The Shannara Chronicles - General Discussion

[33kaitykaity]

One LOL moment was when Wil said at the beginning that he thought he liked things better when Amberle and Eretria weren't friends.  A man's life is always easier when he can pit the women in his life against each other with himself above the fray.  

 

I was surprised that they had made it all the way down to San Francisco from the more wooded, wetter, darker, greener areas in the Pacific Northwest that they started in.  I'm wondering about that as well, how they traveled so far so fast.  It's about 650 miles from even Portland to San Francisco, 800 from Seattle.  Maybe they have worm holes?  

 

One thing that's weird, I'm over 50, but I was about the age of the three leads when I read the first three books, so I think that's why I'm appreciating this show as much as I am.  It's sort of like flashing back to a younger self, which is kind of cool.  

[wayne67]

One LOL moment was when Wil said at the beginning that he thought he liked things better when Amberle and Eretria weren't friends.  A man's life is always easier when he can pit the women in his life against each other with himself above the fray.  

 

Well to be fair it's usually easier for anyone not to be tag teamed by 2 people or more during a disagreement. It's hard to be attacked on multiple fronts at the same time. 

Anyone know what the ratings are for this show. This forum seems fairly dead lately.

[33kaitykaity]

Well to be fair it's usually easier for anyone not to be tag teamed by 2 people or more during a disagreement. It's hard to be attacked on multiple fronts at the same time. 

Well, Wil being the man, I was relating the comment specifically to an example in my own life that made me laugh, my Dad, my almost stepmother, and me, his daughter.  Step-monster and I hated each other for the first ten years or so of their relationship, but then we decided that hey, she's not going anywhere, well, she's not going anywhere either, we may as well try to get along.  He cringes every time we talk to each other when he's not around because he knows we're talking about him and he hates it.  That's what made me laugh.  

 

Maybe I shouldn't have been so gender-specific in my comment, but with what Wil is going through, he's already slept with Eretria and he almost slept with Amberle in Utopia, so he seems to have feelings for both women, they know it, and so now he wants them to hate each other so he can have an easier time relating to them and sorting things out for himself.  

 

ETA:  The Wikipedia ratings have each episode hovering around 1M viewers.  Not sure what that means, though.  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shannara_Chronicles#Episodes

Edited February 24, 2016 by 33kaitykaity

[wayne67]

Well, Wil being the man, I was relating the comment specifically to an example in my own life that made me laugh, my Dad, my almost stepmother, and me, his daughter.  Step-monster and I hated each other for the first ten years or so of their relationship, but then we decided that hey, she's not going anywhere, well, she's not going anywhere either, we may as well try to get along.  He cringes every time we talk to each other when he's not around because he knows we're talking about him and he hates it.  That's what made me laugh.  

 

Maybe I shouldn't have been so gender-specific in my comment, but with what Wil is going through, he's already slept with Eretria and he almost slept with Amberle in Utopia, so he seems to have feelings for both women, they know it, and so now he wants them to hate each other so he can have an easier time relating to them and sorting things out for himself.  

 

ETA:  The Wikipedia ratings have each episode hovering around 1M viewers.  Not sure what that means, though.  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shannara_Chronicles#Episodes

 

Would you like two other people constantly talking about you behind your back ? 

 

Well if they are friends it makes it harder to choose one of them when it'd hurt the other person even more and there might be some invocation of the Girl Code so that none of them will hook up. Not that I really care about this pathetic love triangle. I'd rather Will ends up with Bandon and Eretria and Amberle go off and do Single Ladies adventures together. 

 

It seems the ratings are fluctuating but have mostly been heading downwards. Probably means it won't get a second season so let's hope it doesn't end on a cliff hanger.

[33kaitykaity]

Would you like two other people constantly talking about you behind your back ? 

That's why it's so funny.  

 

I don't get what the big deal is, though.  :eyes:  But if I say any more, I'll get in trouble, so I'll shut up now.  

