The Small Fries

At the beginning of January, MTV decided to jump on the sci-fi/fantasy bandwagon and released its highly anticipated show The Shannara Chronicles which is based off the popular book series by Terry Brooks. It is set in a post-apocalyptic world known as The Four Lands. The show roughly follows the storyline in The Elfstones of Shannara, which is set 300 years after The War of Races--ending magic and confining demons into a realm known as The Forbidding. The Ellcrys is basically the gateway into this realm, and as long as it is living, the demons will stay there. The series focuses on Will, Amberle, and Eretria who must fight to stop the Ellcrys from dying alongside with the last Druid, Allanon.

A Fury attacking Wil and Amberle

As I stomach my way through the two hour premiere, I hope and pray the show doesn’t let me down. Some of the actors seem to be uncomfortable in the roles they are playing, a few just look borderline terrified that they’re playing fantasy characters. At times the acting is so unconvincing I have to look away from the screen for fear of suffering from secondhand embarrassment. However, there are a few saving graces on this show that I really hope can help save this sinking ship. Manu Bennett, cast as Allanon, and John Rhys-Davies, cast as Eventine maybe the only actors that can save our show. They seem to be the only actors comfortable in the fantasy genre, which makes sense if you look at their resumes. Both actors were involved with the Lord of the Rings franchise: Manu Bennett as Azog in the Hobbit trilogy; John Rhys-Davies as Gimli in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Allanon, the last Druid

These were my original observations from the series premiere. As the show continued and I made my way past the third episode, I noticed the actors becoming more comfortable. Austin Butler, who plays our hero Wil, wasn’t as awkward in the first few episodes, but as the show continued obviously felt more comfortable in his character development. He wasn’t as “deer in the headlights” as some of the cast. Poppy Drayton, cast as Amberle, and Ivana Baquero, cast as Eretria, are both extremely guilty of looking like they were told to jump out of a plane without a parachute. However, we are now six episodes into the season, and with only four left, I have noticed improvement. Maybe it’s the energy of Manu and John on screen, or wishful thinking, but I have noticed that Poppy and Ivana are more comfortable in their fantasy roles. I’m not saying they’re perfect, because I want to leave PLENTY of room for more improvement.

Eventine, King of the Elves

The show has received an 8.1/10 rating on imdb.com, and it’s not without cause. The amount of material available for the show and the entire concept of this universe is creative and exciting. The costumes and scenery is beautiful, as well as the intricate set pieces. However, this isn’t a show that I would record and binge watch, mainly because I can only take so much mediocre acting before I need to refresh myself with television genius (Game of Thrones, The Expanse...quality TV). Though I was disappointed in the first half of this season, the second half is starting to show promise. I am willing to stick it out until the end to see if the show will be worth my time and energy next season. I do recommend this show to sci-fi lovers, if they are willing to be patient with the quality of acting. I promise it gets a little better. It can only go up from here, right? The story is great and the characterizations, though rocky, is interesting. I’m just hoping by the end of the season, I’ll be excited to see what MTV brings to the table when season 2 comes around.

Wil, Amberle, and Eretria - our dynamic trio

If I were to give this a letter grade, I’d have to say it’d be a solid C-. Not quite a total failure, but not quite mediocre. I’m leaving the show plenty of room for improvement. To be honest, Manu Bennett and John Rhys-Davies are doing all the work here with saving this show. Let’s just hope the other actors get it together and start pulling their weight, because I don’t want to see a show with such a promising storyline tank.

Catch The Shannara Chronicles Tuesdays 9/8c on MTV. Catch up on MTV.com to see the season for yourself.

Stay tuned for a season finale recap and final review of season 1!

--Kasey