HIGHLA-L Digest - 26 May 2004 to 29 May 2004 - Special issue (#2004-96)
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Sat, 29 May 2004 21:08:49 -0400
There are 7 messages totalling 939 lines in this issue.
Topics in this special issue:
1. Season Three dvds: Finale I
2. PEACE News (5)
3. Seasons Three dvds: Finale II
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Fri, 28 May 2004 22:00:56 -0400
From: kageorge <kageorge@erols.com>
Subject: Season Three dvds: Finale I
COMMENTARY: Gillian Horvath tells us that this episode replaced an episode
already in development titled "Dilemma", in which Methos returned and was
killed. When they saw the dailies from "Methos" and saw the chemistry
between Peter Wingfield and Adrian Paul, and how well the character was
working out, they decided they didn't really want to kill him. In a way,
she says, it was a shame because the "Dilemma" story was really interesting,
where Kalas kills Methos and starts taking on some of Methos' personality,
and Duncan ends up being torn between killing his worst enemy and preserving
some essence of his newest friend. But in the long run, not killing Methos
worked out for the best.
The titles of the last two season episodes make them sound like a
two-parter, but they were really the last two in a five-part series that
began with "Star-Crossed" and "Methos". Donna Lettow says there is really
only so long you can have a recurring bad guy without your hero starting to
look stupid for not being able to get rid of him. So, they put Kalas on the
shelf for a few episodes and locked him away in prison.
David Tynan talks about the further development of the relationship between
Amanda and MacLeod. She had always been a hedonist, a fairly selfish
character who liked pleasure for its own sake, "liked MacLeod, well, for a
number of reasons," he says with a smile. In this case, for the first time
in the series, she tried to do something totally unselfish, to get rid of an
enemy of MacLeod's. "Of course, Amanda being Amanda, she didn't take
everything into account, Kalas gets out of prison," and she triggers a
series of events that puts MacLeod, all the Immortals and all the Watchers
at risk.
Gillian talks about Nino, Kalas' wild-eyed prison buddy, saying they got
really lucky in the casting of that part, that every time he was on screen,
it "adds a little zip to it," without it becoming farcical. She notes that
part of the pleasure of the episode is that all the major cast members were
in it together, that it added a lot emotionally, and added some humor.
David T. says that as Joe is going to "step out of character" and kill Don
Saltzer's wife, MacLeod takes the bullet and the wife makes it into the
newspaper office, leaving the ending open to the possibility that the
Immortals and Watchers' existence will be revealed to the world, and the
series "as we know it could change utterly." It gave them a great
cliff-hanger, and it was appropriate because that's the sort of thing
MacLeod would do, even if killing Christine Saltzer would keep his, and all
his fellow Immortals' anonymity safe.
Adrian Paul tells us the reason MacLeod takes a bullet is to save his friend
the guilt of having taking someone else's life in cold blood, of being
judge, jury and executioner. "What's the greatest thing a hero can do?" he
asks, then says it is to give his own life up, and that's in essence what he
's doing because he is giving up his and all other Immortals identity up,
which makes them vulnerable to being killed or dissected, among other
things.
Donna thinks it's interesting that Joe didn't really understand why Duncan
did what he did, he thought he was just trying to save Christine. But it
was Joe who Duncan was saving.
OUTTAKES: Gillian tells us that, in deference to some concerns about
showing violence, the scene where Amanda gets knocked aside by a fleeing bad
guy was changed. In the alternate version, which we see in an outtake,
instead of knocking her down, he shoots her. Duncan chases after the guy,
then comes back in and, looking slightly annoyed with the whole business,
picks Amanda up, throws her over his shoulder in a fireman's carry and walks
out. She revives as he reaches the stairs and Amanda complains about the
destruction of her blouse.
There is a long reaction shot of Methos studying the chess pieces as Joe and
Methos explain why they came to see Duncan, and Duncan tells them Kalas is
out of prison. Then PW adds a line about "I leave you for five minutes."
and they all laugh.
There is a cut seen shown, where Duncan and Methos are talking about whether
Amanda might still be alive, then Duncan picks up the phone (there's no
ring, that was added in later), and the call is for Joe. It's obviously
from another Watcher, who has spotted Christine ready to go into the
newspaper office. Joe says he's going alone, that it's his responsibility,
and he's going to stop her, then Methos and Duncan looked at each other with
concerned expressions. The last part of that scene was deleted, which is a
shame since it would have set up the final scene a little better.
