One of the oldest and most popular themes in storytelling is the
heroic quest. From the classic epic poems in ancient Greek to the big
blockbuster flicks millions wait in line to watch. This type of adventure tale
can even be found in such futuristic stories as ‘Star Wars’. Noted expert on
heroes as they are presented in human culture, Joseph Campbell, has helped to
academically establish and define the parameters for the heroic quest. The
format of this type of story is highly conducive to using it as a basis of a
television series. These stories can be continued for a long time adding one
part of the tale upon the previous one. Stories of this sort have always been
tightly tied to the universal human need for the establishment of mythology.
While myths initially were used to explain aspects of nature beyond the current
level of understanding the hero always figured into the story in some
significant fashion. One of the latest stories like this to make the transition
to television is; ‘Legend of the Seeker’. The series has made it past the
freshman season and was picked up for a second. Just in case you need to catch
up the DVD of season one has been released. This is one of a group of Canadian
series that were imported to here in the States during the most recent Writer’s
strike. Even though a good percentage of television series are produced in
Canada or New Zealand and with the strike affecting many shows made here these
countries help keep scripted television alive. It’s been a long time since we
could enjoy a well constructed sword and sandals TV show but this one fills the
niche rather nicely. It is light enough for general family viewing as proven by
its local distribution by Disney. The series contains plenty of action,
adventure and mystery with just a hint of ‘PG’ romance added to the mix.
The driving force behind this series has helped to define the
genre for television. The executive production was taken on by Sam Raimi, Robert
Tapert, Joshua Donen, Ned Nalle and Kenneth Biller. When it comes to presenting
mythic television they were the founding fathers with such hugely popular series
as ‘Hercules: The Legendary Journeys’ and ‘Xena: Warrior Princess’. Raimi also
is a note worthy master of the horror flick and created much of the ‘Spider-Man’
franchise. With a production bloodline like this the series has a head start
towards success. This may not be something that would be backed by a major
broadcast network but thankfully the explosion of niche networks on cable allow
for quality little series like this much in the same way Indy films provide an
alternative for cinema.
The basic premise employed here is one of the most ancient; the
heroic quest. The format for this type of storytelling has been honed over eons
and ‘Seeker’ manages to hit all the required elements. This variation of the
story was taken from the ‘Sword of Truth’ novels by Terry Good kind. Most
important is the hero; youthful, rugged and trustworthy. This requisite is met
by Richard Cypher (Craig Horner). Initially he has a simple life as a humble
woodland guide. He is charged with a mission of utmost importance; to locate and
defeat the evil wizard Darken Rahl (Craig Parker). Naturally his goal is to
unleash a terrible ancient power that will destroy the world as we know it. In a
story like this it is never a lone quest; Richard has some companions along for
the ride. The young hero requires a wise old mentor; a wizard named Zeddicus
Zu'l Zorander (played by Bruce Spence). Since he is in the vigorous prime of his
life there has to be at least the potential for a love interest handled by
Kahlan Amnell (Bridget Regan) who has a background cloaked in mystery combined
with a magical power. The trio set off in a mythological world with danger
lurking around every corner.
Richard has the typical background required for a young man
entering the traveling hero field. His mother tragically died in a fire when he
was very young and his father was killed just before the start of the series
Richard discovers that he is in line to hold the sacred post of ‘Seeker of the
Truth’; the defender of truth and enemy of evil wherever it may be. This allows
the writers to use the popular two fold approach to a season. Every episode
there is some more or less localized evil for the group to fight and this is
typically concluded by the end of the episode. Then they run into clues to a
broader more sinister evil and the workings of the central villain. The
production values here are excellent, the actor a touch hammy but well done and
the internal mythos consistent so give this one a try.
Posted 10/13/09