Edited February 24, 2016 by 33kaitykaity

[CooperTV]

ETA:  The Wikipedia ratings have each episode hovering around 1M viewers.  Not sure what that means, though.  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shannara_Chronicles#Episodes

 

It's probably going to be fine. MTV allegedly dropped live viewership numbers last year, and now leans on downloads, online streaming and media buzz on Twitter . Teen Wolf's ratings went to the gutter in season 4 from 3,5 million to under a million, and it's still was renewed for season 6 preemptively last year, before season 5 even started.

[The Kings Foot]

 

ETA:  The Wikipedia ratings have each episode hovering around 1M viewers.  Not sure what that means, though.  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shannara_Chronicles#Episodes

 

More like 0.7 to 1.0 million . The best comparison is to Teen Wolf which has bounced around 0.7 to 1.5 million viewers this past year.  Probably good enough for it to get a second season but Teen Wolf was making 2.0 million viewers in its second season. If Shanarra doesnt  get numbers like that I can see it being cancelled after only 2 seasons.

[Mysteris]

It's nice to see that when surrounded by a demon army, with the world counting on them getting back in time, Wil and Amberle find time to hook up. It's the little things that count. *rolleyes*

 

Though at least Wil did remember Eretria exists at the end so...good for him?

[Artsda]

It wasn't until Amberle sacrificed herself and Will's goodbye to Allanon that I thought "this seems like a season finale." Especially since it seemed so finale for her character. I had no idea it was the season finale until now. I didn't realize the season was ending so fast.

Interested to see who is holding Eretria, who the "it's you!" is.

Aww Amber was getting Tilton finally and then she's dead, by his demon brother's hand too. Was she with all 3 brothers?

They really killed off the main cast and family this season.

Edited March 2, 2016 by Artsda

[wayne67]

It's nice to see that when surrounded by a demon army, with the world counting on them getting back in time, Wil and Amberle find time to hook up. It's the little things that count. *rolleyes*

 

Though at least Wil did remember Eretria exists at the end so...good for him?

 

I spent most of the episode going "WHY ARE YOU TALKING INSTEAD OF DOING SOMETHING?"

 

All these people having weird conversations in the middle of life and death struggles as if there wasn't more important things to be doing. 

 

Amberle and Will went on and on about their relationship drama instead of running towards the tree. The whining about sacrifices was tedious. The world will end if you don't, so maybe you should just get on with it already. *sigh*

[Adira]

All the talking/hook-up/random stuff didn't bother me.  This is MTV after all!  In general though, I really enjoyed this episode and this season.  I liked that they wrapped up the main story, while still leaving threads dangling for a second season if it gets renewed, which I hope it does!

[LucidDreamer]

What made me go "whaaaaat?"  was when the new king's lover -- and fiancé? -- got run through with the sword and kingly dude has NO REACTION. Not even later, when he was mourning Amberle  &  his demonized brother.  Nothing. Nada.  Now that's cold, show.

[that one guy]

I was surprised that they went through with having Amberle turn into a tree - in spite of the fact that it was heavily foreshadowed in early episodes, I started to doubt it about halfway through the season. 

 

As a standalone finale, I was pretty impressed with the episode, but I felt like the show would have benefited from a couple more weeks to lead up to it. I understand it was done for budgetary reasons, but the battle was over too quickly. The way it was staged, it didn't look like the elves were able to put up much of a fight and were almost immediately backed up against the Ellcrys. Props to the costuming people, though - those Black Watch uniforms looked very cool in combat. I love how they look like bad guys, too. On TV at least, the Elves are wealthy and powerful and well-armed, and everyone else sees them as bullies. I like how they were able to communicate that wordlessly.

 

Most of what I have to say refers to the books, so I'm going to take it to the appropriate thread.

[Jobiska]

So didn't that elf they found who had a flying dragon or something give Wil a whistle to call him as needed?  Why didn't they call for the dragon to come fly them across the enemy horde?   

Or maybe it's something Wil dropped like he dropped the Elfstones or lost them about a zillion times.  

