Legend of the Seeker

LEGEND OF THE SEEKER
Season 01:03 - Bounty



When Darken Rahl offers a reward to anyone who captures the Seeker, deadly mercenaries set their sights on Richard Cypher, turning him from hunter to hunted.

REVIEW  ▪ SYNOPSIS ▪ CREDITS ▪ QUOTABLE QUOTES  ▪ LOG LINE
SCREENCAPTURES - ARTWORK - EPISODE STILLS

 

 

 

REVIEW

"Bounty"
Reviewed by BlackDaemon
blackdaemon@ausxip.com


The Seeker's legend grows in "Bounty", as Richard travels through the Midlands with his protectors and traveling companions, Kahlan the Confessor and Zedd, a Wizard of the First Order.

Each of the three travelers has a one-sided perspective of their journey. Kahlan sees only the big picture: Richard must kill Darken Rahl, and anything that hinders that goal is unnecessary, or at least significantly less important. While incomplete, this view makes sense - as a Confessor, her role has been to eke out the truth and bring justice to the people, andRahl's senseless slaughter and subjugation of thousands is perhaps too much for her to bear. She has sacrificed her status and her family to find and defend the Seeker. For her, the mission is crucial.

Zedd is in his own little world, and for the moment, his only role seems to be that of magical muscle.

Richard may not yet see the big picture. He has claimed the name Seeker, and he wields the Sword of Truth, but he doesn't seem to truly grasp the magnitude of what he must do. This epic journey is far beyond the magnitude of David and Goliath. Richard is a woodsman with almost no experience with matters of magic or state. DarkenRahl , on the other hand, is a magic-wielding king who has spent decades solidifying his power base, has many loyalists ready to do his bidding and thousands of troops at his disposal. At this point, Richard - whether he has the sword or not - doesn't have a chance in hell of defeating DarkenRahl, no matter what his companions may say, and he must know this.

Instead, Richard chooses to address the smaller, day-to-day challenges that face them all. Rescue a boy from a beast? A worthy pursuit, in Richard's opinion. Honor his word to a thief even when she plots to surrender him to his death? Well, an example must be set for the people to see. He's right, but he better find a different way to make his point or he's going to get his companions killed. (On the other hand, it does make for entertaining television.)

Some measure of his new reality must be getting to him. He's already killed soldiers in his own defense as well as Kahlan's, and now bounty hunters, mercenaries and desperate citizens all hunt for him so they might claim Rahl's reward for his head. Whether it's his woodsman's origins or the power and will of the Seeker, Richard is adamant about taking the time to save the people who have asked for his help. Keeping his word is imperative, and he's right when he says that the people of the Midlands must know that he is there to help them, and not out to save only himself.

What's good: Kahlan's action sequences are thrilling in this episode. I expect Richard to be fantastic in a fight - he's got a magical sword that gives him extraordinary power.Kahlan's powers are still unknown, but she's clearly able to protect Richard when it's necessary. She also manages to drudge up a sense of humor at the end of the episode. The supporting cast in this episode is very strong -  and it's always good to see TedRaimi.

What's bad: Kahlan's temporary imprisonment in the Shadrin's lair. Ok, it's not really *bad* so much as it just breaks the flow. This is classic Raimi/Tapert Monstervision, with eerie music, some guy with a monster mask interspersed with some horror-head shots, and some really sketchy shaking-camera angles. I tried not to laugh, but it was hard. Regan was at least believable, but the whole scene was over-the-top. While I've seen camp from these guys before, they've avoided it very well so far in this series, and this scene was out of place.

This episode addressed a major confrontation point between Kahlan and Richard, and resolved it well. Kahlan's position was tested, and she was forced to admit that Richard's approach was the better path - at least in this case. A similar challenge for Richard will no doubt occur in upcoming episodes.
 

 

SYNOPSIS:

After Richard, Kahlan and Zedd survive an unprovoked attack by a mercenary named Denfir, they discover that Darken Rahl has placed a hefty bounty on Richard's head. Sebastian, a maker of magical maps, has sold three of them designed to track the Seeker, one each to Denfir and two other bounty hunters, Gunther and Rolf.

A woman named Lilly helps Richard and his friends escape another ambush, then asks his help to save her brother Liam from the Shadrin, a vicious mythical creature. But first, they must fight off an assault by Gunther. Zedd goes to find the mapmaker who put everyone on their trail, while Richard and Kahlan continue with Lilly. But her plea is really a trap - Lilly captures Richard to deliver to Darken Rahl's D'Haran soldiers, leaving Kahlan trapped with the Shadrin.

Lilly reveals that her brother was actually imprisoned by the D'Harans, who will execute him, and she plans to exchange Richard to gain his freedom. But Kahlan, having escaped the Shadrin, catches Lilly, only to be cornered by Denfir and Rolf. Zedd returns in time to save them all from the bounty hunters, and Richard decides to help Lilly rescue her brother, despite her lies.

Lilly tricks Rahl's soldiers into using one of the magic maps, which leads them not to Richard, but directly to the captured Denfir and Rolf, left in the deadly lair of the Shadrin. Zedd forced Sebastian to make a new map to track the bounty hunters, taking the soldiers to their doom. With Lilly and her brother reunited, the word spreads that the Seeker has returned - a hero ready to fight for anyone who needs his help. 

  CREDITS  *  LOG LINE * PRODUCTION

PRODUCTION NUMBER: 104

PRODUCTION INFO:

Written by CHAD FIVEASH & JAMES STOTERAUX
Directed by: JESSE WARN

CREDITS:
CRAIG HORNER - Richard Cypher
BRIDGET REGAN - Kahlan Amnell
BRUCE SPENCE - Zeddicus Zu'l Zorander

GUEST STARRING:
TED RAIMI - Sebastion

CO-STARRING:
LAURA GORDON - as Denfir
ANTONIO te MAIOHI - as Rolf
KELSON HENDERSON - as Gunther
HORI AHIPENE - as Liam
ANTON TENNET as Lilly


LOG LINE:  When Darken Rahl offers a reward to anyone who captures the Seeker, deadly mercenaries set their sights on Richard Cypher, turning him from hunter to hunted.
 

RATINGS: 2.9 (Viewers 4.305 Million)

US AIRDATE: 08 November 2008
AUST AIRDATE:

QUOTABLE QUOTES:
Kahlan: We should get going soon.
Richard: Oh, come on, what's the hurry?
Kahlan: If you're going to need to rescue every damsel in distress, there's no time to waste.


  EPISODE MULTIMEDIA

EPISODE STILLS

MARYD'S MONTAGES

 

SCREENCAPTURES