3 - Broken

Information

Title: Broken
Episode number: 3
Production number: 203
Director: Chris Martin-Jones
Writers: Nicki Paluga
US Air date: 21st November 2009
UK Air date: 17th February 2010
Gallery: View Broken images

Synopsis

Richard sends Cara away to excape the wrath of Kahlan when it's revealed that the Mord'Sith is responsible for the death of someone very close to the Confessor. But upon Cara's return to her hometown village, local townspeople put the Mord'Sith on trial for the horrific crimes she's committed in the past. With Cara's fate now completely in Kahlan's hands, the Confessor must make a life-or-death decision.

Review by Tracy Casebere

The opening to this episode is awash in metaphorical delight – an eagle soaring, blood dripping onto a rose. It’s all very prophetic. And then a kid goes and spoils it by explaining exactly what it all means. Kahlan is soon to be the last of her kind. Talk about atmospheric killer.

Still, one of the best things about the series so far finally has an entire episode based around it. Yes I’m talking about Cara, who else? And with such strong character leads last series, it was only a matter of time before Cara became the sole focus of an episode to “bring her into the group” so to speak. She is after all a Mord’Sith and not someone you’d instantly warm to considering her past.

Cara’s confession then, in the beginning of “Broken” segregates her further into the baddie side when she admits to killing Dennee, Kahlan’s sister. If the atmosphere was already killed in the beginning of this episode, it’s well and truly in the underworld by now. Kahlan is quite rightly furious (UNDERSTATEMENT) and she does her thing of going into the Blood Rage; imagine Michael Jackson transforming in Thriller and you’re almost there.

Richard sensing trouble (cor, he’s sharp) shouts at Cara to go, to RUN. So she does, leaving the fabulous four down to a trio again. Oh wait, wasn’t there five of them in the group today? What happened to Flynn, the annoying twit who opened the Abbot’s pendant last episode? He heard Richard’s cries of RUN and took them to heart, bless him.

Never to fear though, Zedd took some magical precautions. Whether or not they are the same magical precautions he took last time to ensure the ploughing of his seeds didn’t come to fruition isn’t for me to say. But let’s just assume (hope) they’re not. Indeed, fearing that Flynn might try and leg it at some point, Zedd thought it prudent to charm the boy’s shoes so they might follow him. But considering Flynn is penchant to disrobing at the first chance he gets, it was a pretty rubbish magical precaution.

Meanwhile, Cara is left wandering around the Midlands and with no Seeker to sympathise with her cause, and no Kahlan to annoy, she ends up at her sister’s house (and no, not a fellow Sister of the Agiel, but her ACTUAL blood related sister) and tries something normal, like wearing a dress and not killing anyone. And for about oh, two seconds, she’s sort of normal (and boring) but then half of the town crashes her homecoming party and declares she must be executed for her past crimes.

This episode then goes down the route of becoming what I’d call a misery memoir. Through the use of flashbacks and narrative, Cara’s childhood is tragically recounted. At times the audience look on in both disgust and sadness. But mostly they just boo. It’s like Jeremy Kyle but without the chairs. Richard is the only one who fights for Cara’s injustice – because Cara wasn’t born evil, she was made to do evil things by the Mord’Sith who captured her when she was just a sweet and innocent little girl.

Zedd meanwhile is strangely missing. Or is he? The random guy Flynn unsuccessfully pick pocketed is curiously getting a lot of screen time. It doesn’t take a genius to work out the guy in supposed cahoots with Flynn is in fact Zedd. But that scene has served its purpose; it’s pulled Flynn back in to line and countered the rather maudlin Cara storyline.

Broken is a far cry from the type of humour found in the Puppeteer episode last series, but it’s cemented Cara’s place amongst the group. And most of all, cemented her place as one of my favourite characters in the entire series. Mord’Sith’s really do have all the fun; a thousand little nibbles of the stuff.

Starring

Craig Horner - Richard Cypher
Bridget Regan - Kahlan Amnell
Bruce Spence - Zeddicus Zu'l Zorander
Tabrett Bethell - Cara

Guest Starring

Michael Whalley - Flynn

Co-Starring

Sally Stockwell - Grace
Caroline Brazier - Miss Crantan / Mistress Nathair
Paul McLaughlin - Captain Arturis
Tim Foley - Sirian
William Kircher - Merchant
Ella Edward - Young Cara
Glen Drake - Cara's Father
Nick Blake - Speaker
John Landreth - Barkeep
Tony Wood - Constable
Brittany Wakelin - Young Grace
Molly Daley - Blind Girl
Georgia May - Ella
Kate O'Rourke - Cara's Mother
Chanel Liquori - Mord'Sith