[The Kings Foot]

If this gets renewed they need to get a better story editor. This was all over the place..

[Writing Wrongs]

DVD info:

http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Shannara-Chronicles-Season-1/22111

[Artsda]

Renewed for S2.

 

MTV renews The Shannara Chronicles for season 2

http://www.ew.com/article/2016/04/20/shannara-chronicles-renewed-season-2?xid=entertainment-weekly_socialflow_twitter

[paulvdb]

Renewed for a second season.

[Adira]

Yay!!!!

[Adusk81]

The true breakout performance of this show was indeed Ander's beautiful butt. Man it was like the camera just kept finding it every chance it got. That was the highlight of this show that has raped my childhood. The magic of these books was everything to 13 year old me. This show just pissed all over it. But at least I had that big beautiful butt to look at. 

[Hook75]

I've watched the whole season on netflix and really enjoyed it but there is one thing I don't understand, WHY was the Ellcrys dying? who or what did it? 

[Adira]

On 7/4/2016 at 0:15 AM, Hook75 said:

I've watched the whole season on netflix and really enjoyed it but there is one thing I don't understand, WHY was the Ellcrys dying? who or what did it? 

I'm not sure they explained why it was dying.  It could've just been that it wasn't meant to last forever and was always going to die eventually.

[incatata]

i swear they took a scene from harry potter 

[ali59]

Once they knew it was a changeling doing the murdering why didn't they check the last moments of the last person it killed?

[Artsda]

The Shannara Chronicles season 2 production kicks off with new cast members

http://ew.com/tv/2017/02/01/shannara-chronicles-season-2-production-cast/?xid=entertainment-weekly_socialflow_twitter

[Noneofyourbusiness]

On 7/4/2016 at 0:15 AM, Hook75 said:

I've watched the whole season on netflix and really enjoyed it but there is one thing I don't understand, WHY was the Ellcrys dying? who or what did it? 

It was old age.

[Artsda]

MTV's 'The Shannara Chronicles' Moving to Spike TV

Season two of MTV genre drama The Shannara Chronicles is moving to fellow Viacom-owned cable network Spike TV, where it will air in the fall. (A formal premiere date has not been determined.) To prepare Spike viewers for the series, the older and more male-skewing network will air an encore of season one starting Thursday, June 29 at 11 p.m., directly after its forthcoming launch of drama The Mist.

The Shannara Chronicles — the most expensive pilot ever produced for MTV — wrapped March 1, 2016, with 1.8 million total viewers and three days of delayed viewing. It has been a decent performer with seven days of DVR, where it typically gains another million viewers. The series, a co-production between Sonar Entertainment and MTV, had the highest seven-day DVR lift (106 percent) for a freshman series in MTV history.

Viacom has been shuffling its scripted fare as the media conglomerate looks to bolster six core brands under new CEO Bob Bakish. Spike, which will be rebranded as Paramount Network come January, has a larger overall viewership than MTV.

[The Companion]

On 3/4/2016 at 9:41 AM, Jobiska said:

So didn't that elf they found who had a flying dragon or something give Wil a whistle to call him as needed?  Why didn't they call for the dragon to come fly them across the enemy horde?   

Or maybe it's something Wil dropped like he dropped the Elfstones or lost them about a zillion times.  

This is what we were saying too. They are approaching and they see a big army and you just expect one of them to say they have to give over the army. Instead they find a nice cozy cave, hookup and then decide to walk through the battle?

[paulvdb]

‘The Shannara Chronicles’ Gets Season 2 Premiere Date, Trailer, First Photos

Quote

The second season of hit fantasy series The Shannara Chronicles is set to premiere Wednesday, October 11 at 10 PM on Spike, its new home following the move from sister Viacom network MTV.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Ivana Baquero discusses the show on Build:

[paulvdb]

Quote

A year after the War of the Forbidding, a mysterious figure interrupts Wil's new life; Eretria reunites with someone from her past; Allanon uncovers a plot that could send the Four Lands into darkness.

