Merlin: Season 4 [Blu-ray]

'Merlin' follows the life of a young warlock, the legendary Merlin, before he becomes the bearded advisor to King Arthur. Merlin, instead of being a wizened old man, begins the series as a happy, optimistic young man. The opening scene has this wide-eyed country boy entering Camelot, a place where he could be executed just for the simple reason of having magic. His first meeting with Prince Arthur is surprising and hilarious. After saving Arthur's life, King Uther rewards Merlin by making him a manservant to Prince, and now King, Arthur. Colin Morgan's (Merlin) and Bradley James (Arthur) have a great chemistry together and are the sole reason that Merlin and Arthur have such an epic bromance. Merlin and Arthur's banter and rapport with each other is amazing and entertaining.The show kind of picks and chooses parts of the legends and pieces them together however the writers choose. Some Arhturian legend people probably think the show is blasphemous, but I think it is pure genius. Right away, the humor embedded in the show drew me in. I love sarcasm and banter. Then, this season, 'Merlin' began to show a depth it did not previously possess. The fourth season starts out strong, establishing Arthur as the ruler of Camelot, and after his father's surprising death in episode the three "The Wicked Day", as king. Each episode this season has more of a weight on it. You can feel how much work Merlin still has to do the create Albion and how Arthur feels like he won't live up to his father's reign. The show, I guess most reviewers are saying, has become more dark and mature.This season, like all shows, had its highs and lows for episode quality, but altogether, this show is amazing.My favorite episode is "A Servant of Two Masters," Who knew that Merlin being cursed to become Arthur's assassain could be so hilarious? One episode that I did like, but I didn't think went with the story arc they had begun at the beginning of the season was the ninth episode, which is where Lancelot makes an appearance to help complete the Arthurian Love Triangle of Gwen, Arthur and Lancelot. I felt like they were only putting it in there for legends sake. If they were going to do that, they should have done it when Lancelot was still alive and done that story line justice. I wish they would have stayed more focused on Morgana's search for Emrys and Arthur's journey to accepting magic.Honestly, I mostly watch the show because I love the characters, and therefore, I have come to love the actors. Colin Morgan, Bradley James, Katie McGrath, and Angel Coulby simply shine this season, especially Colin and Bradley. They both have to pull off a lot of emotional scenes, which they nail, but they both also possess great comedic timing. All of there scenes together (and apart) are just wonderful. Gwen's charactor gets more involved with court politics this season, letting Angel really sink her teeth into the role, allowing her to show more dimension to Gwen's charactor.So, yes, simply put: Merlin is definitely worth watching...over and over again. Plus, with this box set, you get the amazing extras, which you can't get off of Netflix, so I think everyone should own the DVDs or Blurays.

For some reason, I had purchased the DVD sets of Season 1 and 2 a few years ago.They just sat there in front of my TV with many other TV series... I didn't even look at them anymore, as I didn't think they would be very good. The subject matter was kind of Ohh Humm... and after I got them, I discovered this was a British series and made by the BBC, so I knew it couldn't be very good.I began to run out of some of the more interesting series' I'd purchased, and decided one day to watch Season 1.I was shocked! The production, and acting was quite good, as were the special effects, and story and the writing!! But, the best was the acting of the main characters! Excellent! Really excellent!So, it goes without saying I watched Season 2 after and then purchased season's 3 and 4, and 5. All of these seasons proved quite excellent and well worth the cost as well as the time spent watching!The only downside with the series was of course it was a BBC production, meaning it showed NO bloodshed! I mean come on... in ALL the many battles and sword fights, stabbing some foe with a sword, the sword ALWAYS came away clean and with NO blood on it! I mean how FAKE can you get, right? I discovered that almost all productions by the BBC are like that. Apparently not wanting to show blood and gore to any audience! Oh my God!However, aside from that, this was one of the best and most entertaining series I've ever watched.

In Season 4 of a projected 5-Season story-arc much of what we have heard about the legend of Arthur is touched upon. (It has already been announced that the show ends with Season 5.) Uther dies, Arthur is crowned king, Lancelot has a tryst with Gweneviere betraying Arthur, Arthur marrys her anyway, and the season ends with the Sword in the Stone. It is one thing to know that TV and Movies are rarely shot in sequence but it is quite another to know that Camelot is located in a backlot at Cardiff Studios in Wales and Arthur's Castle is located in Brittany, France where scenes for an entire Season of programs is shot in one session lasting weeks. As often happens as the popularity of a show increases so does its budget and the complexity of the CGI effects used to create it. The backbone of the program remains the by-play between Merlin and Arthur both now in their mid-twenties. The fact that they are made peers allows us to see them grow and mature together in their relationship with one another and in their mastery of the duties allotted them. The show retains the light-hearted banter that has characterized it from the beginning and touches on the more serious aspects of the story without getting heavy. It remains a family oriented program.

