Five Torches (Out of Five)

Warning: The following review contains spoilers for the “Tears” episode of Legend of the Seeker.

I can’t remember the quote exactly, but at one point during The Lord of the Rings, when hope seems lost and a victory in battle seems all but impossible, stoic King Theoden says something like, “If this truly is the end, let it be such an end.”

That pretty much sums up the season — and yes, probably series — finale of Legend of the Seeker.

That the show will probably not return for a third season is a tragedy, but after having viewed the season finale, shot before the powers that be had knowledge of this fact, I can gladly say that the episode “Tears” serves as a fitting and extremely satisfying series finale.

In a way, the episode serves as a microcosm of the entire series: they proudly display the incredible combat choreography that sets the show miles above most other action shows on television, a great deal of magic is used that never feels like a plot cheat, and while “Tears” incorporates a sizable handful of secondary and tertiary recurring characters, it never skimps on character moments for our four heroic leads, namely Zedd, Cara, Richard, and Kahlan.

Speaking purely as a fan and not a critic, one thing I’ve always appreciated about Legend of the Seeker is that while an abundance of magic is used as plot fodder, the writers always define exactly what the magical properties are, and exactly what a person, spell, or object can and cannot do. Therefore, with the crazy magical battles that occur in “Tears,” everything follows logic and no rules are broken.

Everything that happened with Nicci confessing Kahlan worked because of the rules they so carefully set up. That Zedd’s magic is useless against Mord-Sith is well established, and so the Mord-Sith were a true threat. The episode-opening spell on Dahlia worked given what we learned last week, and the Richard-saving Breath of Life that capped everything off resonated not only for its emotional payoff but because it made sense.

It’s easy to cheat as a writer when you’re working with magic, but the writers of Seeker never did, and I applaud them for it.

The plot of “Tears” is so complex I won’t even try to recap it for you, but suffice it to say that while betrayals and fireballs are flying fast and furious, the core of the show — our four heroes — keep the pace moving, even when Kahlan is under Nicci’s thrall. (And might I say, that was one of the several shocking moments of the episode. Who would have thought Kahlan, the Confessor, could ever be confessed?)

While we begin in the alternate reality that dominated the previous episode, much of the story takes place in the real world, as is befitting a series conclusion, and getting back the good Cara we’ve come to love was a moment of pure joy. Much of Seeker’s underlying arc is the love story of Richard and Kahlan, and for those shippers out there, this was the episode to put all your desires to rest.

I won’t lie — I was terrified the show would end on a cliffhanger, with a confessed Kahlan having killed Richard and the Keeper in possession of the Stone of Tears. Fortunately, such was not the case.

But I’ll tell you what I really loved. I loved that, in spite of the twist-heavy plot that had built by show’s end, they let the camera linger on Kahlan weeping over Richard’s dead body.

That was a moment that needed weight, and that’s what they gave us. With bodies littering the ground and a demonic adversary holding the key to their salvation, it’s Richard’s death and that alone that Kahlan can focus on. Because the writers had the confidence in their story to stay in that moment, we felt that sorrow with Kahlan.

In a way, they couldn’t have made a better series finale if they tried. It would seem somehow dishonest if the episode implied they would never have to face an enemy again, and the tiny scene with Darken Rahl resurrecting Nicci hinted at problems to come.

But that wasn’t the conclusion of the episode. The true ending was the revelation that the love shared between Kahlan and Richard was stronger than any dark magic they might ever face, and we end the show the way all good stories should end.

With a kiss.

Five Torches (Out of Five)

Warning: The following review contains spoilers for the “Unbroken” episode of Legend of the Seeker.

You know what’s been missing in a high fantasy show like Legend of the Seeker? Alternate realities.

In the first part of Seeker’s season finale — and, most probably, series finale — we learn that Cara’s turn to the dark side wasn’t through your standard Mord’Sith brainwashing, but rather a heavy bit of black magic. Zedd works some serious mojo to undo the badness done to her, only to wind up in an alternate dimension where the events of last year’s season finale were altered slightly, in that Cara was not involved.

What ended up happening was the original plan succeeded, and Richard totally owned Darken Rahl using the powers of the Box of Orden. This brought about an era of piece in D’Hara in which Richard rules as a just Lord Rahl and married Kahlan. Yay! Happy ending! He even controls Darken Rahl and the Mord’Sith. Not bad, Mr. Cypher.

