Episode 5 “Wizard” Discussion
December 5, 2009 11:35 am
December 5, 2009 11:35 am
It’s that time again, a new discussion. These have proven to be extremely interesting and lively, so it looks like we’ll be keeping them going for as long as you guys and gals are participating. Enjoy! We will be discussing Season 2, Episode 5, “Wizard.”
Tags: LotS
| 
Discussions | Chris
Subscribe
By Charlie Schmidt, December 5, 2009 @ 5:22 pm
Rating for Wizard: A. Season Two is starting out with A, A, A+, A and A.
****Spoiler Alert*****
Like Marked and Baneling, Wizard is action packed and moves quickly. The episode had 2 big surprises: When Shota asked Cara to aid her, Cara jabbed Shota with her agiel and told Shota to undo the spell on Zedd. Asked to betray Richard, Cara stayed loyal. Cara is trustworthy, and she is slowly becoming accepted as a member of the team. The 3 musketeers is becoming the 4 musketeers.
The other surprise was when Zedd named himself the seeker. Zedd was turning into a megalomaniac, which is understandable for a powerful wizard.
This episode pointed out that one of the big advantages of old age is that older people have more wisdom than younger people. That’s worth remembering.
This episode belongs to Bruce Spence.
By Snow White, December 5, 2009 @ 5:55 pm
That was an awesome episode!:D Cara is proving to be very reliable. A++
By Yoshi, December 5, 2009 @ 10:57 pm
@Charlie Schmidt, Thanks for the review!(sort of)…I really should change my name to something else other than Yoshi…but don’t feel like it. Yoshi’s awsome! Anyway…I hadn’t watched this episode yet but I know it would be another awsome one. My internet connection was off for a few days, now i have it back! I can’t wait till tommorow so I can watch it!
By Yoshi, December 6, 2009 @ 12:47 am
Lol. I watched “Wizard” on youtube instead. Saig3n uploaded so fast. Anyway…the episode was so frikin cool! Lol, the way the young Zed sounds, is so funny. It’s not even like that actor’s voice at all. So deep… And Richard as an old gezzer was….old lol. Episode rating: 8/10!
By Busse, December 6, 2009 @ 5:36 am
As much as I love the series, Wizard didnt give me anything for the BIG Part , not didnt they reach the stone of tears a foot closer , nor did i understand what the point was here ?
Cara had some “Sweet As …” Phrases here, nice show but, I was hoping to get more “background” of Zedd which will tell us something which will aid eventually in the quest for the stone . Something that will explain better the twistet Magic in LOTS ( there the magic always have some backsides
)
Someone knows why Kathlan cut of the horn , and WHAT kind of creature that is anyway …..
Oh … I am still a little bit distracted that they still use all those “H`raen” Troops for the baddies …that feels wrong , as Richard is Rahl and they dont “fear” the Mother Confessort and everything should be fine after the destruction of the bad Wizard.
Maybe it ist because of the expensive dresses, but i think some screeling fights or other “creatures” would fit better to the seasons way of telling the story.
I would like to see a YOUNG Background story of Kathlan, so that we see her “wishes” and “fears” and what a confessor was in the “old” days , when everything was fine . That could be fun
PS: Saig3n ist good, hope he doest get cut off, because we mention him here and someone “legal” vom LOTS doesnt like it ;(
By Patricia, December 6, 2009 @ 6:33 pm
There was a conversation between Shota and Zed last season – I think it was CURSED – where Shota says if they had stayed together they could have been very powerful and Zed’s response is that’s precisely why they had to separate. Shota perhaps tried to get that back but it backfired on her when young Zed wouldn’t go along with her. She certainly had a rough time – Cara didn’t go along with her plans either.
Cara, as always, had some of the best lines.
Gabriel Mann’s voice is so deep it was almost hypnotizing, definitely not what I expected from his pictures. I would have followed him anywhere just to hear that voice.
The CGI when Zed and Richard went into the rift of young Zed turning back to Old Zed and Richard turning into Old Richard was great.
