I’ll wait to see feedback before watching season 2. The empire storyline was fantastic, the scenery incredible and adding diversity and changing genders absolutely needed to happen to make it work for tv. But the whole magic thing, everyone being special and dull storylines killed it. The whole point of Mayor Hardin was that “violence is the last refuge of the incompetent”. So for tv they decide to have her wield a gun for nearly every scene and when that doesn’t work it isn’t intelligence that gets her through its magic precognition. They even reference the quote specifically as if to mock anyone who has read the book.

So instead of having a strong, intelligent, nuanced female lead that would have been incredible viewing (particularly given current events with Ukraine and how intelligence can overcome violence), we have a dull, monotone magician who gets by on girl and gun power. The character and actor deserved so much more than what was delivered.