Merlin (TV series)/Characters: Difference between revisions

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The characters of the [[BBC 1]] series ''[[Merlin (TV)|Merlin]]'':

The characters of the [[BBC 1]] series ''[[Merlin (TV series)|Merlin]]'':

Note: Season 4 has aired, so there will be spoilers!

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* [[I Have Many Names]]: Emrys, among others, according to Mordred and the Great Dragon. Somewhat [[Inverted Trope|inverted]] as Merlin himself is unaware of most of them.

** He has also given himself a name for his [[Secret Identity]] as an old man: "Dragoon"

* [["I Know You're in ~~There Somewhere" Fight|"I Know You're In~~ There Somewhere" Fight]]: Merlin tries this on {{spoiler|Morgana}} in 3x02. {{spoiler|It doesn't work.}}

* [["I Know You're in There Somewhere" Fight]]: Merlin tries this on {{spoiler|Morgana}} in 3x02. {{spoiler|It doesn't work.}}

* [[Last of His Kind]]: Merlin's father is revealed to be the Last of the Dragon-Lords, Mages who posessed the ability to command and bend Dragons to their will. Upon his father's death, Merlin inherited the gift and the responsibility of being the Last Dragon-Lord.

* [[Love Hurts]]: His relationship with Freya, [[The Gwen Stacy]].

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** 4x03 {{spoiler|In disguise, he accidentally kills King Uther with magic and in front of Arthur: Arthur has now lost both his parents to magic ''and he knows''.}}

* [[Papa Wolf]]: A non-parental example, but he is ''fiercely'' protective of Arthur and Gwen.

* [[Playing ~~With~~ Fire]]: As with [[Blow You Away]], Merlin's elemental powers are usually based in fire or air.

* [[Playing with Fire]]: As with [[Blow You Away]], Merlin's elemental powers are usually based in fire or air.

* [[Power Perversion Potential]]: Fanfic has him magically undress a partner rather often.

* [[Secret Keeper]]: He's the only one who knows about Lancelot's feelings for Gwen.

* [[Self-Fulfilling Prophecy]]: His actions against {{spoiler|Mordred and Morgana}}, at the guiding of the Dragon, are significant factors in driving both to become the very evil the Dragon predicted in the first place.

* [[Servile Snarker]]: Occasionally.

* [[Shipper On Deck]]: He ships Arthur/Gwen, probably more than they do themselves.

* [[Shipper on Deck]]: He ships Arthur/Gwen, probably more than they do themselves.

* [[The Smart Guy]]: He's definitely this (especially when compared to Arthur), as he is one of the wisest characters. From the cast's commentaries, [[Colin Morgan|the actor]] is described to be this in [[Real Life]], as well.

* [[The Snark Knight]]

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* [[Jerkass]]

* [[Jerkass Facade]]

* [[Jerk ~~With~~ a Heart of Gold]]

* [[Jerk with a Heart of Gold]]

* [[Last Girl Wins|Last Guy Wins]]: Arthur may have known Gwen [[First Girl Wins|longer]] than her other two love interests, but he was the last to be introduced as a potential love interest for Gwen in 1x10 (though the ship was teased upon in 1x01 and 1x05). [[Foregone Conclusion|Then again, it's not much of a surprise.]]

* [[Lawful Neutral]]: [[In Universe]], often laments in private that he must adhere to the laws of Camelot, even if he personally disagrees with them or it causes those he cares about to suffer.

* [[Lawful Neutral]]: [[In-Universe]], often laments in private that he must adhere to the laws of Camelot, even if he personally disagrees with them or it causes those he cares about to suffer.

* [[Like Brother and Sister]]: Arthur and Morgana become this in Season 2.

** And then they became {{spoiler|ACTUAL brother and sister. Well, half at least.}}

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* [[Oedipus Complex]]: In the episode ''Sins of the Father'', Arthur meets the (young and beautiful) ghost of his mother, whose words inspire him to gallop straight home and nearly commit [[Patricide]].

* [[The Promise]]: "When I am King, I promise you; things will be different. We can be together."

* [[Puppet King]]: Sadly, he comes across as this in series 4, spending the entire thirteen episodes being manipulated by Agravaine or blind-sided by Merlin. The only clean victory he gets (without any secret help from Merlin) is freeing the spirit of the Druid boy. Everything else, including his retrieval of [[Excalibur in ~~The~~ Stone]], is in some way directed by Merlin.