THE EPISODE: Kalas has been stuck in prison for a while. Not surprisingly,
the place is full of bad people, including Nino, a crazy bastard who stabs
Kalas (exactly why is never made clear), only to see him revive again, and
Nino becomes Kalas devoted follower. Months later, with some anonymous
outside help, Kalas and Nino break out of jail, killing two guards in the
process, only to find out that it is Amanda who has been their helper, and
did so just so she could whack Kalas as a favor for MacLeod ("Let's just say
I owe him."). Unfortunately, she didn't factor in Nino, who stabs her, and
Nino and Kalas get away.
Amanda surprises MacLeod on the barge, bringing a gourmet dinner and
overcoming his initial suspicions about her motives with amorous advances.
After a wonderful dinner, Mac still is suspicious about what Amanda is
really after. "Just to make you happy," she smiles uncertainly.
"Why?" Mac asks, getting more suspicious by the minute.
Amanda bites her lip, ducks her head and says, "So you won't kill me when I
tell you what happened." Then she tells him about breaking Kalas out of
prison.
In the meantime, Kalas and Nino kill a man and steal his clothes, his money
and his car.
Then Kalas and Nino drive all around Paris until Kalas feels another
Immortal, and instructs Nino to run him down with the car. He then takes
the guy's sword and beheads him with it. Nino watches the Quickening with a
wild kind of glee, and Kalas gasps rapturously at the end. "It's been so
long!"
Back at the barge, Duncan is obviously controlling his anger with an effort,
staying preternaturally calm, except for the tap, tap, tap of his fork on
his wine glass. Amanda insists she was trying to do him a favor, that she's
sorry about the two guards, that it wasn't supposed to happen.
"Nothing's ever *supposed* to happen. You should've left it alone!" But
Amanda tells him that he had come through for her so many times, and she
thought now it was her turn to do the same. The fork slams down, the glass
breaks and Duncan is on his feet in a heartbeat. "Do to what? Die for me?"
he asks harshly. "You stay away from him." His voice rises to a shout.
"You can't fight for me and I won't allow you to die for me. Do You
Understand?" he bellows.
Amanda looks stricken, and she walks out. Duncan sits and we get a
flashback to Algiers, in 1653, where a very young, naive, prideful Duncan is
tagging along with an older Immortal, an easygoing, philosophical Hamza al
Kahir. Kahir is challenged by Xavier St. Cloud, who ignores Duncan as a
youngster hardly worth his time ("I don't sleep with virgins and I don't
kill children.") Duncan is insulted and ready to fight, but Hamza insists
it is not Duncan's concern. A time and place is set, but Hamza plans to
leave, knowing he cannot defeat St. Cloud. Duncan is appalled that Hamza is
running, and insists on staying. At the appointed hour, Duncan goes to meet
the challenge, all full of himself as Xavier coolly makes fun of him. Hamza
arrives, taking the challenge.
When Duncan asks Hamza why, Hamza answers, "Because I cannot allow a friend
to die in my place," and gives him his ornate pocket watch, asking him to
remember him. Hamza has no chance against St. Cloud and Duncan watches him
die, learning in the process just what a fool he had been.
Back at the barge, Duncan is holding Hamza's watch when he gets a surprise
visit from Joe and Methos. They are in Paris because Methos called Joe,
alluding to some mysterious Watcher business. Duncan says he's got his own
problems, and tells them about Kalas busting out of prison.
Kalas has found some underground rooms in the basement of an old stone
building. He's set up a computer there, and Nino brings him some thugs who
Kalas sends off to spy on MacLeod, to find out who his friends are,
especially Amanda.
Kalas shows up at the restaurant where Maurice works, and there is an
amusing scene where he tries to order wine from the wine list, only to find
everything he wants is out of stock. Duncan arrives, surprised and a little
relieved to find Kalas there, but Kalas prevents an immediate challenge by
threatening Maurice.
Methos and Joe go to visit Christine Salzter, trying to sooth her bitterness
about Don's death, but she is full of anger and resentment over the
Watchers, and especially about Kalas' escape, an Immortal who will live
forever, who killed her husband, "And all you do is watch!"
Methos, in the guise of Adam Pierson tries to explain about the history they
record, but Christine will have none of it, saying she is going to tell the
world about Watchers and Immortals. "Adam's" effort to prove that all
Immortals are like Kalas by cutting himself and letting her watch him heal
only makes things worse.
One of Kala's henchmen is listening as Joe berates Methos for what he did.
"I wasn't thinking, I was improvising!" Methos answers. "Gimme a break!
What do you expect? Einstein? Freud? Buddha? Sorry Joe, I'm just a guy."
But Methos isn't terribly concerned because he doesn't think Christine's
fantastic story of people who live forever will be believed. As a
precaution, Joe follows her, and finds her in Shakespeare and Company, where
she has found a backup disk with the Watcher database on it hidden in a
picture frame with a photo of Salzter and Adam. Joe begs her to give it to
him, but she tells him to go to hell.
