Legend of the Seeker: Denna

I'm gonna say this right off the bat: Best episode of Season 1 so far. Ever since watching the pilot, I've wanted Legend of the Seeker to have a darker edge to it. Well, "Denna" enters some R-rated territory, if just along the borders. This episode humanizes our hero, does interesting things with the overarching concept of prophecy and fate, and actually has a pretty strong script for a syndicated high fantasy TV show.

At the end of last week's "Identity", the sorceress Shota revealed a shocking prophecy that foretold Kahlan's betrayal of Richard. Assuming that her mushy romantic feelings for him will ultimately be what puts Richard in danger, Kahlan decides to relinquish her duties to another Confessor named Lara. On their way to meet her, Richard is captured by a Mord'Sith named Denna. Aside from having a stupid, stupid name, the Mord'Sith are actually pretty cool. Terry Goodkind invented a number of really interesting types of magic for the Sword of Truth series. Aside from the typical all-in-one wizards, witchy sorceresses and irritating child psychics, Goodkind's Confessors, Mord'Sith and other unique creations give his world a distinct feel.

The gimmick with the Mord'Sith (and I use the word "gimmick" in the nicest possible way) is that they can turn any kind of magic back against its user. This on its own would be a pretty lame loophole, but the magic-turning isn't really what makes a Mord'Sith. Rather, it's their intimate understanding of pain. Darken Rahl uses them to torture people into submission using a combination of mind games and old-fashioned physical agony. They use a tool called an Agiel to administer shocks of internal anguish, providing a different kind of pain depending on where it touches the body. In one excellent scene, Denna presses the Agiel to Richard's heart and causes it to basically stop beating, only magically breathing life back into him after he's expired.

What really worked for me about this episode was how Richard actually did lose his will. He revealed his weaknesses and his humanity, dropping all of his save-the-world nobility when a mix of unspeakable agony and latent sexuality brings out the beast in him. Sure, love saves him in the end, but so does his newfound tolerance for pain. Rather than being some magical whatsit that makes Richard stronger, it's a logical development from a real experience. That's called character development of the highest order.

In B-plot land, Kahlan discovers that Lara, her backup Confessor, has used her powers to enslave an entire village, ya know, "for their own good". This sets up an interesting parallel between what Confessors do and what Mord'Sith do. Whether by magic or torture, they both bend people to their will. This sets a precedent for the show that every time a Confessor who isn't Kahlan comes into the picture, something really awful is about to go down.

Usually I groan whenever a supposedly dead character, especially a villain, gets revived at the last minute, but when Denna's crew breathed life back into her at the end of this episode, I was actually thrilled. Not just because the Mord'Sith are cool adversaries, but because Denna developed a unique relationship with Richard. I like to see some internal conflict, some complications, in my heroes. As long as Denna walks the Midlands, Richard is more interesting.