Legend of the Seeker: Resurrection

We're about one-third of the way through his season, so the filler episodes have been put aside in order to get into the grist of the overarching story. We open smackdab in the middle of a fight scene, and have I gushed over the glorious absurdity of Kahlan’s fighting technique lately? She essentially spins around really fast, her hair and long sleeves flying, with two long knives in each hand, and just sort of aggressively rotates her enemies to death.

It doesn’t make the slightest bit of sense, but looks so awesome and is so intrinsic to her character that I wouldn’t cut a single swirl.  

Anyway, the fight draws to a close and she manages to confess one of the D’Haran soldiers, who promptly tells her they’re trying to kill the Seeker due to other claimants vying for Lord Rahl’s throne. 

The one this garrison serves (or served) is General Grix who is then promptly introduced plotting to kill all his rivals’ families just let us know how bad he is.

Also, Grix? I spent the entire episode thinking his name was “Bricks”.

In any case, an attractive woman arrives at his encampment with a message, and promptly drops her robe to reveal writing across her naked body. Someone has been reading up on Cleopatra’s methods, and though we don’t find out until a bit later, she’s just delivered an invitation to a local brothel, run by a familiar face...

Surprise, bitch! Bet you thought you'd seen the last of me.

Our heroes await intel from Kahlan’s confessed D’Haran, who returns from Grix’s camp to tell them that the general left a day ago to an undisclosed location, and that another garrison has left with a cache of Whisperers (remember those things? The cylinders that contain the screams of the undead and are utilized as weapons of mass destruction?)

This provides a reason for the team to split up: Zed and Kahlan head off to find the Whisperers and stop them from detonating, and Richard and Cara will continue to track General Grix and hopefully find out where he’s been getting these weapons.

Team #1 makes short work of the garrison, though one of the Whisperers is missing from the crate. Kahlan manages to confess a dying man who tells her that it’s buried in Norwood and timed to go off at midday. Just to wrap this subplot up, Kahlan and Zed don’t get there in time, but the latter casts a deafness spell over everything so the fatal screams can’t hurt anyone (though we get a cool sonic-boom ripple effect).

Honestly, all this exists for plot relevant reasons: it’s pertinent that Kahlan is out of the way for the next few scenes.

Team #2 has tracked Grix to a nearby brothel and find... dun, dun, DUN... Denna, who is running the place as its madame. Richard is a little perturbed, but Cara is scornful – clearly there’s a history between these two women, and she’s eager to point out that the right-hand of Darken Rahl is now peddling flesh for a living.

There’s a quick game of catchup, in which Denna learns that Richard is indeed the next Lord Rahl, and Richard learns that she’s surprisingly zen about her coming-down in the world. On being asked about Grix, Denna says he’s already come and gone, leaving a ruined suite in his wake, but invites the two of them to make the most of what’s on offer.

She comes across as pretty guileless (though her information about the general was delivered so pointedly that I thought it was some weird secret code to Richard) but this is Denna we’re talking about. It’s only a matter of seconds before we learn Grix is tied up in her basement, along with a sorcerer who has been selling Whisperers to the D’Harans in order to raise money for the commission that Denna has hired him for – some sort of potion.

She’s pissed because this has brought Richard to their door, not something she wanted until after the General’s training has been completed.

Richard asks Cara to head to the meeting place and fetch Kahlan, wanting her to confess Denna so they can learn what she’s obviously hiding. Cara doesn’t want to leave him alone with Denna, and is clearly reluctant when he insists – so far, she’s still putting his orders before her instincts.

But before she departs entirely, we get a scene between herself and Denna, and it’s the best one of the episode. Again, it’s obvious that these two have some sort of history together: Denna says Cara is the last person she’d ever expect to be in the company of the Seeker, and Cara rejoinders that her place is beside Lord Rahl. So that’s two aspects of Richard’s identity – Seeker and Lord Rahl – playing out between how these women perceive him.

Denna points out that Richard doesn’t have the ruthlessness to be Lord Rahl, something that Richard himself was admitting to Cara before they arrived, so it’s clear that Denna still has her gift of finding the chinks in people’s armour and exploiting them. She tells Cara that under the “right circumstances” she would she serve Richard as Lord Rahl (and as we’ll find out, she’s working on those circumstances) but for now, he’s compromised by Kahlan.

