[claire2281]

Originally Posted by Matt35

I was just going by what the actress who plays gwen said. She said series 5 will be the last one.

I haven't seen any recent interviews with Angel.

Five series was the initial plan, but the most recent stuff from the producers says they'll continue if recommissioned.

[MrsGeneHunt]

If memory serves, that interview with Angel was last year. She did strongly suggest that S5 would be the last one but that was presumably because the cast had all signed up for 5 years (apart from Anthony Head, who signed on from year to year, I think) and everyone assumed that 5 was the magic number. But as Merlin was so well received last year, I think the BBC and the show's producers are probably thinking again!
As for the reveal, I don't care how it happens but I do think it's the right time now. Especially if...

Spoiler

as has been suggested, we're going to get a really big time jump! I'm thinking it could be anywhere between 3 and 5 years, though how they'll make Colin look as if he's approaching 30 is beyond me. He still looks about 12 to me, bless him!

How old were Arthur and Merlin meant to be by the end of S4, btw? I've been trying to work it out. Wasn't Merlin 19 in S1? And was Arthur a year older? With all the time shifts, I've lost track of where they are now. S2 continued on from S1 but then S3 was set a year after the end of S2. As for S4, was it set one or two years after the end of S3? I forget!

And is all that as clear as mud??

[MikeAP001]

Originally Posted by MrsGeneHunt

Especially if...

Spoiler

as has been suggested, we're going to get a really big time jump! I'm thinking it could be anywhere between 3 and 5 years, though how they'll make Colin look as if he's approaching 30 is beyond me. He still looks about 12 to me, bless him!

How old were Arthur and Merlin meant to be by the end of S4, btw? I've been trying to work it out. Wasn't Merlin 19 in S1? And was Arthur a year older? With all the time shifts, I've lost track of where they are now. S2 continued on from S1 but then S3 was set a year after the end of S2. As for S4, was it set one or two years after the end of S3? I forget!

And is all that as clear as mud??

I figure by the end of S04, it's been 6-7 years since Merlin entered Camelot on a Wednesday. And, in an interview which I can't find, Colin Morgan says it'll be easier for him to play Merlin because they'll be about the same age for S05.

It might be here:

Spoiler

http://merlin-network.livejournal.co...ht*ml#*cut*id1

[claire2281]

Originally Posted by MrsGeneHunt

How old were Arthur and Merlin meant to be by the end of S4, btw? I've been trying to work it out...

Due to some of the festivals mentioned near the start and end of one season and the fact we never seem to see winter, it's a VERY rough estimate that the series take place over 6-8 months-ish.

So...

S1 - 6-8 months
gap - A few months at most
S2 - 6-8 months
gap - one year
S3 - 6-8 months
gap - one year
S4 - 6-8 months

So that would make it likely 5-6 years since Merlin first turned up.

Arthur is definitely 20 in the first series (20 years is being celebrated since the Great Purge which was the year of his birth at the start of s1 and he celebrates his coming of age in s2). Morgana is obviously a little older. Gwen, I think, is meant to be younger than Morgana but that doesn't entirely fit (Angel is older than Katie, looks a little older than Katie and it wouldn't make sense to give a young girl and even younger girl as her companion and maid!). Merlin is the youngest of the 4.

So by now they are approximately...

Arthur - 25-26
Morgana - 26-27
Merlin - 24-25
Gwen - no one really knows but about Morgana's age imo.

[Paradise_Lost]

Originally Posted by claire2281

So by now they are approximately...

Arthur - 25-26
Gwen - 26-27
Merlin - 24-25
Morganna - no one really knows but about Morgana's age imo.

.

[Avi8]

Whereas Bradley James is 28
Colin Morgan is 26
Angel Coulby is 31
Katie McGrath is 28

Pointless Information of the Evening (but I enjoyed looking it up!)

[Avi8]

What's the feeling re Richard Wilson/Gaius? If a few years have elapsed, is he still going to be around (hope so). Does anyone know if RW appears to be involved in the filming of S5?

On the one hand, I feel Gaius has to go because it is traditional in stories for heroes (Merlin) to lose their mentor (Gaius) and have to face their challenges alone. Also, while Gaius is alive, Merlin has less reason to share who he is with Arthur. On the other hand, I love the Gaius/Merlin relationship, second only to the Merlin/Arthur relationship.

[Cadiva]

Originally Posted by Matt35

I was just going by what the actress who plays gwen said. She said series 5 will be the last one.

That's an interview from last year. The original cast were signed up for five series', plus the option of a film, if I remember rightly, but the producers have said in the last couple of weeks that they will continue making it if people are still watching.
That would lead me to believe we'll get at least a Series Six if Series Five gets good enough viewing figures. This is a good overseas sell for the BBC.