Kalas, however, also knows Christine is headed to the newspapers, breaking
the neck of the thug who had overheard the discussion about Immortals.
"Nino, fetch me another. This one's broken."
MacLeod goes looking for the bartender at the Nosferatu, the club Kalas had
owned before he went to prison and runs into an Immortal, almost taking
Amanda's head when he thinks it is Kalas. The two of them snipe at each
other and Amanda insists on helping MacLeod go after Kalas. "Urrr, you're
irritating!" Duncan growls.
Amanda breaks into the bartender's flat, finding him dead. The killer (one
of Kalas' thugs) tries to slip by them and MacLeod chases him, catching him
at the top of the stairs. They both fall, the gun goes off and the guy ends
up dead. The next morning, after they've been looking all night and are
still sniping at each other, they spot Kalas' thugs following them. Duncan
tries to stop Amanda from splitting up, but she runs off. Duncan bashes one
of them, Amanda chases another, but gets cornered by two more and after a
brief battle she almost wins, they stick her with a needle and take her,
passing MacLeod on the way, making sure he sees that she's their captive.
In the meantime (there's always a meantime, isn't there?) Joe and Methos are
headed to the barge, while Joe is reaming Methos a new one for having not
found and destroyed Saltzer's backup copy to the Watcher cd database they
had crafted. They reach the barge, where Mac tells them Kalas has Amanda.
In turn, they deliver more bad news, telling him about Christine's plan to
tell the world about Immortals.
In another meantime, Amanda is in Kalas' basement, tied up. She asks why
Kalas is after MacLeod, and he tells her MacLeod destroyed his voice and he
plans to destroy everything he loves. Amanda smoothly tells him that Mac
doesn't love her, and tries to seduce Kalas, but he's not interested. A
minion comes in to deliver a message and Kalas leaves her with them. Of
course, it doesn't take long for her to get free of her leg bonds, beguile
them and beat the crap out of them, and escape, even with her hands still
tied.
Christine Saltzer is waiting for her appointment with the newspaper editor
on a bench outside the building. Joe sits with her and again tries to talk
her out of it, then begs her, showing her he has a gun. He tells her he can
't let it happen, he doesn't have any choice.
"Neither do I," she answers grimly, and turns to walk into the building.
Joe begs her again, drawing the gun, and Duncan and Methos arrive. "Joe,
don't do this!" Duncan insists, but Joe fires as Duncan steps into the path
of the bullet, and is shot in the back as Christine goes into the building.
Methos helps a slow-moving Duncan to his feet, observing, "Well, life as we
know it is over."
"Do you know what you just allowed to happen?" Joe asks Duncan angrily.
"Yes," Duncan sighs.
"Why?" Joe asks. "MacLeod, why did you save her?"
Duncan just gives Joe a long look and walks away.
"He didn't save her," Methos tells Joe softly. "He saved you."
MY COMMENTS: This was a strong episode for many of the reasons Gillian and
Donna talked about. Duncan, Methos, Amanda and Joe all explore their
relationships in moments of high drama as well as gentle humor. The scene
where Amanda tells Duncan about breaking Kalas out of prison is beautifully
played by both of them (I love it when Duncan is trying so hard to be calm,
then totally loses it because Amanda has obviously hit a hot button); the
flashback shows a callow, boastful Duncan learning a hard and painful
lesson; the interaction between Joe and Methos is a joy to watch; Amanda's
impetuosity combined with Duncan's begrudging, sometimes
resentful-but-still-affectionate tolerance of her is very entertaining; and
the final cliff-hanging scene was both dramatic and poignant.
And Kalas, for all that he is a pretty one-dimensional villain, was played
with sublime, oily arrogance and a real charisma in this episode, some of
which was missing in his earlier appearances.
But possibly my favorite moment is one where we see one of those unique and
compelling Methos "looks" - like the one when he first acknowledges who he
is when Duncan calls him by his real name. It is when he comes onto the
barge behind Joe, when Duncan isn't sure who it is. It is a look full of
knowing humor, one that acknowledges the presence of another Immortal he is
unusually glad to see, since one gets the impression that Methos is not
normally happy to see *any* other Immortal. It is a look where we see there
there is so much going on behind the eyes, that it is possible to believe
that this man has lived a long, long, eventful life.
Is this the end of life as the Immortals and Watchers currently know it?
Will Kalas kill any more people Duncan cares about? Holy database, Batman,
what are they going to do???
Great drama, excellent acting and fun storytelling.
MacGeorge
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 29 May 2004 11:41:08 -0700
From: "R. Shelton" <rshelton2@earthlink.net>
Subject: PEACE News
I don't think I've seen this posted yet, but I'm usually way behind
on my email, so if it has been forgive the duplicate post.
