Highlander: There Can Be Only One!

Since they are supposedly planning to reboot this series, I thought another look would be worthwhile.

Original Movie:
Mostly good. Sort of a sleeper/cult favorite. Christopher Lambert is a very unlikely casting for an action hero. On the other hand, casting Sean Connery as an Egyptian who has spent time in Japan and currently (in the 1500s) working for the King of Spain was a bit odd too. Lots of plot holes. The main reason to watch this movie is the sword fighting and the music by Michael Kamen and Queen.
Personally, I think the movie mix is much better than the CD release of the Queen songs.
Odd that it took so long to release Kamen's score on CD--didn't happen in the US until Highlander 3 was released, and then it was incomplete.
Movie established the tradition of a US release being shorter/editted down from non-US release: a European version. Odd, because the deleted scenes as a great deal of background information. That the girl who accuses McLeod of witchcraft was his girlfriend/squeeze, that the secretary was a girl he rescued during WWII, and an extended version of the humorous duel on Boston Common. And the Kurgan plays with the priest a bit. Some of the sound effects change too--like a lion roar during the final Quickening.
Hmm... I'm going to show a woman that I'm immortal by making her stab me in the chest with a knife. She's going to be so arroused by my coming back to life that we're going to have rampant sex... Sure. That's logical.

Highlander 2: set in the distant year of 1996 (4 years after the film release of 1992--sheesh), when the ozone layer is gone, McLeod leads scientists who build a shield of satelites that project an energy barrier. 30 years later, mankind has started to devolve under the depressing atmosphere, and an elderly MacLeod is waiting to die. More immortals turn up, McLeaod kills one and is rejuvenated. He kills a second and ressurrects Ramierez. Yet more immortals show up, and Macleod teams up with a hot chick revolutionary to take down the shield because the ozone layer has repaired itself.
OK, the firest problem with this movie, beyond the plot, is the fact that there are 4 different versions: The US release, the European release, the Director's Cut, and the Renegade Version Director's cut. None of which is complete. Between the 4, the main difference is do Immortals come from an alien planet called Zeist, or from the distant future. Both versions are buggy, to say the least.
Hmmm.. We send our political prisoners back in time, with a memmory wipe, to duel it out. Or, we sent them to a primitive alien world where the people look just like us, and when only one is left, s/he can come back. Why would you allow someone who is a revolutionary the chance to build up a huge repetoir of combat experience, then come back to the world governed by a system they've already lead a revolution against? So they can do it again?
The woman who dies in the ward just before the Shield is built is supposed to be Brenda from the first movie. Supposedly, General Katana (dumb name) was a winner of a previous tournament. Oh, there's other another planet populated by humans, or another time stream???
Appearently, in the homeplace, Immortals are still reguarded as freaks???
One Queen song used, but otherwise mediocre pop music and bgm that is otherwise un-noteworthy.
Sword choreography is mostly good (except for the flying skateboards. FX are better than the original--about the only thing that is.

 

Highlander 3 The Final Dimension
Movie came out after the TV show started, and in response to all the complaints from the fans about the dumb story in H2, they wrote a new script that completely ignored H2's events. So, an excavation in Japan accidentally uncovers an immortal who was buried under rock, where he sayed "dead" until his body was in a position to heal. This newly awakened immortal has weird magic powers from killing an immortal sorceror.
This movie is essentially a talentless remake of the original. Mario Van Pebles wishes he could be as cool and talented as Clancy Brown, but he isn't even close. Another highly improbablle romance for Connor MacLeod. MacLeod's adopted son gets to take the place of Brenda from the first movie, but isn't nearly as interesting.
Loreana McKennet song is OK, but that's about all to recommend from the music.
I don't know about the different footage, but outside the US, H3 was called "The Sorceror" which makes slightly better sense.

Highlander 4: Endgame
Brings Adrian Paul as Duncan MacLeod into the movies. Really more of a continuation of the TV show that again ignores the events of H2 and H3. They tried to tie into the original by bringing back the actors who played the secretary and one of the cops from the first movie, but it didn't do very much. Connor got depressed and hid for 10-20 years in suspended animation in a Watcher facility burried in Holy Ground?
Yeah, this series really needed to stop.
Fight Choreography isn't up to much.

