In the not-so-vast world of obscure sci-fi television series, Legend of the Seeker is the supreme leader. Complete with a cast of Aussie actors who have a hard time covering up their accents, tough female actresses who have a hard time covering up, and a happy ending at the end of every episode, who wouldn’t love this show? Most people might not know that Legend of the Seeker is based on a popular fantasy series by Terry Goodkind called the Sword of Truth. Although the television show can’t really compare with Goodkind’s horrendously long books, the second season of the series is shaping up to be nearly better than the first.
It appears that each new season represents each different book in the series. The first season is about Wizard’s First Rule, and the second is based on Stone of Tears so far. The story does vary a little bit, especially in the second season, although the characters are seemingly better developed and the story retains a little more consistency than the first.
In the series, Richard Cypher-Rahl is still the Seeker of Truth, a protector against the forces of evil and the Keeper in the underworld. He travels with his companions, wizard Zeddicus Zu’l Zorander, and Mother Confessor Kahlan Amnell across the Midlands to stop evil in every name, shape, or form. The second season focuses on Richard’s quest for the Stone of Tears, a powerful magical object, capable of sealing the Keeper (the television equivalent of Hades) into the underworld forever.
The second season shows some overall improvements since the first. Usually in television shows, the first season is the best, but I think Legend of the Seeker is actually getting into the swing of things in the second season. A more established pattern in episode plots has appeared, and some new characters such as Cara, a sympathetic mord-sith have been written into the script. These characters make the show more exciting and the character development has become its main plot.
Legend of the Seeker probably wouldn’t be as good of a show if it wasn’t for the detailed story behind it. Each of Goodkind’s books is at least over five hundred pages, and the second book is nearly one thousand pages. The world he creates is so concrete that watching the characters bring it to life on-screen is pretty fantastical. Shot in New Zealand, Goodkind’s mythical world is painstakingly recreated on screen, and the special effects have become almost life-like. There are about ten books in the series, so at this rate, the show could continue for a good ten years, if it can keep its audience interested long enough.
Although the show has many good points, it also has some negative aspects about it as well. The writing, for instance: every single episode, regardless of how intense it has become, has a happy ending. There doesn’t feel like a continuation in the story, because it seems that the story ends every episode. I’m sure the writers are just trying to leave the viewers on a happy note, but cliffhangers are nice also. Having such happy endings also makes it easier to leave the show at that and not continue watching the episodes religiously. I don’t feel as if the story progresses as fast as the book because the story is never changing.
Speaking of progression, the characters do have their weak points in the script as well. The actor who plays Richard Rahl is named Craig Horner, and he isn’t really doing a bad job on the show. Sometimes, I don’t think he’s as dark of a character as he is portrayed in the books and that also makes the show have a light tone when it shouldn’t. He still remains a younger character, who isn’t as much of a born leader as is illustrated in the novels. The female actresses who play Kahlan and Cara are also doing well, although the female costumes are probably more revealing than they would normally be for a traveling warrior. For instance, Cara walks around the forest with high-heeled red leather boots (Um, okay).
The show’s central actors might be doing well, but the final companion, the wizard Zedd’s character, is just obnoxious. In the books, he’s supposed to be a wise old sage, who is both serious and mystical. In the show, he’s simply an irritating old actor who probably couldn’t get hired anywhere else because his eyebrows are bushy enough to sweep and mop the gymnasium floor. Eventually, I hope he falls off a cliff, or dies doing some wizardy sorcery just so the show retains its darker tone, and then he’ll go away.
Legend of the Seeker’s corniness is probably what defines the show, and it wouldn’t be the same without it. Apparently, Goodkind has been a part of the making of every episode, so I can’t exactly complain that he wouldn’t be pleased with what is being aired every week. However, it is preferable having the books come out as a television series rather than several movies. That way, the show isn’t skipping out on the most important details in the books. If I had the choice, I would probably choose this as the best way to present Goodkind’s books to film.