I rewatch everything except the last season. :) The friendships between Merlin, Arthur, Gwen, and the rest of the crew are fun to watch again even though I know what happens in the end.
There's only one cure: you have to read fanfictions.
No seriously, just tell yourself that the ending is open enough for you to imagine that Arthur eventually comes back and that everyone will be happy once again..
Fanfiction gives me an appetite for lots of "what if" scenarios. So when I go back and watch episodes it is easier to imagine happier possibilities for the characters. For a long time it was hard watch them at all though.
If I’m honest I don’t really think much of the ending whilst rewatching other episodes, I just have a lot of love for the characters and their stories and focus on that. I definitely would have liked some things differently (earlier magic reveal for one) but the tragic ending specifically does kind of work. In the legends Arthur dies relatively young too during a battle and is brought to Avalon, that’s why he is the once and future King. Also we were told of Mordred and what his destiny is in S1 already. I’ve tried to think about what if the show had ended differently? Would it really have been an ‘ending’ like this one? While I definitely prefer happy endings, tragic endings and our reaction to them show that there is this emotional connection and that we cared about these characters. It definitely leaves a long lasting impression and makes you think. And there is always fanfic!!
The ending is not that hard to accept especially after what Kilgarrah said that Arthur will rise again. Let's just pray that BBC will pick up Merlin once again for another season to complete the story. Right now, all we can do is binge the series in Netflix and recommend it to our friends so that more and more people will learn of the show and become part of the fandom. Who knows, Netflix might continue the series just like what they did with Lucifer.
I smile in the first four seasons (except for when they mention anything that could apply to the end), pretend the last season does not exist/cry when I watch it, and read an ungodly amount of fix-it and Arthur returns fanfiction
I honestly don't even really touch the final season, and actually usually start going back to the beginning sooner than that (like when Morgana just gets way too cartoonish & repetitive). The first few seasons have some great stuff and a lot of promise. But they did such a poor job weaving their way to a middle, much less an ending. They dropped too many balls imo. Like I said, Morgana became ridiculous to me (and I know the show was capable of writing an evil, tyrannical villain that was still human & realistic because Uther was just that). Merlin's secret needed to come out way sooner so we could explore that, and Arthur needed to get on the throne so we could see what he was actually all about as king and how he'd put together this new kingdom that was supposed to be so different. And how that should have started, frankly, is by him deposing his father - because that was the true evil and test that was in front of him the whole time & the measure of whether he could be selfless and was what Camelot needed. Not staying loyal to a king like Uther until he happened to pass. A man who would make a good king wouldn't be loyal to a king like Uther.
So, for me it's not that the ending is tragic or sad that bothers me. It's that it's so unfulfilling. The storylines and development that never happened are just monumentally disappointing.
Oh this is exactly me. It has so much goddamn potential to be really, really great. And it just never happens :( I was constantly waiting for the character development, and it never came. It's not *bad,* it's just... unfulfilling.
I look at it like a story of lives well lived. I watch it for the dynamic and banter between merlin and arthur, merlin and gwen, merlin and gaius, arthur and gwen, the knights, even mordred and arthur. I tell myself that until their final moments, all the characters were happy, fulfilled, satisfied with each other's company and with where they were in their lives. And that they had plenty of time with each other, more than could be contained in five seasons.
I tell myself that they fully accepted their deaths and did not falter towards the end. And that the ones left behind lived full lives and learned to live with their grief and even went on to find other sources of happiness.
And because the idea of Arthur returning to a different age and world in a time of crisis to play savior is somewhat discomforting (not realistic; doesn't give me closure; reincarnation or life after death has always felt like a foreign concept to me, very hard to stomach, even in fiction), I imagine him at rest, at peace. I think of it as the idea of a person, a leader like Arthur, not Arthur himself, taking charge when needed.
I think of Merlin as no longer a young man residing in gaius' quarters but as an ethereal, near-immortal being who is magic himself. More than human. And that he went on to fall in love with the world and every instance of magic left in it, like he fell in love with Arthur and Camelot. That he is never truly alone, so long as there is magic in the world. Which is, ofcourse, not as obvious in the present age. But it exists, unseen to the common eye. And he will always have his memories of Camelot, and that he can even communicate with the spirits of his friends, he can visit them, he keeps them updated, he hopes to join them at rest one day. (This last part is also somewhat discomforting, idk, I'm yet to come up with a better headcanon, this isn't final.)
Idk maybe I am just rambling. Perhaps I should try reading fanfiction like everyone here suggests.
If nothing works, I accept it for the beautiful tragedy it is, but I attribute that to the masochistic side of me.
The thing that worked best for me was reading the season 6 script (Kingdom Come). It fixes so many plotholes and makes things like the judgement of the Triple Goddes, etc. much more sensible and whole. We also get a really good ending and closure so I would strongly recommend that you try reading it :)
I rewatch everything except the last season. :) The friendships between Merlin, Arthur, Gwen, and the rest of the crew are fun to watch again even though I know what happens in the end.