Highlander: The Source:
Utterly painful and stupid movie. Humanity has fallen into a post-appocolyptic dystopia again. The logic in this movie isn't. Supposedly this was Adrian Paul's pacifist/religion interferring, hence breaking his iconis sword, but not a single good decision was made by the creative team that made this movie. Mades Uwe Boll, Jerry Bruckheimer, and Michael Bay look like high-end, oscar-worthy material. Every copy of this movie should be destroyed, and the people responsible for making decisions blacklisted from the Entertainment Insustry.
Yes, It really was that bad.
No, Seriously, it was THAT BAD.

 

What are the clues, Merkurian?

And Highlander has probably the worst case of sequelitis in movie history, at least I believe so. The first movie, to me, is highly original, with an interesting story, good action and kick-butt soundtrack. I loved it.

After that... good lord but it's painful to see.

 

Don't care if HtS was on Earth or not. It was a bad, bad, bad, train wreck into an orphanage of a movie. Supposedly it was going to be a set up so that Duncan's Son would be the star of the next 2 movies. Fortunately, that plan was scrapped.

 

Now that the movie commentary (at least, my innitial comments) is out of the way, let's start looking at the TV show.
My first reaction to the idea of a Highlander TV show was "This is a Stupid, stupid, stupid idea." And the first 3 episodes are pretty bad. After that, it started to grow on me.

Major RetCon 1: This isn't voiced or explained until episode 1 of season 2, but in the TV show's universe, Connor vs Kurgan was the beginning of the Gathering, not the end.
Notes: in keeping with the tradition establised by the original movie, the Canadian/European versions of the episodes are about 5 minutes longer, just like Forever Knight. Usually this is just because US has more commercial time per hour. Sometimes what is cut is a sceen like a driving montage, sometimes a scene is a completely different take with dialog cut/added(depending on your perspective). It may not seem like much, but the different take with 2-3 lines of dialog can radically change the flow of the episode. Other times completely expendable material like driving montages or Adrian Paul performing Kata with a voice over are removed.
Flashbacks: Like Forever Knight and the original Highlander movie, almost every episode has a period-piece flashback to an earlier time when Duncan met the Guest Immortal of the Week or learned some lesson about life the hard way. Later episodes have flashbacks to earlier eps (in case we'd forgotten something)--usually annoying.

Pilot: The Gathering
Introduces Duncan MacLeod, cousin of Connor, who is 50 years younger than Connor (but still nearly 400 years old), Duncan's Girlfriend Artist Tessa, and a punk kid burglar named Richie who walks in on a Duel. Christopher Lambert shows up to play Connor MacLeod. Rules of Highlander Immortals rehashed for the TV audience. Many of the early episodes didn't have time to teach the guest stars much in the way of sword fighting choreography. As a result, they performed the fights slowly, then sped up the playback. The result is less than thrilling. Richard Moll guest stars as token evil immortal of the week.
Cut Scenes: explanation that Richie is an orphan, More on Tessa not being able to handle the fact that Duncan could be killed in a duel (she's had 15 years of him being totally safe, permanent, stable, and unchanging). Longer Flashback to the slaughtered village.
This episode and "Revenge is Sweet" were packaged together as a movie and sold on VHS.

 

Highlander there should have only been one!

First film is a classic, it shouldn't work but it does, not least because of great direction, great music (Queen at their peak) and some great performances from the 3 leads. The series was fun, the other movies a confused mess. In Highlander 2 we see McCloud bring back Ramirez from the dead using a quickening. I figure we get McCloud back in Highlander 2 by Duncan doing the same thing for him

Use it wisely my friend, don't lose your head

 

Only the original movie is canon to me, though I do like the series and - to a lesser extent - the third movie.

 

Maybe it was the commet that caused the disaster that set up Highlander:The Animated Series?

Family Tree: Richie tries to find out who his parents are/were, with makes MacLeod remember his first death and family. Essentially: most immortals are adopted orphans. woohoo.
First episode without a guest immortal of the week. MacLeod beats up some very petty criminals & gangsters.
Not really essential or important.
Deleted Scenes: Richie wandering around town with a music montage. Does not improve episode any.

