"I am a Watcher, part of a secret society of men and women who observe and record, but never interfere. We know the truth about Immortals. In the end, there can be only one. May it be Duncan MacLeod. The Highlander." ~spoken by Joe Dawson

Starring: Adrian Paul (Duncan MacLeod); Stan Kirsch (Richie Ryan); Jim Byrnes (Joe Dawson)

Duncan MacLeod is apparently alone in Paris. His friends have all moved on with their lives. As he focuses on mortal friends, he sees a Celtic bracelet in an auction, which he simply must have. He engages in a bidding war but retrieves the bracelet and then books a flight to Scotland.

Yes folks… DM is going home!

At the local inn/tavern in Glenfinnan, he runs into Joe Dawson. "Hey… I'm your Watcher. I'm supposed to go where you go and if you're going home for the first time in four hundred years… I'm here for you." Friends… gotta love them.

This is one of the best episodes of the series and truly one of the most magical. We get flashbacks of Duncan as a mortal man and see his love for the doomed Debra Campbell and we meet his cousin Robert. We also get to see his relationship with his father before he is banished and get a feel for the mantle of clan leadership and responsibility that DM so often feels.

Woven into this story of lost love… and the possibility of new love… is the tale of Kanwulf the Viking… who killed DM's father Ian MacLeod long ago… and who is still threatening the villages while searching for "his lost shaker of salt"… make that ax. <Makes valiant attempt to restrain imp!>

Spurious and facetious remarks aside… this episode is one not to miss! While a small film crew accompanied Adrian Paul and Jim Byrnes to Scotland for wide angle shots, the flashback village and most of the remaining shots were re-created in Canada. This was AP's first directorial attempt… and he shows what a good eye he has.

Matthew Walker makes his second appearance as Duncan's father, Ian MacLeod, and Anna Hagen makes her first appearance as Mary MacLeod, his mother.

Rounding out the guest cast are Laurie Holden as Debra Campbell, Carsten Norgaard as Kanwulf, and making the first of three appearances as Rachel MacLeod, Kristin Minter. By the way, playing James Bailey, DM's opponent in the bidding for the bracelet, is Gerard Plunkett who appears as immortal Roland Kantos in "Prophecy" in Season Five.

Truly a fine episode!

Duncan MacLeod and Joe Dawson are at the Seacouver airport, buddy-buddy after the adventures in Scotland (NOTE: DM is carrying his wrapped katana as a part of his carry-on luggage from the plane. As they cross the tarmac… a sniper scopes them out… then turns and fixates on another man. A shot rings out even as DM realizes another immortal is nearby.

DM and Joe check the man who is down and DM takes off after the sniper (Where were airport security?) while Joe manages to get the dead man into his waiting vehicle and drives off. Yes folks… Joe is Watching, Recording and Not Interfering once again. Gotta love him! But his reasons this time have nothing to do with DM.

The dead man is an immortal… and not just any immortal. He is Andrew Cord… Sgt. Andy Cord, of Bravo Company, U.S. Marines, Vietnam. He was Joe's platoon leader… and savior. He was the reason Joe learned of the Watchers and has dedicated his life to watching immortals. He owes this man everything. Even his life.

Meanwhile DM catches and unmasks the sniper to find… Charlie De Salvo.

Charlie claims that Cord is a murdering S.O.B. and had to be stopped. He has no regrets about killing him as he explains to DM just what Cord is… a murderer… a gunrunner… a liar… a… you get the idea.

Our friends are on a collision course that will test the bonds of friendship once again. Can an Immortal and the mortal who watches him be friends? What happens when they each have to choose between friends who disagree… and do so violently?

A thought-provoking and tightly plotted episode. Highlander was running on all cylinders at this time and would be churning out great episodes followed by more great episodes.

***SPOILER ALERT***

Sorry Charlie!

Philip Akin guest stars as Charlie De Salvo while Wolfgang Bodison portrays the complicated Andrew Cord. In smaller but pivotal roles are Liliana Komorowski reprising her role as Mara Leonin, and Chris Bradford and Jeffrey Renn as younger versions of Joe "Boy Scout" Dawson and Ian Bancroft.

Boy Scout hmmmm… No wonder Joe and Duncan get along so well!

In the words of Andy Cord: Outstanding!

Immortals come in all shapes and sizes. Over the past three seasons, we have learned that. But what happens to an immortal who is damaged somehow during his pre-immortal life so that his mind never develops nor is it able to fully comprehend the violent world he finds himself in?

Some writer decided to try for John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men. It is a worthy effort… though it falls far short of the mark.

While traveling cross-country on his bike, Richie Ryan discovers a mentally challenged immortal named Mikey… a hulking child of a man whose main interest in life is trains. Like Raymond of Rainman he seems to be a walking encyclopedia of facts… but is unable to process even the simplest of commands. RR does the only thing he can think of… take him home to Duncan to keep him safe, as there is another immortal about.

DM understands that like Ursa, from Season One, Mikey cannot exist in the outer world, nor remain alive long within the game. He and RR plan to take Mikey someplace safe… holy ground… as he had done with Ursa. What they don't know, however, is that Mikey has killed a mortal, and may do so again before they can get him to safety. (Question? Didn't Ursa kill a mortal… the manager of diva Carolyn? <Scratches head and shrugs>)

Meanwhile, they try to keep him safe from the authorities and from the immortal who hunts him.