* [[Puppet King]]: Sadly, he comes across as this in series 4, spending the entire thirteen episodes being manipulated by Agravaine or blind-sided by Merlin. The only clean victory he gets (without any secret help from Merlin) is freeing the spirit of the Druid boy. Everything else, including his retrieval of [[Excalibur in the Stone]], is in some way directed by Merlin.

* [[Shirtless Scene]]: A LOT.

* [[Slap Slap Kiss]]: With Morgana.

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* [[Submissive Badass]]: To Guinevere. Though she's half his size, there's a definite theme of Gwen being the more dominant one whenever they get physical (tackling him in ''The Curse of Cornelius Sigan,'' pushing him into a tent pole to kiss him in ''Sweet Dreams'' and topping during their makeout session in ''Queen of Hearts'').

* [[Sugar and Ice Personality]]: He maintains a stoic demeanour when in front of his father, the court and his knights, but relaxes considerably when he's alone with Merlin, and is quite the big softie when it comes to Guinevere.

* [[~~Twenty Four~~ Hour ~~Armour~~]]: It's not very consistent, but sometimes he can wear his armour at the oddest times, including to banquets and other casual celebrations.

* [[24-Hour Armor]]: It's not very consistent, but sometimes he can wear his armour at the oddest times, including to banquets and other casual celebrations.

* [[Unlucky Childhood Friend]]: Morgana.

* [[Unresolved Sexual Tension]]: With Gwen.

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* [[Break the Cutie]]

** [[Kill the Cutie]]

* [[Broken Bird]]: Morgana's resentment towards Uther's hatred for magic and those who use magic led to her [[Face Heel Turn]], so much that Merlin sympathizes with her in 3x02 and even tries to pull a [["I Know You're in ~~There Somewhere" Fight|"I Know You're In~~ There Somewhere" Fight]].

* [[Broken Bird]]: Morgana's resentment towards Uther's hatred for magic and those who use magic led to her [[Face Heel Turn]], so much that Merlin sympathizes with her in 3x02 and even tries to pull a [["I Know You're in There Somewhere" Fight]].

* [[Cain and Abel]]: Now that she's trying to kill Arthur. Even after learning that he's her brother. It's a far fall from when she actively ''defended'' him in 1x07.

* [[Everything's Better ~~With~~ Princesses]]: [[Averted]]; she is always known as Lady Morgana and apparently has not been awarded the title of Princess, even though she has been Uther's ward since early childhood {{spoiler|and is secretly his daughter.}}

* [[Everything's Better with Princesses]]: [[Averted]]; she is always known as Lady Morgana and apparently has not been awarded the title of Princess, even though she has been Uther's ward since early childhood {{spoiler|and is secretly his daughter.}}

* [[The Caligula]]: Her short stints as Queen of Camelot didn't seem to involve anything except demanding that the people accept her as their ruler, killing them when they refused, and burning their crops just to drive the point home.

* [[Clasp Your Hands If You Deceive]]: A couple of times in series three.

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* [[Defrosting Ice Queen]]: Only to revert back into an [[Ice Queen]] in Season 3.

* [[Dreaming of Things to Come]]

* [[Driven By Envy]]: This seems to be the source of her newfound hatred toward Guinevere, considering that her former serving maid is destined to be Queen of Camelot - a position that Morgana believes is ''hers''.

* [[Driven by Envy]]: This seems to be the source of her newfound hatred toward Guinevere, considering that her former serving maid is destined to be Queen of Camelot - a position that Morgana believes is ''hers''.

* [[Et Tu, Brute?]]: She ''did not'' take Merlin's betrayal or Uther {{spoiler|not publicly recognizing her as his biological daughter}} well...

* [[Evil Is Petty]]: Sure, her animosity toward Uther and Merlin is almost Shakespearean in nature, but her treatment of Gwen is just catty and mean.

* [[Excessive Evil Eyeshadow]]

* [[Eyes of Gold]]: Like Merlin, when she uses magic.

* [[Fake Brit]]: [[Katie McGrath]] is from Dublin in real life. Unlike Colin Morgan she mostly [[Not Even Bothering ~~With~~ the Accent|keeps her Irish accent.]]

* [[Fake Brit]]: [[Katie McGrath]] is from Dublin in real life. Unlike Colin Morgan she mostly [[Not Even Bothering with the Accent|keeps her Irish accent.]]

