Legends have been used to show us how to live and embolden the spirit of the listener, or the reader. Sometimes, legends embolden the spirit of a whole nation, or even multiple nations. One of these is the Legend of Camelot. We all know the familiar tale of the just and righteous King Arthur and Queen Guinevere; his noble knight Sir Lancelot; his most trusted advisor, friend, and wizard Merlin; and the most famous of all swords, Excalibur. We have all read, or been told of how he brought his knights together, his quest for the Holy Grail, and how he ruled the kingdom of Camelot. We, as a society, never get tired of hearing the legend, or, in our modern era, seeing it brought to life in movies or on TV. Now BBC has brought us the newest incarnation of a classic tale in Merlin: The Complete First Season!

Merlin follows the life and adventures of the sorcerer, along with Arthur, Guinevere, and the other fabled characters of the legend in the time before Arthur’s reign as king of Camelot while his father Uther Pendragon is still in power. The show deals with the beginnings of the relationships of the main players in the legend of Camelot. We watch the characters from the beginning of the story in their late teenage years. From the very first moment of the series, we get to watch the start of the relationship between Merlin and Arthur; the evolution from spoiled brat prince to a powerful and just king; and even the relationship of Guinevere and Arthur, yet to begin. We get to see a version of the legend before the legend actually begins.

Episode Highlights:

"The Dragon’s Call": Merlin is sent to Gaius, the court physician in Camelot, to live a more privileged life. He finds that Uther Pendragon, the king of Camelot, has banned the practice of magic, the use of which is punishable by death. Look out for Eve Myles guest starring as a great singer and an angry witch.

"Lancelot": Merlin’s life is saved from being killed at the talons of a mystical beast by Lancelot. He repays the favor by getting Lancelot into the knights of Camelot. Look out for the budding romance of Lancelot and Guinevere.

"Excalibur": The day of Arthur’s coming-of-age is at hand, and the Black Knight's return has something to do with Uther’s darkest secret. Look out for the series’ version of the forging of Excalibur.

"The Labyrinth of Gedref": Prince Arthur kills a unicorn and brings a curse down upon Camelot. Arthut must pass three tests of character to end the curse and save the kingdom before it is destroyed. Look out for… OH MY GOD! Arthur killed a unicorn! He KILLED a unicorn!

Special Features:

Behind the Magic, Parts 1& 2: The BBC has filmed a set of “Making of” featurettes detailing the preproduction, filming, and postproduction of the first series of Merlin.

The Black Knight: This is a featurette comprised of video diaries – cast and crew detailing the making of parts of the episode Excalibur and dealing with the Black Knight, utilizing some episode clips as well.

Video Diaries: These are three video diaries from the shooting of the series. The first diary is from the actor who plays Merlin, the second is from the actor who plays Arthur, and the third is from various cast and crew.

Photo Gallery: This is a gallery of promotional photos released over the course of the campaign leading up to the premiere of the show, and throughout the season to promote each episode.

Wallpapers: The BBC added some wallpapers for both PC and Mac users to plaster their computer’s desktop.

Series Notes:

Merlin is as much a direct translation of Arthurian Legend as Smallville is the comic books of Superman. As a matter of fact, that’s what the BBC was looking for, a version of Camelot that is in keeping with the style of Smallville .  Merlin moves characters around to suit the needs of the audience, rather than keeping the story stuck to tradition. Merlin is just learning his powers. Guinevere is the daughter of a blacksmith, not the princess of a foreign king. Lancelot is in no way a “Sir”. These variations serve to change how the story is told and in turn change our expectations of how the tale unfolds. We all know Arthur becomes King, Guinevere becomes Queen, Merlin becomes court wizard, and Lancelot becomes Arthur’s most trusted knight. What we don’t know is how this will all happen with our characters no longer in the places we all remember for so many centuries.

Overall:

Merlin is a fun way to experience the Legend of Camelot all over again. It doesn’t exactly follow the story in the usual way. People, places, and things are changed up in order to make it more fun and exciting for today’s viewer, with the current way we look at the world than in days past. It’s similar to the shows Robin Hood and Smallville in feel and relationships. If you like either show, then this will be right up your alley. If you just like the Legend of Camelot, then watch this with a grain of salt, since this isn’t just the same retelling of the story that we are all used to. All in all, this show is great fun and everyone will be able to watch it, since there isn’t too much violence or sexuality. It’s not a family show, but it is family friendly. The only thing that I would have added to this release to make it absolutely perfect is the documentary series Merlin: Secrets & Magic about the production of the show.

ComicsOnline gives Merlin: The Complete First Season 4.5 ancient legends out of 5.

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