The epic fifth series of fantasy drama Merlin concludes on BBC One on Christmas eve and, as the great battle rages on Camlann's mighty plain, Merlin faces his moment of destiny. Can he find the strength to save the man he made a King; the Camelot they fought to build; and the brotherhood they shared?
'The Diamond of the Day (Part Two)' airs at 8.15pm on Monday 24 December on BBC One. To whet your appetite, here are ten teasing lines of dialogue from the episode...
» ‘Bandages, I need bandages!’
» ‘We’ve searched every valley, every gorge, every gulley.’ » ‘How can one man be as strong as an army?’ » ‘It’s just another part of my charm.’ » ‘Who else is still unaccounted for?’ » ‘You may have won the battle but you’ve lost the war.’ » ‘I know it. I can feel it.’ » ‘I’ll have your favourite meal waiting for you.’ » ‘Please, you have to help us!’
» ‘I’m the King, Merlin, you can’t tell me what to do.’
The epic fifth series of fantasy drama Merlin concludes on BBC One on Christmas eve and, as the great battle rages on Camlann's mighty plain, Merlin faces his moment of destiny. Can he find the strength to save the man he made a King; the Camelot they fought to build; and the brotherhood they shared?
'The Diamond of the Day (Part Two)' airs at 8.15pm on Monday 24 December on BBC One. To whet your appetite, here are ten hints for the episode...
» Watch for the skies!
» Who will become Gaius’ new assistant? » ‘I have one last favour to ask.’ » An unlikely character will wield a sword. » One last message will be despatched by Raven Post. » The shape of a dragon will herald a change. » A life will be taken wordlessly. » More than one old friend will lend a hand at the last. » Who will make a vow by a rockery?
Here are Cult Fix’s first set of hints and teasers for the final ever episode of Merlin.
Bring lots of tissues. It’s an emotional rollercoaster!
The battle of Camlann is over swiftly and there are major casualties on both sides “You gave me no choice!” Emrys uses his most powerful magic yet, and it’s very cool “You are not * ********, I ***** ****” Hard justice is delivered to traitors “Did you really think you could outwit me?” Morgana uses the Nathair again with deadly consequences An old friend of Merlin returns, but is only partially seen
The biggest tragedy about Merlin coming to an end? No more ten teasers! Hope you've enjoyed our ten cryptic hints each week that the BBC's hit fantasy drama has been on the air - but this is the last ever batch!
We know, it's emotional - but dry those tears just long enough to read our clues about what to expect from 'The Diamond of the Day (Part 2)'. The Merlin team have delivered a series finale that's both intimate and epic; the show climaxes on an emotional high, that we can promise!
The final episode of Merlin airs on Christmas Eve at 8.15pm on BBC One.
1. "How can one man be as strong as an army?"
2. There's plenty of epic action - dragons, swordplay and the like - but the chief focus of this finale is Merlin and Arthur's friendship. 3. "There are those that say he's the greatest sorcerer ever to walk the Earth." 4. There's a brief but touching reference to Arthur and Merlin's first meeting. 5. "You have won the battle, but you've lost the war." 6. Merlin (Colin Morgan) can't break old habits. 7. "We will have our revenge." 8. Get those hankies at the ready - you'll cry tears of sadness and tears of joy before this episode wraps. 9. "I have one last favour to ask..."
10. The final scene - we certainly weren't expecting that!
We’ve reached the finale of Merlin and its an emotional affair. What will be the fate of Merlin and his friends and enemies?
Read below for our twelve teasers for “The Diamond of the Day Part 2,” which airs Christmas Eve at 8.15pm on BBC One.
» “There’s something I want to say…”
» “The battle’s not over Mordred, we will have our revenge.” » “Why don’t you use magic?” » “Arthur, he is your friend!” » “Do I know him? Please Gaius answer me honestly.” » “That’s not why I do it!” » “What a joy it is to see you Arthur.” » “I blame myself for what you’ve become.” » “No man, no matter how great can know his destiny!” » “I do this because of who you are.” » “Yes, I’m sure he will. I’m pleased”
“Let’s just say he deserves our gratitude” Gaius to Gwen (as seen in the Sneak Peek) “Three more patrols have returned from the white mountains my lady, there is no sign of him” ? to Gwen “He wanted me to give you this my lady” ? to Gwen “The sorcerer in the battle, you knew who he was” ? to Gaius “I was born to serve you Arthur. I’m proud of that and I wouldn't change a thing” ? to Arthur “Did you really think you could outwit me” Morgana to ? and ? “So you’re not an idiot, that was another lie” ? to Merlin “I don’t want you to change, I want you to always be you” Arthur to ?
“This is no mortal blade. Like yours, it was forged in a dragon’s breath” ? to Morgana
The final battle between Morgana’s troops and the forces of Camelot is underway- will Merlin be in time to prevent Mordred from killing Arthur?
As with the preview of episode 12, I’m not going to deal at length with the various spoilers and speculation that have appeared on the net - as you’ll have seen by now, some elements predicted for episode 12 didn’t turn out as suggested, and it’s fair to say that the same applies for the finale.
Merlin goes out with a flourish. The producers are to be commended for giving us a final episode that deals with some of the questions raised by the series so far - What is Merlin’s destiny? Will Arthur learn of Merlin’s magic (and we know from the throw forward that someone does)? Will other people guess or be told? Why has Merlin stayed as a servant all these years, and not used his powers more openly?