* [[False Friend]]: Towards Merlin, and later towards Arthur, Gwen, and (in a daughterly manner) Uther.

* [[Faux Action Girl]]: She is presented as a feisty girl with a sword, but she never accomplishes anything. Read [http://zahrawithaz.livejournal.com/1893.html this.]

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* [[Internalized Categorism]]: Morgana explicitly tells Uther that she hated herself for years after realizing that she had magic, having been brought up for a significant portion of her life by a man who claimed that it was evil and executed anyone who possessed it. It almost becomes a [[Self-Fulfilling Prophecy]]: having taken in Uther's teaching that magic was evil, she subconsciously believes that having embraced her magical side, she ''has'' to act evil.

* [[Heterosexual Life Partners]]: With Gwen. This starts to deteriorate in Season 3. Also, with Morgause.

* [[Hot Chick ~~With~~ a Sword]]: 1x10, 2x04, 3x02, and 4x13.

* [[Hot Chick with a Sword]]: 1x10, 2x04, 3x02, and 4x13.

* [[Jumping Off the Slippery Slope]]: Has shades of this through the first two series, attempting to kill Uther at least twice because of her hatred towards him. By the third series, she's long since become a [[Bitch in Sheep's Clothing]] and crossed the [[Moral Event Horizon]]. By the fourth, the Morgana who'd rather die than see a child hurt in series 1 (Mordred), callously reacts to the news of innocents death with an expression of "So?".

* [[Katie McGrath]]

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* [[Memento MacGuffin]]: The bracelet she received from Morgause to help her sleep.

* [[Ms. Fanservice]]

* [[Making a Splash]]: Whereas Merlin's powers seem to be based on [[Blow You Away|air]] and [[Playing ~~With~~ Fire|fire]], Morgana is often connected with water, most obviously in ''The Tears of Uther Pendragon'' in which the damp mandrake root conjures up visions of drowned murder victims.

* [[Making a Splash]]: Whereas Merlin's powers seem to be based on [[Blow You Away|air]] and [[Playing with Fire|fire]], Morgana is often connected with water, most obviously in ''The Tears of Uther Pendragon'' in which the damp mandrake root conjures up visions of drowned murder victims.

* [[Mama Bear]]: Morgana's strong attachment towards Mordred causes her to become very protective of him and a willingness to do anything for him in order to keep him from harm's way.

* [[The Mentally Disturbed]]: You could definitely make a case for Morgana.

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* [[Self-Fulfilling Prophecy]]: Which leads to her [[Face Heel Turn]].

* [[Shadow Archetype]]: To Merlin.

* [[Shipper On Deck]]: Morgana became a bit of a shipper of Merlin/Gwen in 1x03 and 1x04.

* [[Shipper on Deck]]: Morgana became a bit of a shipper of Merlin/Gwen in 1x03 and 1x04.

* [[Show Some Leg]]: Morgana devises this plan in order for Gwen and her to escape from bandits in 2x04.

* [[Slap Slap Kiss]]: With Arthur.

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* [[Distressed Damsel]]: A couple of times, but [[Memetic Mutation|not nearly as often as you'd think]]. It's probably because the (very few) Gwen-centric episodes ''do'' [[Never Live It Down|involve her in considerable distress]].

* [[Dogged Nice Girl]] / [[Unrequited Love]]: Towards Merlin in Season 1.

* [[Dude Magnet]]: [[Zig Zagging Trope]]. This is something of a [[Memetic Mutation]] due to her reputation in the source material. In this version, [[Foregone Conclusion|Arthur and Lancelot]] have fallen in love with her, and Gwaine and Helios have shown brief interest (however, both are characterized as being womanizers; in their case, it's not so much that Gwen is special so much that Gwen is ''there''). The trope was [[Subverted]] with Merlin, who shows [[Oblivious to Love|no romantic interest in her at all]], despite her obvious crush. If you're keeping track at home, ''Arthur'' has been romantically linked with more women than Gwen has with other men. <ref> In order, they are: Morgana, Sophia, Guinevere, Vivian, Elena, Mithian</ref>

* [[Dude Magnet]]: [[Zig-Zagging Trope]]. This is something of a [[Memetic Mutation]] due to her reputation in the source material. In this version, [[Foregone Conclusion|Arthur and Lancelot]] have fallen in love with her, and Gwaine and Helios have shown brief interest (however, both are characterized as being womanizers; in their case, it's not so much that Gwen is special so much that Gwen is ''there''). The trope was [[Subverted]] with Merlin, who shows [[Oblivious to Love|no romantic interest in her at all]], despite her obvious crush. If you're keeping track at home, ''Arthur'' has been romantically linked with more women than Gwen has with other men. <ref> In order, they are: Morgana, Sophia, Guinevere, Vivian, Elena, Mithian</ref>

* [[Expository Hairstyle Change]]: Her hair goes from practical buns to long, loose curls as she rises in status.

