EPaws Exactly it will be addressed. My issue is, like Aunt Aggy's death. It will be a non-event.

Bonne-Bell I understand how you feel. I also felt that way up until the season ended. Now, I'm still not fully satisfied with them not revealing the enchantment but I've come to the conclusion that if they don't dredge it up in S5 and use it as a reason to cause angst in A/G's marriage or as a reason to have people disrespect Gwen, then I can deal with them not revealing it. However, if they even hint at Gwen's betrayal in S5 without the reveal and have Arthur doubt her or her feel guilty about it for even just a second, I will be pissed off. So I'm just going to wait until S5 to see if there's a cause for me to rage and send angry letters to TPTB.

leona21 WORD!

DarknessToLight I feel your pain. Arwen is a great couple and the non reveal of the enchantment is something that is troubling me too. In episode 9, to tell you the truth, the line that broke my heart the most probably was the I'll never trust her again. Like you I believe that trust is something that once is broken, it takes too much to be restored. And we, viewers, know that Guinevere is innocent and that she has done nothing wrong. I expect that Merlin producers don't use the lack of trust as some kind of angst, cause we already had enough. I want her honour restored like it was before. Arthur always trusted her, no matter what. And she always shown him the right thing to do. A broken trust to me is something like a crack on a relationship. But something popped in my head some weeks ago. What if the creators are trying to insinuate/ say that maybe what many people see as one of the biggest betrayals wasn't what who knows the Arthurian legends think. That Guinevere actually was under a spell, but no one never knew about that, so everyone actually thinks that she betrayed him, like in the legend that is told. Since Merlin is a family show, I hope that the truth comes out in the end. Because it's a good message for the kids. So, I believe and hope that the enchantement is revealed, trust is finally restored again and Gwen stops blaming herself for what she hasn't done. Now the only thing we can do is wait.

Bonne-Bell I also want to add that if they ever intend to redeem Morgana's character then she had better come clean with the enchantment at some point. I would hate to see Gwen or any of the other characters welcoming her back into the fold if she doesn't tell them about the enchantment. What she did was pure evil and the fact that she did it out of spite makes it even worst.

Nasty_Nat I hope they answered it in depth next season, I hope they will do a better job with the editing not cutting out important stuff and not rush any storylines since it will be the last. I hope that they do it with style and do it justice all in the same time. I always felt that season was a bit rushed for my taste.

Melisey I will be upset for them if it never gets revealed. But I am surprisingly calm about the whole thing. I mostly need the reveal for Gwen’s sake. I do believe that when you are angry and hurt you say things that may change later. I believe in second chances. I do not think Arthur would have married Gwen and made her Queen if he does not trust her. I think he loves her and trusts her with all his heart. He has completely forgiven her.He saw her sorrow and he knows that this was not something she would normally do. In fact he married her even after believing she betrayed him, now that shows how deeply he loves her. Trust is earned and she has proven to be trustworthy before and after the "betrayal". I do not want to see Arthur having a hard time with it at all. I want all to be forgiven and forgotten as far as he is concerned. I do however want to see Gwen feel that something isn’t right. I want her to find out and be completely vindicated. If they deal with this next season it will be more right. They will have more time for it.

itsastart I knew that writing and posting this was the right thing to do. I needed to hear that others felt like me and how they were dealing with it. Once again my Arwen family has come through for me. Thank you, and keep bringing any thoughts you have. It does seem that many of us think this issue will be dealt with in the future. That gives me hope for resolution. But as Bonne-Bell stated, I think I could find some peace if they just let it go all together and don't dredge it up for angst in season 5. But if they do use it as a story arc, they better not SCREW IT UP. I still wonder too if this Gwen trust/betrayal storyline is being used to set up the Merlin magic reveal. I could see Gwen's character being used to take Arthur through all the emotional turmoil of betrayal and mistrust, and eventual forgiveness, so that he can more easily deal with Merlin's betrayal and lies. Maybe that reveal will be more of the non-event. After all him and Guinevere have been through, it seems that he would now have the skill set to handle the magic reveal without a lot of emotional turmoil.