By Maria, December 6, 2009 @ 6:57 pm
I like this episode, in some way was slow but I think is because after what we watched from “Touch” I was a change of pase.
also agreed with @patricia Gabriel Mann’s voice WOW!!! I can listening him talking all day!!! and I like to see how Cara is showing the loyalty to each and everyone in the group.
I agreed with @busse on want to see a background story of Kahlan
By Charlie Schmidt, December 6, 2009 @ 7:15 pm
In the first 3 episodes of Season Two, Kahlan and Richard were arguing and their relationship seemed strained. But in WIZARD their relationship is amiable and the romance has returned.
Surprisingly, since BROKEN, Kahlan and Cara are getting along without any friction, which is nice.
There are some problems with the plot. Darken Rahl offers to return Drago to life, but Drago was burned with wizard’s fire, so he shouldn’t be able to return to the world of the living. Perhaps the answer is that the human body must be totally burned to be unusable by a baneling, and Drago’s body was only partially burned.
Also, Richard told Kahlan not to follow him into the underworld because someone needed to go after the stone of tears. However, with the Sword of Truth and compass in the underworld, had Richard not returned, Kahlan would have a very hard time locating the stone of tears.
In the underworld, Zedd returned to his old age, supposedly because the underworld negated the spell that made him youthful. It’s not clear why Richard would age in the underworld.
But the above concerns are nitpicking. WIZARD had some humor in it. One example is when Richard mentioned that Zedd had lost his wisdom and judgment, then Shota added “and his humility – the little he had.” That was funny.
And Cara usually delivers some funny lines, as when Richard told her to get Zedd and she said, “He’s a big wizard. It looks like I’ll have to do it my way.” To which Richard replied, “Don’t kill him.”
Season Two is on a roll.
By flip, December 6, 2009 @ 8:11 pm
Maybe I am too much of a romantic, but it would of been great to have Richard tell Kahlan he loved her just before he entered the rif. Kahlan deserves it. It would also soften Richard’s character (he is getting too stiff). I miss those soft moments of season one where Richard made starting attempts to show his love for Kahlan. They wouldn’t need to have all these “pretend” romance scenes, we romantics just love the dialog mostly. What do you romantics think??
Otherwise overall good episode(not great, B for me). Young Zed was too over the top for my taste. It degraded the general show.
Great acting by the regulars, per usual. Great special effects. They really have done a seamless job of incorporating the special effects. Really amazing if you think about what it takes from the actors and the graphic guys.
I guess they are showing having a Cara on your side is a good thing. I could use one at work.
By Bill, December 6, 2009 @ 8:53 pm
@Charlie Schmidt — I didn’t think there was much romance between Richard and Kahlan at all. If anything, I’d say their love was a feature of last week’s episode, but it certainly didn’t seem prominent here. Even the scene where Richard entered the rift wasn’t as emotional as one might expect.
Like you said: this one belongs to Zedd. Cara got her day, and this time Zedd took center stage. This definitely earns the episode some points, but there were some opportunities wasted here.
The great part about episodes that focus on one character (especially those we don’t get to see as often as we like) is that they often give us a revealing glimpse at that character’s past or provide us with a greater understanding of who they are, to give them their “time to shine”. My only real problem with “Wizard” is that it was about Zedd…but it wasn’t. We spent the hour following a Zedd that was essentially a completely different person, which left no room to explore his past or create a greater understanding/appreciation for him as a character we all know and enjoy.
On the other hand, seeing Cara give Shota what she deserves was insanely satisfying. I am concerned that the writers’ need to contrast Cara’s outlook with Richard and Kahlan’s goodness might actually lead to making them look bad in certain situations. It’s hard not to at least consider rolling your eyes a bit when all it would have taken was a few pokes with an agiel to get Shota to undo the spell (and avert the underworld crisis altogether). It’s crunch time here, and doing things “without anyone getting hurt” seems a little far fetched at times, even for our noble heroes.
That’s my critical take. Just my opinion, of course. Aside from that, there were some great elements in this episode. All the kids having to play nice in order to save good old Zedd was fun to watch, and as I said, seeing Shota get knocked down a few pegs was enjoyable.