This copy registered as a fake on my device. Very disappointing.

Say what you will about the creators of this series rewriting the legend to fit in with a 21st Century audience. I have been looking for a heart-felt, gut wrenching Bromance since Starsky and Hutch went off the air in 1979. I've loved Bromances since I was a child, don't ask me why, but men caring for each other is an attraction I cannot pass up. Though Arthur treats Merlin like the 'fool' he pretends to be in order to keep suspicion away from his use of magic, in the end of series 4, their bond is growing stronger and stronger. Merlin is finally seeing a way to step through the door and become Arthur's 'advisor' and... Arthur finally sees the truth in Merlin's words,as showcased in the final two parter "The Sword In The Stone" arc. There is hope here, lots of it, especially in regards to their trusting each other and being positively protective of each other. The other stories in this series are supplemental and used to drive this central relationship to its heartbreaking conclusion. Colin and Bradley's performances shine and they are an incredible team. A most satisfied veiwer, here. Bring on the Bromance and you've got a fan for the duration!

merlin was a special tv show for me. I always enjoyed shows and books about Merlin, dragons and related to that. It had only 5 seasons, but the perfect entertainment. this was one my favorite seasons and Merlin is still today, one of my favorite tv shows. Perfect tv, perfect cast, perfect chemistry between the cast. I miss this show so much

Merlin is one of my favourite, if not my favourite ever TV series. With great, well-written characters, great CGI effects, chemistry involving bromances and romances and lots of action sequences as well spices of humour, it is a truly brilliant show. The first three series of the show are exceptional, absolutely terrific fantasy drama, and just when we thought it couldn't get any better, the forth series broadcasts, and series 4 is something very special, as it is the best series yet.This series has been more of an adventure than the previous three series, and It was absolutely amazing and immensely enjoyable throughout. I have really enjoyed all of four of Merlin's series, but for me, this is the only series of the show that does not have a single bad episode; the series has several excellent episodes, as most episodes in this series for me were 9 or 10 out of 10, and I enjoyed all 13 of them at the very least, whereas previous series all had at least one episode that was below the average. So Merlin's forth outing doesn't just continue the outstanding standards of the previous three series, it tops them.So just how great is this series? - The opening 2-Parter, ''The Darkest Hour'' is by far the best episode of Merlin ever! Not just of the series, but of Merlin as a whole! From the very beginning of the episode it is clear to see how much the series has changed - at the start of every episode in the first three series, the voice of the great dragon says ''... the destiny of a great kingdom rests on the shoulders of a young boy...'', but in this series, it has changed to ''young man'', which shows that Merlin is older and wiser, preparing for his great destiny. Morgana is also much more powerful that she ever has been, making her a great danger towards Camelot. For the first episode of a series to top the entire show is quite something. The episode was very epic and action packed, with Arthur and Merlin's bromance and Arthur and Gwen's romance really strong. The episode has very un-predictable events that lead to emotional scenes and it is a smashing episode that has everything needed for an entertaining drama show.. This episode is undoubtedly the best episode of the show ever, and it as great as Merlin gets.The rest of the series did not fail to deliver either, as following episodes continued to be exceptional.*SPOILERS AHEAD.You would think that after the shows best installment, the next episode would be somewhat weaker, but here that is not the case, as ''The Wicked Day'' was another superb episode that was very surprising and has a huge effect on the show. King Uthur, played by Anthony Head, left the show, after being King for more than three series. His exit was done brilliantly. The episode also has lots of laughs as well as tears. We also saw the return of Old Merlin. Arthur became king after three series of build up to that.After the shows' best episode ever, followed by the episode that changed Camelot, following episodes had a lot to live up to, and they were great. ''Aithusa'' has lots of humorous scenes, and a great storyline of Merlin trying to find the last remaining dragon's egg, so that Killgarah will no longer be the last of his kind. ''His Father's Son'' has Arthur making several wrong decisions and he must put them right. Guest star Lindsay Duncan gave fantastic acting and Queen Anis, and we Arthur getting more wiser, settling into the role of king really well. Episode 6, called ''A Servant of Two Masters'' is a really enjoyable episode, which has fantastic pacing, the second appearance of Old Merlin this series, and a fantastic magic battle between Emrys and Morgana.''The Secret Shearer'' continued the story from last weeks episode, but it is not quite as good. The episode is actually the series weakest' episode, as it is the most predictable episode of Merlin ever, and in the end, it came to no development at all. However, it was still really good. It had a much bigger part for Gaius, there is not usually an episode of the show which sees so much of him. It also has a bigger part for a particular knight, Sir Gwaine. The episode actually just goes to show how great the series, as even the series weakest has more positives than negatives.The following episode, ''Lamia'', returned the series to it's exceptional quality and was a great episode, with one big thing that let it down a little. Once again, it is an episode that has both darkness and humour, and it had fantastic ensemble for all the main characters, Merlin, Arthur, Gwen, Gaius and the knights of the round table, which is not often done in the show. It is great to have episodes centered around a particular characters, but this episode has a big role and involvement for all the characters of the show. What let this episode down was the terrible CGI at the end, which is not often something to fault on Merlin, as the CGI is usually excellently done. The following episode ''Lancelot Du Lac'', I have exactly the same views as the preceding episode - great, with one big thing letting it down. It had a great exit for the knight who has been in the show the longest, Sir Lancelot. Lots of emotional scenes in the episode, and absolutely superb acting from Angle Coulby who plays Gwen. However, I love Arthur's strong bromance with Merlin and romance with Guinevere, and what the episode had letting it down is that it cooled down the romance between Arthur and Gwen big time!''A Herald of the New Age'' was a really enjoyable dark and spooky episode which was centered around a particular knight, Sir Elyan. Elyan disturbs the spirit of a demented soul, and possess him, causing him to do things that Elyan would never do - the most serious of which is to kill Arthur, who is the reason why the spirit is not at piece. This episode gets rid of predictable events, and it is all wrapped up well in the end. The episode has humorous moments as well as dark, jumpy scenes. All the actors give brilliant performances in this episode as well, and it is yet another episode that makes this a fantastic series. In terms of storyline, this episode is completely different to the last episode, but it did not throw the previous episodes story to one side, there was a reference to Gwen in this episode, more than once,The final three episodes form a 3-Parter, with episode 11 being a prologue, and episodes 12 and 13 being a 2-part finale. Episode 11, ''The Hunter's Heart'' made up for Arthur and Gwen's romance being seriously cooled in episode 9, but this time, it was Arthur and Merlin's bromance that was cooled down, as Arthur threatened Merlin, twice! They had such a strong bond in the first half of the series. Yet strangely, at the same time, Merlin and Arthur's bond got somewhat stronger as well. But this is still another great episode that continued to make this such a fabulous series. This episode is somewhat similar to Series 3 Episode 6, ''The Changling'', without being just a simple redux of it. This is yet another brilliant episode which was really enjoyable and featured great acting from both the main cast and guest stars, also had elements of humour. I must admit that I was also a little disappointed by the two-part finale, ''The Sword in the Stone''. Although a very epic and enjoyable final, in the end, in is just a repeat of series 3's 2-Part final, ''The Coming of Arthur'', virtually event for event: Morgana takes over Camelot, Merlin and Arthur flee, Arthur is sad, Merlin cheers him up and they re-take Camelot. However, the episode does have a few differences. Arthur and Gwen also become king a Queen of Camelot at last! Which was one of the series highlight scenes. However, I barley dislike this episode at all; it is still absolutely brilliant! The series also ends of a cliffhanger, a bigger cliffhanger that ever before, this was a very effective way to end the series, and it makes us think ''Roll on series 5!''.Overall, an absolutely amazing series of Merlin. By far the strongest yet!