In another plot thread… DM buys an old house to fix up.

Pruitt Taylor Vance portrays Mikey.

You know that one-on-one rule? Well… evidently Jacob Kell is not the only one to bend that rule… but not even he tried to use dogs… real dogs… the four-legged kind. Immortal Peter Kanis (Who comes up with these names?) is such an immortal.

Mac is teaching a college course in medieval armament. He tells the students about how the crusaders rode to battle upon their stallions and met the Muslim warriors on their mares. Yep! Be sure to catch that story. After class, DM notices dogs watching him.

He recalls how in 1785 England, while dallying with a duchess, he helped to capture and see hanged one Peter Kanis who used such dogs. Unfortunately, the opportunity to deal with Kanis in the ultimate showdown… escaped our hero. The dogs got there first and Kanis escaped.

The next day, while running… without his sword… DM is way-laid by the dogs but manages to get to his katana and kill one before Peter Kanis arrives… broken-hearted that DM has killed his dog!

Bad blood definitely exists now between these two immortals. DM… the immortal who believes in fair-play and in an honest and open challenge where the one who walks away victorious is the one who is the better fighter, and Peter Kanis who believes that anything goes… and if one is not much of a fighter… why then… one uses dogs.

Meanwhile, Richie sees a young man, Mark… and knows he was Tessa's killer. He pursues him to his home and ends up being arrested for his trouble. RR has a "juvie" record… the young man, married and expecting his first child… does not. He has no idea what RR is talking about… but is willing to forgive him. DM bails RR out (okay… he doesn't have to really bail him out as no charges were actually filed) and, with murder and hatred in his eyes, observes the young man… but walks away when he sees Mark's tenderness with his pregnant wife. RR, though, does not intend to walk away. He is out for justice… and for blood.

In a separate plot thread… DM begins work on the house he has bought.

DM's best line in this episode? "Hey Lucille… your dates are here!"

***SPOILER ALERT***

In this episode… see the cheesiest of all quickenings. "I hear the earth, move, tremble and shake, I see houses float… into the sky… "I shoulda bought earthquake insurance!" (DM's worst line of the episode.)

One of the funniest of the comic episodes airs today.

Amanda and Duncan are renewing their acquaintance when DM feels another immortal. Downstairs he hears a sneeze and in walks… hapless immortal Kit O'Brady. Evidently hapless immortals congregate around DM as he is no real threat to them and they feel he will protect them. Consider Benny Carbassa, Hugh Fitzcairn… well Fitz wasn't truly hapless, and others. DM is such a soft touch!

Anyway, Kit, whom he has known for at least a century or more, wants DM to go in on (read that bankroll) his purchase of a racehorse called "Double Eagle". It seems that Kit once had a lucky $20 gold piece… a double eagle which he lost… as well as a saloon called "Double Eagle" which he lost to that b!tch Amanda whom he plans to skewer should he ever again cross her path!

DM tries valiantly to keep Kit and Amanda apart while trying to mend the breach between his friends so that neither will kill the other. It seems Amanda believes Kit burned her saloon down… "The Queen of Spades". [NOTE: "The Double Eagle" and "The Queen of Spades" were one and the same. Kit lost the saloon to Amanda at cards.] DM's solution? Make the two immortals partners. He helps to buy the racehorse… and gives his half of it to… Amanda.

Watch for Amanda to seduce… err… mislead RR in her attempts to learn what DM is up to. It's even better than the one from Season One. "Ooh muscles… Have you been working out?"

Nicholas Campbell appears as Kit O'Brady while Elizabeth Gracen graces the Highlander world once more as Amanda. The comic timing of the principals in this episode is priceless.

Kenny returns! Yes… the little sh!t we so love to hate is back. And even Amanda thinks he's grown. Okay… you try telling a child actor he can't grow up.

Kenny flees into Dr. Anne's hospital during a power outage and is rescued from immortal Terence Kincaid by Dr. Anne. Remember… Anne knows about immortals… she's met Kenny… she does not like Kenny ("Didn't you sometimes just want to slap him!" she had said last time.)… but she has no idea that Kenny once tried to kill her. She sends him to the hospital chapel and calls Duncan to come get him.

The verbal sparring between Kenny and DM as they return to the dojo and the boy senses someone upstairs is terrific. The someone, of course, is Amanda. To DM's surprise… Amanda knows Kenny… and we learn she was his first teacher. No wonder he knows how not to get caught!

Suddenly Amanda has it all… a steady fellow, a son (more or less) and a "normal" life. "This is as close as it gets for us, MacLeod… so deal with it!"

Meanwhile Mac meets Kincaid, an old friend (sort of) with whom he once served aboard a merchant ship. Kincaid was a Captain Bligh type of captain and DM was cast in the role of Fletcher Christian. He saved Kincaid from losing his head to the mutineers… but he marooned him on an island… with almost no food… and less water. ["I've done far worse Kirk… I've left you as you left her… buried alive <echoes> buried alive.] Sorry… crossover reference but you get the idea.

