HIGHLA-L Digest - 16 Jan 2004 to 22 Jan 2004 (#2004-17)
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Thu, 22 Jan 2004 22:00:05 -0500
There is one message totalling 123 lines in this issue.
Topics of the day:
1. Season Two dvd Commentary: The Return of Amanda
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Date: Thu, 22 Jan 2004 21:05:22 -0500
From: kageorge <kageorge@erols.com>
Subject: Season Two dvd Commentary: The Return of Amanda
GENERAL: Well, whaddayaknow, boys and girls, starting with this disk, =
I'm seeing a *new* menu choice: Audio and Video Commentary. Turns out =
that Adrian Paul does a voiceover for the entire episode, commenting on =
aspects of that particular production, as well as behind-the-scenes =
stuff in general. A shorter version of his commentary is shown as a =
video, as we watch him watch the show. There's no way I can capture all =
the detail he provides, but as a general review of what he says as he =
watches the show (obviously for the first time in many years): He talks =
about Elizabeth Gracen and what a delight she was to work with. He says =
the dance scene in that episode was one of his favorites, and dressing =
up in tuxedos gave rise to he and one of the other actors doing a riff =
on a James Bond scene as a joke on the director (which they show and =
which can be seen on the blooper tape). He also describes a number of =
action scene debacles, as in the flashback when he is driving a =
motorcycle with a sidecar away from the German bad guys, and it looks =
like he is driving off the road to escape across the countryside. AP =
relates that what really happened was that he hardly had any control =
over the vehicle, it veered left and he ended up stuck in a gully by the =
side of the road. Then he makes a joke about how knowing how to drive a =
motorcycle was "not in my contract." Another action scene snafu involved =
when AP accidentally clocked one of the stunt men, as well as a scene =
where he ended up with stitches over his eyebrow that had to be covered =
with makeup.
All this got me to thinking about how it is way too easy to identify the =
actor with the role, but clearly Duncan MacLeod is taller, heavier and =
much more serious than Adrian Paul. <g>
Anyway, on to the rest of the episode stuff.
COMMENTARY: BP notes that this episode contains no fight scenes (not =
entirely true), no martial arts, no sword fights, no bad immortal, no =
Quickening, but somehow "the show really worked." DA noted that =
Elizabeth Gracen, while absolutely wonderful, was sometimes "a liiiitle =
bit flaky". He related that she came into the office wearing at slight =
little nose ring and wanted to know if she could keep it, whether it =
could be written into the part, and whether it would be okay on camera. =
But what she hadn't bothered to mention was that she had cut off all her =
hair and dyed what little was left stark white. DA says he had demanded, =
"Elizabeth, were you going to tell us about this, or not?"
BP says that the episode has enormous style, that AP walks into a =
pre-war nightclub wearing a tuxedo, looking every bit as glamourous as =
Cary Grant, and "suddenly you forget the loutish Scottish warrior that =
we've always loved." He talks about the problem of doing a show about =
Nazi Germany with European partners in Vancouver, and they were told "no =
swastikas", so they used the Prussian eagle instead. The set decorator =
had just done the "Winds of War" miniseries, and knew where all the set =
decoration props were. He seemed
very proud of the 'look' of that episode.
Then he said, "At the end of the day, the show is called "Amanda"," and =
he talked about the character of Amanda - beautiful, deceitful, funny, =
sexy, "everything a man would want." He noted that "you cast things and =
you try and put things together and you hope for the best, but the =
chemistry on screen was something that happened between two people who =
just connected."
EPISODE: The episode opens with a flashback to Amanda singing a la =
Marlena Dietrich in a pre-WWII German nightclub. She has gotten some =
poor schmoo to provide her with engraved plates for counterfeit $100 =
bills. There is a whole back story told in flashbacks of Duncan =
smuggling some scientist out of the country, and Amanda horning in on =
the escape to try to get away from German police. Then we move forward =
to the present day, several months after Tessa's death, where Amanda =
shows up at the dojo. Duncan doesn't trust her motives when she suggests =
that they set up housekeeping for 70 years or so, and he is right not to =
do so as she drags him into her plot to have someone change the date on =
the counterfeit plates while being pursued by a corrupt FBI agent =
(played by the same actor who plays General Hammond on SG-1) who is =
trying to get the plates for himself. In this midst of it all, there is =
a lovely seduction scene where Amanda tries to guess where the Watchers =
- who Duncan suspects might be the ones chasing her - have their tattoo =
by touching various places on Duncan's body. They end up in bed, and =
Amanda wants to know why Duncan is smiling, and he answers, "Can't I =
just smile? I'm happy, we're safe for the moment, and I just made love =
to the one of the most devious, lying, deceitful...beautiful women in =
all history." Amanda rolls on top of him and coquettishly asks, "Do you =
really think I'm one of the most beautiful women in all history?" =
evidently not at all troubled by any of the less flattering descriptors =
DM was using. <g>
The bad guy tries to blackmail them into turning over the goods, but =
then Richie captures him on videotape "murdering" Amanda and MacLeod =
once he has counterfeit plates. (Plot Hole: There is an assumption that =
the two people shot on the tape are "anonymous" and that Duncan and =
Amanda's involvement is never discovered. Yeah, right. Even AP mentioned =
that one was hard to swallow.) At the end, when Amanda once again =
suggests that they set up housekeeping, he tells her he's not ready for =
that yet, that it's "not the right time." But then, as she is leaving =
she jokes about how they will always have Paris, and Duncan adds, "and =
London, and Rome....and Tulsa", then reels her back in and they kiss, =
and it is clear she isn't leaving *just* yet.
OPINIONS: This is a lovely episode, stylish, with the flashback scenes =
very nicely interwoven, showing Amanda scrabbling to make an illicit =
living however she has to, even if it means dragging Duncan into real =
danger. Duncan is wary, smart, savvy and sophisticated, and the two play =
off each other really beautifully. She amuses him and arouses him, =
while, for her, Duncan is a source of comfort and security, and =
obviously some great nookie which both of
them seem to enjoy. But Amanda is an utterly self-involved, independent =
soul and what Duncan wants in a mate is to be part of a whole, and that =
is something she could never be.
One side note, in his commentary, AP noted that there was something of a =
controversy aroused when Duncan made love to Amanda, because of Tessa's =
death. First, he noted that while it had only been two weeks in "tv =
time", in the lives of the characters, it had been months, and he felt =
MacLeod would do it out of "red blooded hormones" (or something to that =
effect), and said it with a teasing smile in his voice.
MacG=20
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End of HIGHLA-L Digest - 16 Jan 2004 to 22 Jan 2004 (#2004-17)
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