Part 2 of Highlander Rewatched! Season 1, Episode 1, The Gathering Podcast!
And the continuing stooooory...
30:30 Keith: As the pilot, this episode kind of jumps around a little bit, so the next scene is Duncan and Connor just kind of sparring in a dirt warehouse? It's a warehouse just full of dirt.
30:42 Eamon: This whole thing is weird. Connor shows up, and they talk to Duncan, and then it cuts to them sparring, but they're wearing different clothes? **Yeah, and then...** Which, this was in... this was definitely an editing kind of thing, because there are two scenes where they fight in this warehouse, **20:58 Right! They just cut back!** In between they change, but then they cut back to that and they're in the same clothes again. **Right.** All that footage came from one day, when clearly all that was supposed to have happened.
31:09 Kyle?: That confused me and I thought it was weird.
31:11 Keith: It is weird. But they spar, and it's fun, because Connor's wearing jeans and a sweatshirt, Duncan is wearing like a... pirate shirt or something?
31:20 Eamon?: He looks like Jerry Seinfeld! He has the puffy shirt on, and he's fighting, and there's no dirt on him, I mean I like their relationship; they kind of have a fun --
31:29 Keith: They do!
31:31 Eamon: --friendly, they're always smiling at each other, and making jokes *Keith laughs*
31:37 Kyle: But then they're also just randomly dicks to each other? **yup** Inexplicably. I don't quite know what's going on, but every once in a while, their conversation gets kind of stilted and hostile-sounding. **Yeah, definitely.**
31:48 Kyle: They have a conversation later. *beat* As Connor says. *laughter*I did my best Connor impression.
31:54 Keith: So, Duncan explains at some point [to] Tess the rules of the Game, which at this point "There can be only one" is the prime rule. That of all these Immortals, there can only be one left. And she's "Well what do they get?" They get the Prize, and she [asks] "What is it?" and Duncan says "The last Immortal will rule the planet forever." **Mmhm.** And... I feel like that's a little nebulous, too, in the series. They drop what the Prize really is, I think it's an unknown Prize, at some point, which I think is a little more fun. No one knows why they're fighting, they just have to do it.
32:26 Eamon: It casts a weird negative light on all of them, if they're fighting for control of the planet? **Yeah.** That seems malevolent or weird. **Kyle: --by nature.** 32:37 Keith: They're all going to be dictators-- Either a good dictator or an evil dictator. **Kyle: I don't want Connor to be my president!
32:42 Eamon: The guy can't--The guy's been an Immortal for how long? And he still can't even lie well, that he's an Immortal. *laughter* He says to Tessa, "Oh, we're... from the same... neighborhood..." Just, "Dude, work on this!" *laughter*
33:02 Keith: So actually, we did one of the hallmarks of the series is a flashback, one of many.
33:07 Kyle: Which is what makes this show, to an extent. **Keith: I love the flashbacks!** It opens so many options, storytelling-wise, and I think often that's the line between great episodes, and other episodes. It's how well they use the infinite past to their advantage when shooting the episode.
33:28 Keith: There's all sorts of character development they can have. So they flash back to 1872, they're with the Lakota Indians, and there's been a massacre and Duncan--again, one of the quintessential themes of the Highlander franchise is the love and loss thing. He lives forever, but all the people he cares about die. He gives a pretty heart-breaking speech to Connor, who I guess is visiting him at this Indian **camp!** Kyle: --who is kind of dressed like a pilgrim; it's like his outfit--33:57 Keith: Connor looks even more like shit. He looks awful. Connor in the present time, he's wearing sweatshirts, white tennis shoes, and a frumpy jacket. In this other one, he might as well be just wearing mud! His hair's all fucked up, **Eamon?: He's wearing a big hat--** He's just covered in dirt! He looks like what's his name from Peanuts! **Oh, Pigpen!** Pigpen! 34:23 He's Pigpen! *much giggling*
34:26 Keith: So, why don't we take a listen to this amazing little monologue in the flashback.
34:33 Duncan:*choked out words* She knew the names of all the grasses, **Oh boy.****laughter** the wildflowers, the songs that told where her people came from. **Keith: Duncan is holding his dead love in his arms.** How they lived, what they believed in! **Eamon: And Connor's kind of **consoling** comforting him, sort of. 34:59 Mostly just looking at him.** C: I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.
35:04 And that's it. I guess we get an idea of--Duncan's lost loves before. **Eamon: He was dating Pocahontas. **Yeah! 35:10 It took me a while, in the leadup to this flashback, to figure out that he was supposed to be with Native Americans. Just in terms of what they were showing, "What IS this?"
