This is it. The end of the line for Merlin fans. But let’s not be sad, but rather look back at all the things the show gave us. It’s time for the ultimate top 50.
Because it wouldn’t be Merlin like we know and love it if there wasn’t an episode revolving around saving a great frickin’ unicorn. Merlin has a lot of scary villains, too, but every once in a while we get something as pure and innocent as this, which reminds us of the beauty and innocence of this story.
49. Arthur doing romantic things for Gwen – with Merlin’s help
Mmm, chicken. But you know what, Arthur? As romantic as this gesture is, you best leave this stuff to Merlin. Oh wait, you did.
48. Inappropriate Arthur/Morgana flirting
You gotta love it when shocking developments in later seasons aren’t accounted for whenever a show first airs. In the case of Merlin, this meant a season of (in retrospect) very inappropriate Arthur/Morgana flirting worthy of Game of Thrones – and even more inappropriately, Uther was encouraging it!
47. “Clotpole” and other epic insults
One of the things we have always loved about Merlin are the snarky insults Merlin hurls at Arthur. Merlin is continually coming up with new, creative insults, but the one that will live down in infamy is when in a fit of exasperation Merlin calls his prince a “clotpole.” There’s also “dollop head,” “prat,” and many more!
46. Merlin and Arthur ‘getting caught in a net’
Lost fans, this one is for you. Those writers know what they’re doing. We love these little moments between Merlin and Arthur, and clearly, the people involved with making the show love them, too!
45. “You’re the Voice”
We’re fairly certain John Farnham never intended for his ’80s power ballad about having the courage to stand up and change the world to become THE anthem for Merlin fans everywhere but that is exactly what it has become. You can blame Colin and Bradley for that one, Mr. Farnham!
44. Merlin helping Arthur pull the sword from the stone
So what if this veers slightly from the legend? Not only was this one of Merlin‘s most epic moments of all time, but we’re also just suckers for a good bromance moment – and Merlin making Arthur believe he’s got it in him to be the great king we know he will be was just too precious for us not to include.
43. Slow-mo sword fighting
Merlin wouldn’t be Merlin without its sword fights… but what’s even better is the slow-motion sword fights! We will gladly take any chance we get to see the knights show off their mad skills. Especially in later seasons, the post-production has kind of gone mad with this one, but we love it.
42. Morgause’s creepy whispering
Remember Morgause? She was awesome, even if she did steal Morgana away from Gwen. And yes, we admit that her overly intense “sister” whispers got old really fast while series 3 was airing, but you’ve got to admit that looking back on it now, you kind of miss it, don’t you?
41. The gratuitous shirtlessness
We don’t really need a reason for this one, do we? The Merlin showrunners have never felt the need to explain themselves, why should we? The only question that remains now is… did we choose the right image to illustrate this point?!
40. The dragons
We always love dragons no matter what story they appear in, but the ones in Merlin hold a special place in our hearts. They’re fearsome creatures, but both Kilgharrah and Aithusa feel like real, relatable characters you can’t help but root for.
39. Arthur/tree
We’re not going to lie, we have a bit of trouble trying to decide what’s more adorable about this scene: Merlin whistling to get Arthur’s attention, or Arthur lovingly stroking a random tree in the forest. Either way, how can you NOT love Simpleton Arthur from the epic series 4 finale?
38. Ornate goblets: the true bane of Camelot
It seems like whenever there’s a fancy goblet involved, trouble isn’t too far behind. See “The Poisoned Chalice,” “The Labyrinth of Gedref” and “The Fires of Idrishola.” Clearly Merlin has been very inspired by The Holy Grail (although never technically using it, only the Cup of Life), but this might be a little overkill.
37. Excalibur
Almost as famous as Arthur himself is his sword, Excalibur. So what good Merlin fan wouldn’t love it every time we get to see this famous sword and the iconic images that go with it?
36. Girl power
There’s no denying the fact that Merlin is set in a man’s world. While the show is ahead of the medieval times in a lot of ways, there are certain things that women just don’t do in Camelot… except they totally do it anyway. Yes, Guinevere’s story has primarily been one of romance, but she’s still had a chance to prove her worth, both as a fighter and a capable ruler. And Morgana may be evil, but she’s damn badass, and we may even secretly a little bit have been rooting for a woman to take the throne of Camelot… don’t tell Arthur.
35. “DRRRAAAGOOOOONNNN!”
The first time Merlin took on the cloak of the Dragonlord and faced Kilgharrah we had no idea what to expect – certainly not the deep, guttural cry of “DRRRRAAAAAGGGGOOOONNNN!” that we got. But we love it – and may or may not occasionally shout it out randomly to scare our friends.
34. Merlin’s scarves (he accessorizes)
One of the biggest questions at the start of each episode of Merlin is: what colour scarf will our favorite warlock have on today? Blue or red? While he is most famous for the blue shirt/red scarf combo, he does change it up. He has even done the occasional blue on blue – gasp!
