2.01 – Marked – Legend of the Seeker Review

Posted by Samuel Walters

The second season of Legend of the Seeker begins with “Marked,” an expansive, complex episode which ramps up a number of familiar concepts and ideas. Even after fulfilling the prophecy and vanquishing the villain at the end the first season, there’s plenty of danger left in the world and the episode quickly immerses the audience in a darker, edgier and more gratuitous story. The result is a qualified and slightly uneven success.

The story begins with Richard, Kahlan and Zedd enjoying the fruits of their labors, dining at a banquet and planning for life in a world of peace. The celebrations (complete with a scene in which a statue of Darken Rahl is pulled down in a town square) are short-lived, however, as a creature of the Underworld, called a Screeling, literally crashes the party and promptly starts decapitating the stunned revelers. The event is an ominous harbinger of what’s to come: Richard’s victory over Darken Rahl led to a tear between the world of the living and the Underworld where a new nemesis, the Keeper of the Underworld, is hatching his plans to destroy the living – with Rahl now a loyal (if still dead) lieutenant.

This revelation is part of a larger thematic idea, one which will become the heart of this season’s storylines: Namely that Richard’s efforts, no matter how noble, seem to have unintended negative consequences. This is made all the more prominent by yet another prophecy from Shota, who tells Zedd that Richard is destined to fail in his quest to defeat the Keeper – and that if Zedd doesn’t want to see the Keeper succeed, he must name a new Seeker. This underscores the notion that Richard’s best intentions have (or will) lead to devastating consequences.

Making matters all the more ominous is the revelation that Richard is, in fact, the half-brother of Darken Rahl himself. A regiment of D’Haran soldiers arrives and declares their allegiance to Richard, calling him Lord Rahl. The commander (in the episode’s most awkward moment) launches into an exposition dump explaining the hows and whys of Richard’s lineage. It’s a fascinating development for the series. And it ought to provide for some interesting twists and turns throughout the upcoming season.

The complexities don’t end there, either. Richard, as the rightful heir to the throne of D’Hara finds himself mediating internecine struggles within the camps of both the D’Haran army and the Resistance – which are conflicted by Richard’s sudden new station. In a nice touch, Richard finds a way to get some of these warriors to work together. But even Richard realizes that getting two small groups to work together is much different than uniting the countryside – especially with the imminent threat of the Keeper of the Underworld.

Another development for the series is its focus on the Mord-Sith. Their order, which swears fealty to Lord Rahl, is thrown into disarray by the death of Darken Rahl – and by the emergence of Richard as the heir to the throne. Darken Rahl, though dead, is still able to communicate with the Mord-Sith and, following a brief power struggle, they once again swear allegiance to him. The fallout of these events sees a Mord-Sith, named Cara (who featured prominently in helping Richard in the season one finale) being cast out of her order, and joining forces with Richard.

What makes this development interesting is the nature of her character. She’s certainly a self-serving person, looking out for her own interests. But the fact that she doesn’t blindly follow anyone – either Darken Rahl or Richard – makes her character all the more intriguing. Add in Kahlan’s natural and plausible distaste for Cara, and the series has the makings of some interesting storylines – if they manage to avoid playing these conflicts for melodrama.

There is some cause for concern in that regard, considering the very obvious ploy the episode uses to appeal to male viewers. I’m not going to complain over much about the gratuitously scintillating scenes involving Cara taking a bath and kissing one of her Mord-Sith sisters. But unless they keep these elements within the context of the story, they’ll make a mockery of the more serious tones the series is aiming for with Richard’s story.

Overall Grade: B+

On the whole, this was a fine episode, leading Legend of the Seeker into darker and more complex directions. There’s plenty of potential here, provided the series doesn’t fall into the trap of emphasizing style (even if that style is very easy on the eyes) over substance. And speaking of style, the sweeping shots of the countryside, as well as the presentations of the Underworld, were quite striking. It’s clear that there’s a solid effort to make this series even better than it was in the first season. “Marked” is a solid step in the right direction.

Rating: 5.0/5 (2 votes cast)

Rating: +1 (from 1 vote)

Topics: Fantasy, TV Reviews
Filed under: Legend of the Seeker