Road Not Taken: Guest Immortal of the Week is a chinese monk who has been trying to research the ultimate brainwashing obedience drug. Only problem is that it kills the humans. He wants to have an army of obedient servants who will overwhelm other immortals so he can step in and collect heads. His prize student steals the drug in order to make money. They fight.
No Quickening. Short clip from the flashback is used in the opening credits for a very long time. Establishes that Duncan makes protection and non-agression pacts with other Immortals.
Moderately interesting, but not essential.
Deleted Scenes: not really noteworthy

Innocent Man: Homeless Shellshocked Vietnam vet witnessis quickening when one of Duncan's Immortal friends is killed, and the local sherrif arrests him as the killer. Richie uses his thief training again.
Guest Immortal of the Week uses a Claymoore that he can conceal in tight fitting clothing. Eventually all imprtals develop this power.
Token "be nice to the crazy homeless vets" episode.
Nor essential or important.
Deleted Scenes: More of Duncan and Richie in hicksville. Not a major change/improvement in the flow of the episode.

 

The first is great. The third is not in the same class, but definitely an acceptable sequel that I enjoy a lot. Endgame is also pretty good.

The other two ?movies? should be burned. For ever. Seriously.

 

FreeFall: First female Immortal, and she's an evil maternal canine.
Joan Jett as a guest star isn't a bad ploy. MacLeod buys a backup sword by the same master smith that made Connor's Katana.
First time Duncan trains another Immortal. Hints of Richie's future development. Richie gets some desperately needed female action.
Best line in the series so far, and from Tessa, the character I like least: (holding a blowtorch) "I may not be able to kill you (wrong), but I can give you a facial you'll never forget."
First good episode. Several important character aspects make it essential.
Deleted scenes: mostly training montage and stuff with token french immortal hunting for Joan Jett.

Bad Day in Building A: Highlander Die Hard.
Bad Irish accent instead of bad German, but pretty much a generic hostage situation. MacLeod has to tell a little girl a fairy story and has to use a trash spear because he left his sword at home. No Guest Immortal of the Week.
Expanded version has more bumbling by the police department while super-hero MacLeod takes on the terrorists.
Recurring characters of the police detective and the reporter. Reporter eventually gets openning credit mention for a few episodes before her annoying presence is removed. Detective had no where to take his dramatic arc and was eventually dropped.

Mountain Men: Survival training, wilderness lore, and bad southern peasant accents.
Marc Singer as Guest Immortal of the Week must have needed a paycheck and must have been desperate. First Immortal to use a weapon other than a sword (battleaxe). MacLeod has to rescue Tessa from some hicks who want to take her to the woods to make her their bride.
Deleted scenes don't really add anything--just more of how the park rangers are so inept compared to Super-Mac.
Not essential or important. Battle scene is used as a flashback in season 2.
Flashbacks to Duncan meeting with mad trapper immortal to learn wilderness training in exchange for combat training.

 

Sorry, Merkurian. I've seen 'The Source' too and know what a piece of crap it is.

Yeah, the first movie and the TV series weren't bad. The movie sequels... ye gods!

 

Dealy Medicine
Duncan gets hit by a car and a crazed EMT wants to discect him to figure out how he works.
No Guest Immortal of the Week.
Stupid reporter puts herself in danger.
Nothing significant or of interest in this episode.
Deleted scenes don't add anything.

Sea Witch
Girl from Richie's past drags Duncan into the drug world where an Immortal who betrayed refugees to Stalin is now a drug lord.
First time one of Richie's old girlfriends turn up to bring trouble.
Deleted scenes show more of "life on the street" and a little more of the Russian docks.
Beheading by ship's proppeller.
Tessa wishes she had children. MacLeod hates drugs. (find out more on that in season 3)
Ok episode, but not essential.

Revenge is Sweet
Wife of another Immortal thinks MacLeod killed her husband and comes after him several years later, using his sword and fighting style. Husband was using his wife as bait to draw out and weaken MacLeod so he could come back for the finish.
Not all Immortals tell their lovers about who they are.
Popular episode with fans, but over-rated.
Teamed up with The Gathering pilot for release as a VHS movie.
Deleted scenes don't really add much.
Better than average, but not essential.