33. Sir Leon’s unexplained immortality
Fans of Merlin like to gripe about continuity in the plot, and Sir Leon’s mortality is no exception to that! Sure it’s annoying that Leon has died at least three times during the course of the series and yet there is no explanation, but really, what would the knights of Camelot be without him? We’ll let the gaping plot hole slide just this once!
32. Merlin’s magic – yep, still a secret
The fact that Merlin has managed to do magic (complete with strange words, hand gestures and glowing eyes) for years with none of his friends except Lancelot realising is quite extraordinary. Or maybe there’s something in the Camelot water…
31. Queen Guinevere’s wardrobe
Ever since Gwen became Queen, we have been seriously coveting her amazing gowns. That blue number she wore that one time? Hello, next Halloween costume!
30. Uther’s trust in Gaius
We never get the whole story about why Uther trusted Gaius so implicitly, and why the old physician was the one exception to his hatred of everything magical – but it’s almost better that way. Yet another epic bromance.
29. Gaius the Goblin
When Gaius was possesed by a goblin we don’t think anyone could have been prepared for the hilarity that ensued. From Gaius slapping a bald Uther to the flatulence of Morgana and Gwen to Arthur as a donkey… Gaius the goblin gave us an episode we will never forget.
28. The Great Dragon’s cryptic warnings
Merlin might not be so grateful that Kilgharrah speaks in riddles that usually offer little guidance, but as fans of the show, we know how fun it is to try and decipher exactly what the Great Dragon’s point was in the first place.
27. The amazing guest stars
Charles Dance. Warwick Davis. Liam Cunningham. Harry Melling. John Bradley. Asa Butterfield. Santiago Cabrera. John Lynch. Lindsay Duncan. James Callis. We could (literally) go on all day.
26. That one deleted scene
(The scene starts at 2:17.) Because some scenes are too slashy even for the slash dragon, apparently. In a series 4 deleted scene, Arthur gives Merlin a sigil which belonged to his mother, and it was a random but beautiful moment we wished had made the episode. Maybe it was just too much too soon for their friendship? We’ll have to see if there’s anything like this in the finale!
25. Gwen and Morgana’s friendship
What’s the female equivalent of bromance? These girls had it, and it broke our hearts when Morgana was suddenly all about Morgause. GwenGana forever! Even though Morgana kind of went back and tried to make Gwen all evil… but hey, she just wanted a friend.
24. Colin Morgan’s emotional scenes
It’s probably no surprise that if we had it our way, Colin Morgan would win ALL the awards but really, can you blame us for singing his praises? Though Mr. Morgan can certainly bring the comedy too, it’s his impeccable acting in emotionally charged scenes that leave us completely captivated.
23. The occasional ridiculousness
Sometimes there’s no two ways about it: Merlin is just plain silly. But we wouldn’t have it any other way.
22. Camelot
You gotta be a sucker for castles if you’re into medieval fantasy, right? And what could be better than Camelot (well, except maybe Hogwarts), the most iconic one of all? We love that it’s a real castle, too, even though it looks like something straight out of a fairytale.
21. The Ealdor road trip
What we loved most about the early years of Merlin was the growing friendship between the core four (and how much it hurt when it all fell apart). In series 1, the Merlin/Arthur/Morgana/Gwen relationship peaked when they all journeyed to Ealdor together and fought side by side… wouldn’t it have been nice if they could have all just stayed BFFs forever?
20. Oblivious Arthur
So many memes, so little time! Because Merlin is just simply always in the tavern, and no, Arthur, obviously he doesn’t have magic. Sometimes we worry that all those knocks to the head really has rattled his brain…
19. Dragoon the Great
In legends, Merlin is an old man while Arthur is a boy, and the show pays homage to this whenever Merlin transforms himself into the grumpy old Dragoon – Colin Morgan is absolutely hilarious in the role, and it’s the only chance Merlin gets to really speak his mind to the other characters.
18. The Merlin Game
Few TV shows actually have games that stay true to the story and characters, but Merlin does. From the quests, to the characters, to the dialogue, this game is jam-packed with Merlin goodness that will last long after the series finale, and we’re very thankful for that!
17. The Round Table
One of the most iconic images from Arthurian legends is the round table. Is there anyone who didn’t squeal in nerdy delight when it was first shown in “The Coming of Arthur – Part 2”? It would be an entire season before we would get to see the real, proper round table of Camelot, but it was well worth the wait to see Arthur, his Queen, and his knights hold council at their legendary table.
16. The blooper reels
We love seeing how much fun the actors in our favorite shows have while filming, and the chemistry of the Merlin cast is obvious from the blooper reels. We love Tony Head’s giggling, Bradley James’ crazy faces, and whenever somebody falls over!
