I think the reason the end of Merlin broke me is because Merlin worked his ass off, probably sacrificed his morals, and did everything in his power to save Arthur and he still fucking failed. A year and a half later and I'm still angry as hell about this. THIS! I feel betrayed because we never got to see Camelot's Golden Age or A/M uniting Albion, something we'd heard the Dragon rattle on about since episode 1!
It was THEIR DESTINY ffs and in the end none of it ever happened! :((( And it broke me, it broke my heart and I can't forgive TPTB for taking the show away from me like this. I haven't been able to watch a Merlin episode since Christmas 2012, I've only read a handful of fics and just looking at stupid gif sets on Tumblr upsets me.
<3 <3 Yeah, me too. I've been so happy that I could at least do some podficcing in Merlin fandom. I have managed to write two stories (or three?) in the last year and a half, but it's so little compared to what I was doing before it ended.
I even thought they would figure out some way to save him before the end, but noooo.
So, yeah, I feel you. 100% I am glad I was only in love with the show for two years, not five. I'm sure it would have been that much harder for me.
Also, I cannot say this enough: Merlin failed and was left all alone! That, to me, was the worst part. HE WAS ALL ALONE AFTER FAILING. Ugh. *cries all the ugly tears*
Nearly half a decade is a long time and I'll forever be grateful for the fun we had and all the wonderful people I met (virtually and personally). But yeah, the way the show ended was absolutely devastating for me personally and I haven't been able to recover from that yet. And I miss it, I miss rewatching old episodes and I MISSMISSMISSSSSS reading fan fic. :(
I met so many amazing people (and am still friends with a lot of them) and got deeply creative and inspired and motivated because of this show.
I too miss being able to rewatch without my heart being ripped out every time I try to watch. I fiercely resent what the J's did. They changed so many things. Why did they stay true to Arthur's death? Ugh. Sorry to be crying on your shoulder. I'll stop now. I just had the wound reopened the other day and felt the need to cry.
I think the reason the end of Merlin broke me is because Merlin worked his ass off, probably sacrificed his morals, and did everything in his power to save Arthur and he still fucking failed. A year and a half later and I'm still angry as hell about this.
This. I'm still angry as hell about it and it's turned into grief because of it. Every time I think about Merlin, there's a hole in my heart that just won't heal. I've talked to others that believe that the scene after the last one in 05.13, Arthur shows up but I can't believe it. It's not there. Instead everything that they promised up until the very end pointed to a golden age with Arthur and Merlin together and they f***ing lied about it. I hate the Js for it.
Exactly. NO CLOSURE. Just broken hearts. I identified so strongly with Merlin and to have it end that way was devastating for me. I know we have talked about this before. I am not surprised that we are on the same page here.
But wasn't Merlin's goal to make Arthur the king he became and so fulfill his destiny? That was his end goal - to build Albion and to make the world better. He worked towards this. Without Merlin Arthur never had succeeded. Although Arthur died in the end he had done the one thing he was "made" for. And so has Merlin. So IMO Merlin has actually gotten the reward for his hard work. That Arthur died in the end was tragic - especially on the personal level. But it was independant from actual thing he worked for.
But we never saw Arthur build Albion to a Golden Age. We never saw him unite the lands. It would have been less tragic if Arthur had actually done something. I don't think we saw that. :(
Hopping onto this comment to say I completely agree; we never really see the two of them make Albion. Yeah, when Arthur is dying, he says Merlin has helped to bring peace, but we really never see examples of that. Who knows, after Arthur's death, maybe magic will be persecuted even more. Or another war will begin because other countries think the Camelot throne is up for grabs because it's currently held by a "peasant" Queen. (I think Gwen is an awesome Queen, but I have a feeling there would be a lot of members of royalty questioning her right to leadership)
I think, even if they did have Arthur die when they did but showed the land flourishing because of what he and Merlin achieved, that would be one thing. But right now, with the series ending so soon after her died, it feels like he died for nothing.
The whole ending was just unbearably sad and empty, and the worst thing - for me? I can't see the OTP anymore, because they never achieved anything, I don't know what Arthur stood for, what Merlin was trying to achieve never happened, the biggest thing in friendship - recognition and not having to hide anymore didn't happen (and I can't count the final episode because Arthur was dying, it changes things too much - too little to late or something, I dunno) I know for the J's Camelot failed, but by god they achieved something first!