I'm sorry to see this happen, but as someone who worked very, VERY
hard for PEACE giving up my free time at too many cons, only to be
treated terribly by the original/early staff, I'm not surprised.
Rachel
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A Letter From Adrian (printed in the May issue (41) of PEACE Worldwide).
Dear PEACE Members,
As many of you know, this is the 10th anniversary of PEACE-APFC.
Over the years there have been several changes; I think you will
agree most of them have made this club interesting and better run
than others. I appreciate how many of you have read the newsletter
and supported me in projects I have undertaken. And it has also given
me great pride to see many of you form life-long friendships with
acquaintances you met through this fan club.
However, the fan club has been running a financial deficit for
several years -- one that I can no longer support. So, sadly, I have
to announce the discontinuation of the newsletter in "hard copy"
format. I had intended to fold the entire club, but members of my
staff persuaded me to only cut the newsletter, which has caused a
large part of the deficit. I know this will sadden some of you to not
physically receive a newsletter, but in order to keep expenses in
line and the fan club open, we will be changing to an online format.
Fan club members ONLY will be able to access the new newsletter on my
web site, www.adrianpaul.net. Each quarter you will be e-mailed a
password which will allow you to view the newsletter for a limited
time. This means you don't have to wait for the mail to receive your
issue; you will literally get it hot off the presses.
We also want to continue our tradition of fan appreciation, so we
will randomly select 15 current fan club members each quarter to
receive special items autographed by me. When you visit the web site
for your newsletter, you will see the names of that quarter's winners.
Everything else regarding the fan club will remain the same. The club
will stay in operation through Mail Mann/Celebrity Merchandise; you
can still contact them should you need any information.
I want to thank the entire PEACE staff, past and present, for your
hard work and dedication. Thanks, too, to those of you who
participated in PEACE Worldwide. Without you, this newsletter would
not have had such great content nor been run in such a professional,
classy manner. Finally, thank you to all of you who have remained
loyal to PEACE. I hope that you agree it has been a great ten years
and that you will support us with this new format.
--
Rachel A. Shelton
rshelton2@earthlink.net
@}->->->-
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 29 May 2004 22:08:38 +0200
From: T'Mar <tmar@sifl.iid.co.za>
Subject: Re: PEACE News
Rachel wrote:
>I'm sorry to see this happen, but as someone who worked very, VERY
>hard for PEACE giving up my free time at too many cons, only to be
>treated terribly by the original/early staff, I'm not surprised.
I've had a rather dim view of, as you put it, "the original/early staff",
because back in the '90s when I used to do Highlander as a theme in my
classes (the kids watched it, and could recognize the actors, knew how
the HL universe was structured, etc), I got a bright idea that having
the kids write fan letters to Adrian Paul would be a good way to get
them to practice their letter-writing skills. They then asked if I
"would really send them". So I agreed to do that.
I emailed the main person at PEACE and explained that I'd gotten the
kids to do these letters, and even though I was not a member, would
she ask Adrian if he could send back an autographed photo or *something*
so that these kids could have acknowledgement of having written the
letters. I boxed up about 100 letters, spent $$ of my own money mailing
them, and of course never heard a thing ever again.
I'm not bitter because I wanted anything - I didn't. I don't write fan
letters myself, and if I had, I wouldn't have expected a reply. But
the person had *told me that she would make sure the kids were
acknowledged*. I checked with the post office, and the letters did
get there, so what's the excuse? I had to put up with questions from
the kids for the rest of that year *and* the year after before they
went to high school asking me, "When is Adrian Paul going to send us
an answer?" I just took to saying, "I don't know."
I kind of take a dim view of fan clubs in general. Most of the time they're
really only for the person running it and some of their cronies who want
an 'in' with a celebrity. The other people who join are only there to
prove to said celebrity that the people running the club aren't stalkers.
All the others receive are whatever sops the people running it are willing
to hand out.
And people wondered why I didn't volunteer to run Stan's fan club, or
join up the minute he got one. Now they know.
I'm not trying to be provocative, just stating my opinions regarding
the matter. However, if you choose to take anything as a personal affront
or whatever, have at it. I know where my delete key is.
- Marina.
\\ "Good girls go to heaven. ||>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> //
// Bad girls go to Smallville." || R I C H I E >> \\
\\ - 'Sorority Boys' wallpaper ||>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> //
//=======tmar@sifl.iid.co.za========|| \\
\\=======Chief Flag Waver and Defender of Richie=======//
"What about the fact they thought we were gay?"