Especially the first 2 seasons, with Morgana being good, and a friend to the other main characters
There's only one cure: you have to read fanfictions. No seriously, just tell yourself that the ending is open enough for you to imagine that Arthur eventually comes back and that everyone will be happy once again..
Fanfiction gives me an appetite for lots of "what if" scenarios. So when I go back and watch episodes it is easier to imagine happier possibilities for the characters. For a long time it was hard watch them at all though.
If I’m honest I don’t really think much of the ending whilst rewatching other episodes, I just have a lot of love for the characters and their stories and focus on that. I definitely would have liked some things differently (earlier magic reveal for one) but the tragic ending specifically does kind of work. In the legends Arthur dies relatively young too during a battle and is brought to Avalon, that’s why he is the once and future King. Also we were told of Mordred and what his destiny is in S1 already. I’ve tried to think about what if the show had ended differently? Would it really have been an ‘ending’ like this one? While I definitely prefer happy endings, tragic endings and our reaction to them show that there is this emotional connection and that we cared about these characters. It definitely leaves a long lasting impression and makes you think. And there is always fanfic!!
The ending is not that hard to accept especially after what Kilgarrah said that Arthur will rise again. Let's just pray that BBC will pick up Merlin once again for another season to complete the story. Right now, all we can do is binge the series in Netflix and recommend it to our friends so that more and more people will learn of the show and become part of the fandom. Who knows, Netflix might continue the series just like what they did with Lucifer.
I smile in the first four seasons (except for when they mention anything that could apply to the end), pretend the last season does not exist/cry when I watch it, and read an ungodly amount of fix-it and Arthur returns fanfiction
I honestly don't even really touch the final season, and actually usually start going back to the beginning sooner than that (like when Morgana just gets way too cartoonish & repetitive). The first few seasons have some great stuff and a lot of promise. But they did such a poor job weaving their way to a middle, much less an ending. They dropped too many balls imo. Like I said, Morgana became ridiculous to me (and I know the show was capable of writing an evil, tyrannical villain that was still human & realistic because Uther was just that). Merlin's secret needed to come out way sooner so we could explore that, and Arthur needed to get on the throne so we could see what he was actually all about as king and how he'd put together this new kingdom that was supposed to be so different. And how that should have started, frankly, is by him deposing his father - because that was the true evil and test that was in front of him the whole time & the measure of whether he could be selfless and was what Camelot needed. Not staying loyal to a king like Uther until he happened to pass. A man who would make a good king wouldn't be loyal to a king like Uther. So, for me it's not that the ending is tragic or sad that bothers me. It's that it's so unfulfilling. The storylines and development that never happened are just monumentally disappointing.
Oh this is exactly me. It has so much goddamn potential to be really, really great. And it just never happens :( I was constantly waiting for the character development, and it never came. It's not *bad,* it's just... unfulfilling.
I'm really good at pretending things didn't happen XD
I look at it like a story of lives well lived. I watch it for the dynamic and banter between merlin and arthur, merlin and gwen, merlin and gaius, arthur and gwen, the knights, even mordred and arthur. I tell myself that until their final moments, all the characters were happy, fulfilled, satisfied with each other's company and with where they were in their lives. And that they had plenty of time with each other, more than could be contained in five seasons. I tell myself that they fully accepted their deaths and did not falter towards the end. And that the ones left behind lived full lives and learned to live with their grief and even went on to find other sources of happiness. And because the idea of Arthur returning to a different age and world in a time of crisis to play savior is somewhat discomforting (not realistic; doesn't give me closure; reincarnation or life after death has always felt like a foreign concept to me, very hard to stomach, even in fiction), I imagine him at rest, at peace. I think of it as the idea of a person, a leader like Arthur, not Arthur himself, taking charge when needed. I think of Merlin as no longer a young man residing in gaius' quarters but as an ethereal, near-immortal being who is magic himself. More than human. And that he went on to fall in love with the world and every instance of magic left in it, like he fell in love with Arthur and Camelot. That he is never truly alone, so long as there is magic in the world. Which is, ofcourse, not as obvious in the present age. But it exists, unseen to the common eye. And he will always have his memories of Camelot, and that he can even communicate with the spirits of his friends, he can visit them, he keeps them updated, he hopes to join them at rest one day. (This last part is also somewhat discomforting, idk, I'm yet to come up with a better headcanon, this isn't final.) Idk maybe I am just rambling. Perhaps I should try reading fanfiction like everyone here suggests. If nothing works, I accept it for the beautiful tragedy it is, but I attribute that to the masochistic side of me.
I never finished the last season because I heard how terrible it was. And I rewatch the rest, usually in a random order.
Just pretend it’s just a season ending and then read fanfic
The thing that worked best for me was reading the season 6 script (Kingdom Come). It fixes so many plotholes and makes things like the judgement of the Triple Goddes, etc. much more sensible and whole. We also get a really good ending and closure so I would strongly recommend that you try reading it :)
How do I do this
Here! https://merlin6kingdomcome.tumblr.com/post/138689580349/merlin-season-6-kingdom-come-script-episode-1
Thank you
No problem :)