Maisi

I watched Merlin for the first time about 2 years ago, and I decided to watch it again and write a review this time. I absolutely love this series to pieces. I personally believe that the acting was very well done for almost every character (I say almost because there were a few side characters that were iffy). I also love the setting and how much work was put into the filming locations. Also, like many series with overarching plots, the story line gets darker as time wears on. The show starts out light hearted and will leave you crying at the end. Now, I like to see myself as a sort of history buff. When I first saw the pilot episode two years ago, I was taken aback by the costumes (especially the women’s dresses) and how inaccurate they were. Whenever I see some show or movie that has some basis on history, I like to pay special attention to the clothes and decorations. The reason why I kept watching was because of how simply charming the show was! And I’m happy that I did! If you pay attention, you will notice that as the episodes wear on, the garments of the characters become more times-accurate. So, if you’re like me, just keep watching. It gets MUCH better. Now for the next bit: I’ve read other reviews that complain about the diversity of the casting of Merlin. People who think they know what they’re talking about will complain about the casting choice of Gwen and her family, and will say that having any other race but white in 5th century Albion is totally historically inaccurate. Well, that assumption is wrong. Remember that King Arthur’s time came right after when the Romans left the British Isles, and there is extremely substantial evidence that the Romans brought Africans all that way north, and that many Africans stayed in the British Isles when the Romans left. So, having an ethnic black minority population in Camelot is completely valid (people ought to do their research.) Also, no one can really prove that Guinevere was white, seeing as the remains found at Glastonbury Tor of King Arthur and Guinevere cannot be verified. The special effects aren’t fantastic, but they can be over looked. Anyway, I truly do enjoy Merlin and I highly suggest watching it, especially if you love history based fantasy like me.