"Adds mystery." - Wesley and Angel; "Expecting" (Angel)
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 30 May 2004 10:09:08 +1000
From: Carmel Macpherson <tunnack@webone.com.au>
Subject: Re: PEACE News
Hi all
Marina: <<.), I got a bright idea that having the kids write fan letters to
Adrian Paul would be a good way to get them to practice their letter-writing
skills. They then asked if I "would really send them". So I agreed to do
that. I emailed the main person at PEACE and explained that I'd gotten the
kids to do these letters, and even though I was not a member, would she ask
Adrian if he could send back an autographed photo or *something so that
these kids could have acknowledgement of having written the letters. I boxed
up about 100 letters, spent $$ of my own money mailing them, and of course
never heard a thing ever again...>>
I of course have nothing to add to the above except to say that I'm sure
that if Adrian had received the letters, he would have responded. At the
recent Workshop in LA we agreed to pass to Adrian, *directly* a similar book
of letters from a teacher who had had a similar story to yours. Adrian sat
and read them cover to cover and then put them in his private satchel. I
heard from the teacher that not long after the workshop she received a
letter from Adrian for the children.
Kind regards
@ Carmel Macpherson
<<<@{}=================>>>
@ President, HLWW
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
France Tour: 2 Oct - 10 Oct 2004
HLWW6: 29 April - 1 May, 2005. Sydney.
http://www.highlanderworldwide.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-----Original Message-----
From: Highlander movies and TV series [mailto:HIGHLA-L@lists.psu.edu] On
Behalf Of T'Mar
Sent: Sunday, May 30, 2004 6:09 AM
To: HIGHLA-L@LISTS.PSU.EDU
Subject: Re: PEACE News
Rachel wrote:
>I'm sorry to see this happen, but as someone who worked very, VERY
>hard for PEACE giving up my free time at too many cons, only to be
>treated terribly by the original/early staff, I'm not surprised.
I've had a rather dim view of, as you put it, "the original/early staff",
because back in the '90s when I used to do Highlander as a theme in my
classes (the kids watched it, and could recognize the actors, knew how
the HL universe was structured, etc
I'm not bitter because I wanted anything - I didn't. I don't write fan
letters myself, and if I had, I wouldn't have expected a reply. But
the person had *told me that she would make sure the kids were
acknowledged*. I checked with the post office, and the letters did
get there, so what's the excuse? I had to put up with questions from
the kids for the rest of that year *and* the year after before they
went to high school asking me, "When is Adrian Paul going to send us
an answer?" I just took to saying, "I don't know."
I kind of take a dim view of fan clubs in general. Most of the time they're
really only for the person running it and some of their cronies who want
an 'in' with a celebrity. The other people who join are only there to
prove to said celebrity that the people running the club aren't stalkers.
All the others receive are whatever sops the people running it are willing
to hand out.
And people wondered why I didn't volunteer to run Stan's fan club, or
join up the minute he got one. Now they know.
I'm not trying to be provocative, just stating my opinions regarding
the matter. However, if you choose to take anything as a personal affront
or whatever, have at it. I know where my delete key is.
- Marina.
\\ "Good girls go to heaven. ||>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> //
// Bad girls go to Smallville." || R I C H I E >> \\
\\ - 'Sorority Boys' wallpaper ||>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> //
//=======tmar@sifl.iid.co.za========|| \\
\\=======Chief Flag Waver and Defender of Richie=======//
"What about the fact they thought we were gay?"
"Adds mystery." - Wesley and Angel; "Expecting" (Angel)
__________ NOD32 1.777 (20040528) Information __________
This message was checked by NOD32 antivirus system.
http://www.nod32.com
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 29 May 2004 17:54:49 -0700
From: Pat Lawson <plawson@webleyweb.com>
Subject: Re: PEACE News
Rachel wrote:
>I'm sorry to see this happen, but as someone who worked very, VERY
>hard for PEACE giving up my free time at too many cons, only to be
>treated terribly by the original/early staff, I'm not surprised.
I'm with you, Rachel. I'm really sorry to see it happen. Wish I could
say I was surprised, but I'm not.
So, it's $24/yr for an e-newsletter?
Pat L.
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 29 May 2004 18:03:08 -0700
From: K Swanson <swanson@telus.net>
Subject: Re: PEACE News
>
>So, it's $24/yr for an e-newsletter?
Goodness! So does he come over, turn your computer on and read it aloud to
you for that price? ;-)
I think I only belonged to Peace for one year, but enjoyed the magazine
that they put out. I thought the actual photograph stuck on the front was a
nice touch.
Way back when, I had discussions with Jim Byrnes' managment about getting
his fan club off the ground. I was disappointed that his people only
seemed to have one thing on their minds - getting money from the fans. Of
course, he is a business to them, so that's to be expected, but it wasn't
my cup of tea.
