HumbleQueen Well, I guess I'm going off now and expect a long day tomorrow with church and then family, so my best wishes to you all until we get together again. Season may be over, but I'm sure we'll have lots to do on this club until filming starts in March or so and we start getting bits and pieces coming back about the new season. Merry Christmas and many blessings!!

Arwen4-ever Okay, so I haven't watched the episode yet, I'll do that tonight, but of your comments I can see that you were a bit disapointed. I don't know if I should be happy or sad about it. As Sam said, the show is called Merlin, so it tales point in Merlin of course. Yes, I do want Arwen scenes, I want alot of them! But the reason I started watching the show was because of the magic, the beasts and the storyline. Not because of Arwen. That of course came later. I enjoy all episodes of Merlin as well the episodes with Arwen. I love the Arwen episodes, I'm a big romantic-fanatic. So what I'm saying is that, we should be happy! Arthur and Gwen made up, kissed a couple of times and are together now forever! That I think is our christmas present from the writers and from the producers. To make those episodes for all kind of Merlin watchers. Merthurs, Arwenties... We should be happy, like Arthur and Gwem are now! Happy Christmas, lovely peoples. Will give my rewiev on the episode later.

lailastar I also noticed no reunion scene with her brother, no after shot of Tristan, most of you are right a lot was missed here. I remember there were scenes of Gwen last summer shooting scenes with refugee villages into the courtyard of Camelot, I guess along with the bed, the walk among the nobles all that was left on the cutting floor, sad. I am also disappointed that they chose to sacrifice Isolde, it is sad when you see a character from legend die, Tristan and Isolde were also legendary lovers.

lailastar There was no reunion scene with her brother, no after shot of Tristan, like most of you have said the episode felt rushed. There was a scene last summer of Gwen helping refugee villagers in the courtyard of Camelot, I guess that, along with the bed, the walk among the nobles all ended on the cutting floor, how sad. Another sad moment was watching Isolde die, her love with Tristan was also legendary.

LadyLoraine (at first: sorry for my unperfect english, hope, you don´t mind I´ll try, to give my best xD) I really have to say, that I absolutely liked the episode. I understand, what you mean, when you say it was rushed. But it was only, because so much things went together... I sat there and couldn´t think of anything, because of so much action around there. Wow. I found it a pity, that the enchantment wasn´t discovered, but okay, Arthur has forgiven her, that counts. I´m happy. Honestly I wasn´t very disappointed, that we didn´t get to see the wedding, it was alright for me. Of course it have been lovely, but so was the scene where Gwen was crowned. Long live Queen Guinevere! The scene where Arthur made up with Gwen was very cute, too. All in all I was very satisfied. And that Arthur got help of Merlin, to get the sword made sense for me. The sword was put there with magic, of course it needed magic then, to remove it. Merlin knows, that the sword is rightful in Arthurs hand, that Arthur is a special character and has a special future. But after all, Arthur is a nevertheless a normal human. But he had to believe again in his own power... we ALL know, Arthur will be the greatest king and Excalibur is HIS sword, because the dragon made it only for him and nobody else. He doesn´t have to pull the sword out of the stone alone, to make me believe, he has the right to lead Excalibur and Camelot... because I already know it. But HE lost the faith. Tristan and Isolde. I liked them, because they showed with their love, what he has to loose, if he can´t forget his broken pride. His true love, Guinevere. And he never wanted to loose her again.

sportyshuie Wow ... great great comments ladies. Have yet to watch it but the soonest i do, i'll come back here and post my comments. Till then merry christmas everyone.

