Interview: The Two Sides to LEGEND OF THE SEEKER’s Bridget Regan

Bridget talked about Torn

Clipped from thetorchonline.com

pals

Posted on 10 February 2010 by Brent Hartinger, Editor

TheTorchOnlne: I have to tell you, I tweeted that I was interviewing you, and my inbox was overwhelmed. I received hundreds of suggested questions!

Bridget Regan: Well, I’m on Twitter, so I’ve got everybody in communication.

TTO: Do you read what people write about you online?

BR: I read your reviews!

TTO: We’re flattered!

BR: I don’t always hop on and read everything because of time, but I grew up in the theater, and I really miss that audience response that you get in a house that’s full of people. That’s been the hardest thing for me in doing television and film. The job I did before this was a comedy, and you can tell on stage whether a joke lands or not, whether they laugh or are asleep in the front row. So I often ache for that sort of feedback: do they like what we’re doing, do they buy it? I don’t have time [to read online stuff], but my manager does email me [stuff]. I did like [TheTorchOnline.com’s] reference to my “Star Trek hooker outfit”! I thought that was hilarious — I love it! I have to say, there are some days when I look down at what I’m wearing and I’m like, “What the hell!? Look at what I’m wearing — look at how ridiculous this is!” The wardrobe people look at me and say, “No, you look fabulous.” And then I look around, and it fits in with the world, and it’s a costume, and I love it. But it does feel a bit out-of-body.

TTO: I wanted to ask you about your new costume this season, which, needless to say, is very popular.

BR: Yeah, it’s funny, because it looks so different from how Kahlan looked before, but the funny part about it is a lot of it I’ve always worn. I’ve always worn this corset under my white dress. The belt I’ve always worn, I’ve always worn black boots — they did extend them up for me, because I was really into the thigh-high boot look.

She has a skirt that she’s worn, but I’ve kind of said, “Well, Kahlan ripped and slipped it, so she could get her high kicks in.” We collaborate, the costumer, Jane Holland, who is a fricking legend, I just adore her. We collaborated on it, and the new jacket is the same cut as the traveling coat, and it was like [Kahlan] ripped out the lining of it and cut it short.

I wanted to make her more of a warrior, making it more practical. Some days I’m out in the woods in my white dress, and I [was] thinking, “Could there be anything more ridiculous?” Everybody always asks, “How do you keep that white dress so white?”

Anyway, I wanted it to be more fighter-friendly, and it really is. And it’s bad-ass, and I like the idea of Cara rubbing off on her too, [even though] she should hate this woman, this Mord-Sith. That’s the best part of the show for me right now.

TTO: I definitely want to talk about Cara, but first, let’s talk about “Torn,” this weekend’s episode. I watched a preview copy last night, and I thought you were just terrific.

BR: Thank you!

TTO: I don’t want to give anything away, but how fun was it to play two such different characters?

BR: Man, I haven’t had this much fun on the show to date, and it’s going to be hard to beat this one. It was an opportunity to go so far to the left and so far to the right. And the best part about it is that they’re both really true to who Kahlan is inside. It’s about the balance, the ying and yang, whatever you want to call it.

It was really quite a bizarre experience, because it makes you introspective. You think, “What would I be like if I had no emotions? If I was all duty, no love?” There is one character who puts duty over love, and then the other character is all love, all emotion, just heart, gooey and soft. And that’s Kahlan as well.

It was just a ton of fun. The most bizarre part was acting with myself, with the green screen and a tennis ball on a stick and all that, and then seeing it all put together. I felt like I was in The Parent Trap! “How are they doing this?” It was such magic.

I have no idea how they do it!

TTO: I was curious how they shot it, if you stayed in one character all day, or if you switched back-and-forth?

BR: The trickiest part was obviously the last act, which is when they’re together. It was bizarre. They got two girls who are my same height and build to be in both costumes, and they’d be standing by. We’d block, and I’d be one of them, and I’d [watch the other] and say, “Oh, no, she wouldn’t do that!” And then we’d switch, and I’d go and do that part. We had to figure out the whole sequence, and then on one day I’d just be the Confessor-Kahlan, and then on the other day, I’d be the emotional, loving-Kahlan.

And it wa s full-on! At the end of the first day, I was about to collapse. I was in every single shot.

I was playing the Confessor-Kahlan [the emotion-less one], and she is so sharp, I wanted her to have real wit and agility and a coolness about her. It took a lot of self-control, because I tend to be quite emotional!

I get really shy about telling friends and family, “You guys have to tune in!” But this is the first one where I’m like, “All right, guys, this is the one watch.”

TTO: It was intense! I know you don’t get to do much rehearsal on the show, but you must’ve done more for this episode.

BR: I met with the director, Chris Martin-Jones, who is actually one of my favorite directors on the show. There was so much to work out, because the truth is, I was developing two other completely different characters.

It worked out really well when Craig [Horner] and I went to the U.S. to do press for the premiere. Luckily, I had a really long flight from New Zealand to work on it.

But we shoot really fast. It’s rehearse, block, build the shot, and in that time you’re getting prepped, everyone’s coming at you with make-up and hair and tightening your corset, and then you go on and shoot it, and you hope that you [do it well]. You usually get two takes, and you hope and pray that you get a third, and then you move on.

That is the hardest part of the job, no doubt about it. All of us really struggle with it, because you do the first take and you realize something about the scene, and you get another idea [but there might not be time to do it]. You sometimes have to go with your gut, your first instinct. That’s the hardest thing.