But of course that’s not to be. It turns out that the world really isn’t that much better off, because the Keeper, you see, exists outside space and time, and so is aware that the world has been changed.

I’m not sure if this is a plot cheat or not, because I’ve always been a little confused as to the extent of the Keeper’s power. But you know what? I’ll buy it, because the show hasn’t let me down yet.

The Keeper advises the Sisters of the Dark to murder Richard’s sister and use her blood to make them immune to the magic protecting the palace. They do, and remove the Box of Orden, stealing Richard’s power, and so he becomes helpless to Rahl’s rule.

Meanwhile, Zedd and Kahlan discover that the Cara in this reality is a kind, unassuming mother of two, who gets caught up in a brief, sweet love affair with none other than Leo, the one-time Seeker. But they decide the best thing to do is to try and reverse the spell, and so tie up this docile Cara against her will and begin the spell again. Unfortunately, the Mord’Sith tracked them there and kill Cara before the spell can be completed.

I’m seriously getting tired of seeing the gorgeous Tabrett Brethell get killed on screen.

This episode seems a fitting counterpart to last year’s season finale, which featured an alternate future in which Kahlan maried Darken Rahl. I like that the show can bend its formula for its season finales, shaking things up and putting the characters n new situations. Sure, it doesn’t have the heavy, intellectual gravitas of episodes like “Torn” and “Hunger,” but it does shed more light on its awesome mythology.

Even though we all know it wasn’t meant to last, it was so gratifying as a long-term fan to see that one moment of bed-oriented joy with Richard and Kahlan, especially when she tells him she’s pregnant. Even though it had only been days since they had consummated their relationship, Kahlan looks at him with a maternal glow, saying that a Confessor just knows. It was a beautiful moment, and it made my heart ache to think we may not see these two on screen together anymore.

All in all, this ep was a fantastic set-up for next week’s season finale. Cue the violins. This is one of my favorite shows on television right now, mostly because it’s so unique. If you have any more oopmh left, Save Our Seeker campaign, do it up. We here at the Torch have your back.

We’re all holding our breath for next week. This week was mostly set-up, which means that next week is going to be insane. I can’t wait.

Five Torches (Out of Five)

Warning: The following review contains spoilers for the “Eternity” episode of Legend of the Seeker.

Every episode makes my heart ache a little bit more for Legend of the Seeker. Imagine if Xena had been canceled just as it really hit its prime. Or Buffy. Think of the great episodes we would have been robbed of. That’s exactly what’s happening with Seeker, and with episodes the quality of “Eternity,” it’s a damn shame.

The addition of Cara to the main cast this year was a brilliant stroke, and Tabrett Brethell is a stunning actress to watch. I’ve become so fond of her that this episode was devastating, but the very thing that made it such a bitter pill to swallow is the same thing that made it amazing.

Cara’s evil again.

Probably. Possibly. Well, it certainly looks that way, but it’s possible there’s some deception going on.

This episode earned its five torches for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is that it really went there in terms of making its characters suffer. Seeing Cara being tortured at the hands of Darken Rahl was agonizing, but it was so rewarding to see what a bad-ass she was for the most part — how strong she was, and how resistant to cracking under torment.

(And is it pervy to mention how sick her abs were? That is a lady who knows her way around a sit-up.)

Sure, the plot once again featured a scenario where it was absolutely essential that the main four split up (amazing how often that happens), but all is forgiven for the situations that provided. Richard and Kahlan head off to find the Stone of Tears, which has proven to be the most elusive rock in the history of the universe, while Zedd and Cara head off with Cara’s friend and fellow Mord-Sith, Dalia, to protect the son that none of us knew Cara had, who just happens to also be the son of Darken Rahl.

Wow, so that’s a lot of new information. Fear not, though — the son was a red herring, and was actually killed at birth. But before we learn this, we see that Cara and Dalia are way, way more than friends. While miles away, Richard and Kahlan are controlling their hormones, Cara and Dalia show no such restraint. As the next scene picks up, Cara and Dalia are getting dressed, and it occurred to me how far we’ve come in the ten years since Xena went off the air.

Xena was a show very much about the love between two women, but the show was always coy about their relationship and never committed to their love being romantic and sexual. As Cara helped strap Dalia into her leathers after a night of lovemaking, it was cool to see that progress has clearly been made.

