Posts tagged: The Shannara Chronicles

The Shannara Chronicles S01E03 “Fury” REVIEW

Airing in the UK on 5Star on Thursdays at 9pm
Writers: Alfred Gough, Miles Millar
Directors: Jonathan Liebesman

Essential Plot Points:

• As the demon, a “Fury”, lunges for Amberle and Wil, Allanon jumps in to save the day, heroically killing it in two strikes. But he’s been gravely injured in the fight, and seems close to death. He gives Wil orders: keep Amberle safe and get her back to the Ellcrys. However, keeping Allanon alive is Wil’s number one priority, so he and Amberle rush to try and find a cure, even if it means defying Allanon.
• Before they can get back to the Druid Cave where Allanon lies, Amberle and Wil are ambushed and captured by Eretria. She doesn’t swallow their story about demons and druids, and besides, she has an agenda to keep to above all else: get Wil to her adoptive Father, Cephalo.
• Cephalo treats Wil with far more respect than Eretria ever did, but it’s just an act to try and seduce Wil into becoming a Rover, and more importantly into unlocking the Elf Stones. He reckons that Eretria murdering Amberle in front of Wil would be a good catalyst, but Eretria isn’t morally agreeable with that. Instead, she gives Amberle the option of fleeing, but unwilling to leave without Wil, Amberle takes Eretria hostage.
• It doesn’t pan out quite the way Amberle had hoped, but just before anyone gets killed another Fury appears at the Rover’s hideout. Incredibly, it hardly manages to cause any amount of terror at all before Wil unlocks the power within the Elf Stones to smite it with powerful magic.
• As Wil lies unconscious, knocked out by the immense magical power he used, Allanon makes a reappearance; he’s been healed by the magic in the Druid Cave, and is able to re-awaken Wil away from the Rovers.
• As the reunited trio make their way back to Arbolon, they come across a gruesome scene – two elves strung up and ripped apart by demons. It turns out that they locked away their son, an Elf named Bandon, for reasons he refuses to give. Feeling pity for him, Amberle decides to bring him to Arbolon, despite Wil and Allanon’s misgivings, which may hold some weight, as we quickly find out that Bandon can see visions similar to the ones Amberle sees.
• Back at Arbolon, Amberle must consult the Elven Council, who will decide whether she can interact with the Ellcrys after abandoning her post as a Chosen. As the last standing member, and so the only one who can perform the ritual, she’s granted entry and begins the
• ritual.

Review:

If there’s one thing Shannara can deliver, it’s spectacle, and it doesn’t let up this week. Although the Fury doesn’t do much in the way of advancing the plot (at its core, it’s “Wil gets Amberle back to the Ellcrys, deftly avoiding the obstacles thrown at them along the way”), it looks great doing it. Still, that’s not all Shannara has to offer. This episode delivers in character development and magical powers, whilst suffering from leaden exposition along the way.

If the last episode belonged to Allanon, this one is Wil’s. Primarily, he’s finally taking steps towards becoming the badass the storyline wants him to be as he uses the Elf Stones to release a burst of powerful, dazzling magic. We knew he had it in him really! It’s a pretty sudden development, but he did have the impetus of a life and death situation to spur his dormant powers on, so contextually it flies. Apart from that, Wil really demonstrates his friendship and loyalty this episode, refusing to let Allanon die and refusing to leave Amberle’s side as her Protector – even if, let’s be honest, Amberle could hold her own better than Wil any day. Still, this protective side of him is warming to see, and makes up for his lack of depth in the first two episodes.

It’s pretty obvious that the writers are gearing up to place Wil in the middle of a love triangle involving him, Amberle and Eretria; a typical trope for a young adult show, and so not unexpected. But welcome? We’re not sure yet. So far there have only been hints of it – Wil and Amberle’s bonding scenes, Wil involuntarily admitting he’s totally got a thing for Eretria – but it’s there. It doesn’t make much sense that Amberle is making eyes at Wil this episode though, seeing as she just lost her boyfriend to a demon. So much for him! On Eretria’s side of things, there’s definite hate-tension between her and Wil, and even more so between her and Amberle. The latter get up close and personal a lot during this episode, although that’s mostly because one has a knife to the other. Violence seems to be the flirting weapon of choice in the Four Lands.

