Legend of the Seeker
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Legend of the Seeker - TV Series vs Books
I just became a fan of the new television series, Legend of the Seeker. I found this jewel over the summer as I was browsing through Hulu.com. I came across a television series called, you got it, "Legend of the Seeker". It piqued my curiosity, since I hadn't seen it before and I noticed it had 22 episodes. I thought to myself, "How did I miss this, 22 episodes?"
I'm a sword and sorcery fan. I'm not a fanatic, just a fan. I love action-adventure, kung fu movies, sci-fi and fantasy.
As I was saying, I found this tv series "Legend of the Seeker" and thought what the hey I'll watch a couple episodes and see what it's about.
CAST
I must say, I think they hit the casting jackpot when they selected these artists.Richard Cypher, the 1st true seeker in 1,000 years - played by Craig Horner
Kahlan Amnell, the Mother Confessor (the last Confessor) - played by Bridget Regan
Zeddicus Z'ul Zorander - Wizard of the First Order - played by Bruce Spence
Cara, Mord Sith - One of the elite group of women created to protect the Lord Rahl - played by Tabrett Bethell (2nd Season)
PREMISE
Richard Cypher, played by Craig Horner, is a young woods guide who is suddenly thrust into the role of "hero" when he finds out he is the first true seeker in 1,000 years and is destined to wield the "Sword of Truth". Richard lives in a world divided by something known as "The Boundary", it is a powerful barrier that divides the land into two distinct parts. The Midlands (Darken Rahl's domain) where the forces of magic still exist and thrive, and the Westland where there is no such thing as magic. Richard was raised in the Westlands and had no knowledge of anything past the barrier.
One fateful day, while chopping wood in the woods, he sees a beautiful woman in white running from men the likes he'd never seen before. He decides to follow and see if he can help her and find out what was going on. He eventually catches up to the woman in white and the adventure begins. Needless to say I was hooked; they had me at hello.
The woman in white is named Kahlan, played by Bridget Regan. She is from the Midlands and sent through the barrier to find the one true Seeker, the man destined to destroy the evil Darken Rahl. Kahlan is also a "Confessor". Confessors are women who were essentially created or endowed by wizards with a great power. Their power is the ability to make any one, man, woman or child tell the truth, no matter what. They have only to touch someone and release their power and they are compelled to speak the truth. But the use of that power has a terrible side effect, the power touched becomes a slave to the Confessor by love. Anyone who is possessed by the power will willingly do whatever the Confessor asks without question and without regard to their own welfare and well being. Their only thought is to please the Confessor. They lose all free will.
The Confessor's duty is to protect the "Seeker". She is a kick-butt fighter as well as having the Confessor powers, and can throw a knife as good as anybody. I like the music that accompanies the scenes of the show. There's a familiar tune, it sounds like something I've heard before but different. Let me think, it was a tune I associated with another TV series with a lead female character who could kick-butt, name begins with a "X". But then again that could be coincidence since Sam Raimi is the producter. Could just be me.
Richard Cypher soon to be known as Richard Rahl is the first true seeker in a thousand years. A true seeker must be named by a wizard of the first order. Once named, the seeker is given the Sword of Truth. This is a powerful and ancient weapon that can be devastating in the hands of a seeker. It has the knowledge and power of all the seekers who have held it before. Now from what I've read there have been seekers before Richard but it's implied they were pretenders to the throne sort of speak. They lacked that certain quality of truth that would make the power of the sword really work for them. It's alluded to that some have been less than honorable in their use of the sword, and it seems that those individuals did not end well. The Sword of Truth is a sword of justice, it's a sword of retribution. Use it falsely, you will eventually pay and pay dearly. But fortunately for Richard, he is the true seeker. The sword works for him not the other way round.
What I like About Legend of the Seeker
Why is it a love that can never be? Remember I said a person confessed loses all free will. Well that would happen to Richard if he allowed Kahlan who is a confessor to touch him. Confessors can never have a normal life and can never marry the person they love because that person would cease to be, and the things that drew them to that person would be destroyed. Will love find a way, you think?
The Omen Machine
A Richard and Kahlan Novel - AUGUST 16, 2011
The books takes up after the book, "Confessor". I thought "Confessor" was going to be the last book, and no more would I be able to get my Richard and Kahlan fix; no more Mord-Sith and all the other characters I'd come to love in the Sword of Truth universe.
Thankfully Mr. Goodkind has heard our cries and has given us, "The Omen Machine". I just finished reading the book and I can't wait until the next book. All is well in our Richard and Kahlan universe. I won't say too much in case you haven't read it yet. But let's just say, there's something hidden in the Garden of Life, and Richard, Kahlan, Cara and Zedd will be right in the thick of it.
If you get your copy before I do, let me know what you think - no spoilers though because I haven't read it yet. I should within the next couple of weeks, if not sooner. As of September 12, 2011, I have now read the book and as I said earlier I can't wait till the next book.
This book is much shorter than the previous novels, only 525 pages. I won't go further into details because I don't want to spoil anything for people who haven't read it yet, or voice my disappointment over several aspects of the book that bothered me. Something seemed off to me.
What's Richard's Motivation?
