BeastMaster

I watch this show most of the time. It's erratic, but I like it a lot anyway.

The producers seem to have relatively little idea of what kind of show they want to do. It's now in its third season, and it appears to have gone to heroic fantasy. (Any episodes you see Dar having a sword, they're all third season. And he puts up quite a protest around it, but you'd have to actually watch the show to see it.) Last season would be better characterized as a sort of low-level high fantasy, where most of the emphasis was on complex relationships between all the different characters. And a lot of the first season was a (tragic) love story.

The acting is great, but it's very much in a particular style. It's an understated style that shows up a lot in Canadian productions (it's a Canada-Australia joint production).

But the best part is: They kill characters. Major characters. Not many of them, but people actually die. The storyline moves on. I get really tired of watching adventure shows with no threat of death. It's pretty much a given that Dar won't die (or they'd have to rename the show) but everybody else, except for gods (none of which have made appearances, unlike in a show like Xena) and some of the demigod-level characters (I'm thinking of The Ancient One) has been fair game. It helps make the show exciting, which is the whole point of adventure, right?

The acting style's not for everyone, but if you like it, watch the show. The stories are generally pretty well-written, and the show's got guts.

I really enjoy this show. As an Environmental Studies major I enjoy the nature aspect of the show. The location is so beautiful and when the animals are used for a scene you can't help but smile because the animals work so well with the actors. Daniel Goddard and Jackson Raine are great actors who play their characters perfectly. If you are looking for a show to make you laugh and with enough action to satisfy you, this is it.

My son, Simon Burnett, is the stunt double for Daniel, so we have been watching every episode. It comes across as at least two shows in one. The out of doors, walking in the woods and fighting. And the other, the mystical- fairy one, with special effects and clothing. It would work better if the mystical world was only at night, a dream scape for the characters and story line.

It was rather campy with ridiculous plots that only children would appreciate, but I do miss this show. I kept watching episodes repeat until I started to wonder why they were going back to the beginning. I finally found out that it was canceled due to production issues and not ratings. Daniel Goddard is stunning on screen, but his character seemed very much like Kevin Sorbo's Hercules rendition. They were both very sensitive, hunky, muscular males who could kick butt when it came down to it. They're also extremely monogamous and don't seem to want to move past the women they were once in love with to venture into anything new.

I found the opening credits vastly amusing. It amps it up a lot and then you're like, "Oooh! Who is this guy?" and then the announcer says quite blandly, "He's the Beastmaster. He communicates with animals." It was so anti-climatic, it was comical. That's his specialty? Talking to animals? So he's an ancient vet? Eh, I watched anyway. His sidekick was more annoying that Gabrielle in Xena. And the heavy surfer, Californian accent was a little off in this ancient environment. I loved the character of Arina and wished she and Dar would hook up, but it got canceled before old lover boy would make a move. Heck, the way he was moving, his ferrets woulda got to her before he did.

The plots were childish, as I've said, but you still watched because it was just a way to kick back and enjoy a Saturday afternoon, no stress. It didn't require heavy thinking on my part. It also might have grown into a pretty strong show that tested waters, but it didn't last. Ah, it's OK, but you feel bad for the actors. It's like they may never get another break with this show gone. I remember those episodes with the original Beastmaster and I found him terribly annoying. I'm not surprised his movies didn't work out majorly. I caught sight of one of his versions and detested him. Daniel was better. Ah, so's the TV world.

Oh what fun this show was! First you have the incredibly *gorgeous* Daniel Goddard as Dar, the BeastMaster. The producers had the good sense to keep him wearing as little as possible. Even in the third season, when he dressed a little more "modestly", you could still see those stupendous biceps. Yummy! Then you have the gay subtext. This is most pronounced in Season Two, where the five most important male characters all seem to be gay archetypes: Dar (Gym-Boy), Tao (Nerd with a crush on Gym-Boy), Zad (Leather Daddy), Voden (Party Boy) and The Ancient One (All-Powerful, All-Knowing Old Auntie). Then you have the fact that it was actually fairly well-written and acted. Admittedly, Season Three was the weakest. The show would have been better had they not gone down that particular road, but, overall it was a lot of fun and most certainly not the worst way to spend an hour. Oh did I mention how gorgeous Daniel Goddard is? (*sigh*)