TTO: I’m a little embarrassed to admit this, but I found the emotionless Kahlan to be the more interesting character. She was absolutely riveting while the emotional half was a little annoying. Was it more fun to play “evil” than it was to play “nice”?

BR: Uh, yeah! Maybe I’m just getting a little envious of Tab [who plays Cara] and all the great things she gets to say and do!

They say that the Confessor power gets out-of-control in a man, so I kind of think of her [like that], that the power was taking over, taking control, like the ring in the Lord of the Rings, it’s power, and that’s what she’s living off of.

Anyway, I found it to be really exciting.

The emotional one, Kahlan hasn’t had any relationships with anyone that we know of — yet — and it’s like she is this little teenaged girl on the inside in some ways. She’s inexperienced. So I would agree with you, she might be a little annoying!

TTO: You touched on something before, which is that Cara is a great addition to show. Somehow all of the characters seem more interesting by her being there.

BR: I absolutely agree. Mostly because she’s changing and evolving … but it’s a two-way street. It’s one of those things, we have this black and white world. [Kahlan] has been taught to hate the Mord-Sith, never trust them, to just kill them, confess them and be done with them, because they’re not human anymore. And [Cara’s] making us doubt everything we’ve learned. And the friendship that’s forming is so thrilling. There’s an episode coming up, “Desecrated,” where Tab and I are locked in a tomb together. She’s a terrific actor, lovely to work with. She’s a joy to have on the show, just a show. She’s our missing link!

TTO: And it sounds like you have become friends off-camera as well.

BR: We jumped off the Sky Tower. It’s not even a bungee — it’s so easy, it’s so tame. It’s like you’re in a full-on harness, like a day at work in some ways.

But it’s like you’re flying, and she took me to do that on my birthday, and it was quite special. We’ve become quite close. We’re great pals, hang out a lot.

The truth is, we work so much that all of our friends are the crew. My best friends are the guy who drives me to work in the morning, and the woman who dresses us, so that’s who we hang out with on the weekends. Read more at thetorchonline.com

 

Interview: LEGEND OF THE SEEKER’s Tabrett Bethell is Not Cara (Or IS She?)

Tab talked about Cara

Clipped from thetorchonline.com

Posted on 24 February 2010 by Brent Hartinger, Editor

What would it be like to interview Cara, the take-no-prisoners Mord-Sith-turned-sorta-good who is currently shaking up the second season of the hit syndicated fantasy series Legend of the Seeker?

I’m sure if you asked one wrong question, she’d bite your head off. (On the other hand, what a way to go! Am I right?)

Anyway, I was understandably a tad nervous when I landed a chance to speak to Tabrett Bethell, the actress who plays Cara, by phone from New Zealand, where the show is just wrapping up the filming of its final episodes for the season.

I needn’t have worried. This Australian native, a former professional cheerleader but a relative newcomer to acting, couldn’t have been kinder or more pleasant. She is, of course, not the character she plays on television.

Or is she? As we talked, even Tabrett (which is pronounced with the accent on the first syllable) admitted there are occasional similarities: she can be very blunt, she’s very private and self-protective, and she was initially annoyed by Bridget Regan and Craig Horner’s humorous on-set antics (and was blunt enough to tell me that!).

Hmmmm. Where does Tabrett end and Cara begin? That, of course, is for you to decide:

TheTorchOnline: I know everyone must ask you this, but you have such a beautiful name that I wanted to ask you about it. Is there a story?

Tabrett Bethel: Well, I was born in Syndey, and my mother wanted to name me Siobhan, and my father wanted to name me Murray. They couldn’t agree. So my father left the hospital and went for a drive, and saw a sign that said, “Tabrett Street.” He went back to my mother, and said, “How about Tabrett?” And she said, “Yes, that’s it!”

TTO: That is beautiful, but it’s a good thing that it happened to have such good connotation!

TB: [laughs] Isn’t it?

TTO: At what point once you were cast as Cara did you realize, “Okay, this is a great character.”

TB: Oh, right away. Well, no. It was obvious from the start, she’s the counter-point to the other characters. She’s totally honest, she gets to say all these funny things. That’s who Cara is.

But by episodes four and five [of this season], we really started to have fun with it, we really started playing around.

TTO: She’s the character who has the major character arc, the one who is changing the most.

TB: You hit it right there. This is all new to her. She’s constantly evolving, and that’s what’s exciting. She takes three steps forward and five steps backward. Cara has many moments of confusion that are interesting to play.

It’s a character that’s all about growth. Who can’t relate to that?

TTO: Which is the perfect lead-in to my next question! How much like Cara are you?

TB: I really bounce back and forth with this. I was having a conversation with one of the producers last week, saying, “This character is so different from me!”

But one thing this particular producer had said to me right from the beginning is, “She’s closer to you than you think.” I do find that when I connect to the truth of her, we are very similar.

Cara is incredibly honest — she speaks her mind. It’s often to her detriment, and it’s often something great. And that’s something that I can definitely relate to. I’m constantly being told that I’m way too honest. Often it gets me into lots of trouble.

She’s a very complex character, very troubled. She has so many elements that so many people can relate to. She has this shield around her heart. She’s constantly trying to protect herself, because that’s all she knows. And I think a lot of people can relate to that: don’t get too close to her, or you might get burnt — that kind of thing.

