Grant and I are finished with Angel, which has left a bit of a vacuum in our nightly "watch something and cuddle" routine. (You can only watch the latest BSG so many times...) We've been catching up on Smallville, but I also turned on LotS to see what he'd think. So far it's basically the same impression I have: there's a bit of a quality cap, since you can only get so good with the source material. We're also both a little confused by some of the changes they've made to the universe -- as much as I keep repeating to myself "It's a re-imagining, not an adaptation", I also keep saying things like "Why the hell isn't Darken Rahl blond?!"
Individually, though, some episode reactions:
1x03 Bounty: In which we learn that random mapmakers can do magic stuff, and otherwise the episode is filler. It's interesting to see how many people in the Midlands are discontent with Darken Rahl; the only people in the Midlands we really met in Wizard's First Rule were people who were of direct, immediate use to Richard and Kahlan. It also feels strange to have "filler" episodes when the plot is so long and convoluted. I'm not going to be surprised at all when they cut out certain elements of the book (I suspect Du Chaillu and the Mud People are going to be completely left behind), but it surprises me that they'd rather make filler episodes than actually follow the plot.
1x04 Brennidon: This is another one of those episodes that makes me go "WTF?" Richard's entire family situation has changed; his mother was caught in a town but later escaped, what? He had an adoptive father and mother? I suppose this one does more to establish Richard as the best hope of the Midlands, but the family stuff is downright weird. Oh hey, and this is the episode where Richard Stands Up For A Town Who Then Stands Up For Him (something we see often in fantasy/sci-fi series). Nice to see they're still doing stock plots? I guess?
1x05 Listener: Wow, this is a kind of magic we never saw in the books. A kid who can read minds? (I also feel obliged to point out that this is the "magic kid" episode. Stock plots FTW! Or something.) Yet again it's a filler episode, the third in a row that does nothing to advance the main plot. I'm totally nonplussed by the suggestion that Kahlan's father a.) outlived her mother and b.) used Kahlan and her sister to do evil things -- wait, what? What? That just seems wrong, and giving Kahlan a tortured childhood seems unnecessary. Also, I note that the kid is trying to 'ship Richard and Kahlan. Ha! Don't worry, kid, they'll get there. They'll get there!
I think people who have read the books and know just how much is coming are doomed to be a little confused as we watch these episodes; we keep wondering why they're not getting on with it. Meanwhile, people just watching the series may realize that there's a plot, but aren't in any hurry to get along with it -- it's actually not standard for series to have a driving plot start-to-finish, with few to no filler episodes. Even shows that do have a driving plot are mostly episodic in their first few season, perhaps because they're not sure if they're going to be renewed and don't necessarily want to have a series cliffhanger by default.
Like last time, I'm really fond of Kahlan. I'm thrilled to see how competent and smart she is, and I love watching her fight. She makes good, solid, reasonable decisions, and she has her own reasons for following Richard (even if we're not 100% sure what they are yet; why Richard? Is it just prophecy, or is there more to it?). We also haven't seen her use her powers since the premiere, which I think is good -- we don't want to become too reliant on them, and I definitely want to hear more about them rather than picking everything up in bits and pieces from short-lived mind-controlled thugs. Also, Bridget Regan is both adorable and hot, and despite the horror of the series (and you know there's going to be more), she finds reasons to smile fairly often. This is a good thing. ^_^
Tags: fantasy, sword of truth, television