Four and a Half Torches (Out of Five)
Warning: This review contains spoilers for the “Perdition” episode of Legend of the Seeker.
I have to confess (four words in and a Seeker pun already), I wasn’t thrilled with the last few episodes of Legend of the Seeker. They felt bogged down by needlessly complicated plots, and the characters that we’ve come to know and love weren’t always behaving like themselves.
But I’m happy to say that with the most recent episode, this show has got its groove back, especially Richard.
The episode opens with Richard back in the Palace of Prophets, confused because he escaped there in the previous episode. He is told by Sister Verna that it was all in his head, a figment of his imagination that seemed real because his wizard training is affecting his mind.
We, of course, know something is way off, but the episode commits to this hallucination for a good while, which was a cool beginning. Turns out Richard has wandered into the Valley of Perdition, a stretch of desert that makes anyone in it hallucinate their worst fears. Verna and the Prelate spend a good long while establishing that no one is strong enough to escape the desert on their own.
Nicci, the evil Sister from last week, escapes her palace prison and joins the other Sisters of the Dark in the forest. They plot to kill Kahlan, due to the prophecy stating as long as Kahlan’s alive, the Keeper is doomed to fail. Meanwhile, Cara, Kahlan, Zedd, and the new seeker Leo search for Richard, arriving at the palace and confronting the Prelate.
This, of course, all leads to the climactic showdown in which Kahlan and company attempt to rescue Richard, but are attacked by the Sisters of the Dark. The action, as always, was outstanding, and even though in hindsight I should have realized Leo walked into the series wearing a big red shirt, I was surprised when he was mowed down by Nicci’s magic blasts.
Richard shakes off the magic of the Valley and rushes to save his friends. With an assist from Zedd, Nicci and the Sisters of the Dark are killed. They burn Leo on a funeral pyre, and head off to find that Stone of Tears.
So what made this episode great? For one thing, it had that sense of adventure that makes this show so darn fun to watch, something that’s been lacking recently. When much of the show is inside a dreary castle, like last week, it feels claustrophobic, and you long for the outdoor battle scenes set against the lush New Zealand landscape.
Cara seemed more like herself this week when responding to Leo’s advances. Realizing she’s attracted to him, she doesn’t blush and giggle, but instead jumps his bones and doesn’t give him the time of day afterward. This is a woman who’s slowly recovering her humanity, and this week we see it. She still has a ways to go, of course.
As for Richard being able to overcome the unbeatable Valley of Perdition magic with just the strength of his will? Rather than feeling like an easy plot device, it worked and stayed true to the story, because we have to believe that Richard is a hero. He, more than anyone else in the world, should be able to do that. I liked that he wasn’t rescued by his friends. It made his character important, as he should be. In exploring the other characters on the show, Richard has occasionally taken a backseat and felt one-dimensional, so it’s nice to see him back on track.
The Sister of the Light/Dark looked great, with their billowy, blood-red robes and giant ninja throwing stars. I’m going to miss them. I’m especially going to miss Sister Nicci (Jolene Blalock), who was a juicy villain. Maybe she’ll come back as Baneling? One can only hope.
And finally, can I just say how awesome Bridget Regan is? It’s not easy to play earnest in an out-and-out fantasy series when you’re wearing a Star Trek hooker outfit, but she pulls it off. Kudos, Ms. Regan.
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While I agree with most of what you wrote, I felt a major let down when Nicci was … destroyed. Primarily because it’s a MAJOR departure from the books. She was very much a central character toward the end of the books (and was firmly on the Good side). I continue to be disappointed by all the ‘rebranding’ into Rami-vision that this excellent series by Goodkind is being twisted into. Although on an intellectual level I can understand most of the reasons for doing so, emotionally it always angers me and I always think… why did they need to go that way… why not just follow the original storyline? I figure they decided to get a known high-value actress to play Nicci (Jolene Blalock) … but the budget required them to only fund 2 episodes of her? Sigh. Love the show overall, but it could have been so much more! When will we see Emperor Jagang? Or will we??
Dude, I love reading your reviews but I think you blew a great opportunity this week. Did you miss the Sister’s of the Dark pet spider? What a show to have a arachnid scene stealer! Take care, keep up the great reviews and keep your eyes open. There are spiders everywhere, I do mean everywhere. (Is that paranoia or arachnophobia?)
I didn’t realize there was such an arachnophile following of “Seeker.” I’ll keep my eyes open in the future.
PS — It’s possible I blocked it from my memory because of the trauma….spiders creep me out somethin’ fierce.
This episode was a pretty epic one actually. Nicci does battle with Zedd, Cara, Kahlan and Leo while Richard attempts to wake his butt up and get out of the Valley of Perdition. We learn about the new prophecy in a little more detail and we even get to see a little bit of a human/womanly side of Cara as her feelings for Leo begin to show. There were a couple of huge plot twists and there is a debate going on over at http://www.legendseeker.net as to whether they will affect the next couple of episodes or not.
Nicci was burned (?), wasn’t she? How can she come back as a baneling? I guess when you’re in league with the Keeper, anything can happen.
And those Sisters! Even the Good ones pack some mean heat.
I don’t really understand why everyone has been ragging on Richard for so long. He’s the hero, the good guy, of the series. Does it not make sense that he would WANT to BE good?
Anyway, good show. Good series.
My very first thought when I saw the spider was “poor Tim,” knowing you’d probably be reviewing the episode.
Hah, have I broadcast my fear of creepy-crawly things before? Because yeah, that’s pretty much the one thing that freaks me out more than anything. I _HATE_ bugs.
Much better than the last couple of weeks, although it was sad to see Leo BBQ’d by Nicci. And then re-BBQ’d by the Seeker and his Gang of Misfits. Speaking of Nicci, there is a rumour making the rounds that Nicci is apparently being recast?
Great to see Kahlan back in the white dress and without the crappy make-up they paint her with when she’s wearing the Mother Hooker outfit. Also great to see that Richard’s “worst case scenario” involves Kahlan hooking up with some dude from “Home and Away” or some other Aussie soapie. Such jealousy from someone who appeared in an equally bad Aussie soapie!
Seeing Nicci use Richard’s super-wizard-power makes me think that Richard should have really spent those years learning how to make lightning appear from his fingers. Or perhaps he could have just conjured himself a Kahlan look-a-like as a concubine. I’m sure Kahlan would understand.
Looking forward to the next episode!
So since Nicci was destroyed, does that mean Richard will never get his han back? Or did I miss something in the episode when his han was transferred back to him?
I’m a huge fan of the books and watch the show more out of curiosity than for entertainment. I understand that they depart from the books just to make an interesting plot that fits a television production format. However, I wish that they wouldn’t change things that make it into a completely different story. Darken Rahl wasn’t Richard’s brother, he was his father. That point aggravates me to no end. And now, Nicci is dead and Richard doesn’t have his magic! They could have at least had Richard kill Nicci with one of the sister’s daggers and recovered his power. There is no way that they can reasonably explain this. I hope that in the future they will endeavor to stay closer to the original story.