Lucerne28 I am one of the proponents of the enchantment being revealed. My main reason being that I want Gwen exonerated, she, as well as Arthur need to know that there was never any betrayal. Like many here I hope that enchantment issue comes out in season 5, how, I don’t know since they squandered the two best opportunities for the reveal. IMO Merlin’s confrontation with Aggravaine, and Gwen’s confrontation with Morgana were the two best way for a reveal to take place. Since it is my fervent hope that series 5 will be about the building of Camelot, which includes exploring the Arwen relationship, Merlin’s magic reveal, Gwen’s role as queen, and not another story line of Camelot being conquered or at the brink of conquest, I don’t know how the enchantment reveal will take place. Since exploring the aforementioned storylines hopefully means less Morgana time since she seemed to have been reduced to a one dimensional character whose sole purpose appears to be the death of Arthur and subjugation of Camelot.

hinata26 ^^ I already say that the enchantement wouldn't be revealed. 1. I think the writer wanted to show that arthur could forgive without knowing. 2. That show doesn't really have arcs. There is not really a storyline to from episode one to the last episode. It's more like episodic storyline.

chattawak Hi ladies, I'm just posting again a comment i made a while ago as regards this issue. "I wish the enchantment had been revealed. I just can't get pass the TRUST thing even though Arthur forgave Gwen. IMO, forgiveness is not the same thing as forgetting. Forgiveness is not blind. If trust has been violated you cannot just forget what happened or else the same thing might happen again. So let’s face it—even though you might forgive a person who has betrayed your trust, your trust in that person has been crushed. I would love for the writers to deal with this issue between A&G in S5. But I'm afraid, they may just drop it. Plus, it's not fair to Gwen believing she actually is guilty. They do succeed in destroying Gwen's blameless character. Plus, plus, am I the only one that think that the enchantment thing was all about Arthur learning how to forgive others for their wrongs? "

Bonne-Bell Yes, I definetly do think that the enchantment thing was about Arthur learning how to forgive others for their wrongs. Which would have been fine if Gwen and Lancelot had actually acted of their own free will. But since they introduced the enchantment and then punished Gwen's character by having her jailed, humiliated, banished, kidnapped, turned into a deer, shot and left to die alone in the forest, it's now become more than Arthur just learning to forgive others for their mistakes. Although Arthur doesn't know that Gwen was not at fault, the audience knows so we can't help but feel a sense of injustice on Gwen's behalf. The writers might have not intended for this to be about Gwen and they probably weren't expecting the anti-Arthur outcry that came out of this but that's exactly what happened. So unless they want to continue to piss off the audience, they can do one of two things with this storyline in S5. Either they reveal the enchantment and vindicate Gwen and Lancelot or they drop it all together and never mention it again (which might still piss off some people but it won't be as bad as dredging up the issue just to further punish Gwen and mess up A/G).

Lucerne28 The thing that really annoys the hell out of me with the enchantment not being revealed is the fact that no one, not Arthur, Merlin or even Gwen questioned her behavior with Lancelot. For crying out loud, at the start of series 4 one year had elapsed since Lancelot returned fulltime to Camelot as a knight, yet during that time Gwen and Arthur were going strong. Their love deepened, and there was no doubt who she was in love with. During that time Gwen was not torn between Arthur and Lancelot. Yet no one thought to question why Gwen, on the eve of her wedding no less, would lose her mind and be caught kissing Lancelot? No one? No one thought it strange that this loyal, trustworthy individual would turn around and behave totally against her character? Hell, Merlin and Gaius were both aware of the fact that Lancelot was a shade resurrected by Morgana and that he and Agravaine were in cahoots together. How could they not suspect that Gwen was not acting of her own free will? Especially given the fact that there had been so many cases of enchantments (Arthur who was enchanted into falling in love with the princess, and Uther marrying a troll) and possessions (Gaius possessed by a goblin and Alice under the influence of the manticore) in Camelot. How could no one give Gwen the benefit of doubt? How could no one not even search for an explanation for this behavior? I want the enchantment to be revealed because Gwen deserves to know the truth. She deserves to be vindicated. I also believe that Arthur needs to know that there is one person he loved that didn’t betray him. Alas, I fear that the enchantment will never be revealed.