 

See No Evil
Human starts immitating a serial killer that was an Immortal killed by MacLeod 80 years ago.
Richie gets to use his criminal contacts again. Tessa Does something worthwhile and plot related.
Annoying Reporter hanging around.
Nothing important or interesting about this episode.
Deleted scenes: nothing major.

Eyewitness
Tessa sees a man kill a woman on a bridge and reports it to the police, who aren't interested until the body finally surfaces. Woman had been stalking the Immortal who dumped her years ago. Guest Immortal of the Week is willing to kill Tessa in order to avoid moving on from his current job.
First time an Immortal is stalked by human lover (usually the other way arround)
Deleted scenes don't add anything important--mostly driving around montage and redundant background on the dead woman.
Not essential.

Band of Brothers
Immortal Warlord is out to kill all of his rival's diciples, including MacLeod and a pacifist activist. Introduction of Darius, ancient Immortal recluse who hides out in a church in Paris.
Last episode with annoying reporter woman and Detective. Show moves from Toronto to Paris. One of the better sword fights and most interesting villains. Nice kris/flamberge flame-blade sword. In fact, this fight points up that in a lot of the other fights, for supposedly trained martial artists, they do pass up a lot of openings and expose themselves to unnecessary risks. OK, there's dramatic license and effect, but some of the time the characters pass up blows that would take someone out of the fight (without killing the mortals) and allow them to get to the rescue a lot faster. Oh well.
Excellent quote. "Sulfer. The Chinese used it to amuse. It took a man of vision to put it to a better use. Did you ever do anything that changed the world?"
Deleted Scenes add to flashbacks and expends some of the fight and training montages.
Definately essential and pretty good.

 

For Evil's Sake
Attack of the Killer Mimes! A mime is a terrible thing to waste. OK, enough mime jokes. Immortal of the Week is an assassin who uses humor to throw people off guard. He has a small guild.
Flashbacks go to the last time they fought and show how MacLeod met Tessa. Also introduces the recurring French Detective, who was only a patrolman last time. He recognizes MacLeod, but doesn't understand how he hasn't aged.
"Haven't you ever wanted to be the Best at something? I actually have a very nice singing voice. I've killed more people than anyone else, ever. True, there have been those responsible for more deaths, but none of them have done it as personally as I."
"How many have you killed over the years? Do you know? I do. I keep a little diary with the details."
Deleted scenes expand flashback to 1970s Paris and a montage of MacLeod looking for specialty wine shops.
Good episode, introduces mildly important recurring character

For Tomorrow We Die
First Immortal to not use his own name all of the time. Sort of a twisted version of the MacLeods. Likes nerve gass. Uses mortals as aids, then kills them. Strictly in it for the money. Very mercenary. Xavier becomes one of the few Immortal villains to be in more than one episode.
Deleted scenes add more WWI scenery and montages.
Good episode. Essential to Season 2 developments. Intro of Xavier.

The Beast Below: or the Immortal Phantom Hunchback of Notre Dame Opera.
Richie's girlfriend scores tickets to the rehersal of a singing performance at the Paris Opera House.
Pretty lame episode really. Deleted scenes don't add anything important. Only noteworthy aspect was that the end fight was filmed (by special permission) on the roof of the Paris Opera House.
Not important or particularly good. Skip it.

 

Any ep with Elizabeth Gracen, Claudia Christian, Traci Scoggins, Christopher Lambert and Roger Daltrey gets mny vote. I have a strange liking for the eps where you can actually see the point of his opponents (the Nazi major who McCloud sinks to the bottom of the Seine for YEARS, the captain he maroons on a desert island, you wonder if immortality is a good thing after all?). Like the last one too, sticking it to the fenians and a very emotional look back on the series, the final montage always brings a tear to my eyes.

One thing that did disturb me was Methos being one of the 4 horsemen of the Apocalypse, kidnapping and transforming Traci Scoggins into his sex slave and she then falls in love with him. I know it's a different time but STILL!