Another landmark of this episode is that the Stone of Tears actually gets found, but there’s a devastating last-minute revelation that Darken’s torturing of Cara actually worked and turned her back into an evil minion, and she steals the Stone and returns it to Rahl.

They could not have set up the finale any better than this, with the enemy possessing not only their magical object but also one of their own whom they trusted with their lives.

I don’t want to see this show go, but if this truly is the end, it looks as though it will be a fitting, exciting finale.

Four and a half Torches (Out of Five)

Warning: The following review contains spoilers for the Extinction episode of Legend of the Seeker.

It’s a strange thing to review Legend of the Seeker now, a show that I’ve grown to love over the past two years, given what we all learned last week. Even if they aired one of their great comedy episodes, there would be an overlying sense of sorrow, as we know that each minute that ticks by is one less that we’ll have to spend with our heroes.

But the latest episode, “Extinction,” wasn’t a comedy episode. Rather, it was an ep with an exceeding amount of action and adventure, as well as some fantastic character moments, particularly for Darken Rahl and Cara.

Oh, what a fantastic villain is Craig Parker’s Darken Rahl. He was, of course, the big bad of Season One, and in this season has mostly been relegated to featured cameos. But as events hurtle towards the finale and the discovery of the Stone of Tears, Darken Rahl has been restored to life (in a different body … that looks exactly the same) and we’re all the better for it.

Last week, we learned that the Night Wisps, Kahlan’s Tinkerbell-esque buddies, are needed to decipher the instructions for how to use the Stone of Tears. But Darken Rahl also knows this, and sends his D’haran officers to burn down their forest home. This leads to a fantastic fight scene showcasing the rarely seen, utterly brutal side of Kahlan. We’ve seen her kick all sorts of ass over the series, but watching her rip the D’harans apart was something else.

Darken Rahl has saved one Wisp, however, which he uses as a bargaining tool — he wants to join their band and be the one to save the world. And here is one more example of the quality writing on Seeker: their main villain is coercing himself into their company … so he can save the world. But he is only doing that, we learn, to secure his place in Heaven.

Wait, what?

Celestial aspirations aside, this is a great twist on the old mustache-twirling villain who always acts in his own best interest, because the side effect is to everyone’s benefit. So do we want him to fail? Kinda. It’s complicated.

But the big example of the quality writing occurs late in the episode in a quiet moment between Darken and Richard, when it seems that Darken is once again at death’s door. He tells Richard that before Richard killed him, he killed himself years earlier, and made a deal with the Keeper: if he was allowed to live again, he would kill at least one person each day.

Darken Rahl was the world’s first Baneling.

That’s great writing, because not only does it bridge the first season with the second, it also makes you want to rewatch Season One armed with this knowledge. Bravo, Seeker writers.

The other great moment is also a quiet one between Cara and the one surviving Wisp, who gets her to admit that she loves Richard, Kahlan, and Zedd. Cara’s been such a great character this season, and when I think about how she started the season off, this moment had such emotional payoff. So much so that you can overlook the fact that it was really just Tabrett Bethell talking to her hand for three minutes.

I’m going to miss this show so much when it’s over. It’s the only true high fantasy show that I’m aware of on television right now, and its loss will leave a gaping hole. I know there’s a fan campaign that’s attempting to reverse this decision, and while I obviously hope it’s successful, the outlook is grim.

But on the bright side, we still have a small handful of new episodes left, and I, for one, am going to revel in them.

The search for the Stone of Tears may lead to actual weeping.

This has not been a good couple of years for fans of sci-fi and fantasy. Sadly, The Legend of the Seeker now joins Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and Dollhouse in the ranks of shows that reached their second seasons only to be unjustly canceled just as they really started to work their mojo.

I’ll admit it — when I first saw ads for Seeker, I didn’t think I would like it that much. It looked so old school, with its Xena-esque costumes and firmly un-ironic dialogue. The Sword of Truth? A Wizard of the First Order? Surely the show wouldn’t be any good.

Man, did I eat my words after seeing the very first episode.

From the get go, Seeker knew exactly what it was doing at every turn, crafting excellent high fantasy plots with kick-ass action and small but delightful sprinklings of humor. The main cast — Craig Horner, Bridget Regan, Bruce Spence, and the superbly villainous Craig Parker — were top notch, and with the addition in the second season of the sublime Tabrett Bethell, the show hit a truly awesome streak.

