Firstly, let us begin by saying if you haven’t already watched Merlin, there’s a long summer ahead and five seasons of Merlin on Netflix (on the British one, at least) that you definitely need to watch. There are more than five great moments between Merlin and Arthur, but here are five we chose, one from each season.
Spoilers for anyone who hasn’t seen Merlin yet!
5. Season 1, Episode 10
You’d think that ten episodes into Merlin, the Prince of Camelot wouldn’t be so close to his servant, but this isn’t the case. In The Moment of Truth Merlin finds out from his mother that his village is in danger and decides to leave Camelot to go back and help them. However, the particular moment we’re talking about in this episode is when Arthur realises that Merlin doesn’t plan to return to Camelot and – in a rush of Princely love – follows Merlin back to Ealdor to make sure Merlin returns home with him. Because, you know, Princes following their servants to ensure they stay together is typical behaviour.
4. Season 2, Episode 12
This moment comes during The Fire Of Idirsholas when Morgause puts a sleeping spell on Camelot in order to kill Uther, King Of Camelot. Arthur and Merlin are the only two still awake and Arthur is about to face into Morgause’s attack. Arthur shortly falls asleep, Merlin only hesitates for a short while before slapping him across the face. The natural instinct for anyone who’s just been slapped would be to retaliate. Arthur skips that and goes right to telling Merlin that if he needs a servant in the next life, he’ll find Merlin because obviously Arthur can’t survive any life without Merlin by his side.
3. Season 3, Episode 2
All you need to know about this moment is that there’s lots of “it’s your fate to be the greatest king Camelot has ever known” on Merlin’s side and some “There are times Merlin, when you display a sort of…I don’t know what it is. I don’t want to say…it’s not wisdom. But, yes. That’s what it is.” on Arthur’s side. There’s pretty much lots of bonding and emotional Merthur-ness that sets you right up for season 3.
2. Season 4, Episode 13
Perhaps the greatest episode of Merlin is The Sword In The Stone: Part Two. Arthur pulling the sword from the stone is a well known legend and Arthur and Merlin portray the scene beautifully. This comes at a time when Arthur has lost all hope and is questioning his ability to be King of Camelot, a thing no one wants to see. Merlin spins a wild story about a legend that he was told as King in order to trick Arthur in to pulling the sword from the stone. This scene is particularly brilliant because seeing Arthur hopeless is horrid, and this restores his faith in himself. Go Merlin! (as always)
1. Season 5, Episode 13
We could talk about this episode forever and we would never do it the justice that it deserves. We haven’t chosen a particular moment for this one, largely because every scene with Merlin and Arthur in this episode is beautiful. The Diamond Of The Day: Part Two is the series finale of Merlin, and it’s also the episode that Arthur finds out about Merlin’s magic and ultimately, dies. Arthur is betrayed at first but Merlin never wavers from his servant duties, telling Arthur that “Me, I was born to serve you, Arthur. And I’m proud of that. I wouldn’t change a thing.” The real beauty in this moment is Arthur realising that Merlin always used his magic for good, and that maybe magic isn’t all bad after all. Before he dies, Arthur tells Merlin “I don’t want you to change…I want you to always be you. I’m sorry about how I treated you.” and maybe that’s all Merlin ever needed to hear from Arthur.
What do you think of our top five Merthur moments? Tweet us at @CelebMix!