- “You almost died for this Kahlan."
"Not as many times as she almost died for me.” - ―Darken Rahl and Richard
Legend of the Seeker is a live-action television series based on Terry Goodkind's award winning Sword of Truth series. Distributed in syndication by Disney-ABC Domestic Television, with Sam Raimi, Robert Tapert, Joshua Donen, Ned Nalle, and Kenneth Biller serving as executive producers, the first episode premiered on November 1, 2008.
Broadcast
Main Article: List of episodes in Season 1
The first season of Legend of the Seeker, which contains twenty-two episodes, was originally broadcast from November 2008 to May 2009. The plot is loosely based on that of the first Sword of Truth novel, Wizard's First Rule.
The series' second season, based (again, loosely) on The Stone of Tears began in November 2009. This season saw Tabrett Bethell join the other three main cast members in earning star billing for her role as Cara.
Cast
Main cast
- “I've never seen such a carnival act!”
- ―Flynn
- Craig Horner as Richard Cypher[1]
- Bridget Regan as Kahlan Amnell[1]
- Bruce Spence as Zeddicus Zu'l Zorander[1]
- Tabrett Bethell as Cara (Season 2-present)
Recurring characters
- Craig Parker as Darken Rahl[1]
- Renato Bartolomei as Demmin Nass (Season 1)
- Danielle Cormack as Shota (Season 1-present)
- Jay Laga'aia as Dell "Chase" Brandstone (Season 1)[1]
- David de Lautour as Michael Cypher (Season 1)[1]
- Jessica Marais as Denna (Season 1-2)
- Jolene Blalock as Nicci (Season 2)
- Alison Bruce as Verna Sauventreen (Season 2-present)
- Elizabeth Hawthorne as Annalina Aldurren (Season 2-present)
- Emily Foxler as Nicci (Season 2–)
Minor characters
- Vicky Naughton as Adie
- Geraldine Brophy as Milena
- Maisy Mcleod-Riera as Violet
- Jordanna Beatty as Rachel
Differences from the novels
Although Legend of the Seeker is based upon the Sword of Truth novels, it is not a direct translation of the books into television format. It is more like a re-imagining of them.
Plot
Each season of Legend of the Seeker has an overarching plot which is derived from one of the Sword of Truth novels. The central conflict remains the same, and some of the major events from the novels are included, but the television series tells what is essentially an entirely different story. Many episodes tell entirely isolated stories, that have no direct comparison within the novels, and that do not have any affect on the overarching major plot of the season.
Characters
Legend of the Seeker, includes many characters from the novels, although often with different roles, relationships, backgrounds, or abilities.
Kahlan is portrayed in the TV series as having a high degree of martial prowess: she is an skilled dagger-fighter who often engages in close-quarters combat against multiple opponents. At the beginning of the first season, she was not the last Confessor nor the Mother Confessor, although both came true eventually. Dennee was her sister by blood and the two shared a traumatic childhood marked by abuse at the hands of their father, who was stonecarver rather than a king.
Darken Rahl is Richard's half-brother rather than father, and both are sons of Panis Rahl. During the first season, Darken Rahl does not demonstrate any personal magical ability. Instead, it is stated repeatedly that he keeps a number of sorcerers in his employment who to provide him with magic. However, an episode in the second season does acknowledge that the House of Rahl is a magically powerful bloodline.
The wizard Giller, who in Wizard's First Rule worked to oppose Rahl, is portrayed in the TV series as a villain, one of Rahl's hired sorcerers.
Richard and Jennsen share a mother and it is unknown whether they share Panis Rahl as a father. Her name was Taralyn.
Nicci's physical features were also different, at first she was had dark hair, then later after she was killed and resurrected she became blond. Also she stole Richard Rahl's Han becoming the most powerful sorceress.
Richard in the TV series was born a powerful wizard (not as a War Wizard) because he belonged to 2 powerful magical bloodlines that is Rahl and Zorander. (not because he possess Additive and Subtractive magic)
Cara had an older sister who was not taken to be Mord-Sith.
Magic
The rules by which magic operates in Legend of the Seeker differ considerably from those in the Sword of Truth novels. The distinction between Additive and Subtractive magic has been eliminated, and the difference between the two orders of wizards is largely ignored. In the TV series, wizards use incantations and hand gestures to cast magic, something which the novels make no mention of. This is likely a result of the transition to the audiovisual medium of television, which would have difficulty presenting an entirely mental process like that described in the novels.
In the TV series, the effects of a Confessor's magic—called "Confession" within the program—are not permanent, but are removed upon the Confessor's death. Although the use of Confessor power is shown to be physically exhausting, the TV series, unlike the books, does not appear to place a strict limit on the frequency with which a person can employ that power. When the Con Dar appeared in the an episode of Legend of the Seeker, it was presented not as a destructive energy, but as an enhanced form of normal Confession, which did not require physical contact, and which affected multiple targets simultaneously.
Magical devices such as Quillions are also much more common in the television series. The magical devices known as Rada-Han are much less common in the TV series, however.
Appearances
Characters
Book characters
- Adie
- Annalina Aldurren
- Kahlan Amnell
- Dell Brandstone
- Emma Brandstone
- Cara
- Constance
- George Cypher
- Michael Cypher
- Richard Cypher
- Denna
- Dennee
- Dulcinia
- Fyren
- Giller
- Greta
- James
- Jodelle
- Liliana
- Merissa
- Elizabeth Myric
- Demmin Nass
- Nicci
- Rachel
- Darken Rahl
- Jennsen Rahl
- Panis Rahl
- Samuel
- Verna Sauventreen
- Shar
- Shota
- Snake
- Ulicia
- Zeddicus Zu'l Zorander
Characters original to the series
- Allard
- Andrew
- Anna Brighton
- Ashgar
- Laura Brandstone
- Brigid
- Denfir
- Duggin
- Ranssyn Fane
- Gavin
- Gunther
- Kranthor
- Liam
- Lilly
- Mark
- Masslar
- Otto Nyth
- Renn
- Rolf
- Sebastian
- Sylvia
Creatures
Events
- Fall of the Westland-Midlands boundary
- Murder of George Cypher
Locations
- Westland
- Hartland
- George Cypher's home
- Zeddicus Zu'l Zorander's home
- Brandstone home
- Michael Cypher's mansion
- Adie's home
- D'Hara
- People's Palace (Mentioned only)
- Midlands
- Shadrin Cave
- Brennidon
- Fire Spring (Mentioned only)
- Obergon Woods (First appearance)
- Thandore (First appearance)
- Agaden Reach
- Tamarang
Organizations and titles
- Midlands Alliance
- Confessor
- Order of the Wizards
- First Wizard
- Wizard
- First Councilor
- Lord Rahl
- Listener (First appearance)
- Dragon Corp (First appearance)
- Council of Obergon (First appearance)
- Sisters of Light
- Sorceress
- Witch woman
- Mord-Sith
- Pristinely ungifted
- Monarch of Tamarang
Miscellanea
- Magic
- Boundaries
- Additive Magic
- Wizard's fire
- Prophecy
- Confessor's magic
- Animal transformation spell
- Rada'Han
- Quillion
- Vision
- Boxes of Orden
- Agiel
Behind the scenes
- Some fans of the Sword of Truth series have expressed criticism of changes made to the plot of the television series, that do not follow the events of the novels exactly.