The Adventures of Merlin: Season 3

12 years ago, I wrote the season 2 review for Merlin, thinking that the season 3 review would be following shortly afterwards...

So now here we are...

Anyways, my husband (who knows nothing about Arthurian legends), and I are going through the series, and it has been the best rewatch experience for me! I had totally forgotten what a comfort watch this show is and what sold the show was the very believable bromance between Arthur and Merlin, which gets better and better with every season.

Merlin with The Fisher King in "The Eye of the Phoenix"

• Season 3 definitely had its strengths and weaknesses, but it was a solid season

• Unfortunately, 'the freak of the week' trend continued with episodes such as "Goblin's Gold," "The Changeling," and "Love in a Time of Dragons". These seemed to be written so as not to lose the junior audience that the show had originally been intended for.

• However, the episodes of "Gwaine, "The Eye of the Phoenix," and "The Coming of Arthur: Pts. One and Two", are considered some of the best episodes in the whole series.

• I always remembered this season as the season that Gwaine showed up. Because you know reasons...

 

• It would have been interesting to get some more information on Gwaine and what happened to him and his mother. And what are the reasons why he has to live out on the road.

• It's a shame that a character as legendary as Morgana Le Fey got the worst material.  It seems like the producers only wanted to focus on Morgana's beauty and nothing else. Morgana's whole secret undercover, working for the enemy trope was too drawn out.

• Thankfully, writing for Gwen got better. Watching Gwen and Arthur's forbidden love story and their external and internal struggles humanized them both.

• Gwen's dresses just get more and more beautiful!

• Nothing to say. Just the gift of this gif

• Three Harry Potter actors were in this season! Miriam Margoyles (Professor Sprout) was in "The Changeling," Warwick Davis (Professor Flitwick) was in "The Eye of the Phoenix" and Harry Melling (Dudley Dursley) was in "The Sorcerer's Shadow."

• I missed seeing Kilgarrah (the Great Dragon), but I guess it was signifying Merlin's maturity as a sorcerer and having to answer his own questions.

• Why did it take three seasons to find out that Gwen has a brother??

• Upon this rewatch, I had forgotten my crush on Sir Leon! He became one of the best characters in the show even though he was only supposed to be in one episode in the beginning of season 2. The fans loved him so much that the writers kept him on and he finally became a series regular and was made the First Knight of Camelot. Leon's real emergence into the story was the season 3 finale. He was fantastic.

Our first meeting with Sir Leon in season 2
 (with an epic helmet removal and reveal of his soon to be signature curly hair)

Being the only knight brave enough to tell Arthur off

Meeting up again after he's bravely defended Camelot against Morgana

• Just when you think that Arthur has matured somewhat, he's back to bullying Merlin.

• It's interesting that we've heard about King Cenred since season 1, but we never see him until season 3. He's also the only young king that we've seen until Arthur takes the throne. He had potential to be a cool villain in a you-love-to-hate-him sort of way, but he was reduced to Morgause's pawn instead.

• Merlin is definitely more comfortable with using his magic in public for non-emergency situations. (Ex. putting Arthur in his place after he bullies him)

• This season really highlights toxic empathy when Merlin goes against Kilgrrah's warning and saves Morgana. His reason was because he didn't want to watch everyone's grief, but is that reason enough to allow evil to live and grow?

• Watching Gwen take charge, save Leon and escape Camelot was exciting and I loved it!

• The finale episode of seeing the 4 elements of Arthurian legends coming together. Merlin, Arthur, the knights and the round table