So DM is put in the position of not trusting Kenny… but of having to have him under his roof… and in the position of having to kill a one-time friend who thinks "he done him wrong!" Obviously… these two have to get together to cut a deal to eliminate Duncan MacLeod!

The ending is mesmerizing… and the actor playing Kenny gets some really great scenes as his plans unfold.

Elizabeth Gracen is Amanda. Lisa Howard reprises Dr. Anne. Myles Ferguson makes his last appearance as Kenny… at least on the show. Playing Kincaid is Australian actor Mike Preston who genre fans might recognize as Pappagallo from The Road Warrior. In a bit role is Lisa Butler as Kenny's mother. She will play a more important character in the very next episode.

During World War I, Duncan had served as a corpsman or medical worker rather than as a warrior. (NOTE: He also served a similar position in the French Army as shown in the episode "Deliverance" up later this Season.) While in the trenches with the English army, he witnesses an English officer flagrantly disobey orders to stand down as the war has ended, and lead a company of men on a futile dash for glory. As with the Light Brigade… most of the men die. After the war, feeling strongly that the Colonel… a fellow immortal… must pay for his crimes in the mortal world… Duncan begs for the military court to spare the colonel's life. He is given life imprisonment in an insane asylum rather than a quick death by hanging.

In the present, Col. Simon Killian, quite mad and quite vindictive toward DM, attempts to have our hero kidnapped. His plans include having DM suffer in solitary confinement for as long as the colonel had served--some 80 plus years. He also wants to inflict damage on DM's friends.

The only close friend his reports show him, is Amanda. Remember, DM is on the outs with Joe at the moment… and Richie is scarce in this episode.

Meanwhile, Amanda meets young grifter and pickpocket Melissa, who likes the thrill of the theft… but is not a serious thief. Amanda befriends her and shows her a few things she could do for fun… like setting off burglar alarms just to watch the authorities arrive. Melissa is so taken with Amanda that, shades of SWF she cuts her hair, dyes it, and dresses like Amanda. So guess what happens?

That's right, Killian's men nab the wrong female… but they still manage to get DM too.

Now with DM missing, Amanda goes to the only man she knows can help: Joe Dawson. But Joe is still smarting from his break-up with Duncan over Charlie's death. But Amanda can be… very… persuasive when she wants to be.

***SPOILER ALERT***

Look for a quickening in this episode that is the first to foreshadow the "dark quickening" arc of mid-season. AP's military drill as he absorbs Killian's quickening makes this one of the most stunning quickenings to date. He is over-loading on the quickenings of the number of immortals he now takes… and it is beginning to affect his judgment. He is increasingly snappish and short-tempered with his friends a number of times this season… and often seems to make poor choices. He is still DM of the CM… but there is an edge to him that was not present in earlier seasons.

Lisa Butler is Melissa and Sean Allen is Simon Killian.

When good immortals know that bad immortals are guilty of crimes against mortals… should they testify against them and let mortal justice take its toll? Last episode… that's what Duncan MacLeod thought… Perhaps that is why in this episode… he is determined to stay out of the limelight…

Duncan and Richie witness a shooting at a small grocery and, as they sense an immortal is to blame, take off after him. They corner him and blades are drawn. DM knows this immortal… Paul Kinman, and has been waiting for centuries to pay him back for killing a mortal friend of DM's at the court of Queen Anne of England. However, authorities arrive, and while DM and RR stay out of sight… Kinman is arrested for murder.

But without the corroborative testimony of DM or RR… Kinman will likely get off and will not be convicted of killing the grocer's wife.

While RR feels they should testify, he decides to follow DM's lead on this and not argue with him. (The boy is growing up!) Meanwhile, the grieving grocer, David Markum, tries a number of tactics to convince DM to get involved… to speak up… to make this man pay for his crimes. DM is torn between knowing the man is right… and needing to stay silent to protect the secret of immortality.

Besides… if Kinman is set free… DM can finally deal with him in the immortal way… one on one.

Peter Outerbridge guest stars as Paul Kinman. Kevin McNulty portrays grieving husband and grocer David Markum. Jill Teed also appears as FBI agent Kaayla Brooks.

This episode continues the trend of the series toward fabulous flashback sequences that evoke remarkably another time, another place, and another culture. It also contains one of the most stunning quickenings ever filmed… not for power… but for sheer brilliance and staging.

Duncan's friend at the university, Shandra Devane, has managed to acquire for the university, the Bengal Kali. With the relic arrives the immortal whom DM once knew as Kamir, priest of the goddess Kali. Kamir wants the Kali returned to India. It should never have left. He has already killed in his attempts to recapture this priceless religious object.

DM had first known Kamir in India in 1764 when the Highlander was working as a translator and guide for the English. Kamir is a deeply spiritual man who wishes to protect India and its people from exploitation by the British. From his vantage of immortality, DM understands all too well the culture clash that is occurring there.

He becomes involved with a young woman about to commit sati or "suttee" as the English call it by rescuing her before she can join her dead husband on his funeral pyre. His reasons? "You didn't want to… I saw it in your eyes," he tells her.

But it was her duty. Though Vashti comes to love the Highlander… she is still a product of her culture.

