7 - Identity

Information

Title: Identity
Episode number: 7
Production number: 107
Director: Garth Maxwell
Writers: Chad Fiveash and James Stoteraux
US Air date: 6th December 2008
UK Air date: 3rd September 2009
Gallery: View Identity images

Synopsis

Richard learns that Darken Rahl's most trusted commander, Demmin Nass, is assembling a massive force of D'Haran troops. But when Richard refuses to believe an evil witch woman who says Nass will kill him, she casts a spell which causes Richard and an unsuspecting villager to trade identities, convincing everyone that the villager is really the Seeker.

Review by Tracy Casebere

For one single moment you swear blind that the bald guy is going to confess Richard, and then he does something worse - he kills him. Only it's a vision, thank God, which has yet come to pass and you realise what you're watching is the very stuff all good fantasy shows are made of: what ifs; or to be more precise, magically-foretold-future-telling visions. And its visioner, if that's a word I can make up and use, is a brunette version of Galadriel, complete with fortune-telling water and long hair. They are in New Zealand after all, so give them a break - they're bound to pick up a few similarities.

After seeing such a vision, Shota, the Galadriel wannabe decides her best course of action is to stop Richard from going after this bald guy, effectively saving him. But the more you stop someone from doing something, the more they want to do it. Its basic psychology and something she really should have known.

And Richard does still want to go despite being told to stay away. Their plan is to infiltrate the D'Haran camp (as if they had any other) and to find out what the bald guy, aka Demmin Nass is up to. Except that Shota has other ideas. Adamant that the Seeker is not going to die on her watch, she decides to take matters into her own hands.

"Who are you?" says Gryff to a wizened old lady.
"Your bride," she replies. Well actually no, she doesn't say that, but she really should have as it would have been funny (something this episode lacks.) Shota's master plan, apart from to dress up as an old lady, is thus: make people believe that Gryff (a merchant's son who is about to be married) is Richard, and that Richard is Gryff. Clever really. Inspired. Why didn't Zedd think to disguise Richard all along? It might have made getting to Darken Rahl a tad bit easier, considering we're seven episodes in now and still haven't seen him since the second.

Her plan comes to fruition and so finds Richard (the real one) alone in a bedchamber with his new wife. To be honest I think he got the better end of the deal. Gryff who is pretending to be the Seeker, and is greatly enjoying it might I add, is going to be killed. But before he is, he decides to try and hit on the Mother Confessor; something the real Richard should have done months ago. Considering Richard is practically fearless, he still refuses to profess (or should that be confess?) his love for Kahlan.

Fortunately Kahlan rebuffs him and in doing so, she ends up telling him the secret she's been keeping. Only she believes she's talking to Richard when in reality it's Gryff. I know, I know, bad timing. I slammed my head against the coffee table too. These two will never get it on if interfering wizards and sorceresses continue to appear and mess up the course of true love.

The ending is somewhat anti-climatic. We know Richard will get to Demmin Nass in time and stop him from killing Gryff. We know that Kahlan and Richard's love dilemma still won't be resolved by the end of the episode. And we know that Darken Rahl will fail to make an appearance. But what we don't know and what we do learn, is that Richard will be betrayed, and will be done so by the one in white. Shota provides a rather dramatic ending to this episode by ominously foretelling this whilst pointing to Kahlan.

And you can see it in Kahlan's eyes, just as she realises Shota means her: she should have gone with the black dress instead. After all, every woman should have one.