First Three Minutes of Merlin

The opening part of the series Merlin is one of the most striking expositions in film. The first three minutes introduce the protagonist - a boy whose destiny for greatness and contribution to establishment and survival of a great tolerant kingdom in Camelot is fraught with insurmountable challenges.

As the narrator casts the suspense that will sustain the plot from season 1-5, young Merlin trudges a hilly and somewhat less travelled aisle which prevents us from seeing where he is coming from though we soon learn that he is heading towards Camelot. It becomes clear from the onset that his past is shrouded in mystery, something the story follows up on later.

Merlin of humble roots lugs a rolled blanket on his back and awe strikes him as glimpses the magnificent castle at Camelot from a distance.  Through an entangling jungle, he arrives at the castle with a broad smile. Merlin passes along a busy street of Camelot alongside citizens of Camelot with a confident stride – a show of anticipation, relief and difference from a past yet to be unveiled. As the road takes Merlin deeper into the centre of Camelot, one could see troubled faces of the citizens of Camelot. The first person to speak to Merlin (in public address) was the iron fisted king, Uther Pentragon who prides himself for being a “fair and just king.” Merlin faces his first gruesome reality of living in Camelot as Thomas James Collins is sentenced to death for the charge of practising magic. Merlin is thunderstruck by this and the tension in him soars with a scowling face. Merlin learns that magic isn’t tolerable in Camelot as the ultimate prize for its practice is death.