Bonne-Bell The fact that no one questioned her actions really bothered me as well. Especially if you contrast it to the way they acted when Elyan was being tormented by the dead Druid boy. None of the main characters have even known Elyan for as long as they've known Gwen and Elyan is also a bit shady to begin with. So it doesn't make sense that they gave him the benefit of the doubt and not Gwen. But a lot of the time the show just does things to drive plot so I don't think they're really thinking about the implications of what they're doing. It would be interesting to see how Gwen acts towards the other characters in S5 though. If this was in RL, I would expect her to keep her distance from them but it's Merlin so I'm almost positive that everything will be all peachy between her and everyone and they'll all act as if nothing happened.

hapybeinginsane I also have an issue with the fact they didn't reveal the enchantment, but I agree with Kim - it's too big a plot point to have let it slide. I mean, I know Merlin is a family show, but most kids today know that people split up and get divorced in real life. If they weren't going to reveal it then why would they have even bothered to use the bracelet anyway? She could have just betrayed Arthur of her own free will - the reprocussions and resolution would still have been the same! And why would they have shown the bracelet landing in slow mo in a corner of the dungeons, showing us exactly where it went? Curious.......

MikeAP001 Hello, I met some of you on other threads and I agree with much that's been said but I must point out that there is a story line and story arc in this show moreso than other shows I've seen. Merlin seems to be following the Heroic Archetype of story telling. And, Gwen's redemptive arc hasn't begun. In general, the story centers around Merlin and each episode follows the following stages which could very well be the summary for each of the seasons/series: MERLIN'S JOURNEY: Stage 1: Departure: The hero is called to adventure, although he is reluctant to accept. (Season 1) Stage 2: Initiation: The hero crosses a threshold into a new, more dangerous world, gaining a more mature perspective. (Season 2) Stage 3: The Road of Trials: The hero is given supernatural aid, endures tests of strength, resourcefulness, and endurance. (Season 3) Stage 4: The Innermost Cave: The hero faces a great trial. It is a period of undoing, and change. Because of this trial, the hero is reborn in some way: physically, emotionally, or spiritually. Through this experience, the hero changes internally. (Season 4) Stage 5: Return and Reintegration with Society: The hero uses his new wisdom/powers/ability to restore the land of Albion (Season 5?) ARTHUR'S JOURNEY as King: Stage 1: Departure: The hero is called to adventure, although he is reluctant to accept. (Season 3 Eps 12 and 13, S04E03) Stage 2: Initiation: The hero crosses a threshold into a new, more dangerous world, gaining a more mature perspective. (Season 3 Ep 13 and S04E01, 02 and 03) Stage 3: The Road of Trials: The hero is given supernatural aid, endures tests of strength, resourcefulness, and endurance. (Season 4) Stage 4: The Innermost Cave: The hero faces a great trial. It is a period of undoing, and change. Because of this trial, the hero is reborn in some way: physically, emotionally, or spiritually. Through this experience, the hero changes internally. (Season 4 Eps 3 and 13, and Season 5?) Stage 5: Return and Reintegration with Society: The hero uses his new wisdom to restore the land of Albion (Season 5?) I was also taught there were other themes: 1) a rise in stature usually accompanied by a fatal flaw (like Pride) resulting in 2) a fall from grace, and 3) redemption (Greco-Roman plays were full of these). For redemptive arcs in this show the following would be good candidates to have one: 1) Gwen, 2)Freya, 3) Uther, 4) Morgana, 5) Agravaine. Victims who I doubt would need redemption would be people like Tom the Blacksmith or Queen Ygraine. The writers in Season 4 have shown that Arthur has a capacity for clemency toward Gwen which might extend to Merlin(?) and his magic. Now, Arthur must show charity and forgiveness which she'll obtain by regaining his trust. For that to happen, Gwen would have to have a redemptive arc and hers has barely just begun. This brings up a great potential conflict: if Gwen's betrayal is shown to be by magic then Arthur could conclude that Uther was right: all magic is evil. Hardening Arthur's heart even more against the users of Magic, thus delaying the formation of Albion, and frustrating Merlin even more. This sets up a great Gwen v. Merlin conflict(?) which could only make things worse for Merlin, Arthur and Gwen by prolonging things even more. Or following another branch of the Heroic Archetype but --- bypassing those Arthur, Gwen, and Merlin complications--- , an Arthur/Gwen redemptive arc involving Uther or Morgana and notions of salvation because they would be the only one (besides Gwen) who Arthur would care about redeeming. But, that'll depend on the direction of the writers.