Interestingly, Cara continues the repartee not by defending Richard, but by changing the subject to Kahlan, calling her “a woman of honour.” It’s a shame it can’t continue, as though it implies that Cara considers Kahlan to be far more able at taking the bigger picture into account than Richard (he would probably prioritize Kahlan, as she saw for herself in the Bad Future) the purpose of the comment is for Cara to let slip that Kahlan spared her life even after she killed her sister.

That’s a titbit that Denna clearly stows away for later use, and Cara takes her leave, saying: “if [Richard] has so much as a scratch when I get back, you’ll be sorry.” Sigh. After such a great scene, was that really the best parting shot they could give her?

Still, one has to wonder to what extent Denna’s words have gotten under Cara’s skin. Or have they at all? I honestly don’t know, as so far Cara’s loyalty has never been in question, with no indication that it’s going to faulter, even as the likes of Kahlan and Zed remain suspicious of her. Has Denna introduced a new angle of doubt: that Richard might fail in his quest due to his love for Kahlan?

Richard is trying to get information about the General from a working girl called Lucinda, and remains a perfect gentleman as she half-heartedly tries to seduce him. Bless. Finally she offers him a deal: as she’s a war widow who is only working at the brothel in order to feed her infant son and elderly mother, she’ll tell Richard what she knows if he helps her find honest work in a neighbouring valley.

He agrees and her intel is that General Grix never left the building, and that Denna is preparing for a big conclave at the palace tomorrow, to which Grix has invited every battalion in the province.

It’s at that moment Denna marches in and gets rid of Lucinda, but whatever seduction she was attempting with Richard (who remains completely stoic throughout, it’s pretty funny actually) is cut short when he hears Lucinda screaming from the next room. There’s a bit of a swordfight, but Denna uses a blow dart to knock him unconscious. I love blow darts. There’s something inherently amusing about them.

In any case, poor Lucinda is chained to a plinth in the dungeons where Denna’s sorcerer performs a spell at her command. Because she doesn’t have any soldiers to command, Denna needs someone to prevent Zed and Kahlan from turning up and ruining her plan, and the spell appears to invoke a spirit from the underworld that then takes over Lucinda’s body. Denna performs the kiss of life to wake up the dead body, and tells the newly awakened spirit that she’s been given a chance to take vengeance on the person who killed her: Cara.

Ah, so I knew that Dennee was going to return in some capacity, but that she would be played by a different actress. I’ve no idea if the original one was unavailable or they really did intend to just write a body-swap, but this is a fairly ingenious way of bringing back this character and reintegrating her into the plot.

When Richard comes too, Denna is back in Mord Sith gear and it’s his turn to find himself chained to the plinth. He thinks he’s figured out her scheme: to use Grix to summon all the generals of the D’Haran army and then train them so they’re under her command, but judging by the smile on her face, he’s way off.

(Also, she has the compass that points to the Stone of Tears, but we’ll get to that later).

She actually has a much more complex scheme in progress, one that ties into the fact that Richard is now Lord Rahl, and heir to the D’Haran Empire. Training a bunch of generals will only give her power over the army, and she wants the loyalty of the people – and that requires an heir of the royal bloodline. But she’s already tried training Richard and it didn’t stick...

Instead she releases General Grix from his chains and commands him to kill himself – though she whispers something in his ear before he goes through with it.

At the rendezvous spot, Cara is attacked by Dennee-in-Lucinda’s body, and in a nice touch, her fighting style is not only similar to Kahlan’s (two long knives in each hand) but she also attempts to confess Cara moments before Kahlan intervenes and knocks them both to the ground.

Naturally Dennee recognizes Kahlan right away, and after a story about a shared childhood experience, the sisters embrace. It’s a touching moment, but it cuts away too soon. When we return, Dennee is telling her side of the story and the gang quickly realize that her return is the work of Denna. Naturally Dennee is pretty upset that Kahlan is working for the woman who not only killed her, but whose attack forced her to drown her infant son, but Kahlan soon talks her down.

I’m a little conflicted on whether or not they should have drawn this out more: on the one hand, perhaps it was best for everyone to look at the bigger picture and move past their grievances quickly, on the other, being murdered by someone who is also indirectly responsible for the death of your child is a pretty big deal, and the swiftness with which they gloss over Dennee’s grief and anger does her a massive disservice.

