Lower Decks

Legend of the Seeker
“Deception”
Originally Broadcast the Weekend of Saturday, March 28th, 2009

I hate to sound like an odd broken record but what is going on with Legend of the Seeker? This is the fourth episode in a row that I’ve really enjoyed. It’s really shocking the way the quality of the series has turned around recently. Admittedly, Zedd wasn’t in this episode, which always seems to help, but recall that he was in last week’s episode (“Bloodline“) and I still thought it was a solid episode.

“Deception” introduced a devastating new D’Haran weapon: Whisperers. It kills everyone within a specific radius and Darken Rahl is having his forces use it on towns and villages in an attempt to flush out the Seeker. Richard and Kahlan, returning to Cowley Glen to retrieve a recipe for Zedd, find everyone in the village dead. They then stumble upon a band of rebels fighting a D’Haran patrol. After helping out, Richard and Kahlan introduce themselves. Kahlan confesses Carver Dunn, one of the D’Haran soldiers, and learns that the Whisperers are being kept at a nearby D’Haran fort.

Richard poses as Carver Dunn and infiltrates the fort. He soon becomes a confidante of the fort’s commander, Captain Ensor. Kahlan, meanwhile, is disturbed by the behavior of the rebels. They want to kill the real Carver Dunn even though he is confessed and no longer a threat. After Richard frees a captured rebel from the fort (who is the brother of the rebel leader), the rebels attack a D’Haran convoy and capture a box of Whisperers. They decide to use it on a nearby town that is sympathetic to Darken Rhal. Captain Ensor’s family lives there.

Kahlan heads to the fort, posing as Dunn’s wife, and tells Richard what is going on. The two ride off to try to stop the rebels, followed closely by the D’Harans. A battle ensues. One of the rebels — the one freed by Richard — threatens to kill everyone with a Whisperer. Kahlan kills him and the Whisperer goes flying. Both Richard and Ensor make a run for it. Richard is able to defuse it. Ensor thanks him for saving his family and then attacks Richard. They fight. But Richard won’t kill him.

Richard and Kahlan destroy the rest of the Whisperers, realizing that nobody should have that sort of weapon. They are also disillusioned by the rebels. In resisting Darken Rahl, the rebels have become him, willing to kill innocent women and children. Meeting with Ensor’s family showed Richard that even the D’Haran’s are human. And yet, Ensor still wanted to kill him. War is complicated.

I’m not sure why Zedd wasn’t in “Deception.” I suppose he could be off hiding the Boxes of Orden. If he had been in this episode I don’t think he would have added much. Richard and Kahlan were able to handle everything themselves. Richard went undercover and Kahlan worked with the rebels. She tried to help Carver Dunn, who never wanted to be a soldier, and was distraught when he was killed. Now, more than ever, the Seeker’s mission is dire.