Love or hate it, the last episode of Merlin has aired and the show is over. And love it or hate it -spoiler- Arthur is dead -end spoiler-. And while I realize that to some fans, it may be comforting for them to believe that Arthur's hand stuck out of the water and took up his magical sword when Merlin threw it into the lake, there are SEVERAL points that prove it can't be him and that it is in fact Freya's hand.
1) The Legend. While the show hasn't always followed the legend to a T, making several changes, some small (Agravaine being Arthur's uncle instead of his nephew) and some bigger, as in they had a greater effect on the overall plot (Guinevere staring off as a serving-girl and being a queen only through marriage until her husband dies and the seal is given to her), it's pretty clear they were following it more faithfully with both parts of the finale. Merlin is trapped in the Crystal Cave, Arthur's last battle IS the last battle from the legend, Mordred is killed by Arthur's counterstrike after he fatally wounded the king he was once loyal to, Morgana comes to Arthur at the end (though she never repents, like in the legend) shortly before his death, Merlin fills in for the role of Bedivere and throws Arthur's sword back into the lake... So it's not a stretch of imagination to assume that, in accordance with the legend, the Lady of the Lake's hand would come up and take it after Merlin threw it, just as she took it back from Sir Bedivere.
2) The context of the show in itself. No matter how much you may want to, you can't always bend the set rules in a show (when the writers themselves do, it's usually slammed by fans as a massive plot-hole and ignored, barely accepted as canon). If this was Aladdin, for example, it would seem crazy for there to be a genie who was never bound to an object (such as a lamp). Why? Because it's well-established that the rule is, unless someone sets them free, genies have as Robin William put it, "Itty bitty livin' space". Where in Merlin does it ever imply someone instanteously goes to Avalon and can re-materalize SECONDS after their death?
Freya didn't. If she could have, I'm sure she would have stuck her hand up at the end of The Lady of the Lake, when Merlin was crying, to show him she wasn't all dead.
Lancelot didn't! It's assumed he's in Avalon too. AND ELYAN didn't. They were both set in a boat like Freya and Arthur, but neither of them have ever been proven able to stick their hands above the lake. FREYA is the only one who has been able to do it in the entire series. Possibly only because the avalon water Merlin spilled summoned her. After all, she said, "It's giving me the chance to see you again." Possibly, before the summoning, she may have been unable to do this. She was given a PURPOSE in a part of her (her arm) coming back, namely providing and (now) taking back Arthur's sword. And even if that's not the case, even if she was able to come out of the lake willy-nilly, when has it EVER been implied anyone else can? With the sole excpetion of the Sidhe people.
3) Arthur wasn't even in the boat yet! Yes, some might claim his spirit was already in Avalon, but as I pointed out the show NEVER indicated someone could re-appear from Avalon so shortly after dying. Merlin hadn't even set him out (as he had Freya) yet.
4) Merlin's reaction! Watch Merlin's face. He seems acceptant, maybe even pleased, that a hand came up and took Arthur's sword back down into the lake of Avalon, but does he look like a man who's seeing his best friend alive again? Remember how excited he was when Arthur turned out to be alive whenever he had a close call, such as A lesson in Vengance? Remember, even, how big he smiled when he saw Freya's arm in the Coming of Arthur after beliving her dead up until he saw her face in the puddle? THAT'S how a person reacts when someone he loves comes back from the dead. If it was Arthur, would not his reaction have mirrored that? On the other hand, as it was Freya, his milder reaction makes more sense. It may still be exciting for him to see Freya's hand, but under the cirumances, not particularly uplifting. He's already seen her arm come up out of the lake. It's a good thing, more cheering, no doubt, than the sword just landing with a plop, but it's not a miracle. He knows Freya's safely under there somewhere. What he wanted then was reassurance about ARTHUR. If it was Arthur's hand, he would have gotten that and reacted accordingly.
People, it's very sad Arthur's dead, but you can't bend the rules of the set universe in the show just to grasp at straws. Unless you're writing a fanfiction, you can't make it Arthur's hand. Canon suggests it's Freya's.
Also, can somebody please fix the diamond of the day page? Someone has messed it up and put part one under both the part one and two of the watch episode section. I was really hoping to see the last episode again soon (though now I probably have to wait till next month to get my gigs renewed cuz my internet's going too slow) and I got stuck with a half-loaded second of part ONE. One is good and all, but what I'd wanted (and what I assume everyone who clicks on that wants) is part TWO.