Niti19 itsastart, you are a mind reader. And it's not freaky at all. "innocent couple", "once the circle of trust has been broken, it will never completely be whole again", "There is a part of our Arwen that is not complete in my mind because their trust has been broken". These were my exact thoughts! I cannot describe the huge relief that came over me when I read this article because now I know that others feel the same way as I do. I'm so frustrated because I really want Arthur to know about the enchantment. Reading the comments made me see this a whole affair from different perspectives. This is a great Arwen support group. And I really needed this. Thank you.

itsastart Niti19, I echo your thoughts. This is a safe haven for a family of Arwen lovers. I am so glad you found what you needed here. Keep reading, sharing, and posting. I am glad we can help each other.

lailastar As someone commented above, I never gave it a second thought but by revealing the enchantment that Arthur will harden his stance that all magic is evil. The pain and anguish caused by this enchantment will prove that no good can come from magic, since all he has seen of magic is bad. Dont forget all the good magic Merlin has done is known by the audience but has not been revealed to Arthur yet. Therefore the reveal of the enchantment will be another strike against magic, proving Uther right that magic is evil. TPTB have once again push themselves into a corner with this one.

HumbleQueen Julie, I don't know how I missed this thread when it was going on but I didn't discover it until yesterday. I know how much you struggled with this during those final episodes, so thanks for baring your heart to us here. By the way, MikeAp, thanks for that comprehensive outline about how you view the story line of this show. I found it very interesting and compelling. I've never thought of it in that way and it is food for thought. I'm one of those who appreciated Arthur's forgiveness without knowing the truth, but on the other hand, I do think it's really necessary that the enchantment be revealed eventually. If it were handled right, much good could come out of it for the characters, particularly Arthur and Gwen, but I think what's eating at most of us is our lack of confidence in the writing of this show. Unfortunately,I think we've seen a lot of failure in dealing with complex human issues in a way that is well thought out and satisfying. We've been left hanging time and time again. We've seen characters progress a few steps and then in the next episode they're right where they were before, etc. So basically, I think we wouldn't mind this nearly so much if we felt our couple's "future" was in good hands. Soooo. I think therein lies our unsettledness. Someone mentioned Morgana and the possibility that the reveal would come from her and be factored into her redemption. I wouldn't mind that. Like some of you, my biggest issue wasn't with Arthur (though I think some of his lines could have been better), but with the others, particularly Merlin and Gaius. Both knew the true nature of Lancelot 02 and to me that was HORRIBLE writing to have them act as though they've not even given a second thought to the fact that Gwen was guilty. Not only because of the fact that they know her so well, but knowing Morgana's involvement in this? Come on. Surely they could have done better than that. They're professionals for Pete's sake. Surely they could have taken a better route than that. So, again, all of this makes us a bit unsettled about what's to come. It's unfortunate. Most of us have taken a deep breath after the coronation. We've seen the beautiful second proposal and the loving looks and kisses and restored relationship. Please Merlin writers and producers. Don't mess this up in Season 5. Thanks for posting this, Julie. Loved reading all these comments.

MikeAP001 HumbleQueen: thanks for the kudos but I don't just see the Stages for the series or episodes, I also see them for the characters like Merlin, Arthur, and Gwen... even Morgana. It'll depend on how the writers take the show but I can see how what happened to Gwen sets up a nice storyline that will help Arthur earn the trust of the other kingdoms so they with Merlin's help might form an alliance that will become Albion. I can also see how with Gwen's assistance, Merlin rises in stature and creates an environment where Merlin can safely reveal the fact that not all users of Magic are pure evil. And, I think that's the direction that the writers will take in S5.

lailastar Please explain to me how Gwens enchantment/betrayal sets up a nice storyline that will help Arthur earn the trust of the other kingdoms. This particular piece of magic was personal and aimed at destroying Arthur and Gwens love,it almost destroyed the trust between them(we still not sure about the trust factor at this point even though they are married now, since the writers went straight from will you marry me to a coronation).Arthur will remain suspicious of magic if he finds out about the enchantment, since magic almost took his lady love from him.