Richard started out as a wood guide and then became the savior of the New and Old Worlds. How? First, his upbringing he was raised by caring and loving parents who taught him right from wrong, grounded him in the here and now. He also had the guidance of Zedd, his mentor, to teach him to think for himself and to question what he sees. Little did Richard realize that his mentor was really his grandfather, one of the most powerful wizards alive.But does good upbringing make the basis for a good hero?
Richard's upbringing gave him a good foundation, but it's what he built on this foundation that set him apart. Richard believes that all people should live their lives, be free and allowed to grow and achieve, and live it the best they can, you only get one life. Live life abundantly. When he found Kahlan and his journey started, he was not aware that this thought, this concept, could be so alien in the new world he was thrust into. He found oppression, suppression, and cruelty for the sake of cruelty. People were property, nothing more, and subject to the whims of their owners...their rulers. Richard's philosophy of life was so different from what the people were accustomed to, and Richard was not just someone who talks of fine ideals, he was a doer, who practiced what he preached (yes, sometimes the books can get a bit preachy).
In the book, Faith of the Fallen, Nicci, my favorite Sister of the Dark and the most powerful sorceress to be born in a 1,000 years, kidnaps Richard. Not to kill him, but to prove a point. She blackmails Richard by putting a spell on Kahlan, the maternity spell. This spell will cause anything that happens to Nicci to happen to Kahlan as well. If Nicci cuts herself, Kahlan gets cut. If Nicci feels pain, Kahlan feels pain. If Nicci dies, Kahlan dies. You get the picture. Kahlan will physically feel and experience whatever Nicci physically feels and experiences. She threatens to kill herself if Richard does not come with her and do as she says. Kahlan and Nicci are bound. The side effect is that neither can use their powers while bound.
Nicci has always been intrigued by Richard. He's never been predictable. Nicci was on her own quest, her quest was to prove to Richard that his high ideals could not stand up to the cold hard reality of real life. In the world Nicci came from, the Imperial Order was the law of the land in the Old World and it's philosophy was that your life was wretched, you were miserable creatures whose only hope of salvation was to suffer as much as possible in this world so that you can reap the rewards of that suffering in the afterlife. Death is your goal, the more you suffer and cause suffering to others the greater your reward in the afterlife. Achievement and prosperity were seen as evil, because if you experience these things it meant you were up to no good, you were setting yourself above your neighbor, your fellow citizen. Everyone must be equal, everyone must contribute to the greater good.
Nicci takes Richard to the Old World to prove to herself that Richard's ideals are foolish, and to watch him fail.
This book is one of my favorite books in the series because you get to see Richard not so much as the seeker, but rather as Richard, the man. Also, you learn more about Nicci, how she grew up with a religious zealot for a mother and a long-suffering father who was losing his family to those religious ideals. Faith of the Fallen provides insight into what made Nicci, Nicci.
This was more of a turning point for Nicci - she would either find herself or lose herself completely to the hands of the Keeper of the Underworld.
Legend of the Seeker - Series vs Books
VILLIANDarken Rahl - Evil Tyrant/Really Bad Boy - played by Craig Parker.
In the series, Darken Rahl as played by Craig Parker, is evil to be sure, but he has that bad boy quality. If you reach his good side, maybe you could reform him. NOTTTT!!!!!!!! You will be dead. But look at that face.
Sidenote: Craig Parker aka Darken Rahl, was in another popular fantasy triology, Lord of the Rings. He played Haldir the Elf.
We find out near the end of Season One that the seeker, Richard Cypher, is the illegitimate son of Panis Rahl, Darken Rahl's father. (I like the book's version of who Richard's father is better). Richard's mother, Caroline, Zedd's daughter was tricked by Panis Rahl years before and from that trickery, Richard was born.
Darken Rahl has aligned himself with the "Keeper" who is the lord and master of the underworld, the world of the dead. The "Keeper" would like nothing better than to destroy the world of the living and spread his dominion to all the world. To receive the absolute power he craves, Darken Rahl will do anything, destroy anyone to help the "Keeper" in his goal.
After defeating Darken Rahl last season and sending him to the underworld, Richard inherited all that Darken Rahl possessed. Why? Poor Richard never knew that the man who raised him George Cypher was not his real father. Then to find out that the most evil of tyrants was your brother, he found this out after he destroyed him. Which was good so he wouldn't have any misplaced emotions about saving someone who was rotten to the core. So being the last surviving gifted male member of the family, he inherited everything. At the end of the first season, he now has the additional title of Lord Rahl. I can't wait to find out how they incorporate Richard finding out that he is also a wizard and has magic into the television series.
In the television series, Darken Rahl is a snake to be sure; but it can't hold a candle to the pure evil character that's in the book. The book Darken Rahl is evil from the roots of his hair to the tip of his toenails, and a pyscho. He kills for power and whatever desire comes across his mind. The more souls he sends to the "Keeper" the more brownie points he gets with the "Keeper".
This show got me interested in reading the books the show is based on, Legend of the Seeker by Terry Goodkind. The first book of the series is "Wizard's First Rule". There are a series of rules regarding human nature that wizards, and I think, regular humans need to learn. The first rule is "People will believe a lie because they want to believe or because they are afraid it might be true". Interesting premise.