* [[Hair Decorations]]

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* [[Badass Normal]]

* [[Badass Longcoat]]

* [[Blood On These Hands]]: He clearly suffers from a guilty conscious when faced with the apparitions of his deceased wife and the children he drowned.

* [[Blood on These Hands]]: He clearly suffers from a guilty conscious when faced with the apparitions of his deceased wife and the children he drowned.

* [[Broken Pedestal]]: Arthur gradually comes to realize that his father is not the infallible father/king that he initially believed him to be.

* [[Create Your Own Villain]]: Uther certainly played a large part in how Morgana turned out.

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** Unfortunate [[Fridge Logic]] implies that the crazy villains were the only ones to survive his great purge, thanks to their paranoia and justified fear of the king. The less dangerous magic users wouldn't have expected for a just king to slaughter them all.

** Or that they were [[Driven to Villainy]].

* [[Jerk ~~With~~ a Heart of Gold]]: On every issue except magic, though there is rather more Jerk than Gold. Notably he is very sympathetic to Merlin's mother when Ealdor is being attacked and expresses a desire to see the [[Jerkass]] who's doing it wiped off the face of the earth.

* [[Jerk with a Heart of Gold]]: On every issue except magic, though there is rather more Jerk than Gold. Notably he is very sympathetic to Merlin's mother when Ealdor is being attacked and expresses a desire to see the [[Jerkass]] who's doing it wiped off the face of the earth.

* [[Kick the Dog]]: Just about every episode.

* {{spoiler|[[Killed Off for Real]]}}

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* [[Retired Badass]]: He may have given up practicing magic, but he still has it in him.

* [[Secret Keeper]]

* [[Shipper On Deck]]: From the looks of 2x13, he approves of Arthur/Gwen.

* [[Shipper on Deck]]: From the looks of 2x13, he approves of Arthur/Gwen.

* [[Team Dad]]: To Merlin and Gwen especially, but also Arthur and Morgana (though he {{spoiler|messed up spectacularly in that case}}).

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* [[Heartwarming Orphan]]: [[Subverted]]

* [[Hey, It's That Guy!]]: He is [[The Boy in The Striped Pyjamas|Bruno]] and [[Nanny McPhee|Norman]]

* [[Innocence Lost]]: Probably [[Because Destiny Says So~~|because destiny says so~~]]: he has to [[Big Bad|kill Arthur]], so a lot happens to make him change from a [[The Woobie|scared little boy]] to a [[Enfante Terrible|vindictive kid]].

* [[Innocence Lost]]: Probably [[Because Destiny Says So]]: he has to [[Big Bad|kill Arthur]], so a lot happens to make him change from a [[The Woobie|scared little boy]] to a [[Enfante Terrible|vindictive kid]].

* [[Little Miss Badass|Little Mister Badass]]: As demonstrated when he kicked the asses of a bunch of Camelot's guards with his magic in 2x03 and 2x11.

* [[Now Let Me Carry You]]: Mordred is glad to take care of an injured Morgana, in thanks for her previously caring for him.

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* [[Parental Abandonment]]: His father died and his mother was [[Missing Mom|never mentioned in the first place]].

* [[Parental Substitute]]: Not very lucky with them: the first one was killed by Camelot's knights and the second was a [[Manipulative Bastard]] who wants to use him and Morgana to bring Uther down.

* [[Put On a Bus]]: Unfortunately, Asa Butterfield (Mordred) won't be in Season 3 because of scheduled filming conflicts. He ran off into the forest at the end of season two and hasn't been seen since.

* [[Put on a Bus]]: Unfortunately, Asa Butterfield (Mordred) won't be in Season 3 because of scheduled filming conflicts. He ran off into the forest at the end of season two and hasn't been seen since.

