Now we know why the tear in the veil between the Underworld and the land of the living is really, really bad. Besides undead monsters — like the screeling from last week — the Keeper of the Underworld can send back dead people, who kill more victims for the Keeper in order to stay alive. When Richard fights, he now has to worry about his enemies coming back as banelings.
I liked the darker tone of this episode. It featured a lot of death, killing, and gore — more than any episode from last season, as far as I can remember. Since Terry Goodkind’s books include a fair amount of graphic violence, I think fans of the Sword of Truth series may appreciate episodes like “Baneling.” (Let me know if that’s true, Goodkind fans.)
We were treated to some great action scenes and got to see Cara battle “The Butcher” and his men alongside Richard, Zedd, and Kahlan. Cara and Kahlan continue to annoy each other, even though they both follow the Seeker. The writers are making Kahlan seem petty; she keeps taking little jabs at the former Mord-Sith leader. I wish her distrust of Cara was portrayed more subtly.
So far — though we’re only two episodes in — I appreciate how Seeker is moving the larger story along, even though the show follows an adventure-of-the-week format. “Baneling” introduces Flynn, a thief who stole a sacred locket that leaves a weird mark on his palm, apparently making him the key to finding the Stone of Tears. Sound complicated? Fear not. Next week, Zedd, Kahlan, or Richard will explain it to us again in three pages’ worth of exposition.
Considering the dark nature of this episode, the humorous scenes between Flynn and Cara felt incongruous. He obviously will be around for a little while. What do you think of Flynn? I’m not sure how I feel about him yet, but I expect he will continue to be used for comic relief, hopefully with greater success. Cara provides laughs as well (I loved her stiff attempt at being nice), but I don’t understand how she can hold back her Mord-Sith brutality. You would think she’d have brought out the Agiel a bit sooner.
A few other things I am pondering after viewing “Baneling”:
Clacked by Ruby T.
on Nov 15, 2009 @ 14:03 EST5EDT
although the storyline is getting really different from the book this season I liked the darker tone of the episode.
I have no idea why Rahl is making the offers because it’s completely different in the books and I have to wait what the LotS writers have planned. I have a hunge but I’m not sure yet. I really liked their way of using the banelings, completely different than I thought but I fit with the show.
PS: Cara rocks and I want more of her!
I’m glad someone’s writing about this show regularly. It really has matured into a first-rate action-adventure offering with pretty people and scenery. I liked how Richard immediately thought of the sensible solution of burning the bodies of the dead.
Cara always seemed smarter than her sisters, so I don’t see it as out of character for her to exercise restraint when appropriate. Besides, she’s a “hero” now.
I do wonder if they Elysian Fields exist in this Underworld. Hopefully the Keeper is a position rather than an individual, and the current one can be destroyed and replaced. Otherwise, even if they close the rift the afterlife would still be torturous for the dead.
I presume they’re keeping Darken Rahl around simply because Craig Parker is so very good on screen.
I assumed that the mother accepted the offer not knowing that her son was already dead/raised.
Here is Prelate Anne’s explanation of the Underworld from Stone of Tears:
“‘We are like the duck weed floating on the surface of the pond. The air above is the Creator, the depths below, the Keeper. The souls of the living, which have come down from the Creator, blossom to life in this place, and when they die, they descend to the world of the dead.
‘But that does not mean it is evil. Evil is a judgment we put on it. The Keeper is like the muck at the bottom of the pond. Spirits of the dead reside anywhere from the depths of that chaos and hate, near the Keeper, to near the living, near the light of the Creator. It is the hope
of the living to spend eternity in the warmth of that light.
‘It is we, the living, who separate, and define the worlds to each side of life.”
“Baneling:” Legend of the Seeker’s version of the zombie. This was definitely a darker episode than any of last season’s. Even though the books are much darker, with graphic violence and mature content scattered about the pages, this episode’s tone is starting to feel like the books. Richard’s insight of doing the right thing at the right time proves to be the work of a true Seeker. It’s in his blood; he is the true Seeker. And he proved it in “Baneling” when he approached the solution of burning the bodies of the dead.
