Three characters from Season One featured prominently in tonight’s episode — Darken Rahl, of course; Thaddicus Zorander, Zedd’s brother; and Sebastian (played by Ted Raimi), the magic peddler from a very early episode, “Bounty” (seeing him again made me feel especially nostalgic for last season). I really loved “Hunger” because, in addition to the fun guest roles, it brought Zedd, Cara, and Darken Rahl to the foreground and balanced violence, gore, and darkness with moments of humor (although the ending was a bit too campy).
So what did you think of the return of Thaddicus and Sebastian? How convenient that Zedd’s brother just happened to discover a stash of shadow water right when Cara turned into a baneling … we’ll just have to chalk up the ridiculous coincidences to the Creator. While Ted Raimi does a great job of playing a rascal, Jon Brazier‘s Thaddicus looks so wise and earnest (like Zedd) that I find it hard to believe that he would partner with Sebastian. At least his presence gave our spindly wizard something to do besides throw fireballs in the background.
I loved the return to the baneling problem in this episode. We know that the Keeper has been churning out banelings, so it makes sense that an industry had developed around the need for victims. People who can’t go out hunting every day need a way to get their daily kill.
Cara’s scenes with Darken Rahl really sizzled. Tabrett Bethell and Craig Parker have serious chemistry, no? I’m very grateful to see Rahl in a more active role. His character is so much more intimidating in the books, but at least Parker pulls off the charming, handsome, evil part. Cara’s situation highlighted her struggle to tame the unbridled violence that she once embraced as a Mord-Sith. She’s a killer. She kills to protect Richard. She probably imagined that it would be easy to make one kill per day to stay alive. But, as is often the case, just when you need something to happen, it doesn’t.
This is probably a good time for a TV-vs.-books discussion of banelings. Seeker simplifies the banelings for the TV audience, making them basically zombies. In the books, a baneling seems to be a general word for anyone who serves the Keeper. In Stone of Tears, Zedd even describes Darken Rahl as a baneling, because he was working for the Keeper even while he was alive. So being a baneling just means doing the Keeper’s will, not necessarily killing every day. Correct me if I’m wrong, Goodkind fans. Personally, I think the concept in the books is much richer, but perhaps too difficult to translate to the screen in a compelling manner. What do you think?
Here are a few more random thoughts:
So did you like “Hunger”? What do you think about Seeker’s portrayal of banelings?
Clacked by Ruby T.
on Feb 21, 2010 @ 08:01 EST5EDT
The Underworld is a problem in the show as the show doesn’t represent it in the way the book does. In the show, anyone who dies is sent right down to the deep dark pit of naked people being tortured, I guess. That means that even when Richard dies, or anyone innocent in general, like Thaddicus, they’ll end up right down there with the rest of them. That’s just bad writing, I don’t know how they’ll get out of it. In the books, it’s difficult to explain as it’s not often addressed but there are certain levels to the Underworld, and the more evil you are, the deeper you end up spending eternity in. In the 4th book something happened that might illuminate it but I don’t want to spoil the books for you. On to the episode…
I really liked this one and thought it was one of the best this season. Tabrett’s got great acting range and here she displayed anger, fear, regret, and she did it all beautifully. Like you I thought it was waaaaaaaay too convenient that a ‘cure’ was discovered just as soon as one of our main characters ended up a baneling but that’s just a detail I had to overlook. I thought it was really sweet and noble of Thaddicus to stab himself with Cara’s knife to let her live another day, but I’m wondering how it counted. He killed himself. Doesn’t Cara herself have to kill him? Is holding the weapon used enough?
Once again, great review, Ruby.
Thanks, Teleholic. I was wondering exactly the same thing as you. Since Thaddicus essentially stabbed himself, I don’t think it should have counted. But I guess they had to resolve the story somehow. Overall, I really enjoyed it despite the holes in the plot.
I am still reading Stone of Tears – I thought I’d be done by now, but it is sooo long. However, it’s very interesting to compare the characters from the book to the characters in the show. Kahlan in the book is sometime a lot like Duty Kahlan from last week. Richard constantly gets angry (as does Sister Verna) – whereas in the show, both characters are more mellow. And, as I mentioned in the review, Darken Rahl is far more sinister in the books. I think while the show is on break after the next episode (“Princess”), I’ll have to do a post discussing the books vs. the show.
Though I agree with the problem in the everyone-ends-up-in-the-underworld concept I think it is needed as a plot device. Until Jagang and the Imperial Order show up(if they do in the tv show) the series lacks a “big baddie.” Without Darken Rahl pulling the strings from the underworld, creating banelings and interacting with everyone who dies, the tv characters would just be fighting a faceless evil entity, something that would make the format of the show a little too episodic, as the writers would have to create a new mini bad guy every episode – which they do, but as most of them have a direct connection to Darken Rahl it brings some continuity to the show.
As far as Thaddicus stabbing himself, I run into the same problem I had with Pirates of the Caribbean, when Jack Sparrow holds Will Turner’s hand on the hilt of the weapon that stabs the heart of Davey Jones. (Wow that sentence ran a lot smother in my head.) I guess in both of these situations it does not matter who performed the stabbing action as much as whose hand was directly on the weapon as it was stabbed (which begs the question, if both hands were touching the hilt how is the matter decided, by percentages perhaps?)
If you do a post on the books vs. the show can you bring up the topic of the breath of life? I always understood it as being CPR, not anything magical, and I would be interested in reading someone else’s take on it.
Sure! I can include the breath of life. I’m hoping to make it an opportunity for everyone to add to the discussion about what they like and dislike about the differences between the TV and the books.
I don’t know how this storyline is resolved in the books, but the show can easily resolve the Underworld dilemma. Just say that The Keeper (or his agent, Darken Rahl), started to break the rule/tradition at the start of the season, pulling every new soul down to the lowest level to torture into becoming banelings, swelling the ranks of his army in preparation for the invasion. After the war, whoever rules the Underworld can reinstate the proper order of the afterlife.
Darken Rahl doesn’t know how a soul was killed, just that it was credited to a specific baneling (The Keeper’s knowledge has not been established). Since there’s no intelligence involved, I would guess it operates under a magical contract that enforces very simple rules without regard to intent. Cause of death? Knife. Wielder of knife? Cara. Thaddicus’s hands could have been pulling the knife into his gut or trying to push it away, but the magic is probably not specific enough to tell, as all The Keeper cares about is the successful result.
I’m with Ryan, and remember the vail is broken, so I guess it’s easier for the Keeper to grab the souls of good people too.
“Cause of death? Knife. Wielder of knife? Cara.”
Again, I have to agree. Okay, it’s a bit iffy but I can accept it. :)
The reason they all go straight to the underworld IS because of the tear in the veil. normally the good people would go to the Creator, but because the Keeper gained power, he was able to stop the souls from joining the creator.
Right now he actually has more power then the Creator, not enough to thwart the Creator, but enough to hold all the dead souls, for now at least.
They didn’t make this clear until the most recent episode, “Extinction.” I think they should have explained it a lot earlier.
I mean about the Underworld – not the Creator.