Sometime this month (think the 20th or there abouts), the bbc are showing a 13 part series called, and about, Merlin. NBC and BBC America will be showing it next year which is either a blessing or an annoyance for you all but will use the spoiler tag on anything other then saying how good/bad it is. The idea was by the makers of Hex but given it is meant to be taking a bbc/Robin Who spot, they won't be able to go that dark or adult with the story here. Special effects are by the team behind Doctor Who (adverts suggest the series won't be let down on that department), Colin Morgan is in the title role with Nimueh, the villainous, played by Bionic Woman star Ryan (who?). Santiago Cabrera, also known as Issac Mendes, will be playing Lancelot. The general gist of the story seems to be young Merlin goes to Camelot before he has learnt of his ability with magic and meets the other figures of legend like Arther and Morgan. Slight problem is that King Uther has banned magic and made it punishable by death...
Who remembers Merlin from the Arthurian legends? Part man, part something else, he was the brilliant adviser and wizard to King Arther, a man he had helped be born, can't recall his advice ever being wrong. The all wise man gradually fades from the scene, having been ignored for the advice not to marry Guinevere before eventually being trapped by the Lady of the Lake. The irony of warning Arther against his woman and then being entrapped thanks to falling in love with a maid (Nimueh) of the Lady of the Lake. Not the first time his lust ruled his head, if I recall correctly, he also had relations with Morgon Le Fay, a character I also liked.
I have tended to prefer the flawed geniuses (hello mr hourglass from Dragonlance) in stories over the shining knights like Lancelot and Arther. So you can imagine my excitement when bbc hinted that Merlin series was being made. When I heard it was about Merlin when he was young, I thought that was a good path to go down so thought it would be something different. I am slightly little disappointed that Merlin is being a youngster among the court but I did think making Nimueh a bad character was a clever idea if done right. Hope they allow her to entice Merlin (and in a non romantic way, Morgana) and don't kill her off in the first series. Also makes me wonder what they have planned for Lady at the Lake...
I'm torn between hope that we have a great series that will run for a long time and fear that it will be a bad one like Robert Hood but without the saving grace of Keith Allen.
It has magic, it has characters that they can develop over time, they have the old tales that they can put a different spin on, a fantasy world and certainly the bbc can succeed. Yet I have concerns, the position they have put Arther's love interest
seems off and how will they handle the characters? Merlin may not be near omnipotent given the age they put him at sure but don't make him a mistake prone nerd please. He did have a taste for the ladies so let him have that (actually be interesting to see how they plan to handle romances as a a whole and the somewhat adulteress natures of some of the characters), let him and Morgan be clever and while making of course they should make errors, those two should show signs of the brilliant if not always moral characters they would become. First series I'll be lenient too, having to spend time forming the characters but hopefully will do enough for a second series.
Anyone else intrested? Any thoughts, hopes or fears for the series?
“You, are a rebellious son who abandoned his father. You are a cruel brigand who murdered his lord. How can Heaven and Earth put up with you for long? And unless you die soon, how can you face the sight of men?”