The plot this episode would be a lot smoother sailing if it wasn’t for the hefty amount of contrived conveniences going on throughout. To name a few: Eretria happens to stumble across Wil and Amberle’s exact location; Allanon somehow knows that Wil and Amberle are at the Rover base; the trio somehow happen to come across another supposed magic user in a world where magic is supposed to be nigh-on extinct!

And speaking of Bandon, the writers seem to have thrust him in our faces a little. He goes from being chained down in a basement to being able to sway Wil’s actions at Arbolon – is he really that trustworthy? As an audience all we really know about him is that he has visions similar to Amberle’s, which isn’t all that reassuring. Hopefully we’ll find out more about him soon.

Despite these overly convenient moments, the episode fills itself out nicely. Although we don’t learn all that much new information, it’s decently paced and action-packed enough to keep you interested, particularly with the introduction of the Rovers’ home base and its subsequent demon attack. There is a blip in the final quarter of the episode, namely the Druid Council scene, which drags on with unnecessary amounts of exposition. Amberle is the last Chosen left – it really shouldn’t be a difficult decision as to whether she should take on the ritual or not! Ah, politics. But of course Amberle is redeemed, and is set to take on the Ellcrys’s trials next week. Considering that “failure = death”, it sounds like it won’t be a walk in the park for her.

The Good:

• Wil feels like a real character with a real personality this episode, and not just the comic relief. He’s proven his loyalty and steadfastness, and of course with his pretty epic display of magic, he’s also proven that maybe he can live up to his title as the last Son of Shannara.
• In fact, most of our protagonists get a bit more depth to them this episode; it was a surprise to see Eretria unwilling to murder Amberle, for example.
• Shannara continues to be a feast for the eyes, with its gorgeous scenery, impressive CGI, and maybe with a few exceptions (is Wil wearing a hoodie?!), great costuming.
• Whilst the acting overall is pretty good, props have to be given to Cephalo’s actor, James Remar, for making such a nasty character so believably trust-worthy, even if only for a minute.

The Bad:

• Convenient plot devices can throw the pacing and believability of the story.
• Shannara can sometimes suffer from over-exposition. Did we really need that entire Elven Council scene?

• Who exactly is Bandon? Are we supposed to like him? Dislike him? Trust him, even? He’s come out of nowhere and doesn’t do all that much to serve the plotline, at least in this episode. As character introductions go, his isn’t the best.

And the Random:

• Bandon is an entirely new character created for the TV adaption of Shannara.

Review by Jessica Anson

• Read our other reviews of The Shannara Chronicles

The Shannara Chronicles S01E02 “Chosen Part II” REVIEW

Airing in the UK on 5Star on Thursdays at 9pm

Writers: Alfred Gough, Miles Millar
Director: Jonathan Liebesman

Essential Plot Points:

• “The Four Lands is in great danger. Only the last son of Shannara can save it.” So says the druid Allanon after he finds Wil sleeping in the bath tub Eretria dumped him in. He doesn’t waste time revealing that it’s actually Wil himself who is this “last son of Shannara”, and that – like his Father before him – Wil has magic running through his blood. A little difficult to swallow for a boy who thought magic only existed in stories his whole life; he believed his Father to have been a deadbeat drunk, and certainly not a druid.
• As the leaves fall from the Ellcrys, more demons are spawning in the land of the Forbidden. One, a changeling, is tasked with moving to the upper world and dealing with the Chosen.
• Amberle stumbles across Eretria, but it’s not a friendly encounter. Eretria attempts to drug Amberle as she did Wil, but Amberle outsmarts her, making off with her horse. Eretria’s father very nearly sells her off for this mishap, but he reconsiders when he sees the Elf Stones she was able to acquire.
• Allanon takes Wil to the Druid’s Keep, where men and women from all races trained in magic. According to Allanon, there’s a Codex hidden there that could help to save the Ellcrys. Although Wil is sceptical at first, when Allanon uses his magic to break the Codex from its seal, he has no choice but to believe.

