Once I watched season 5 to its end I realized something: I’ll never be able to look at the earlier episodes again the way I once saw them. Not only does the ending tie the fifth season together, it also ties all five seasons together as a whole. People like different seasons for different reasons. But what holds all of them together is the amazing story arc, which starts lightly enough in season 1 and ends with the utmost seriousness by season 5. This twist is what sets Merlin apart from other shows and makes it great.
Before the finale each episode had seemed good enough by itself, but not especially connected to any binding message. Now I see much greater unity from episode to episode. The trick is that it’s not the action that expresses the overall arc to the stories. It is largely the character changes, something that’s harder to notice in a given episode.
After watching the last episode I finally sat down and watched the very first episode of Merlin again. It was like seeing a different show. Everything that came out in the end was right there in episode 1. It was surprising how obvious it was. Each new episode developed this message, and the finale made it explicit.
Morgana and Gwen are examples of this. It’s clear that Morgana was in no need of redemption, at least by her own thinking. So it was pointless to look for it. Every earlier episode involving her was telling viewers this, as Morgana’s arbitrary thinking and the mounting death toll signaled where her destiny finally lay. She was ultimately happy with herself.
Gwen represents the good, good judgment and intuition. But season 5 showed us a Gwen drastically different from all previous seasons. Yet as the season closes, she demonstrates that her character development remains remarkably consistent. Nothing about Gwen in the finale was missing from those first episodes.
Those are two examples of the unified message Merlin gives its viewers over all five seasons. Many more could be cited, especially concerning Arthur and Merlin. The point is that season 5 and the finale closed the circle with season 1 and provided the “satisfying” conclusion the cast kept saying we would have. Merlin as a whole is much greater than the sum of its parts. It is an outstanding series.