 

Saving Grace: An excuse to use the horrible song.
Since the first fem Immortal was a (maternal Canine), the second one is the opposite--she radiates goodness and warmth and purity and it's just a pity the cameras can't capture her saintly halo. And she's a wuss who needs men to protect her. Guest Immortal of the week is a guy who thinks women are still property and hasn't learned that no means no. All villains tease Darius for being a monk on holy ground. I really hate the song "Amazing Grace"--the only way it is tollerable is when played on bagpipes (which says something in and of itself).
Deleted Scenes show a little more of the flashback eras.
Mediocre episode, not important or vital.

Lady and the Tiger
Introduces Amanda, a theif so cunning, she can steal a Quickening. Her most recent ex is mad because she set him up to go to prison as part of their last heist, and she turns to Duncan MacLeod for help. And she teases Richie with comments suggesting his future.
Deleted scenes include more flashback and a travelling montage.

Eye of the Beholder
Richie's newest girlfriend causes him to pick a fight with an Immortal. Richie doesn't back down, and Duncan has to bail him out. Guest Immortal of the Week was very well cast--one of the people I first saw this with said "He's an Immortal" after seeing the guy onscreen for 2 seconds. "The BUZZ" sound effect seems to change to me round about this episode. It's about half-way between what it started as and whet it ends up being in Series three.
Best quote: "Mac, you understand women...?"
"Occasionally."
Scenes from this episode end up in the openning credits for a long time to come.
Deleted Scenes greatly expand the flashbacks.
One of the better episodes of season 1. Not essential, but worth watching.

 

Avenging Angel
Brand new Immortal has psych problems & religion and thinks he's the reincarnation of Jack D'Morney, leading of Knights Templar. He starts trying to enforce his view on sinners (of which Paris has a few) and won't listen as MacLeod tries to explain the rules.
Many people get confused when the final fight appears to be on holy ground. It isn't. There is a plague that explains that the location is a museum of artifacts for the Knights Templar. The confusion is increased because in later seasons, a clip from this episode is used in time to "With Holy Ground his only refuge".
OK, but not great, and not essential.
Deleted scenes: I honestly don't remember seeing a difference.
We had kind of a laugh first time I saw this ep. "I'm ___, born 20 years ago in Sticksville England and I'm Immortal" didn't quite have the same ring to it as the existing voiceover.

Nowhere to Run
or Siege in the Mannor House.
Guest Immortal of the Week is a generic career military guy with nothing really to make him interesting or individual.
Even Anthony (Giles) Stewart Head can't make this episode interesting.
Deleted scenes: Nothing noteworthy. Redundant exposition mostly.
Not important or essential. Totally expendable episode. Not very good.

The Hunters
Introduces the fact that Mortals have been aware of Immortals for over 1000 years. A radical faction of the secret society that watches them has decided that the best way to protect humanity from being dominated is to start killing Immortals so that their Quickening doesn't go to another. Episode also introduces Hugh Fitzcairn, Immortal friend of Duncans. Death of Darius. Introduces James Horton, mortal leader of the Hunters and recurring villain.
Supposedly, there was going to be a big fight scene with Darius finally defending himself. Unfortunately, the actor was sick (cancer?) and died before it coudl be filmed.
Deleted Scenes: Mostly extended flashbacks of interaction between Darius and MacLeod from previous episodes.
Very Good episode, absolutely essential for watching the rest of the series.

And thus ends Season 1

 

And we begin season 2 with

The Watchers
New openning credits to indroduce the show and a couple of new main characters.
MacLeod, Tessa and Richie return to Toronto and the antique shop, while MacLeod continues to hunt for the people who killed Darius. He runs into Joe Dawson, who turns out to be his Watcher. Dawson explains the purpose of the Watchers, and he and Duncan both find out the name of the man leading the Hunters: Horton, Joe's brother-in-law.
Deleted Scenes: where to begin. There's an entire opening where Duncan picks a fight in a skinhead bar just to blow of steam. Then there's a huge montage of him trying to figure out clues Darius left with the book, and MacLeod checking out various other bookstores. In the US version, it starts with him driving up to the store Dawson work at, just out of the blue. When I watched this episode, I barely recognized any of it. It was like watching it for the first time, but having a vague idea of what was to come.
Good episode, definately essential for what's to come.