They at least give Kahlan a chance to explain the situation to Dennee, but the sisters are interrupted when Cara informs them that the magic of her agiels isn’t working. As established in the premiere episode, this magic is connection to the Rahl bloodline, and if it’s gone then it meets Richard is dead.

Sure enough, Denna has electrocuted Richard to death with her agiel, and he wakes up naked in that weird green-tinted orgy that is the Underworld. Such a weird creative choice.

Of course Darken Rahl is there to greet him, and he spells out the finer nuances of Denna’s plan: despite being loyal to Rahl in life, Grix has refused his offer to become a Baneling and instead awaits his spirit’s return to Richard’s body. Once there, he’ll continue to serve Denna, who will naturally have complete control over “Lord Rahl” and the D’Haran Empire.

You have to hand it to Denna, she doesn’t let the grass grow under her feet. This is a fully realized plot to seize complete power and control through clever means, giving her the chance to pull the strings from behind a veneer of complete legitimacy. All she has to do is give birth to the Seeker’s child, and boom, her legacy is secure.

It’s also completely at odds with what Rahl and the Keeper are trying to do (gather as many dead souls as possible) to the point that they’re actually afraid of Denna. There’s only one chance to prevent this from happening: turn Richard into a Baneling so that he can reclaim his body before Grix takes over it.

Richard being Richard, he refuses, and Grix’s spirit enters Richard’s body, woken by Denna’s kiss of life. Darken Rahl immediately begins torturing his brother, while Grix presents himself to the visiting generals as Lord Rahl, with Denna at his side in a snazzy white version of the Mord Sith outfit.

Elsewhere, Cara is confused that the magic of her agiels is back, indicating that Richard is still alive, and the gang advance on the garrisons of D’Haran soldiers listening to the new Lord Rahl’s speech. In another clever move, Grix-as-Richard-controlled-by-Denna plays the “greater good” card, not only pointing out that the world has been in chaos since Darken Rahl’s death, but that the Keeper is sending all sorts of monsters to slaughter innocent people. You can’t argue with facts.

The gang comes up with a quick plan: after Zed informs them that this new Richard will have to die in order to get the old one back, Dennee offers to find the sorcerer that cast the spell in the first place, confess him, and hopefully use him to restore Richard to his true self. Meanwhile, Kahlan and Cara will slip into the encampment once night falls and... see what happens next. As Cara points out, it’s not a great plan.

Night duly falls, and Denna decides to make the most of Richard’s body. Disrobing commences.

Between the two of them, Zed and Dennee find the sorcerer and confess him into submission, ordering him to restore both the Seeker and Lucinda to their rightful bodies. Unfortunately, they’re informed that there’s only enough elixir left to bring one of these two people back. No prizes for guessing who it’s gonna be.

Meanwhile, Kahlan and Cara rather effortlessly infiltrate the D’Haran camp and burst in on Denna and not!Richard just as things are getting interesting between them. Denna sics Grix on Kahlan while she takes on Cara, and yeah... a one-on-one clash between two women armed with short sticks is about as awkward as you’d expect.

Remember that gag in Robin Hood: Men in Tights, when Robin and Little John
fought on the bridge and their staffs kept breaking into smaller and smaller pieces?

Kahlan gets the upper hand on not!Richard and even though Denna declares she’s not about to kill the man she loves, Kahlan can be as cold as ice when she wants to be, and promptly stabs him in the chest.

The general and guards arrive, but before they can carry out Denna’s command to kill the intruders, Kahlan’s ace in the hole pops out: it’s the D’Haran she confessed at the beginning of the episode, wielding a Whisperer and threatening to go kamikaze on everyone. The stalemate stretches on for a bit, only for one of the generals to point out that he doesn’t take orders from Denna, but from Lord Rahl... who is super-dead on the floor.

The generals and their battalions withdraw, and Denna retreats along with them. Cara seems eager to go after her, but Kahlan reminds her that they’re here for Richard. Things wrap up pretty quickly after this: the sorcerer brings Richard’s spirit back from the Underworld, his torture at Darken Rahl’s hands comes to an end, and the Mord Sith kiss of life is administered by Cara.