TTO: I’m not an actor, so this may be a dumb question, but has playing this character made you even more assertive or honest in real life?

TB: No, I’ve always been majorly honest. That I’ve always had.

What it has done — and I think this is part of the acting process — you get to know yourself really well as an actor, and I think playing a role like this has made me know more about myself. She’s definitely made me stronger.

TTO: Tell me something about this weekend’s episode “Princess.”

TB: “Princess” is fantastic! When I read that script, I jumped up and down twenty-five times. It’s like the ultimate.

What’s so great about this ep is that she — without giving it away — she has to play the absolute opposite of who she is. The mission is to save one of the cast, and [Cara] has to be a lady, she has to be elegant, she has to be able to dance, she has to do all these things that are completely foreign to her. She has to have grace and just be really feminine. And Cara’s used to doing everything at her best. Everything she does, whether it’s fighting, getting with men, she knows how to get the job done.

Now she’s faced with this obstacle. It’s quite funny watching a very powerful character be vulnerable. It’s quite hilarious.

And we actually see the whole cast wearing hilarious outfits.

But it’s pretty funny for Cara, because she has this mission to rescue someone, and it becomes a competition, and she plays to win. It’s really funny — clever writing. It’s a great director named Garth Maxwell — I love workshopping scenes with him. We have the same left-of-center humor!

It was a great piece of writing to get my teeth into — not just me, but all the characters. It’s excellent writing for everyone — everyone gets a golden moment.

TTO: My personal theory is that the introduction of your character has made all the other characters, and even the other actors, far more interesting. It goes back to what you said about being the contrarian.

TB: Yeah! Well, Cara’s the counter-point!

You have these three characters, Zedd, Kahlan, and Richard who all pretty much think the same way, and go on big quests. Then someone comes along and questions everything they do. She’s got a reason to question everything! And she, in turn, makes them question themselves.

It’s a hilarious kind of a merry-go-round that keeps going on. It’s always interesting to have a counter-point.

TTO: Cara has been really well-received among the fans — there’s very strong buzz around her. Are you aware of how popular she’s become?

TB: No! I’m not aware of it!

It’s kind of funny, shooting here in New Zealand. It’s a little bit of a cocoon. You get up, you go to the work, you give your best, and you go home. It’s quite insulated here. And the schedule is so heavy, and for me, the focus is on the day-to-day, filming and shooting. So that’s really great to hear.

TTO: It’s really gone over well, and I think it’s part of the reason why there’s such a good energy about the show lately. And I think one of the things people appreciate is how the show has gotten so sexy! The show seems to really be embracing that this season, with Kahlan’s new outfit and…

TB: Yeah! How hot is Kahlan’s new outfit! Yeah! The wardrobe people are so talented.

I watched a few episodes from season one. But they seem to be doing things very different [this year]. The writing seems more fun. And the support cast we’ve had is fantastic.

TTO: Talk to me about your outfit.

TB: My outfit — it’s kind of a funny one. For some reason, the air goes straight through it. It gets very windy here in Auckland, and very cold. I can’t describe how cold it is for me.

In winter, it’s very cold, but in summer, I’m saturated, I’m dripping with sweat. It gets so hot.

It’s a different kind of leather than I’ve ever found — it’s very stretchy, very movable. Yeah, it’s comfortable. It’s just at the moment, it’s very hot and humid here. Sometimes in this outfit I feel like I’m going insane.

I’m standing in the middle of a forest going, “I swear I can feel my outfit cooking! I swear I’m going insane!”

[But] in terms of comfortability, it’s great. The wardrobe department has made it as comfortable for me as possible.

TTO: A couple of people contacted me asking me to ask if you’re ever going to go on Twitter, and also if you’re willing to share your birthday, which is apparently unknown. But you don’t have to give it out if that’s too personal!

TB: [Laughs] Uh, you wanna know my age? Well, my birthday is in May, which means I’m a Taurus.

As for Twitter, well, I’m not even on Facebook. I’m such a private person, and I barely have time to check my email. If I had Twitter, I’m sure I would be hooked and not able to tear myself away.

But it is something that I’m thinking of doing! I don’t have a computer-technology bone in my body.

TTO: Well, it increases your sense of mystery, which is probably not a bad thing.

TB: [laughs] Well, I am an incredibly private person.

TTO: The last thing I wanted to ask you about, when I spoke to Bridget Regan a couple of weeks ago, she mentioned how the cast members have become good off-camera friends as well.

TB: I think it’s a little different for me, not coming in and playing the same character from the beginning. But it’s a really beautiful, all the friendships — and the crew, you know. You are family.

But especially the friendship that has developed with Bridget. It’s really beautiful, actually. She has this quality that she just makes you feel very warm. She’s actually very funny. They’ll say, “Action,” and all of a sudden, she’ll break into some dance. And I think, “What are you doing?!”

At the beginning, that used to drive me crazy. Her and Craig [would pull their jokes], and I would say, “What are you guys doing! It’s so irritating!” But now it’s completely endearing.

She’s turning out to be a really integral part of my life. She’s so professional. Craig’s lovely, Bruce is lovely. I feel really lucky to work with those guys. Read more at thetorchonline.com

 

Legend of the Seeker 2.19 – Stop nagging! You remind me of Kahlan.