The first season of the show was based almost entirely on the first book, "Wizard's First Rule." It's fun to see which segments are taken from the book and see how they are incorporated into the show. It's Richard's destiny to defeat Darken Rahl, evil wizard tyrant of D'Hara. Darken Rahl is determined to bring all the lands of the world under his depraved and wicked rule. More people to play with and torment.
Richard must find a way to keep Darken Rahl from joining the three boxes of Orden together. The books are very powerful magic, which will allow him ultimate control over every man, woman and child in the world. If you remember what I told you about the "Confessor" and her power, the best comparison I can give for Darken Rahl's power if he joins the books, is, think Confessor to the nth degree, infinity. A small taste of what the boxes of Orden could do was shown in Season One. In one of the later episodes of the first season, Richard was able to find all the boxes and put them together. How can I explain what happened to him? Ever heard the saying "Power corrupts, but absolute power corrupts absolutely." And Richard had a conscience, Darken Rahl has no concept of conscience, think of how the power would be manifested in him. Can you say, hell on earth. Wait a minute, that's what he wants anyway.
Now I just want to say here, that although I enjoy the books immensely, I would not recommend them to younger readers, there's some really mature subject matter in the books, such as murder, rape, sadism, and more which I can't go into here. The books I would rate as mature subject matter. The television show doesn't even touch on any of this. It's produced by Disney, that should tell you the violence is not that graphic.
One of My Favorite Sword of Truth Books
Faith of the Fallen (Sword of Truth) (Audio CD)
Amazon Price: $50.66 (as of 05/27/2012)
Faith of the Fallen by Terry Goodkind is book six in a series of books entitled "The Sword of Truth", a classic fantasy series with magic and swords and wizards and such. One of the main characters in The Sword of Truth books is a young man named Richard. Richard's character is fundamentally defined by two components, in my view - the "angry young man", and his belief in the nobility of the human spirit. Richard can be very angry and defiant when he is captured or under duress, but as he has matured and the books have matured, the author has brought out Richard's second quality - his belief in the nobility of the human spirit - more and more. And this really takes shape in Faith of the Fallen. Reading the series has been enjoyable to me to this point, but nothing profound until I read Faith of the Fallen. This development of the philosophy of the nobility of the human spirit in this particular book really struck a chord with me. In the book, Richard is "visiting" a new land, a land which is under tyrannical rule, with leaders who attempt to brainwash the public into believing that man is a wretched creature, their lives are all miserable, and all they can do is try to get by and should give all their "extra" money to the needy. This world is basically heavily controlled by the government (called "The Order"), and anyone who earns any extra money because of their success and hard work has that money taken away from them because they are "greedy" and the money is in turn given to those "less fortunate." Into this scene strides Richard, and in his inexorable, stubborn way, he transforms the world so that people see the nobility of the human spirit within themselves, and not wretched misery.
I believe in this nobility of the human spirit. I would hope that within each of us, there exists a pure, noble grace and the potential to rise to greatness - however greatness may be defined for each of us individually. Basically, I believe (or want to believe) that man is good, and that left to our own devices, we will generally strive to do good things for ourselves and one another, to be inspirational to ourselves and one another, and in our connectedness and within ourselves strive to reach enlightenment.
Now, what exactly is enlightenment? In the book, the pure, noble core is unleashed in Richard as he prepares a sculpture that he has been commissioned to create by the tyrannical regime. In this sense, he is tapping into his own "inner nobility", as well as illustrating to others - through the finished product of the sculpture - just exactly what life is all about and how it can indeed be a beautiful and noble thing. I believe art in its many forms - music, sculpture, literature, poetry, etc. - is a strong vehicle for bringing out this passion and nobility. Take, for example, Mozart, a man who was a pure musical genius, and who was practically driven to create, to translate the passion and art in his mind into music. The public responded - and does to this day. When one hears a Mozart composition, one can't help but sense the mastery, the passion, the exaltation. In my view this is the epitome and essence of the nobility of the human spirit that is discussed in the book Faith of the Fallen. Therefore, back to my initial question - what is enlightenment? Let's take a journey into the philosophy of Buddhism to help with that question. In my view, Buddhism has a fundamental tenet - impermanence. EVERYTHING is impermanent or transitory or temporary - everything. From this central truth comes a result - life is suffering. Strangely, this sounds like what the tyrannical rulers of the Order from Faith of the Fallen were saying - humanity is nothing but a bunch of wretched, miserable creatures who suffer for their entire existences. But no, this is not what Buddhism says. Buddhism teaches one to actually feel joy and contentment from each moment of life as it occurs. By accepting the inevitable impermanence of all existence, one learns to reach a certain level of moderation and detachment as the journey unfolds. This is a bit hard to grasp, in my view, but I do believe that this type of a philosophy doesn't diminish the appreciation of life; in fact it celebrates it, as one becomes more "in tune" with each passing moment and each sensory input.
