20 Years Later, The Best Line In Terry Pratchett’s Greatest TV Adaptation Still Defines The Fantasy Genre
Terry Pratchett is known for his timeless additions to the fantasy genre, including his sprawling Discworld series. Due to the imaginative tone and top-tier world-building in Pratchett’s writing, it can be difficult to bring his novels to the screen. However, whenever an adaptation of Pratchett’s novels is made for television, it makes its mark. The best Discworld books lend themselves to cinematic storytelling, breaking boundaries in fantasy TV.
Many of Terry Pratchett’s wisest quotes come from the mouth of Death, his best character. Plenty of fantasy worlds personify death to make sense of humanity’s most mysterious and universal experience, but few do this as well as Pratchett in the Death subseries. The 1996 novel, Hogfather, chronicles one of Death’s adventures and is satirical and slyly profound, as readers expect from Pratchett. In 2006, Hogfather got a rare two-part miniseries adaptation, which benefited from Pratchett’s creative input behind the scenes.
Hogfather is one of the few installments of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series that have been reimagined for television, and the result is a charming, fantastical take on Pratchett’s vision. With talented actors like Michelle Dockery, known for Downton Abbey, gracing the screen, and an unforgettable take on Death himself, Hogfather still hits home with modern audiences. Watching Hogfather, viewers will laugh as much as they reflect on why fantasy storytelling is so universal.
Death’s Best Line In Hogfather Defines The Entire Fantasy Genre
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In Hogfather, Death takes on the role of the titular legendary character, the Hogfather, a Discworld version of Santa Claus, who many children believe in. When a group of assassins targets Hogfather, Death steps in to fulfill his duties, masquerading as Hogfather, while his granddaughter, Susan, investigates the mystery behind Hogfather’s disappearance. It’s when Death is speaking with Susan about stepping into the role of Hogfather that he delivers the iconic quote:
“Humans need fantasy to be human. To be the place where the falling angel meets the rising ape.”
“Humans need fantasy to be human. To be the place where the falling angel meets the rising ape.”
Death argues here that the act of believing in something fantastical that isn’t real, beginning with fanciful legends like the Hogfather, is vital for the existence of humanity. Humans are far from perfect, unable to live up to the standards of their angels, but are still capable of high reasoning and goodness, making them more than animals who act on impulse. It’s in their fantasies that these qualities come into sharp relief. It’s not just fantasy stories, but all the made-up human rules, like morality and justice, that set humanity apart from other species.
Pratchett wrote some of the best fantasy books of the 1980s. It’s not surprising that the Death subseries is a philosophical exploration of humanity and mortality that features a quote like this one. It’s clear that Pratchett values the fantasy genre in fiction, and through Death’s quote, he demonstrates why it should be taken seriously and understood as more than just escapism.
Hogfather Is The Greatest TV Adaptation Of Terry Pratchett
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Viewers might be most familiar with Good Omens, the popular Prime Video TV show adaptation of the novel Pratchett co-wrote in 1990. However, of all Terry Pratchett’s TV shows, Hogfather is the most definitive take on his text. Though there are some dated visual elements, as the miniseries aired in 2006, and it doesn’t have the large budget of a project like Good Omens, Hogfather is extremely faithful to the text and embodies the whimsy that makes Pratchett’s writing so immersive.
Hearing Pratchett’s quote about the value of fantasy within the world of Hogfather makes its message hit even harder. The miniseries takes fantasy, and its magical point of view, seriously, but never loses the fun and heart that are essential to Discworld, and makes audiences connect with fantasy as a genre. Few authors have ever been as skilled as Terry Pratchett at understanding why fantasy is a genre that leaves the greatest emotional impact.
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