Yeah, it's pretty uneven between episodes I think. Some are just cheesy feel-good fillers, others are a bit darker. My main complaint would be that there isn't really a storyline you can feel thread its way through the episodes. There is a setting, which tries to do the same job. No matter how I look at it, the evolution of the characters is painfully slow.

finished wainting now for s3 i think or s4

its a nice tv show one of my favorite just in s2 they use only1 spell per show little lame but ok

elemental can get some items from merlin the shield with the snake in it who attack enemys or the staff of death tosumon undead armry

If it's the one about Merlin and Arthur when they were young, in Camelot, then I saw a few episodes of it, but didn't really keep my interest since it was more or less Smallville with swords. They even dressed Merlin like Clark Kent.

Looks too British for me.

There was a pretty cool made-for-TV movie series called Merlin a while back thats worth checking out.  Haven't seen the british Merlin, though.

Yea, there was Merlin and Merlin's Aprentice.  I liked them both, but a lot of people didn't like the second one.  I liked it more I think.

Merlin, in my eyes, is Stargate for Fantasy nerds. I like it, but I don't catch it often.  

I've seen most of series 1 and the beginning of series 2. I keep watching in hopes that it will somehow 'catch' or 'hit its stride' or something. The acting is adequate, but too many of the stories seemed obviously formulaic and the lack of serious long-term story arcs is very vexing for me. Sometimes I think I keep watching because Anthony Head is laughing all the way to the bank while he waits for someone to give him a better gig. Or maybe I'm waiting for Uther to progress from a tedious caricature to something as interesting as Giles eventually became on Buffy.

The show has 4 credited 'creators,' which might be the real reason it has a bit of bland, built-by-committee feel (the dragon seems like the disappointing love child of John Hurt's agent and a producer with a vested interest in upping the CGI budget). It'd probably be much more fun if Joss Whedon or Russell T Davies were the showrunner. 

I watched the first three seasons. Considering I've seen other British Shows (Red Dwarf, Black Adder, etc) this one is actually decent as far as the budget goes. It's about on par with the British version of the Robin Hood series, though I stopped watching that when they killed Marian in Jerusalem. It just went way too far off for me.

The plotline is sort of there, and sort of not. It tries to have an overall plot and tries to have plots about character development and internal turmoil at the same time, but it never really achieves either. But stepping back as a whole after watching the first three, I'm waiting for the fourth. But it seems like until you've watched it all you can't pinpoint the connections between some episodes.

I've watched them all so far. I usually check my brain at the door and just enjoy the show. It's pretty good. I recommend watching it.

Frogboy,  it s brit 'drama.'  i like brit coms.. and Dr. Who.   But Merlin is too uneven, and lacks an overarching 'backstory' or plot which, for me, trivializes the few episodes I endured.  Perhaps the best TV SiFi series, from a story telling perspective, was Babylon 5.  It had a 'five year' mission - apologies to the original Star trek.  Babylon 5 explored many issues along the way.  Battlestar galacticia (the more recent one (with Olmos of bladerunner fame) was sometimes brilliant - but very uneven and often needlessly dark.  However, I sensed much of it was being made up as they went along - and that disappoints me as a viewer.   

Merlin comes across like Sherwood with magic- LOL.  A few episodes are OK, but it fails to sustain my interest.   Just my two fizbins....  

interesting turn of phrase--very neutral zonish---but I'll check it out. I've been gearing up for Game of Thrones. I also have the Borgias & Camelot on DVR..though I have not seen it (How you have any time for TV is a truly staggering dagger of the mind concept); I'm at work, playing Elemental or browsing the forums. Wife cannot understand my lack of interest in American Idol & Dancing with the Stars. I, for one, thought Kirstie Ally was hot as Saavik in the Wrath of Khan but not enough to drag me in front of the TV for a freaking rhumba. Give her a lirpa and have her go head to head with the Karate Kid and I might watch.

And really? A playboy pole dancer without rhythm? Shocking! Like a Sov without Mana.

But I digress...I have watched Brit tv---MI-6, Coupling, and I think Episodes is fairly well written. Subtle & droll humor with a scathing edge like Valarian steel is appealing....

Merlin seems pretty lame compared to Doctor Who, MI-5, Primieval, etc.  Gave up on it long ago.

Well, the English Merlin is more a kid serie... if you wish something more adult, with real action, with plenty of blood and skin, from the same periode... StarZ have just begin a serie called "Camelot"... let say that it is the same story but filmed like the StarZ Spartacus... 

http://grizzlybomb.com/2011/03/28/camelot-pilot-the-next-spartacus/

Have record and see the two first episodes and i like it very much... English version is more for when you are with your kids... the StarZ one is not recommended for little kids...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fb3_AyOplQw

Merlin is what my 10 year old son watches between series of Dr Who.

I like Dr Who - Merlin not so much - although certain episodes (particularly the one with the fisher king) were actually quite good.

you guys get Spooks over there?  "Being Human"?