Also, little things like Zedd’s coin tricks, the great special effects work on the castle scene, and Richard going Rambo on those guys with nothing but a dagger really injected some memorable moments in an episode that sometimes felt a little frantic.
There was a lot going on here. Maybe a little too much, but it’s a lot more admirable to overshoot it than to deliver an underdeveloped story.
7/10…or a solid B, if you prefer letter grades.
-Bill
By Charlie Schmidt, December 6, 2009 @ 9:27 pm
Here’s a link to another vulgar commentary on WIZARD. The webmasters have asked posters to refrain from inappropriate comments, and this parody does contain inappropriate comments, but some of the posters may enjoy the humor. Here’s the link:
http://users.livejournal.com/_deejay_/116206.html
Moderators, feel free to eliminate this post if you feel the comments are too inappropriate.
By fuat atalayer, December 6, 2009 @ 11:45 pm
Hey all, i watched the episode it belongs to Zedd and Cara (i still have doubts about her
) episode is B- for me. Or 6/10 average. Am i too harsh?
By angeldcharmed1, December 7, 2009 @ 2:25 am
@Charlie… Since you introduced that link on Broken I have been following it. Personally, I find it very entertaining!
This week’s episode: B (I love Young Zed’s voice though and of course, Kahlan’s hair)
By Busse, December 7, 2009 @ 3:43 am
@Charlie … thanks for the link , well it has some kind of “adult” language , but from an European point of view nothing to worry.
It produced some “smiles” in my face … for ex. the “Richards-Calls”
I would also think that there are some “deleted” scenes there, because why was that Horn cut off from Kathlan. And did Richard learn how to fight with the dagger from Kathlan
The voice on young zedd is “REALLY” unexpected, great cast. As I have stateted before the young Zedd seemd more like a differnt Person at all , then a THE young zedd.
By KP, December 7, 2009 @ 10:15 am
@flip-I totally agree with you. It seems this season, they have decided to focus more on Kahlan’s humanity and her love for Richard rather than Richard’s love for her. He is learning more about duty and putting other things before his own needs whereas last season, that was Kahlan’s job. It seems though, that he is being rather distant towards her which is frustrating for romantics of the show like myself but I hope its for the advance of the plot.
By flip, December 7, 2009 @ 3:55 pm
@KP
“”He is learning more about duty and putting other things before his own needs whereas last season, that was Kahlan’s job.”"
I think you are right. Last year Craig Parker (Darken Rahl) in an interview said this was a romance FIRST and action show second. I would agree, but they are taking a different route and maybe the lower ratings are the result? Why do most the show you think?
By flip, December 7, 2009 @ 3:56 pm
@KP
opps..left out a word
Why do most watch the show do you think?
By Charlie Schmidt, December 7, 2009 @ 7:12 pm
@flip Men probably watch the show primarily for the action and adventure, and secondarily to watch Bridget Regan and Tabrett Bethell.
Women probably watch the show primarily to look at Craig Horner and for the romance.
A good question is the how much of the LotS audience is men versus women. A guess is that the audience is 60% men and 40% women.
The show has many reasons to watch:
1) It is a thrilling action show
Fans of the SWORD OF TRUTH books can see a variation of the books on TV. Note that many fans of the books claim that the books are better than the TV. However, Season Two is closing that gap.
2) It has attractive actors who are charming
3) The New Zealand scenery is beautiful to look at
4) The plots are clever
5) The acting by the lead actors is well done. Bridget Regan IS Kahlan Amnell, and Craig Horner IS Richard Cypher.
6) The soundtrack by Joe De Luca is stirring and romantic
7) The romance between Richard and Kahlan is engaging
9) The scripts are well written, and the episode are thought-provoking. For example, the episode BROKEN brings up the question as to whether Cara should have been convicted, or whether Cara herself was a victim and should have been declared innocent.
In summary, LotS is a really good TV show. Cult TV shows are shows that the viewers feel a strong emotional attachment to, and LotS is indeed a Cult TV show.
By flip, December 7, 2009 @ 7:29 pm
@Charlie, good list. I must admit at first I started watching it for the action and got addicted to the magic and Kahlan.
I know a relative of Craig Horner and she has nothing but great things to say about Bridget and Craig as just great folks. She is heading to a January filming, looking forward to a report!!