One of the characteristics that made it stand out was its incredible fight choreography and cinematography. Rarely do combat scenes ever look this beautiful and brutal on the small screen, but Seeker brought cinema-worthy fights, from one-on-one duels to large-scale melees, with every single episode.

Legend of the Seeker has been a mainstay for us here at TheTorchOnline.com. Over the past two years we’ve reviewed most of the episodes, as well as conducted interviews with the producers and stars, including Craig Horner, Bridget Regan, and Tabrett Bethell, all of whom were gracious and charming. (And I learned, to my eternal delight, that Bridget Regan reads our reviews when she quoted something I had written about her costume!)

Last year, Horner’s Richard Cypher even made our list of the Top 7 Sexiest Men of Fantasy (and don’t be surprised to see more of the cast making the lists again this summer!) and the aforementioned fight scenes made our list of Best Magical Fights.

Though the show only had a third of the life of its predecessor Xena, it has delivered two full seasons’ worth of excellent episodes, and thanks to DVDs and the internet, the show will live on.

The adventures of Richard and company will not be forgotten any time soon by its legion of fans, and you can be sure we here at TheTorchOnline.com won’t forget them either. We still have the rest of this season to review — and the next episode looks awesome, with the newly-resurrected Darken Rahl — and who knows what retrospectives, lists, or other wacky articles the folks of the Midlands may find their way into?

One thing’s for sure. There may not be a new season of Seeker next fall, but its spirit will be kept alive.

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Four and a Half Torches (Out of Five)

Warning: The following review contains spoilers for the “Walter” episode of Legend of the Seeker.

A couple of months ago, Legend of the Seeker aired an episode that featured two Kahlans, and the result was one of the best episodes of the season. This weekend, that went back to the body-double well, and guess what? Another home run!

Full disclosure: I was never a big fan of the Xena episodes that featured her lookalikes, which tended to be overly silly and campy, but not actually that funny.

But with “Walter,” the writers took the character who was least likely to be made into a comic relief — Darken Rahl — and somehow pulled it off beautifully, creating awesome moments for Craig Parker to shine while never once compromising how dangerous a character Rahl is.

I was really blown away by Parker in this episode. Not only did he deliver his usual fantastic portrayal of the most slithery villain this side of a Disney cartoon, he also created an entirely different character — with an utterly delightful American accent, by the way — who was hilarious. Seriously. I’ve always enjoyed Parker for his great roles in Seeker as well as Spartacus: Blood and Sand and Lord of the Rings, but the revelation that he his a gifted comic actor is pushing my admiration into serious man-crush territory.

This is one of those episodes that has tremendous rewatch appeal. Parker’s craft is so spot on that he even made the characters look different (when they were identical!) just by adding certain tics and gestures. Genius.

But lest you think this was a plot-light comedy episode a la “Princess,” oh, no! This was actually an incredibly important episode in that it features a number of occurrences that have a hefty effect on the plot, not least of which, obviously, is that Darken Rahl has returned to life. And even though it’s not technically his body, it looks exactly like him, so no worries.

I really enjoyed Walter’s story, and really dug the device of framing it as a tale being told between two men in a tavern. I liked that the writers felt confident in not bringing in our main heroes until almost halfway through the episode.

By this point, the audience has learned to trust in the storytelling ability of Seeker, and rightly so. It’s a show that keeps you guessing. I honestly didn’t know where the plot was going half the time, and doesn’t that seem all too rare these days?

As always, the show looked spectacular, with its awesome, expertly-choreographed fight scenes and CGI magic being cast all over the place.

It was cool to see Kahlan use her Confessor power again, even though it now almost always means whoever she confesses is sure to die before episode’s end.

The flashbacks to scenes that would have taken place during Season One were a nice way of linking this current season with the last, adding some enjoyable continuity into the show.

And I especially loved all of Walter’s impersonation scenes. Craig Parker had to play a nervous guy impersonating his own character, which is enough to make any actor cross-eyed, but as stated earlier, Parker is clearly the man. He made it look easy.

You go, Legend of the Seeker. You go.

Four and a Half Torches (Out of Five)

Warning: This review contains spoilers for the “Red Serpent” (premiere) episode of Spartacus: Blood and Sand.

