Legend of the Weeker: Fever

Synopsis: The episode opens with Jennsen feeding a family. A man named Sean runs in telling her to run with the Boxes of Orden because D'Harans are coming. Close to being captured Jennsen throws the boxes into a lake. The show cuts to Richard reading the Book of Counted Shadows. He is trying to figure out how to use the Boxes of Orden safely. Richard and Zedd decide that he must be confessed and use the Boxes at the same time.

They walk up to the house where Jennsen is hiding but there is a big red X on the door. Sean attacks Richard and then tells him that Darken Rahl has unleashed a plague onto the village. Zedd will try to heal people by drawing the sickness out and putting it in himself. Darken Rahl is keeping Jennsen prisoner. She has suffered a head injury and doesn't remember anything. He starts to tell her a story that Richard has attacked her.

Richard and Kahlan head to a garrison to try to procure a cure while Zedd starts healing people. Darken Rahl starts spinning a web of lies to make it look like Richard is terrible, using the story how he used the Boxes of Orden. She remembers the story of how she was attacked. Richard and Kahlan attack the D'haran soldiers but it turns out that the soldiers have been infected with the fever.

Darken Rahl gives Jennsen a kitten which she loves. Richard brings back the commander to Zedd while the sick people get really upset that they plan to heal a D'haran instead of villagers. Darken Rahl then tells Jennsen that he is the brother of her and the Seeker. He tells her the story of Panis Rahl his father. He tells a backward story placing himself in Richard's background. Gullible Jennsen listens to this and decides to help Rahl.

Zedd heals the D'haran commander and Richard goes with him to get Jennsen back. Jennsen begins telling Darken Rahl about her escape with the Boxes of Orden. While this is happening, Richard is tracking her moves. He figures out where she put the Boxes just as Jennsen tells Rahl where she put the Boxes. Rahl sends a quad to the lake and one of them manages to shoot Richard with an arrow. He still kills everyone and gets the Boxes of Orden.

Meanwhile the men at the camp attack Zedd and Kahlan is forced to confess one of them. She becomes ill in the process and Zedd is incapacitated. Darken Rahl decides to send Jennsen to Richard with what appears to be a cure. He has her go to Richard and try to get the boxes back by convincing him that she escaped. Richard gets back to the camp but sees Zedd and Kahlan in a bad state.

Richard plans to go to Rahl with the Boxes of Orden and take a suicide pill right before killing Rahl. Before he has a chance to leave, Jennsen meets him with the cure. He gives it to Zedd and Kahlan but Jennsen runs off with the boxes. Richard chases her down, being an awesome tracker and all, and realizes what happened to her. He then tells her the story of what happened to her about the boxes. She realizes that he was awesome all along.

D'haran soldiers attack the two of them while they are having a nice moment. Richard fights them off and comes back to the camp where Zedd makes fun of him. He tends to a recovering Kahlan and tells her that she must confess him.

Commentary: This was a pretty exciting lead up into the season finale. I always say that that the darker episodes are far better than the lighter fare. It becomes difficult to root against Darken Rahl when he is a more abstract villain. When you think about it we are asked to cheer on Richard who is basically on an assassination mission. The only way that this is possible is when we see how much of a bastard Darken Rahl really is. In this episode he unleashes a horrible plague on an unsuspecting village.

So we find out that Darken Rahl is actually Richard's brother in this show's universe. As I understand it, this isn't the way the book goes. I love how absolutely everyone of significance is related in this story. Seriously the ruling despot is related to the only pristinely ungifted one, who is related to the Seeker, who is related to First Wizard. That is some kind of family. I keep waiting to see how Kahlan fits into all this.

Ok I know that Jennsen is supposed to be a simple peasant girl, but she has got to be the easiest person in the wordl to convince of something. I can understand that Darken Rahl created this complicated lie. How in the world did Richard manage to convince her so fast? That was pretty hilarious.

Over the course of the episode, Richard figures must get Kahlan to confess him while he has the Power of Orden. I love that they are just guessing on whether this will actually work. Sounds like pretty circumstantial evidence. If I was Richard I would be a little bit worried. What if it doesn't work and you just have to walk around being her slave forever? I guess there are worse ways to pass the time. If I was everyone else I would be kind of worried too. What if Richard becomes an all powerful ruler like Darken Rahl? Just seems a little risky.

Richard and Kahlan Romance Index: 6 out of 10.

Richard offered to sacrifice himself for her. You don't get any more in love than that. It also begs the question whether or not the Boxes of Orden will be a cure for Richard and Kahlan's love problem. The only reason I didn't rate the index higher is because they didn't spend a lot of time together in this episode. That and it doesn't really mean anything.

Zedd's Creepiness Factor: 6 out of 10.

I was a little disturbed by the fact that he had to take on the disease onto himself. Also while I don't agree with the sick villagers, he was kind of playing God, deciding who lives and who dies. I can kind of understand when they were pissed that he healed the D'haran.

Notable Quotes:

Zedd: "The Power of Orden possessed you. Now you must learn to possess the Power of Orden."

Sean: "Be careful not to touch anyone. If you do the fire will leap from their blood into yours."

Darken Rahl: "I didn't know how to tell you this Jennsen but you, Richard, and I share the same father."

Darken Rahl: "Have Mistress Cara gather her sisters of the Agiel."
Egremont: "My lord, perhaps you can negotiate a truce with the Seeker."
Darken Rahl: "It's far too late for that."

Richard: "You have to confess me.

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