and Merlin the most (and Morgana before she turned to the dark side).

Finally, something that always disturbed me was that Merlin said he trusted Arthur with his life many times over the years, but that was really a lie because he never told Arthur the truth about his magic until Arthur was dying. He never gave Arthur the chance to decide what he'd do if he ever found out about Merlin, and that wasn't fair to Arthur (or the fans). If anything, Merlin was as much a hypocrite as Arthur and Uther when it came to magic, so did he really, truly trust Arthur as much as Arthur trusted him? I believe that if Merlin had told him early on, late in series one or early in series two, Arthur would have protected him from Uther. That would have been something marvelous to see and taken the show in an entirely different direction.

Don't give up on the show, or the friendship between king and servant. They truly are two sides of the same coin, and they really do need each other (no matter how much Arthur may deny it externally). I think that's one of the reasons why this show is so brilliant: the loyalty, the friendship, and the love of Camelot.