Cara加入後，至此已經有兩集個人main回（203＆212）、兩集跟Kahlan的合作回（208＆216），裝成公主那集也是一半以Kahlan怎麼邊逃出監獄邊對牢友佈道女性主義思想、一半以Cara怎麼被"優雅高貴"給折磨又如何靠她自己最會的方式（也是折磨…只不過是折磨"他人"）救出Kahlan。其他集數中，即使Cara只是過場的路人，她卻每次只要開口或戰鬥，就會有讓人印象深刻的表現，例如Kahlan分裂成二個，基本上Cara在那裡就只是鬼畜地把Kahlan電得跪倒在地而已，但依然能讓Cara fans看得興致勃勃。

這集，當Richard又要Cara跟Kahlan組隊時，我還以為又能看到滿滿的subtext，沒想到從中途開始，根本變成Cara的個人秀。這集的焦點全都集中在兄弟回＋Cara身上，女主角Kahlan…演沒幾分鐘就被鬼隱，有沒有這麼過份的啊wwww

當然，Cara戲份多，這點讓人很高興，而且從預告裡看來，下一集又要專注在Cara身上，又要讓觀眾看到她跟212那集情願變成喪屍回來人間，也要多一天保護Richard、多一點點時間跟她的"朋友們"在一起的覺悟。Cara在212中是脆弱地讓人心疼，而下集又要讓她遇到難題！虐她！Staff總是在盡情地身心虐待她！太棒了！！！（爆）

一刀

二刀

三刀

連續捅了三刀，到第三刀時，敵人都被捅得飛起來了wwww

阿娘喂～～～～～這女人也太可怕了吧wwww

森林被燒、Night Wisp種族將要滅絕

Kahlan爆氣，仰天長嘯XD

這集一開始以為飄來的白灰是下雪的Cara，笑得有夠開心

超像小孩子www

只有小孩子和笨蛋才喜歡下雪，嗯，難道她是笨蛋？

Model Pose.

you see-see.

Again. Model pose.

we saw-saw.

Cara光是站在那裡就能讓人發笑www

Richard to Kahlan：「我想我們該在這裡道別了…」

Cara：「我們能把道別做得快一點嗎？她愛你、你愛她、我應該保護她就如我保護你一樣 — 我有漏了哪點嗎？」

Kahlan to Richard：「……我會跟你會合的 ^_^b」

(好不容易有比較像聖母的台詞讓觀眾忘記幾分鐘前我才剛連捅一個男人三刀還把人家都捅到飛起來的scene!!! Cara, I hate you!!!)

Cara：「當你們做完道別時，我們都已經到一半的目的地了」

Everyone!! Meet the voice of reason.

兄弟合作戰鬥的場面跟208裡Cara＆Kahlan組隊把兵士們打爆一樣氣氛

都是兩人第一次合作，卻都是如此地流暢順利，敵人毫無反手餘地

為了讓小精靈有求生意志、不會感到寂寞，一路上必須有人不斷跟小精靈聊天

而那個人自然是Kahlan，她最喜歡 talking about her FEELINGS. 

Kahlan：「等我們找到淚之石，世界恢復和平，我想要有個小baby…但對我來說，光這件事就很複雜」

（聽小精靈回話，當然我們和一臉煩躁的Cara都聽不到）

「嗯嗯，沒錯，因為我的心給了Richard，但如果我把他當伴侶，我的魔法將會毀掉他。

（聽小精靈回話，Cara快煩到受不了了）

「如果照妳這麼說，那當Night Wisp可能還比較輕鬆呢」

Cara（抓狂了）：「妳能停下妳那個永無止盡的喋喋不休嗎？」

Kahlan：「Night Wisp是造物主所創世上最脆弱的生物，一旦缺乏不間斷的同伴感就會使她們消失」

Cara：「所以說～～如果妳給我片刻安寧，"那東西"就會死？」

Kahlan：「很有可能」

Cara這裡的態度很不客氣，但又覺得她就是拿Kahlan沒轍

感覺上，比起Kahlan的聒噪，她更不喜歡聽Kahlan講跟Richard有多麼不可能結為連理

It’s a sad topic, not something you can laugh at like what Kahlan did in this scene. 

Even Kahlan didn’t what to laugh actually.

我覺得Cara可能有點發現Kahlan在強顏歡笑，不想要讓Kahlan再這麼做，越笑只會越傷心。Cara不懂為什麼Kahlan要讓自己傷心繼續跟那個小東西聊天，所以很兇地要Kahlan不要再說了（不要再說這個話題），這是她身為本作大傲嬌所能夠表現的關心啊！

