emma_in_dream

1.10 Revenge is Sweet

Synopsis: A mysterious woman named Rebecca Lord inquires about a sword that MacLeod once took from a rival immortal named Walter Reinhardt. Duncan agrees to let her test the sword, and is surprised to find that she uses the same style as Reinhardt. Having never taken Reinhardt's head, Duncan fears that the two may be working together.

Once again MacLeod is battling a rogue immortal who sees all humans as interchangeable sub-humans. Once again he wins.


The twist this week is that the villain of the week has faked his own death so as to get his ex-girlfriend to pursue challenge MacLeod. Cue much smouldering as she wears ridiculously early 90s clingy and high cut aerobics gear while demanding that he thrust his weapon at her. Does she actually caress his blade? Also, props to Tessa for just rolling her eyes at the vampy challenger and to Richie for using the proto-internet to find out her background.



4.21 Judgment Day

Synopsis: Jack Shapiro tricks Joe into coming to Paris to face a Watcher trial. Duncan tracks Joe down, complicating Joe's situation even as he tries to help. Meanwhile, Immortal Jacob Galati is hunting and killing Watchers.

One of my favourite parts of this episode is that the set designer was apparently channelling *Chitty Chitty Bang Bang*. Joe is incarcerated in a child’s bedroom in the new Watcher headquarters, complete with huge nutcracker-style toy soldiers and oversized dolls houses. This completely fits as (1) it is disorienting and (2) Joe’s behaviour throughout the episode is so petulant.

Joe doesn’t really offer a defence of his behaviour, and MacLeod’s is quite dodgy – that he approached Joe, that Horton began it all anyway, and that no doubt it would have worked out that immortals knew about Watchers anyway. The other side argue that Joe made a choice to break his oath, that it is impossible to tell what the consequences of Horton’s actions were but that it is verifiable that now many immortals know about Watchers and the rates of Watcher deaths have increased (and one inevitably happens mid-trial).

Seems pretty clear cut to me. I wouldn’t lobby for execution but cutting him out of the Watchers is an obvious next step and it is astonishing it has not happened before. Cut him out, let him not speak to his ex-friends, cut off his retirement funds, remove all the records, send him to Coventry, move the local Watcher HQ, punish him by taking away the bar and his savings. Also, there must have been leaks in the past, so whatever security measures are typical should be enacted – symbols changed, tattoos altered, passwords changed, all Watchers swapped around.

I've been participating in Killabeez' *Highlander* rematch, both the complete stream and the Methos only stream.


1.07 Mountain Men

Synopsis: While photographing petroglyphs in the mountains, Tessa is abducted by mountain men led by Immortal Caleb Cole, who wants to marry her. MacLeod pursues Cole and his henchmen on foot.

Aside from the introduction, this was the first episode of the season one rewatch that has really gripped me. I think it was partly the beautiful scenery and the fact that they invested some time in setting up the shots. The crane shot from above of MacLeod lying broken at the bottom of the ravine was great.





Also, we got to see him regenerate – and it looked genuinely painful and it took time for his broken bones to heal. I liked the symbolism of landing on the human remains. I liked his feral, Rambo outfit which fitted his crazy mood as he rampaged up the mountain looking for Tess.





Tess was super clever, pitting the sons against each other and the father against the sons. It’s a shame her plan backfired slightly when Caleb killed his son. What a shock for her to see her first quickening. That, along with being kidnapped, must have brought home the Game to her. (First official kidnapping, though once held prisoner in her own home and once attacked there).





On an emotional level, it makes total sense to me that some Immortals would retreat for decades or centuries and avoid contact with others. (Look at that hermit they just found in Maine who had spent 27 years in the woods on his own).





On a practical level, I am full of doubts. Has he been kidnapping wives every few decades? If so, has no one noticed? Arguably not if he was moving up and down a mountain range that covered hundreds of miles and if some of the women left voluntarily. But if he is also kidnapping children, then who are the kids marrying when they grow up? Surely there would be a tribe of them by now? Or, if not, are the kids moving back into the real world? Surely this would be difficult if you didn’t have ID and schooling? Though possibly not prior to WWII at least.





Apparently they also kill off any law enforcement who come too close. Would this tip people off? Maybe not, if the remains aren’t found. I guess people do go missing in the hills periodically.





But they are wearing bought clothes and using weapons that require bought bullets. How? Perhaps trading in skins? Perhaps theft? This was the undoing of the Maine hermit – eventually someone fitted their house with a motion detector because there had been so many robberies in the area.





I am overthinking this – because – fiction! Otherwise I am pretty sure the Police would want to look under the cairn and would notice that Caleb had been beheaded.