Right off the bat I'm going to say that I'm glad this episode didn't go too deep into the Magic=Drugs analogy. I've seen that one too many times (and once is more than enough). The farthest "Elixir" takes the concept is a mostly clear comparison between magic potions and performance enhancers, not that the episode has a mystical equivalent to Barry Bonds. Also, I think I may be the first person to ever apply a meaningful sports analogy to sword and sorcery, but that's beside the point.

"Elixir" opens with Zedd training Richard to be a better sword fighter by cutting up floating fruit, then invisible floating fruit. Conveniently, fighting invisible things comes in handy by the end of the episode. Predictable? You bet, but still worthwhile.

After a teenager steals our protagonists' horses, the team ends up in a nearby town that has turned into a dilapidated den of magic abuse. Dealers hock potions that can do everything from entrancing pretty girls to shielding someone from harm. Basically, individual spells in a bottle of cloudy liquid. Fruitlessly searching for the horses, Richard stops into the local tavern where the barmaid slips a potion into his drink in a sort of "first taste is free" sales pitch. The potion allows Richard to magically locate the thief, a squirrely kid named Jack.

Jack leads Richard et al to the potion dealers to whom he sold the horses and because it's Richard, a fight ensues. Flashing that famous Sword of Truth gets Richard on a shopkeeper's good side, if for no other reason than to take care of some exposition.

This episode also gives us a proper introduction to the nature of Kahlen's powers. Confessors have the ability to magically overwhelm another's soul and make them fall in love with whoever confessed them, turning them into a slave for life. After Kahlen confesses a thug in the heat of battle, he unknowingly leads the team into an ambush of potion-enhanced goons. This puts Zedd in the clutches of an old acquaintance, a wizard who has been stealing magic from Darken Rahl's wizards and sorcerers, then making potions out of them so he can raise an army with the proceeds. Surprise, surprise, he corrupts easily.

There's some drama about whether or not Richard should use another potion to find the kidnapped Zedd and the episode basically allows for a third option that would be annoying if it weren't for a decent amount of ambiguity about the nature of magic in the Seeker world. The whole good/bad thing doesn't really apply, seeing as even an ostensibly heroic guy like Zedd has done and will later do some pretty nasty and dangerous stuff with his powers.

All in all, this was a fun episode. It had some interesting magic, some good action scenes and a decent supporting cast of guest actors. As I've said before about Legend of the Seeker, I'm not really looking for a stellar drama here, just some reliable fantasy entertainment. "Elixir" supplies just that.