** [[The Bus Came Back]]: He's been recast for series five.

* [[Rule of Three]]: Has appeared three times in the first two seasons.

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* [[All Love Is Unrequited]]

* [[Back for ~~The~~ Finale]]

* [[Back for the Finale]]

* [[Betty and Veronica|Betty]]: To Arthur's [[Betty and Veronica|Veronica]].

* [[Big Damn Heroes]]: With Percival.

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* [[Conflicting Loyalty]]: Always between what he wants and what he thinks he deserves. In his first appearance it was between becoming a knight of Camelot and staying true to his ideals by not taking credit for something Merlin achieved; in later episodes it exists between his fealty to Arthur and his desire for Guinevere.

* [[Did Not Get the Girl]]

** [[Everything but ~~The~~ Girl]]

** [[Everything but the Girl]]

* [[Mr. Fanservice]]

* [[Evil Costume Switch]]: When he comes [[Back From the Dead]] as Morgana's [[Unwitting Pawn]], he's dressed in black. It's a wonder the good guys didn't notice...

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* {{spoiler|[[Heroic Sacrifice]]}}

* [[Heterosexual Life Partners]]: With Merlin. It helps that they both think the world of each other.

* [[Hey, It's That Guy!]]: [[Heroes (TV)|Issac Mendez]] is Lancelot.

* [[Hey, It's That Guy!]]: [[Heroes (TV series)|Issac Mendez]] is Lancelot.

* [[Honor Before Reason]]: Rejects the offer of becoming a real knight of Camelot in favor of first being true to himself.

* [[I Gave My Word]]: In "The Darkest Hour" he promises Gwen that he'll protect Arthur, no matter what. {{spoiler|He sacrifices himself to uphold the promise}}.

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* [[Knight in Shining Armor]]

* [[Longing Look]]: His expression of choice whenever in the vicinity of Guinevere.

* [[Rescue Romance]]: Played straight and then [[Subverted]] in ''[[Merlin (TV)/Recap/S02 E04 Lancelot and Guinevere|Lancelot and Guinevere]]''. The two of them bond extremely quickly due to the life-or-death situation they find themselves in, but it is actually Arthur who ends up saving ''both'' of them.

* [[Rescue Romance]]: Played straight and then [[Subverted]] in ''[[Merlin (TV series)/Recap/S02 E04 Lancelot and Guinevere|Lancelot and Guinevere]]''. The two of them bond extremely quickly due to the life-or-death situation they find themselves in, but it is actually Arthur who ends up saving ''both'' of them.

* [[The Rival]]

* [[Romantic False Lead]]: His reappearance causes some conflict to the Arthur/Gwen romance.

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* [[Anti-Villain]]: Until his [[Heel Face Turn]], as he has ''very'' good reason to despise Uther.

* [[Big Bad]]: The final episode of series two.

* [[Big Damn Heroes]]: {{spoiler|Comes to Merlin's rescue in ''[[Merlin (TV)/Recap/S03 E01 The Tears of Uther Pendragon Part I|The Tears of Uther Pendragon]]'' then again in ''[[Merlin (TV)/Recap/S04 E01 The Darkest Hour Part I|The Darkest Hour Part I]]''.}}

* [[Big Damn Heroes]]: {{spoiler|Comes to Merlin's rescue in ''[[Merlin (TV series)/Recap/S03 E01 The Tears of Uther Pendragon Part I|The Tears of Uther Pendragon]]'' then again in ''[[Merlin (TV series)/Recap/S04 E01 The Darkest Hour Part I|The Darkest Hour Part I]]''.}}

* [[Eccentric Mentor]]

* [[Eyes of Gold]]

* [[Fan Nickname]]: [[Ho Yay|Slash Dragon]].

* [[Heel Face Turn]]

* [[It Has Been an Honor]]: In ''[[Merlin (TV)/Recap/S04 E02 The Darkest Hour Part II|The Darkest Hour Part II]]'' this is his reaction to Merlin stating that he’s going to sacrifice himself to seal off the spirit world. You can clearly hear the fondness and grief in his voice at the notion of Merlin dying, but it’s also obvious that Kilgharrah is incredibly proud of Merlin’s conviction and good nature.