But here is the big debate (at least for me personally) - is the exaltation, passion, and nobility of the human spirit as represented in Mozart's music and in the sculpture Richard creates in Faith of the Fallen at odds with the lessons of detachment and moderation in Buddhism? I honestly don't know the answer. If I had access to a Buddhist temple and a Buddhist monk, perhaps I would try to ask this question. History seems to show that Mozart's life was not exactly pleasant. As he was driven to create, he lived his days in a fevered-pitch, and I believe he is almost viewed to have been delirious or insane. Is this a sign of being truly in touch with the nobility of the human spirit and close to enlightenment? I believe Buddhism actually teaches us to truly "feel" the joy of living, and to believe in the exaltation and nobility of man. But if one is supposed to be detached, how does one produce incredible works of passionate art or music? If Mozart had lived his days detached, I doubt he could have tapped into the passion. Would he have been happier? As Richard neared the end of carving his sculpture, he too reached a state of frenetic insanity, and could not sleep or think of much else in the final days. Yet, what he produced was truly majestic and powerful, and helped others to see the meaning of life.
Perhaps some of these answers lie in another philosophy called "Objectivism." This is a philosophy developed by Ayn Rand in the twentieth century, and I strongly suspect that Terry Goodkind, the author of Faith of the Fallen, is a follower of Ayn Rand. Objectivism seems to put forth support for the nobility of the human spirit and a strong capitalist society, both of which seem to be themes in Goodkind's books. However, objectivism seems to suggest that our inherent potential to embrace the nobility of the human spirit is an exclusive trait of humans, and that our unique ability to reason, to create ethical, moral behavior, and to behave in a "selfish" manner is what leads to this nobility, passion, and exaltation. Perhaps I need to study this Objectivism philosophy more, but I would disagree that nobility, passion, and grace are only reserved for humanity. In my view, it is all of life - all of existence - together in its purity that contributes to the overall transcendence, the overall nobility.
In any event, the question remains...is Mozart at odds with the ideals of Buddhism? Does our inherent rise toward noble expression distract from true enlightenment? Questions to ponder. And Faith of the Fallen did what all great books do - led me down a path to ask these very questions - to think and wonder and stretch my mind.
Kahlan - The Mother Confessor
Confessors were women who were imbued with the power to dispense justice by the old wizards thousands of years before. They were created to dispense justice so that no one, not even wizards, can have absolute power.
Women who with but a touch can make any one tell the truth. Could come in handy don't you think? Unfortunately, the ones touched lose their identity and are forever under the influence of the one who "confessed' them. They have no identity except the one the confessor chooses for them. You realize how dangerous this could and can be. If she tells you to walk off a cliff, you just do it without hesitation because now your soul purpose in life is to please this person no matter what she requests. You have no more free will, no more ability to choose.
Kahlan doing her Confessor thing.
The reason Kahlan is the last Confessor is because Darken Rahl has been systematically destroying them all. Now why would someone want to get rid of women who can make anyone tell the truth and make the one confessed forever lose their free will. Ummmmm.....could it be he's afraid one of them might get close enough to him to stop him from carrying out his evil plans?
At first, I didn't like the Kahlan character as portrayed in the first book. I liked the television character better, she's more action oriented right away. To me, the Kahlan character in the books was always crying. Oh look, the people are enslaved, Kahlan cries; all those people slaughtered, Kahlan cries; the dinner's been ruined, Kahlan cries.
It just seemed to me the woman just spent most of her time crying. I understand that she feels for her people and wants the best for them, life, liberty and pursuit of happiness. No wait that's superman. Well anyway, she's a person who feels deeply I get that. But my goodness, she cries in every book at least 20 times or more. Don't get me wrong I really like the Kahlan character now, even the book version. She's a strong willed woman, smart, intelligent, and a battle strategist. She'll do what she has to, even slaughter a few thousand enemy soldiers, even if she has to cry about it later. She'll ride with the best of them and kill as many people as she needs to, she'll even lead the charge. She's fiercely in love with Richard, and he with her. She'd do anything for Richard, she would die for him and he would die for her. Try to do something to Richard and you will die.
Zeddicus Z'ul Zorander - Wizard of the First Order
Zeddicus Z'ul Zorander, Wizard of the First Order, or as he is commonly known, just plain "Zedd". Zedd is played by Bruce Spence. I have to say, Mr. Spence, has made the character come alive for me. When I read the books, it is his voice and his face I put to the character. He has captured the essence and feeling of the most power wizard alive. Bravo to Mr. Spence. You may remember him as Jedediah, the pilot, in Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, well that's how I first identified him. I've always liked his voice.
Zeddicus's character in the books and in the series provides some of the levity to the dire situations our group always finds themselves in. But don't think the Zedd character is the bumbling baffoon, the absent-minded wizard. Zedd is every bit the powerful wizard, knows his power and how to use it. He has lived long enough to know that he would rather be happy than be grumpy all the time.
After his daughter, Caroline, was tricked by Panis Rahl, who was the then evil tyrant bent on the domination of the world, Zedd took his daughter and her baby boy to the Westlands. And just before the barrier between the Midlands and the Westlands came up, he sent a little something to Panis to remember him by. If you want to know what it was, you'll have to find out yourself. The world was in turmoil caused by Panis. It seems all the Rahls have a world domination complex. There was a prophecy that a child born in this particular year would be the undoing of the House of Rahl, so, you guessed it, all children born that year had to be put to death. Zedd had to save his daughter and save his grandson. In the television series, Caroline did not go with Zedd to the Westlands, in the book she did, married George Cypher and helped raise Richard until her death.
