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Monday, October 8, 2012

HOLLYWOOD SPY EXCLUSIVE SPOTLIGHT ON BBC'S EPIC SERIES "MERLIN" SEASON FIVE WITH COLIN MORGAN, BRADLEY JAMES, EOIN MCKEN, TOM HOPPER

So, people, are you ready for the fifth, and gossips suggest possibly the final, season of BBC's epic fantasy show MERLIN? It has just started airing this Saturday over in United Kingdom (in a primetime slot, unlike the previous seasons), will air in a few days in Australia too and will air early in January next year on SyFy Channel in USA. It will also be aired in most parts of the world since it is the series shown in the biggest number of countries on the planet. After a very long period of waiting for the characters, the young warlock Merlin (Colin Morgan) and his friend and master Arthur (Bradley James),
to finally grow up and take the rule in their own hands, the story is finally about to unravel in the fifth season after Arthur's coronation as the new king in the previous season. They will now continue to fight all the evils that threaten the kingdom and Camelot and to fight Morgana (Katie McGrath) who is apparently more evil than ever before. They can still count on the help of Arthur's trusted knights Sir Gwaine (Eoin Macken), Sir Percival (Tom Hopper) and Sir Leon (Rupert Young), while Morgana will have the help of dangerous Mordred (Alexander Vlahos) who is now all grown up and very ambiguous and mysterious.
WHAT'S NEW IN SEASON 5?
With the development of the characters and their stakes becoming bigger, the fifth season will have a darker and more sophisticated tone from the previous seasons going deeper into the mythology around Arthur, MERLIN and the Round Table. This means that there will be
 more ensemble multi-stranded stories and the episodes will not focus only on Merlin. Morgana will get even more extreme in seeking revenge and in her quest to take over the throne of Camelot, Arthur will continue learning how to be a king and adjusting to his new role of
the ruler. Merlin will still remain kind hearted and nice, but will not be as naive as he was before since living in the world in which he has to keep his true identity secret has had an effect on him. Unlike other epic shows such as SPARTACUS and GAME OF THRONES, MERLIN will
retain a certain sort of innocence at the heart of the show which is why there will be balance and the fifth season won't be too dark, too violent or too sexual. The visuals of the new season will also become more serious and we shall see lots of remote castles, dark throne chambers,
magnificent winter settings covered in snow and ice. If the fifth run of the show proves to be the final one, it would mean that we shall have a tragic ending since we all know that the true legend had Arthur dying and his kingdom falling apart. This will make the end of the season/series similar to the final season of SPARTACUS which will in its final season WAR OF THE DAMNED next January also see the death of its lead hero.

MER LIN TID BITS
The opening episode of the new season ARTHUR'S BANE will have two parts and will jump up  in time seeing the main characters three years after we've left them in season four. There will be more dragons this time. As you remember a baby dragon was born in the last season and it is possible it will be under Morgana's rule. There will also be some magical wolves.
  Although the outfits in the show will be more luxurious now, and Morgana will flaunt some medieval diva costumes :), Merlin will, sadly, remain in the same old costume he's been wearing ever since the first episode five years ago. Sir Gwain will be the third male role in season five and other knights will also be in the focus which means there will be less guest roles than before. There will be catfights between Morgana and horrid Gwen (atrociously talentless Angel Colby).
  It is possible that the show will have two more seasons, and there were also talks about three feature cinematic films, which producers would like to do in the vein of THE PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN. Ladies will enjoy a lot of shirtless Percival with his pumped up muscles. We shall again see The Valley of the Fallen Kings and the Lake of Avalon. There will be more battles, druids and sorcery. 
It appears that Gwain might be the first one to discover that Merlin has magical powers. We shall again see Lindsay Duncan as Queen Annis, Janet Montgomery as princess Mithian and Anthony Head as the dead king Uther Pendragon, while Kelly Wenham will play Queen Mab. GAME OF THRONE's Liam Cunningham will play a dangerous druid. For more info visit a very resourceful Merlin Wikia.

45 comments:

  1. COLIN MORGAN IS MAGNIFICENT IN THE FIRST EPISODE OF SERIES 5. CAN'T WAIT TO SEE MORE OF HIM AND OF HIS PORTRAYAL OF MERLIN IN THE CONTINUATION OF THE SERIES. COLIN MORGAN IS FANTASTIC! AND GREAT EPISODE! LOVE IT! I HOPE I'LL LOVE ALL THE SERIES ALL THE SAME... AS LONG AS THE STORIES CONTINUE TO TELL US MERLIN'S STORIES AND ARE FOCUSED ON HIM, IT'LL BE FINE.