[claire2281]

Originally Posted by Avi8

Does anyone know if RW appears to be involved in the filming of S5?

No info to say otherwise so we can be presume that he is. Doesn't mean, of course, he couldn't be bumped off earlier as Uther was but there's nothing to say he's going yet.

On the other hand, I love the Gaius/Merlin relationship, second only to the Merlin/Arthur relationship.

I think that in order for Merlin to develop, he does need to lose Gaius and be forced to stand alone. However, from a writing pov this would be very tricky as it would leave no one in Camelot that knows about Merlin's magic and no one with whom he can discuss the threat of the week. Whilst his magic is secret he still needs Gaius around (which could have been solved had they not killed off Lancelot but alas...)

[performingmonk]

Obviously I would love it to continue beyond series 5 but part of me doesn't want one of my favourite shows to lose steam and go out on a whimper rather than a bang!

A film would be amazing! Though it seems so hard for films to get greenlit and pushed into production it could be another 5 years before it happened and then the studios could turn around and say the audience has disappeared! It's like Rome, the HBO/BBC series. Such an awesome show, cut down before it's time, and they've been trying to get a film version of it made for a few years now.

[Avi8]

Originally Posted by claire2281

I think that in order for Merlin to develop, he does need to lose Gaius and be forced to stand alone. However, from a writing pov this would be very tricky as it would leave no one in Camelot that knows about Merlin's magic and no one with whom he can discuss the threat of the week. Whilst his magic is secret he still needs Gaius around (which could have been solved had they not killed off Lancelot but alas...)

Agree totally. I don't understand why Lancelot was written out so soon. I understand the actor's career has taken off and he has other projects to film, but, if that is the only reason, it is a poor one. Lancelot was set up to be Merlin's confidant - a brilliant move to have one of the knights knowing of Merlin's magic, a bridge between the magical powers of Merlin and the physical/military strength of Arthur and the knights. Also, of course, Lancelot is part of the crucial love triangle in legends (I know some will say he is a late addition to the legends, but late or not, he is there, and most people would probably agree that he was as crucial an element in Arthurian legend as Arthur and Merlin). So if Santiago suddenly found his career taking off in other directions, the producers of Merlin should have found another actor to take on the role. IMO, at least.

I did wonder if we were going to have Merlin somehow reviving Lancelot in a similar way to what Morgana did last series, but even that seems unlikely now Lancelot has already "betrayed" Arthur with Gwen.

Another thought: there was a rumour going round before S4 that Gwaine was going to be the next to find out about Merlin's powers. That clearly didn't happen, so maybe that is on the cards for S5?

[claire2281]

Originally Posted by Avi8

I did wonder if we were going to have Merlin somehow reviving Lancelot in a similar way to what Morgana did last series, but even that seems unlikely now Lancelot has already "betrayed" Arthur with Gwen.

Which I still think was very poorly done. It was very disappointing the way that they made it so Gwen was 'innocent' - the one grey area of her character entirely wiped out. They've never really given her much depth or any faults and I thought she'd at least get something more meaty when it came to the Lancelot affair. But alas it was terribly santised and all somewhat Disney princess. Waste of a story and potential imo. Not sure where this is going to leave her for the remainder of the show but I fear she'll be reduced to nothing more than 'nice Queen Gwen who occasionally gets kidnapped'.

Similarly with Lancelot. It would have been so much more interesting to see this exceptionally noble man who cannot eventually ignore the deep love he had for this woman. But no, they reduced it to 'he was under Morgana's control'. I wish they'd left his return until MUCH later and then used the dramatic potential of having him as Merlin's confidant but also as the man who could come between Arthur and Gwen even if he doesn't want to. That would add some greater conflict to Merlin too and how he sees him.

Another thought: there was a rumour going round before S4 that Gwaine was going to be the next to find out about Merlin's powers. That clearly didn't happen, so maybe that is on the cards for S5?

Possibly. I think he's the only one likely. It wouldn't be right at all for Gwen to find out and keep the secret from Arthur, considering what happened between them previously. Morgana will either find out from Mordred or he'll purposely keep it from her and that'll later be used as a reason for her turning against him.

[Avi8]

Originally Posted by claire2281

Which I still think was very poorly done. It was very disappointing the way that they made it so Gwen was 'innocent' - the one grey area of her character entirely wiped out. They've never really given her much depth or any faults and I thought she'd at least get something more meaty when it came to the Lancelot affair. But alas it was terribly santised and all somewhat Disney princess. Waste of a story and potential imo. Not sure where this is going to leave her for the remainder of the show but I fear she'll be reduced to nothing more than 'nice Queen Gwen who occasionally gets kidnapped'.

Yes, I remember you saying this before, and in retrospect, I agree with you. The Lancelot du Lac episode was quite disappointing all round, not because it was bad in itself, but because it could have been so much better.