• The Codex tells Allanon that a Chosen must take the seed from a flower that blooms only when the Ellcrys is dying, take it to Safehold to immerse it in “bloodfire”, and finally take it back to Arbolon so the Ellcrys can be re-born. It all sounds a little convoluted, especially taking into account the problem of Safehold supposedly not existing.
• Allanon has a vision of the Dagda Mor, a druid corrupted by evil who is now, for all intents and purposes, a demon. He warns Allanon that the Chosen will not be able to help; that their fate is already sealed. Hearing that, Allanon and Wil race back to Arbolon – but the changeling has already struck. All of the Chosen, save for Amberle, have been violently slaughtered. Wil and Allanon race to find Amberle and make sure she’s still alive.
• After a near-fatal encounter with a troll, Amberle is saved and taken in by her aunt, who she been communicating with via letters in the past. Amberle had been trying to find her since, supposedly, she witnessed magic during the War of the Races. It’s through their letters that Wil is able to locate Amberle, but their introductions are cut short when a demon appears and violently kills Amberle’s aunt – then goes after her and Wil.

Review:

This second episode of The Shannara Chronicles proves that a series shouldn’t be judged by its cover – or its first episode, anyway. “Chosen Part 2” has a far darker tone than its predecessor, and shows that it isn’t afraid to veer on the gory side. The cheesy teen romance and cringe-worthy dialogue is, thankfully, less evident here, replaced instead with magic, world-building and bloodshed.

As the sacred tree Ellcrys continues to deteriorate, so our protagonists are forced into action. This episode focuses on Allanon, the stoic druid who had been hibernating for years upon years to replenish his magic before being awoken by the call of the Ellcrys. It doesn’t take long before he’s showing off his impressive magical abilities – hopefully a sign of things to come. Interestingly, there’s a heavy emphasis on magic “having a price” in this world; using such a powerful magic spell leaves vicious burns on Allanon’s hands, and it was magic that turned Wil’s father from a powerful druid to a deadbeat drunk in his final days. Despite the toll using his magic takes, Allanon seems like a man dedicated to his cause, willing to sacrifice even love for the greater good.

On the other hand, we have the Dagda Mor, a once great druid corrupted by dark magic to become demonic. He sends the demons born from the Ellcrys’s falling leaves to the Four Lands to attack those living in it, which results in some pretty hefty bloodshed. It wasn’t easy watching long, drawn-out scenes in which the focus is on Elven corpses skewered to the floor in pools of blood, or seeing a character being literally ripped to shreds by a demon, but it certainly showed how far Shannara is willing to go – and that it takes itself more seriously than the first episode might have had you believe.

Whilst Allanon isn’t dealing with demons or visions, he spends his time in this episode guiding who we now know is the last of the Shannara bloodline: Wil. It’s clear he wasn’t what Allanon was expecting, and to be fair, it’s easy to see why. Wil comes across as a little airheaded, reacting to things mostly through his shallow attempts at comic relief rather than any real emotion. He does pull through in helping to find Amberle though, so he could have some potential. Plus his and Allanon’s bordering-on-amicable banter throughout the episode is fun enough to watch. Is there a transformation from clueless teen to formidable druid waiting in the wings for Wil?

Hopefully there’s going to be more of Amberle and Eretria in the next episode. It’s great to see such powerful women on TV, and a particular highlight of this episode was the two of them facing off for the first time, in a forest surrounded by… satellite dishes? Both girls have their merits; Amberle is a kickass princess who’s proved that she can come out on top even when she’s blindfolded, whilst Eretria is an independent, street-smart (or maybe forest-smart, in this case) rover girl who can use manipulation to her advantage. (Speaking of the rover clans, who exactly are they? Amberle calls them a, “blight on the Four Lands”, and we know that they’re ruthless: stealing to survive and willing to sell off their daughters if need be, but not much more than that.) Unfortunately for Eretria, Amberle sees through her act, making off with her horse instead of being drugged and robbed. Eretria’s sure to be wanting revenge for that.

“Chosen Part II” ends on a cliff-hanger, with Amberle’s aunt having been ripped to shreds by a demon, and Wil and Amberle facing the same fate. It’s a dramatic ending to a great episode that’s filled with all kinds of new information and world-building for audiences to absorb, and we hope for more of the same next time!