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    1. It's so true, Colin is the premiere actor of the show and I wish more episodes could focus on him and his Destiny with Arthur. The two of them together are amazing. I am hoping that Arthur begins to recognize Merlin's worth more--the banter is great, the constant insults not so much. It makes Arthur look less as a king when he hasn't honored Merlin's service after all this time, and that Merlin is even in the same clothes he was in when he arrived in Camelot. And I'm also hoping for a magic reveal this year. The fans have been waiting for so long for it, very impatiently, and it's high time. If it does happen, I just want the moment to belong to Arthur & Merlin only.

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    2. Dezmond, I have to hand it to you, you are like a breath of fresh air. You're like the boy in the story of The Emperor's New Clothes, brave enough to tell it like it is regarding the travesty that is the Gwen character playing her. There is a small but loud, (shrill) obnoxious circle of fans who feel the need to put down every character and actor on the show in order to demonstrate how great "their queen" is. A tiny but fanatical fan circle. I agree with you 100% on your call on this. I'm hoping for more Arthur-Merlin stories because they actually work together and pop on screen.

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    3. @Anon 1
      it is true, Colin and Bradley have the most amazing chemistry seen on television, and it is truly lovely watching them play together. Agreed on Merlin clothes and Arthur's insults. I don't think Merlin will reveal his magic publicly. I think only Gwain and possibly Mordred will know about it. However, it would be lovely if he would open up his magic publicly.

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    4. @Anon 2
      thank you, such support means a lot to us. We believe that no one should be afraid of the attacks of fans who do not see clearly. Everything you've said above is true. The way those fans attacked this site,even though we gave the professional reasons why we do not like the actress and they didn't gave us contrary reasons, just gives us more strength to fight for the truth and real talent.

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  2. Angel coulby was amazing in the first episode and she is a fantastic actress and the first episode was epic

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    1. I'm in the majority of people who think she's the weakest element in the show with her onedimensional and superficial facial expressions.
      Can't wait to watch the first episode later!

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    2. You're not in the minority, Desmond, I agree with this assessment of Gwen. The show has written the Gwen character as a Mary Sue--perfect in every way, saintly, more wise and royal than anyone born to the role. She suggested another route while those trained for strategy stood around and held their johnsons; she sussed out the traitor in Camelot far quicker than Arthur ever could. Every other character has to suffer so that her character can be elevated. And Angel Coulby looks ridiculous in those cleavage-baring costumes--short, broad and boxy. She has about as much chemistry with Bradley James as roadkill.

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    3. There are a number of fans that don't like Gwen, it's true, but you are definitely in the minority when it comes to Angel.

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    4. thanks, your support means much to us. The lack of chemistry between them, even though all other characters have deep chemistry, just shows how wrong that casting choice was.

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  3. I watched the first episode of season 5 and angel coulby's acting was amazing.

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    1. glad she has at least some fans....

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    2. There are more fans who support angel as a person and character.

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    3. that is nice, everybody deserves fans and support.

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  4. Bradley James stole the show (again) in his portrayl of Arthur. His expressions/reactions during the juggling scenes were hilarious, not to mention he is obviously well settled in his ability to carry off the sword fighting/action scenes.

    Kudos, also, to the young lady who portrayed Gwen's maid. Hopefully we'll be seeing more of her onscreen.

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    1. Totally agree. Bradley's the main reason I watch the show. If, as rumored, this is the final season, I look forward to following Bradley's career for many years to come.

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    2. @Anon and Anna J
      we do love Bradley a lot, he really shines in the role of Arthur, both in serious and in humorous scenes, and he also physically fits the role lovely.
      Hope both Colin and Bradley will have many new roles when the show finishes.

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  5. If people think Angel Coulby is the weakest element of the show, over Katie McGrath's inability to sell evil to a basket of kittens, then you guys really need to rewatch the show without your shipper goggles on. Just sayin'.

