Sunday, December 28, 2008

Watch the Seeker Online

Good news for all Legend of the Seeker fans from the US. Just in case you missed any of the episodes so far, or if you've only just hear of this great little fantasy/action/adventure series, you can now watch all the episodes at www.hulu.com.

Another cool feature accessible to US fans is the possibility to get notified when and where the show is aired by going to visit the Official Website and entering your zip code into the little search engine at the top. That way you can be sure to never miss another episode, while the airing schedule of the show will return back to normal, that is one-episode-per-week, after January 10th, when we can expect the next installment, or Episode 8, called "Denna."

Thursday, December 25, 2008

Creating the Show

There are several novel ways to do the same old things in Legend of the Seeker, and one of the coolest among them is the way the fight scenes are filmed. After the initial blow, the fighting is all shown in slow motion, which is a welcome change from the way we are used to seeing fighting on TV and in the movies. It all looks a lot cleaner that way, and the point that all fighting is pointless, sad and unnecessary is driven home very nicely. Overall, it's a novel approach to filming fight scenes that works very well within the context of the story.

The sets of the show are also quite impressive and really add to that whole feel of “Once upon a time in a land far, far away.” Below is a short interview with the show's production dsigner Rob Gillies where he talks about how the unique look of the shows sets is created.

Monday, December 22, 2008

Interview with Craig Horner on WPIX.COM

Here's some nice Q&A with the show's main character Criag Horner who plays the Seeker Richard Cypher. Very laid back and homely.

In the interview Craig talks about the show and the book, The Wizard’s First Rule, that it’s based on it’s based on. They also draw a comparison between Legend of the Seeker and Xena and Hercules, the two shows that came before, and Craig expresses his view that now is a great time for more “serious” fantasy shows, ones with a deeper meaning.

On a more personal note Craig also discusses his past acting experiences in both Australia and the US, as well as his plans for the future, along with a possible move to NYC, a City he’s fallen in love with after only a few days.


Sunday, December 21, 2008

Episode Eight News

The show is on a break, but it has been announced that Episode Eight entitled “Denna” will air on January 10th, 2009. In this episode Richard is captured by a Mord'Sith Mistress named Denna. The Mord’Sith are a group of women handpicked and rigorously trained magic people, created solely for the purpose of defending Rahl. The special ability that Mord’Sith posses is being able to take control of another’s magic and use it against them with merely a though. Richard will no doubt have his hands full trying to escape and save Denna at the same time.

There is no trailer yet, but here is a still from the upcoming episode:

Sunday, December 7, 2008

Episode Seven "Identity" - Synopsis

The episode opens with a witch, Shota, having a vision of the Seekers death. Zedd, Kahlan and Richard, meanwhile, arrive at a town where they are welcomed by a long time resistance member and double agent and his son Gryff, who is getting married the next day. They have also learned that one of Rahl’s most trusted generals, Demmin Nass, is assembling a massive force near the ruins of a once great city of Callabra. They make a plan to infiltrate the camp and have Kahlan Confess him and bring Nass under her command, so that they will have a spy in Rahl’s lines.

Shota, meanwhile, disguises herself and tries to warn Richard not to go to Callabra as he will surely die there. He doesn’t heed her warning, yet she is so determined to stop his death that she magically changes his appearance; Gryff now looks like the Seeker, and Richard is Gryff. Thus it is Kahlan, Zedd and Gryff who leave for Callabra, while Richard is forced to stay being and forced to enter into an arranged marriage with Bronwyn. During the night before they plan to execute their plan, Kahlan confesses her love to Richard, not knowing it is in fact Gryff. She also explains why their love can never be. Back in town, Richard manages to convince Bronwyn that they should escape, but once in the woods they are attacked by Shota’s assistant, but manage to fight them off.

Trying to brake into the D’Haran camp through a tunnel the two are captured, but subsequently set free by Morcant, the soldier taking bribes from Gryff’s father.
At the start of the plan’s execution Kahla learns that it is Gryff and not Richard who is with them and tries to abort the plan, but it is too late. Their plan to bring Nass under the Confessor’s control fail and Richard arrives just in time to save Gryff from being slaughtered by Nass.

In the final scene they are conformed by Shota who informs them of the prophecy, which states the Seeker will ultimately be betrayed by the One in White, by Kahlan.