The Good:

• With this episode, Shannara proves that just because it’s a show for young adults, that doesn’t mean it’s planning on laying off the violence. It’s shown us a no-holds barred bloodthirsty take on demons, and there’s sure to be more to come.
• Allanon proves to be one of the most interesting characters on the show so far, particularly since he’s our token magic user for the time being.
• Amberle and Eretria’s fiery face-off is a great example of two headstrong young women showing that they can hold their own in the face of danger.
• The world-building is being laid on thick and fast, with rovers, trolls, gnomes, demons, the Dagda Mor and more being introduced this episode, making for a more enriched viewing experience.

The Bad:

• The scene in which the Changeling appears for the first time seemed excessive; did she have to be naked? Did they have to kiss? It was uncomfortable to watch – but maybe that was the point.
• Whilst improved, the dialogue can still be hit and miss – take Wil’s attempts at humour, for example.

And The Random:

• Allanon and the Dagda Mor both speak what is called Noalath, or the “druid language” in this episode. This was created by David J Peterson, who is renowned for crafting Game Of Throne’s Dothraki and High Valyrian languages. “Noalath” itself translates to “The Great Tongue.”

• Did you spot? Amongst all the “our world” detritus that litters the landscape of the show there was a wheel from a Spirograph set which was a wonderfully odd choice. Can we see a piece from Mousetrap next?

Review by Jessica Anson

• Read more about The Shannara Chronicles

The Shannara Chronicles S1E01 “Chosen” REVIEW

Airing in the UK on 5Star, Thursdays at 9pm
Writers: Alfred Gough, Miles Millar
Directors: Jonathan Liebesman

Essential Plot Points:

• We’re introduced to Shannara’s world through Amberle, a young female Elf who’s running a Gauntlet for the chance to become “Chosen”.  It appears she’s the first female ever to attempt this dangerous challenge, where participants race through a forest blindfolded with their hands tied behind their back. (How come this isn’t an Olympic sport – ed?)
• Upon winning, a Chosen’s task is to protect the Ellcrys, the sacred tree standing tall above the Elven homeland that’s sealed away a demonic threat for thousands of years.  Or so the folklore goes, in any case.  But is it just folklore? 
• When Amberle goes to touch the Ellcrys and solidify her place as a new Chosen, she receives terrifying visions suggesting that the supposed mythology may in fact be a dangerously real threat.
• As Amberle’s visions are sparked, a near-frozen man wakes up in a faraway cave, ambiguously claiming that “It has begun” with a flourish of his impressive magic sword.
• Meanwhile, a half-elf named Will sets off on a journey to become a healer after failing to save his Mother from death.  He carries “Elf stones” with him, said to contain magical powers, and not necessarily of the good kind. 
• Still worrying about her vision, Amberle steals away from a celebratory party to confront the Ellcrys again. There’s no improvement – this time she sees herself murdering her boyfriend. It’s this vision that leads her to believe that she needs to leave her homeland and seek help further afield.
• Will is already out of his depth and he’s barely stepped away from his front door; he’s nearly killed by a troll, only to be saved by a mysterious girl called Eretria.  She takes him to her “home”, drugs him, and steals all of his stuff – all in all a great start to their friendship. To Will’s dismay, she has, of course, taken the elf stones with her.
• The Ellcrys suddenly begins to show signs of illness, and the man from the cave, a druid named Allanon, turns up at the King’s doorstep to confirm that it is dying, and that the seal holding back the demons will break when the last leaf falls.

Review:

Based on Terry Brook’s The Sword of Shannara trilogy of novels (many Shannara books came after that but the Sword Of… trilogy started it all), The Shannara Chronicles introduces us to a world where humans as we know them are but a distant memory and the threat of the demonic is a real one.  Shannara is supposedly what Game of Thrones is to HBO: MTV’s own epic fantasy, and has been compared as such by critics.  Although it stands well by itself, pitting it against that TV giant seems unfair.  Maybe fans could argue that the original novels can stand side-by-side with RR Martin’s work, but Shannara’s TV adaption gets waylaid by its need to appeal to a ”young adult” demographic too much for it to be considered “the new GoT”.  So putting such unhelpful comparisons aside and judging the show on its own merits, Shannara’s first episode has good a establishing plot and interesting characters to carry it along.