在Kahlan一番"這可憐的小東西失去所有家人"溫情攻勢下，Cara軟化了

她用著挑釁態度、實則相當好奇地問：「妳又怎麼知道這東西在講什麼？」

Kahlan：「這是一種魔法語言。如果妳願意細心聆聽，最後妳一定會明白」

Kahlan去當誘餌，Cara帶著小精靈逃命

Cara：「我聽不懂妳在講什麼。抱歉啊，Kahlan不在這裡跟妳閒聊，她正忙著把Gars(一種怪物)引開，所以能請妳別再為森林中每個生物唱小夜曲嗎？」

（小精靈的鳴聲是嗚嗚嗚的）

幾秒後小精靈真的停止叫了…

Cara很慶幸，雖然她聽不懂，但小精靈聽得懂就夠了

希望這不是表示小精靈死掉了

只有Cara跟小精靈的旅行，Cara突然變得很會碎碎唸

不管聽懂還是聽不懂，反正她一個人也能聊得很開心

不曉得是她本性如此，還是真的有把Kahlan的叮嚀放在心上

努力不讓小精靈感到寂寞呢，真是好孩子（拭淚）

Cara一直在講自己比Kahlan好多了，既有體力、耐力、跑得快又很會打架

看來她跟Kahlan之前有過一番誰適合去當誘餌的爭論，而Cara對結果很不高興

（小精靈叫了幾聲）

Cara：「我才沒有在自吹自擂呢！」

然後，Cara嚇了一跳，她聽得懂小精靈的語言了！！

以前Cara跟主角一群人最初遇到Night Wisps時

她很驚訝地說這些是傳說中的生物，沒有人看過

老跟她拌嘴的Zedd諷刺地解說：「只有純潔如the Mother Confessor這樣的人才能引出她們，如果跟妳在一起，我們一輩子也看不到她們」

但現在，Cara居然能小精靈溝通了…

這孩子真的變了，媽媽我們好驕傲啊！！！

Cara（超開心）：「我聽得懂妳的話了！！」

嗯嗯，好孩子！（摸頭）

Kahlan…好大的腳（爆）

也難怪了，畢竟是176cm…

(Lucy的腳肯定比這個大，因為她手很大)

從Kahlan跟男主角等高的畫面來看，她至少也有178-180cm

Cara"只有" 173cm, 在這群長人團體裡看來顯得嬌小OTL

藉由小精靈的指引與Kahlan會合，小精靈很擔心扭傷腳的Kahlan

Cara：「別擔心啦，她會活下來的」

Kahlan：「妳能懂她的話了！？」

Cara：「當牠開始清楚說話時，就一點也不難了」（意指小精靈之前都沒在用語言說話，她才會聽不懂）

連對小精靈也要傲嬌一下，真是夠了www

本集超級超級可愛笨蛋的scene開始了，Cara跟小精靈吵架中

一能溝通就吵架，這個女人真是wwww

倒不如說，能這麼認真跟精靈吵架，她到底是老實過頭或者只是單純的笨蛋？

「妳錯了，他們才不在乎我，他們只是覺得我有價值，因為我…很有效率（這簡直是Seven附身嘛）」

（停頓）

「Richard留我在身邊只是由於他需要我，Kahlan忍受我是因為Richard，Zedd…如果可以的話，他大概會用巫師之火把我燒成一把火炬」

（小精靈回聲）

「荒謬，我才不怕跟他們越來越親近」

（小精靈回聲）

「我才不愛他們！」

（小精靈回聲，Cara很怒地停下腳步回答）

「我不愛！我不怕說出口！痛苦使者不害怕任何事物！」

（小精靈回聲）

「別再嘮叨了，厚…妳怎麼跟Kahlan一樣！」

（小精靈回聲）

「好了！我愛Richard！愛Lord Rahl是痛苦使者的職責」

（小精靈回聲）

「我對Zedd和Kahlan有什麼感覺很重要嗎？」

（小精靈回聲）

「Fine. 我也關心他們…一點點而已。夠了，我說了。妳高興了嗎？」

（小精靈沒回話）

「Wisp？妳說自己要死了？妳把所有力量用來救妳的babies？」

這時Cara的表情根本快哭了…猛跑起路衝往目的地

話說回來，Cara一直叫小精靈"Wisp"

那明明是人家的種族名，不是人家的名字啦ww

不愧是會收集漂亮石頭、還給魚取名字的Cara，這孩子也太可愛了吧www

還有，Kahlan一點也不嘮叨！她只是喜歡 Talking. About. Her. FEELINGS.

Cara以為她還是太遲了，小精靈一族要滅亡了

"I failed you." 

Cara真是一個責任心重且以職責為榮的人

會跟Cara吵架的小精靈雖然死了，但babies存活下來了

Kahlan：「妳成功了嗎？」

Cara：「我希望妳也在那裡。那是我這輩子所見過最美麗的畫面」

Cara超sweet！！

看到最美麗的場景，最想一起分享的人是Kahlan啊www

明明嫌Kahlan很嘮叨，但還是想跟她一起看世上最美麗的畫面wwww

下集跟Cara有淵源還幫她養大兒子的女人就會出現了吧，等得夠久了 = =+

Legend of the Seeker – Confess me, my Lady!!

作為暢銷小說真理之劍的改編作品，Legend of the Seeker具備所有奇幻故事的要素：偉大的巫師、被預言的英雄勇者、永遠死不了的反派以及特殊能力的美女們。

基本上，我對西方版的劍與魔法奇幻系列並無興趣，就如魔戒，如果沒有精靈族那個美男子，我一分鐘也看不下去，但LOTS這部除了美女和肌肉男以外（第一季時男主角常脫上衣 show 出比肯得基更美味的八塊肌，第二季新加入金髮美女Cara後，男主角就不再出賣色相，把這工作全交給Cara了 -__-）倒是比魔戒之類的作品更讓我覺得有趣，即使壞人壞得這麼典型、男主角又跟其他冒險英雄設定沒兩樣，也能讓我看得蠻高興的。

現在LOTS已經確定沒第三季了，我真的覺得相當可惜，按照以往被取消的影集來論，通常並不是它們"不好看"，只是他們沒對到主流大眾的胃口，剛好我喜歡的東西也總是跟主流大眾胃口不合……與第一季相比，LOTS的第二季故事質量比較高，我正覺得它漸入佳境了呢，可能跟XENA一樣成為我少數有看完也喜歡的奇幻作品，沒想到就這麼無預警被cancell了。