MikeAP001 The story line would involve the central motif of trust and resurrection inherent in Myth. As we've seen in His Father's Son, Uther might not have been as honorable and good as a Gorlois in dealing with Caerleon and likely the other kingdoms. And, while Arthur promised the Druid boys' spirit one thing, it remains to be seen if Arthur actually backs his words up with actions. For a united 5 kingdoms to become Albion, this trust must be regained. And, a story line can be made in which that trust is restored. For Gwen, I would expect the writers to provide a story arc along the lines of the Heroine's Journey as outlined by Maureen Murdock (think, Erin Brockavich) or the traditional Hero's Journey of Joseph Campbell (substituting a female for the usual male role of hero, like Lara Croft). In either event, the elements in which a Supernatural Guide (like Merlin or a Druid) aids Gwen in completing that quest would go a long way to restoring Arthur's belief (to paraphrase from Sins of the Father): "Not all who practice magic are evil..." I posted a specific outline based on a generic one in the Gaius forum: http://wwww.fanpop.com/spots/gaius/forum . It's in two parts because of the length. The first covers stage 1-4 of the Hero Archetype while the second cover stage 5. If you must read one, read the second part. That's what will tie things together. It shows one possible story line restoring Arthur's "honor" among the five kingdoms, softening Arthur's stand against the user's of magic, improving the stature of Merlin, and paving the way to Albion. Also, it shows how Lancelot can have his honor restored and paves the way to Morgana's redemption. If you read it, forgive the length but that's the drawback with having to describe things instead of having the characters say or emote those things. Also, this outline is very flexible you can substitute almost everyone but Arthur, Gwen, and Merlin. And, you can remove parts you don't like or add more parts to what you do like. If you disagree with it, my reasons for doing it that way are found in the Gaius Articles section. Let me know why you think I'm wrong. At any rate, it shows how Gwen’s personal betrayal of Arthur can set up a nice series of stories that will help in the formation of Albion with Merlin’s help. Gwen is a Savior Hero-subtype who wants to help people, while Merlin is a Magician Hero-subtype who wants to transform others or himself into something else. Together, Gwen and Merlin have transformed Arthur from the Chivalric Hero to the Romantic Hero. Now, they must try to get Arthur to gradually accept magic. And, that outline is one way to do that: A Gwen Quest. All you've got to do is believe that this outline takes place in a land of myth, a time of magic, when legends are born... and love is the greatest force of all.

Scop There is a level of growing up when you learn people aren't perfect and you can allow them not to be. So, Gwen's not perfect with her betrayal of Arthur with Lancelot, but compared to the betrayal of Agrivaine, it pales. So learning to accept people's flaws instead of demanding perfection could help Arthur along the road to kingdom.

MikeAP001 Yes, Arthur could learn to accept a person's flaws but by having a flawed Gwen (though blameless of her own), she become the "Fatal flaw" toward the "UNHEALABLE WOUND" of the Hero Archetype. In other words, because she and Arthur will never quite completely trust her acts, Gwen becomes both a benefit and liability which if played right could give Morgana the upper hand destroying Arthur and Gwen and preventing Merlin's vision of Albion from forming. The potential for a series of interesting alliances between Arthur, Gwen, and Merlin can occur. Each might at times side with and adopt the ideas of Morgana creating a great conflict between them and giving Morgana a tremendous card to play against Merlin: if Gwen's betrayal is shown to be by magic (either the revelation of the enchanted bracelet or the shade of Lancelot) then Arthur will conclude that all magic is evil and Albion will not be formed making it less safe for Merlin to reveal he has magic. Given the proper circumstances, Morgana could blackmail Merlin by threatening to reveal to Arthur that Lancelot was a shade which both Merlin and Gaius failed to reveal to Arthur, thus convincing him that even the noblest and bravest of his knights can be corrupted by the evil of magic. Or Morgana could blackmail Gwen by testing Arthur's trust in her by revealing the present Lancelot gave her which Gwen failed to reveal to Arthur implying that Gwen still harbored feelings for Lancelot and if he were necromancered back to the living... well, who knows? This sets up a great Gwen v. Merlin conflict because he must now steer a safe and complicated course to sway Arthur against Gwen while maintaining their friendship. Instead of how things had been where Merlin and Gwen acted as the voice of reason for the people they would each have competing interests. This could only make things worse for Merlin, Arthur and Gwen forcing deep divisions in their relationship because the Heroes will adopt more features of the Villain or Anti-Hero. So, we could expect to see a less noble Arthur, Gwen, and Merlin as Arthur will be forced to choose between Gwen and Merlin. or we might get to see a DARK MERLIN emerge whose only desire is to bring about Albion even if it means the destruction of his former friends? Or a Merlin alliance with Mordred/Morgana? Well, that would be a really nice twist and turn to this series. I'd like to see how the writers manage that story line. It would be really wild. But, that's all up to the writers. So, maybe the show will end like this: http://www.fanpop.com/spots/merlin-on-bbc/picks/results/460537/how-want-series-5-probably-last-series-end-more-comments