History Awesome / Merlin2008

*** Gwen breaks Leon out of prison with blacksmith skillz and smuggles him out of Camelot ''in a dress''.

** Speaking of [[RetiredBadass Uther Pendragon]] and [[PapaWolf badassitude]], his [[AuthorityEqualsAsskicking defeat of Tristan Dubois]] in Episode 9 seems to prove that kicking ass in armor is [[LamarckWasRight an inherited trait]].

* Pretty much all of 3x13. This troper spent most of the episode yelling, "that is so cool!" and blathering unintelligibly because there were no words for how epic everything was. Special points of interest include the round table, the knighting scene, and the sword in the stone.

* A meta one for Angel Coulby's acting as evil!Gwen. Every single scene is beautifully executed as she manages to make sweet, gentle Gwen into an unrepentant, sadistic, and manipulative villainess who's pretty much only impaired by having Morgana make the plans. She even manages to pull off the PsychoticSmirk by making sure no one in shot can see it, actually making it sinister rather than NarmCharm.

* Merlin's earthquake spell in ''Another's Sorrow''.

** Merlin gets one by [[spoiler:drinking the poisoned cup.]].
* One for Uther in "The Gates to Avalon," in which he ''spectacularly'' shoots down Arthur's proposal to allow him and Sophia to marry. Particularly notable in that most of the time, Uther is just a [[JerkAss bit]] [[KnightTemplar lacking]] [[LawfulEvil in the]] [[AdultsAreUseless sympathetic]] [[TooDumbToLive portrayal]] [[DisproportionateRetribution department]]. If Sophia had been portrayed as even ''slightly'' sympathetic, this would have looked totally different -- but because the audience is already aware [[spoiler: that she's actually a Sidhe in human form planning to sacrifice Arthur for her own means]], watching Uther tear into his son for being an ''idiot'' was extremely gratifying.

** Will gets a CMOA for that episode. Despite having professed his dislike for Arthur he [[spoiler:pushes Arthur out of the way of a bandit with a crossbow who wasn't quite dead yet. Then, while dying, he covers for Merlin and takes the blame for the mini whirlwind]].

** Merlin gets up, ''completely unscathed'', from a ''fireball to his chest''. And this was before he [[spoiler:became a dragonlord]].

** Possibly defeated by Merlin's [[spoiler: defeat of the Witchfinder. Through genuine cunning and a few well-placed spells, he manages to get him accused of being a sorceror himself, exposed as a fraud, and ''thrown out of a window''. Oh, and he makes toads come out of his mouth.]]
* Morgause's entrance into Camelot: [[spoiler: Walking clad entirely in armour, killing a number of knights on the way in, challenging Arthur to a duel -''Then'' removing her helmet]].
* Arthur attacking Uther in "Sins of the Father," blaming him for [[spoiler:his mother's death]] and telling him that magic is not evil. Awesomeness is somewhat dulled by the fact that later, Arthur forgives his father and blames magic for deceiving him.
** Episode 8 of Season 2. CMOA for both Merlin and Uther. Uther for [[spoiler:not drawing his sword on his son who then attacks him, he then proceeds to keep Arthur at bay. Merlin then gets HIS CMOA for breaking in to the room and managing to calm a previously completely homicidal prince down even though the death of Uther would make things far easier for Merlin.]]

* The finale of Season 2. [[spoiler: Even though he's devastated by the recent loss of his father, and previously his magic hasn't worked on the Great Dragon, Merlin faces and defeats a centuries old dragon. Then, instead of killing said dragon he sends it away, showing mercy even though the dragon has been killing innocent people.]]

* [[spoiler: Merlin ''riding the dragon''. The dragon is his bitch now.]]

*** Arthur [[spoiler:says "screw the rules" and knights Gwain, Elyan, Percival and Lancelot before leading them into battle]].
*** Gwen [[spoiler:breaks Leon out of prison with blacksmith skillz and smuggles him out of Camelot ''in a dress'']].
*** Leon [[spoiler: Outright defies Morgana and Morgause to their faces, states his unwavering loyalty to Uther and Arthur and goes as far as to smirk at Morgana mockingly when he believed she was about to have him executed. He later, with the help of Gwen, escapes prison and joins Arthur in his rebellion against Morgana]].
*** Lancelot [[spoiler:covers Merlin's back on his mission to destroy the Cup of Life against ''immortal soldiers'']].
*** Percival [[spoiler:turns up the hell out of nowhere and causes a rockslide that saves the loyalists from Morgause's soldiers]].
*** Gaius [[spoiler:gets the first blow against Morgause with his often-hinted at but still completely unexpected command of magic]].
*** Elyan [[spoiler:is the first injured in the battle in the cells, but the first to jump back into the fray despite the fact that he hasn't got any armour]].
*** Gwaine [[spoiler:just...''exists'']].
*** Merlin [[spoiler:retrieves Excalibur, kills at least twenty immortal soldiers with it, quite possibly ''kills Morgause'', and destroys the Cup of Life]].
** In a little bit of FridgeBrilliance, now that [[spoiler:Elyan is a knight, Gwen is sufficiently highly-ranked to be a perfectly legitimate partner to Arthur. Their first fully-public kiss is just another jewel on this Crowning Episode of Awesome.]]