Studies in Light
Guest Immortal of the Week used to be a doctor, now he's an angry existentialist photographer. He picks on Richie and hints about his future. MacLeod meets an old girlfriend from the 40s.
Deleted Scenes: I don't remember seeing this one, so I can't comment.
Weak episode, not essential or important.

 

Turnabout
or "Forever Highlander"
Geraint Wyn Davies, star of Forever Knight is the Guest Immortal of the Week. He's the first Immortal with a mental disorder (pschitophrenia (and I can't spell today)), and the first Immortal who needs glasses. GWD looks a whole lot different without the pale make-up.
One of the more interesting episode ideas, but not quite up to the execution (no pun intended).
Deleted Scens: lots of the history/flashback. In the longer version, it's a lot more obvious what is happening sooner.
Good episode, not vital.

Somewhere about here, Quickenings start to have a fog-ghost effect added into them. Some of them get customized reactions too. An Immortal who is fixated on possensions and avarice has a magnetic quickening that binds MacLeod to an old train; an Immortal MacLeod hated gives a quickening that Duncan seems to be trying to push away; another that kept escaping him has Duncan scream "COME!" to. Some clouds become elusive, like they're trying to escape.
Duncan sure treats his sword badly. He's used it as a crutch, pushing the blade into concrete, stuck it into different types of dirt, including pure sulphur, various levels of fresh and salt water, struck it against other swords, pipes, axes, and concrete. It's seriously a wonder that even a master-crafted Katana blade could stand up to that abuse without breaking.
Also, he frequently picks up the other immortal's sword (a trophy? hiding the evidence? Both?) and sometimes the body, but never the head. Doesn't leaving the head behind rather leave a clue that someone is dead? It's not like someone lost his head, then just got up and walked away, now is it? If you're going to hide the body, you have to take the whole thing. Likewise, if you take the sword, it doesn't hide the fact that someone has been beheaded. There aren't that many weapons that can be used to cause that kind of injury. Really, you have to destroy the whole body.

Oh well. Back to the episodes.

The Darkness
A Hunter has taken to kidnapping people close to Immortals so that they are at a disadvantage when he brings them to his private combat ground. Wow, night-visoion goggles are neat. Guest Immortal of the WWeek is a generic, no-name guy whose solee job is to be a victim.
Inspite of the weakish plot, this one is a pretty good episode. Death of Tessa. First Death of Richie. Richie wakes up Immortal!
Vitaly important Episode.
Deleted scenes: I honestly don't remember.

Tessa's death is one of the best things to happen to this show. No offense to the actor, but I really, really hated her character. That Richie would become an Immortal had been hinted at since the first episode.
Even though MacLeod tells Richie to sell the T-Bird, they have it back whenever they're back filming in Toronto. ??? Same thing with he Barge in Paris. MacLeod keeps selling it, then buying it back. Seems a little silly. They do sell off the antique store however.

 

Eye for an Eye
or Richie's Training Montage. Aside from the montage, Richie's character really starts to develop past the "MacLeod Sounding Board" and "Petty Criminal" aspects.
Sheena Easton is the Guest Immortal of the Week, a violent idealist so extreme that the IRA has disavowed her.
Introduces The Dojo, and Charlie DeSalvo. Appearently someone likes the name DeSalvo, as it can be heard over the hospital intercom in one early episode, and at the police station.
Good episode, and important.
Deleted Scenes: more flashbacks and driving montage.

The Zone
Pretty weak "be kind to the poor & homeless" episode. Mainly seems to have been designed to develop Charlie's character--that he came up from nothing in a poor & rough neighborhood.
Not good or in any was essential.
Deleted Scenes: more flashback rubbish.

 

The Return of Amanda
The Immortal Theif is back, this time she has a corrupt Federal Agent after her, trying to seize the couterfiet $100 plates Amanda had stashed in 1930.
"Why do you always expect me to be stealing?"
"I always expect sharks to bite too. It's nothing personal."
Deleted Scenes: More Flashbacks to 1930s Berlin, some extra material of the Fed hunting Amanda
Not essential, but a good, fun episode.