I bought all from series 1-5 one by one, and enjoyed right from the beginning. (I haven't watched the series 5 yet but I will soon). All the actors and actresses played very well for their roles. I always like films related to King Arthur and this version is one of the best, funny, romantic and clean. It was a good idea to change from King to Prince Arthur with young Merlin! I recently bought series one and two of 'Game of Thrones' extremely violent, cruel and brutal!!! I had to close my eyes very often. I thought this was like Merlin, mystical with lots of magic...my gosh! It's far from what I imagined. I started to miss this version of Merlin, funny likable and clean. I haven't watched the second series of 'Game of Thrones' yet. I must first overcome the trauma of the extremely violent and brutal series 1. In a mean time I will watch Metlin 5 to calm my nerves and enjoy peaceful (?) and magical Merlin!

I am a great admirer of the knights of the round table so when Merlin appeared on our screens and was excellent, I just had to buy the complete Series. This is No. 4 in the set and I am hooked from Series 1. Can't wait for the last one but with regret that there will be no more. It does not disappoint and the excellent acting must be congratulated along with the special effects. The storyline is excellent, even if it deviates occasionally from the traditional story, but the acting is brilliant. Bring on more dramas like this BBC !

The most exciting and dark series of Merlin yet! After the finale of series 3, Morgana is desperate for revenge for those who she feels have wronged her. Despite her being exiled to a forest, she has spies on the inside of Camelot. Watching the episodes fills you with adrenaline as what you think is going to happen next isn't necessarily correct.The acting this series shows how great the young actors - Colin Morgan, Katie McGrath, Bradley James and Angel Coulby - are. In previous series, the characters were more light-hearted, now really shows their talent as darkness grasps the realm of Camelot. I would like to mention than Katie McGrath really has shown a transformation in the character of Morgana, once the lady of Camelot now a powerful sorceress whose heart is no longer full of the love and kindness that was once there. Outstanding!