當然，我之所以覺得第二季故事開始變得有趣，很大原因是Cara的加入。這位設定上理應是冷豔型金髮美女的角色，不知道為什麼，被演成一個既傲驕又老實、既彆扭又超sweet的純天然萌角，幾乎她的每句台詞都讓我覺得很好笑，她的表情也老是充滿喜感，她甚至只要站在那邊不講話、明明此時劇情流動就不關她的事，還是能成功地點中我的笑穴。

例如，當Cara站在男女主角的背後當活動佈景時，她也一定要擺出一副「以防萬一有人會瞄到我，我要無時無刻站著這個看起來很壞人樣的 model pose」。每次鏡頭定格拍男女主角們的反應，就能看到Cara又站出model pose、兩手抓著那兩根螢光棒…不對…陽具象徵….不對….警棍….也不對….古老冰棒…更誤…Agiel…whatever that means. 

附帶一提，作為 femslash fan base相當廣泛的 LOTS，它當然有一些 subtext 足以被妄想力強的眼尖 fans 津津樂道，其中最大宗一群就是，儘管跟男主角閃光放不斷，the Mother Confessor、我們的女主角 Kahlan，還是跟 Cara 結伴榮登 fans 心中「妳就直說她是女朋友吧！」的殿堂寶座。

而身為一個XENA die-hard fan，也能在這部看到幾個懷念臉孔，例如亞馬遜的Queen Molesa、Ephiny、Joxer…我還在期望著Robert Tapert能哪天心血來潮讓Lucy客串演出呢！居然沒第三季了！可惡！

2-08

原來螢光棒也能這麼用XD

Legend of the Seeker 2×08 Cara uses her agiel on Kahlan

這幕的subtext、性暗示之強絕對是staff故意安排的

Cara從反派變成我方後，身為Mord-Sith的過去就在她與Kahlan之間率先併發裂痕，Cara坦言自己是殺掉Kahlan親妹妹的兇手，而且是迅速地給了對方一個痛快，說完後，面對差點陷入「Blood Rage」（超級賽亞人化XD）的Kahlan，Cara卻是露出不知道自己講錯什麼的無辜表情。

為了避免Kahlan真的殺掉Cara替妹妹報仇，Richard便要Cara離他們遠遠的，無處可去的Cara回到家鄉去見姊姊一面（她自己就是別人的妹妹，這是要暗示Kahlan接下來審判Cara時，不會希望別人也失去一個妹妹吧），卻被當地居民抓住、要求處於極刑。

Mord-Sith跟亞馬遜的社會組織相同，全是一群驍勇善戰的女戰士，但她們成員的延續是從村莊裡選出「最善良、最溫柔且最美麗」的小蘿莉，抓走小蘿莉後，開始進行慘無人道的SM調教，所有現在冷酷無情的Mord-sith過去都只是平凡的受害者，包括Cara。

Mord本為Murder之意，這些女人調教小蘿莉的第一階段，是讓她日夜處在身心痛苦中，直到小蘿莉願意為調教者做任何事、稱呼調教者為「主人」（Mistress）後，就可以進行第二階段：把小蘿莉的母親在她面前活活凌虐至死。而到了第三階段，換小蘿莉要親手以各種難以想像的痛苦虐待自己的父親，直到父親死亡。不過影集中更改了小說的這些設定。

經過這三階段的調教，最溫柔、最善良的靈魂會被毀滅，最冷酷、最美麗的Mord-Sith（痛苦使者）隨之誕生。她們能吸收所有魔法、再將魔法反衝到施術者身上，任何魔力加護的武器都對她們起不了作用，最特別的是，她們具備無數次將死者復活的能力：生命之息（Breath of life）。

Mord-Sith全是一些年輕貌美、身材姣好的女性，這點從她們的制服是緊身皮衣就能明白，身材不好還穿不上呢，穿緊身皮衣演動作戲也真是夠辛苦了。

Cara在第一季末集為了57年後未來Mord-Sith的生存，捅了 Darken Rahl 一刀（Mord-Sith是訓練來效忠Darken Rahl的），但第二季開始看起來似乎對外界騷亂漠不關心，成天就跟著幾個美女悠哉洗澡，惹得Mord-Sith裡某個女人很不爽。終於，這個女人（是Angel的Cordy哦！）邀集一群Mord-Sith偷襲Cara，把她打得半死、切掉辮子頭後（辮子頭髮被切掉是喪失榮譽的恥辱）便丟在荒郊野地。

Cara所經歷的儀式跟Xena有異曲同工之妙，被同團體的人打爆了頭後才能證明自己不再是那個團體的人。跟Xena同樣相似的是，對過去行為懺悔的Cara依然是個現實主義者，不會隨隨便便就對路上小花小動物小孩子展露同情心，對這類動不動就說要救大家的勇者行為唯一反應就是受不了地翻白眼──她已經不是壞人了，但她也不是什麼殘忍之事都不會做的好人。

如果以前做殘忍行為僅是為了取樂，現在她做這些事就是為了保護男主角、間接拯救世界，但無論如何，現實註定她尚不能放下屠刀。Cara最初看起來總是因為拗不過 Richard 才捨命陪君子做做好事，但事實上，身為以殺人為生存意義、以施予他人痛苦為職責的Mord-Sith，Cara會願意去做好事（不管是不是自動自發的），就已經是她正在改變的證明。

