5.12 was great. Maybe not awesome, I was a little annoyed at the whole "Merlin losing his magic" approach, as I feel there was so much other stuff to wrap up that it was an unnecessary hurdle at this point. Also, too much time Arthur and Merlin spent apart. However there was also a LOT of good in it. The farewell scene when Merlin was forced to tell Arthur he wouldn't accompany him (for the first time in... ever) was a little jewel of interpretation on Bradley and Colin's part, very emotionally charged and heartbreaking. The hurt in Arthur's eyes when he learned that his closest friend, the man who loyally remained at his side through thick and thin through the years was deserting him, with a flimsy excuse, on the eve of the most crucial battle Arthur and Camelot had ever known... Oh God. And Merlin's agony at having to leave Arthur's side was hidden better but still very blatant for the viewer. The worst though was when Arthur finally confessed to Merlin he'd always thought Merlin was the bravest man he's ever known... just before saying he must have been wrong... Punch in the gut.
Thankfully, it was compensated by the dream sequence in which Merlin sent a message to warn of Morgana's plans about the hidden path to outflank him. Love how it was done, love that Merlin's first words were of how he didn't want to leave Arthur's side, showing that he knew what would weight the most on Arthur's mind, and especially love that Arthur believed immediately and without question what a "dream" version of Merlin had told him and leapt out of bed to ready his men for battle. And you know, I was just about to write of how I was wondering if it meant that Arthur suspected Merlin might be magic already... but just stopping long enough to phrase it, I saw that he HAD to have suspected, or even known, or he'd never believe a dream so quickly. Bradley James did say some time ago that there had to be a period of "Arthur knowing about Merlin's magic without Merlin being aware that Arthur knew". This certainly looks like that. And if Arthur merely suspected before, the dream undoubtedly cemented it. If I am right, I really hope we get to know since when did Arthur start having suspicions.
(and can we talk of the romanticism of Arthur and Merlin being able to communicate via their minds, anyone? It deserves a squee or three.)
Kudos too to Balinor's "return" to guide Merlin in the cave, to Gwen's strong support and assurance at Arthur's side (she was beautifully queenly and that's how I love her best), the discussion about Merlin's absence between Gaius, Arthur and Gwen), and Arthur's magnificently kingly speech at his men before the battle. We saw hints last week too: now this is Arthur starting to truly become a king of legend. It was the first episode since the beginning of the season I wanted to start all over again as soon as it was finished; the only reason I didn't is that it was nearly 5 AM when I was done :-D.
I was reassured by Balinor's line to his son "Your journey has barely begun" because it seems to indicate Merlin would not get killed in the finale; they made a nod to the trapped-in-a-cave scenario that I believe is featured in some of the legends and then went on. It gives me hope that they'll do the same for Camlann and Arthur, whose death I've previously argued makes no sense. However I don't dare feel too optimistic for fear of jinxing the whole thing then spending the next week in a constant state of weeping. Also, there ARE images of Gwen sitting on the throne looking sad in the "next week" trailer that don't seem to bode so well...
It also seems that we will get the magic reveal finally, but in the preview we heard Merlin's words "I am a sorcerer. I have magic." over a black background. Is it because it's not Arthur he's telling them to, or did the writers simply wish to conceal the circumstances it happens in? People were also worried that Merlin might remain as Dragoon/old Emrys forever since it's the form he wore when he emerged from the crystal cave (and he'd just been told his "true self" would be revealed) and in the short trailer for 5.13 where he calls the thunder over Morgana's army as Gwen and Gaius discuss him, but I don't really think so. His voice when he said "I am a sorcerer" was young Merlin's, although pretty raspy (tired?) and the words wouldn't be necessary from Dragoon anyway since everybody knows Dragoon is a sorcerer. I wonder if Arthur also suspects Merlin is Dragoon, if he indeed knows about Melin's powers. Hmm.
Also, I received like only 3 new Google alerts since last night (I'm fairly sure I normally got more after any other episode), but there looks to be roughly 150 more Arthurian mythology fics on AO3 since yesterday afternoon, which is huge. I can't decide whether this is a good or bad sign. Would people be more excited in extrapolating about the future of a series that ended on an optimistic note, or about fixing something that ended in a complete downer? The lack of news articles I'll put down to Christmas hiatus.
One thing is sure, it's going to be epic. The two bits of intel about Diamond pt 2 I did get in spite of my avoidance policy were a short trailer where old Emrys stands in ths distance on the edge of a cliff, calling down lightning on Morgana's troops while Gaius and Gwen look on in awe, and two lines from Digital Spy's weekly hints that the main focus of the episode was the
Alright, just wanted to get these thoughts off my chest before watching the actual finale. I love coming back to it later and remembering how I used to view things before thing X happened. It's always fascinating :). See you on the other side!
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