From left to right: Guinevere, Gaius, Morgana, Merlin, Arthur, Uther and the Great Dragon in the background. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I have always been a fan of Arthurian legend. I remember watching a variety of shows and movies based on this legend as a young child. I read T. H. White’s The Once and Future King; Mary Stewart’s Merlin Trilogy (she wrote two others after I read the first three in the series, but I never read them); and several other novels, comics, and stories. So naturally, I was drawn to the British series Merlin currently airing on SyFy and available through Netflix. While the acting isn’t always the best and it gets more than just a little corny in places, it is a refreshing departure from all the feminist inspired male-hating tripe that dominates today’s television. It’s also a very interesting interpretation of the legend.

The legend of king Arthur has often been re-interpreted to make it fresh and new, but generally follows the life of Merlin and Arthur from approximately the time Arthur takes the throne. Usually there is at least a mention of Arthur’s conception. The general story has it that Merlin magically disguised King Uther (Arthur’s father) to resemble a knight named Gorlois, enabling Uther to sleep with Gorlois’ wife to conceive Arthur as the King’s illegitimate son. The boy was taken and raised by Merlin who helped him rise to power upon Uther’s death. Arthur marries Guinevere who betrays him by sleeping with his finest knight, Lancelot. Arthur also conceives an illegitimate son, Mordrid with his half sister, Morgana who is a witch that fools him into sleeping with her as revenge for Merlin and Uther’s deception of her mother. Morgana raises Mordrid to rise against his father, Arthur, in a battle that results in the end of Camelot and the death of all of the major players in the legend.

The TV series reinterprets the legend in an interesting manner. It begins with Merlin’s (Colin Morgan) arrival in Camelot and subsequent assignment to be the young Prince Arthur’s (Bradley James) manservant as a reward for having saved Arthur’s life. Neither is pleased as the two had met previously and did not get along. Arthur is not illegitimate in this version. Morgana (Katie McGrath) is the illegitimate child of King Uther (Anthony Head) who is raising her as his ward as a favor to her dead father, Gorlois. Morgana turn’s against Uther and Arthur until she finds out the truth; Uther had an affair with her mother and later sent her father to his death. The use of magic was involved, but not very well explained, it is blamed for the death of Arthur’s mother (who apparently died in childbirth) and as a result is outlawed by King Uther who persecutes and executes anyone caught using it. As a result, Merlin must hide his identity as a sorcerer.

Merlin is sent to Camelot by his mother to be mentored by Gaius (Richard Wilson), who was an old friend and is now the court physician. Gauis is also a former sorcerer who assisted King Uther in hunting down magic users, but who also assisted a number of magic users to escape. He becomes a father figure for Merlin.

Guinevere (Angel Colby) is the servant of Morgana. She is also Black. This gives the show a more modern feel, but is certainly not true to the time period. She and Arthur definitely notice each other and over time fall in love. But their love is forbidden by Uther because she is a peasant. She has a brief affair with Lancelot (Santiago Cabrera) who arrives as a young man seeking to become a knight. Merlin helps him forge papers indicating his noble birth, but this is discovered and Lancelot is banished. He later reappears, sacrificing his life for Arthur which would be a major deviation from the legend except he is resurrected in a later episode and enchanted just in time to break up the engagement of Arthur (now King) and Guinevere.

One other character worth mentioning is the great dragon, Kilgara (sp?) (John Hurt). The dragon has been imprisoned by Uther and is the last of his kind. He acts as a sort of advisor to Merlin who secretly slips away to seek his advice, though he doesn’t always heed it. In return for his help, Merlin promises to release him someday. When that day comes, it has disastrous results, but Merlin discovers something about himself in the process.

Aside from being a new and fresh interpretation of the legend, what I like about this is the lack of feminist influence. Of course there is a good deal of chivalry, but that should be expected. In fact, chivalry plays a huge part in causing the troubles of both Arthur and Merlin as their chivalrous acts lead to rescue or aid undeserving characters and often meet with severe consequences. Neither the male or female characters are entirely innocent or evil when taken as a group. With the exception of Gwen, the main female characters, Morgana and her half sister Morgause (Emilia Fox), are almost purely evil. Many of the minor villains are also female. They use their sex appeal to manipulate men into committing all sorts of evil and treasonous acts in their attempts to overthrow the Pendragons and have Morgana assume the throne. The women suffer the consequences of their evil acts as well. It is not uncommon to see them suffer the violent effects of magic used to combat them. Even Gwen, who is mostly good, is banished by Arthur for her affair with Lancelot. It is refreshing to see a show where even the women are held accountable and suffer consequences for evil deeds. Although some have been wronged, we are not made to feel sympathy for them.

I especially like the “Arthur as spoiled bully” and Merlin as “dorky geek” who isn’t afraid of speaking his mind. It reminds me of the friendly banter, teasing, and taunting my friends and I engaged in on a regular basis when I was their age. It shows an intricate understanding of the male psyche where insults are often meant to indicate a bond and appreciation that two men have for each other without having to say “I love you.” Both men understand this and use insults to indicate to each other how much they care. Of course, on occasion, they tell each other directly.

While this is not the best acted, written, directed, or produced show in the history of television, and while it can be more than little corny at times, the characters are believable and entertaining. The show is free of feminist influence and depicts somewhat realistic (though simplistic) male interactions and friendships. Its family friendly and my grandkids (boy and girls) enjoy watching. There is just enough deviation from the legend to keep it interesting and from being too predictable. All-in-all I heartily recommend it as an entertaining alternative to all the mundane feminist drivel available 24/7.

-TDOM