Revenge of the Sword
MacLeod vs The Triad. No Guest Immortal of the Week.
I've learned as a martial artist not to be impressed by breaking boards or smashing bricks. I've split breaker boards by squeezing between 3 fingers. You want to impress me? Build something with them. The breaking/smashing thing is a flashy croud-pleaser gimmick with no real value.
Not Essential, and not very good.

Run For Your Life.
Token Racism episode. First time they put date captions on flashbacks. Guest Immortal of the Week is a disillusioned Black Activist turned Racist.
OK episode. MacLeod starting to display some serious Perfect Man Syndrome again.
Not essential.

 

Epitith for Tommy
MacLeod vs Roudy Roddy Piper. Duncan wonders why an Immortal would run over an innocent bystander.
The most noteworthy aspect of this episode is the music. Background music for TV shows is seldom a big budget investment (exception being shows like Babylon 5), consequently incidental music is frequently less than brilliant. In this episode, however, it is excruciatingly bad, especially during the musical montage. I would go so far as to say it is one of the worst incidental music scores I've ever heard.
Deleted Scenes: Some of MacLeod's investigations & personal agonizing voice over during a sweaty kata performance
Terrible episode, not necessary.

The Fighter
Bad Irish stereotypes of prize fighters, gamblers, and bet welchers. Guest Immortal of the Week is a Dean Stockwell wannabe.
Deleted Scenes: more of the 1800s flashbacks, more of the evil deeds of the mortal villains.
Mediocre Episode, expendable.

Under Color of Authority
Richie falls for a Damsel in Distress. Hugh Fitzcairn mentioned, but otherwise does not appear this season. Guest Immortal of the Week has been a law enforcer since Robin Hood. Damsel in Distress is lying about details (like being wanted for Murder). Richie takes his first head. Duncan gives him Passing grade and sends him out to fend for himself. Exploding Paint Can Quickening!
Once again, Richie has no sense when it comes to women. Every single one seems to be nothing but trouble.
Deleted Scenes: More of Duncan in the 1800s as a newspaper writer/printer. More of the hunting/running sections.
Good episode(one of the best in the season), Necessary.

 

Bless the Child
Duncan and Charlie go camping and get involved in a dosmestic mess. No Guest Immortal of the Week. This episode is just to pound into our heads that Immortals can't have children, something that has been explained many, many times. And that MacLeod speaks several native american languages including Souix and Mohawk.
Deleted Scenes: More flashback to 1923 new years party, some more wilderness lore
Weak episode, not essential.

Unholy Alliance
Two Part story with the return of Xavier St Cloud from season 1, now missing an arm, teamed up with Hames Horton of the Hunters. Several Guest Immortals of the week get killed in the openning sequence. MacLeod moves back to Paris and his barge. Duncan has to deal with an obnoxious Army Intelligence officer reminiscent of the Season 1 Annoying Reporter Chick. Introduction of Muarice, a recurring character mostly present for comic relief and French Stereotyping. Eventually used once as a plot device. Death of Xaivier. Appearent Death of Horton (again). Charlie sees Duncan shot in the heart and not die. Duncan promises to tell him how he survived before Charlie dies.
Deleted scenes include a lot of flashbacks to previous episodes (deleting them actually improved the pacing significantly, but I'm watching these pretty much one after the next, not with a week between eps).
Very good episodes. First 2-parter. Essential.

The Vampire
Guest Immortal of the Week posed as a vampire in the 1800s and is now killing again to marry into money. Mostly just a period piece with the modern section as bookends. Interesting idea, but could have been better executed.
OK episode, but not essential

WarMonger
An Anit-Darius Guest Immortal of the Week. Where Darius was always working to spread peace, the GIotW is supporting, promoting, creating, and prolonging wars. MacLeod must break a promise in order to kill him. Charlie Desalvo leaves the show to join a resistance movement in the Balkans.
Seems to me that in several scenes, Charlie's skin is a lot darker. Make-up problem? Lighting Problem?
Decent episode, essential because of future events.