In both the series and the books, Zedd never told Richard that he was his grandfather. He was always the eccentric family friend and mentor to Richard. Zedd wanted Richard to have a normal life and have a chance to grow up and enjoy life. Zedd knew the prophecy and he knew it pointed to Richard.
Zedd is also a bit of a ladies man, and rightly so. He does have a way with the ladies with that sly charm of his. He's tall, witty, charming to a fault, and has a silver tongue. Zedd also loves to eat.
Debt of Bones
I finally read "Debt of Bones". This is a novella written by Terry Goodkind and a prequel to the Sword of Truth series. Here we meet a younger Zeddicus Z'ul Zorander, Wizard of the First Order. The story is set before the barriers were created; before Kahlan and Richard were born. Panis Rahl is the villain of the day. The young Zedd is a very powerful wizard and probably the most arrogant person you would ever want to meet. I now see where the characterization for the Young Zeddicus in "Wizard Zed", episode 5 of Season Two comes from.
Legend of the Seeker Trailers
Cara - Mord Sith
I love this character as portrayed in the book and the television series. In the television series, the character is really introduced in-depth in the second season. In the show, Cara is played by Tabrett Bethell. Ms. Bethell is fun to watch as the evil Mord-Sith slowly learning to regain her humanity. Cara has a dry wit and loves to bait poor Richard and the others by the things she says just to see their reaction. This is something she would never have done with Darken Rahl. He would have killed her.Cara is one of the feared group of women known as Mord-Sith. The Mord-Sith as are a group of women who were created by the House of Rahl. They were created to be the personal bodyguards to the Lord Rahl. They are ruthless and heartless. Little girls of promise, smart, intelligent are stolen from their families to be trained as Mord-Sith. They are tortured and brainwashed in becoming a Mord-Sith. Mord-Sith are the torturers of choice. The true test to prove that a little girl has been successfully trained to be a Mord-Sith is she must kill her father. Usually the father is kidnapped and tortured while the little girl is being trained. Once training has been completed, the poor unfortunate father is presented to his daughter to be killed. If she kills him, she's now on the road to being a heartless Mord-Sith. In the books, the training and the initiation are said to drive the girl to the brink of madness. The only good thing in their world is the Mord-Sith. Mord-Sith are strong and powerful women and are the only ones worthy of the little girls talents. They fear no one, not even death.
Anyone with magic cannot use magic against a Mord-Sith, because Mord-Sith have the ability to turn that person's magic against them. Not many men or women will go against a Mord-Sith.
The Mord-Sith's weapon of choice is the "agiel" a leather phalanx-looking rod that causes extreme pain and is secured to their wrists by a gold chain. They can torture with it or kill with it, cut, burn or shatter bone with it. The strange thing about the "agiel" is that it also causes pain to the person who wields it. So every time a Mord-Sith holds their agiel, it causes them pain, but they are taught to endure it, to welcome it, because pain makes them stronger. It shows their superiority over regular humans.
They are magically tied to the current ruling Lord Rahl, a bond that has been passed down through the millenia. In the books, all Mord-Sith can always find the Lord Rahl, they always know where he's located. This ability is not shown so much in the television series.
Cara's character in the books evolves from being one of the worst enemies of Richard Cypher aka Richard Rahl, to being his most dedicated protector and friend. Cara, as played by Tabrett Bethell, is beautiful, intelligent, and deadly.
Cara in the episode "Princess"
photos courtesy of www.sword-of-truth.com
Legend of the Seeker - A Fan of Both Show and Books
I highly recommend, Legend of the Seeker both the television series and the books.
First Season
Legend of the Seeker: The Complete First Season
Amazon Price: $17.49 (as of 05/27/2012)
First season is loosely based on the first book of the Terry Goodkind novels, Sword of Truth. The first book is entitled "Wizard's First Rule". This rule states that everyone believes a lie because they want it to be true or because they are afraid it might be true.
It ain't easy being the first true seeker in a 1,000 years. It's a good vs evil story, a love story and thought provoking storylines. Alot of sword fighting, murder, torture and Kahlan crying.
Unfortunately, they couldn't put the "Mud People" in the series. I like the "Mud People".
Second Season
The second season of the series is loosely based on the second book of the Sword of Truth series entitled, Soul of Tears.
I was anxious to see how the series would translate the events of the book, which I think is more action oriented and introduces some really interesting characters. Book 2 introduces the mreswith, banelings, the Sisters of the Light, the Sisters of the Dark, and the Old World that has it's own menace, the Imperial Order. We find out that Darken Rahl although dead is still very much involved in destroying all life as we know it. What's a little thing like death to keep an evil tyrant down. The Keeper has decided to give him one more chance and Darken Rahl intends to make the best of it.
The second season so far has not disappointed me. I realize that the story could not be followed exactly as in the books but I'm finding their ingenuity very exciting and I look forward to each episode. That's not to say I was satisfied with every episode, a couple were a bit weak, but they have been getting better with each episode.
Episode Guide for Season 2
Episode 1 - Title Marked This is when our heroes find out about the tear in the veil between the world of the living and the world of the dead. A scree has escaped the underworld and is killing everything it meets. How can Richard kill something that is already dead?