Was it you who complained a lot about Gwen not letting Arthur go looking for Merlin in A servant of 2 masters episode? Someone was very upset about that, saying that it was totally out of character for Gwen to try to persuade Arthur to not go looking for Merlin. I can't remember if that was you Claire. Apologies if not. Anyway, I have since looked very closely at that scene, and Gwen never actually asks Arthur not to go, and when Arthur says he has to go, she says "I know". All she is actually asking is that Arthur takes care and is aware that the bandits might still be around. So, not that awful a thing for her to say after all.

Anyway, that is a bit beside the point, just something I wanted to put out there because I don't think Gwen was really acting out of character there. I am interested to see what role Gwen has in S5. I can't see her with children, and I can't quite picture her happily allowing Merlin to walk into the bedchamber and throw insults at Arthur, but separate bedchambers would be a bit beyond belief too. I imagine she is going to bridge the gap between knights and peasants, maybe bring a caring touch to court.... It would be good to see her have a real showdown with Morgana. The scene at the end of S4 wasn't enough.

[claire2281]

Originally Posted by Avi8

Yes, I remember you saying this before, and in retrospect, I agree with you. The Lancelot du Lac episode was quite disappointing all round, not because it was bad in itself, but because it could have been so much better.

Precisely. It was a wasted opportunity imo. There was a lot of potential with that storyline and I think they went with the most disappointingly santised version.

Was it you who complained a lot about Gwen not letting Arthur go looking for Merlin in A servant of 2 masters episode?

Some mentioned it much more than I did although I do think it was a little ooc for Gwen. She did agree that he had to go, I'm just a tad wary of seeing them use Gwen as the Agravaine type 'voice of reason'. The character gets enough hate as it is for coming between the Arthur/Merlin relationship.

I am interested to see what role Gwen has in S5. I can't see her with children, and I can't quite picture her happily allowing Merlin to walk into the bedchamber and throw insults at Arthur, but separate bedchambers would be a bit beyond belief too.

No, I suspect the Merlin and Arthur bedchamber scenes are over now. And nor can I see her with children (I can but hope that might supply a little conflict by her and Arthur being seemingly unable to have them).

I imagine she is going to bridge the gap between knights and peasants, maybe bring a caring touch to court....

We saw the tiniest bit of that in series 4. It would be interesting if they expanded on it.

It would be good to see her have a real showdown with Morgana. The scene at the end of S4 wasn't enough.

It was good but it would be likely Morgana would finish her very quickly if she really wanted to. She was without her magic and badly injured and yet still beat her...

I'd rather Gwen and Morgana get into a situation where they're trapped together and HAVE to talk. It'd be interesting to see Gwen's reaction if she found out that Merlin tried to murder Morgana and if she really told Gwen how she'd felt about her magic (the stuff at the end of series 3 about how Uther made her feel like a monster was very interesting but sadly never expanded upon).

Even more interestingly, I want to see more interaction between Arthur and Morgana this series because their scene was easily the best part of the finale.

[Avi8]

Originally Posted by claire2281

Even more interestingly, I want to see more interaction between Arthur and Morgana this series because their scene was easily the best part of the finale.

Yes, that was a good bit. There are some lines that make you cringe, and then there are other lines that make you tingle all over with excitement, just to hear them. Arthur's gentle, puzzled "What happened to you Morgana?" instead of the anger or sarcasm some might have expected from him really hit the tingle mark for me.

Sorry, badly expressed

[OneTreeHillFan]

I still have 5 episodes of series 4 to watch

[claire2281]

Originally Posted by Avi8

Arthur's gentle, puzzled "What happened to you Morgana?" instead of the anger or sarcasm some might have expected from him really hit the tingle mark for me.

Sorry, badly expressed

I know what you mean though.

It was their 'I thought we were friends'/'So did I', that got me combined with those very sad looks of vulnerability on their faces. It gives me hope that they might put some complexity into their ongoing relationship. I hope they get more than one exchange this season!

I suppose the issue is that Morgana, with her powers, should be able to kill Arthur very easily so they need to provide a good reason why she doesn't bump him off the moment they come in contact.

There's also the issue that he still doesn't really know what happened to her - I'd like to see Arthur actually know all the big truths being kept from him (Merlin poisoning Morgana, the lies he's been told about his birth and Merlin's magic).

[MrsGeneHunt]

Originally Posted by claire2281

Due to some of the festivals mentioned near the start and end of one season and the fact we never seem to see winter, it's a VERY rough estimate that the series take place over 6-8 months-ish.

So...

S1 - 6-8 months
gap - A few months at most
S2 - 6-8 months
gap - one year
S3 - 6-8 months
gap - one year
S4 - 6-8 months

So that would make it likely 5-6 years since Merlin first turned up.

