Legend of the Seeker: Sanctuary

The one with the magical painting...

Could this be the strangest ever episode of Legend of the Seeker?

The objective of the story is easy to discern: to reunite Richard and Kahlan with the Book of Counted Shadows, or at least a copy of it. The original is what Richard deliberately threw into a fire in the very first episode because he felt that choosing his own destiny was more important than following a guidebook. (And for the record, TV Tropes tells me that the “counted shadows” part of its title refers to the fact it’s meant to be an instruction manual for the Boxes of Orden, which each cast a different number of shadows when they’re in direct sunlight. Here, the boxes contain no such quality, which only adds to the half-baked feeling of this particular MacGuffin).

Deciding that yes, perhaps destiny guidebooks are the way to go (or at the very least to keep it out of Darken Rahl’s hands) our trio go in search of this new copy.

Legend of the Seeker: Cursed

The one with the werewolf that isn’t actually a werewolf...

Like many episodes in this series, Cursed is more important than it initially appears. Though you could get away with skipping it, the story introduces the concept of the Rada’Han, reminds us of Shota’s existence, and fills in a little background on Zed...

In a rare story development, the gang doesn’t stumble upon trouble or meet with a Resistance assignation, but rather receives a message with a request for help. Having long since accepted that helping individuals will be prioritized over any big-picture Rahl-defeating missions, Kahlan and Zed accompany Richard to the territory of King Gregor to hear his story...

Legend of the Seeker: Mirror

The one that’s just comedy filler...

Ah, the comedy episode that I promised you, a light breather before we head into the darkness of the last four episodes. And man, I am so ready to get to the finale and the second season, you have no idea. Not long now!

As it happens, this story also counts as filler, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing if it’s entertaining to watch, and for the most part – this is. Heck, some of the best character beats can take place in filler episodes, because the writers are relaxed enough to explore certain dynamics without having to worry about the overarching plots – though this specific episode largely provides an opportunity for Craig Horner and Bridget Regan to show off their comedic timing.

Woman of the Month: Delilah Dirk

Delilah Dirk from the Delilah Dirk webcomics/graphic novels

It’s becoming increasingly obvious that graphic novels for young readers are a great place to find amazing female characters. Cleopatra in Space, Oona in 5 Worlds, Aster, Hilda, Nimona, Zita the Space Girl, the Lumberjanes, Emily from Amulet... even The Babysitter’s Club is enjoying renewed attention as they’re adapted for the pages of various comic books.

Delilah Dirk has a place among them, the main character of Tony Cliff’s webcomic (check it out here) and subsequent graphic novel series. Though I hate to reduce her (or any female character) to a Distaff Counterpart, she’s best described as a gender-flipped Indiana Jones: adventurer, explorer, swashbuckler and treasure-hunter. Though unlike Indiana Jones, she’s also the occasional mercenary.

She’s introduced to us through the eyes of one Lieutenant Erdemoglu Selim, a young soldier whose life she saves and who tags along after her as she travels across the Mediterranean in the early 1800s – half out of curiosity, and half out of the debt he feels he owes her.

There’s a lot to be impressed by: she’s athletic, brash and headstrong, she’s the daughter of an Englishwoman and a Greek ambassador, and she captains a flying sailboat (very little is done to justify this thing’s existence; it seems to operate on Rule of Cool). In her knee-high boots she towers above most men, and she’s a veritable Amazon when it comes to her sword-fighting prowess.

Delilah Dirk is wish-fulfilment, pure and simple. Though not without a few foibles (a tendency to act before thinking, for example) there’s something oddly soothing about getting to enjoy a female character who is written as unabashedly awesome. Plenty of male characters are permitted to swagger their way into palaces, defy the laws of gravity, discover ancient artefacts, deliver witty one-liners, and save the day – and my contribution to the endless “is she a Mary Sue?” discourse is that if a writer strikes the right balance, there’s nothing wrong with that.

As soon as lockdown in New Zealand is over, I’m looking forward to introducing Deliliah to several young library patrons...