Bridget has the absolute BEST posture I know. take notes us slouchers….;-)
By flip, December 7, 2009 @ 8:17 pm
If ANYONE questioned how sexy Kahlan can be versus Cara needs to watch this episode. The “me too” Kahlan says in the end to Richard seals it. She can flirt with the best of them…LOL
By KP, December 7, 2009 @ 8:50 pm
@flip good question and @Charlie nice list. i think a large part of the audience is looking for that void in sci-fi/fantasy category that currently exists in the TV landscape. while I find some of dialogue slightly cheesy, i am a huge fan of the show for its 1.) action-beautifully choreographed fights scenes 2.) its nice to see a show where the female lead gets to kick some ass and not just whine and cry 3.) the sexual tension of Kahlan and Richard and 4.) the fact that the series is loosely based on books-meaning that it will never just keep going and going with no end, there is some sort of structure regardless of whether it follows the books word for word.
As for the low viewership, I sense a majority of TV shows go through a second season slumping-nothing horrible, just a slight dip-and perhaps this LotS time.
Looking forward to more good stuff!
By KP, December 7, 2009 @ 8:51 pm
@flip what was your favorite episode of season 1?
By flip, December 8, 2009 @ 8:53 am
@KP…”cheesy dialogue”. LOL…exactly what a number of friends said when I told them to watch. I guess it goes with the territory on this type show. Lord of the Ring was dripping in cheese.
I liked episode 8 and episode 22 in season one. The final episode was really creative, I thought. Episode 8 had all the right parts and very well acted/written. Bridget was awesome…love/anger/fear/devotion/courage/softness/etc. Really a fantastic acting job if you think of all the emotions she played in that episode.
What was your episode? (and others’ favorite?)
I get a sense some of us really took to the series deeply. I sense the LOTS fans have strong feelings for the show and have taken as their own. I know I have. I can not say I ever really have before, really don’t watch TV. But I do like Sci-fi a lot. The fact that tvbythenumbers (a site on ratings) makes private mentions constantly about how LOTS is doing got me thinking the LOTS following was passionate. Getting a 22 episode pilot is amazing. Disney likely is really committed. Her coem the Richard and Kahlan action figures like Bridget wanted…ha
Where do you see the series going???
By skave69, December 8, 2009 @ 9:09 am
Well I would personal want to see her in a different show/movie , I would think that not only her look is great , but she has also a way of espression Feelings through “eye Movment” and facial expression, which are very
convincing.
I think she could do a “tina Fey” ( Staturday Night live) without to much problem, who else thinks so ?!
She can fight , we know that.
( would be great “Bridget Regan” does Sahra Palin … hilarious …. )
it was in S1E18 , were they were playing those vagabund with a mirrors.
)
“Kathlan” was THE BOSS and “Craig” the poor servant. Great Humor … great humor on there dialogs ( “hunters trap”
By Dennis, December 8, 2009 @ 9:46 am
Wizard was a B graded Ep, mostly because escaping from the Underworld was way too easy. Notice that Rahl closed the rift for them… so how about walking into each one, then walking right back out while Rahl closes it behind them. A bit anticlimactic folks.
Cara saved this Ep from mediocrity. Once again she’s proving to be hot, clever, badd@ss, and Ep saver too. (Watch out Kahlan.) When she took down senile Zed without even a hesitation = awesome. When she stayed true to her crew and grabbed Shota by the reigns = awesome. When she kicked in the whorehouse door about to agiel-poke horny Zed = awesome (even tho Shota telepoprted Zed, Cara is so balls out cool).
Really wasn’t too much Kahlan being interesting or plot valuable. Usual knife fights and shouting Richard’s name when he’s in trouble. Sorry kids, BR’s role in this Ep wasn’t the strongest.
Cara totally had the best role this Ep. And Salindra was so smoking hotness that she helped redeem this Ep too, just with her looks I mean. (Salinda is Swedish born, of course.) I love how everyone in the Midlands is friggin gorgeous.