A good proportion of the episode focuses on Merlin and Arthur, with scenes featuring just Colin Morgan and Bradley James, both of whom are put through the wringer. The affection and bond between the two characters is put to the test, and you will have a lump in your throat as the episode progresses.
However there is darkness, and it wouldn’t be fair to suggest otherwise. Not everyone will survive. I’m reminded in some ways of another series that came to a close 21 years ago this week, although of course the events in Merlin are following the precedents set by previous chroniclers of the myth. But there is humour, there is banter, there is high emotion - and at the end there is some hope.
Verdict: It won’t please everyone - no series finale ever does - and there are some interesting ways suggested that deal with some of the criticisms levelled at this version of the story which will certainly divide opinion, but this provides a firm conclusion to the BBC’s Merlin. 7/10
All things must end, and after five years Merlin’s final episode is nearly upon us. The sense of anticipation is near tangible and our ever-hopeful seeker of spoilers is bursting with excitement. Although he’s spent the past 12 weeks managing to extract little more than gibberish from the Great Dragon, he ventures once more into the cave of secrets in the hope of gleaning some information about “The Diamond Of The Day, Part 2.” Yeah, right…
“Great Dragon. Oh, Great Dragon.”
“I am here, young seeker.”
“Aw, you look so sad. Is it because this shall be the last time we ever meet?”
“No. Certainly not. Despite what you may believe, we are not having some Merlin and Arthur-style bromance.”
“Then why the long face?”
“Is that supposed to be funny?”
“Erm…?”
“Barman? Horse? Why the long face?”
“…”
“Oh never mind. I am sad, dear boy, because it is the last episode of Merlin.”
“Ah, it’s a weepie, then.”
“I never said that. But it’s always sad when a great show ends. Especially one I’m in.”
“So, is it any good?”
“Well, it’s certainly full of surprises. And not predictable. And has an ending that is the stuff of legends. People will remember this episode for a long time indeed.”
“Blimey, I thought it was going to be 40 minutes of battling, then Merlin having to reveal himself as a sorcerer to save Arthur, then all back to Camelot for a piss up.”
“It most definitely is not that. There’s a lot, lot more to it than that.”
“Details! I need details!”
“You’re asking me?”
“Well, okay, vague hints then.”
“I suppose it’s okay to confirm there is a battle… after all, it began before the cliffhanger in the previous episode. Viewers might be a pit peeved if this episode opened with the battle all done and dusted. And what a battle it is! It’s not just more of the same. It’s bigger, broader, more brutal. There are only 31 words of English dialogue in the first six minutes. And I could probably tell you all of them, because they don’t mean much out of context. But I won’t.”
“Just one!”
Know.”
“Pleeeaaassseee!”
“Is that ‘know’, or ‘no’?”
“Come to think of it, yes.”
“Eh.”
“There you are, you got a free extra word. ‘No’ and ‘know’.”
“I’m, er, no grateful.”
“Anyway, Gwen puts some different talents to good use, for a change. She actually has a major role in the episode, and her destiny may be the most surprising of all. And you know I’ve been teasing you these past weeks about ‘Gwen’ guessing the truth, and you’ve assumed I’ve meant she’s guessed Merlin has magic, but what I really mean is that she’s guessed he hasn’t done the laundry or something…”
“Hurumph… yes!”
“Well, Gwen guesses the truth.”
“What, really this time?”
“Like I’m going to tell you that. Oh, I do love a running gag.”
“Come on! More! This is so exciting!”
“Gwaine gets to be truly heroic. Percival puts his strength to good use. There’s a quest - of sorts. Something unusually brutal and unexpected happens in the first ten minutes. In fact, there’s a lot of grim stuff going on, including another hanging. Remember when this was thought of as a kids’ show? Well, not sure what the parents think of a kids show where the heroes order a hanging every other episode, but it’s good drama!”
“Blimey sounds fraught.”
“I will tell you it’s a weepy. There will be many a throat/lump conjunction around the country. What I won’t tell you is whether it’s tears of joy or tears of sadness. Maybe it’s both. But emotions run high.”
“But there must be final confrontations. Morgana and Mordred must meet sticky ends?”
“You have thought so wouldn’t you?”
“I hate you sometimes.”
“I do my best. I will tell you this, though. Some people may not be totally satisfied with some conclusions. That’s the collateral damage of doing something unexpected.”
“Is there lots of magic?”
“More than usual.”
“And bromance?”
“More than usual.”
“And some deaths?”
“Loads. Loads and loads and loads. Lots of extras in the battle.”
“No! I meant the main characters.”
“I know you did. And you know I will not answer that.”
“So. This is it, then?”
“This, as you say, is it. My work here is done. I’m off to do some motion capture for the second Hobbit film now.”
“I’m sad.”
“Don’t be. It’s only a TV show.”
“No, I’m sad because I was hoping you’d stick around to do Doctor Who spoilers next year.”
“Ah, now don’t you think that might be stretching a running joke a little too far. Excuse my while I fly off into the sunset. No stock footage this time. A new money shot of my scaly arse vanishing into the distance. Bye bye, young spoiler seeker. Bye bye.”
Merlin, “The Diamond Of The Day, Part 2” airs on BBC One on Christmas Eve at 8.15pm