Legend of the Weeker: Destiny

Synopsis: Richard, Kahlan, and Zedd have to find the Book of Counted Shadows which has fallen into enemy hands. Richard claims that he will find the soldier who has it. Meanwhile, Darken Rahl orders his men to break through the boundary. Chase meets Richard, Kahlan, and Zedd and listens to their story. He decides to help them, but first they go to his house to rest.

Chase's daughter sews a woods outfit for Kahlan who is thankful. However, seeing the family reminds Kahlan that she has no family left. Richard talks to her and she shows him Shar, the night wisp that Kahlan used to get through the boundary. They then head out to find the D'haran but are stopped by Michael and the townspeople. Richard tries to talk people down but they are unimpressed and an arrow is fired at him in the scuffle. Shar dies blocking the arrow and Zedd uses his Wizard's Fire to disperse the people.

Chase leaves to check up on his family, but when he gets home he finds the D'haran with his daugher. He tells him where to find the Bone Woman who knows how to get across the boundary. Richard tries to touch the boundary and is pulled back by Zedd who is poisoned by the shadows. Chase meets up with Richard and Kahlan and they head for the Bone Woman's house. There the D'haran uses Chase's daughter as bait for a Gar, that Richard promptly slays.

Richard and Kahlan chase the D'haran to the boundary and Richard gets the book back. Darken Rahl's forces break through the boundary and out of fear of letting the book into enemy hands, Richard burns the Book of Counted Shadows. Richard and Kahlan fight off the D'harans and upon Zedd's return from the Bone Woman who healed him, they embark into the Midlands to search for Darken Rahl.

Commentary: This episode is jam-packed with action. There are a few great fight scenes and the entire hour has a great racing against the clock theme. All the gang seems to be doing is trying to catch someone before something happens. The tension is a pretty solid plot device and I found myself cheering for the heroes.

At the same time there is plenty of character development going on. The overarching theme here is Richard winning the respect of people around him. Shar is given a reason to hope thanks to the Seeker. Chase is astounded when Richard kills the Gar. Finally Kahlan is awestruck at Richard in the final fight scene. Richard continues to prove himself in this episode and we can see how people start to believe in the Seeker.

The final fight scene gives us some great shots of Richard and Kahlan in action. First of all the whole thing seems to be set in an exploding forest. I understand the initial explosion but why are there repeated explosions? Also I don't think jumping in the air with the sword behind you is a very effective fighting technique.

This is the episode that got me and my roommate into Legend of the Seeker. You really get it all here. Awesome fight scenes. Great special effects. A budding romance. New Zealand. It really is one of the best episodes in the series and a great prelude to the adventures to come.

Richard and Kahlan Romance Index: 6 out of 10. In this episode we see the beginnings of Richard and Kahlan having feelings for each other. There is the obvious moment when he watches her bent over prepping her horse. (I think another thing I need to keep track of is the amount of cleavage that they have Bridget Regan show off on this show.)

The scene at the end when Richard jumps to save her in front of the exploding tree also is pretty indicative of their relationship. Badass as she is, Kahlan still needs Richard by her side. He helps her out not only in battle but also helps her deal with her own problems. A good example of this is the scene on the porch where Richard comforts her.

Zedd's Creepiness Factor: 3 out of 10. Not too much Zedd creepiness though after the first half of the two hour premiere, maybe the producers didn't want to scare the children too much. A few points are gained by the eating scene in Chase's house where he devours the spice soup.

There is also the moment at the end when Richard says he will be ready for the fight ahead and Zedd laughs and says "I have no doubt."

Notable Quotes:

Kahlan: "Shar says that for the first time she can remember, her people have a reason to hope."
Richard: "I'll try not to let her down."

Richard: "One sword. Against an army?"
Zedd: "Not just any sword. It holds the strength of all the ancient seekers who wielded it before you."
Kahlan: "The people will rise up and follow you when they hear the seeker has returned."

Richard: "My destiny. My decision."

Chase: "If I believed in fairy tales I'd say I just saw my friend Richard Cypher slay a dragon. Thank you."

Richard: "Like a wise man once told me: In this life you can't go back... only forward."