Legend of the Seeker – If Cara had never become a Mord-Sith…

I have an aversion for “false reality” episodes, but “Unbroken” overcame its shortcomings by taking us down some fascinating roads that I never thought we’d get to explore. It also did a nice job of weaving season one’s quest for the Boxes of Orden into season two’s focus on the Keeper and the tear in the Veil.

As is typical of “false reality” episodes, this story asks, “What if…?” In this case, what if Cara had never become a Mord-Sith? Now, we all know that changing even a small detail of history can create a huge ripple effect — and if Zedd, Richard, and Kahlan had watched more sci-fi, they would know this too. You don’t just hop into your DeLorean and change history; that could have unexpectedly dire consequences. Along those same lines, you don’t just cast an “undoing spell” and change history, because … you know, same thing.

So what if season one had ended differently, and Richard had successfully harnessed the power of Orden to take D’Hara from Darken Rahl? If you were wondering, now you know. He would order himself a snazzy red outfit, marry his true love and make babies immediately, and become best buds with his big brother who was trying to kill him. And what if season one had ended with Darken Rahl successfully claiming the power of Orden? Well, now you know that as well. He would do what any elder sibling would do and make a slave of his little brother. It’s kind of fun, these alternate endings — like watching DVD extras.

And you know what was really cute and corny at the same time? The sweet, compassionate, feminine version of Cara got another chance to fall in love with Leo (the fella who was burnt to a crisp in “Perdition” after being the Seeker for like 2.5 seconds). That’s right — alternate histories can’t stop their love! Oops, my bad, Cara’s dead. Sorry, Leo. Maybe next time history is rewritten, you’ll get another shot.

In addition to Leo, this episode brought back Jennsen Rahl (Brooke Williams), the pristinely ungifted one whose blood enabled Sister Marianna and Co. to steal the boxes of Orden at a most inconvenient time for Richard.  I’m not a huge Jennsen fan, but I like continuity. So, good.

Marianna has become the Keeper’s main minion now that Darken Rahl is back among the living. I don’t like her in that role. She’s not at all intimidating. And the Sisters of the Dark have been made to look like utter idiots so many times that I can’t take them seriously. Like at the beginning of the episode, when they fell for Darken Rahl’s obvious trick and the Mord-Sith tossed them down the crack into the Underworld. Brilliant, Marianna. Hey, what’s that on your shirt? Got ya!

There were a couple of small things that bugged me about this episode. For one, Darken Rahl is supposed to be a baneling, right? He was a baneling all throughout season one, and I would assume that remains true, even if Cara never became a Mord-Sith. Now, assuming Rahl is a baneling, after Richard claimed the power of Orden and forced him to behave himself, how did Rahl survive without killing at least once a day? Perhaps one of you clever fans can explain this to me.

The other thing that bugged me was that the Sisters of the Dark who drank Jennsen’s blood and essentially lost all of their magic were still using their dacras. I know, I know — the dacras are still weapons. They’re sharp and pointy. But the dacras were supposed to be magical weapons, and now they are just ninja throwing stars.

I did enjoy “Unbroken.” If anything, it confirmed that I love Darken Rahl when he’s evil (how about that delicious scene between Rahl, Cara, and Dahlia at the beginning of the episode?), and I think he’s just creepy when he’s “good.” Seriously, were you not disturbed at seeing Rahl presiding over Richard and Kahlan’s wedding and smiling down at them? Ugh. I’d root for Marianna to steal the boxes, just so I can have my evil Rahl back.

What did you think of “Unbroken”? And what do you think will happen in the series finale next Friday? Leave a comment and let me know.

Clacked by Ruby T.
on May 16, 2010 @ 09:52 EST5EDT