HIGHLA-L Digest - 2 Mar 2004 to 3 Mar 2004 (#2004-45)
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Wed, 3 Mar 2004 22:00:03 -0500
There are 4 messages totalling 337 lines in this issue.
Topics of the day:
1. Walkabout Reports (3)
2. Season Two dvds: Prodigal Son
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Date: Wed, 3 Mar 2004 09:56:10 EST
From: Dotiran@aol.com
Subject: Walkabout Reports
I've saved all the major posts from the Holyground forum about the Walkabout
Event this past weekend in a Word document. If anyone wants a copy I'd be
happy to send it along. Just email me at Dotiran@aol.com.
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Date: Wed, 3 Mar 2004 10:26:52 -0500
From: kageorge <kageorge@erols.com>
Subject: Re: Walkabout Reports
I'd love to have a copy.
MacGeorge
----- Original Message -----
From: <Dotiran@aol.com>
To: <HIGHLA-L@LISTS.PSU.EDU>
Sent: Wednesday, March 03, 2004 9:56 AM
Subject: [HL] Walkabout Reports
> I've saved all the major posts from the Holyground forum about the
Walkabout
> Event this past weekend in a Word document. If anyone wants a copy I'd be
> happy to send it along. Just email me at Dotiran@aol.com.
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 3 Mar 2004 11:27:18 -0500
From: kageorge <kageorge@erols.com>
Subject: Re: Walkabout Reports
Oops. Apologies. That should have been offlist.
MacG
----- Original Message -----
From: "kageorge" <kageorge@EROLS.COM>
To: <HIGHLA-L@LISTS.PSU.EDU>
Sent: Wednesday, March 03, 2004 10:26 AM
Subject: Re: [HL] Walkabout Reports
> I'd love to have a copy.
>
> MacGeorge
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: <Dotiran@aol.com>
> To: <HIGHLA-L@LISTS.PSU.EDU>
> Sent: Wednesday, March 03, 2004 9:56 AM
> Subject: [HL] Walkabout Reports
>
>
> > I've saved all the major posts from the Holyground forum about the
> Walkabout
> > Event this past weekend in a Word document. If anyone wants a copy I'd
be
> > happy to send it along. Just email me at Dotiran@aol.com.
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 3 Mar 2004 18:25:20 -0500
From: kageorge <kageorge@erols.com>
Subject: Season Two dvds: Prodigal Son
COMMENTARY: Bill Panzer says that Richie has been gone for a few months, and
now he's a little more experienced, gotten a little more of an attitude,
taken a couple of heads, but he's still glad to see MacLeod. One of the
interesting things about immortality is that events repeat themselves, but
these characters are still alive, giving rise to a parallel story. MacLeod
was being used by Hyde to track Connor, and Richie is being used hundreds of
years later to track Duncan. One of BP's favorite shots in all of HL is at
the end of this episode, when Richie and Duncan sit on the steps, drinking a
bottle of impossibly old cognac, bonding together, now closer to each other
as Richie has grown up a little bit.
Dennis Barry, BP reports, is very fond of not turning off the camera. So
they finished the scene, and he left the camera on. SK and AP stayed in
character, and finally the two of them looked at each other, laughed, and it
is one of the nicest and totally unscripted moments in Highlander.
OUTTAKE: There are several clips shown. The first is the camera on Duncan as
he first confronts Hyde under the bridge by the barge. It answers the
question where he stores his katana when he's only wearing a sport coat. As
Hyde circles around him, a prop guy moves in and the handoff between him and
AP is as smooth as a 400-relay runner. Poof, he's got the sword.
The second clip is of the flashback, when we see Duncan in full kilt and
baldrick and a long, thick wig. Gillian Horvath says that the scene is
classic Dennis Barry, complete with lots of fog machines, and we hear AP
saying, "Well now we can't see anything, Dennis!" Then we see AP kneeling in
the grass, and he asks Dennis Barry several times whether he wants him to
"fall into it" (ie., the shot when he gets thrown to the ground, and it
sounds a little like he knows more about what the scene is supposed to be
than the director does). Finally he does fall, there's a fight scene with
Hyde, who throws him to the ground. AP rolls onto his back, laughing,
spitting out dirt and leaves, because all the leaves and muck have stuck
into the wig, partially pulling it off. Another bit shown is Hyde holding
Duncan with his sword at his throat, with Duncan telling him to go ahead and
kill him, that he'd rather die than give up Connor to him. Hyde throws him
down and kicks him, saying he's not worth the trouble. Again AP starts to
get up... and his wig falls off (again). As he rolls over we also get a full
view of what AP wears under the kilt.
Finally, there is a clip of Duncan and Richie talking on the barge, when
Duncan gives him the bottle of cognac and tells him to meet him at the
bridge after his fight with Hyde and they will drink it together. Right in
the middle of the scene, a tourist boat goes by, complete with bright lights
and loudspeakers pointing out the Highlander film crew and tourists yelling
hello at them. Somehow, AP and SK manage to stay in character and finish the
scene. After the director finally yells "Cut!", you hear Adrian say with a
growl, "Great boat!"
EPISODE: The episode opens with Richie on a motorcycle pulling into a gas
station, looking like hell. He goes into the convenience store for some
coffee, and the lady behind the counter is very kind to him. He feels an
Immortal nearby and goes and grabs his sword, looking for whoever it is.
Then he finds the gas station owner killed with a sword, saying, "Oh, no,
not again!" The lady comes out screaming that Richie killed him, and he
runs, and we see a black Porsche follow. The barge is parked back by Notre
Dam and Maurice is making himself annoying by critiquing MacLeod's polishing
the barge's fixtures. Richie shows up, and the atmosphere between he and Mac
is a little tense, with Richie looking like he's not certain of his welcome.
They go inside and Richie talks about where he went and what he did after he
left Mac. Everything went well until he went to Spain, and he started being
stalked by another Immortal, who was killing people with a sword and framing
him for the crime.
Mac looks contemplative as Richie tells the story, especially when Richie
says that the only think he could think of to do was to come to Mac. "And he
followed you and killed again?" he asks.
FLASHBACK: We see young, long-tressed, barbarian Duncan in the woods. He
finds a body with a piece of MacLeod tartan clutched in his hand, and
murmurs, "Not again!" He rides off, stopping peasants and asking them if
they've seen Connor MacLeod, but then he feels another Immortal who calls
out, "Have you found him yet?"
It is Martin Hyde (also wearing a long (bad) wig), who is looking for Connor
MacLeod. They fight and Hyde knocks Duncan off his horse, saying, "You're
nobody!" He disarms and easily defeats Duncan, and when Duncan tells him
he'd rather die than give up Connor, Hyde just throws him to the ground,
saying he might be worth fighting, "in a century or two."
Back in the present, Hyde (minus the wig) confronts Maurice, getting the
information out of him about who owns the barge and that Richie is there,
then Hyde calls the police with an anonymous tip.
Mac says there's no way Richie could have known that he was doing just as
Hyde wanted, and tells Richie he should sleep while Mac keeps watch. "Just
because a relationship changes doesn't mean it ends. Even the best of
friends don't always have to agree on everything. When you're in Paris you
can stay with me." After a few awkward words and pauses, Mac says, "I know.
I missed you, too...tough guy," and they laugh and shake hands then hug.
Just then the police show up and Richie dashes out, but he's stopped, almost
crashing the bike.
SIDEBAR: This is a nice moment between Duncan and Richie, and they both seem
genuinely relieved that the old tension between them is resolved. But the
whole thing about the arrest was an ugly plothole. They rush up, grab
Richie, take his sword and put the sword in the same seat they've got Richie
in, and drive away, tires squealing, as Mac stands on the barge and watches.
Horrible police procedure and dumb not to at least leave someone behind to
question the man on the barge where Richie had just come running from. I
hate when they make stupid, obvious errors like that, especially on the
heels of an important emotional denouement.]
Richie is identified by the woman at the gas station in a line up and booked
for murder. Duncan goes to see the lady inspector who arrested him and tries
to convince her that Richie didn't do it, but she's a real hard ass. He
visits Richie in jail, but of course they can't tell the police what's
really going on. Back at the barge, Mac sees Hyde in the fog by the river
and follows him. They face off, and Hyde talks about how he loves the feel
of killing a seasoned Immortal. Mac tells he'll fight him after he's helped
him get his friend out of jail, but Hyde doesn't want to wait. They fight,
but Mac (cleverly) escapes.
Mac goes back to visit Richie, telling him he had met with Hyde. "So he's
dead, right?" Richie asks. "Wrong," Mac replies. "I ran." [SIDEBAR: Duncan
is clearly really bothered by the fact that he ran, no matter the cause.
Sensitive!Richie then makes fun of him, which doesn't help much.] But Mac
tells him that Hyde is his only alibi. If Mac kills Hyde (which he isn't
sure he can), then he won't be able to prove Richie is innocent.
Mac goes looking for Hyde after telling the Inspector he'll be calling her,
and bribes the front desk man at an exclusive Gun and Hunt Club to give Hyde
a message which establishes a meeting time on a rooftop. Duncan calls the
Inspector, then meets Hyde. Hyde draws his sword, but Duncan isn't carrying
one. The Inspector arrives, Hyde deliberately swings at MacLeod so they will
shoot him, and Hyde falls off the roof.
They find traces of the victims' blood on Hyde's sword, and Richie is
cleared and released. Then (sooprise, sooprise) Hyde rises from the dead,
takes back his sword, knocks out the coroner and disappears.
Richie and Mac are back at the barge, with Richie insisting that the fight
with Hyde is his, but Mac says that his debt with Hyde goes much further
back.
FLASHBACK: In a church, dressed in 18th Century dress, Mac is grieving after
a funeral, being comforted by an elegantly dressed man who looks to be in
his late forties (Segur). Mac says he thought he was ready, but, "I was
there when he was born, I held him in my arms. I watched him become a man,
and then a father. And then today I buried a man who was old and gray!" He
is distraught at the thought of constantly leaving behind friends and
lovers.
Segur says, "We are Immortal. Their loss is the price we pay."
"But is it worth it?" Duncan asks.
They walk outside, and Segur talks about the wisdom and knowledge gained,
the experiences, and offers to share a bottle of "the finest cognac in all
of France."
Just then Hyde comes along, still making fun of Duncan's lack of "seasoning"
as an Immortal. Segur smiles and says it must be him Hyde is after, but
Duncan objects, wanting to fight Hyde himself. Segur tells Duncan he has
much to learn. He gives him the cognac, and says he will meet him one hour
on the "steps by the bridge," and drink the bottle together. But of course
Segur never shows.
Back at the barge, Mac gives Richie the same bottle, telling Richie to meet
him by the bridge in one hour and they'll drink it together. Richie asks
what to do if Mac doesn't come back, but Mac tells him if he wants to go
after Hyde, its his decision, just to make sure he's ready.
Duncan goes to Hyde's spacious rooms, filled with mounted animals and such.
The fight is brutal, and most of the time Hyde is arrogantly certain he will
win, getting in some solid strikes. At some point they move out of doors,
and Hyde knocks Duncan down some long stairs, saying, "So much for your
reputation, MacLeod." He kicks him further down the stairs, saying, "You're
still nothing!"
Duncan struggles to retrieve his blade and they move further down, but
Duncan finally stabs him deep in the belly. "See you in hell," Duncan gasps,
and beheads him. The Q mist rolls up and over him first before we see much
in the way of lightening, then we get lots and lots of lightening and
fireworks all around.
It is dawn, and Richie and Mac are sitting on the steps by the bridge.
Richie drinks, gasping that the cognac is really strong. Mac comments that
the bottle was a lot younger when Segur gave it to him. "After all that
time, it seems a shame to drink it now," Richie says.
"Well, I wanted to drink it with a friend," Duncan says. "Didn't want to
wait another 250 years.
They talk for a minute, Richie takes a drink and winces, turns and looks at
Mac who is watching him with amusement, then they both break into laughter.
OBSERVATIONS: This episode was about two things, really - the
re-establishment of a new and slightly different relationship between Duncan
and Richie, and a view into Duncan's past, how he is in some ways different
and in some ways the same as he was so long ago.
Richie goes to Mac, even though he isn't sure of his welcome, because he is
the strongest person Richie knows, someone who has the experience and wisdom
to deal with the chaos that Richie's life has become. In his heart, he knows
that he can always rely on Mac, even though they did not part on comfortable
terms after Richie killed Mako over Mac's strenuous objections.
And of course Richie is right. Duncan would never turn away a friend in
need, especially a student who had come to him for help. The feeling between
them is that each wanted that sense of friendship back, but wasn't sure if
the other was willing or ready. At the very first opportunity, within
minutes of Richie showing up at his door, Mac was offering him a place to
stay, and they had hugged, both of them looking very relieved.
But it wasn't exactly the same relationship. Duncan didn't try to dictate to
Richie what to do, didn't lecture him, just advised him. And Richie didn't
want to rely on Mac, and his first reaction when the police showed up was
not to turn to MacLeod and ask him what to do. Instead he made up his own
mind, and ran. In this case, it didn't work and Mac would probably have
advised against it, but rather than try to stop him, MacLeod just watched.
As for Mac and his own past, this episode shows a brash, young Duncan, full
of himself and his "manhood", all of which gets humiliatingly stripped away
by a vastly superior fighter who mocks him and taunts him with his own
failings. Interestingly, Duncan still clings to his bravado, refusing to
lead Hyde to Connor, offering up his own head, instead. Methos would have
told him he was a fool, that Connor could take care of himself and it wasn't
up to Duncan to "protect" him, nor would Connor thank him for giving up his
life for such a cause, but I don't think that is a lesson that would ever be
heard, even today. Duncan considers it his role in life to stand between the
people he cares about and anything that threatens them, even when they don't
need or want him to.
We see him under a similar circumstance later, with Harrish Clay and Graham
Ashe, but by that time Duncan was a little more cautious, a little more
aware of his own limitations. Still, the notion of running from a fight
remains an anathema to Duncan. We see it in his conversation with Richie,
where he admits, "I ran!" in disgust at himself, even though it was the
right thing to do. You can take the boy out of the Clan, but you can't take
the Clan out of the boy, and his notions of honor and standing and fighting
when challenged are embedded in his very soul. So he is very different -
wiser, more cautious, and chooses sometimes to act against his own instincts
when experience and logic dictate that choice. But he is also very much the
same - still brash, still stuffed to the gills with a sense of purpose and
honor, still convinced that he has the duty to stand guard.
Did I like this episode? I liked many parts of it. I liked Hyde's character,
and the notion that there are Immortals out there who just really like to
hunt and get a thrill out of it. I liked the relationship bits with Richie
and Duncan, and the flashbacks. I didn't care for the police Inspector, who
seemed like she was working way too hard to be Miss Snippy and Suspicious.
Her character (or lack thereof) was typical of all the plot-advancement
scenes, which I didn't care for. They seemed without grace or style, merely
bits of dialogue whose only impact was to make the sure the audience "got"
the plot bits. The only saving grace in those was when they used Maurice,
who managed to inject a bit of humor and real character even into the most
mundane moments.
MacGeorge
P.S. Just in case you're a wee bit curious about what AP wears under that
kilt, you can take a look at:
http://www.wordsmiths.net/MacGeorge/pictures/under_the_kilt.jpg
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End of HIGHLA-L Digest - 2 Mar 2004 to 3 Mar 2004 (#2004-45)
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