The end of Merlin is almost upon us and the drums beat for war. With honestly no insider information whatsoever (at the time of writing this article we’ve not seen it yet), it is time to consider what might happen in the final two-part story, ‘The Diamond of the Day’.

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Camlann

Glimpsed in Morgana’s dream from ‘The Darkest Hour’ and then in the vision Merlin received in ‘Arthur’s Bane’, we expect a phenomenal battle at Camlann with Arthur and the allies of Camelot facing off against Morgana and her Saxons.

As magic meets contemporary weapons, surely there is only one way this can go? Can Arthur be persuaded to let the magical forces of good weigh in on his side? We jolly well hope so.

The death of the Mentor

It’s engrained in all forms of story telling, from Albus Dumbledore to Obi Wan Kenobi, that the wise old mentor needs to die in order for the young hero to finally face his destiny and come of age. Merlin has two such figures in his life, but the one with the most emotional resonance is probably Gaius.

The old wizard has looked vulnerable on a couple of occasions, in ‘The Secret Sharer’ when he was tortured and under lock and key when Morgana took Camelot again in ‘The Sword in the Stone’. Perhaps this is his time?

Dragon vs. Dragon

Both Gaius and The Great Dragon provide vital support Merlin. As well as his Yoda-like wisdom, Kilgharrah has also been the young wizard’s last resort in extremis, saving him from doom on various occasions. Recently in ‘The Kindness of Strangers’ we saw that he was wounded and his passing was fairly unsubtly foreshadowed.

Of course Morgana has her own dragon, Aithusa, and in the final battle we expect to see the young verses the old with either one or both not making it out alive.

Death or Glory

While Arthur and Merlin get on with the heavy stuff, we heartily expect some of the Knights to fall.

Our money is on Percival to be cut down after taking on ludicrously insurmountable odds and saving our heroes. This will probably involve him taking his shirt off too.

Excalibur’s final resting place

The magical sword, forged by Gwen’s father and burnished in the Great Dragon’s breath will doubtless be wielded by Arthur in the final battle. Though it’s been in the Lake of Avalon before, we expect a Knight of Camelot to be slinging it back there before the credits roll.

As we have no Sir Bedivere on the main cast, our pick would be the ever loyal Sir Leon to do the deed, unless that falls to Merlin himself?

The Druid Boy

Despite his turn away from Arthur, it’s difficult to believe that Mordred truly believes in Morgana’s cause.

When his anger over the events of ‘The Drawing of the Dark’ cool, we expect a epic crisis of conscience and a magical confrontation with his mistress at a crucial juncture, perhaps saving one of his former Knightly friends?

Emrys (aka Dragoon the Great)

With Merlin’s penchant for disguise, we expect ‘old Merlin’ to play a crucial part in the proceedings.

While Morgana and Mordred may well know his secret, Arthur and the Knights still do not so we expect some aged action from ‘Dragoon’, or possibly his female alter ego ‘Dolma’.

Gwaine vs Morgana – it’s a physical thing

The most volatile of the Knights, Gwaine has been humiliated and tortured by Morgana before` and they have some fantastic chemistry. If they don’t get it on before the end of the series, and we so hope they do, expect some action if Gwaine gets half a chance to get his own back.

Equally, should Arthur fall, expect Gwaine to be first in line for meting out some vengeance to Mordred and his dark mistress.

The Pendragon Line

With Arthur fated to die at the hands of Mordred, we ought to consider the succession to the throne of Camelot. Unless any other relatives come out of the woodwork, there is currently no obvious person to inherit the lands.

Assuming Camelot survives, she will be in need of a new King and so we predict that Gwen will at least be announced as pregnant by the end of the finale, if not actually give birth… perhaps to a son named Albion?

A Magical Reveal

Finally, when there is no other option, we have to expect that Merlin’s powers and all has achieved will be revealed to his friends. Or at least to Arthur. Or to someone so that it can be written down and remembered…. Where is good old Geoffrey of Monmouth (Michael Cronin) when you need him?

Sadly, we expect Merlin to be shunned and mistrusted, and then possibly chased out of town. Of course, we also expect him to ride to the rescue in magnificent fashion and possibly pay the ultimate price for his loyalty to his King and Camelot… and it will be truly magical!

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