HIGHLA-L Digest - 1 Feb 2004 to 2 Feb 2004 (#2004-23)
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Mon, 2 Feb 2004 22:00:04 -0500
There is one message totalling 133 lines in this issue.
Topics of the day:
1. Season Two dvd Commentary: Run For Your Life
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Date: Mon, 2 Feb 2004 11:08:59 -0500
From: kageorge <kageorge@erols.com>
Subject: Season Two dvd Commentary: Run For Your Life
COMMENTARY: David Abramowitz stated that RFYL was one of his all time =
favorite episodes due singularly to Bruce Young, who just "popped off =
the screen." He praised him as a great actor, and thanked him profusely. =
Bill Panzer then said that most of the time they focused on the dark =
side of being an Immortal: watching those you love die, the constant =
conflict, leading a dark, shadowy life, etc., but this episode showcases =
how great it can be to be an Immortal, how in three lifetimes someone =
can go from being a slave to someone with dreams of becoming a =
professional baseball player, to finally someone who had hopes and =
dreams of actually changing the world.
This was the first time they had two original songs in the show: "Jack =
of Diamonds" was sung by Jim Byrnes. It was the first time he had ever =
sung on the show and was the trigger to lead them to build "Joe's" so =
they could showcase his talent. The song was "so cool that we lengthened =
the scene by 50% because we wanted to hear more of the music." The song =
"Looking for the One" was by Keith Scott, Brian Adams' lead guitar =
player.
Bill Panzer was proud of the flashbacks in this episode, which had more =
of a richness and authenticity than they sometimes achieved. The amount =
of research that went into exactly what clothes would be worn, the car, =
the texture of the cinematography, and the minute attention to propping =
that the production designer did was outstanding. But mostly the episode =
hung on the shoulders of Bruce Young, who did such an amazing =
performance that he was nominated for a Gemini award for Best Actor - =
the Canadian equivalent of the Emmys.
Then BP finished: "Oh, and he really did break some of those bottles =
himself."
EPISODE: In the opening we see a macho looking black man in a long dark =
duster walking through a seedy part of town with a young sidekick. He =
spots a few guys selling drugs in an alley, and tells the kid to go get =
them a car to get away in, and then goes and confronts the drug dealers, =
saying he doesn't want the drugs, just the money. The baddies laugh at =
his audacity, but then he proceeds to take them down and use their own =
shotgun to blow away the drugs, telling them to find another city.
In the meantime, Charlie DeSalvo and DM are in the same neighborhood, =
walking back from eating at a restaurant, and Charlie watches as the =
black guy steals, then crashes Charlies car. A chase ensues and the guy =
gets away. In the meantime, we see a flashback to early in the century =
where the same guy (Carl Robinson), along with a couple of others, are =
about to get hung by three seedy-looking white guys. DM comes tootling =
along in an old car, sees what's going on and drives across a field, =
mowing down the make-shift gallows, then cutting Carl loose in the =
chaos. It isn't clear if he 'felt' the Immortal buzz before he turned =
off the road, but he and Carl quickly introduce each other, and DM tells =
him to run.
The white guys shoot DM, and run off after their three prey, and a chase =
scene ensues with Jim Byrnes singing "Jack of Diamonds" in the =
background. Very cool song.
Anyway, the short of it is that DM saved Carl Robinson, who was killed =
while a slave a hundred or so years before, and was back in the south =
looking after some sharecroppers who he felt were treated worse than =
slaves, and so was seen as a troublemaker by the locals. Carl tells DM =
that he has visions of becoming a pro baseball player, and demonstrates =
his talent by breaking some bottles by throwing a rock. In a later =
flashback to the 1950s, Carl is playing in the Negro leagues and he and =
DM confront a racist cop who won't let Carl eat at a "Whites Only" =
diner, only to go outside and see in a newspaper that the Supreme Court =
has outlawed segregation. Carl rejoices, saying that now maybe he can =
really do something to make a difference.
The present day story is of Carl's bitterness at society and all the =
obstacles it has thrown in his path. He has gotten a college degree, but =
has given up on trying to make a difference and is just surviving day to =
day. He tries to make reparations to Charlie DeSalvo for wrecking his =
car, but he and Charlie have this macho "it's a black thing" face off =
which has DM rolling his eyes in the background. There is a sub-plot =
about a racist cop (who is also a Watcher) after Carl, and the decent =
rookie cop who eventually stops him. Throughout, DM makes a number of =
speeches about the gift Carl has been given, and that most people never =
have the opportunities to fulfill their dreams and Carl should stop =
whining and do something with his life.
At the end, Carl has made it into professional baseball, and clasps =
hands in a ritual handshake with DM as the national anthem plays and DM =
tells him he better get out there, because, "they're playing your song."
OPINION: This is a good episode, although I'm not as enamored of it as =
David Abramowitz was. The Carl Robinson character is powerfully =
portrayed by Bruce Young, and the flashbacks really did look good and =
have a nice resonance. And let's face it, Bruce Young is a fine, fine =
looking man and watching him stride along in that dark duster is enough =
to give any red-blooded woman a tingle.
My problems with the episode come primarily in the writing and plotting. =
I thought the subplot about the racist/Watcher/cop was lame and didn't =
hang together well, and the guy they got to play the part had all the =
screen presence of my house slippers. Charlie DeSalvo was also kind of =
annoying (they write him that way) in being utterly, unremittingly =
belligerent towards Carl (who admittedly had stolen his car and was =
bigger and blacker and obviously meaner than Charlie). I was amused by =
the eye rolling and sighing done by DM as the two big guys went =
chest-to-chest in an "I'm blacker than you" contest, although DM ended =
up sounding pretty preachy in this episode.
It is interesting that in virtually all these 2nd season episodes so =
far, the Watchers are not at all benign witnesses to Immortal lives. =
They are the bad guys, weirdos and nutcases out to kill Immortals just =
because they don't think they "deserve" the gift of Immortality. In this =
case, the Watcher was a racist, so as a Black Immortal, Carl had two =
strikes against him.
As for character revelation and development, the most interesting aspect =
of it was to watch DM face off with a man who was larger and clearly =
more physically powerful than himself. He was not the slightest bit =
intimidated, and I thought that was well done and well played, since =
that is what would come of being 400 years old and very, very secure in =
your ability to defend yourself physically and intellectually under any =
circumstance.
The other important "message" of the episode is one that is a sub-theme =
of everything to do with DMotCM, that he believes that Immortality is a =
privilege and a gift and that Immortals have an obligation to use it for =
a good purpose.
MacGeorge
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End of HIGHLA-L Digest - 1 Feb 2004 to 2 Feb 2004 (#2004-23)
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