Reading/Watching Log #68

Well, August was certainly a strange month. I was sick off work for a full two weeks (definitely a record, as whenever I get sick, it’s seldom for very long) and then all of New Zealand went back into another lockdown when the Delta variant reared its ugly head.

So for the first time in what feels like ages, I’ve had the time to do some serious, absorbing reading. And man, that felt good. Seven books! Being so immersed in other people’s imagination has also had a follow-on effect on my writing, and I’ve made lots of headway on the story I’m trying to pull together. It certainly helps fight back against cabin fever.

I rewatched a few films that I won’t go into in any great detail, since I’ve done so on other posts already: Raya and the Last Dragon (liked it better the second time around, though they still botched the trust theme), Enola Holmes (I watched it during the last lockdown, and it makes for deeply relaxing quarantine viewing), Birds of Prey (having watched James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad, I had to return to Harley Quinn’s solo movie) and Song of the Sea (still the most perfect film of all time).

I’m keeping stress and anxiety at bay, though I’m disappointed at missing out on The Firebird at the Isaac Theatre Royal. Thankfully it’s been postponed as opposed to getting outright cancelled, but apparently the theatre’s funding is in dire straits. Hopefully a patron of some kind will step in soon to save the place from closure, as I can’t count the number of memorable productions I’ve seen there.

But despite everything, I feel energized about reading again, and enthusiastic about my own creative writing endeavours. I’m going to chase that feeling.

Legend of the Seeker: Deception

The one with the good D’Haran...

So in my last review I said that we were heading into a comedic episode on the heels of the darker Bloodlines and Conversion... which isn’t exactly true. That’s the next episode. This one keeps the tone consistent with its predecessors, by starting off with a massacred village and continuing into a genuinely complex moral conundrum.

It begins with some adorable little munchkins playing hide and seek, with one of them finding a strange capsule of some kind, making ominous ticking noises as one half of it revolves atop the other. Kids being kids, they gather around to look at it more closely, though we’re spared the inevitable explosion.

Quick Update

It's been rather quiet on this blog lately, and that's because... well, I have a new house that I have to get fixed up. Tends to be a bit time consuming. The good news is that the settlement day went smoothly, the bad is that now I have an actual mortgage (and in order to get a handle on it, I'm going to have to rent the place out for a year or so before moving in myself).

But still, it's a huge milestone that's been met and conquered, and I'm currently in the far more fun position of getting to chose colour schemes and patterns.

I've also been laid low with illness for a while. I had to take two weeks off work which is a new record for me, and though it wasn't debilitating it just wasn't going away, and I'm still trying to shake it off three weeks later. I'm sure that unconscious stress over the house played a part in this, but there are plenty of non-Covid bugs going around too. I can't wait for spring at this point. 

And today was the first day of a brand new lockdown for New Zealand. The Delta variant has landed in the North Island and no one is taking any chances. So that alone is the reason why I've found enough time to write this post! It's only going to last three days here in the South Island, and though it's disruptive to businesses and schools... honestly, I can't say I don't appreciate a quick breather. 

The other plus side of having more free time (even while sick) is that suddenly I have more opportunities to read. And man... I miss reading. Like concentrated reading. Plowing through books like there's no tomorrow, absorbing ideas and themes and well-crafted sentences, feeling immersed in creativity and imaginative force... whew, it's been a trip. 

I think I may make some amendments to my New Years' Resolution going forward and considerably cut down on ALL films and television shows. There's clearly something draining about statically watching things instead of engaging in the mental exercise required to process words on a page. I just need to read more.

Which is ironic, since I made August the month that I FINALLY caught up with DC's Crisis on Infinite Earths, which requires me to watch what feels like a dozen or so shows to get the proper context for the crossover. And let's face it, if you're after something intellectually stimulating, then superhero shows on the CW is the last thing you should be watching.

I don't have much more to say! Honestly, this post is just a way of keeping my blog consistent and passing the time in lockdown. Hope you're all keeping well, and with luck I'll have another Legend of the Seeker review up soon. Oh, and I have to write about the Toy Story Toons at some stage. And I keep meaning to get back to Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre...