If our spoiler-free review of the two-hour premiere episode of MTV’s The Shannara Chronicles wasn’t enough to tide you over until January, we’ve got five tantalizing teases to do the job!
Both myself and fellow Hypable staffer Karen Rought were fortunate enough to be invited to watch the first ever screening of their upcoming high-fantasy show, The Shannara Chronicles, during NYCC.
We’ve already reviewed the epic, two-hour premiere, but if that wasn’t enough to sate your appetite for the show, here are five teases ahead of it arriving on MTV on January 5.
1. On your marks…
Make sure you have something to hold onto for the opening sequence of Shannara, because it is incredibly intense. Our hearts were pounding through the entirety of it, and it was as strong a start to a premiere as we’ve ever seen. Talk about setting the bar high!
2. Let the beat drop
There’s more to world building than just the visual aspect, and you’d expect no less from MTV than for that scrutiny to also be turned to the soundtrack.
The fantasy of New Zealand’s lush greenery deserves some equally epic music to complement it, and Shannara’s premiere episode certainly delivers on that front. But with Felix Erskine composing, that should come as little to no surprise. With his fingerprints all over the trailers for Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Batman v Superman, having Erskine involved with Shannara will ensure the score becomes as much a character as Wil, Amberle, and Eretria. Expect to want a copy of the score to listen to on repeat as you embark on your own adventures.
(Going to the grocery store on a weekend counts as an adventure, right?)
3. Females are strong as hell
While this may not come as much of a surprise to fans of Terry Brooks’ Elfstones novel, anyone new to Shannara will likely find themselves delighted with the subverting of gender stereotypes in the show. With many productions within the fantasy genre still upholding some gender-specific biases, Shannara casts them to one side and offers its viewers a refreshing alternative.
Within the central group of characters you will still find the gentle and kind healer, the resourceful and acerbic rogue, and the quick thinking and agile warrior — an almost inescapable and expected constant within high-fantasy — but they might not be who you’re expecting them to be.
4. Chemistry for days
The success of any show can often live and die with its cast, and The Shannara Chronicles is no different. The chemistry between every single one of these characters is almost palpable, and expect to become immediately invested in all of their livelihoods — which may lead to some tears before the episode is out. We’ll leave it up to you to discover which kind of tears they are.
One relationship in particular is a triumph, and sets up the characters in question as interesting foils to each other. There’s something to be said about pairing steadfast optimism and naïveté against perceived realism. Which one will win out in the end remains to be seen.
5. Hang on…
Don’t think for one second that The Shannara Chronicles is about to let you off easily during its first outing.
The action packed, two-hour premiere ends on an incredibly brutal cliffhanger that left the entire audience of Shannara fans sitting in stunned silence. Well, right up until someone asked for the next episode immediately. If you’re not demanding the same from MTV by the dying seconds, we’ll be shocked.
The Shannara Chronicles premieres January 5, 2016 at 10 p.m. on MTV.