* Gotta give Morgana her due in the opening. [[spoiler:She takes down four soldiers with magic, killing two of them.]]
* Merlin is pretty awesome in the premiere, despite the issue that [[spoiler: he's fighting an enemy he can't even use magic against]]. The fact that he went up against them at all is remarkable.
** He doesn't just go up against them. He [[spoiler:''jumps in front of one so it will attack him instead of Arthur''. And this is after Gaius has told him that no mortal has ever survived their touch]]. Bad. Ass.

* ''The Wicked Day'': [[spoiler: Uther recovers from his HeroicBSOD long enough to take down the assassin threatening his son. And he has been bed/chair bound for a year at least.]]
-->[[spoiler: '''Uther''']][[spoiler: : It will take more than a coward like you to kill my son!]]
** In the same episode, [[spoiler: Arthur's [[AwesomeMomentOfCrowning coronation]].]]

-->[[spoiler: '''Borden: ''' What do you know? Your are but a serving boy!]]
-->[[spoiler: '''Merlin:''' I am the last Dragonlord. And I am warning you: leave this egg alone.]]
** Bonus points for saying it in [[PowerMakesYourVoiceDeep his Dragonlord voice]] and then [[spoiler:blasting the guy into the wall]].

* Opinions may vary big time on this, but Gwen [[spoiler:sentencing her servant to death for treason was chillingly awesome. For one, the girl was actually guilty (which is impressive given Camelot's track record)]] and for another, sweet, mild mannered Gwen actually looked a little [[TranquilFury terrifying.]]
** She also comes up with the plan to rescue Arthur's men from [[spoiler: Morgana]] by going through Annis' kingdom. [[spoiler: It probably would have worked if it wasn't for her servant.]]
** Made better by the reveal that [[spoiler: she never intended to execute Sefa in the first place. She was just trying to lure Ruadan there.]]

* The Dochraid tells Merlin that he will need all his strength to summon the White Goddess, and Merlin is wondering if he'll even be able to hold an aging spell for that long, much less summon a goddess. [[spoiler: Not only does he pull it off, he's not even tired. As Gaius says, even years later Merlin underestimates himself.]]
* [[spoiler:Alator refuses to break under torture, and then tells Morgana it does not matter how powerful she is, or what she finds out: She will still meet her end at the hands of Emrys. Finna kills herself right in front of Morgana so that she will not learn who Emrys is.]]
* Pretty much everything Merlin does after [[spoiler: getting his magic back.]]
** [[spoiler: Wielding the crystals in order to see what Morgana's doing, and warning Arthur.]]
** [[spoiler: Going to the center of the caves to meet his destiny and [[CameBackStrong enhancing his magic]] in the process]].
** [[spoiler: Blasting his way past Morgana's barrier, revealing that he's aged up and looking [[TranquilFury ready to kick some ass]]]].
** [[spoiler: Even before he got his magic back, Morgana wasn't willing to fight him, and he still managed to wound her.]]

** [[spoiler: Respond to Merlin's dream-message]].
* [[spoiler: Merlin showing up to the final battle and wrecking the army with lightning.]]

** [[GoodIsNotDumb Gwen]] should get credit for being ''the only person in Camelot ever'' [[spoiler: to figure out for herself that Merlin had magic rather than being told or catch him in the act.]]

* In "Valiant", after Arthur knocks of Valiant's helmet during their duel, he decides to take off his own helmet to even the odds. Everyone in the stands cheers, because they know ''THAT'S'' the kind of thing a noble knight would do.

* When Morgana and Morgause's army finally invades and takes over Camelot. Uther is forced to his knees and can do nothing but rant that Morgause has no right to do this, having apparently not heard of the right of conquest. Then Morgana simply enters the room, pointing out that she has a ''legal'' right to the throne. Suddenly it dawns on Uther that Morgana knows the truth of her birth, has been his enemy the entire time, is on Morgause's side and has achieved what no other villain or sorcerer could do, by finally overthrowing him. She takes her place on the throne, looking fantastic in her new crown with Morgause looking on proudly.

* Merlin also kills Nimueh with a lightning bolt, defeats an entire group of sorcerers trying to kill the king, and kills a sorcerer who has been training his whole life and just destroyed Gaius in less than 20 seconds.

** Topped only by her magnificent poker face in 3X12, when she assures Morgana that she's loyal to the new regime.

** * Arthur gets one by [[spoiler:drinking the poisoned cup.]].

* In "Valiant", after Arthur knocks of Valiant's helmet during their duel, he decides to take off his own helmet to even the odds. Everyone in the stands cheer at this, because they know that THAT'S the kind of thing a noble knight would do.