35:20 Keith?: Yeah it kind of just jumps right into it. Kyle: It was confusing. Yeah. His garb, I guess, just seeing it again, looks more Native American to me, but not being primed for it... **Kyle: Yeah.* It was like "Wait! Where is he and why?!"
35:35 Keith: Yeah, I've actually spoken to some people that have not... aren't familiar with the Highlander series, and have just caught an episode here or there, and some people are like "Does he time-travel or something? Is that what the show's about? **Yeah.** Because if you're not really sure what's going on, you might think he's time-traveling? I don't know. I don't get that impression, but I guess I'm familiar with it.
35:53 Eamon: Yeah, I think if you're already familiar with it, it's not confusing. But I feel like there's a lot of room for people to kind of not really know what's going on here quite yet.
36:04 Kyle: Yeah, and it's kind of hard to take yourself out of six seasons and five movies worth of knowledge of this stuff, but... yeesh. Uh, what are we--what is his accent in that, by the way?
36:20: Keith: It's kind of Scottish still, right?
36:22 Kyle: --ISH still, is he overcome with emotions, or is that a conscious choice, that "I'm with natives, I speak different, now!"
36:29 Keith: Maybe! I give Adrian Paul some credit. He does kind of switch his accent up as they do flashbacks.**sure!** I think he's still trying to find his footing in this season, "Where my character's supposed to be, developmentally," because he also even plays the character, which I think is fun, when he's younger, when he's only a hundred years old, he's like a juvenile. He's more of a party animal. He's really brash. And then up until present day, where he's kind of a stoic hard-ass, I think. 36:57 Also in the first season I think he's much more than he is, he's a little more fun in some of the other seasons. I think they try to--they paint him too rigid. But anyway, Duncan comes home after fighting with Connor, I guess, sparring, and he thinks Tessa's in her studio, working. Tessa's a sculptor. **Right.** And it turns out it's not her, 37:19 it's SLAN, and he's got her tied up!
37:23 Kyle: And he's preparing to rearrange her face with some kind of saw!
37:26 Keith: Yeah, he's got a saw and he's just gonna cut her up!
37:29 Kyle: Which is very dark! *staggered laugh*
37:31 Keith: Yeah, it's VERY dark, and Richard Moll plays it great, I think, it's again super-theatrical, and we should listen to a little clip of him kind of chewing up the scenery! *Oh boy.***laughter**
37:43 Slan: You know what some wags call me? Slan the Cat, because I like to play with my victims first.
37:51 Keith/Kyle: What?! Kyle: Some wangs or some wanks? Keith/Eamon: I think it's WAGS. Eamon: Like W-A-G.(((wag - a witty amusing person who makes jokes))) I don't know what--Keith: I tried to look it up, I don't know what that--
38:01 Eamon: I just have "wags??" here, and I'm "What's a wag?"
38:04 Keith: Yeah.
38:06 Kyle: I like this unknown "wag" word more than "some wangs"! **Eamon: Some wangs call me Slan the Cat.**
38:12 Keith: So, Duncan and him have it out again. I guess Slan has the disadvantage, so he flees once again.
38:18 Kyle: *indignant* No he does not! *laughter* I was very puzzled by this, right? Because, so, I'm just saying, he has the saw and is going to cut up her face, and you know Duncan, the clever fox that he is, CUTS the cord on the saw! First off, it's clearly still spinning very fast, *laughter* He can still cut her up! And then, he has a massive two-handed sword, which he then also is able to threaten her with! And does! So it's--your advantage has not changed AT ALL! And the thing he does, right before fleeing, is throw Duncan to the ground! So you still have a hostage, and your enemy is on the ground, yeah you're right. It's a great time to run. What did he come here for? Or is he just there to play?
39:05 Keith: I think he playing with his--because he's the Cat!
39:07 Eamon: Yeah. He's playing. **Meow!** *laughter*
39:11 Keith: So, when he does flee, I don't know if anyone caught this, he says "Ta-ta for now, kid!" *snorts* TTFN, which is the same thing Tigger says in Winnie the Pooh! **Wow!**
39:25 I don't understand his lingo!
39:29 Eamon: Slan's just a wacky guy, y'know?
