Why The Long Suffering?

I like you. With you I can just be who I am. We don't have to hide anything. We don't have to worry. You're not on your own anymore. I'm going to look after you. I promise.

The Hunter's Heart

People who believe it is don't have the definition of queerbait in mind. It was clear from the start that it would not happen. It was never a "will they won't they" kind of situation.

it was a family show that started in 2008, made by BBC. Sadly, back then it meant that a canonic gay pairing was pretty much impossible. Add to that the fact that king Arthur is, for some people in the UK, almost a Jesus-like figure. It was impossible from the start and people were aware

At no point in the show was it indicated in dialogue that there can be something explicit happening (unlike, say, with Sherlock, where the questions about having boyfriends or being gay were openly discussed)

the writers and/or producers never made vague "promises" that Merthur can happen while the show was still running in order to gain viewership. The only "hints" was Katie McGrath mooning over Merlin and Arthur in a video commentary, which was quickly shut down by Colin Morgan ("don't fuel stuff for websites"); the famous 5.13 commentary by Julian Murphy only happened *after* the show ended and was spoken more in a vein of "now that it's over, I can admit it was a love story", and wasn't aimed as a marketing device

any "promotional photos" that are dragged out by people in which Merlin and Arthur are sitting embracing (and are supposed to be proof of queerbaiting), are, in fact, manips by the extremely talented @brolinskeep because the BBCM fandom is amazing. In the original photos, Merlin and Arthur just sit side by side.

Merlin Challenge Day 3: Favorite Ship