* [[It Has Been an Honor]]: In ''[[Merlin (TV series)/Recap/S04 E02 The Darkest Hour Part II|The Darkest Hour Part II]]'' this is his reaction to Merlin stating that he’s going to sacrifice himself to seal off the spirit world. You can clearly hear the fondness and grief in his voice at the notion of Merlin dying, but it’s also obvious that Kilgharrah is incredibly proud of Merlin’s conviction and good nature.

* [[Last of His Kind]]: {{spoiler|Not anymore due to the hatching of Aithusa.}}

* [[Manipulative Bastard]]

* [[Evil Mentor|Morally Ambiguous Mentor]]

* [[Treacherous Advisor]]

* [[What the Hell, Hero?]]: In ''[[Merlin (TV)/Recap/S03 E05 The Crystal Cave|The Crystal Cave]]'' he’s enraged at the fact that Merlin forces him to divulge a spell to heal Morgana by using his Dragonlord powers, considering it a serious breach of trust.

* [[What the Hell, Hero?]]: In ''[[Merlin (TV series)/Recap/S03 E05 The Crystal Cave|The Crystal Cave]]'' he’s enraged at the fact that Merlin forces him to divulge a spell to heal Morgana by using his Dragonlord powers, considering it a serious breach of trust.

== Characters Introduced in Season 2 ==

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* [[Mauve Shirt]]

* [[Older and Wiser]]: Among the Knights. And it shows, as he is often calm, collected and sensible.

* [[Romance On the Set]]: There are persistent rumors that he's dating [[Angel Coulby]].

* [[Romance on the Set]]: There are persistent rumors that he's dating [[Angel Coulby]].

* [[Shirtless Scene]]: Which cemented his position as a major cast member.

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* [[Hair of Gold]]

* [[Heterosexual Life Partners]]: With Morgana.

* [[Hot Chick ~~With~~ a Sword]]

* [[Hot Chick with a Sword]]

* [[Kick the Dog]]: Putting a spell on Morgana to make her the vessel to summon the Knights of Medhir in order to destroy Camelot ''without'' telling Morgana probably wasn't Morgause's best idea in the world...

* {{spoiler|[[Killed Off for Real]]: By ''Morgana'' in the series 4 premier. It's a [[Mercy Kill]], with Morgause's full consent.}}

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* [[Only Mostly Dead]]: {{spoiler|Apparently killed in the season 3 finale, but she comes back in season 4. Given her mutated face, it's clear that she and Morgana went to extreme lengths to keep her alive.}}

* [[Pet the Dog]]: In spite of her plot to murder Uther, Morgause does find time to reunite with her half-sister Morgana and give her a bracelet that would help her sleep. {{spoiler|And help her take over Camelot...}}

* [[The Reveal]]: She is Morgana's [[Long-Lost Relative|half]]-[[Separated At Birth|sister]]. {{spoiler|Episode 3x05 throws this into doubt. The only way they are truly related is if they share the same mother, or if somehow Uther Pendragon is also her father as well.}}.

* [[The Reveal]]: She is Morgana's [[Long-Lost Relative|half]]-[[Separated at Birth|sister]]. {{spoiler|Episode 3x05 throws this into doubt. The only way they are truly related is if they share the same mother, or if somehow Uther Pendragon is also her father as well.}}.

** Not necessarily. It is possible to come up with a logical, if convoluted, timeline that reconciles their relationship ''and'' {{spoiler|Uther and Morgana's,}} though it pretty much hinges upon her mother becoming rather... lonely on a somewhat regular basis while her husband is on some sort of epic quest.

*** It's like this: Vivienne is the mother of Morgause and Morgana; Gorlois is Morgause's father and Uther is Morgana's father. Simple. They share the same mother, as Morgause got the special sleeping bracelet that she gave to Morgana, from her mother.

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* [[Dead Person Conversation]]: Due to Morgause's spell, Igraine appears to Arthur to tell him the truth of his birth. Or Did She?

** Given the fact that even Morgause looks shocked, she seems to be telling the truth; Arthur certainly believes it by the time of Series 4.

* [[Death By Childbirth]]

* [[Death by Childbirth]]

* [[Deceased Parents Are the Best]]: Arthur idolizes his mother; he idolizes her so much that he even attacks his father when he finds out that he (Uther) is the cause of her death.

* [[Hair of Gold]]

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Freya is a young Druid woman with a dark secret who Merlin protects from captivity. They develop a strong bond in the process. Freya becomes Merlin's first love.