So since Zed named a new Seeker (himself) does that wrap up the Shota prophecy problem? Seems like it to me. So for those above who thought this Ep was pointless to the greater plot, maybe it just resolved this 2nd Seeker prob?
Also, young Zed flamed Drago, but then Rahl lets him come back as a baneling… WTF? He got flamed; I thought that made banelings not come back. What did I miss people?
By Busse, December 8, 2009 @ 10:10 am
… what would have happend if the Rift was closed behind
Craig … nice done
http://www.youtube.com/user/gaby0189#p/u/0/3tGqWHcwsDw
( a twisted LOTS )
By flip, December 8, 2009 @ 12:46 pm
LOTS is listed SECOND (at this time) as the most popular episodes on http://www.HULU.com WOW!!
By Bill, December 8, 2009 @ 1:42 pm
@flip — You really thought the dialogue in The Lord of the Rings was that cheesy? I don’t think so. There was some “heavy” stuff being discussed, but most of it was delivered believably within the scope of the fictional world created. At least that’s what I thought.
I tend to cut fantasy shows some slack in the cheese department, but we all know there’s been some sour notes in LOTS (Richard: I could sense your love for me) that mostly have to do with delivery. But they’ve really got a handle on the dialogue lately, and it continues to flow pretty smoothly.
As far as favorite Season One episodes. Well I’ll rule out the obvious standouts (Denna, Sacrifice, Reckoning) and pick a few others. I really liked the suspense of “Hartland” as well as the exploration of what happened to Richard’s home after he left. I thought that episode excelled dramatically in areas where the episode “Home” only scratched the surface.
I also love “Deception”, which I think is kind of overlooked. Richard’s fist fight with the D’Haran soldiers was one of the coolest fight scenes in the entire show, and the way Richard and Kahlan had to deal with the ugly, confusing aspects of the war was interesting and thought-provoking.
Lastly, I was a big fan of “Cursed”. It was basically a horror movie, and I thought it had a great, tense atmosphere and awesome production design. I also appreciated the parallels between Kahlan’s power and the curse put on the throne by Shota, which made for some great character development.
By GenghisDon, December 8, 2009 @ 2:00 pm
Thanks Charlie Schmidt, naughty or not, I found that site hilarious!
As for Wizard, I found it the weakest of season 2 thus far sadly. I still love the show though!
By Charlie Schmidt, December 8, 2009 @ 2:26 pm
Here’s a link to Diana Steenbergen’s IGN review of WIZARD:
http://tv.ign.com/articles/105/1053028p1.html
By paul, December 8, 2009 @ 10:13 pm
@charlie
I agree with most things on your list but there is no way on earth the tv show even comes close to the novels.
Saying that, one must acknowledge that they are two different entities and no limited time tv program could ever convey the depth and deeper story that a book can.
I agree that Bridget has totally nailed Kahlan, Craig leaves alot to be desired. Richard in the book is a Naive person but is not an hyped up ,immature fool as i feel is often the way Craig come across.
I also feel the have changed some critical things that have marred the story.
It is hard to be a huge fan of the series and watch things happen/or not happen differently, but ignoring the books the show is fantastic
By Busse, December 9, 2009 @ 4:41 am
I love the Series , and had to read the book to understand it fully.
As sometimes only the book explains some behaviour. ( Background Info )
Maybe it is explaind in the deleted Scenes as it was in Season 1 on the DVD sometime, to bad that they added only a few. Maybe we can ask for MUCH more on the next season DVD
( Sometimes I wonder, why they changed some BIG Parts and why .But maybe we get that explained on the DVD when it is coming out, too )
It is just a TV Series not even a full blown Movie, they are doing more then fine , in what they have to create it with, hope for a third Season too.
Hope to see a “dark” Kathlan in some twisted “vision” , “dream” or altert Future in the Series…. im really looking forward.
By flip, December 9, 2009 @ 10:26 am
Wow they are already casting episode 17. Becareful LOTS (not as in Legend of the Seeker “LOTS”
) of spoilers if you venture here.
http://www.spoilertv.com/search/label/Legend%20of%20the%20Seeker
You can understand why Richard and Bridget are fried. Doing voice-overs (ADR’s) on episode 8 when they are casting number 17. Bridget talks about it being “fun” but it reminds me of an old saying about too much ice cream, “it is great when you have a bowl and gross if you have it by the gallon”.