In the present, Kamir gives Richie a few lessons in styles of combat… and in a mock sparring match with DM… defeats the Highlander. RR seems to have grown quite a bit… and is ready to branch out and find other teachers… other ways of living the immortal life. He is impressed with the "deeply spiritual" Kamir.

Kamir begs DM to help him regain the Kali for India. DM agrees. But that is not enough.

***SPOILER ALERT***

Once again the quickening in this episode is one not to miss. The goddess Kali is both a force of good and a force of evil. She is the many-armed goddess of creation and destruction. She is the balance and the judge of life. She wears the face of love… as well as the face of evil. In many ways… she is a visual representation of immortals who are both good and evil… and who are capable of acts of honor, mercy, and justice… as well as acts of deprivation, horror, and indiscriminate killing. Kali can be both benevolent… and evil. In Kamir's time, the cult of "thuggee" or thagi was a common occurrence. Dedicated to preserving the old ways of India, bands of Hindus would strangle with a knotted silken cord, foreigners and others who they perceived as evil. To the foreigners, it was the thugs or bandits they considered evil. Clash of cultures!

In the quickening… the many arms and faces of Kali are present… and Duncan is taken on a wild ride through her influence on Kamir.

A most thought-provoking episode on the differences of culture… and time… and the way we should or should not judge those who are different from us. Are those who hold fast to their beliefs right? Or are those who change with the times? As DM says, "Kamir isn't evil…" But is Kamir right in his beliefs?

Kabir Bedi gives a mesmerizing and complicated performance as Kamir.

Enjoy!

Methos returns! "Only you and Joe know I am Methos the world's oldest man. To everyone else I am still Adam Pierson… mild-mannered Watcher for the Daily Planet… uh… Watcher." Hmm… did he just forget about Amanda knowing who he is? Or does she? Note to self: Watch "Finale" again! Yep… DM says "Goodnight Methos!" while Amanda is in his arms. Evidently in a scene we can only imagine… DM explains to Amanda that he was joking… that the "young" immortal Watcher is just Adam Pierson… nicknamed Methos because he heads up the Methos project. "Methos is a myth Amanda! The world's oldest immortal… he doesn't exist. Even Adam knows it."

Anyway… continuity problems aside…

Richie meets immortal Kristin… whose modeling agency his friend Maria, an aspiring model, wishes to represent her. Kristin agrees… but she is definitely more interested in RR and his stud capability than in the girl.

Once Methos arrives to tell DM the news that Kristin is in town… we get to see how the lady works. She takes rough, green immortals and turns them into sleek gentlemen who know the difference between a claret and any other wine. She did this to DM in 1659-1660, turning him from a rough-hewn Highland Scots warrior… into a cultured and nattily dressed Highland Scot. Trouble is… she also is extremely jealous and wants to control her men so that they dote on her to the exclusion of all else. DM recalls what happened to young painter Louise Barton, whom Kristin had hired to paint DM's portrait. He knows Kristin is dangerous… but he loved her once… and while he wishes to protect RR… understands that RR must discover for himself… the dangers of a liaison with Kristin.

"You cannot kill a woman you have taken to your bed!" Nefertiri snarled at him in Season Two… just before he did take her head… but DM is strangely reluctant to do the same to Kristin… even after she makes an attempt on RR's life, and the life of his friend Maria. He is a product of his time. "You subscribe to a code of conduct that was trendy when you were born," sneers Methos, who as we all know, is "a man born long before the age of chivalry." Swish!

Enjoy!

Peter Wingfield returns as Methos and Ann Turkel is Kristin… a roll evidently written for her.

Oh… and beefcake alert: AP arising from the tub in his birthday suit… Spike showed it last time… definitely worth seeing!

This episode is one of my personal favorites. My original notes, written when I first saw this episode in 1995, say it all: Adam (Methos) in Love! <Swoon!>

Yes… after five thousand years and 67, 68, 69 wives… all of whom he loved… he is truly and completely in love with Joe's cute little waitress… Alexa Bond. PW has a field day delivering lines to woo fair maiden… "Cute… I can do cute" or "The alternative is unthinkable". Alexa's not so certain. After all… she has a dark secret. She's dying. When Joe tries to explain, Methos tells him, "You are all dying" and he then tells Alexa… "You can either spend the time left dying… or you can live it… with me." <Sigh> Some girls have all the luck.

Oh… and in the so-called "A" story that is also going on… Duncan's young protégé, self-centered pianist Claudia Jardine finds her life being threatened by someone. The someone is DM's old friend and immortal acting partner, Walter Graham, who has determined that Claudia is an artiste' whose time has come. He must kill her at the peak of her artistry so that it will never be lost… he can then be her immortal business manager. For some reason… DM does not think this is a good idea.

Walter, however, gets his way. He kills Claudia… but his plans do not go quite as he would have hoped. Yes… Claudia is immortal… but her art has deserted her.

Best scene in the episode… DM in 1663 as a part of Walter's acting troupe… in a dress… and a wig… playing Kate… from Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew… complete with falsetto voice.

And did I mention that Methos gets to fall in love!

Ocean Hellman makes an indelible mark on the world of Highlander with her portrayal as the doomed Alexa. Rae Dawn Chong (Tommy's daughter) is delightful as Claudia. Ron Halder portrays Walter Graham. Oh… and Peter Wingfield is Methos!

