(MAJOR SPOILERS) The magic reveal should have been at the beginning of the season in my opinion, we should have had angst/anger, character development, relationship development, and plot development throughout the season but instead they shoved the magic reveal we've been waiting 5 years for into less than an hour.
Also Arthur's death was quite a shock, I know most Arthurian legends don't have a happy ending but this was the BBC kids version of the show! There was literally no need for him to die and his death left so many plot holes and unfulfilled destinies we've been hearing about since the first episode. Some of the stuff I mean is: -what's going to happen in regards to magic? Will all users be free and happy? -Does this mean Arthur only helped start the 'great albion', all through the show Merlin and Arthur were meant to built this free, powerful, and strong land together and we didn't even get to see that come to pass. -What's going to happen to merlin, will he just wonder? Will he go back to Camelot? What will be his role? -How will Gwen cope? Who will take the throne when she's dead? -Why does Arthur need to "rise again" (or whatever the dragon said) in the future? I don't get that, the ending didn't really make much sense to me, I get the whole "these legends will transcend time" message but I didn't get the rest of it to be honest.
Some people on Tumblr mentioned how their younger siblings were crying because of his death on Christmas eve! I don't know what the writers bloody problem is but they've pissed me off with this ending, you don't proclaim to be a childrens show for years and excuse sloppy/immature writing with this fact only to create an empty and bitter ending for the kids you're writing for before christmas.

The episode was just depressing really. Morgana was just left this bland and cliche evil villain, no depth or development was given. She died loving no one and having no one love her in return. Merlin is left with pretty much no destiny, that or he's failed it. So now he'll be left to have no purpose and live with the guilt of his best friends death. Gwen looked so empty in the last scene it just broke my heart, not only has she lost practically every person she's ever loved but she's had to take on the role of the queen by herself, a role might I add that she never wanted or craved for. Now she'll eat alone, sleep alone, live alone, and rule alone and it's depressing as shit. Mordred's development was pretty bad, he didn't have much of a role and his death scene was extremely quick. And finally Gwaine's death was another depressing unnecessary plot device. I just can't with this show, I guess it's a good job it's over if the writers aren't going to give a shit any more :/

*Sorry if I'm a downer but this show really bummed me out, which is especially bad seeing as it's Christmas*

I didnt expect much after two seasons of shit!

I think the problem was that they haven't really followed the legend very closely throughout the series, so then when they decided to end the series to suit the legend, it didn't really fit. They were probably planning for the series to last longer.

I was absolutely gutted by Arthurs death! I thought that his death was unnecessary and I agree with goodbyemra about the future of magic, it was totally unknown. My heart broke when I saw Gwen, am i'm pretty annoyed we didn't get an AG scene (or a kiss the whole season). I saw the episode Christmas day and that was totally depressing. I also didn't like how Morganna died without even the slightest bit of redemption. I really thought they would've given her a little something. I really thought Merlin still being alive thousands of years later was strange, it would be awful to be him and watch everyone you care about die. The episode seriously depressed me, I don't think I ever want to watch again even if it had some amazing Merlin/Arthur scenes. I feel like they should have done another season with Arthur knowing about magic and bring about the united Albion. I read somewhere that BBC was on board for another season but the producers weren't, so i'm pretty angry/disappointed that they couldve tied up loose end and didn't. Wow, after writing this i'm even more unhappyy with it than i thought i was.

@jackiehyde4eva Totally agreed, there were a few strong points in the episode but there was so much that was just unnecessary,pointless, and depressing. If they were going to kill Arthur off they should have done it after all they'd shown all they'd been promising since season 1 (as in the great Albion, and a land where magic users are free).

There was no need for them to kill Gwaine - it didn't help the storyline at all. And I think there should have been a Merwen scene and something from Freya.

It was so beautiful!! The magic reveal was a bit too fast (it should have happnened at the beginning of the season). Arthur's death was so sad I hoped that he would live but it was done beautifully so I'm ok with that.

The last scnene was a bit weird. Merlin lived 700 years or what was that? I would have liked to see how Merlin lived after Arthur's death...

But this was so much better than I thought!! Just lovely! I'm gonna miss this show so much!

Agree with everyone. The finale was very rushed and left too many unanswered questions, and this death-frenzy totally unnecessary. All right, everybody knew Morgana and Mordred had to die, but not in such an awful and rushed way (especially Morgana; I'm still mad we didn't even get an epic final battle with Merlin!). Gwaine's was TOTALLY pointless. And Arthur's... well, it was the only death they did well, but really, it didn't make much more sense than the others.

I totally hated the way Morgana died. When they left her corpse... it made me sick. I don't even talk about redemptation, but they should say something more than "I blame myself for who you'd become, but this has to end now". Don't get me wrong, but I was almost happy when Arthur died, because It was one thing that the writers actually did according to the legends! Gwen being a queen after Arthur's death... I simply couldn't laugh more. Oh wait, it seems I could! When Merlin took Arthur to Avalon. The stupidest ending the writers could came up with.

@JaMajka18 What's funny about Gwen being queen? She's proven more than enough times that she's certainly fit to be queen, in some regards one could fairly say she was a better match for the throne than Arthur.

NOOOO!!! Arthur DIED!!!!!! ;OOOOO

(BRILLIANT, AWESOME series!!!!!) ;DDDDD *^_^*

*REALLY* sad to see it •end!• (Still have Once Upon A Time though! ;D)

I pretty much agree with Raistlin here, i personally thought the ending was done perfectly! Though the only thing that i wasn't really satisfied with was Morgana's death, I just wish it was portrayed better, but i actually loved how they showed the last scene of Merlin 700 years or so later.

i have expected so much form the show and not just the last epsidoe,i expctde by S5, arhur would have gones easy and allowed magic,and the internal traitor is OLD, it's was old since season 3 and just using the same story line over and over again is what reuined the show for me,it's the same ting evr since S3, they have an internal taritor that only merlin and gues know about and they can't do anything about it and the traitor is not reviled to the arthur and the others until the last two episodes.

and arthur should have lived after everything they have been thorugh,and known about and accpeted long before his last few mints merlin's secret. and there was no neccity in klling gwain

so all in all this show dispointed me

@loveDE45: LMAO when you said that it has been the same storyline about a traitor not being revealed until the 2 last episodes of the season... Because that is SO true! unbelievable they couldn't change those storylines... No lets just have a new traitor with the same storyline! xD

Thogh I don't see how Arthur should have lived? He was stabbed by a MAGICAL sword and if it were realistic he would have died on the spot but of course they just couldn't do that because Arthur was too important and bla bla... I would have been SO much more disappointed if Arthur didn't die, and how unrealistic would be that EVERY single villain who has ever appeared dies but absolutely none but Arthur have died!

I didn't expect more than what we got because I knew from earlier on that they aren't the best at making a show and especially storylines!

So I think the episode was somewhat good compared to how the show have been!

But still there are just many problems for me as well! Morgana and Mordred's death was so rushed! and I think that was disrespectful towards those characters and the fans of the characters! (me xD)

and Arthur gets SO much more respect just because he is one of the good guys it takes the whole episode for him to die... that really disgust me! though I still liked how he slowly accepted Merlin and Magic! that was probably the best of the episode!

The only thing I would have changed would have been Arthur lived. Otherwise, I thought it was amazing.