Karyn
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 29 May 2004 21:08:42 -0400
From: kageorge <kageorge@erols.com>
Subject: Seasons Three dvds: Finale II
This is the last of the Season Three commentaries, and I'm glad because that
means I can move on to Season Four, which have some of the very best
episodes of the whole series. Because I kept getting requests for copies of
or access to the commentaries, I have put the posts up on my site, and they
can be found under "Episode Commentaries", at:
http://www.wordsmiths.net/MacGeorge/
Since I started the commentaries with Season Two, I'm not sure when I'm
going to get to Season One, so that page is "under construction". Other
commentaries will be added as the posts are completed. Anyway, on to the
"finale" of the Season Three commentaries.
Finale II
COMMENTARY: David Tynan talked about the cliff-hanging aspect of the end of
Finale I, and in the discussions about starting off the next episode with a
big effect, using the Eiffel Tower was brought up, and someone said, "Well,
why don't they dance?"
Elizabeth Gracen says that scene was probably the favorite in her whole
career as Amanda. She and Adrian watched a tape of two great tango dancers,
picked the moves they liked and "worked and worked and worked on that."
David T. tells us they also wanted to do something "fun" with Amanda
(talking about the flashback), who always has a natural sense of comic
timing, and Amanda is always getting into trouble in virtually every
episode.
"Belly dancing 101!" Elizabeth says is was fun to learn from a local belly
dancer, working on it in her hotel room. "I liked my costume, I remember,"
she laughs, talking about how much taller she was than the other dancers,
pretending she knew what she was doing. Then she adds, "Pulling the arrow
out of his bum... very good stuff."
"She's very loyal to her friends," she notes, talking about Amanda's
determination to take on Kalas for MacLeod. "Had it been Joe or Richie, I'm
sure she would have done the same. Well," she adds with a laugh, "Maybe not
Richie." She says Amanda doesn't really think things through when her temper
rises. EG says the fight with Kalas wasn't her favorite fight sequence,
since she felt like with the cape she looked like "a black fairy."
F. Braun says they were the first and probably the only production company
allowed to film that kind of action sequence on the Eiffel Tower. It was
cold, it was raining and windy, they were on a metal grid surface and they
were slipping around. It was spectacular but there were a lot of
uncontrollable hazards.
David T. mentions the unspoken part of the relationship - that she and
MacLeod deeply loved each other, in spite of their fighting and bickering
and their on-again, off-again relationship. Elizabeth says that if Amanda
had her way, she and MacLeod would be together, but they would probably have
great separate vacations.
OUTTAKES: They show a *lot* of outtakes from the tango. (One thing struck me
as odd. They constantly bleep various words, but don't bleep others. In this
instance, when Adrian gets confused at the end of a phrase, laughingly
ending it with, "...and I don't know the f**king lines!" And they didn't
bleep him. (shrug)) It was raining and cold, the platform was covered with
ice, and the only railing they had was a thin wire at about waist height.
Some of the takes were done where each actor was actually dancing and
reacting straight into a camera, as thought the camera were their partner,
which is a slightly bizarre thing to watch. AP looked a lot more comfortable
doing that than EG did, but then AP has to do those extended Quickening
reactions, so any self-consciousness about such things would probably have
long since worn off.
The filming of Amanda, Joe and Methos watching the Quickening was an
interesting scene. The actors were having a hard time keeping a straight
face as they were just staring off into nothing, trying to be all serious
and concerned. Adrian later says they were all standing on boxes because
they could get the shot angle to the tower correct otherwise, and they all
looked pretty silly standing on boxes in the middle of a field.
VIDEO COMMENTARY: Adrian Paul does commentary throughout the episode, and I'
ll only capture the highlights here. He says it's one of the shows where he
can claim to be one of the few actors in the world who has done both a tango
and a sword fight on the Eiffel Tower. Adrian says there were only one or
two actors throughout the series that he didn't really get on with, "and
David Robb was one of them," he said with a laugh. He was a great actor and
brought a lot to the character, the fights they had were good, the animosity
worked well, and there was a great deal of history with the character, and
he one of the better evil guys in the entire series.
The scene where Joe and the local head watcher argue, and Joe gets punched
in the jaw, was filmed in the Rothchild's villa, that they used the location
a lot with great exterior and interiors. Adrian says that Jim Byrnes really
took that fall.
Then comes the tango. He says they had rehearsed the tango for days and
days, with the choreography designed for a straight platform, but when they
got up there, not only had the weather gotten horrible, but the platform
went off at an angle. Adrian says he started to throw a fit about it, but
then realized Entertainment Tonight cameras were there, so he just smiled
and waved. Adrian said his brother and best friend were in the episode ("And
that was another reason I didn't like David Robb," he adds. "He dissed my
brother. And you just don't diss my family. That was a no, no.")
