Why Is Merlin So Irresistible?

             Ummm...on reviewing things, maybe I should rephrase that title. Why Is The BBC Show 'Merlin' So Irresistible? There. That's much better!

             I've spoken before on this site about this bewilderingly addictive television show. It's campy, it's meandering, it's not very well structured, and it really shouldn't have made it past Series 3. And yet, despite all of the nit-picking and complaining I do about this show, I do honestly love it dearly. I followed it religiously while it was actually still airing and I slapped down the money for the DVD collections with barely a second thought. Believe me, that says something. I'm a very stingy person when it comes to buying media. I don't even own the DVD collections for Doctor Who yet!

           It has left me confused (and bemused) for years that a campy little show distorting my beloved tales of Camelot quite this much could hold my attention for so long. Granted it does have an awesome dragon voiced by John Hurt, but John Hurt is just one aspect of the show...so what is it? Well, let's take a look!

The Premise - Come on! It's Arthur Pendragon and Merlin Emrys as teenagers getting into shenanigans, swordfights, and sorcery duels! What's not to like?! Okay, so I know that when it's just described like that it sounds rather cheesy. And it is. It's EXTREMELY cheesy and campy and (insert every other adjective to that effect here)! But that's one of its strengths. It is unusual and never-been-done-before and is a story that focuses more on the journey than the destination. It shows Arthur's journey from prattish prince to strong king with Merlin by his side and working from the shadows every step of the way. But more so even than that, it is a story about prejudice and friendship and family and betrayal. You know...the good stuff.


The Writing - I know, I know...I complained about how bad it was, how could it ever be a good point? See the thing is, this show is terribly campy. It's melodramatic. It often doesn't pay off its own grandiose themes. But it knows it. In the early seasons, at least, the show was very self-aware and had an excellent sense of humor. I've always said that where the show started to fall apart was when it began to take itself too seriously and push 'darker, edgier, scarier'. This is no Supernatural, guys, they just don't have the gravitas to pull off both epic story-lines and dark concepts. The best thing about Merlin is the banter. Good golly gracious is the banter perfect!

The Characters - I've said it before and I'll say it again: for any form of media to work (be it film, television, literature, or music) the characters that are used in the story have to be well-written, well-rounded, and feel like real people. And the Merlin characters fulfill every one of those requirements, thanks in a large part to the chemistry and charisma of the actors. Let's examine this wonderful main cast...



Merlin

           Just because the main (and titular) character is an ADORABLE wide-eyed, big-eared wizard who's just begging to be gathered up in a big, squishy hug, that doesn't automatically mean that the show is going to be good. What works about Merlin? Well aside from the fact that he is the first young version of the character to be portrayed in popular media, he would be charming to watch even if he had a different name. A lot of this can be attributed to Colin Morgan (some of you may know him as Jethro from Doctor Who: Midnight) who takes the role and imbues it with such life and character that he is a joy even in the most depressing and badly-written episodes. It also helps that he isn't the typical 'chosen one who doesn't want his destiny' persona. At the beginning he doesn't want it, not because he thinks he's unworthy or because he doesn't want the attention, but because he thinks that his destiny (Arthur) is a prat. But he very quickly comes to befriend the prince and embraces his destiny whole-heartedly, even as everyone he loves must be sacrificed.


Arthur Pendragon
        Ah yes, our beloved oblivious, allergic-to-a-shirt crown prince of Camelot! Where would we be without him? Arthur is the brawn to Merlin's brains and frequently see-saws from being just and wise and disgustingly noble to snarky and oblivious and extremely childish. It's just two facets of his personality that are always at war. It's also the reason why we love him so much...well, along with the wonderful Bradley James who works so hard and puts his all into the performance in a way that really shines through and gives real personality to the often stuffy and uninteresting Arthur. We all know that there's a sensitive, kind soul hidden underneath that sarcastic, stand-offish personality. We all know that a great king lies beneath the pratty prince. The fun is the journey to getting there. The fact that he's also a handsome young fellow who tragically lost his mother and has daddy issues is only the icing on the cake for fanfic writers.


Gwen (Guinevere)
          To anyone going to start a rant about how 'not true to character' Gwen is or (even worse) how unattractive she is, this is your cue to leave now. Seriously...please get out. First of all, this is a show about the teenage years of the wizard Merlin where he is Arthur's servant and Arthur wasn't raised alongside Sir Kay because Uther was a dead adulterer. Secondly, Angel Coulby is a beautiful, talented, friendly, and all-around wonderful person who throws everything she has into her acting and does wonders to breath life into Guinevere's sometimes-dull and erratically-written character. Besides...since when did whether or not we like a character have to do with their looks anyway?!


Morgana LeFay/Pendragon
         I always really enjoy the villains on this show. Being quite knowledgeable of Arthurian Legend 'canon', I was just waiting for Morgana to show her dark side. Granted it didn't happen quite the way I was expecting it to, but to be quite honest I'm relieved that Family Show guidelines don't have room for the whole original Mordred's origins story. (Blech) Morgana's story is a tragic one. I really love how all the villains on this show are given somewhat sympathetic backgrounds. They're either fighting for their country and go too far, fighting for a set of twisted ideals, or have just been hurt SO badly that they feel they have to strike back and protect others. That makes them delightfully human and relatable, even as we see that they're doing the wrong things. It's not that their actions are justified or that they're shown to be merely anti-heroes, they're definitely villains, it's just that they have a fleshed-out back-story and reasons for what they do that makes them seem more real and less cartoon-y. Morgana is a prime example - a lost and scared little girl that let her anger fester inside her heart until she opened herself up for corruption.


Uther Pendragon
         Oh Giles...tsk, tsk, tsk. I actually really like the character of Uther Pendragon, for all he is an insufferable and prejudiced jerk. To be honest the only time I don't like a character is when they feel two-dimensional, badly-written, and clichéd to the point of nausea. Uther is quite complex. He's heavy-handed and hard-hearted at times, but he truly tries to do what he thinks is best for his kingdom. He can be stern and stand-offish, but despite his mistakes he honestly loves his children. In that way he reminds me a lot of John Winchester from Supernatural (another father figure that I seem to be primarily alone in liking). Many people don't seem to bother looking beneath the surface of his actions, but if you watch closely you'll see all the subtle hints and clues that Anthony Head puts into his performance to make it something great.


Gaius
        A slight deviation to the usual 'elderly mentor' figure in that he actually manages to survive to the bitter end of the show. Will wonders never cease?! Okay. So Gaius is the Court Physician of Camelot and Merlin's guardian/mentor. He is also a former sorcerer and a close friend of Uther (in addition to being the resident exposition machine). We get the feeling that Gaius and Uther share a relationship very close to that of Merlin and Arthur. Gaius also has an epic eyebrow raise that he gives Merlin whenever the young warlock is getting out of line. It's earned him the fandom nickname of The Dude With The 'Tude & The Bro With The Brow (don't look at me...I didn't come up with it!)