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BACK TO POP CULTURE
March 4, 2023 Once upon a time, at the beginning of this millennium, campy TV shows based on myths and legends were just the shit. Their DNA extended back to the previous decade when the likes of Xena: Warrior Princess and Hercules: The Legendary Journeys were hugely popular. By the early 2000s, however, this fad was beginning to fade. Legend of the Seeker came toward the end of the trend and, like most of the offerings in the Teen TV Rabbit Hole, had a very short run of only two years (2008-2010). |
Based on Terry Goodkind’s The Sword of Truth books, Seeker followed some familiar sword and sorcery tropes. Richard Cypher (Craig Horner) was a simple country lad unaware of his destiny to defeat an evil wizard called Darken Rahl (Craig Parker). Once aware of his heroic nature, and armed with the mystical Sword of Truth, Richard sets out to battle Rahl and his numerous minions. He is aided by a grumpy and eccentric wizard called Zeddicus Zu'l Zorander (Bruce Spence); and by Kahlan Amnell (Bridget Regan), the Mother Confessor. Aside from being a fierce fighter, Kahlan served as a kind of magistrate to the people of the realm. She would arbitrate disputes, expose injustice, and, if needed, could rob individuals of their free will and enslave their hearts and minds. While the Mother Confessor’s job is to protect The Seeker and ensure his success, the romantic attraction between Kahlan and Richard was a constant distraction.
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Familiar Scenery?
If the scenery in Legend of the Seeker looks familiar, it's because the show was filmed in the same New Zealand locations as other sword and sorcery films and TV shows. The areas in and around Queenstown and Aukland where Seeker was filmed were also the backdrops for Lord of the Rings, The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, Xena: Warrior Princess and Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. You can learn more about these locations in my Lord of the Rings features Paradise on Middle Earth, On the Slopes of Mount Doom, and Workshop of Wonders. |
Morality lessons were baked into every episode but rarely rose above the level of the 1970s afterschool special, but they contributed to the show’s campy fun. Themes included the importance of family and community, protecting the innocent, and conquering evil. Richard’s earnest, often naïve goodness always seemed to crash headlong into the more fluid morality of Kahlan and Zeb. While Richard wanted to save everyone, his companions were fixated on the larger goal of defeating Darken Rahl or sometimes had their own shady agendas.
I’ve never read any of Terry Goodkind’s books, but the author’s a source of much internet fodder. A self-professed contrarian and an adherent to the radical conservative beliefs of Ayn Rand, he has been roundly criticized for sexism. To be fair, plenty of fantasy writers have, and rightfully so. But hate and intolerance don’t make for great television so the show got around Goodkind’s more controversial ideas — especially about women — by being unapologetically tongue-in-cheek. This is probably no more obvious than with the Mord-Sith, Darken Rahl’s elite female warriors who dress like their on their way to a BDSM party and carry dildo-shaped pain givers. Read into that what you want, but in Seeker the ridiculous is just normal. It’s a joke that the audience is always in on and that the characters are oblivious to. For example, it’s never clear why the three most important people in the world have to walk and run everywhere because no one will give them horses. Nor what the Sword of Truth actually does. Nor how Kahlan keeps her white dress so immaculate in the middle of a muddy medieval world.
Unfortunately, Legend of the Seeker never found the success or longevity of Xena, Hercules or Merlin. Yet it was not poor ratings that doomed it, but rather the bankruptcy of its production company and the unwillingness of anyone else to pick up the series. Despite the efforts of fans to “Save our Seeker,” the cancellation continued as planned.
So, at the end of the day, we are left with two seasons of a slightly goofy, good-natured fantasy show. While it lasted, my sons and I enjoyed the Seeker greatly. Occasionally we rewatch it, and it never fails to entertain us.
I’ve never read any of Terry Goodkind’s books, but the author’s a source of much internet fodder. A self-professed contrarian and an adherent to the radical conservative beliefs of Ayn Rand, he has been roundly criticized for sexism. To be fair, plenty of fantasy writers have, and rightfully so. But hate and intolerance don’t make for great television so the show got around Goodkind’s more controversial ideas — especially about women — by being unapologetically tongue-in-cheek. This is probably no more obvious than with the Mord-Sith, Darken Rahl’s elite female warriors who dress like their on their way to a BDSM party and carry dildo-shaped pain givers. Read into that what you want, but in Seeker the ridiculous is just normal. It’s a joke that the audience is always in on and that the characters are oblivious to. For example, it’s never clear why the three most important people in the world have to walk and run everywhere because no one will give them horses. Nor what the Sword of Truth actually does. Nor how Kahlan keeps her white dress so immaculate in the middle of a muddy medieval world.
Unfortunately, Legend of the Seeker never found the success or longevity of Xena, Hercules or Merlin. Yet it was not poor ratings that doomed it, but rather the bankruptcy of its production company and the unwillingness of anyone else to pick up the series. Despite the efforts of fans to “Save our Seeker,” the cancellation continued as planned.
So, at the end of the day, we are left with two seasons of a slightly goofy, good-natured fantasy show. While it lasted, my sons and I enjoyed the Seeker greatly. Occasionally we rewatch it, and it never fails to entertain us.
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