He says he had a great time in the flashback to Constantinople, that there
were all the marvelous Turkish foods around, and he was stuffing himself. He
also had fun sitting back and letting Elizabeth do the real work of the
scene. The fight sequence in the dungeon was fun and fast, a mixture of
humor and betrayal. And pulling the arrow out of his bum, "We had *so* much
fun doing."
Adrian joked as he watched the black Watcher try to kill Kalas, chasing
after him in his car and shooting at him. "Don't you always carry an Uzi in
your car?" he asks jokingly. "I do." He spoke highly of the French stunt
men, always trying to do bigger and better stuff.
The fight was not well-rehearsed between Adrian and David Robb, who mostly
worked independently with F. Bruan (these guys must've *really* disliked
each other). It was drizzling and slippery, with the Quickening effects
added post production, since there were no actual explosions allowed on the
tower itself, or in the city scenes. All the real fireworks were done in
close, small screen shots, like a tv blowing up.
THE EPISODE: The episode opens with a long catch-up montage where we learn
about MacLeod's long history with Kalas, the death of Brother Paul and
Fitzcairn, the introduction of Methos, the death of Saltzer and Christine's
intent to reveal the existence of Immortals.
Christine tells the editor of a newspaper about Immortals. Initially he
doesn't believe her until she shows him the database, with pictures where he
can recognize a known industrialist, with Christine pointing out that he is
the same man in pictures going back to the Civil War. Eventually, Nino and
Kalas interrupt and kill both Christine and the editor. Kalas takes the disc
and finds the identity of Jacques, the head of the local Watchers.
Jacques, the local Watcher supervisor is livid when Joe and Adam go to tell
him that Saltzer's wife has their records. He reams Adam out, then turns on
Joe for not having the guts to kill Christine. Joe socks him, and he punches
Joe, knocking him down. When Methos announces he's going to the editor
himself, to answer questions and calm the hysteria, offering up 5,000 years
of history as an incentive. Joe warns him that history has already been
written, and people have been known to "kill the messenger that offers a
different version of the truth."
"Why would I tell the truth?" Methos responds with a smile.
Then there's the tango scene, where Amanda talks MacLeod onto the railing of
the Eiffel Tower. "Come on, for once in your life just lighten up and break
the damned rules!" She wants to jump off, but Duncan decides they ought to
dance instead.
FLASHBACK: To Turkey, 1753, where a sultan is wining and dining MacLeod to
try to talk him into being an advisor with regard to the practices of
western armies. He tries to entice him with dancing girls, and MacLeod is
greatly amused to discover Amanda among them (the clumsy one with the
"special skills"). She falls into his lap begging him to get her out of
there, but he says she's on her own. The sultan offers him one of the girls,
and he indicates he might be interested in Amanda, but unfortunately, the
sultan discovers some jewels missing, and Amanda is taken to the dungeons.
Amanda is about to have her hands cut off when MacLeod comes to the rescue.
There is a very funny fight scene, and they manage to escape, except that
MacLeod gets shot in the bum, and Amanda pulls out the arrow shaft as Duncan
shouts in pain.
"All that fussing over a little arrow," she muses... "What if I kiss it and
make it better?" she asks as he grouses about how he got into such messes.
"How much better?" he asks with a leer, and they kiss.
Back at the Eiffel Tower, they are kissing, then they bow to the applauding
crowd. Duncan tries to tell her he cares, hesitates, and she says for him.
"You love me," she says. "I know. You always have." Duncan and Amanda head
back to the barge, and Methos is there to let them know that the editor and
Christine were dead, and the disc was gone. Methos thinks it's Jacques, but
Duncan suspects Kalas might be involved, and wants to know more about
Jacques.
Kalas finds Jacques, who first tries to run Kalas down with his car, then
pulls out an Uzi and shoots at him, then runs him down again, finding a
conveniently placed axe in a nearby woodpile to finish the job, but Kalas
revives and kills him. A few minutes later, MacLeod drives up and confronts
Kalas. Nino tries to sneak up on him, but MacLeod breaks his arm, throwing
him at Kalas, who casually chokes Nino to death (too bad, so sad). Kalas
then tells MacLeod that he has rigged his computer to automatically send out
the disc's files to the world's news agencies if he's not there to stop it.
"Kill me, and you blow everyone's cover... Or you can lose your head and
save us all. It's for you to chose... I'll let you think about it... see
just what kind of a hero you really are."
Amanda is furious that Duncan didn't just kill Kalas, but Duncan isn't
certain what the best thing to do is. He's looking for a better way out when
Methos comes along. He and Duncan go for a walk. Methos analyses the
situation, concluding, "I can't see that he's left any doors open." Methos
urges Duncan to fight his best fight, that life is about change, that
civilizations rise and fall, but Duncan protests.