sportyshuie Allright, give me a minute will ya’ coz I haven’t still pulled myself together after watching this episode. Emotions are running high and they differ on various level. Right, I guess I’m fine now … Where do I start. 1.The episode on the whole was a bit of a letdown. The buildup was high on tension and the expectation left us at nail bites but the finally product was a letdown. Sorry for those who disagrees but I didn’t feel the excitement I felt after watching episode 9 onwards. Truthfully speaking, I was still staring at my laptop at the end credits with my mouth lip-synching WTF, many times. 2.Everything seems rushed and cramped up. Little drama, rushed up actions sequences, lesser arwen scenes and very minimal Morgana & Arthur scenes. If they wanted to have a 2 parter of this episode, then the first parter could do with lesser comedy scenes or probably lesser Morgana and aggy scenes. I don’t know … I just feel we were being cheated of some incredible moments from this episode which could have been memorable and very explanatory of certain issues. 3.Or, they could have increased another episode just to avoid not having told of some scenes. It’s not always compulsory to have just 13 episodes you know! 4.As for the Excalibur part, when I first read in a thread, I too rant my arse off knowing they shouldn’t be tweaking on the legendary issue. But after watching the scene, it makes sense. In some legends, the sword in the stone and Excalibur are two different swords while in some they are the same. In the legend, the sword in the stone is to prove Arthur’s birthright while Excalibur was to restore his fallen pride. Yes, in the legend, after battling King Pellinore till he was severely wounded, Arthur was losing his faith as he lost his sword, his pride of almost losing the battle and being gravely wounded .. Merlin tells him about Excalibur and how to obtain it. He restores Arthur’s faith and allows the king to win the fight. Here, Arthur is not trying to prove his birthright, he is lost and fallen. So, the sword is played out to restore his faith. After all, the sword is his, being made and convinced by the dragon that only Arthur must wield it; therefore no magic will work on his touch. All he needed was a little push and that’s what Merlin did. Magic was needed as magic thrust the sword in and only magic can get it out but what’s important is the faith that was restored upon Arthur. Clever scene! 5.Arwen scenes were a mixture of sad and happy feeling. Liked the way the coronation is played out, much better than it was in Morgana’s scene. But would have gone for the wedding if given choice. No enchantment reveal and happy with that as I wanted Arthur to accept Gwen as she is. Their scenes in the forest were minimal, as I preferred to have them talk heart to heart. Hated the way he snapped but liked the way she told him of her feelings and left. Disappointed and cheated, is how I feel for them in this episode and I had my hopes high. Hmph! 6.Tristan and Isolde were rocking. I was extremely sad at Isolde’s demise. She was lovely and a fighter. Poor Tristan but overall their inclusion was vital. It was well played for our Arwen and worked their magic on these two darlings. Good job. 7.Gwen and Morgana scene was brief but liked the way she said she had nothing personal on Gwen just on her destiny. 8.Merlin and Arthur’s scenes were awesome. Banters were kept strictly on business and dragoon … he never ceases to make me laugh. And Merlin’s wardrobe was cute on him. That proud look he flashes at the end … arghhh, he makes me happy. 9.And finally that intervention by the little white dragon. WTF!! I though the dragon was supposed to be Merlin’s and Arthur’s ally. Now it’s with Morgana? Can’t quite put my finger on that subject. Hopefully will have some in S5. So, here you go. So sorry it is long but I personally feel this isn’t the best of the episodes this season. But they did their best for us and we should appreciate some of the hard work they’ve done concerning Arwen. So for that matter alone, I forgive them for screwing with this episode. It’s been a rollercoaster ride for all of us but at the end, I longed to listen to just one phrase and that was “Long live the Queen”. I heard it allright and looking forward to the next chapter of these beautiful couple. Happy days ahead!

EPaws Lucerna, there can be no Coronation before a betrothal, a wedding and then and only then a coronation and time passes between each.

azwarrior First, MERRY CHRISTMAS to all YOU beautiful people! Second, I would like to leave some "thoughts" about this finale BUT will be leaving to my brother's soon for a family dinner. So with that, I will say while NOT the best finale I was able to be ok with it in the end. Hopefully I can come back and leave some thoughts. I really enjoyed all of your "insights". Hugs to all.

