In the mid-1990's, The Simpsons lampooned the very concept of the clip show by airing an extremely self-conscious version of one. Ever since then, whenever a series airs a clip show it has felt even more cheap than before. Most of the time, clip shows are the result of sheer laziness by the creative staff of a series, an episode that is 90% filler and 10% disposable frame story. These usually happen after a few seasons when the series has accrued enough material to tug on the nostalgia chain or be sufficiently self-referential. In the case of this episode of Legend of the Seeker, I'm pretty sure the cavalcade of previous adventures is meant to coddle new viewers who haven't been with the show since the beginning. Aside from being artistically bankrupt, this particular application of the clip show is an indication of waning confidence.

Because it would be unbelievably redundant for me to recap an episode that consists almost entirely of recaps from episodes I've already covered, I'll just talk about the frame story, then take my own, hopefully more meaningful retrospective of Legend of the Seeker.

Using the very plot-y magic of a special constellation, Darken Rahl employs Giller, his most powerful wizard, to cast a spell on Richard that will allow Rahl to control a vivid dream from which Richard cannot wake. Rahl uses the dream to convince Richard that he's back in Hartland and that all of his experiences with Zedd and Kahlan were nothing but a delirious concussion fantasy. Posing as his friends and family, Rahl coaxes Richard to tell the stories of his exploits hoping to make him reveal the location of the third Box of Orden.

When another of my Catching Up shows, Farscape, used this "back home fantasy interrogation" conceit, it had the decency to make the dream the entire story. That's the real shame here. The frame story is actually pretty interesting, as is every moment in this series when our valiant hero is forced to doubt himself or his cause. Instead, at least half of the episode is a series of Cliff's Notes on the series so far.

I'll take this opportunity to give my own retrospective of Legend of the Seeker. What about it has worked, what hasn't, and what has changed since the pilot?

Shallow as it may seem, I still think that the strongest part of Seeker has always been the fight choreography. This stuff is cinema-level, though not quite as gory as the show's big-screen counterparts. Compared to previous Raimi projects the fights are just stunning. It makes me think of the difference between the combat scenes of the original Star Wars movies and the modern prequels.

For the kind of show that Seeker is, I'm not too put off by the acting. It's not exactly nuanced, but neither is the story. There's something a bit shaky about the supposed chemistry between Craig Horner and Bridget Regan, but I think it gets better as the series progresses. As for the writing, it's a series of peaks and valleys. I have a rather low baseline expectation for Seeker's scripts. As long as they create an opportunity for adventure, I'm sold.

I haven't been giving Legend of the Seeker my usual episode ratings and highlights, if only because I just don't hold it to the same standards as the other shows I cover. It's genre that doesn't attempt to do anything all that new or unexpected, which is fine. Sometimes we just need to sit back and enjoy magic for the sake of magic, nifty sword fights and a clear definition between the good guys and the bad guys.