Legend of the Seeker
Dec. 22nd, 2009 09:39 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ivyficThe other day, since there was nothing on TV, I watched an episode of Legend of the Seeker. When it started, I had this sense of deja vu, like, doesn't this look exactly like Hercules and Xena? It does. Because it is brought to us by the same people. (Oh Rob Tappert, never change.) And despite the fact that those shows were in Ancient Greece and this one is in medieval fantasyland, they look pretty much the same. I even recognize the same shooting locations in New Zealand ("Hey! That's Bethel's Beach! Again."), and probably some of the same stunt people. I feel like it needs to be said--this is not a good show. At all, really.
Even so, I went back and watched the pilot. In the pilot, our hero, Richard, the Seeker (everything is capped in this universe--you can tell even when they're just speaking), encounters a witch with the power of mind control. She is of course his One True Love and tells him about his destiny. And since this is generic fantasy show, bad guys come and kill his father, as you do.
In the show, his brother is somehow the ruler of this land (the Councillor), and when he finds Richard with the body of their father, thinks that the witch mind-whammied Richard into killing him. This is of course played to show that the brother is a Bad Guy, but--I want to watch that show. The show about the brother.
Because come on, isn't that an awesome story? Main character finds out his extremely annoying, bratty younger brother (who he loves when he's not pissed at him) has been enchanted by a witch and killed their father. I think that would overwhelm this guy with a need to free his brother from the control of the witch--I mean, how awful to think that has happened to your brother. And he'd probably picture his brother killing his father every time he closed his eyes, and sometimes he'd be overcome with grief, and sometimes with empathy for his brother for having done that against his will, and the guilt he'll feel when freed. And sometimes he'd have to be incredibly angry at his brother for not having the willpower to fight back against the enchantment.
And of course the only way to free his brother, truly, would be to kill the witch. Only if he did, he'd find out his brother was never enchanted, he was telling the truth, and this whole time this guy has been harboring their father's real killer and almost getting his brother killed in his attempts to save him.
That would be a fantastic show. I want that show. Too bad Legend of the Seeker is generic fantasyland drek. Seriously, I think the writers just went back to their file drawer of rejected Hercules scripts and replaced the names. ("Hercules--er, I mean Richard--you must find your inner courage...")
Even so, I went back and watched the pilot. In the pilot, our hero, Richard, the Seeker (everything is capped in this universe--you can tell even when they're just speaking), encounters a witch with the power of mind control. She is of course his One True Love and tells him about his destiny. And since this is generic fantasy show, bad guys come and kill his father, as you do.
In the show, his brother is somehow the ruler of this land (the Councillor), and when he finds Richard with the body of their father, thinks that the witch mind-whammied Richard into killing him. This is of course played to show that the brother is a Bad Guy, but--I want to watch that show. The show about the brother.
Because come on, isn't that an awesome story? Main character finds out his extremely annoying, bratty younger brother (who he loves when he's not pissed at him) has been enchanted by a witch and killed their father. I think that would overwhelm this guy with a need to free his brother from the control of the witch--I mean, how awful to think that has happened to your brother. And he'd probably picture his brother killing his father every time he closed his eyes, and sometimes he'd be overcome with grief, and sometimes with empathy for his brother for having done that against his will, and the guilt he'll feel when freed. And sometimes he'd have to be incredibly angry at his brother for not having the willpower to fight back against the enchantment.
And of course the only way to free his brother, truly, would be to kill the witch. Only if he did, he'd find out his brother was never enchanted, he was telling the truth, and this whole time this guy has been harboring their father's real killer and almost getting his brother killed in his attempts to save him.
That would be a fantastic show. I want that show. Too bad Legend of the Seeker is generic fantasyland drek. Seriously, I think the writers just went back to their file drawer of rejected Hercules scripts and replaced the names. ("Hercules--er, I mean Richard--you must find your inner courage...")