Legend of the Seeker (redux)

Two months ago, when the first episode aired, Shawn reviewed “Legend of the Seeker,” the TV show based on Terry Goodkind’s Sword of Truth series. Based on that initial viewing, Suvudu had mostly positive things to say about the show, but the review ended with a “time-will-tell” cliff-hanger.
I don’t like to leave cliffs hanging.
I love this series. This is what fantasy television has really never had–great action, a strong story, and special effects that don’t suck. Seven episodes in (I watched them on the web-site–that’s right, I went out of my way to check it out), and I now have my DVR set up to record the series.
What makes the show work so well is that it really doesn’t try to do more than what it can. In other words, it is strongly character-driven, with the great over-arching plot of a small group trying to take down an evil despot. There are enough mystical elements to make sure this is firmly fantasy, and not, say, like “Robin Hood” on BBC. As such, it’s relatively unique as being sword-and-sorcery that takes itself seriously without being over-the-top. The show is good because it’s a good show.
Now I’ll admit I’m fairly forgiving of popular culture (I won’t divulge my TiVo list for fear of losing my “street cred”). But what “Legend of the Seeker” has are people who understand story-telling writing the scripts, so that the characters are, so far, evolving organically, developing relationships that don’t feel impossibly rushed. I think it also helps to have Goodkind consulting, and, perhaps more importantly, a guy like Sam Raimi producing. As good as a writer and director may be, having someone who understands sci-fi–which Raimi certainly does (Spider-Man movies; Evil Dead and Army of Darkness)–means that big decisions are going through a person familiar with the genre.
It’s not a perfect show, for sure. For one thing, right now, it’s progressing very episodically: while threads of a continuing story connect each week, those connections come through tangents in the conversation while that show’s adventure unfolds. Not exactly a huge flaw, but I think what most fans of fantasy and sci-fi eventually want is a complete story, where you have to watch each week to know what’s going on. As a young show, I can see the need to give as much action as possible, but I hope, as it progresses, they take the time to stretch a story over a couple of weeks.
And here’s a point I think is going to piss off a lot of people: whether or not the show is faithful to the books is kind of ancillary. Now, it’s been years since I read these books, but I do remember them fondly. As such, I would love for the show to be as close to them as possible. But here’s something you should always remember about books and film: movies (and by extension, television) are not “visual novels.” They work differently, mostly because they don’t have narrators or internal dialogue. So lots of times, you have to change what’s in the books in order to make them compelling on the screen. I understand a lot fans want to see the pages of the beloved books exactly replicated on the screen, it simply can’t happen.
But even if it isn’t exact, it’s still the story of Richard Cypher, Kahlan, and Zed fighting against the evil of Darken Rahl. Richard is still the Seeker, still carries the Sword of Truth, and still is learning as he goes while being in love with Kahlan. She, in turn, is also in love with him, but can’t do anything about it because she’s a Confessor. Zed’s still a wizard, much in the same mischievous/powerful vein as his literary predecessors (my favorite of these being Fizban the Fabulous). And while it may not be as dark (or overtly sexual) as the books, this isn’t light and fluffy, either. There’s some depth.
And, more importantly, there’s a blazing hottie–and I don’t use the “blazing hottie” tag lightly (sometimes I change the adjective to “smokin’”). Now, as a true and dedicated fan-boy, my allegiance has already been pledged (call me, Sarah Michelle Gellar), but the woman who plays Kahlan, Bridget Regan, is delightful to watch. She’s a good actress, too. Richard, played by Craig Horner, is probably a handsome guy, himself.
Truly, what is important is that this is fantasy television that works. As sci-fi has made inroads with a number of really good shows, fantasy has generally found itself being terrible, because the production values needed to make it work usually aren’t there. “Legend of the Seeker” makes it clear that fantasy can find a place on the small-screen. As “A Song of Ice and Fire” is being produced by HBO, I think we can feel a bit more confident that there are people in Hollywood who understand how to create fantasy on television. While we wait, we can enjoy “Legend of the Seeker.”
And Bridget Regan.
If you check out the web-site, the top right-hand corner has a place where you can put in your zip code to find the time and station where you can watch the show.