Nice to see Malese Jow. I've liked her since I first saw her as Anna on The Vampire Diaries. By the way, did we know that Allanon had a daughter? I don't remember it being mentioned, but it's been a long time and I forgot a lot of things that happened in the first season.

Edited January 17, 2018 by SilverStormm

[navelgazer]

No daughter that I can recall, but then I wasn't expecting a Season 2, so I didn't commit much of Season 1 to memory.  Pleasantly surprised, hope they learned from their Season 1 disasters. 

[HunterHunted]

I love that the show remembered that Wil cannot fight. He basically only got through last season because of two badass women, Amberle and Eretria, and a warrior druid were constantly saving his butt.

It seems unlikely that the leader of The Crimson, the anti-magic brigade, could sincerely challenge the leadership of the elven people from Ander and truly believe that magic users are the reason the Dagda Mor attacked. The first demon attacked Arborlon before anyone knew anything about the Dagda Mor or Wil. Anyone with enough authority to challenge Ander must also have been knowledgeable enough to know that magic users and Wil were not the cause of the issues from last season. The only real reason to go after Wil is because as a Shannara he can challenge any of them for the rule of the elves.

Also Prock (Professor/Doctor) Gnome just because Will can't do surgery, doesn't mean he can't be a healer/doctor.

Poor Bandan.

Edited October 12, 2017 by HunterHunted

[Jacks-Son]

Starting the episode.  Well, that answers my question about Poppy Drayton (Amberle Elessedil) being in this season.  I suppose that's going to be her only appearance this season. A shame. I enjoyed her camaraderie with Wil and Eretria. I suppose Malese Jow will have to do, since she's also a fan favorite. Loved her in "Vampire Diaries" as my favorite hottie Pearl Zhu's (Kelly Hu) daughter, Anna Zhu.

Hmm, credits rolling and Poppy gets credits. Hopefully, she's in more of the episode than that brief scene.

Edited October 12, 2017 by Jacks-Son

[Adira]

Glad this show is back!  I had forgotten that Bandon was evil.  Do we know what he's doing?  I didn't follow all that him and his little cult were up to.  I'm a fan of Malese Jow and I also recognized Vanessa Morgan.

[HunterHunted]

Quote

Wil and Mareth search for answers; while visiting a nearby kingdom, King Ander seeks reinforcement and is given an ultimatum.

[HunterHunted]

It looks like it's ladies to the rescue again this season as the only way Wil got away was because of Mareth. Eretria is off to save Wil and maybe rescue Allanon, who got taken like a punk. I liked what's-her-face well enough when she was with Bandon. But with Ander, they were a big meh. I guess it's just as well now that she seems to be dead. So Eretria's girlfriend is the princess of Leah and now betrothed to Ander. Awkward. I was trying to figure out where Leah is supposed to be in the U.S. because there aren't a ton of hydroelectric dams. Most are in the Rockies, Western States, and the Pacific Northwest, but those people dressed pretty skimpily for a kingdom potentially in those locations.

It's not surprising that that The Crimson would have a spy in Ander's court. I would prefer it if General Riga's anti-magic devices looked more like scientific equipment than magical talismans because they kind of looked like magical talismans. 

[Jacks-Son]

Eretria must have mad tracking skills because she not only was able to locate Lyria, but arrive there a day after she was brought to the Leah palace AND sneak into the highly guarded palace. Poor Wil, he keeps getting the shit kicked out of him and as always saved by a woman.  Must be galling. Loving Mareth and her sass but I REALLY miss Amberle.  I hope Catania isn't dead because that girl just cannot catch a break.

[paulvdb]

Quote

With Wil trapped, Eretria and Mareth must work together to free him before time runs out.

King Ander seemed a bit gullible to me if he really believed that Catania would go home all alone through possibly unsafe territory.

Eretria found Will and Mareth and they rescued Allanon. That means that most of the main characters are together now. I also like the bounty hunter so I hope we get to see more of him.