By the way… if you'd like to know what happens to Adam and Alexa after this episode, and in between the next few that feature Methos and continue this story arc off-camera, check out Gillian Horvath's and Donna Lettow's story cycle "Postcards from Alexa" in the book An Evening at Joe's. Part of this story is also spoken aloud by PW in an oral presentation on an interview videotape I was lucky enough to purchase. It is enough to break your heart… and bring tears to your eyes.

Have I mentioned that this episode is one of my personal favorites?

During World War II, Duncan MacLeod evidently did many things. At one point, he seems to have been working undercover for the British. During a lull in assignments, he begins a relationship with American radio personality and reporter, Diane Terrin. He is increasingly drawn to her for her wit, her beauty, and her independence. Diane is determined to be considered a reporter first… and is willing to take risks to get the story. It is obvious that Duncan is considering something more… than just a brief fling.

One evening during an attack on London by Nazi aircraft, Diane, rather than seeking shelter, insists on going to the roof to broadcast what she sees. Fearful of what might happen… Duncan accompanies her… and love shines in his eyes as he watches her.

This past is brought to mind as Duncan and Richie hear of an explosion at a nearby subway. They learn that a medical team led by Dr. Anne Lindsey has gone into the rubble to render aid and assistance. DM drops what he's doing and rushes to the site… desperate to go below… and be at Anne's side.

In this episode, which is primarily an extended flashback to WWII, we wonder at DM's current actions as the flashback memory plays out. It is only when it is completed, that we understand his need to be at Anne's side.

***Spoiler Alert***

Dr. Anne gives birth prematurely to her daughter… Mary… and we learn why DM has been fixing up an old house.

The flashback sequence in this episode is one of the best the series did. I truly thought I was watching a film of that time… and became so engrossed in it… that I almost resented the modern frame. I remember wishing that this series would do more episodes set completely in DM's past… and that way allow for us to truly begin to understand and see the events that make him Duncan MacLeod of the Clan MacLeod.

Enjoy!

Well… it's here. This is one of the pivotal episodes of this series… and allowed Adrian Paul to truly show some acting chops to his fans. He's much more than a pretty boy… his transformation to actor is complete.

Duncan receives a phone call from Jim Coltec, an Indian shaman who helped him after Little Deer's death in 1872 to be able to finally let go of his hatred and anger. Coltec, an almost 850 year old Indian, originally a member of the Cahokia Tribe of the Mississippi civilization, had been a hayoka for most of his life… even before his first death about 1190 c.e. Coltec's gifts and training allowed him to not only face and defeat other immortals… but he frequently absorbed the darkness of their souls and that of mortal men whom he tried to help, so that others would be capable of living lives of light and goodness.

Now, however, the darkness is beginning to spill over. Even Coltec knows it. Not long after speaking with MacLeod and making an appointment to see his old friend, he runs across another immortal robbing a store. He faces him and wins… but the darkness takes him this time… and now Coltec, hayoka to the world is lost. What remains is a combination of all the evil immortals he once faced… and they are ready to resume their assault on the world.

Duncan seeks some way to bring his friend back to his right mind, but in the end… there is only one solution. As Duncan had once told Richie in Season One as he prepared to fight the Ancient Immortal Grayson… Can a good life make up for an evil one? Is Duncan a good enough person to be able to face the darkness, which now rules Coltec… and defeat it?

Hang on to your seats boys and girls… it's going to be a bumpy ride!

***SPOILER ALERT***

Today, series routinely allow for their flawed heroic characters to occasionally "go bad" for a few episodes. Last season's Angel allowed this for about 7 episodes; but, in 1996… this was a novelty. In hindsight we can look back and wish TPTB had allowed this arc to continue for awhile. When I first saw this episode, I was ecstatic at the prospect of watching DM's gradual redemption play out over several episodes. The series took a hiatus of about a month between this episode and the one that follows. During that month… I and others discussed the implications of this episode… and what might happen. We eagerly awaited a new episode… and what would happen.

NOTE: Although at the end, DM mentions that he does not care where he's headed, that it doesn't matter, we fans know… it's mid-season and time for a reason to return to Paris. The notion that a ship in the Seacouver harbor would be headed to Paris… is a stretch. But perhaps that is why the following episode would not show for a month.

By the way… the title of this episode refers to a line in Shakespeare's Macbeth that was also used as the title of a Ray Bradbury book, Something Wicked This Way Comes.

The entire quote is spoken by the three witches whom Macbeth consults regarding his future:

"By the pricking of my thumbs,

Something wicked this way comes."

Methos returns! Called by Dawson, Methos drops off the lovely Alexa in Greece and heads immediately to Paris! He does not pass "Go!" and he does not collect $200.00, but he does pass Glennfinnan and collect a very special sword.

Aware that Duncan MacLeod is important to whatever his own plans are, the Ancient Immortal pulls out all the stops to rescue his friend from the throes of evil which now rule his every action.

Methos drives up just in time to rescue a nearly dead MacLeod, shot by an angry husband whose wife he has seduced (believe me people… AP's dark glances and leers are truly evil). <shivers> Methos takes DM to a church… holy ground just to be safe… and attempts to talk to him.

