Maddigan's Quest

I've been watching Maddigan's quest on TV and i think it's really good. Good children's series are quite rare these days and so I'm especially grateful for this one. Unfortunately i missed the first episode but the plot as far as i have gathered is as follows; It's set, as i understand it, a long way into the future after a big nuclear war or something has destroyed the civilised world. The characters of the show describe this as "the chaos". Because of this people have gone back to living more primitively without cars or aeroplanes etc. The characters of the show come from the city of Solas (or something like that)which they the light that came out of the great "chaos" bringing hope to the world. They are part of a fantasia (circus) that travels every year, but this year they are not just travelling to perform they are travellings to find a Sola converter for Solas, very important.

But in the even further future Solas is very far from the joyful place the fantasia knows. It is ruled by the evil Nanog (a terribly deformed monstrous being) and people live in fear. It all went wrong for Solas when the fantasia failed to bring back the Sola converter and the main girl, Gawlands, father dies. So after the parents of two boys are killed by the Nanog they travel back in time with their baby sister and a magical talisman, to help retrieve the solar converter and change time. The Nanog sends back two of his men to stop the boys succeeding.

Each episode is centred around a different adventure as the fantasia travels through various different places. So far the adventures have been creative, compelling and fun to watch. The fantasia also consists of a variety of people and i like how we get to know the various different characters and their needs, fears and struggles as the series goes on. I've been watching the show with my little brother (not that you have to have a child to watch it with) and he has also been really enjoying it. I would recommend this show especially as something for family's to watch together, but also for anyone who thinks they might enjoy it.

To my knowledge "Maddigan's Quest" has thus far only been shown in Australia, the UK and in its place of origin, New Zealand. However, the shows success means that it's been sold overseas and so should soon be heading your way.

First created as a novel by our most famous young-adult author Margaret Mahy (winner of the Carnegie Medal and more recently, the Hans Christian Anderson award), "Maddigan's Quest" is set in a post-apocalyptic world where the wilderness is dangerous and the roads still partially unmapped. Out of the ashes of what is known as "the Great Chaos", was built Solis, the shining city. It is here that the circus troop known as Maddigan's Fantasia spends the winter, before heading out each summer in order to explore new lands, collect lost knowledge, meet new people and spread some colour and joy.

But this year things are different. Solis is powered by the sun, and is in need of a new solar converter if the city is to remain the single bright beacon in a dark world. Missionaries have been sent out to retrieve one from the town of Newton, but none have returned. Thus the council turn to Maddigan's Fantasia - since the circus head out every year anyway they are certain to be overlooked by any political spies or traitors that plot the demise of Solis.

And yet it becomes even more complicated when the troop is joined by two young boys and their baby sister, claiming that they are from a future in which the Fantasia have failed in their mission and Solis has come under the control of the treacherous Nennog. As such, Timon and Eden have been sent back in time by their parents in order to ensure the success of the Fantasia, using their prior knowledge of events to help.

So who are the Fantasia? A group of clowns, acrobats, magicians, fortune tellers and jugglers who form together a warm, cheerful, squabbling, and utterly loyal extended family. In fact, the family dynamic of the circus is perhaps the highlight of the show, comparable to the crew of Joss Whedon's "Firefly" or the "X-Men" family franchise; a group of colourful characters who are all given unique and interesting relationships with each other, across generations, genders and family intrigues.

Out of the cast, it is the child-actors who provide the strongest performances. Rose McIver is our narrator, a fourteen year old acrobat who keeps track of their progress in her diary and is being groomed as the next ring-leader of the Fantasia. As the two boys from the future, Jordan Metcalfe and Zac Fox (Timon and Eden) come across as both capable and vulnerable, with Metcalfe in particular shining as a young teen given the huge burden of responsibility of protecting his younger siblings and seeing the mission is successful. A slow attraction between him and Garland is sure to appeal to romantics, made poignant by the fact that if they *are* successful in retrieving the solar converter, the two of them will be separated by almost one hundred years.

Rawiri Pene plays Garland's oldest friend Boomer, who is rather jealous of the sophisticated Timon and his growing bond with Garland, and Olivia Tennant provides the most laughs as the flighty, somewhat spoilt Lilth. Rounding out the adult cast is Garland's parents Ferdy and Maddie, feuding couple Goneril and Tane, and the untrustworthy Yves (Lilith's father), who has his eyes set on Garland's beautiful mother.

Each episode deals with a different location on the way to Newton and back again, as well as conflict within the group, danger from marauding gangs and agents from the future out to prevent the successful return of the Fantasia. The individual circus talents of the troop are instigated in ingenious ways, the post-apocalyptic world is both threatening but full of hope and potential for the future, and the stories are exactly what one would expect to emerge from the imagination of Mahy.

It's not all perfect; the material used is better suited for hour-long programming rather than a mere half-hour, and although the costumes, sets and props are vividly created, the special-effects often look rather fake. And don't even get me started on a discussion on the tampering done with the fundamental 'rules' of time travelling.

But for all this "Maddigan's Quest" is a great show that may be aimed predominantly at kids, but is certainly not exclusively for them. And all from the country that brought you "the Chronicles of Narnia" and "The Lord of the Rings", so look out for it!

Only thus seen in the UK and Australia, this New Zealand children's series is quite magical and wonderful. You know, children's series are quite rare these days as most Americans are still quite obsessed with dumb reality shows (you're fired!) , and take it to a whole new level sometimes, like our presidency (more like....duncey). It's refreshing to use drama and fantasy together in a creative imaginary tale not unlike Shakespeare of olde! Cheers y'all, and give it a gander on Amazon prime. Tell me what u think? Murf

Although I missed several episodes, it is fairly easy to grasp the plot. Basically, in a post-apocalyptic future, there is a city called Solis. Solis, as the name may suggest, runs on solar power, but the machinery they use to collect is is running down. Enter the Fantasia, a group of travelling entertainers. They have been entrusted with the task of finding a new solar converter before Solis loses its power.

Seems fairly simple- travel until you get to a certain town, collect the converter and head back to Solis. Wrong. In winter, the paths change, and that is the least of the problems the Fantasia face. In the midst of the harsh weather, Road Rats etc, two boys and their baby sister turn up. They claim to be from the future- where the Fantasia have failed their quest and the evil Nennog rules the world. Said evil genius sends his henchmen back through time after the children, and while all this is going on, the Fantasia still have to get the solar converter...

Maddigan's Quest, despite the lousy SFX and blatant disregard for the laws of Time Travel, is fun and great family viewing (although younger children will probably be frightened by some of the bad guys). There really needs to be more programmes like this, and I hope the book will soon be available over here as well as in Oceania.