"This isn't about civilizations! This is about people! Amanda. Dawson.
Richie. Our world is not an ant farm!"
"The passion of youth," Methos sighs dramatically, and them makes a joke
about Amanda being free to date if Duncan dies.
"That's a comfort," Duncan says with a bemused look.
Amanda is waiting back at the barge, when the phone rings. It is Kalas
looking for Duncan, but Amanda says she will pass on a message about a
meeting time and place. Of course, Amanda is the one who keeps the date on
the top of a roof the next day. She's not good enough, however, and barely
manages to get away.
Duncan is furious at Amanda. "Amanda, I know you don't want to listen to
anybody, but you're going to listen to me," and Duncan grabs her. "Look at
me!" He cradles her head as she refuses to look in his eyes. "Stay out of
this," he insists. "Please." She leaves in an angry huff.
Joe is coordinating the search for Kalas among a dozen or so Watchers, who
all go still and silent when MacLeod walks in, looking at him warily. "That'
s right. It's Duncan MacLeod," Joe yells. "Anybody got a problem with this?"
Joe asks Duncan if he can beat Kalas, and the best Duncan can answer is,
"Maybe," telling Joe he better find the disc.
A Watcher finally tracks down Kalas' lair, and is calling it in when Kalas
discovers him, stabbing him to death. He picks up the Watchers phone and
tells Joe that MacLeod is to meet him that night, "Or we're all on CNN."
They don't find the disc before the deadline, though, and Duncan goes to
meet him, knowing there will be terrible consequences if he wins, or loses.
Amanda meets him on the way there (Why is it daylight during that meeting?
It was a real time discontinuity.) She gives him her crystal, for luck, and
tries to tell him she loves him, but can't quite say it. "I know," he says.
"You always have."
Then there's the fight. It's dark, it's windy and rainy, and Duncan decides
to fight his best fight, as Methos had advised. The fight is brutal, and
Methos, Joe and Amanda are watching from below. Duncan breaks Kalas' sword,
and Kalas reminds him that if Duncan kills him, he'll be finished. Duncan
says maybe it's worth it to rid the world of Kalas.
"Stay noble, MacLeod," Kalas says derisively. "It's what you're good at!"
Then urges Duncan to kill him.
As he stand,s ready to strike, lightening flashes around them. With a sudden
realization, Duncan observes, "The Eiffel Tower - the world's biggest
lightening rod!" He takes Kalas head, then during the Quickening grabs onto
the central core of the tower, reaching out, appearing to direct the power
of the Quickening outward. We see lightening crash over the city, breaking
out windows, exploding televisions and phone booths. It reaches down into
Kalas' lair, melting his computer, then the whole Eiffel Tower goes out.
As he approaches his friends, Amanda runs into his arms. "That was a big
one, wasn't it?" MacLeod sighs as Amanda clings to him.
Back at the barge, the four of them drink some toasts to lost friends, Joe
gives Duncan the melted disc, and Amanda complains that champagne makes her
sleep. Joe and Methos leave the two of them alone.
Duncan returns the crystal to Amanda, who mentions that they had said some
things they had never said before to each other. "You want me to take them
back?" Duncan asks with a smile.
Amanda leans in. "Not tonight," she sighs, and they kiss, falling back into
the couch.
The last shot is of the bookshelves of Shakespeare and company, where we see
a cd peeking out among the book covers.
MY COMMENTS: This is a great jammed-packed, action/adventure/romance
episode. Joe gets into a fight, Methos waxes amusingly philosophical and
asks, "Why would I tell the truth?" Amanda and Duncan dance, physically and
emotionally, each edging around the notion that they really love each other,
but with neither wanting to do it in a way that creates unreasonable
expectations about the future. Duncan is tempted to self-sacrifice, but
ultimately follows Methos' advice, figuring that - as he has always said -
life has value, even his own. Kalas is a good villain, but Nino kind of
steals his scenes. The flashback is among the more memorable in the series,
with that wild, crazy fight scene generating some real chuckles. Great
production values throughout the show, with only a few serious glitches
(like Duncan and Amanda's before-the-battle scene somehow being during the
day). *All* the actors looked really good, and the ensemble worked together
extremely well to make for a very satisfying episode. Is it among my
favorites? Well, it doesn't really show us anything new about them, other
than to have Duncan and Amanda admit (sort of) what we all knew all along,
and it doesn't move the characters into new and different places than what
we have seen before, and those are the episodes that really get me excited.
But it is so much better than 99% of the television we see today, I have no
complaints.
MacGeorge
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End of HIGHLA-L Digest - 26 May 2004 to 29 May 2004 - Special issue (#2004-96)
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