TV Talk Week: BingeWorthy or CringeWorthy? Netflix Catch-Up, Part 1.

The Shannara Chronicles: Season One

I recently decided to give The Shannara Chronicles a go, because I kept seeing previews of the second season on TV, and it looked like a really interesting show to me. I never knew this was a show, until it also started showing up on my Netflix Queue, as a show that I might like. So, I thought why not try it out, if Netflix keeps telling me that I might like it. And, what's not to like about Elves... Legolas anyone?

I was however, a little bit skeptical, because I've never really been too impressed by MTV Originals. I never got into Teen Wolf, as many times people have recommended it to me. I never watched the Skins remake, because I knew it wouldn’t be as good as the British version. The only show that I watched on MTV, that I thoroughly enjoyed, was Awkward, but I never finished it because I couldn't find it anywhere online. So, I didn't know how The Shannara Chronicles was going to go. But after watching it, I was very surprised at how much I actually enjoyed it, and here are the reasons why.

Plot:

The Shannara Chronicles is a TV adaption of the Shannara Series, a fantasy series written by Terry Brooks, primarily based on the Elfstones of Shannara. At the beginning of the show, Demons start to return to the Four Lands after being banished from this world, to a place known as the Forbidding-- locked by an ancient tree called Ellcrys. The Demons start to reappear because the Ellcrys is dying, and after each leave falls a new Demon rises. We follow three main characters; Wil Ohmsford (Austin Butler), Ambrele Elessedil (Poppy Drayton), and Eretria (Ivana Baquero), as they journey to protect the Ellcrys, with the help of the last druid Allanon (Manu Bennett).

Characters:

Wil Ohmsford: A half-human/half-Elf, who is the last of the bloodline of the ancient Shannara family. We first meet Wil as he tries to save his dying mother, but is too late to save her. He tries to use the Elf Stones he found to heal her, but his Uncle tells him that he should throw away the stones and never use them. As they were the reason for his father's madness and death, but Wil chooses to ignore his Uncle. He finds out that he is destined to save the Four Lands from demons, and travels to the Elvin Kingdom to also protect Princess Ambrele.

Ambrele Elessedil: The Elvin Princess and one of the first females to be accepted as one of The Chosen. A group of elves responsible for protecting and caring for the Ellcrys Tree. After a tragedy strikes with The Chosen, Ambrele tries to find the seed to protecting the Ellcrys from dying. With the help of her new friends, the halfling and the Rover girl.

Eretria: A human girl who was raised by Rovers, a band of thieves. She finds herself bumping into the half-human/half-elf and Elvin Princess more times than she planned on. After trying to steal from Wil and Ambrele, she finds herself in debt to them and becomes a trustworthy ally of the group. At the same time falling in love with both Wil and Ambrele, while helping them out in trying to save the Ellcrys.

Allanon: A human and the last druid, who has been alive for more than 300 years through the use of Druid Sleep. He helps guide and mentors Wil, Ambrele, and Eretria on their quest to protect the Ellcrys.

Bandon (Marcus Vanco): An Elvin boy who meets the group during their travels, as he is found caged and seemingly insane in the middle of an abandoned city. He has the powers of a Seer, meaning that he can see possible futures when he touches someone.

What I Liked:

-I really liked the idea of Elves having taken over the world of humans. It was a world I've never really seen before, being both modern and MiddleEarthish, which was a really cool world to dive into. It almost reminded me of the post-apocalyptic world of The 100, mixed in with the world of Lord of the Rings, which was a very cool concept to me.

-With that being said, I really enjoyed the Supernatural elements of this world, mixed with the post-apocalyptic land they were living in. It was really interesting to see Elves, Demons, Ghouls, and Trolls, living in a post-apocalyptic human world.

-My favorite characters were Wil, Bandon, and Allanon. I thought these characters had the most depth to them, even though Wil is kind of a stereotypical Chosen One character. He is still very funny, charismatic, and loving, so it was hard not to fall in love with him. Bandon was a really cool character to learn more about, because of his Seer powers. You wanted to love him, because of what he's been through. But, it was difficult to do that, because of what his Seer powers were doing to him. Allanon, in the beginning was one of those characters you love to hate. But after learning more about him, you start to fall in love with him even more. Also, the care and love he has for Wil, Ambrele, and Bandon, made him even more likable. These characters I felt, had the most character development out of all of them.

What I Didn't Like:

-I didn't really like the female characters in this series, I thought they were both very stereotypical in this type of world. You had the "badass" human, with a dark past, and a beautiful Elvin Princess who is destined to save her world. They were characters who I thought I've seen before in other shows/books. I've heard that in the Shannara Series, male characters are more dominant than female characters. And that the representation of female characters isn't all that great, which might be why I didn't really like the female characters. Because the book series, is supposed to be dominated and focused on the male characters.

-The acting wasn't all that great, which I wasn't too surprised by, because it is an MTV series. The only actor who I was actually familiar with, was Austin Butler who plays Wil. I also recently found out that Manu Bennett, who plays Allanon, is in the recent season of Arrow. Because I kept seeing him in Arrow previews, and only knew it was the same actor, because I was simultaneously watching The Shannara Chronicles. I also recognized John Rhys-Davies, who plays Ambrele's father, Eventine Elessedil. From his work in The Lord of the Rings and Indiana Jones. But other than those three people, the acting was kind of lackluster.

-I also thought the finale of season one, was very cheesy and predictable, and I really wish the directors didn't stylize it the way they did. I was so impressed by the show, but the finale kind of ruined it for me. And was on the brink of being very CringeWorthy.

Final Rating: BingeWorthy or CringeWorthy?

I would have to rate The Shannara Chronicles as BingeWorthy, and I think Jughead Jones would agree!

I was actually very surprised by how much I enjoyed this show, with how skeptical I was of it, before even starting it. Even though the ending almost made me rate it as CringeWorthy, I still thoroughly enjoyed the majority of the season. Mainly, because of the world the series was set in, it was very different from any other fantasy series I've ever seen. Not to mention, it was a very quick show to get through, which is what you want when binging a show. The world wasn't at all confusing or slow-moving, like most fantasy series are. Season 1 is only ten episodes, so you could easily finish watching it in a weekend. Or even a day, if you have the time for that. I will definitely be watching season two, when it goes on Netflix. I am very interested in seeing what Spike ends up doing with it, if it will get better or worse? Hopefully it'll get better, since it's apparently been two years since season one premiered! Also forgot to mention, The Shannara Chronicles has a really cool intro, to add to your Spotify or Ipod playlist! Which is always a plus!