#merlin rewatch 2024

Merlin rewatch – S4E 12: The Sword in the Stone 1 Arthur The corridor fighting action! Arthur is very cool flyling over the table and taking charge of the situation~ People take his order so swiftly. Need a full record of Arthur teaching Merlin crossbow (or maybe it’s Leon). And them practicing throwing arrows to each other. Always nice to see Arthur manhandling Merlin to try to protect him. Arthur’s face when Tristan started interrogating them lol Very in simpleton character <3 He’s cradling his sword! Awwww Arthur could do well playing the simpleton when he put heart in it. Bradley James the man you are 👏 [S4E12] [other episodes]

Merlin rewatch – S3 Deleted Scenes Ep7. The Castle of Fyrien They had a cool boss fight cut!!!?? I guess Arthur already had his fair share of heroic fight scene in this ep but I’d love to see Arthur and Cenred fight properly. Just this few seconds look super exciting. Who knows Cenred can fight, right? [S3 Deleted] [other episodes]

Merlin rewatch – S3 Deleted Scenes Ep1. The Tears of Uther Pendragon 1 “It isn’t working.” Love how Bradley played it!!! He sounded like he was about to sob 😭 even though his face was also incredulous and angry. He’s just a kicked puppy. Context: (not sure why Arthur needed to be topless in this conversation but alright) The scene was probably written for laugh and I appreciate both of them played it straight. The topic was pretty heavy, and you can hear the weight in Arthur’s voice, see it in his stilled movement. Merlin wasn’t joking around either. He was seriously trying to comfort Arthur, just… chose the wrong words. And he looked super guilty about that. Arthur did chase Merlin out and threw a helmet at him at the end, but it was much more tolerable than many other instances. For one Merlin was really insensitive in his word choices, for another Arthur at least warned him properly before he actually did it. [S3 Deleted] [other episodes]

Merlin rewatch – S4E1: The Darkest Hour1 “You’re not scared?” “Oh, I am, Merlin. Maybe more than you .” Amazing scene! Gorgeous from start to end. This post is going to be long. Context, Merlin’s magic was useless to the Dorocha. He dropped a candle and he was too terrified to retrieve it from the dark corner. “Just, pick it up.” Love how gentle Arthur’s voice was. His expression showed clearly that he wasn’t impatient or anything. He looked puzzled. I think he didn’t expect Merlin to be so visibly shaken. He thought Merlin was the bravest man he knew because Merlin always seemed unfazed in crisis (no more than Arthur, at least). The lovely thing is that while he didn’t expect Merlin to be as scared as he was, he didn’t look down on Merlin just because of it. He told Merlin to just pick the candle up, not to mock him, but to make the situation more casual and less scary. “Do you want me to get one of the maids to do it for you?” Same here. Arthur saw how tense Merlin was and tried to lighten the mood by some light teasing. You can see Arthur didn’t really mean it from his deliberately performative movement and quiet voice, like he was pushing himself to be funny. “It’s not a joke.” “Yeah .” When teasing doesn’t work, Arthur was quick to concede and flip back to serious mode! It’s so beautiful. He didn’t look shock or offended, or even guilty, just quietly resigned, showing his understanding. Then he goes to pick the candle for Merlin!! Truly a knight in shiny armour~~~ “You see, Merlin, I could never be like you. I could never let myself look so spineless.” They returned to banter, and I love the self-awareness in this sentence, a hint of Arthur’s burden. He can never look afraid because he has to give the people confidence. In contrast, Merlin can (and most of the time, need to) show his fear because people don’t look to him for courage (well, maybe Arthur does), and looking harmless is how he survives. Lovely smile🥹Love these moments when their faces melted into a soft, genuine smile at the end of some jibing match. I love how clear it was in the two actors performance that they were very much still afraid (and tired), and were only pretending to be casual. You can feel the effort they put it to keep their voice light and cheery. A sudden noise had them both tensed up again. Arthur’s face here!! At first glance he seemed relax and uncaring, still, only the tiny furrow of his eyebrow betrayed his calm exterior. So subtle yet so strong. “You’re not scared?” “Oh, I am, Merlin .” Then! Arthur admits that he’s scared!!! Out loud! The vulnerability on his face here was wonderful. I love how easily he said it. He couldn’t show his vulnerability to his people, but Merlin was different. There was also a sort of comfort or validation in his admitting fear, like he was telling Merlin it’s okay to be scared. “Maybe more than you.” Bradley was doing some amazing thing here. There’s this tiny shift on his face after he fully turned and before he talked, that made him look incredibly soft and… indulgent? There was sadness too. Just, so many emotions there in his eyes and they were all directed to Merlin. So beautiful. The smiles ahhhhh 🫠🫠🫠 What I imagine, Merlin was prompted to smile by the realisation that Arthur wasn’t as calm/unfearful/oblivious as he appeared to. Arthur was smiling as a reassurance “yes, I’m the same, you’re alright”, and maybe also because Merlin finally smiled. Colin’s face at the end is wonderfully complicated. It’s returning to reality from a moment of break. But also, I wonder if a part of him was absorbing the realization that this was what Arthur always felt. This hopeless. It was probably the first time Merlin experienced what Arthur always had to deal with. And still, Arthur appeared calm and confident each time, giving his people hope. Merlin had known how strong Arthur was to be able to do that, but here he actually experienced it. It’s very, very lovely. [S4E1] [other episodes]

