Plot Recap: This episode finds Zedd's brother Thaddicus, you might remember him from the episode Confession . He delivers a chest of potions to the mapmaker, whom you might remember from the episode Bounty episode. Meanwhile, Richard and the gang runs into a woman who tells that people have abducted her people. Cara recommends ignoring her but of course the gang goes to help, following Richard. They approach a group of bandits and take them on. Cara chases one of them down and has her throat slashed. She dies and heads off to the underworld to converse with Darken Rahl.
Seriously is everyone coming in for a visit with Darken Rahl? She demands the deal to make her a baneling. Meanwhile the mapmaker finds a vial of Shadow Water in Thaddicus's trunk. Thaddicus strikes a deal for them to become partners. Darken Rahl is hesitant to help her, but eventually agrees to make Cara a baneling. She comes back but does not tell Richard of her troubles. In the town, a group of banelings is taking turns killing prisoners on a rack. Apparently, some entrepreneurs have created a kill-for-hire business where you can buy people you can kill to delay the baneling curse.
Thaddicus and the Mapmaker have come up with a business of their own. Apparently the Shadow Potion cures people of the baneling curse. They begin to get greedy and diluting it with water to make more money. Meanwhile Cara is geting impatient with the lack of killing that she is doing. She kills the guy who created the kill-for-hire business. Eventually they reach Sebastian the Mapmaker and Thaddicus stopping a couple of unsatisfied customers from killing him.
The unsatisfied captain is sent back to the underworld, where he tells Darken Rahl about the cure. Meanwhile Zedd finds out about the Shadow Water, which was found by his father. There are only a couple of drops left, but the Mapmaker has a machine that makes maps. Zedd creates a map usig the machine to lead them to the source of the Shadow Water. Thaddicus offers to come with them to help distribute the water. Unfortunately it is a three day ride, and Cara has to kill a few more banelings along the way.
She kills one D'haran one night but there are no more people around. Darken Rahl comes to tempt her to tell her the location of the Shadow Water source. She refuses so he suggests killing Thaddicus. She calls him over to gather wood but can't kill him at the last moment. She begins to pass away with Zedd having no power to help him. At the last minute, Thaddicus walks over to her with a knife in his hand so she can stab him.
He dies, goes to the underworld, and under torture from Darken Rahl tells him where the Shadow Water is located. A revived Cara and Richard run there to get some Shadow Water to cure her of the baneling curse. As they get there, Darken Rahl opens a rift to suck up all the Shadow Water. Richard manages to scoop up a little bit in his hand. It is enough to cure Cara. She gives Thaddicus the Breath of Life and he survives. Thaddicus is repentant about telling Darken Rahl. Zedd forgives him and he heads off on his way. Cara thanks Richard and Kahlan for helping her. Kahlan admits she would have likely taken the deal with the Keeper had she been killed as well.
Commentary: They clearly were not going to kill off one of the primary character so the Cara going off to the underworld was yet another one of those "Just Visiting" trips. Though I must say I was a little worried for a little bit. Cara is one of the best new developments this season. It was a little unclear why she did not initially tell Richard of her problems being a baneling and all. She is usually pretty upfront about her problems. Her plan wasn't exactly clear anyways. Cara seemed pretty determined to take the deal almost immediately, not really thinking about the consequence. The whole idea of hanging out in the underworld with Rahl wasn't incredibly appealing.
I understand that they need to keep Craig Parker around but everyone going to the Underworld every other episode is getting a little bit tiresome. Who is this Keeper guy anyways? Can't he find some people who used to be really good prison guards an just have them guard the new entries into the Underworld? He could just have some pictures of Richard and his friends. That way any time they come to the Underworld he could just keep them there. No deal. No talking. Just grab them and put them into an Underworld dungeon. The way this season is going, the Keeper would win in a few weeks.
This wasn't my favorite episode. While I like Ted Raimi's Mapmaker character, Thaddicus sort of annoys me. I don't find that he moves the plot along and I think I would have been just as satisfied if they never brought him back. This would have added a bit to Zedd's character who has become a bit stale as of late. Instead the status quo is maintained. I also am not the biggest fan of this. It would have been nice to know that there is an antidote to the whole baneling craze. This way Thaddicus could have also had something useful to do. In the last scene we learn that despite his selfless sacrifice at the hands of Cara, Thaddicus did not actually learn a thing. He just goes back to peddling Tonic Mud with the Mapmaker.
There really was not going on in this episode. Some people decided to become entrepreneurs by kidnapping people and then charging people to kill them. That was slightly grotesque. Richard continued to get distracted from his quest to stop the Keeper. It was a bit more disquieting this time around as he is working with a deadline. Although with the new prophecy about Kahlan all he really has to do is keep her alive. Which is cause not to hurry I guess. I feel like the Keeper isn't really fleshed out as a villain. The main bad guy seems to be Darken Rahl. And he is grossly incompetent aiding and abetting the gang of heroes to consistently escape his Underworld hangout.
Richard and Kahlan Romance Index: 3 out of 10.
They really did not have much to do. They hung out and rescued some villagers. He still loves her. She him. Everyone is having fun. Except Cara I guess with the whole getting killed thing. Oh well. Kahlan admitted that she might be willing to take the Keepers kill-to-stay alive deal for the three points.
Zedd's Creepiness Factor: 5 out of 10.
He was very threatening when talking with the Mapmaker. There was also his handyman repair work with the Mapmaking machine. Zedd hanging out with his family is always good for a few creepy moments. He is so loving. And creepy.
Notable Quotes:
Richard: "If you take us to where your husband was grabbed, we can pick up the trail of the wagon."
Cara: "That will take days."
Richard: "We'll get back to looking for the Stone of Tears. Right now, this woman needs our help."
Darken Rahl: "Cara! How delightful! I knew it was only a matter of time before your misguided loyalty for the Seeker got you killed."
Cara: "I want the deal."
Mapmaker: "It wasn't my idea. I was helping out a friend."
Thaddicus: "Hello brother."
Zedd: "Few could withstand the torments of the underworld Thaddicus. Even fewer would sacrifice their life for another.
Kahlan: "If I was faced with the same choice... eternity in the underworld... or come back... help Richard... be with him... I might have made the same decision."
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