15. Gwaine
The hair, the beard, the swagger… is there anything not to love (or swoon over) about this character? It is no wonder that when Gwaine entered the show swords blazing he instantly cemented himself as a favorite in the hearts of the fans.
14. One word: Dolma
Just when you think Colin Morgan can’t get any better, he goes and pulls off a hilariously spectacular performance as Dolma. We’re pretty sure Colin’s portrayal of the old, rather sassy sorceress will go down in Merlin history as a fan favorite, and in our opinion, it was even more awkwardly hilarious than the Dragoon scenes.
13. Alexander Vlahos as Mordred
Asa Butterfield’s Mordred was the perfect blend of cute and creepy. But Alexander Vlahos has blown us away with his performance in series 5 of Merlin, and we wish he’d been included earlier so we could have seen much more of him. Here’s to that Mordred: The Lost Years spin-off, eh?!
12. Morgana’s evil smirk
We love evil Morgana and her crazy hair, but when she turned evil, it was a sad day for us all – until we realized that it meant a season of Katie McGrath smirking evilly at the camera every time a scene ended. “Hey guys,” she seemed to say with her narrowed eyes, “in case you missed the memo, I’M EVIL NOW, KK?” Good times.
11. How Arthur loves too much
Poor Arthur – he has such complete trust in his wife, his knights, his family and his friends, and he is always willing to lay down his life to save them – even though he keeps being betrayed and belittled. First by Uther and Morgana, then by Gwen (unintentionally) and Mordred. After all that, will he be able to forgive Merlin for hiding his magic?
10. Merlin’s loyalty to Arthur
What makes this show work, through all its ups and downs, is Merlin’s unwavering loyalty to Arthur, and his belief in their shared destiny. Even when Arthur’s an ass, Merlin would never let any harm come to him – and Arthur doesn’t even realise how much Merlin has done for him. It’s heartbreaking.
9. Gaius’ perpetually raised eyebrow
It simply wouldn’t be an episode of Merlin without a raised eyebrow from Gaius. Whether he is showing disapproval, anger, fear… or pretty much any emotion, the height of the eyebrow lets us know just how strongly he feels about the subject at hand.
8. Loyalty, honour and friendship
Above all else Merlin is about friendship, and honour, and loyalty to those you love. Whether they’re fighting trolls, dragons, griffins or Morgana, it always comes back to those core values. See, we don’t just watch for fun – we actually learn important life lessons!
7. The chemistry of the cast
Merlin simply wouldn’t have worked without the natural chemistry between Arthur and Merlin. Luckily the show found Bradley James and Colin Morgan for the roles – and with Katie McGrath, Angel Coulby, Richard Wilson, Anthony Stewart Head and the knights making up the ensemble, the actors not only play their own parts beautifully but also bring out even better performances from each other.
6. Guinevere’s journey from servant to Queen
In series 1 it seemed impossible that Gwen the servant girl would ever catch Arthur’s eye and become Queen of Camelot, yet here we are – with an even more beautiful love story than in the original legends. The Arthur/Guinevere story was told so beautifully, and we don’t mind that they changed the legends so Gwen didn’t really betray Arthur; our hearts wouldn’t have been able to handle it.
5. The Knights of Camelot
Sure, Arthur’s BFF might be Merlin, but don’t forget about his bond with his Knights! Leon, Percival, Gwaine, Elyan and Lancelot are more than just background colour, they’re an amazing addition to the Merlin ensemble, and we love every minute they’re on screen.
4. The fandom
One of the main reasons why Merlin is so successful is because of how deeply it resonated with fans of all ages. And some of those fans go online and make beautiful magic together: fanfics, fanvids, memes and much more makes the show so much better!
3. Reinventing the legends
We all thought we knew the story of King Arthur, Sir Lancelot, Queen Guinevere and Merlin the wizard. Then came BBC’s Merlin and everything we thought we knew was thrown out the window. All the same characters and storylines are still there, but nothing is how we thought it’d be, and that’s what makes Merlin truly unique and original.
2. “It will be an empty world without you, young warlock”
Preach, Kilgharrah! The way in which Merlin acknowledges the importance of its characters, and makes references to the fact that what we’re seeing truly is legend in the making, gives us chills. We are truly sad to see the show reach it’s end tonight. We hope that the series finale gives the show the justice it deserves and that by the end of it we’re happy with what the showrunners have come up with. We’ll miss you Merlin, and the world of television will never be the same!
1. Merlin and Arthur’s epic bromance
Whether you’re Team Romance or Team Bromance, no one can deny that above all, this show is about the relationship (or as Alex Vlahos calls it, the “platonic love story”) between Merlin and Arthur. For better or worse, the two boys are destined to save the world together – and to form a bond that will, quite literally, be the stuff of legend.
Do you agree with our top 50? What are your very favourite things about Merlin – and what will you miss the most?
Yes, that veil pun is just gonna hang there staring you all in the face until you check out this incredible cover. I can’t wait to have A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire in my hands!