The Underworld is a lot like Dante’s Inferno. In the Inferno, Hell is broken up into 9 levels in which each level is worse than the other. Except in the Underworld, the entire realm isn’t all gloom and doom. The first level of the Underworld is much like Heaven, or Valhalla. The further away from Heaven one gets, the more and more it starts to become like the Hell we know; the Hell we saw in “Marked” and “Baneling.”
And the ruler of the Underworld? The Keeper. Terry Goodkind’s version of the Keeper tells of a myth that one was to NEVER say the Keeper’s name for fear of invoking his presence and wrath. I haven’t read all of the books yet (I’m still on “Blood of the Fold”), but I’m guessing that “Keeper” is more like a title than the name of the person ruling the Underworld.
The question of the hour: why would the Keeper keep Darken Rahl around to do his bidding? The Keeper has enough influence in the material world to manipulate those that would worship him. There are two possible answers to this question:
1. Darken Rahl was enough of an iconic figure to the ruthless D’Haran army that the Keeper uses Rahl to further influence those that had so suddenly lost their ruler, their “Father.” Or,
2. In agreement with Ryan, Craig Parker probably has a contract.
All in all, I really enjoyed “Baneling.” I hope the writers keep this season as dark as the first two episodes of the season.
Thanks, Pablo and xnifex, for explaining the Underworld. I have only read Wizard’s FIrst Rule so far, so it’s so great to have people versed in this mythology sharing their knowledge. Levels – that makes total sense.
Oh, not a problem, Ruby. I think in the case of Legend of the Seeker, we’re all learning the mythologies of the series together. I think it’s fun to compare and contrast, while not criticizing either of the source materials.
Flynn the thief will stick around for a while. Check out this promo pic:
Flynn, Kahlan, Richard and Zedd search for the Stone of Tears.
Apparently, a young Confessor who has never learned to control her power will confess Flynn in the 4th episode (spoilers):
“…Annabelle has been locked in a tower her whole life and isn’t fully aware of her power as a Confessor. When she escapes, she ‘goes a little crazy and starts confessing everyone around her,’ Aimee (Teegarden) said. Because there are so few Confessors remaining, Kahlan does her best to protect Annabelle from harm. Meanwhile, Annabelle wants to run away with a boy named Flynn, whom she has confessed. Kahlan and Richard need Flynn to help them find a key, so Kahlan tries to stop Annabelle from fleeing with him, but the real drama begins when Annabelle retaliates against Kahlan…”
I don’t get this.
Everyone who goes to the underworld, is like in HELL? Why does EVERYONE suffer, fuck dieing then!
Hey Vince! That’s what I thought too. But see Pablo’s explanation above. The Underworld may have levels or layers. The good people stay on the top layers and don’t suffer, but the bad people stay on the lower layers. The closer to the bottom they are, the more they suffer. (And the Keeper is right at the bottom of the Underworld, poking the really bad people with a pitchfork.)
whether you’ve read the books or not makes no difference, this show is NOT sword of truth. yes in sot there are levels denna explains this when she takes the mark from richard. in watching this though even our knowledge has no bearing …. just like the dreamcaster and the bird. . . loki? i believe there from naked empire lol, yeah its good but i have to constantly remind myself its not sot :D anyway yeah levels to the underworld. . . that was the point lol
very good show so far, havent even read the books and i am a huge fan. the mord sith as a hero is also very awesome. she adds the little extra controversy to the group
No one explained why characters like the abbot, whom we presume led a good life wind up in the lower levels of the underworld suffering. Or the thief who steals the locket. Surely he isn’t as bad as the butcher (the general) yet there they both are at the very same place in the underworld in different scenes. There doesn’t seem to be any differentiation. And didn’t the Keeper say the Seeker would be his eventually? So the premise there is when the Seeker dies the Keeper is going to make him suffer.
Maybe they can just kill the Keeper and be done with hell.
well, 4 ur 1st question, the creator(god) creats ppl while the keeper(devil) keeps the dead so yea every1 goes to hell pretty much. but i guess ppl like Rahl(evil) get special treatments.
2nd question, u pretty much can’t c the keeper. u can only hear his voice. oh and he can still talk to them but i meen he needs some one to appear in fire or out of water(ep.1) cause u can’t c the keeper.
oh and i have a feelin dat we gonne c dat kid again cause u there was sometin suspicous abt dat kid.
oh and i like the darker version cause its more action and all.