This is hard to believe at first, since Arthur has inherited a prejudice against magic-wielders from his father.īut here’s the important bit: Merlin must play a crucial role in making this prophecy come true. Merlin learns that there is a prophecy: Arthur will become king and put an end to the reign of terror against magic. At first, the two of them clash, but they soon form an unlikely, deep friendship. Unfortunately, he has to keep his amazing abilities hidden, because magic has been criminalized by King Uther - a complicated man who has a personal vendetta against magic.īy an unexpected, comical turn of events, Merlin ends up becoming personal servant to the crown prince, Arthur. Merlin is a boy wizard living in Medieval Camelot. In case it’s been a while since you’ve seen the show, (or if you’ve the kind of person who likes to watch the world burn, and are spoiling this for yourself on purpose), here’s the basic rundown. Colin Morgan as Merlin The story: A refresher I’m about to spoil the entire, five-series thing. I strongly recommend not reading this unless you’ve seen the entire series. Warning: This article contains massive spoilers for the BBC show, The Adventures of Merlin. I did some deep thinking to determine what, exactly, was wrong with the ending of Merlin, to make sure I never, ever did that in my own writing. It unsettled me to know that a storyteller could get so many things right, yet leave their audience feeling like they’d been punched in the gut. That is definitely not the reaction you want from a fan of your work.Īnd that made me pay attention.
It’s the unforgettable kind of story that burrows into your heart and aches.īut when I reached the ending, I felt so emotionally violated and betrayed, I actually looked up the creators of the show on IMDB to make sure I never watched anything else they made. There is quite a lot that the writers got right: character arcs, character empathy and vulnerability, adorable friendships, enjoyable fantasy adventure, and more than anything, emotional impact.
But here’s the thing: From a storytelling perspective, the series was truly amazing in so many other ways.
“Why write an article about a TV show that ended seven years ago?” you might ask. Here’s my personal diagnosis for why the ending of Merlin failed, and how writers can avoid The Merlin Problem in their own stories. It’s a wonderful TV show with a passionate fan base, but here’s the thing: It has a godawful ending.Īs a storyteller, I think this series offers a valuable lesson that any writer - especially one who wants to craft emotionally-stirring, character-driven tales - should pay close attention to.