Episode 2 - Title Baneling Kinda reminds you of the Klondike bar commercial, "What would you do for a Klondike bar?" Only this question is asked by Darken Rahl and the question is, "What would you do for a chance to live again, would you be willing to kill and send souls to the Keeper, in exchange for being returned to the land of the living?" Banelings are people who've been killed and have accepted this offer. They must kill in order to remain alive and in the service of the Keeper.
Episode 3 - Title Broken We get more insight on how a Mord Sith is created when Cara returns home to her family, she and her father were taken from their home years before and no one ever knew what happened to them. Young girls are disappearing from the village and no one knows why.
Episode 4 - Title Touched Is Kahlan really the last confessor? Or is there another?
Episode 5 - Title Wizard Zedd is rejuvenated into a young wizard again. Can you say "swell headed"?
Episode 6 - Title Fury Talk about needing anger management classes.
Episode 7 - Title Resurrection An old nemesis is back, and she's figured out how to get Richard to be on her side.
Episode 8 - Title Light Zedd's been kidnapped and Richard must get him back. Wait a minute, was she just about to...?
Episode 9 - Title Dark Richard is taken to the Palace of the Prophets to be trained to be a wizard. What aren't they telling him?
Episode 10 - Title Perdition Richard is trapped in the desert of Perdition. There's a new seeker, Kahlan's married and has a little daughter, and the Keeper has won.
Episode 11 - Title Torn "Holy transporter malfunction, Batman!" There are two Kahlans.
Episode 12 - Title Hunger Cara is killed. Neither dark of night or even death will get between a Mord Sith and her appointed duties.
Episode 13 - Title Princess Zedd, a cross-dresser? He was really enjoying himself in that dress. Blonde is not Richard's color.
Zedd as aunty in episode "Princess" Photo courtesy of http://www.sword-of-truth.com
Episode 14 - Title Bound Nicci, Nicci, Nicci, what are you up to now? Blackmail of the darkest kind. I wish Richard was my boyfriend. Nicci learns a profound truth.
Now I know why Sisters of the Dark are so evil, check out those shoes.
Some photos courtesy of http://www.dadt.com/lots
Second Season - Continued
There was just too much for one module.
Sneak Peak at the "Creator" episode starring Academy Award nominee Keisha Castle-Hughes, airs April 3, 2010.
The above are my takes on the episodes I've already seen. The following are upcoming episodes
News just in, there will be seven (7) new episodes beginning April 10. I'm giddy with excitement; I really am. This is my favorite show.
I'm wondering if Richard will get his wizard powers back? But then we come to the sticky question of how he could since Nicci has it.
Episode 16 - Title Desecrated Featuring Cara and Kahlan. Richard is blackmailed to kill 5 men for the safe return of Cara and Kahlan, who were kidnapped and placed in a location with a limited air supply. How will he avoid having to kill the men? That would be telling and I'm no spoiler.
Episode 17 - Title Vengeance Zedd hunts down his father's killer. There will be some tense moments between Richard and Zedd. John Rhys-Davies guest stars. Is there a statute of limitations on vengeance? Who knew...Panis Rahl. He's nothing I thought he would be. I know the book version and let's say Darken Rahl was a chip off the old block.
Episode 18 - Title Walter Fun episode, we get so few of these. Funny but action packed. Darken Rahl's back and he's got plans.
Episode 19 - Title Extinction Darken Rahl and Richard form an uneasy alliance. Darken Rahl has the scroll and Richard needs it to find the Soul of Tears. Let's see what the bad boy has in store for our hero.
THIS JUST IN - RUMORS HAVE IT THAT THE SHOW HAS BEEN CANCELLED. THIS IS TO BE THE LAST SEASON. WHYYYYYYYY???
Read it for yourself
Fans are trying to save the show.
There are still two more episodes left. I'm am so sad right now.
Episode 20 - Title Eternity Oh, you're a mean one Darken Rahl. Cara's in for a world of hurt.
Episode 21 - Title Unbroken Season finale, part 1 of 2 part-episode. This is gonna be good. Saw the trailer. The what if...Cara never became a Mord-Sith? A definite edge of your seat ending for part 1...did the spell work in time? Stay tuned for Part 2 next week.
Episode 22 - Title TearsPart 2 of the 2nd Season Finale. Is it the end of the world? This episode had more twists than a pretzel. They finally got Nicci right, but now I hate the black dress. Richard blinded, the Keeper walks among us, and Kahlan is confessed? Talk about your action packed episode. Is this truly a season finale or a series finale, it could go both ways.
Promo Trailer for Episode 15 "CREATOR"
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Sisters of the Light
Poor Richard, he has to find a way to repair the tear in the veil between life and death to stop the Keeper from taking over the world of the living, he finds out that he's a wizard, he's getting migraines multiplied to the 2nd degree, and he's about to be kidnapped by nuns.
The Sisters of the Light are located in the Old World and live in the Palace of the Prophets. It seems someone got mad at somebody else and they decided to throw up barriers to cut themselves off from the other. Remember the Midlands and the Westlands, both of these are in what is considered the New World. The Sisters of the Light are in the Old World separated by a great barrier constructed by powerful wizards 1,000's of years ago. I'm still not quite clear why. If anyone would like to enlighten me, please feel free to let me know.