It all tastes horribly of ashes, doesn't it? I still have the OTP. Have since 1.04, but that is not as important as Merlin failing. That ruined everything for me :( :(
It certainly does - even after all this time its a raw wound, and I still can't figure out what sort of story they were trying to tell - was it all just about failure? No thanks
Now I feel even sicker. Was this their end-game from the beginning? That is NOT what I signed on for. I think that's part of the feeling of betrayal here.
I agree about the end of Merlin. I personally had thought the Golden Age would begin when Arthur learned of Merlin's magic and the series would turn a new, better page. Unfortunately the producers had a different idea. I felt like all the talk about bringing magic to Camelot was just that, talk. Maybe yes, Arthur eased up on the previous strict rules for magic yet still the magic ban was in place and a big part of Merlin's identity was still unknown to Arthur. Only when he was dying did he learn the truth but by then he couldn't do anything about the magic issue. We only have to hope Gwen lifted the magic ban.
Poor Merlin really... while he helped out Arthur, magic wasn't welcomed back into the land despite all the dragon's talk.
After investing time and love into watching this series, it would have been nice for the show to end on a happy, more hopeful note. I know Arthurian legend is a tragedy in the end, but it was so sad to see title character looking so miserable in the final scene. :(
I would have loved to have seen a whole season of Albion flourishing with Merlin and Arthur working together after Arthur found out about Merlin's magic.
I think there are so many ways they could have spun it where it didn't feel like a dagger to the gut and Arthur could have still died. Unfortunately, that was not the path they chose. *insert all the sobbing here*
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THIS! I feel betrayed because we never got to see Camelot's Golden Age or A/M uniting Albion, something we'd heard the Dragon rattle on about since episode 1!
It was THEIR DESTINY ffs and in the end none of it ever happened! :((( And it broke me, it broke my heart and I can't forgive TPTB for taking the show away from me like this. I haven't been able to watch a Merlin episode since Christmas 2012, I've only read a handful of fics and just looking at stupid gif sets on Tumblr upsets me.
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I even thought they would figure out some way to save him before the end, but noooo.
So, yeah, I feel you. 100% I am glad I was only in love with the show for two years, not five. I'm sure it would have been that much harder for me.
Also, I cannot say this enough: Merlin failed and was left all alone! That, to me, was the worst part. HE WAS ALL ALONE AFTER FAILING. Ugh. *cries all the ugly tears*
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I too miss being able to rewatch without my heart being ripped out every time I try to watch. I fiercely resent what the J's did. They changed so many things. Why did they stay true to Arthur's death? Ugh. Sorry to be crying on your shoulder. I'll stop now. I just had the wound reopened the other day and felt the need to cry.
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This. I'm still angry as hell about it and it's turned into grief because of it. Every time I think about Merlin, there's a hole in my heart that just won't heal. I've talked to others that believe that the scene after the last one in 05.13, Arthur shows up but I can't believe it. It's not there. Instead everything that they promised up until the very end pointed to a golden age with Arthur and Merlin together and they f***ing lied about it. I hate the Js for it.
And we'll never get closure. Ever.
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I think, even if they did have Arthur die when they did but showed the land flourishing because of what he and Merlin achieved, that would be one thing. But right now, with the series ending so soon after her died, it feels like he died for nothing.
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The whole ending was just unbearably sad and empty, and the worst thing - for me? I can't see the OTP anymore, because they never achieved anything, I don't know what Arthur stood for, what Merlin was trying to achieve never happened, the biggest thing in friendship - recognition and not having to hide anymore didn't happen (and I can't count the final episode because Arthur was dying, it changes things too much - too little to late or something, I dunno) I know for the J's Camelot failed, but by god they achieved something first!
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Poor Merlin really... while he helped out Arthur, magic wasn't welcomed back into the land despite all the dragon's talk.
After investing time and love into watching this series, it would have been nice for the show to end on a happy, more hopeful note. I know Arthurian legend is a tragedy in the end, but it was so sad to see title character looking so miserable in the final scene. :(
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I think there are so many ways they could have spun it where it didn't feel like a dagger to the gut and Arthur could have still died. Unfortunately, that was not the path they chose. *insert all the sobbing here*
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