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4.5
4 1/2 STARS FOR A WONDERFUL SERIES WHO'S STRENGHTS ARE ALSO SOMETIMES IT'S WEAKNESSES --- LIGHT ENOUGH FOR YOUTH AND DARK ENOUGH TO BE ENJOYED BY MANY ADULTS -- SEE BELOW FOR BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE BOX SET***I will not give away anything for those who have not seen the series***BASIC PREMISE: I say heavy magic in my title because the fantasy element is quite strong. Some people may prefer a more down to earth approach. However, this Arthurian based series is meant to be mostly family friendly with a great deal of humorous fun. Per the director's commentary, they take the four primary characters of Arthur, Merlin, Guinevere and Morgana, and begin them all in early adulthood as yet undeveloped peers striving to find their place in life. The very general story arcs are quite familiar and comfortable to Arthurian lore, while a great deal of dramatic license is taken with the individual characters and day to day tales. Merlin is not yet a great sorcerer, but knows he was born with magic. Arthur is obviously a prince, but young, brattish, and athletic, yet good hearted underneath. Morgana is a ward of King Uther as her own father Gorlois is long dead. She is a beautiful princess of Camelot, yet she is troubled with disturbing dreams. Guinevere is the most changed as she starts our tale as a servant to Morgana. Uther has outlawed magic in the kingdom because of tragedies we learn at a later time. Thus, Merlin must keep his magic a secret or risk being put to death. He travels to Camelot to seek his destiny while also becoming Arthur's manservant. They begin almost as enemies, yet develop a rapport and a sort of comedic foil to play off each other. Merlin must play somewhat a fool to keep from being discovered, yet Arthur also sees a certain wisdom in his young friend.ARCS & CONFLICTS: Keeping the magic a secret is a very fundamental conflict of the story as Merlin continually saves Arthur's life, while using magic. This conflict is important to creating the dramatic tension in the show, yet drags on quite long after five seasons. However, the show excels on the strength of it's characters and casting. We see each of these main characters and the supporting cast grow into their destinies and powers. Merlin learns of his destiny to pair with Arthur and save Albion. He is mentored by kindly Gaius, the sage court physician, and an ancient dragon imprisoned below Camelot. Arthur grows from the athletic jerk into the ruler who knows the world around him must change. Morgana comes to understand her dark secret and the true background of her father's demise. Guinevere finds that life can offer more than just being a servant.THE ACTORS: The primary four actors were mostly unknown, but Colin Morgan really pulls off the balance of being a bit foolish on one hand, but believably powerful and responsible when he needs to exert himself. This is key to the whole show. For me though, I really found Katie McGrath as Morgana carrying a huge chunk of the interest as she manages some fairly strong conflicts in the personality of her character. She really has the dark haired, pale faced, other worldly look of a Morgana. Richard Wilson makes a wonderful and fatherly Gaius that is easy to love. John Hurt as the last dragon and narrator of the show is positively perfect. All the knights of the round table also become more and more fleshed out as the series grows. One other character I really loved was Emilia Fox as Morgause. I was surprised at what a hard, yet stunningly beautiful sorceress she made. A one episode appearance by Holliday Grainger was pretty cool too! Another big star of the show is the beautiful Château de Pierrefonds itself, which serves as the castle of Camelot. What an amazing castle!BOX SET AND NEW EXTRAS(REVIEWED BLU-RAY VERSION): All the special features are carted over with the old discs. In addition, you receive a sixth disc in it's own case with two more special features not seen before. One is a San Diego 2012 Comic Con panel interview with the actors representing Merlin, Guinevere, and Morgana. The second is a short titled The Real Merlin & Arthur. This second short is a brief, very informal discussion of the historical origins and sights in Wales associated with the legend. As with the original extras, these are probably most interesting to ultimate fans where other people may not be as interested. The Comic Con panel was interesting just to see the actors out of character and interacting with fans. I found them a little more interesting than the video diaries that were in the individual releases. Mainly they discuss the transition into season 5 which was soon to come at that time. The historical Arthur short was a little disappointing as it's nothing more than a road trip and hand cam featuring Colin Morgan an Bradly James driving in a car and talking. They make a few significant stops and talk to local experts and characters about their take on the legend. They take back roads and consistently arrive late which limits their access to sites that on occasion cannot be seen. Very little scholarly content other than comments from the guy at the library in Mold, Wales. If you already bought the individual releases, I don't know if this package is worth the upgrade unless you want to condense. I bought the original UK releases which are quite chunky. Some of the US original releases were also a little thick and fold out style - though quite attractive, so this set will be nice to consolidate, or less lavish depending on your viewpoint. For the right price, eventually it may be an economical choice.Sadly this series came to an end after just five seasons and likely would have lasted longer with just a little tweaking to the formula. You probably would not be on this page if you were not a fan of the Arthurian legends. So, as long as you like a stronger fantasy element and a little slapstick now and then, you will almost certainly love this series. I highly recommend it!