Merlin rewatch – S4E7: The Secret Sharer Painful, painful scene… Colin was beautiful in this scene. This is the few instances where I look at him more while Bradley is present, and while I can’t in my heart blame Arthur too much I’m more on Merlin’s side than his. “He’s been consorting with sorcerers.” “And that makes him a traitor? ” Here is Merlin experiencing a mock magic reveal and the result doesn’t bode well… Arthur may not pursuit him to death but he sure wouldn’t believe him. Colin Morgan’s single tear was insane. Ugh. Way to rip our heart apart. Arthur was trying to be rational and helped Merlin accept the reality but he didn’t get that Merlin didn’t need that now (and his view of the reality was wrong). I appreciate that when Arthur said “Then explain his actions.” he was sincere. It wasn’t a challenge or defence. He was still sympathetic to Merlin at this point and he tried to look at things by the facts. “He would not leave without saying goodbye to me.” Ahhhh 💔The most heartbreaking line in this episode. There’s that single tear again and Colin’s voice! I often complained that Merlin seldom provided concrete evidence for Arthur to believe him but here I forgive him. You can’t ask much when he’s in this state of mind. And Gaius’ stance on magic may not be solid but his love for Merlin certainly was. Think back on the Witchfinder. (No one remembered…) Arthur did look sympathetic for a bit, after that heartbreaking line. Was probably even thinking about other ways to comfort him. If he could just be a little less protective of Agravaine… It’s fine that he didn’t believe Merlin’s words here but he knew Merlin was hurt! Just let it slide! And then he started to get defensive and angry because it’s the only way he knew to process negative emotion. I think a part of it was guilt, or fear. While he wasn’t active in the investigation he sanctioned Agravaine’s actions and decided Agravaine was more trustworthy. He didn’t want to consider the fact that he may be wrong. —– Merlin forgave Arthur too fast but it’s not news. (considering how much information he kept from Arthur under Gaius’ instruction, I don’t mind it that much.) I like that Merlin initiated their usual banter as a way to show forgiveness. I like that while Arthur piled chores up for him it’s said so gently, showing that he doesn’t really mean it. This nod of acknowledgement is beautiful! (These two kept doing this so the writers could get away with stuff…) [S4E7] [other episodes]

Merlin rewatch – S3 Deleted Scenes Ep13. The Coming of Arthur 2 Arthur explicitly invited Merlin to the seat on his right!!! Love the silent communication. This 3-second long scene should have been in the episode seriously. I suspect that an editor slipped and cut it out by accident, because it’s not in the deleted scenes and instead it was in the Making of Merlin video as a background when the actors were talking about the show. Like come on. Why wouldn’t you put it in if you’ve taken the effort to shoot it and it’s so short? [S3 Deleted] [other episodes]

Merlin rewatch – S3E12: The Coming of Arthur 1 Nice protective Merlin & Arthur 🥰 Worrying Arthur -> Merlin. Arthur’s subtle panic face when Merlin was chosen to fight! Worrying Merlin -> Arthur. “Arthur, come on!” The tremble in his voice😭 Worrying Merlin -> Arthur 2. “You can’t go on” The way Merlin said it was so tender and earnest it made my heart melt. The whispery voice made it sound somewhat intimate. Love how he crouched down a little to look up to Arthur, and how he placed both hands on Arthur’s shoulder so Arthur would look at him. While his gesture was servitude and gentle, his words were undoubtedly authoritative. The confidence in s3 Merlin is so attractive. Mandhandling Arthur -> Merlin ❤️ Manhandling Merlin -> Arthur 💙 Manhandling + worry Merlin -> Arthur “Are you alright?” The shot is dark but I’m pretty sure Merlin was holding on Arthur’s whole arm and he had a hand on Arthur’s back too. So much touching 🫠 Domestic is the word Arthur and Merlin this ep I feel. They were so at ease around each other, whether they were sniping, bickering, or showing worry and care. They had a bubble around them that’s not easily broken into. They always had, but in s3, there’s a particular familiarity between them that seemed to emphasise it. Bonus: I thought we’re a team why are you telling that other guy our secrets!? [S3E12] [other episodes]

It’s your fate to be the greatest king Camelot has even known. Your victory today will be remembered. There are times, Merlin, when you display a sort of… It’s not wisdom. … But yes, that’s what it is. You may be destined to rule Camelot but you have a choice… as to how you do it. You may need to take charge, become… become king. [Merlin & Arthur S3 - King and Advisor]