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Episode Seven "Identity" - Trailer

Trailer for Episode 7:

Sunday, November 30, 2008

Episode Six "Elixir"-Synopsis

At the start of the episode we see how Richard’s powers are growing, as he becomes more and more aware and accepting of his true destiny. While Richard is training, a boy from a nearby town steals their horses. Zedd, Richard and Kahlan enter the town to find the boy and get their horses back, and just as they hit a dead end, Richard has a vision of the thief’s location. True enough they find him there, but all they find out is that he has already traded their horses for a magic love potion. The boy leads them back to the peddlers and they try to get the horses back, which leads to an all out fight during which Kahlan manages to bring the peddlers’ leader under her control, causing him to fall madly in love with her. The curse of her power becomes apparent; for her it is impossible to be loved by a man.

From the enchanted leader they find out that the whole town is hopelessly addicted to the potions sold by the peddlers and that their source is a wizard who lives just beyond the town’s limits. Richard also finds out that having the vision of the thief’s location was a result of being given an elixir by the barmaid. The three head out to find the wizard, but they are attacked and Zedd is captured. But the wizard peddling the potions is actually and old student of Zedd’s called Jeziah who tries to recruit him to his true cause of toppling Rahl’s rule by raising a militia, financed by the sale of the magic potions. When Zedd refuses to help him, he incapacitates him and proceeds to drain him of his magic powers.

Richard and Kahlan, meanwhile, are doing all they can to find and save Zedd. With no better option, Richard returns to the barmaid and asks for more of the tracking elixir, despite Kahlan’s protests. He immediately sees that Zedd is in real trouble and they set out to find him, but by the time they find him it is already too late. But Jeziah has already drained Zedd of all his magical powers, and escaped with his men. They are able to catch up to them however, and Richard is able to defeat Jeziah in combat using his newfound Seeker powers.

The feelings that Richard and Kahlan have for each other are becoming more and more apparent, but so is the sad reason why they cannot allow to act on their feelings.

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Episode Five: "Listener" - Synopsis

The episode starts with Richard, Zedd and Kahlan coming across a group of Darken Rahl’s personal guards, the Dragon Corps, led by his right-hand general Ashgar. Fortune has smiled on them it seems, as they can just follow the soldiers and be led directly to Rahl, who can then be defeated by Richard. As they continue to follow the soldiers they find out the purpose and reason why Rahl has dispatched his most important servant. They are purchasing a Listener, a young boy named Renn who is able has the ability to read minds and decipher even the most hidden of secrets. Ashgar tests the boy, finding out of the soldiers under his command is actually working to bring Rahl down. He arrests the soldier and purchases the boy, whom Richard is eager to save from the clutches of Rahl’s men. Kahlan and Zedd agree that the boy must be rescued, if for nothing else then to prevent Rahl from taking advantage of his powers.

In order to follow the soldiers and keep an eye on the boy Zedd changes his appearance, stages an attack on the soldiers, saves them and is thus able to join the group of soldiers. During the staged attack Richard and Kahlan free the boy Listener, who is not so happy with it. They nevertheless decide to take the boy to his home village, where they find out that the boy’s father sold him in the first place, and then left. Failing to find his family, they set out to take him to a school for children with special abilities. Renn, however does not want this, and manages to alert the soldiers of their position. A fight ensues in which Richard is injured, but they nevertheless manage to escape their attackers. While Kahlan is tending to Richard, Renn learns a secret they both share. He also learns that not everyone just wants to take advantage of him.

The next day his father catches up to them and begs Renn to come with him. Renn does, to the disappointment of both Richard and Kahlan, who soon find out that his father lied and took the boy straight back to the D’Harans.

Zedd, meanwhile, manages to free the arrested soldier, but blows his cover in the process and gets captured. Once back in the soldiers’ camp Renn spreads discord among the D’Harans by pitting them against each other and manages to free Zedd. Richard and Kahlan arrive to the camp, a fight ensues and the four manage to escape. At the end of the episode they safely deposit Renn at the school.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Episode Six "Elixir" - Trailer

Trailer for Episode six:

Monday, November 17, 2008

Episode Five: "Listener" - Trailer

Trailer for Episode Five:

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Episode Four "Brennidon" - Synopsis

At the start of this episode the three heroes are camping with a band of woodsmen near the town of Brennidon, where Richard was born. While Kahaln is busy Confessing the people, and Zedd is busy getting reacquainted with an old fling, Richard goes on a hunt during which he accidently comes across the town. To avert the prophecy, which stated that the Seeker would be born in Brennidon Darken Rahl, had all the first-born sons slaughtered when Richard was born, but Zedd still managed to escape the town and the midlands with the baby Richard.