--> You came to me in the name of Gorlois. But I fear that you’re more like Uther than you realize.

* Arthur gets one by [[spoiler:drinking the poisoned cup.]].

* This troper would like to nominate pretty much any scene in which Merlin fights without magic and still handles himself fairly well. The fighting leading up to the tornado in ''The Moment of Truth,'' and the GoodOldFisticuffs in the bar brawl in ''Gwaine'' were notable examples of Merlin subverting the SquishyWizard trope.





* Queen Annis has one at the end of "His Father's Son". She delivers a magnificent ReasonYouSuckSpeech to Morgana telling her how bitter and twisted she has become and how she mistakenly allowed herself to be taken in by Morgana's lies. She then delivers the real pay-off line:
--> "You came to me in the name of Gorlois. But you resemble Uther a great deal more"

* In "Valiant", after Arthur knocks of Valiant's helmet during their duel, he decides to take off his own helmet to even the odds. Everyone in the stands cheer at this, because they know that THAT'S the kind of thing a noble knight would do.

** Speaking of [[RetiredBadass Uther Pendragon]] and [[PapaWolf badassitude]], his [[AuthorityEqualsAsskicking defeat of Tristan Dubois]] in episode 9 seems to prove that kicking ass in armor is [[LamarckWasRight an inherited trait]].
* The moment when Merlin wants to tell Arthur that Morgana is a traitor, only to find she has somehow spun it to make it seem like she saved the day. Morgana gives him a 'You can't beat me, Merlin' look from across the room, and he gives her an epic 'Oh yeah? Bring it' look right back. And not a word was spoken.

* Will gets a CMOA for that episode. Despite having professed his dislike for Arthur he [[spoiler:pushes Arthur out of the way of a bandit with a crossbow who wasn't quite dead yet. Then, while dying, he covers for Merlin and takes the blame for the mini whirlwind]]
* Also, Gwen saving Merlin's mother by hitting her attacker over the head with a shovel.
* Arthur gets one by [[spoiler:drinking the poisoned cup.]].

* Merlin is the most powerful warlock of all time, and despite being relatively untrained, he beats people in the league of Sigan, Nimueh, Morgana (while in his ancient form as well, making him much physically weaker than her, Morgause, Mordred, and the great dragon.

* In series three - [[spoiler: Merlin ''riding the dragon''. The dragon is his bitch now.]]

* This troper would like to nominate pretty much any scene in which Merlin fights without magic and still handles himself fairly well. The fighting leading up to the tornado in ''The Moment of Truth,'' and the GoodOldFisticuffs in the bar brawl in ''Gwaine'' were notable examples of Merlin subverting the SquishyWizard trope.
* Similar to the above Merlin is pretty awesome in the Season Four premiere, despite the issue that [[spoiler: he's fighting an enemy he can't even use magic against]]. The fact that he went up against them at all is remarkable.
** He doesn't just go up against them. He [[spoiler:''jumps in front of one so it will attack him instead of Arthur''. And this is after Gaius has told him that no mortal has ever survived their touch]]. Bad. Ass.

* In the same episode, Percival abandoning his torch--the only weapon against the Dorocha--to save three kids. And then Elyan shows up in the nick of time and saves ''him''.

-->[[spoiler: '''Borden''':What do you know? Your are but a serving boy!]]
-->[[spoiler: '''Merlin''':I am the last Dragonlord. And I am warning you: leave this egg alone.]]

* Gwaine and Gaius staying behind in "The Sword in the Stone, Part One" so the others can get away with Arthur. The looks on their faces as Morgana's men approach are totally badass.

* Merlin owning Agravaine and his men in the season four finale. He decided that enough was enough and showed them exactly who they were dealing with.
** Later he breaks into Camelot disguised as Dragoon, leaves a VoodooDoll under Morgana's bed, and smiles quietly to himself during their confrontation scene when Morgana realizes that she can't call up her magical powers. And ''then'' when she's on the brink of slashing Gwen's throat, [[BigDamnHeroes he sneaks up and sends her hurtling down a corridor backwards]], once again proving that [[BerserkButton trying to harm Guinevere]] is the dumbest thing that any villain can ever do on this show.

* A meta one for Angel Coulby's acting as evil!Gwen. Every single scene is beautifully executed as she manages to make sweet, gentle Gwen into an unrepentant, sadistic, and manipulative villainess who's pretty much only impaired by having Morgana make the plans. She even manages to pull off the PsychoticSmirk by making sure no one in shot can see it, actually making it sinister rather than NarmCharm.

** Merlin using his mind's eye to find their way out of the forest. In addition to that, the Knights displaying some rare [[GenreSavvy Genre Savviness]] by convincing a skeptical Arthur to follow him.

** Being GenreSavvy enough to [[spoiler: respond to Merlin's dream-message]].