meridian_rose

Magic as a metaphor for drug use - I agree that it's a problematic trope. In BtVS I felt like season 6 with Willow's magic 'addiction' was rather heavy handed. And then in season 7 we turn around again and get that the power is part of Willow, so she has to learn to use it wisely rather than never using it at all, an interpretation I prefer.

When Zedd tells Jeziah he'll "never have the powers of a wizard again" it's clearly meant as a punishment as much as it is a means of preventing Jeziah from causing further mischief. And I don't see how he can know it's true; what's to stop Jeziah from ending up with the key to the Rada'Han later? Also, the idea that taking away someone's magic means they are then utterly helpless strikes me as a dangerous assumption, even though from what we've seen in LotS it does seem broadly true - the Sisters of the Light and Dark in particular seem to depend on their powers for everything.

Magic as elitist - I was reminded of Giles versus Miss Calendar while rewatching Elixir, actually. The quarrel they have about knowledge, where Jenny thinks it should be free and available to everyone while Giles insists that the getting of knowledge should be difficult (and smelly), not something undertaken lightly. Although they both make good points, I'm really on Jenny's side when she calls him a snob, and I think some of his attitude is reflected by Zedd and Kahlan. After all, they are part of the chosen few - how can they possibly understand what it's like to be an ordinary person?

And, of course, just because Kahlan was born with the power doesn't mean that it is 'natural,' or what she would probably think of as 'given to her by the Creator.' We know Confessors were created by wizards.

Still, that doesn't mean she's wrong about the elixirs being a problem. It really is a conundrum, which they don't fully explore in the episode.

And again, no Darken :(