Death is pretty cheap in this episode, except for poor Lucinda, whose body is now the permanent residence of Dennee. The character remains a bit of a loose end, especially as Dennee ends up going home to Lucinda’s mother and infant son, to essentially take her place as their daughter/mother (mercifully, they at least establish that Lucinda’s mother is aware this isn’t her real daughter). But with all this casual flitting between life and death, perhaps the real Lucinda will make another appearance in a later episode...?

The Amnell sisters say their goodbyes, though their conversation certainly leaves things open for Dennee’s return, and Kahlan leaves the confessed D’Haran soldier behind as a bodyguard (did he even get a name??)

And it ends with Denna admiring the compass with a smirk on her face before she spurs her horse toward the horizon.

In all, this was a strong episode that perhaps tried to squeeze too much into its limited run-time. The return of Denna, the return of Dennee, a straightforward but time-consuming plot to murder and then resurrect Richard – there was nothing here that was particularly convoluted, but I wish some of the emotional beats had had more time to land: the reunion between Kahlan and Cara, the history between Cara and Denna, Dennee grappling with her sister having allied herself with Cara, and even the quiet apology that Cara gives to Dennee at the end. It was rich material, and deserved more time to marinate.

(On that final note, I like that Cara’s apology wasn’t accepted, and that she respects that, saying: “I needed to say it anyway”).

It was one of the tentpole episodes, with plenty of important guest-stars, worldbuilding and thematic resonance, and it looks as though the next episode is going to directly tie in with this one...

Miscellaneous Observations:

That was a cool effect on the casting of the deafness spell, though that subplot largely existed simply to temporarily split up the cast and reintroduce the concept of the Whisperers.

Speaking of, this show continues to be impressive with its use of worldbuilding continuity. Not only did the Whisperers return, but stuff like the difference between agiels and a Confessor’s power were touched upon (Cara’s agiels are powered by blood magic, so when Richard died they stopped working, and when he returned – even though his body was possessed by someone else – they started again; meanwhile, Dennee can still confess in a different body because that power comes from her spirit) as well as the use of the Mord Sith’s kiss of life and the fact that Dennee confessing Cara would have killed her.

Poor Lucinda. I don’t blame them for prioritizing Richard, though I feel there should at least have been more of a conversation about it. Though Richard makes sure her infant son is looked after, there was surprisingly little agonizing about the fact his friends chose him over an innocent woman he had befriended.

The running gag of Cara rolling her eyes at finding men she’s looking for at brothels continues...

A nice but disturbing detail was the bloodstains on the plinth in Denna’s dungeon.

Cara explains that Mord Sith wear white when they’ve finished breaking someone, which felt like a weak line of reasoning for me. First of all, we've never seen it before, despite plenty of examples of Mord Sith successfully training people. Second of all, I preferred it being an aesthetic choice for Denna, as a deliberate mock-up of Kahlan’s white robes. She was positioning herself as the Seeker’s new "Confessor".

The general at the end says: “I don’t take orders from... Mord Sith.” There was a heavy pause in the middle there – was he initially going to say “women”?

Is this the very first Richard/Kahlan kiss of the season? If so, it was interesting that the camera deliberately cut to Kahlan watching Cara administer the kiss of life, then to Cara when Richard kisses Kahlan. Veeeery interesting...

The ongoing question of whether or not Richard should take the throne of D’Hara continues: Cara again points out that their quest would be much easier if they had the assistance of D’Haran garrisons, Denna is unsurprisingly flummoxed that Richard doesn’t take the power that’s fallen into his lap, and Darken Rahl points out that Richard is serving the Keeper every time he takes a life – it doesn’t matter how or why, only that everyone who dies ends up in the Keeper’s power.

It's all pointing to Richard eventually having to contend with this inheritance and the power that it offers him, which is an interesting subject considering he was completely powerless throughout this episode. Seriously, I think it was a deliberate choice that he didn’t achieve anything of note, and his rescue from the Underworld was entirely down to the actions of his friends.

The only moment of agency he had was remembering that Lucinda had a son she wanted to take care of, and ensuring that Dennee would take over that role as his mother... and I suspect that whatever happens next, it’s this humanity that will ultimately save Richard.

In short, this episode was packed and needed a bit more time to breath, but all the various pieces and plots came together nicely, and there was some strong character and thematic notes at work. I suspect a lot of what was seeded or gently hinted at here will have clearer payoff in the episodes to come.