even King Uther’s gleaming white fortress looks uncannily like Cinderella’s Castle at Disney World. Merlin wanders through a kingdom that looks like a historical re-enactment weekend at the medieval fair in Norman, Okla. If anything, “Merlin” would be better if its creators had taken more liberties and shown more imagination in coloring in the background of their young hero’s world.Įven “Spamalot” came up with a way to reintroduce the Monty Python anthem “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life.” This Camelot is more predictable and flat. Even one of the first full accounts, written by Geoffrey of Monmouth in the 12th century, was a reworking of vaporous Celtic myths and ancient folktales. Stories about King Arthur, Lancelot and Guinevere have been told for more than a thousand years. There is no definitive version of the tale. There is no reason for purists to question the liberties that “Merlin” takes with the Arthurian legend. Rowling has often said that her novels were inspired by White’s interpretation of the Knights of the Round Table. The very fact that the series is centered not on Arthur but on a young wizard who has magical gifts that he doesn’t fully understand or control shows the influence of Harry Potter. Their relationship has a rough start when Merlin stands up to Arthur and doesn’t stand down even after learning that the bully happens to be the heir to the throne. Merlin quickly crosses paths and maces with Arthur, a handsome but arrogant prince who picks on younger, weaker boys for sport. At that time he also had all the dragons slayed, save one, the Great Dragon (the voice of John Hurt), which was kept alive and chained in caves beneath the castle’s dungeons. The story opens with a beheading Merlin arrives in Camelot on the day King Uther (Anthony Head) orders the execution of a man accused of witchcraft, which the king had banned (along with all uses of magic) 20 years earlier.

The adventures of merlin season 6