在203的Cara審判中，Kahlan饒過Cara一命，面對知道真相後、眼角不由得流下一滴淚水的Cara，Kahlan知道即使confess她也不具意義，因為Cara本人就是殘酷行為的受害者，她跟自己的妹妹一樣，死去了無辜的靈魂。儘管如此，當妹妹以別人的身體重返人間、要找Cara報仇時，阻止下她的Kahlan也坦言，自己每天都在殺與不殺Cara的憎恨中苦惱。

Kahlan饒恕Cara一命的善行，並沒有被Cara輕易遺忘。Cara曾對敵人嗆聲：「The Mother Confessor is a woman with honor. 她明知我殺掉她妹妹卻仍然饒我一命，妳不知道任何關於她的事（就不要多嘴）。」

從這裡能窺知Cara的忠誠心不僅是對Richard、也是對Kahlan。再說，當有人在自己不知道的地方 defend your honor 時，這永遠是非常sweet的行為，即使在看的人眼中，也會覺得這樣的Cara有夠可愛。她明明可以直接走開不理人，她平常性格就是這樣，懶洋洋的不理會我方同伴生命危機以外的事，這裡卻停下尊腳幫Kahlan講話XD

還記得當年我們的小Gabrielle是怎麼幫Xena的清譽辯白嗎？

With PASSION!!! Cara就是這樣，這孩子真老實…

LOTS的subtext便是在於Cara和Kahlan兩人如何從仇恨關係進展成友情

2-09

扁人中的女人總是好sexy…

2-10

Cara也有點中意的男人在一夜情後的早上送她小花

結果她卻是這種把人家當外星人似的臉www

連逼問人都要擺model pose的Cara

雖然左邊嘴唇上有疤痕，但依然是個美女

演技再好一點就完美了

2-11

Cara！！不愧是調教高手，這姿勢夠鬼畜了！XDD

特別是她的右手還同時拿著螢光棒在電Kahlan…XDD

Kahlan被一分為二：「理智」與「感性」。

理智的那部份人格，以極權主義統治著她的領土，所有違法的人不論親疏一視同仁，該死的就得死，乍看之下很公平，但因為缺乏感性思考的能力所以是完全的固執己見，最後根本把自己當成神，所有人只要聽她的話就夠了，她永遠不會犯錯。

理智人格的Kahlan塑造得比較合理，她既然沒有愛的感受也就不會在乎別人的心情，把看得出將反對她但又可以利用的人都"confess"成她的忠犬。更由於議會對上一個領導者的恐怖統治沒有改變的影響力，力量不足且沒有用的東西就不該留在政治系統裡，Kahlan超級爽快地把議會直接廢除（不得不承認她說得還真有道理，如果是我也會這麼做），此後領土上只要有一個聲音就足夠，她的聲音。

另一方面，「感性」人格的Kahlan，雖說設定是具備仁愛、慈悲、同情心等等好人性格，但這個Kahlan的世界只有愛情和她愛的男人，其他人在眼中都只是廢渣，Cara才不過跟Richard狀似親密，Kahlan就開始上演一齣哭鬧指責毀謗等把戲，如果Kahlan是男人，我就能直接說她是「精蟲上腦的腦殘」，但女性的話，我不知道還有哪種形容詞適合。

既然是仁慈的象徵，怎麼不會對Cara仁慈？怎麼不會對她的男人以外的人仁慈？這哪裡叫仁慈？不過就是莫名其妙、歇斯底里、腦袋空空的人格。作為觀眾，我對這個所謂「感性Kahlan」的感想，就跟「理智Kahlan」一樣。

看著「感性Kahlan」深情無腦地對著Richard說"我只想跟你在一起成為真正夫妻、除此之外什麼都不重要、你甚至可以要其他女人大享齊人之福、我還會跟那個女人當好姊妹…etc"，這時，「理智Kahlan」露出了恥笑的表情，她正在看著一齣無腦肥皂劇，而且打心底覺得那個女人可憐又可笑。就連Richard聽完告白後，都衝著「理智Kahkan」大喊：『妳看看她（感性Kahlan）！她已經瘋了（She’s not in her right mind）！』

在這種情況下搭配這個吐槽，真是太貼切了～～。

軟弱、無能、衝動、看不清現實，這些似乎已經變成具有感情之人的公式缺點，最好笑的是，「理智Kahlan」最後confess了「感性Kahlan」，代表著在理智面前，感情很快就會投降。但當「理智Kahlan」被Cara打倒、「感性Kahlan」那方取得優勢時，這似乎又在暗示著，儘管選擇把理性擺在感情之上，還是會有其他更理智的人能壓制我們，而且，感情面即使弱小、苟延殘喘，但它就是永遠無法被我們徹底除去。

我認為LOTS這部特別之處在於女主角的塑造。雖然背負著"懺悔聖母"（Mother Confessor）之名，Kahlan卻是個格鬥戰高手，她下手之狠絕對不輸虐待狂出身的Cara。好幾幕戰鬥場景就是她用小刀輕而易舉對敵人割侯，而且動作俐落、毫不拖泥帶水，接二連三的男人女人在她小刀下一個一個翹命…真是好可怕的"聖母"。

