by Rebecca Fisher

Introduction:

This show is an oddity. Not something that I can recommend as anything other than a fledging programme that was never given the chance to reach its potential, a mish-mash of storylines and tonal shifts that changed dramatically from episode to episode, and a vehicle for a then-eighteen year old Heath Ledger. Roar is a show suited for the curious, not those looking for a genuinely rewarding viewing experience.

It was damned by the network, for despite having commissioned a series that would ride the coattails of the popular Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena Warrior Princess franchise of the 1990s, Fox bungled the marketing and continually rearranged the scheduling, resulting in Roar’s cancellation only eight episodes into its first season.

In an tribute written after Heath Ledger’s death, the show’s writer and co-producer Lawrence Meyers wrote of just how disorganised the entire project really was:

“As the weeks went by, creative differences erupted between our show-runners, the studio and the network (as they often do). As writers, we felt pulled in every direction. The mandates changed each week. The scripts suffered as their tone had to repeatedly be altered to fit the whims of our multiple masters. One week the show was very grounded in reality. The next it had special effects. One week it had magic. The week after magic was outlawed. It drove us nuts. (Lawrence Meyers.)”

This confusion is apparent in the episodes themselves, which (when watched consecutively) reveal several network-inspired trends, such as the dissolution of the central story-arc to a series of standalone escapades, the disappearance of several core characters, the lead actress’s ever-shrinking outfits, and a genre-shift from fairly serious drama to campy action-adventure.

Unsurprisingly, the show didn’t perform well enough to warrant a second season, despite picking up a small cult following. That said, this isn’t another Firefly, for although both shows were prematurely cancelled due to executive meddling, Roar lacks the quality that exemplified Joss Whedon’s space-western.

What Roar leaves behind is an intriguing premise, a handful of loveable characters, and the sense that it could have been great if it had only been given a decent chance.

Premise:

Set in 4^th century Ireland, Roar purports to tell the tale of Irish resistance against Roman conquerors, in which young Prince Conor (Heath Ledger) takes it upon himself to unite the warring Celtic tribes in defence of his homeland. In this he’s joined by a small band of loyal freedom fighters, including his bodyguard Fergus and escaped slave Catlin, and an ever-growing army of followers who avoid Roman persecution by amassing at a hidden location known as Sanctuary.

From left: Fergus, Conor, Catlin and Tully

Many history buffs will at this point be rolling their eyes and pointing out that the Romans not only didn’t invade Ireland, but never even tried. But the show plays around with its dramatic liberties, primarily by depicting the Roman occupation as little more than two people and a few garrisons of soldiers: the beautiful and ambitious Queen Diana (Lisa Zane) and her aide-de-camp Longinus (Sebastian Roche). Perhaps as a wink-and-nod to the unlikelihood of Rome taking an interest in Ireland, Diana is treated more like an exile than a queen, one who is desperate to prove herself to the empire that has abandoned her, whilst Longinus is soon revealed to have his own reasons for travelling to the green isle.

Storyline:

After the slaughter of his entire family at the hands of the Romans, Prince Conor assumes leadership of his tribe and promises to fight against foreign oppression. Before the show began its downward spiral into complete randomness, the main thrust of the storyline involved Conor and his allies traveling to various tribes to enlist their allegiance, whilst Diana and Longinus plotted ways of subjugating the population and advancing Roman law.

Diana tries out some of her feminine wiles on Conor

Unbeknownst to most of the other characters, Longinus is the very same Roman centurion who speared Jesus Christ to death at the crucifixion and was cursed with eternal life as a result. (Never mind that the Biblical Longinus repented, converted to Christianity and was made a saint, though again the show lampshades its inaccuracies by having the character sardonically mutter: “they haven’t made me a saint…yet”). Now he has come to Ireland in search of the Spear of Destiny, the very weapon that he used to kill the Son of God and which he believes holds the key to ending his immortality.

Longinus is one of the show’s more compelling elements, and the episodes that centre on his character are invariably the best the show has to offer. Freely mixing Christian lore, Celtic mythology, Druidism, and occasionally real history, the show managed some genuinely innovative and gripping episodes before its deterioration began.

Characters:

Heath Ledger as Conor all but carries Roar, acting as its foundation and anchor throughout the bizarre shifts in tone. It’s clear that he was a major talent even at the age of eighteen, and the show serves as a reminder that he was taken away far too soon. The key relationship was that which existed between himself and Fergus (John Saint Ryan), a bromance with a difference considering it ran more along father/son lines rather than the usual comrade-in-arms dynamic. Often acting as a surrogate father as well as bodyguard and friend to Conor, Fergus is perhaps the show’s best character, portrayed as gruff, wry, protective and fallible, guilt-ridden over the deaths of those he was meant to protect and eager to reconnect with his estranged daughter Molly (Melissa George).

Heath Ledger as Conor

Meanwhile, Vera Farmiga played the part of Catlin, an escaped slave and secret Christian who got a couple of episodes that centred on her mysterious past, whilst Lisa Zane hammed it up as the seductive, amoral, ruthless Diana. Both women served as quasi-love interests to Conor over the course of the show.

Conclusion:

In case you were wondering, the show’s title derives from the concept of “the roar” – that is, the mystical strength of the land that flows through all its people. Or something. It’s not actually all that clear, which makes it the perfect example of the show’s disorganized nature.

By the end of the show’s thirteen episode run, its promising beginning, grounded in human drama and realistic conflict, had been warped into a bizarre fantasy/adventure involving fire sprites and men dressed as trees. Roar is now little more than a curiosity; a short-lived experiment that nevertheless kick-started more than a few Hollywood careers – increasing exposure not just for Heath Ledger, but also Vera Farmiga, Melissa George and even Keri Russell, all of whom had parts in the show and went on to bigger and better things.

But for those that remember it, Roar is a fun trip down memory lane, one that’s partially salvaged by its core actors and a few intriguing story-arcs.

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Next Time:

Sugar… spice… and everything nice. These were the ingredients chosen to create three perfect little girls. But Professor Utonium accidentally added an extra ingredient to the concoction: Chemical X! Thus, The Powerpuff Girls were born! Using their ultra-superpowers, Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup have dedicated their lives to fighting crime and the forces of evil!

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About The Reviewer:

Rebecca Fisher is a graduate of the University of Canterbury with a Masters degree in English Literature, mainly, she claims, because she was able to get away with writing her thesis on C.S. Lewis and Philip Pullman. She is a reviewer for FantasyLiterature.com, a large website that specializes in fantasy and science-fiction novels, as well as posting reviews to Amazon.com and her own LiveJournal blog.

To read Rebecca’s detailed introduction of both herself and the series, click on Big Worlds On Small Screens.

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Previous Big Worlds On Small Screens Reviews: [click on the title to view]

• Avatar: The Last Airbender—Season One
• Maddigan’s Quest
• Warehouse 13
• Charmed
• Justice League
• Xena Warrior Princess