The Sisters of the Light are also keepers of prophecy. They follow all lines of prophecy and it's meaning. They found a line of prophecy about a seeker who is also a wizard, a war wizard. The child will be the first war wizard born in 3,000 years. Unfortunately, the Sisters were unable to pinpoint the child's birth or location, so they've been searching a few hundred years. But that doesn't matter, they have time. You see the Palace of the Prophets has been spelled with a powerful spell that keeps it's occupants from aging normally. What could seem like only a matter of days to someone inside the Palace of the Prophets would be literally months to someone on the outside. If anyone leaves the Palace, they would begin to age normally. So it's not unusual to have nuns 1,000 years old who look like they are in their 30's or 50's depending when they came to the Palace.
In the books, there is or was a boundary between the Old World and the New World. You must know what path to take to make it through the boundary, but you can only ever travel through it twice, after that you will die. Sister Verna has been looking for the Seeker for over 20 years. I must say here that Richard's interaction with the Sisters of the Light and their attempts to train him is to me the most fun in the book. If I can remember one of the passages in the book, it compares trying to subdue Richard to sneaking up on a badger and smacking it on the rump.
Now in the current show's storyline, Richard willingly goes with the Sisters of the Light with Zedd's blessing if they can help Richard with the headaches he's been having. Zedd and Kahlan will continue searching for the Stone of Tears while Richard is learning to control his wizard power. In the book, it's a totally different story. For one thing, Zedd would never have allowed Richard to go with the Sisters of the Light, only wizards can train other wizards. Also there's the truce agreed to a thousand years ago that Sisters of the Light were forbidden from coming into the New World to get wizards to train, their methods were considered barbaric and presumptuous. How can a sorceress train a wizard? Taking Richard was a clear violation of the truce, punishable by death.
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SISTERS OF THE DARK
SISTERS OF THE DARKNow the Sisters of the Dark are warrior nuns as well but they serve the Keeper. The Keeper is the lord of the underworld, the world of the dead. Their main purpose is to aid the Dark Lord in gaining dominion over the world of the living, and in exchange receive great power. They have managed to infiltrate the Palace of the Prophets. You'd think that if the palace was so great, they'd have a spell to detect a Sister of the Dark, some type of bells or whistles would go off. Maybe a big light would shine on them saying, bad girl, bad girl, or bad nun, bad nun, something. But no, they get in easily and do their dirty work.
All the Sisters of the Light must be so self absorbed to the point they fail to realize what's happening in their own Palace. They are trusting souls even when they know that Sisters of the Dark are in the palace. Star Wars analogy here, some of the sisters of the Light were good, but were lured to the dark side to become Sisters of the Dark. I guess all that time on their hands, maybe they get bored with being good and decide to shake things up a bit. Remember many of them are hundreds of years old.
Well anyway, the Sisters of the Dark are definitely villains of the boo-hiss variety. They are evil. While in the palace they pretend to be one of the Sisters of the Light and if they find a powerful wizard, they manage to seduce him or if that does not work trick him so that they can tear his power away from him and make it their own. It seems both the Sisters of the Dark and the Light have the ability to join their power or Hans as they call it. The more Hans you have the more powerful you are.
In the television series, this is briefly touched on with the introduction of one of the all time best Sister of the Dark, Nicci. The 2nd season of the show is loosely based on the second book, Soul of Tears. This is when we are first introduced to the Sisters and to Nicci. In the show when Richard is bought to the Palace of the Prophets for training to be a wizard, he meets Nicci, who pretends to be his friend. She tells Richard that the Sisters of the Light are lying to him and she wants to help him escape. She is in fact plotting to take away his wizard powers and help him get away so that he can fulfill another prophecy. In this prophecy, it foretells that Richard as the Seeker will hand over the Soul of Tears to the Keeper and all would be lost. The Sisters of the Light, based on this prophecy, have also decided to hold Richard prisoner. Poor sisters both the Dark and the Light, they don't know Richard. Now in the book, taking away a true wizard's power means his death, it would be like taking away your ability to breathe.
Personnally, I think Nicci has always had a soft spot for Richard. Richard has never acted the way he was supposed to act. Just when she thought she had him pegged, he'd surprise her. In Soul of Tears, she was about to destroy him and take his han or magic powers, when he surprised her and gave her a flower and apologized for giving her such a hard time. She was completely thrown off guard. Richard lives another day.
Now in the book the Sisters of the Dark are evil, yes to be sure and will stop at nothing to achieve their ends. They are also sensual depraved evil. The things they have to do to get the power out of a wizard and into themselves, is, let us say, nasty! Back to Nicci. I said I thought Nicci was one of the best Sisters of the Dark. She is very powerful, I personally think she's wizard class. But chauvanism only allows her to be called a sorceress. Nicci wears all black, unlike the other Sisters of the Light or the Dark for that matter. Unfortunately in the show, they have her wearing this red outfit, nice, but that's not the book Nicci. The book Nicci wears all Black. She is blonde and is supposed to be a very beautiful woman. The television show Nicci is being played by Jolene Blalock. If you remember, Ms. Blalock played T'pol in the Star Trek Enterprise TV series. So here, she is a brunette and doesn't fit all the attributes of Nicci at first glance. But we'll see.