But DM does not want help… or says he doesn't. He steals a car and off he drives… attempting to run Methos over in the process.

Something of DM must want help, though. He calls old friend Sean Burns, a psychiatrist he worked with during World War I, and asks to see him. Sean cancels appointments, but when he sees DM… he may have wished he hadn't.

Methos arrives and attempts to prevent what he fears will happen next. When it does… he wonders if he needs to kill Duncan… and whether or not he has enough goodness in himself to avoid the same fate. Methos realizes he must find another way to reach DM.

Methos' best line: "I'm too old for this!"

Peter Wingfield returns as Methos. Michael J. Jackson brings such life to Sean Burns that he will return several times in flashback. Kristin Minter… if the euro-minutes are shown… will make a cameo appearance as Rachel MacLeod.

Dennis Berry directs this fine episode. The final fight sequence, played out within MacLeod's mind as he confronts his evil side… is amazing.

Three thumbs up!

In a return to a theme explored in a Season Two show… How long is a promise good for? Do we lose our honor if we break a promise to someone who does not deserve our promise? If we are asked to do something we disagree with because we once made a promise to help another… to save a life… do we lose our souls and our honor if we keep or break the promise?

Head writer David Abramowitz often said that he saw the Highlander episodes as little talmudic morality plays. By inserting these moral dilemmas into the series episodes, he raised the bar for them… and made them far more than just the beheading of the week.

Once again Duncan MacLeod is faced with a promise to do a favor for another immortal in exchange for a favor he once asked for. DM had asked that a mortal's life be spared… now immortal Kassim wants DM to keep his promise. But what Kassim wants, is for DM to kill a man… so that another man will be safe.

DM struggles with this, initially agreeing to kill the despotic ruler of an Arab nation so that a more worthy man may come to power. However, perhaps because of his recent struggles with light and darkness… he hesitates. He is not a killer.

It is only when Rachel MacLeod, with whom he has been having a Paris fling, is kidnapped and his barge blown up… that he seriously revisits his choices… and his honor. Can he save Rachel, the good man, the despot, his head… and still remain who he is? Does he need to kill a man just because he disagrees with him?

There are many things to consider in this episode… not the least of which is the character of Kassim. He is an honorable man, dedicated to serving a noble family, and focused on helping the people of his land get a ruler worthy of them. The man that Kassim would lift to power is an apparently benevolent and wise man. The despot has a mean streak… but in his mind… he is attempting to bring his people into the 20th century… and change the old ways. He has his eye on the future… but his methods are ruthless.

DM's attempts to find a middle ground, lead to disaster, and his final choices make one wonder if the darkness still has a hold on Duncan MacLeod… of the Clan MacLeod. If you make a promise… how long is it good for… and what is appropriate if someone breaks a promise made to you? Lots of shades of grey! The floor is open for discussion.

Ricco Ross portrays the enigmatic Kassim and Kristin Minter makes a final appearance as Rachel MacLeod. Peta Wilson (yes that Peta Wilson) has a small roll as a police inspector.

Methos returns… seeking the fabled Methuselah stone that had been Rebecca's and that Luther had been collecting. Methos believes that the stone will save the life of the woman he loves… Alexa Bond… dying in a hospital in Geneva. He hopes to steal it from where it now rests… in a Watcher vault. But for the stone to work… there is one more piece that is needed… the one which hangs about Amanda's lovely neck.

This episode was initially conceived of as a comic caper where Amanda and another immortal would attempt to steal something… and DM would ride to the rescue. When Peter Wingfield became available to portray the other immortal… the writers went to work attempting to come up with a logical reason for Methos and Amanda to work together to steal something. This episode glows with magic and some of the best acting of the series by the principals.

DM's role in this episode is limited as AP was directing. This was his second time, having cut his teeth on the excellent "Homeland" episode earlier this season, and he pulls out a number of stops.

In one fight sequence, AP does what is seldom done in film-making any more… he had the sequence filmed in one long traveling shot. When the actors at the end of the fight attempt to say their lines… their exhaustion is apparent and adds to the pathos of the moment. A scene not to be missed, as it reveals the heart and soul of Methos as well as a rare glimpse into a more noble Amanda.

When you love someone, truly love someone, what would you do for them? What wouldn't you do to save the life of the person you love? For an immortal who has centuries, even millennia to live, the early death of a mortal companion, whose brief life becomes an even briefer flicker against the tapestry of long life… this can be a shattering experience.

Because of the initial concept of this episode… there are light comic moments in the caper part… and dark ones that tug at the heartstrings in those that deal with Methos' love for the doomed Alexa. Also, by tying this episode to Rebecca Horne's lost crystal from the episode "The Legacy", TPTB were also able to bring back Nadia Cameron for a return appearance as the glorious Rebecca, Amanda's teacher.

Enjoy! This episode is truly a masterpiece on many levels!

Hapless magician Danny Cimoli is tossed out of his home by his angry mother because he'd rather be in show business than hold down a real job or even go for an interview. Danny ends up getting run over by a car and killed. When he suddenly sits up after dying… he has a bright idea for an act. He becomes… "The Immortal Cimoli… the Man Who Cannot Die!"