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    1. we watched it three times, each season :) It is one of our favourite shows and has also been voted as the best epic show on TV in one of our polls last year :)

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  6. Angel has more talent in her pinky than Katie en total

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  7. This should totally be my thing, but I just could not get into this show. I think it skewed to an audience much younger than me. That Morgana is very cool looking in that photo though. I think I want her coat. :))

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    1. probably because it is made in the European style which is more innocent than American one, they try not to show too much extreme bloodshed and violence at prime time. Such family shows are very important in today's world.
      Will talk with Morgana to lend you her coat :) It might smell on wicked potions though :)

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  8. Wow. What an incredibly cruel and extremely unprofessional comment. Regardless of personal feelings towards a particular actor, a professional reporter knows when to leave those feelings aside and just report the facts, which in this case would be the storyline. To go so far as to cut her out of the group photo (bottom picture) from a recent cast photoshoot is extremely petty (and, again, unprofessional).

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    1. Agreed. This article was not only rude and unprofessional it was surprisingly badly written.

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    2. the unprofessional thing is to attack a site which simply gives its true opinions. We've explained in the above comments and in most of our previous posts on the show (and HOLLYWOOD SPY is one of web's biggest MERLIN supporters for years now) exactly why we think that the said actress has no talent: one-dimensional approach, expressionless, no radiance nor warmth, the same cold face in all possible scenes. And you gave us no reasons why we should consider that this is not true, you just came here and anonymously attacked freedom of expressing opinions (HOLLYWOOD SPY is widely known for openly supporting talent and expressing open opinions when there is lack of talent too).

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  9. I really enjoyed the first episode of the new season, and I'm looking forward to what the rest of the season has to offer :)

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    1. glad you enjoyed the first episode, Jamie! :)

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  10. Oh noes!! Not the final season!! ;)
    (I still haven't watched a full episode... um-ah)

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    1. maybe it won't be the final one, who knows :)

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  11. Netflix is running behind on this one for me darling. I still only have the first three seasons and I'm missing the show.

    I don't know that they'll end the show with the death of Arthur. They've played fast and loose with the original legends so far and may keep to that. Either way, I enjoy the show and can't wait until Season 4 finally shows up on Netflix.

    Sent you and email darling.

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    1. oh, they're really slow in airing it, darling :(
      The producers said that they will stick to the legend when it comes to the tragic end, but they will probably give some kind of hope like the producers of SPARTACUS said they will do in the final season.

      Got the email :)

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  12. I tend to agree about Angel being a weak link - but the bland idealised character of Gwen and a romance with zero UST cant be easy to sel,l to be fair. Theres no character progression for Merlin and none for Arthur and none for Morgana and Gwen is just moving from maidservant Mary Sue to Queen Mary Sue. The show needs to stop running on the spot and grow some balls I think - they need a magic reveal so bad its painful but they seem too cowardly to do it. On the positive side - and there is one! - I loved the visuals in ep 1 and the Merlin/Arthur chemistry is off the map! Its what makes the show worth watching nowadays for me anyway.

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    1. we share the opinion on the show having a slow character progression. Producers said a couple of times that they want it that way, but it would've been much nicer if Merlin and Arthur war ruling Camelot and wielding some magic in season three or two already :)
      The magic between them is the best thing in the show, it is true!

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  13. People are really liking their medieval shows these days. ._.

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  14. Merlin is a brilliant show with a brilliant ensemble cast. Their chemistry on screen and off shows through in every scene.

    However, as every journalist knows, any personal issues you may have about the casting of a actor should not be turned into an attack on the actress. Your opinion on the characters is one thing - but I'm afraid your opinion on the actress is a minority one as you'd soon discover if you'd took the trouble to read all the truly professional reviews out there at the moment.

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    1. I must admit this is the first time I meet people who actually like her, and I'm surprised with the attacks we've been having since yesterday, but we respect the fact that she might have fans as all people in the business should have.
      However, one sentence about her mentioned in the above post isn't an attack, merely an honest opinion of a person who's been in this business for half a decade now. The fact that we do not see talent in someone you like doesn't make us unprofessional at all, it makes us people of different opinion.

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  15. Dang, I wish I hadn't read that little tid bit about Spartacus =(

    This is one of those times where ignorance is bliss.

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    1. what, what? Elsie, you mean you didn't read our spotlight on the final season on SPARTACUS in which we detail on the tragic ending? :)

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  16. Commenting on this post is now closed, due to a number of people who have been leaving comments with offensive words and bad language, which HOLLYWOOD SPY does not approve of as we always stick to expressing individual opinions in a decent and polite manner.

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