In the TV episode "Perdition" it looks like Nicci played by Ms. Blalock bit the big one. Showdown in the desert did not go well for her. This was a thrilling episode. Nicci and her Sisters of the Dark vs Kahlan, Cara, the new temporary seeker; Verna, a Sister of the Light, and bringing up the rear Richard. Those Sisters of the Dark never stood a chance. The fight was exciting. Nicci went out fighting in a burst of flame. But knowing this show, what's a little thing like death to keep you out of the game. I think she'll be back.
She's baaaaaaccck......Can't keep a dark nun down. Photo courtesy of http://www.sword-of-truth.com
Yep, she's back, and now she's blonde. Like I said, a little thing like death won't slow them down. In the episode "Hunger", Nicci is bought back to life by Sisters of the Dark by some sort of exchange. Exchange the soul of one Sister of the Dark for Nicci's. Nicci is now blonde, and not played by Ms. Blalock. Now they just have to get rid of that red outfit and change it for the black. Black is the color the Nicci in the books always wears. Black to symbolize her life, her mother's death, and her outlook on life in general. In the books, Nicci never took Richard's power, she didn't need to, she was already powerful enough without it. She and Richard both have additive and subtractive magic, which make them the most powerful wizard and sorceress living. All wizards and sorceresses born within the last 1,000 years only have the additive side of magic. Something caused the subtractive ability to die out.
We next see Nicci in the book, Faith of the Fallen when she kidnaps Richard to make a point. To prove to the world and herself that Richard can be broken, that his ideals are not strong enough to stand against those of the Imperial Order. Little does she know what's she's gotten herself into. I did a lens just on http://www.squidoo.com/Nicci_Sword_of_Truth">Nicci, stop by . She has undergone the most amazing character development and change, more so than any other character in the book.
Legend of the Seeker Widget
Who is your favorite character or your least favorite character in the series or books?
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BeverlyJane Jun 29, 2010 @ 8:31 am | delete
- One of my most favorite characters from the Sword of Truth books is Nathan Rahl, the Prophecy Wizard and Richard's ancestor. The Sisters of the Light thought he was an extremely dangerous man, and had kept him prisoner at the Palace of the Prophets for 1,000 years. He is a fascinating and pivotal character in the books.
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TraderGirl
Jun 29, 2010 @ 2:07 pm | delete
- I like Nathan Rahl also. Not all Rahl's were evil, but they are one powerful family of wizards. He was one of the characters I definitely didn't want anything to happen to.
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JoanneOtt
Jun 6, 2010 @ 2:52 am | delete
- You've done a great job with this lens! And I'd say Zed is my favorite character.
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naomi
May 15, 2010 @ 8:41 am | delete
- my favourite character is zed and kahlan
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naomi
May 15, 2010 @ 8:37 am | delete
- i really love this movie
but i would like to find out if there is season 3?
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Cancelled or Not?
Cancelled BUT the fight continues
Although the show was cancelled in 2010, die hard fans are still fighting the good fight. To find out the lastest campaign, the Journey Book Campaign, visit Legend of the Seeker on Facebook
There's still a chance to save this show. Visit a href=">/www.Saveourseeker.com">saveourseeker.com
Save Our Seeker - Visit these other great lenses for more information.
Legend of the Seeker Rallies
Save Our Seeker
What I've learned so far. Thanks to another fan. You can follow Legend of the Seeker on Facebook.
There are some great fan videos out there if you can't get enough of the Legend of the Seeker, and I can't. http://savetheseeker.wordpress.com/category/seeker-fan-videos/
Tribune, the distributing network declared bankruptcy and therefore did not pick up season 3 from the production company ABC/Disney. ABC/Disney then shopped it to other networks for season 3 and almost came to a deal with SyFy. That deal fell through for a number of reasons, the largest being that they could not agree on a per episode price.
We are now in a campaign to find Seeker a new network home and convince ABC/Disney to be willing to talk to prospective new networks. DirectTV and Starz have seem to show an interest.
Most important thing everyone can do is write snail mail to ABC/Disney and prospective networks. Please be polite but persistent.
This campaign may take quite a while so we need to remain committed and united.
Here's hoping the fat lady doesn't sing.
Some consolation, over the next few months all of the Sword of Truth books will be available in ebook format, so keep a look out all you kindle and nook users. Imagine all the books in one place, being able to go back and forth between them to clarify a passage, find a storyline, without having to flip through each individual book. What better reason do you need to get a Kindle? or see what a Kindle is?
Music Inspires
I find the mood and the tempo of a show can be made or broken by it's music or soundtrack. The music should entice you, excite you and pull you into the story. It's more than background noise, it sets the scene, it's sad when you should feel sad, happy and light-hearted when something amusing or amazing is about to happen. I enjoy theme music. Personally, I believe I can tell whether or not a movie or show is going to be a hit by it's soundtrack and how it's tied into the look and feel of the show or movie. Legend of the Seeker has some really good music - that's why it's a hit.
Here are two of my favorites. I added the theme for "Conan the Barbarian" because I really like the soundtrack. I play it in my car. It's actually pretty good for long drives. I hope you like them.
by TraderGirl
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