I have been waiting all my life to see a show like this!

The much-hyped new show from Starz, Spartacus: Blood and Sand, has been making waves for its claims to be boundary-pushing when it comes to nudity and violence, and be a show unlike any other you’ve seen on television.

And guess what? A true rarity in the world of advertising: it’s all true.

From the team that brought you Xena: Warrior Princess, and is currently bringing you Legend of the Seeker, Spartacus feels like a mish-mash of Xena, 300, Gladiator, and Rome, taking some of the best parts of those shows while at the same time forging something entirely new.

The first episode is your classic origin/set-up pilot: we meet Spartacus as a brave, young Thracian soldier, reluctantly obeying the commands of the Roman centurion, Glaber (Craig Parker, who is no stranger to genre fans: His roles include Bellerophon on Xena, Haldir in Lord of the Rings, and currently Darken Rahl on Legend of the Seeker.)

The Thracians are only working with Romans to help defeat a common enemy, but it turns out Glaber really only wants to use the Thracians as muscle to fight off another enemy contingent of Greeks. When the plan becomes obvious, Spartacus (who is actually not named Spartacus, but we’re never told his real name) and his men give the Romans a sick beat-down, and head home to protect their villages.

Spartacus arrives home just in time to save his wife from invading marauders, and as it turns out, she’s pretty handy with a sword herself. (This is the same team that championed Xena, Gabrielle, Kahlan, and Cara, remember.) But while his wife is safe, his village is burned to the ground.

Spartacus and his wife, Sura, mourn the death of their neighbors by having crazy naked sex in the snow. The afterglow is cut short, however, when who should arrive but that nasty Glaber, whose men tear the lovers apart and knock Spatacus out with a conk on the head.

Spartacus is taken to Capua, a city in the Roman Empire, where he is forced to become a gladiator. He fights off four armed and armored gladiators with just a sword, wearing only a loincloth. But this is Spartacus, the champion of men! So hearing his wife’s voice in his head, he obliterates his would-be killers, the crowd goes wild, and a star is born.

The proprieter of a second-tier gladiator school, looking to make a name for himself, offers to buy Spartacus from the Roman senator Albinius, who agrees. And thus begins out journey…

The good:

Where do I begin? This show is like a double shot of espresso mixed with Mountain Dew after a decade of drinking decaf instant coffee and watered down herbal tea. The visual style, though reminiscent of 300, is truly its own animal. Yes, both projects use ample amounts of green screen, but Spartacus has a palette of its very own, and the freeze-frame-animated-blood moments, which are clearly meant to recall the pages of a comic book, are a visual feast.

Many film projects have sought to capture the “living graphic novel” aesthetic, Sin City and 300 being the most recent. But none have really got it in the way that Spartacus does. From the concise dialogue to the lush backgrounds, it really feels like you’re watching a comic book come to life.

Andy Whitfield has the “it” factor in spades, and there’s no doubt he’ll have zero problems carrying this show on his muscley, oiled-up shoulders. Craig Parker is a sneering villain, which seems to be his specialty. (Even as the good-guy elf Haldir, he had a certain bristly coldness.) And Lucy Lawless, who was unfortunately allocated to a cameo in the first ep, is fantastic as the enigmatic Lucretia.

Now, if it’s so good, why does the show not rate the full five stars? As it happens, I’ve also seen later episodes, which are even better than the first. And if a show’s awesomeness is being judged only against its own awesomeness, you know you’re on solid ground.

The bad:

The first episode of a show can be tricky, as there’s a lot to establish, and although I really loved every minute of it, it did feel like they were trying very hard to show us that “this pushes all boundaries!” Believe it or not, it was mostly the swearing that got me, which is odd, because I love swearing. I love it. But after the 97th f-word within the first ten minutes, I thought, “Okay, I get it.”

Some expository scenes dragged a little, particularly when Glaber is visited by his wife in the Roman army camp. She sneaks in, kisses him, and gigglingly asks “What if I’d been an assassin?”

Which made me think, “Then I’d be a lot more invested in this scene.” But I suppose a show does, after all, require some plot.

Finally, there was not NEARLY enough Lucy Lawless for my taste. But that changes in the second episode.

Final thoughts:

This show kicks serious ass. We needed something like this. And thanks to Rob Tapert, Sam Raimi, and the powers that be, we finally got it!