On a visit to the circus with the lovely Amanda, DM discovers the clueless Cimoli and attempts to bring him up to speed on who and what he is… and what he must now do. Cimoli, however, refuses to believe that the life he now has as a successful magician must come to an end. He has no interest in swords.

Enter immortal Damon Case, one of the truly fascinating immortals created for this series… and a continuation of this season's play on the good and evil of immortals… and our perception of them.

Damon Case, a devout Crusader Knight, had returned to life and seen his rebirth as a miracle. In thanks for his continued life… he focuses on the game… on playing it to the best of his ability ("I take no pleasure in this") and praying for the souls of those whose heads he takes. Damon Case hopes to be worthy of the honor bestowed upon him by the fates… and leads a moral life within the construct of the game.

Unfortunately, his dedication to playing the game has brought him into conflict with DM once before. DM understands that Case is not evil… but he cannot let the man just kill Cimoli. He feels responsible for the idiot (Darn that Boy Scout honor!) and tries to convince Case to leave the young immortal alone until such time as he learns to defend himself.

In posts to determine the most obnoxious of immortals… Danny Cimoli usually gets the most votes. If youth is wasted on the young… immortality is wasted on Danny Cimoli! This episode explores the worth of immortality… and its toll on those who live long lives. Not all those who become immortal are worthy… not all those who must face the Highlander… are evil and deserve death.

Whenever this one plays… I wish DM had stayed out of it… and just let the fates deal with Danny Cimoli and Damon Case (both DC's) without his interference.

On the other hand… the scene of DM and Amanda's circus act is priceless.

Methos returns… to bury Alexa Bond in Paris.

Snow falls in a Paris cemetery, as DM and Methos stand over the grave of Alexa. When they sense another immortal nearby, Methos does his vanishing act as DM investigates to find his old friend immortal Warren Cochrane wandering around… evidently suffering from amnesia and terrified.

When DM attempts to help Warren he runs off… and sends police after the "man with the sword". DM quickly hands the sword to Methos and lets himself be arrested… sans sword. Gee? Do you think he trusts the old one?

Warren has no memory of being an immortal. No memory of fighting at the Battle of Culloden with Bonnie Prince Charlie, no memory of Duncan MacLeod.

Methos, returning once more to the Watchers in his guise of Adam Pierson, becomes DM's link to discover what has happened to Warren. DM pushes the immortal Watcher to find out what he can about Warren's current life and identity. Methos grumbles… but complies. He is ensconced in the bookstore Shakespeare & Co. making comments about how he's stored things down here for centuries. How long as he been a Watcher? Or… is he the secret owner of this bookstore, which the Watchers use as a front?

This is the second of three episodes which deal with aspects of The Battle of Culloden where the British soundly defeated the Scots led by Bonnie Prince Charlie, the Young Pretender to the English throne. Charles Edward Stuart was the rightful heir to the throne, but England, fearing a return of a Catholic to the head of its government had instead crowned, first the Protestant sisters of Charlie's grandfather, Mary and later Anne, neither of whom had children. Finally, the English government would settle on the male descendants of a distant female line… the German Hanoverian George I.

As portrayed in this episode, Charlie is not the brave young defeated rightful king (as portrayed in "Take Back the Night"), but a foolish general, who led the clans needlessly into a battle they could not win. He was, by the end of his life, a drunken sot, unworthy of respect. Too Warren Cochrane, however, Charlie was and always will be the true king. He suffers none to tell him different… and strikes out at those who do.

Methos and DM learn that Warren has killed his student… and in the aftermath… has allowed guilt to wipe clean his memory. He is now a danger to immortals, for without his memory… he might betray their existence to the world. DM must try to save his friend… but in saving him… returning his memory… will he have to face killing him?

Guilt and how we face our past actions will become a theme of many of the episodes of Season Five. This episode also foreshadows Duncan's future with Richie. He has already twice tried to take the head of his student ("Shadows" and "Something Wicked")… and only by outside intervention or coming to his senses has that not happened. What will happen the next time the two face one another?

Dougray Scott portrays Warren Cochrane.

Government Agent Renee Delaney returns to Paris and to question Duncan MacLeod about a series of crimes committed by someone using the modus operandi of Xavier St. Cloud. This episode was filmed during Season Four… but originally shown as a part of Season Five. It also neatly ties up the dangling Renee/Duncan romantic plot thread that was hinted at during the final scene of "Unholy Alliance" and indicates that the two… uh… didn't… uh… go horizontal.

See Season Five for a more complete synopsis.

Fitz returns! Well… in flashback.

Immortal couple, Robert and Angelina de Valicourt, are about to celebrate their 300th wedding anniversary with a grand party. Unfortunately… Gina is so P.O.'d at Robert… that she wants a divorce. For immortals… divorce can be something to lose one's head over.

In 1696, both Hugh Fitzcairn and Duncan MacLeod had vied for the hand of the lovely Angelina, who, once she meets charming pirate Robert de Valicourt, falls madly in love with him. For immortals… marriage is a dicey thing. How does one keep love alive after centuries?

In 1796, while attending the 100th anniversary of their friends, Fitz and DM must help Gina rescue Robert from the guillotine. An event that causes the immortal lovers to fall into one another's arms for another 200 years.