她其實可以用"confess"的方式讓敵人乖乖聽話，但因為這太浪費體力，所以她直接在戰鬥中給對方好死，除非是要獲得情報才會留下活口。有一次Kahlan"懺悔"過的男人在戰鬥中殺掉最後一個活人，Kahlan很怒地說：「我指示過你要至少留一個活口啊！」

這句話聽起來真讓人冷汗直流，明明是聖母…

2-13

Cara cosplay 公主這集也很有趣

雖然這位公主最會做的只是狂搖扇子XD

一開始就是Cara在旁邊賣力砍柴，Richard和Zedd卻在火堆旁煮菜調味

Kahlan剛撿木枝回來，好笑地聽著Cara跟Zedd的抬槓

Cara：「真好奇你們兩人的媽媽會說什麼？兩個大男人坐在一邊品嚐味道，卻讓一個女人在這裡為你們砍柴」

Zedd：「從上次妳做的玉米蛋糕來看，由我們煮菜才是最好的工作分配」

Cara露出"死老頭 -__-凸"的表情，默默地繼續砍柴XD

Cara跟Xena一樣都不會料理啊www

當年Xena讓Gab跟著旅行，有很大原因也是由於自己不會煮飯

繼續吃自己煮的東西很快就會出師未捷身先死www

後面Richard的生日那集，Cara甚至是這麼評論自己煮的雜菜鍋

Cara：「幸好Mord-Sith有接受被虐待的訓練，吃下這鍋東西的感覺肯定跟那一樣」

Richard：「也許Zedd跟Kahlan可以找到一些蘑菇回來調味」

Cara：「需要比蘑菇更神奇的食材才能拯救這鍋東西」

……Carawwwww

不要再說了wwwww

我都快哭了wwwwwwww

2-14

這集可以看出Cara對Kahlan真的是很關心

甚至可以說，她關心Kahlan的表現次數更多於關心Richard

之前有一集Richard要跟Cara、Kahlah分開，Cara一開始說要跟去保護他，但他要Cara留在Kahlan身邊，「妳要保護Kahlah就像保護我一樣」、Richard這麼囑託她。Cara沉默了幾秒，然後換了輕挑的態度，超級傲驕地說：「你走了也是好事，現在的你只會拖我們後腿」，搞得Richard和Kahlan都笑了出來。

可是，在這集，Cara對Kahlan的關心是毫不掩飾的，甚至主動想跟Kahlan談談她跟父親的問題，雖然被當時身心俱疲的Kahlan不領情地兇了，但Cara也沒有回嘴，就只是閉上嘴巴，溫柔得根本不像平常愛諷刺的Cara。當Kahlan倒下時，Cara更是緊張得要命，像個男友一樣大喊Kahlan的名字（真的是代替Richard啊www）。

2-16

這集是兩人友情回，也是讓眾多subtext fans回味無窮的情節

她們被困在一個墳墓中，氧氣就快用盡，兩人先是辯論誰的生命價值最重、誰該在這裡犧牲好讓另一個人活下來（當然她們都想要自己來死），後來，她們坐在一邊，非常意外地，這個婆婆媽媽（笑）的主題由Cara開場。

Cara：「我被訓練去恨妳，但我並不恨妳。在這個最後時刻，我想要妳知道…我把妳當作朋友」

Kahlan：「我也認為妳是朋友」

Kahlan說著，異常感動地擁抱Cara

Cara隔了幾秒後，抬起手，輕輕碰觸Kahlan

把自己的心情交代完畢、一切都談開了之後，Cara突然搶下小刀要自刎

為了阻止，Kahlan便跟她打起來了

已經沒有空氣，這兩個女人還打架！到底在搞什麼啊wwww

果然，沒多久，兩人缺氧雙雙倒地…XDDD

有夠笨的，真是的！

但就是因為她們為拯救彼此生命做出這種笨蛋行為，才更證明兩人的情誼吧

Kahlan：「妳是錯的。妳的生命價值並沒有比我低，這次也是，如果沒有妳在，我們就無法救Zedd」

Cara：「…………關於我在墳墓裡跟妳說的話……….」

Kanlah（很開心）：「Oh, 那些話對來我說意義非凡」

Cara：「…….忘了吧。我當時缺氧，腦袋憋糊塗了」

Kahlan：「…………………..OTL」

傲驕得太明顯，讓人無力卻又使人想笑

Kahlan望著Cara走到前方，一臉無可奈何

Richard：「她沒事嗎？」

Kahlan：「She’s just being…Cara」

Kahlan在發現Cara殺掉自己的妹妹後，發誓只要再讓她見到Cara就會殺掉她復仇。現在，聽到Cara說把她當朋友，Kahlan卻非常高興、非常感動，甚至承認被Cara當成朋友這件事"It means a lot to me"。

這集結束後，下一集開頭，Cara又跟Zedd拌嘴，Kahlan邊聽Cara的嘲諷，一邊以"Oh, Cara"這種在寵愛妹妹一樣的表情笑了出來。兩人的關係有了飛躍的進展，Cara還是一副痞子樣，但Kahlan對待Cara的方式、她對Cara的反應、她聽著Cara說話看著Cara做事時的樣子，已經跟先前截然不同，充滿很甜的親密感啊www

沒有第三季真是超可惜…

推薦兩個喜歡的Cara/Kahlan mv

Cara/Kahlan "The demons that I face"

Stand In The Rain || Cara&Kahlan || Legend of the Seeker