The premiere certainly gets through a lot, from introducing its plethora of protagonists to explaining the basic lore to the audience.  There’s a focus on Amberle, who seems to suffer a little from “beautiful Princess protagonist who’s been chosen for a higher purpose” syndrome, although in her defence, she did choose to be Chosen to a certain extent: the horrifying visions of a terrible future are just an unfortunate side-effect. Despite that, she manages to come across as a headstrong young woman who knows what she wants and is willing to go the distance to get there, even if it means knocking her boyfriend out with a huge sword to do it.    

Then there’s Will, a half-elf who so far seems to have nothing but a great deal of misfortune coming his way.  In this first episode alone, his Mother passes, he gets attacked by a troll and has most of his personal belongings stolen by a rogue female, Eretria.  For his sake, we hope things perk up a bit for him soon. He seems like an easy-going character, if not a little “gullible pretty-boy”. Don’t trust the girl just because she’s nice to look at, Will!  Also, his muted reaction to his Mother’s death comes across as strangely cold, but then people deal with grief in different ways. Maybe Will’s just channelling his grief into his determination to travel further afield and become a healer. A noble path to choose, but you have to wonder if he’ll manage to get anywhere near reaching the end of it?  Taking the magic elf stones that supposedly led his Father to an early grave probably wasn’t the best start.

Speaking of magic, we find out that it used to be commonplace until the so-called “War Of The Races”, when it seems all magic and its users died out, leaving only folklore and fairy tales behind. For reasons yet unexplained, the King decided to keep the idea of magic confined to these stories – why is that? Not to mention, the rusted remains of a helicopter sitting abandoned in a field (and the show’s opening title sequence) tell us that this was, in fact, once our world, a long time ago, where magic certainly isn’t commonplace – so how does it all tie together?  It’s made us want to know more about the world we’re being introduced to, and helps separate Shannara from a typical fantasy affair into something a little different.

This isn’t the only way that Shannara plays with familiar fantasy tropes, though. If you took away the Elven ears, there are times the episode felt more like a modern day teen drama, with eye-rollingly cheesy dialogue like, “Speaking of loyal dogs, how’s your boyfriend?” thrown into the mix, set to incongruent dreamy techno music in the background to boot. It was more than a little jarring, and felt like it hadn’t quite decided what genre it was trying to be at times. Fantasy outwardly, teen drama inwardly?  Maybe this will settle as the series goes on, but with Shannara being geared towards a young adult demographic, the teen romance probably isn’t going to vanish any time soon.

Overall, though, this first episode is a compelling start to a new series, as long as you don’t go into it expecting the new Game of Thrones.  It takes familiar fantasy and tweaks them just enough to create something new and interesting.  The characters have enough intrigue so far to keep you watching, (why is Amberle seeing visions where nobody else is? What’s Will’s place in all of this?) although hopefully as the series goes on we’ll see more depthto their stories and personalities.

The Good:

• A fairly strong opening episode that does a good job establishing characters and basic plot.
• There’s a lot left open for potential world-building, including how magic and druids plays a role in this world, the different types of mythological species – demons, for example.As protagonists go, Amberle looks to be a good role model so far: headstrong, independent and willing to take risks. 

• With bright, vivid colours, gorgeous scenery and some decent CGI, Shannara is a stunning show to look at.

The Bad:

• The modern music cues can be jarring.
• Sometimes the dialogue can rank a little too high on the “cheese” factor, turning what should be fantastical Elven people into Beverley Hills 90210 teenagers. It pulls you out from the fantasy genre Shannara puts itself across as, making it a less immersive experience.
• Some aspects of the plot seem clichéd; the “chosen for a higher purpose” schtick can be found everywhere you look, nowadays. 

And The Random:

• The Shannara Chronicles as a series of novels had been around for 30 years before finally getting picked up as a TV series. 
• Shannara is filmed on location in New Zealand, and it shows – the scenery is absolutely stunning.
• MTV was joined by Jon Favreau of Iron Man to help develop Shannara.

Review by Jessica Anson

• Read more about The Shannara Chronicles