chattawak Hi everyone and first of all Merry Christmas!!! Well, now my thoughts about the epi? I had so much expectation, I ended up feeling cheated. NO wedding scene, NO enchantment reveal, NO proper heart-to-heart conversation between Arthur and Gwen after all they had been through, NO cliffhanger whatsoever IMO, NO siblings interaction...Ok. Sorry ladies, I'm pissed! So, I won't linger on the Excalibur part. The good parts : Finally the confrontation between Arthur and Morgana which I have been waiting for since ages...I love this scene! Love how arthur told her, she's more like Uther than he is, 'cause it's so true. I like the way Gwen told him that she never stopped loving him. Her acting never disappoint me. I also LOVE Arthur's line “I just don’t ever want to looose you”. So smooth... The proposal was IMO much better than the first one. My only qualm was the light too. I know they did that for effect, but the little perv in me wanted to see their lips, damn it! I wish the enchantment had been revealed. I just can't get pass the TRUST thing even though Arthur forgave Gwen. IMO, forgiveness is not the same thing as forgetting. Forgiveness is not blind. If trust has been violated you cannot just forget what happened or else the same thing might happen again. So let’s face it—even though you might forgive a person who has betrayed your trust, your trust in that person has been crushed. I would love for the writers to deal with this issue between A&G in S5. But I'm afraid, they may just drop it. Plus, it's not fair to Gwen believing she actually is guilty. They do succeed in destroying Gwen's blameless character. Plus, plus, am I the only one that think that the enchantment thing was all about Arthur learning how to forgive others for their wrongs? I hated the « weakness » line. A shame the writers would have Arthur say this. I felt the writers completely ruined that moment in the hut...and all the building they had so masterfully written in 4x11 and 4x12. "I came back because you're the only friend I have and I couldn't bare to lose you". Sorry guys, I love Merlin a lot, but I can't help but feel upset about this perfect image of him Arthur keeps cherishing. Gwen is the only person who has not betrayed Arthur or lied to him but never once did he show that he was worried about what happened to her after the banishement. She could have died out of camelot. Tristan & Isolde were for me a hell of a couple! I didn't like a bit how the writers use her. Why did they kill her off? Would Arthur still have been callous and indifferent to Gwen if Isolde didn't die? Series 5 was questionable for me after this finale. I'd better stop now before I start crying, 'cause it's the end of the season. I say it again : I cherish every single moment I've shared with you ladies...

Bonne-Bell @chattawak: I interpreted the weakness scene as Arthur just being angry and down on himself and lashing out because of it. I don't think he actually meant what he said. Also, I think he wanted to apologize for hurting her and to make up way before Isolde died. You can see this in the scene where Gwen went up to him and told him that she had never stopped loving him. He started to say something to her but she was already walking away so I think he stopped. He also looked at her and they shared a tender moment just before they went into the throne room to confront Morgana. I too didn't like that they killed Isolde off. I wanted her to stick around so she and Gwen could be friends. I really liked their scenes together in the episode.

leona21 Watched that scene with him saying it was a moment of weakness again. I agree with you Bonne-Bell, Arthur was angry about everything that was happening and lashed out verbally at her. Sometimes we lash out at those we feel closes to. He knows Gwen IS his weakness and there laid the problem for him. He didn't want to take her back just like that, but you sensed that was what he wanted to do. I think he was still struggling with the fact that he gave up half his kingdom just on the chance she was out there waiting for him. However we must remember that Arthur is a King and his pride was hurt badly. The moment he saw her again he became like mush in her hands. If you noticed she touched his arm and he immediately said, "Don't!" He knows if they had any physical contact he would have that "Moment of weakness" again.

kbrand5333 Merlin was AWESOME. He was SUCH a badass in his scene with Agravaine. Not scared. At. All. He blew away all those bad guys without so much as a twitch. I loved how Ag tried to make friends with Merlin, thinking that they are both deceiving Arthur. Clueless bastard. So. Loved Merlin in this ep. Disappointed that there was no scene w/Gwen and Elyan. I thought that was teased. Disappointed that we didn't get to see Gwaine kick all those guys' asses with his little wooden sword. Disappointed that Merlin's magic had to help Arthur pull the sword out, but like someone said (forgive me, I don't recall who), Merlin put it there so no one could use it, so it made sense (for them) that he had to "help" Arthur retrieve it. I'm not saying I LIKE what they did, but I understand it and it made sense how they did it. Disappointed that the fight between Gwen and Morgana didn't last longer. Disappointed in baby Aithusa. We could put it down to ignorance, but I would have thought that surely Kilgarrah was looking after him. So did Gaius just miraculously recover? WTF? I agree with Liz re "weakness" comment. Arthur was pissed at everything and taking it out on her. You can see he was so conflicted when Gwen later told him that she never stopped loving him. Loved Merlin. Loved Tristan & Isolde. Wish they hadn't killed Isolde; I really liked her. Loved the big smooshy kiss after the coronation; wish we had more wedding stuff. We had better get deleted scenes. We missed the courtyard walk, Arthur fighting with each knight in turn, and who knows what other Arwen tidbits. I liked the episode, but once again they tried to pack 10 pounds into a 5-pound-capacity bag.