* [[Back for ~~The~~ Finale]]

* [[Back for the Finale]]

* [[Birds of a Feather]]: Merlin is able to develop such a strong bond with newcomer Freya because of the fact that they are both born of magic and must keep it a secret. In the process, they fall in love.

* [[Break the Cutie]]

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* [[The Alcoholic]]: Though not, by any means, in a bad way. Most of the time.

* [[Back for ~~The~~ Finale]]

* [[Back for the Finale]]

* [[Badass Normal]]: So, so badass.

* [[Big Brother Instinct]]: Seems to have adopted this stance toward Merlin and Elyan, the youngest of the new knights.

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*** ''Twice.''

* [[An Axe to Grind]]

* [[Back for ~~The~~ Finale]]

* [[Back for the Finale]]

* [[Badass Normal]]

* [[Black Dude Dies First]]: [[Averted]], but only just. He's the first (and only) knight to get ''injured''.

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* [[Long Lost Sibling]]

* [[Race Lift]]: The legendary Elyan was known as "Elyan the White". In the series, he's played by a black actor. Granted, "the White" would have referred to his pure soul, but it's still pretty funny.

* [[Remember the New Guy]]

* [[Remember the New Guy?]]

* [[Shipper On Deck]]: At the very least, he certainly isn't ''opposed'' to his sister dating the Prince of Camelot, judging by the smile on his face when they kiss at the end of ''The Coming of Arthur''.

* [[Shipper on Deck]]: At the very least, he certainly isn't ''opposed'' to his sister dating the Prince of Camelot, judging by the smile on his face when they kiss at the end of ''The Coming of Arthur''.

== Percival (Tom Hopper) ==

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* [[Promotion to Opening Titles]]: As of 4x04 {{spoiler|after Uther's death in 4x03}}, he's credited as a main cast member.

* [[Regent for Life]]: Played with. Though Arthur is more or less running Camelot, he appoints his uncle regent in his absence.

* [[Remember the New Guy]]

* [[Remember the New Guy?]]

* [[Villain ~~With~~ Good Publicity]]

* [[Villain with Good Publicity]]

* [[Xanatos Speed Chess]]: Especially throughout 4x6.

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* [[Badass Normal]]

* [[Bald of Awesome]]

* [[Bathe Her and Bring Her To Me]]: Implied between Helios and Guinevere.

* [[Bathe Her and Bring Her to Me]]: Implied between Helios and Guinevere.

* [[The Brute]]

* [[The Dragon]]: Seems to become this towards Morgana. Agravaine is [[Genre Savvy]] enough to note that there is a big possibility that he's much more a [[Dragon ~~With~~ an Agenda]]. Then again, Agravaine may just be worried that he'll get replaced.

* [[The Dragon]]: Seems to become this towards Morgana. Agravaine is [[Genre Savvy]] enough to note that there is a big possibility that he's much more a [[Dragon with an Agenda]]. Then again, Agravaine may just be worried that he'll get replaced.

* [[Even Evil Has Standards]]: Although his intentions toward Guinevere were hardly pure, he avoids the [[Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil]] trope. Instead he seemed genuinely interested in her [[Backstory]] and lets her go without a fuss when she tells him that she's tired.

* [[It Amused Me]]: Unlike Morgana's [[Psychotic Smirk]] or Agravine's [[Smug Smiler]] attitude when things are going their way, Helios' smiles and chuckles are more of genuine amusement. There are hints of him being a bit of a [[Troll]].

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* [[The Cynic]]: Tristan

* [[Eleventh-Hour Ranger|Eleventh Hour Rangers]]

* [[Expy]]: According to writer Julian Jones, they are based on ''[[Mr. and Mrs Smith]]''.

* [[Expy]]: According to writer Julian Jones, they are based on ''[[Mr. and Mrs. Smith]]''.

* [[Lovable Rogue|Lovable Rogues]]: They give this vibe.

* [[May-December Romance]]: No onscreen ages are given but Tristan certainly ''looks'' considerably older than Isolde (in real life there is a 16 year age gap between Ben Daniels and Miranda Raison.)

* [[~~Tristan and Iseult (Literature)|~~Tristan and Iseult]]: [[In Name Only]]

* [[Tristan and Iseult]]: [[In Name Only]]

* [[Ugly Guy, Hot Wife]]: Comparatively speaking.