Upon entering the town he witnesses an attempted execution of a townswoman who has tried to defy Rahl’s strict control over the town. Trying to stop the execution Richard draws the Sword of Truth alerting all to his true identity of the Seeker. A fight with the guards ensues, and he is helped by Brigit a woman who tells him she is his mother. She implores her younger son, Mark to help Richard escape from Brennidon, but despite promising to do so, he still locks Richard in an abandoned house and goes to get the guards. Richard however manages to escape and, over-powering one of the guards and disguising himself in his uniform manages to escape Brennidon. However just as he is about to leave, he learns that the guards were ordered to arrest all the mothers of the first-born sons to bring the Seeker out of hiding. Richard stays in Brennidon, seeks out his brother and after some convincing, they devise a plan to free their mother from jail.

Meanwhile back at the camp, Zedd’s friend informs him that he is the father of her child and Kahlanis implored to confess them to learn the truth. During the confession a much deeper secret of Zedd’s is discovered, one that pertains to Richard. When the hunters return without Richard, Zedd an Kahlan immediately go to Brennidon in the fear that that is where Richard has gone. Upon arriving they find out that the Seeker has been captured and is to be executed. All looks very bleak and hopeless, but just as Richard is about be beheaded the plan they devised with his brother is put into effect as all the villagers start attacking the guards and soldiers, freeing Richard.

Once they successfully defeat the soldiers, Brigit tells Richard that she lied, that she is not really his mother, and tells his of the fateful night he was taken out of Brennidon. We also learn the secret that Zedd is Richard’s grandfather, but that Richard must not find out.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Episode Four "Brennidon" - Trailer

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Episode Three “Bounty” - Synopsis

At the start of the episode Richard, Kahlan and Zedd, find out that Darken Rahl has put a substantial bounty on Richard’s head after a mercenary named Denfir attacks them. Meanwhile we also find out that a mapmaker Sebastian is selling magical maps with which it is possible to track the seeker. The mapmaker has made and sold three such maps by using a pendant of Richard’s, stolen during the first attack.

As the three heroes are ambushed for the second time, a woman named Lilly helps them escape and later asks the Seeker to help her save her little brother Liam from the clutches of an evil creature Shadrin. Kahaln is against Richard helping Lily, but he is determined to do so and won’t heed her advice. While Zedd tries to find out how many maps, and to whom, were sold, Richard and Kahlan accompany Lilly to the caves where Liam is apparently being help hostage. There it turns out that Kahlan’s warnings and apprehensions were well founded, as Lily lied about the monster to lure Richard into a trap set by Rahl's D'Haran soldiers. Richard is captured and Kahlan gets trapped in the caves with Shadrin.

Liam was, in truth, captured and imprisoned by the soldiers for stealing food. As he was to be executed for his plan, Lily devised a plan to exchange the Seeker for her brother. But before she can deliver Richard to the soldiers Kahlan and Zedd catch up to them and free Richard who, despite her deception, agrees to help Lily in trying to free Liam. Together they devise another plan in which Lilly gives the soldiers one of the magic maps, which doesn’t lead to Richard, but instead point the soldiers to directly to the defeated mercenaries tied up in Shadrin’s caves, left in the deadly lair of the Shadrin. Zedd had forced Sebastian to make a new map to track the bounty hunters instead of Richard. He also manages to get all the original maps tracking the seeker, and is able to magically extract Richrad’s pendant from them.

By helping Lily and her brother the word starts to spread across the Midlands that the Seeker has returned to save them all from the evil tyranny of Rahl.

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Episode Three “Bounty” - Trailer

Interview With Bridget Regan and Craig Horner

Here's an interview with the two main actors in Legend of the Seeker, Bridget Regan and Craig Horner, in which they discuss everything form what it is like working in New Zealand to what it is like working with each other:

Sunday, November 2, 2008

The Season Premiere: Episode One “Prophecy” and Episode Two “Destiny” - Synopsis

The two-hour season premiere sets the stage for the series, introducing the three main characters and the story line. The show opens with the Confessors Kahlan Amnell and her sister being pursued by the soldiers of Darken Rahl. While her sister is killed Kahlan manages to escape and successfully cross the Boundary that separates her world, the Midlands, from another, the Westland, carrying the Book of Counted Shadows. The soldiers, however, follow her. In the woods of Westland Kahaln is aided in defending herself against her attackers by a simple woodsman Richard Cypher, and together they defeat all but the commander Ranssyn Fane, who continues to pursue the Confessor. When Richard finally returns home his father instructs him to find an old man named Zedd, who is not a crazy old man, but a powerful wizard from the Midlands. From him Richard learns the truth about, and is told that he is the first true Seeker of the Truth in thousands of years. Richard does not believe him and returns home to find his father murdered by Fane and his homestead burned down. With his dying breath his father confirms the story Zedd told Richard. Wanting vengeance Richard confronts Fane, who overpowers him and takes the Book of Counted Shadows.

Zedd is a powerful wizard of the first order from the Midlands, and Kahlan is a Confessor, a woman with the power to make someone tell the truth and also bring anyone under her controlled. And Richard is the Seeker of the Truth the only one who can defeat the evil Darken Rahl. The Sword of Truth, the weapon that Richard must use to achieve his task is given to him by Zedd, while Kahlan, who is also quite skeptical that Richard could really be the Seeker, gives him the Book of Counted Shadows, which prophecy says will be used by the Seeker to defeat Rahl. Tough written in a foreign language, Richard can instinctively read the book, which gives him his first indication that perhaps the prophecy is true, that perhaps he is the true Seeker.

He therefore accepts the quest and the teachings of Zedd, whose full name is Zeddicus Zu'l Zorander. And the three of them set out to catch up to Fane and get the Book of Counted Shadows back, before Rahl gets it and uses for evil.

While this is happening, Rahl begins tearing down the magical boundary separating the Midlands from Westland to make it possible for Fane to bring him the Book. Just as he succeeds Richard, Zedd, and Kahlan catch up to him, defeating the soldiers by the aid of magic and Rirchard’s newfound seeker powers and get the Book back. The show ends with the three of them entering the Midlands to begin the quest of defeating Darken Rahl.

Thursday, October 30, 2008

The season Premiere: Episode One “Prophecy” and Episode Two “Destiny” - Trailer

A taste of what's to come:

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

The Show's Trailer and Episode Guide

Here is the original, first trailer for the show:




And here is the show’s official Season 1 Episode Guide, with scheduled airing dates.

1. "Prophecy" Airing on November 1, 2008
2. "Destiny" November 1, 2008
3. "Bounty" November 8, 2008
4. "Brennidon" November 15, 2008
5. "Listener" November 22, 2008
6. "Elixir" November 29, 2008
7. "Identity" December 6, 2008
8. "Denna" January 10, 2009
9. "Puppeteer" To Be Announced (TBA), 2009
10. "Sacrifice" TBA, 2009
11. "Confession" TBA, 2009

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

The Legend of the Seeker TV Show

The new ABC fantasy TV Show, Legend of the Seeker aired for the first time on November 1st, 2008. It is based on Terry Goodkind's The Sword of Truth series of novels, set in the fantasy worlds of Westland, the Midlands and D'Hara, which are all threatened by the spread of evil in the form of Darken Rahl who wishes to dominate and rule all of them. The only one who can stop him is the Seeker of Truth, a reluctant young man, completely ignorant of his destiny. He is aided in his quest by a wizard of the First Order Zeddicus "Zedd" Zu'l Zorander and a Confessor Kahlan Amnell. The show will follow Richard through a series of adventures and stumbling blocks as he tries to succeed in his quest to defeat Darken Rahl, and bring hope and peace to the suffering people.

Each episode of the show is self contained, but the main theme that ties it all together is preparing the Seeker to face and defeat the evil Darken Rahl, whose rein of terror grows stronger every day. The Show therefore has only three main characters, namely the Seeker Richard Cypher, played by Craig Horner, the Mother Confessor Kahlan Amnell, played by Bridget Regan, and the wizard Zeddicus "Zedd" Zu'l Zorander, played Bruce Spence. Apart form these, there are also several recurring characters, namely Darken Rahl, played Craig Parker, and Dell "Chase" Brandstone, played by Jay Laga'aia.

The show is the project of the same production team that brought us Xena: Warrior Princess and Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. Given the immense popularity of the books on which the show is based, many are skeptical as to how well it will translate on to the big screen. The aim, however, is not to just literally translate the books for the screen, but rather to adapt them following their spirit and main message. The show is filmed entirely on location in New Zealand.