Arthur is definitely 20 in the first series (20 years is being celebrated since the Great Purge which was the year of his
birth at the start of s1 and he celebrates his coming of age in s2). Morgana is obviously a little older. Gwen, I think, is meant
to be younger than Morgana but that doesn't entirely fit (Angel is older than Katie, looks a little older than Katie and it wouldn't make sense to give a young girl and even younger
girl as her companion and maid!). Merlin is the youngest of the 4.

So by now they are approximately...

Arthur - 25-26
Morgana - 26-27
Merlin - 24-25
Gwen - no one really knows but about Morgana's age
imo.

Thanks for this! So these are their ages at the end of S4. I hope the jump to S5 won't be more than a couple of years but we'll see!

Originally Posted by Avi8

Whereas Bradley James is 28
Colin Morgan is 26
Angel Coulby is 31
Katie McGrath is 28

Pointless Information of the Evening (but I enjoyed looking it
up!)

Colin is 26? Wow! I'd never have thought it - he's so youthful (not that 26 is old by any means!)!

Re. the Lancelot debate, I was never a fan of Gwen and Lancelot on this show. Having said that, I do think they were silly to kill him off. And from what I can gather, Santiago was dropped after the pilot of 'Alcatraz' (the show he left 'Merlin' for) - what a waste!

[MikeAP001]

Originally Posted by MrsGeneHunt

...
Colin is 26? Wow! I'd never have thought it - he's so youthful (not that 26 is old by any means!)!

Re. the Lancelot debate, I was never a fan of Gwen and Lancelot on this show. Having said that, I do think they were silly to kill him off. And from what I can gather, Santiago was dropped after the pilot of 'Alcatraz' (the show he left 'Merlin' for) - what a waste!

So, Colin Morgan's right, Merlin's about his real age a year or so later in S05.

I wasn't too thrilled with the Gwen/Lance story line. I was sort of hoping that he'd stay alive as a confidant for Merlin along with Gwaine, among the KORT. The two of them could help integrate Merlin into the social aspects of Camelot... maybe introduce him to some fair maid or go on more Quests--- independently of Arthur--- so, we get to see a more in-depth characterization of Merlin as a young man.

[MrsGeneHunt]

Re the whole 'Merlin could get killed off at some point' discussion, I have only this to say: check out the name of the series! There's your clue!

[Cadiva]

Originally Posted by MrsGeneHunt

Re the whole 'Merlin could get killed off at some point' discussion, I have only this to say: check out the name of the series! There's your clue!

Merlin Series Five? It would still be called Merlin even if he does die at the end though, unless I'm missing something else blindingly obvious.

[Lowri]

The BBC cannot kill off Merlin, it would be "save Ianto Jones" x 1000!

Also, I would be extremely miffed

[claire2281]

Liam Cunningham (currently to be seen in Game of Thrones) has heavily hinted that he'll be guest starring in this series. Presumably one of the first 3 eps since that's what is currently filming.

[MikeAP001]

Originally Posted by MrsGeneHunt

Re the whole 'Merlin could get killed off at some point' discussion, I have only this to say: check out the name of the series! There's your clue!

That depends on how much the producers want to follow lore. If they follow it a lot, then I'd agree with you. If they sort of free lance it, then anything's possible especially in the last season and with a potential movie the producers could bring Merlin back.

Besides, Merlin might not die exactly... it depends on how the word "offed" is used. Merlin might be banished, instead.

Spoiler

For instance, the Saxons might employ the use of magic wolves who are after other creature like a white stag. That could fit in with an Arthurian story about a Quest for a White Stag (Hart?) which results in the Lady of the Lake going to Camelot. Merlin falls in love with her. She falls in love with Arthur. Through her machinations, she gets rid of Merlin and he either dies at Arthur's had, gets caught in a cave, or gets imprisoned in a bush.

That could fit in nicely toward the end of Series 5 where Arthur discovers Merlin's secret but waits for Merlin to reveal that to him as a show of trust and friendship. Merlin doesn't. Eventually, they engage in battle, Merlin's wounded as is Arthur, Merlin's forced into exile, but Morgana heals Arthur in Albion (the name of a united kingdom of Camelot and her allies)--- making her the true hero of the story just as Katie McGrath wanted!

The movie would then be about Merlin's return and reconciliation with Arthur.

[MikeAP001]

Originally Posted by claire2281

Liam Cunningham (currently to be seen in Game of Thrones) has heavily hinted that he'll be guest starring in this series. Presumably one of the first 3 eps since that's what is currently filming.

Is he one that'll be working with Gaius... uh... Richard Wilson... on some medieval drama filming March to April in Cardiff this year?

Spoiler

Presumably, he'll be playing a corpse in the end... Makes you wonder about those magical wolves.