Seeking More from 'Legend of the Seeker'
Posted on 8 November 2008 by James Cormier at 5:53 PM
Tags: Legend of the Seeker, Terry Goodkind, TV
Last Saturday night I found myself nodding in my bed, dozing through ABC's slogging 11 o'clock nightly news and waiting for the midnight premiere of Sam Raimi's Legend of the Seeker, the television adaptation of Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth mega-series that we've been reporting on sporadically for the last few months. I began to question my determination to experience this dead-of-night TV event when, as my bedroom clock hit 12:07 a.m., I realized that Daylight Savings Time had ended earlier than I expected and that, at least according to ABC, it was really only 11:07. Nonetheless, I soldiered on, and, despite ABC's annoyingly frequent late night commercial segments, managed to get through the two-hour premiere before passing out.
My past commentary about this show has often been skeptical, usually tongue-in-cheek, and always underscored by a healthy distaste for Terry Goodkind. But despite being a one-man tough crowd, I maintain a certain nostalgia for the first couple of books of the Sword of Truth (before Ayn Rand reared her ugly head and the story was merely an R-rated recycling of standard fantasy tropes, comfortably predictable and suitable for a lazy Friday evening). More than that, I hoped that a quality fantasy series might rejuvenate the genre as a viable television market.
My hopes weren't dashed by the premiere, but Mr. Raimi and Co. have a lot of work left to do if they intend to push the envelope with this series.
On the positive side, the production value was high; Mr. Raimi has come a long way since Xena and Hercules. The settings were believable, the special effects high-quality (for television), and the costuming was exquisite.
The actors were enthusiastic but didn't have much to work with. Being the first episode, the writers had a lot of backstory to cover and a lot of worldbuilding to do, which often led to flavorless dialogue that was awkwardly expository. They did manage to build tension and create something of a sense of mystique, but above all the series opener showed an abundance of potential, as yet unfulfilled.
We'll see if tonight's episode is sharper.
My past commentary about this show has often been skeptical, usually tongue-in-cheek, and always underscored by a healthy distaste for Terry Goodkind. But despite being a one-man tough crowd, I maintain a certain nostalgia for the first couple of books of the Sword of Truth (before Ayn Rand reared her ugly head and the story was merely an R-rated recycling of standard fantasy tropes, comfortably predictable and suitable for a lazy Friday evening). More than that, I hoped that a quality fantasy series might rejuvenate the genre as a viable television market.
My hopes weren't dashed by the premiere, but Mr. Raimi and Co. have a lot of work left to do if they intend to push the envelope with this series.
On the positive side, the production value was high; Mr. Raimi has come a long way since Xena and Hercules. The settings were believable, the special effects high-quality (for television), and the costuming was exquisite.
The actors were enthusiastic but didn't have much to work with. Being the first episode, the writers had a lot of backstory to cover and a lot of worldbuilding to do, which often led to flavorless dialogue that was awkwardly expository. They did manage to build tension and create something of a sense of mystique, but above all the series opener showed an abundance of potential, as yet unfulfilled.
We'll see if tonight's episode is sharper.
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