By flip, December 9, 2009 @ 10:39 am
Dennis you will be happy, episode after episode casting calls (looking for an actor to play the part) is expected to be a “beautiful, young woman”…I guess they are going for the lowest common denominator for winning young nerds attentions..ha!
By archer, December 9, 2009 @ 10:55 am
Not one of the best episodes of the series. Bruce Spence did an outstanding job as usual. The best scene was shen Kaylan was leaning over the vail and the wind was in her face blowing her hair back Great filming and selling.
By Charlie Schmidt, December 9, 2009 @ 12:08 pm
The website TVbythenumbers has reported the ratings for the 4th episode of Season Two, Touched:
The ratings for Touched are OK but a little disappointing.
By Richard, December 9, 2009 @ 1:21 pm
@flip,
“I guess they are going for the lowest common denominator for winning young nerds attentions..ha!”
… or old nerds (me), or housewives (my wife), or kids (mine), or Mexicans (my friend who turned me onto LOTS), or lesbians (just look online at BR’s gay following), or most other humans…
People like beautiful people. So its a formula that works.
As for the comments about LOTS not being true to the books: I really wish people would get a grip. LOTS is a TV show, not a book (I thought that was obvious, but eh?). The medium clearly demands alterations. Even Goodkind openly declares that its NOT THE SAME STORY. They are not trying to make it the same. As a show that stands on its own LOTS is fantastic in 9 out or 10 ways that matter.
To make a “perfect” adaptation of a book requires a 30 hour mini-series, and the book geeks would still b!tch that its not how they imagined it. And the rest of us wouldn’t bother because who wants to watch 30 hours of boring television? (Ever watch Pride and Prejudice miniseriezzzzzz…)
LOTS is a TV show, not a book. Disconnect the two in your brains, then maybe you can appreciate the show for what it is rather than snarking about what its not.
By icarts, December 9, 2009 @ 5:16 pm
i was pretty disappointed by this episode. it might just be that the show has raised the bar so high for itself, but i felt like nothing really happened in this one interms of plot. they didnt actually go into the underworld, zedd ended up back as an old man, richard ended up back as a young man, shota left, they didnt get anywhere with the stone of tears, etc. i feel like if anything had happened that had changed the show or pushed the plot forward then it would have been really good. as it was, i feel like it was just a placeholder before they can do other things.
still, kudos to the actors. id give it a B
By Charlie Schmidt, December 9, 2009 @ 5:32 pm
@icarts Wizard did have something that advanced the show: Shota asked Cara to betray the Seeker, but Cara stayed loyal and zapped Shota with her agiel. This incident is just another piece of evidence that Cara is trustworthy (in addition to the delight at watching Shota being knocked down a peg by Cara).
Of the first 5 episodes, Wizard would probably be ranked the lowest, but even still it was a good episode.
Also, it appears that Cara will be taking on Denna in 2 future episodes. The smart money is on Cara.
By Lindsey, December 9, 2009 @ 11:24 pm
@Richard Ok, love P&P the mini-series. Colin Firth & Jennifer Ehle…. *sigh*
By Charlie Schmidt, December 11, 2009 @ 10:35 am
Here’s a link to an E-Online discussion with LotS show runner Ken Biller:
http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/watch_with_kristin/b157527_can_legend_of_seekers_kahlan_richard.html
That interview was very interesting.
By icarts, December 11, 2009 @ 10:10 pm
@Charlie i see your point, and raise you one: they have been doing that forever, at this point they should have her betray them or just be trustworthy because that “is she good or bad?” thing is not very suspenseful anymore. i will give you this tho, i do think that its good that richard and kahlan found out about shotas prophecy
By Busse, December 12, 2009 @ 3:21 am
“Saig3n uploaded so fast. Anyway…”
What did I tell you … now they deleted all of the movies ;( , to bad.
be smart …. LOTS Legal Departments reads here too for sure, now we ALL know, hope they also take in count all those comments for the next episodes, we all liked to have.