Hypable is celebrating the last month of Merlin with a series of articles about the show! This one has been submitted by a reader of the site.

Hypable’s Month of Merlin is well underway – a few days ago we published our 5 biggest plot points that need to be resolved, and there’s a lot more coming! As part of the celebration, we encourage readers to submit their own Merlin articles – which can be anything from a gallery of your favourite memes to an essay on why Gwaine is the true hero of the series. This article has been submitted by Hypable reader Nikita Kannekanti:

With only a month left of brand new Merlin episodes to look forward to, I applaud the Hypable staff for taking the time to celebrate this series. Of course, I had to take part in this special Month of Merlin, so I thought I would share with you all my top reasons why I will miss this show!

The bromance

Of all of the awesome elements of the show that keep me coming back week after week, this definitely tops the list. On paper, there is no reason that Merlin and Arthur should be such good friends, but over the years, working together every day has only allowed their relationship to grow strong. The banter, the friendship, the loyalty to each other – this relationship is absolutely perfect. I could go on and on about the two of them, but I will just say this: who wouldn’t want a best friend like that?

The characters

Throughout the entire series, I have grown to love all the main characters (even Uther!) and have become so invested in their lives. We have watched these characters mature and have seen them face seemingly impossible circumstances. Whether we are watching Morgana’s slow descent into darkness, or watching Merlin learn from his mistakes while trying to save Arthur’s life, we are treated to incredible, nail-biting episodes that are all leading to the characters we love becoming the legendary figures we admire.

The legend – with a twist

Even though there are variations of the Arthurian legend in all sorts of media, there is something so amazing about watching a young Merlin and a young Arthur fighting for Camelot on Merlin. Add to that a servant Guinevere, a before-she-turned-evil Morgana, and a magic-fearing Uther Pendragon, and we have a very different yet intriguing version of the legend. Julian Murphy and Johnny Capps deserve all the praise for coming up with this incredibly creative twist on a familiar legend. By allowing the characters to be much younger than the legends, we are allowed to witness their journeys as they navigate their dangerous lives and become the characters they were meant to be.

The ideals of the Arthurian world

Honor, nobility, and courage are some of the key ideals that are so integral to the world of Camelot. In Merlin, we get to see these principles come to play in everyday life in situations that we can only dream of. Whether we are inspired as Arthur rallies his men for one last fight against the dragon to save his people, or if we feel particularly emotional when Gaius returns to Camelot to help his surrogate son – these moments of bravery and love are the ones that stick with us. Watching these characters on screen has reminded us what it’s like to think of someone other than ourselves, and hopefully, some of that idealism will find its way into our everyday lives.

A fantasy world to escape into

I am a huge fan of the fantasy genre, and Merlin has provided me with my weekly fix of dragons, warlocks, and sword fights. Every unique, magic-filled episode is such an amazing world to escape to week after week, allowing me to forget about my world and enjoy the world my favorite characters live in. There isn’t a show quite like this on television right now, and I will miss it tremendously.

This cannot be said enough, but it has to be said again. Thank you, Merlin, for everything.

Please feel free to follow me on Twitter @nkann01 or read my blog A Muggle With a TV. Thank you for reading!