Merlin

2008
4.8
1.06K reviews
TV-14
Rating
Eligible
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Season 1 episodes (13)

1 The Dragon's Call
9/20/08
Merlin, a young good-looking country boy, arrives at the great bustling colorful city of Camelot. He rushes into the castle walls and hurries to join a lively crowd that has gathered in the main square. However his excitement quickly fades as he takes in the spectacle he is watching. A young man is led to the gallows, found guilty of practicing magic and sentenced to death. The axe falls, but the roar of approval is interrupted by an old crone who warns Uther that he has taken her son, and in revenge she will take his. The guards rush to arrest her, but she incants a spell – and disappears in a spiral of dust upwards and away from Camelot.
2 Valiant
9/27/08
The evil Knight Valiant buying a magical shield embossed with snakes. The sorcerer from whom he buys it enchants the snakes to come alive, they will kill his opponents in battle but Valiant orders the snakes to kill the sorcerer. They have a new master now.
3 The Mark of Nimueh
10/4/08
Deep in a subterranean cave a beautiful witch, Nimueh, molds a clay model into a tiny creature that she brings to life with a drop of water. She places the strange being into an egg and sends it hurtling down the river that flows towards Camelot. The egg surfaces in the water of a darkened vault – the one which supplies all of Camelot's drinking water.
4 The Poisoned Chalice
10/11/08
Bayard and the Knights of the Western Isles are welcomed to Camelot for a feast celebrating a union between the two kingdoms. However Nimueh has other plans. Posing as a serving girl, she infiltrates Bayard's party and enters Camelot with the view to seeking revenge on Merlin.
5 Lancelot
10/18/08
Merlin narrowly escapes with his life when he is attacked by a mysterious and terrifying creature with the body of an eagle and the head of a lion. At the last moment a young stranger appears and manages to fight the monster away. A grateful Merlin introduces himself to the wounded hero who tells Merlin that his name is Lancelot before promptly passing out.
6 A Remedy to Cure All Ills
10/25/08
A mysterious, scarred man enchants a bunch of flowers which are then delivered anonymously to the Lady Morgana, but as she sleeps, an enchanted beetle creeps from the bouquet and enters her ear…
7 The Gates of Avalon
11/1/08
Morgana has a terrible nightmare. It shows Arthur's death at the hands of a strange but beautiful girl. She does not fully understand what it is about, but the intensity of the dream scares her.
8 The Beginning of the End
11/8/08
When a Druid and his young apprentice are caught in Camelot, the terrified pair make a desperate bid for freedom, with guards in hot pursuit. Throughout the chase, Merlin hears the boy's telepathic cries for help. Unsure what is happening, he is increasingly concerned but feels compelled to help the terrified child – he realizes, he must hide him. Merlin ushers the child inside the nearest door, only to find Morgana and Gwen there. To his surprise, when the guards knock on the door, Morgana covers for the boy and the guards pass.
9 Excalibur
11/15/08
At Arthur's coming of age ceremony the celebrations are suddenly interrupted when a mysterious Black Knight crashes his horse in through the window. He throws down his gauntlet, challenging the knights of Camelot to single combat. A young, eager Knight, Sir Owain, picks it up, accepting the challenge – they will fight the next day. Uther is white as a sheet as he watches the knight go, staring intently at the distinctive crest which marks his helmet.
10 The Moment of Truth
11/22/08
Merlin is stunned when his mother, Hunith, turns up in Camelot, bruised, battered and desperate for help. Their village has been attacked by a bandit - Kanan and his men. Kanan is demanding all of the harvest and will be back in a week to collect everything or they will pay with their lives. However if they give Kanan their food they'll starve to death.
11 The Labyrinth of Gedref
11/29/08
Out on a hunting trip, Arthur kills a unicorn. Merlin rushes to the animal's side, obviously upset, as the Knights cheer Arthur for killing this most highly-prized of beasts. As the unicorn dies, Merlin sees a wizened old man watching the scene amongst the trees. Their eyes meet – a beat and then he's gone.
12 To Kill the King
12/6/08
Against his better judgement Gwen's father, Tom, agrees to help a renegade sorcerer, Tauren, turn lead into gold using a magical stone. Halfway through the act, a voice rings out – they're both under arrest. Several guards appear out of the shadows, led by Arthur. Tom goes quietly but Tauren uses magic to escape… Arthur turns to Tom. He is under arrest for treason against Camelot.
13 Le Morte D'Arthur
12/13/08
Whilst out on a routine hunting trip, Arthur and his men encounter a huge and terrifying monster. It has the body of a lion and the head of a serpent, with a huge pair of dripping fangs.

About this show

Merlin will one day be the greatest wizard that the world will ever know, but for now, he is just a young man, geeky and awkward, who must keep his talent hidden in a kingdom where magic is banned or face certain death. In this ambitious and action-packed drama, the myths, monsters and magic of the legends are revitalized and given a modern twist which sees relationships and friendships develop between the characters in preparation for their inevitable destinies.

Ratings and reviews

4.8
1.06K reviews
Audrey Bird
April 7, 2015
Fantastic show for all who love fantasy, medieval, and mythical things. There is some drama, would not recommend for kids under 11, but still amazing and a good show to "start off" with instead of more epic and scary shows such as Doctor Who, Sherlock, etc. It does get more epic with every season, the last two being especially epic, but I recommend this as a starter show for kids 11 and up. A great re-invention of the Legend of King Arthur, and more interesting with Merlin being a young man instead of old.
38 people found this review helpful
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Nyris Greenwood
August 7, 2018
This is THE BEST television show OF ALL TIME!!! I fell in love with this family-oriented retelling of the great legend that we have all heard as children, and drank in the entire five seasons in less than that of 3-4 weeks. What is the story about? Well, in short, a simple teenager named Merlin who was born with unexplained magical powers travels to see his uncle in a kingdom called Camelot, where magic is forbidden. But he reason WHY he goes to see his uncle, is because, ironically, Gaius (Merlin's mother's brother) is the only one that Merlin's family knows of that knows the inner workings of magic. So, in the care of Gaius, Merlin hones his Magic skills and discovers that it's his destiny to protect a Dollophead-of-a-Prince named Arthur. (Did Arthur HAVE to be such a Clotpole?!) SPOILER ALERT!!! I must say, however, that I did NOT enjoy the conclusion, as it just wasn't satisfying. The creators somehow made me want to see much more, as it felt that they cancelled the show when it was finally getting started. (E.g. Arthur FINALLY finds out that Merlin has unique magical powers.)
63 people found this review helpful
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Patrick McFarland
October 2, 2017
I love this show Merlin (Colin Morgan)is the best sorcerer in any movies & t.v shows I ever love, I admire him & I wanted more to see him to any movies or t.v shows as a main character. I have hope that Merlin has a season 6 please continue this show,so many would love to watch this. I am from the Philippines number 1 fan of Merlin and Arthur. Please make an effort to continue this I'm begging you. Let my young warlock back in the show.
2 people found this review helpful
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