In the present, DM agrees to help Robert re-claim Gina's love by setting up a scenario where Robert's life is threatened and Gina can rescue him. This scenario involves Methos pretending to be a young headhunter type immortal.

"I don't get between married couples!" grouses the ancient one and mentions the number of wives he's had… "Never one of us though… couldn't commit" (hmmm… I used that as a jumping off place for fan fiction… after all… "Why would I tell the truth?").

To get Methos to agree to this little favor… DM must give him the barge. It seems our favorite ancient immortal has lost his lease and needs a place to stay that is in keeping with his pretense of being Watcher Adam Pierson.

The set-up and discussion of Methos' and Robert's mock duel is hilarious… as is the surprise Methos pulls. We get to see that he doesn't always play by the rules, and that he fights dirty… just to be on the safe side… even in a fight where his head is not supposed to be on the chopping block!

The plan seems to work beautifully… the celebration is re-scheduled.

Roger Daltrey returns as Hugh Fitzcairn, Peter Wingfield continues as Methos, Jeremy Brudenell makes a return to the world of Highlander, this time as the darkly dashing Robert (he was also Nicholas Ward… the platinum blonde "vampire" immortal in Season Two), and Cecile Pallas portrays Gina. In a small cameo in the 1796 flashback, look for Michael J. Jackson as Sean Burns. TPTB had also hoped to also have Nadia Cameron as Rebecca in this sequence… but her other commitments prevented her appearance.

Enjoy! This episode is a delight.

First of a two-part season final, this one centers on Joe and once more pushes and pulls at the bonds of friendship between DM, Joe, and Adam Pierson/Methos.

Joe receives word from DM's Paris Watcher that DM has perished. Joe is devastated and takes the next flight to Paris to stand outside DM's barge and dictate his closing thoughts about the immortal he has watched for over a decade and on whom he had placed his hopes for a positive outcome of the game. As he begins his final report… out of the mist jogs… Duncan MacLeod?

Joe is confused. As he steps forward to greet his friend… a car pulls up and Joe is abducted. DM sees everything… and is powerless to stop the speeding car.

Later… Carefully, watching the surrounding mists… Adam Pierson (Methos) meets with DM in a secluded area and gives him the bad news.

Joe's duplicity in his assignment… his interference in the game… has been duly noted by his superiors… and Joe is being put on trial by the Watcher Tribunal for his crimes.

Duncan wants to know where Joe is being held so he can rescue him. Methos says he has to be careful… or the Watchers will begin to suspect him. "I have to look out for myself first" he seems to say… claiming that he doesn't care… he never gets involved… he has no conscience… he feels no guilt… he… you get the idea.

But once DM gets the location and goes off on his rescue mission… guess who shows up? Methos helps DM get into the chateau… and then he's out of there. "I stick my head out for no one!"

DM finds Joe, but the Watcher refuses to leave… and DM accompanies his friend to the trial where he learns Joe will not just be censured for his actions… he will die. It is Duncan's turn to be devastated. How can he prove that Watchers are not dying because of Joe… but because of something else… or someone else? Even Methos, in his guise as Adam Pierson, makes a last ditch effort to save Joe. (He does care… he really… really does!)

Meanwhile… a mysterious immortal continues killing Watchers.

Originally shown not as the Season Four finale… but as the Season Five Opening episode… this episode's title refers to the mythical 24 hour clock that represents the life of man on earth. If all life were to be confined to a 24 hour day… if thousands of years were minutes… how long does man have before the end… how many minutes… how many seconds? The clock is ticking down… and it is now one minute before the end… and the war between the Watchers and the Immortals is now being fought. The end is almost here.

Methos and DM hide the healing Joe Dawson from the Watchers, while Methos tries to remain inside and learn what he can to end the war. As he stands among other Watchers and listens to their new assignment… he is horrified. All Watcher's will be armed… all Watcher's will shoot to kill Duncan MacLeod on sight. All other assignments are to be halted. This takes priority. Methos realizes he no longer knows who he is… or what he is… He has lost himself. He has tried to sit on the fence and be both Watcher and immortal… now he must decide where his loyalties lie… and what he has to do.

Meanwhile, Duncan learns the identity of the assassin: his old friend Jacob Galati. Galati and his beloved wife Irena were gypsies with the band DM had once traveled with. They were good people. DM cannot understand why Jacob has become a killer. Then Jacob tells him what happened to Irena… and his desire to revenge Irena's death and kill James Horton and his band of evil mortals.

Duncan attempts to assure Jacob that Horton and his Hunters are no more… that Jacob is pursuing a vendetta against men and women who are no threat to him. But Galati is skeptical. DM sets up a meeting between Joe and Jacob… but Joe may have figured out how to rejoin the Watchers… how to show he is still faithful to his oath… and how to end their threat to his life… and Duncan's… Joe betrays Galati to the Watchers.

For good or ill… the war will end… and nothing will ever be quite the same.

On a side note: When this two-part episode first aired… Panzer-Davis had already released "Unholy Alliance", "Counterfeit", and "Finale" as re-edited films. I eagerly awaited a release of this one. I figured that they would give the tele-film treatment to this two-part episode and to the two-part Dark Quickening episode. Alas…I waited in vain.

Enjoy them back to back today though. When they first aired… we had to wait three months between parts.