[snowwhyte]

2 hours ago, paulvdb said:

King Ander seemed a bit gullible to me if he really believed that Catania would go home all alone through possibly unsafe territory.

She seemed to understand that as the King he would need to make a strategic marriage to protect the kingdom. Even if she really was upset she would have spoken to Ander before leaving, surely he would have known that. They could have at least had him expressing surprise or something. If he makes no more mention of her and just accepts that she's gone  without checking on her i'll lose some respect for him.

I was worried that Allanon would get killed or left behind at the end. If he never got to have a conversation with his daughter i would have been pretty annoyed. 

I laughed at the comment from the bounty hunter (Jax?) about Will having made a good decision in cutting his hair. I hated his surfer elf look in the first season. He looks much better with shorter hair.

Overall, i'm happy with  the way the season is going so far. I like the new characters they have introduced, i'm interested in where the story is going and i like the friendship between Will and Eritrea.

[Harry Potter]

Why. Why. Why. Why. Why. Why. Do all tv shows never finish off the bad guy when they are down!! Got knocked out by a bowl of fire. No one cares to finish him off. Why? Because of plot. Realistic? NO! You eliminate the one who is going after you!! 

 

And was that firewall an illusion since that's her Speciality? I was wondering why didn't she just send the fire at the enemy.. But if it's an illusion, then it would make sense to make a wall. 

Did they even grab the elf stones from the vault? Probably did off camera. 

[Loandbehold]

10 hours ago, Harry Potter said:

And was that firewall an illusion since that's her Speciality? I was wondering why didn't she just send the fire at the enemy.. But if it's an illusion, then it would make sense to make a wall. 

Better question is why did she do away with the fire / illusion before they left? Why not leave it up until you're outside the gates?

[AnimeMania]

I really like the locations, sets and costumes for this series.

On 10/26/2017 at 4:34 PM, snowwhyte said:

I laughed at the comment from the bounty hunter (Jax?) about Will having made a good decision in cutting his hair. I hated his surfer elf look in the first season. He looks much better with shorter hair.

As a doctor I imagine long hair would get in the way when bending over to examine a wound.

[paulvdb]

Quote

Wil, Mareth and Allanon travel to a dangerous territory for an answer; King Ander meets the Princess of Leah, but finds she's more than he bargained for.

Since we discussed it last week it is good to see that Ander also found it strange that Catania would just leave. Also nice to see Lyria stand up to her mother. I've liked Vanessa Morgan since I first saw her on My Babysitter Is A Vampire so it's nice to get a double dose of her on Wednesdays with Riverdale and The Shannara Chronicles.

[paulvdb]

Spike's site has a banner at the top stating "Back-to-Back New Episodes Wednesdays 9/8c" so it looks like we'll get two episodes per week from now on. Wikipedia and tvdb have already updated their schedule but some other listings sites still have the old schedule with one episode per week. They'll probably update soon.

[paulvdb]

Quote

Wil and Mareth confront a powerful Bandon.

Quote

Wil and Mareth race against time to recover an item in uncharted territory.

So did they actually kill Ander? Or will they find a way to save his life next week? And of course Will's stupidity means that Bandon gets the skull. This is a common thing on tv where the hero will give the villain a powerful weapon or magical item to save a loved one. The hero never cares about the many other people who will die because of that. Flick at least tried to prevent it, but he was too late. He should have killed himself before Will travelled back in time to get the skull.

[AnimeMania]

I don't remember ever reading/watching a story where the the villian did not reach their full/ultimate power before the hero defeated them.

[UNOSEZ]

I was actually looking fwd to ander and lyria getting married.. What happened to the blk elf lady from last season... Shes not around so i assume dead but how... 

[NeenerNeener]

Oh damn, they killed off Ander. My interest in this show just dropped exponentially.

[navelgazer]

I was a little shocked when Bandon broke the Sword of Shannara.  And, yeah, of course Bandon got away with his prize. 

I'm liking how they're bringing out Jax's backstory in little dribs and drabs and that now he's going to be a major player in the show.