kenya1234 I think the preparation of the forgiveness will lead to Arthur's forgiveness of Merlin when the reveal comes. As Aggravaine said, Merlin has been deceiving Arthur for years. Though not intentionally it is still a form of betrayal. That truth will sting but he will have to come to the realization that Merlin kept this truth to protect him and that he has not used his power for evil. How Arthur finds out about Merlin's magic is a season finale or premiere all of itself.

kenya1234 I also liked the way they showed a more powerful side to Merlin. They make Morgana so tough all of the time it makes me wonder who is stronger. If it were not for the prophecies of Emrys I would almost think that Morgana is stronger. They really have to allow Merlin's reveal, I think it will be then that we will really see how strong Merlin really is.

kenya1234 It would have been nice if the dragon could have brought Isolde back to life too.

kenya1234 I wonder how Arthur will take hearing about Aggravaine's death?

EPaws Yes, Kenya. We spent most of the season loathing the damn man and his death came and went in the blink of an eye and I must say, I didn't get a blasted ounce of satisfaction out of it. Oh I loved how Merlin manned up and disposed of the infidel, but yet, no one has yet to mention that we got rid of the eyebrowed peril. He was a total non event. Ah well, we have Morgana and the Saxon's to deal with next season so let us see who the key baddie is going to be.

kbrand5333 I will admit that I actually found Merlin to be a trifle hot in that scene. But I totally agree: Agravaine's death was far too good for him and far too dismissive.

itsastart Late to the party but here we go: 1. Dragons breath, stop, drop, and roll 2. Uncle Hemmorhoid has been Preparation - H'd (smile) 3. Morgana and Helios, no buy in for this undynamic duo 4. Gaius and Elyan do your freakin job......bracelet, hello McFly 5. Gwaine, sexy, chivalrous, and funny... my hero 6. Tristan makes Arthur feel bad, FORCED, storyline pusher 7. Arthur's moment of weakness, epic hug crushed (WTF!) 8. Guinevere has cried enough, enough, enough 9. Merlin keep your day job, your bedtime stories suck 10. Rename episode: Sword Stuck in the Stone- Greatest King Grunts 11. Dragoon, token appearance, Morgana moans, doll groans 12. Arthur has a Stuart Smalley moment: I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggone it, people like me!!!! 13. Alice Troughton thinks in slo-mo 14. Morgana is not worth anyone's tears my boy (wants attention) 15. Gwen/Morgana, destined for remedial confrontation school 16. Tristan/Isolde, nice try, Arthur needs kleenex 17. Gwen/Arthur, ignore script, blinded by light during epic kiss 18. Coronation: what came first? chicken or egg? Great Kiss... 19. Tree tells Morgana that acting school is that way. 20. Aithusia, you have been a very bad boy!!!!!!!!!!Time Out.....

kbrand5333 So how did you REALLY feel, Julie!

lailastar There is a Merlin marathon on space today and tomorrow here in Canada. Watching the old series from 1, the storylines are stronger and more mature and interesting, non of the silliness I saw in series 4, as Arthur losing his pants twice, once you rewatch the old series you realize that most of series 4 was not that great, they try too hard to please the Merarthur fandom and try to make Merlin and Arthur look more like a couple. The earlier series had non of that,too bad they think its cute, but is not

Bonne-Bell ^I agree. I think the M/A relationship was the best in series 1. They had a great dynamic, great storylines and none of this forced slash-bait that adds nothing to the relationship or the plot and is just there to appease slashers. I also think that another problem with their relationship is that it hasn't really progressed much since season 1. Arthur still treats Merlin like crap most of the time and doesn't listen to him and Merlin still lies to Arthur even when he doesn't have to. I'm hoping that in the coming season, the writers will be brave enough to let their relationship progress before the magic reveal. I would like it if Arthur made Merlin his advisor before he learns about his magic. It would show that he values him as a person not just his magic.

HumbleQueen LOL, Julie!!!!!!!!!!! I had the best laugh I've had in a long time!!! Lailistar, I've been watching some early ones also and must say I agree with a lot you've said about the M/A dynamics. The forced slash stuff has made me want to regurgitate this year. But I think the performances by most have grown in maturity and Bradley particularly has shown the struggles of the emerging king far better than he could have handled it earlier. I think all of this appeasement of slashers has hurt the M/A relationship as well as Arwen. Precious time which could have been better used to give meaningful development to these two beautiful relationships was wasted and hurt the show overall. I hope they realize it and make corrections in S5.

chattawak Hi Julie, welcome back. We've missed you.