First Impressions on Merlin
So far, I've only watched two episodes of Merlin:
And I freaking love it.
The premise is interesting and the characters are all great too. Merlin is just awesome; I love the way he kept standing up to Arthur in the first episode even after he found out Arthur was King Uther's son; I love his sense of humor, especially when he was laughing at having been put in the stocks in the first episode; and I love the way that even though he disliked Arthur, he wouldn't let him die.
Suprisingly, by the second episode, I really loved Arthur as well. In the first episode despite him getting some very genuinely funny moments, I thought he was such a jerk. However, the second episode really helped to make him sympathetic and likeable. I felt sorry for him tha this father is so overbearing and hard on him; their strained realtionship was really hard to watch in the second episode, particularly in the scene where Uther flat out told Arthur that Valiant was a much better Knight then him. Ouch. I also loved his interactions with Morganna and Merlin in that episode; his interactions with them ran from funny to sweet which made it fun to watch.
Speaking of Morganna, I really love her as well; in fact, I think she is becoming my favorite character on this show. I love how she's the only one who really stands up to Uther and that she rebels against him a little. Her nightmares/visions are intriguing and I love how the writers kept her magical ability since they changed other things from the myths to the TV show. Also, I really love her and Arthur whenever they have scenes together. They're bantering can be hilarious (especially at the end of the second episode) but I love the fact that they really do care about each other.
The only character I really don't have strong feelings about is Gwen. On one hand, I find it interesting that the writers changed her from a princess to Morgana's lady's maid, and some of her awkward moments with Merlin are adorable, as well as her friendship scences with Morganna. But on the other hand, she just seems kind of there to me; compared to Merlin, Arthur, and Morganna, she just doesn't stand out as much. However, maybe this changes as the show goes on. So I'll reserve any judgements on her character until I've seen more.
Overall, Merlin and its characters are just awesome.