39:31 Keith: I guess he's SO wacky.*Kyle laughs*
39:33 Eamon: Also, he's vain. He likes to look at himself, and--
39:35 Keith: Yeah, we find that out later. He's looking at himself in a mirror, and we find out that's why he has this mask, is that he doesn't want to mess up, I think he says his most valuable asset?! *Yeah.* Which I--WHAT? He's played by Richard Moll, who looks like--no offense, Richard, like a caveman! He's a giant seven foot dude. He's super-b--he's square-jawed, **39:56 Eamon: He's like an Easter Island head.** Yeah! **He's just, you know.** But it's like, I guess they had that idea, and then maybe for a different character? And then cast Richard as it but didn't change it? I can understand if the villain was maybe a womanizing, good-looking guy that was--this is--
40:11 Eamon: Maybe he's just delusional? Maybe they're going for a delusion?
40:17 Keith: Maybe. But also this brings up another weird question. **Kyle: Lots of questions!** Um, because as Immortals, they can't die, and they heal, but he has to protect his FACE, because they can get scars...? I guess....
40:30 Kyle: Yeah, so I can understand wanting to wear some kind of armor on, I don't know, ALL of your body, since you're sword-fighting--*lots of laughter* **Keith: That's a great point.**
40:42 Kyle:--but that being said, they've been sword-fighting for four-hundred years. If he actually needs to protect his face for beauty-related reasons, does that mean all their hands and arms should just be covered in scars because you're having hundreds of years worth of sword fights? **41:02 Eamon: That's a great point.**
41:03 Keith: I guess so. And I think this is maybe something that's left over from the movie. **Kyle: Right!** The movie mythology. The series I think has its kind of own mythology, apart from the movies. Serious, it's in the movies. Yeah, I guess the main--the villain--Clancy Brown, in the original, he gets his neck cut, and holds it together with safety pins? Which is awesome, because he's this punk-rocker-- **Oh yes!** --sort of dude, and it's this cool visual, but it's oh, I guess you can... maybe it's [that] your head can get damaged? I don't know. It's never really explained in the movie.
41:36 It doesn't even really need to be, because it's just kind of a fun, visual thing. **Sure.** But I think maybe that's left over from the movie.
41:43 Kyle: So you need a Mankind mask to protect yourself!
41:45 Keith: I guess so! So anyway, then we get another flashback. Duncan, it turns out, is building a cabin. It turns out it's on Holy Ground. We find out another rule of the Game. Which is Immortals can't hurt each other on Holy Ground, or Sacred Ground. So he builds this cabin on an old Indian burial ground or something, he gets permission from the tribe's elders, or whatever, to do it.
42:09 Eamon: Here's what I don't get about that. Are they physically incapable of doing it, or are they just no allowed to?
42:20 Keith: Well, that's the question about ALL these rules, right? Who's going to enforce, if Connor and Duncan jumped Slan and took him down in the first scene? It doesn't seem like there's Immortal police who's going to come in and solve this, so--
42:35 Kyle: I always got the impression they physically couldn't. Like something is driving them to fight each other, the same way something is driving them to not hurt each other--
42:42 Eamon: Because some of the characters obviously have no code of honor, or ethics, so are you telling me Slan wouldn't kill someone on Holy Ground if he had an opportunity?
42:51 Keith: That's a good point!
42:53 Eamon: He breaks every other rule. I feel like he just... they can't, for some reason, or, I don't know. I don't know.
43:01 Keith: That makes sense.
43:03 Kyle: That's fair if Duncan and Connor's jam has always been finding and killing people they describe as evil. It's got to be, somehow, cosmically enforced. **Yeah.****Sure.**
43:15 Keith: Speaking of other, weird questions, we shouldn't go down this rabbit hole too much. *laughter* And again, the "no fighting on Holy Ground" works great as a plot device. It's somewhere they can talk. It's that sort of thing. People can be out of the Game. It works for what the show needs it to do. But I guess the big question is: What decides what's Holy Ground? Like if they were in the Parthe--some sort of Greek temple, **right!** Does that count as Ho--at what point in time counts as Holy Ground? Can they go to the Church of Scientology and not fight? **Oooh!** Can they go to any sort of multiple-belief system, like what counts and when?
43:54 Eamon: I think they all count.
43:58 Keith: They seem like they would, yeah.
43:56 Kyle: Yeah. Because he's building it on Native American Holy Ground. So some hierarchical organized religion isn't required. **Right!** Though we see churches obviously count. So I'm going to say yes, Scientology, probably..?
44:13 Keith: Yeah! Probably.
43:14 Kyle: Yeah but then it's, not to get too into this, *soft giggles* If they're on Holy Ground, does it just automatically work? Or do they have to KNOW it's Holy Ground? **Oh, yeah!** What if they wander in somewhere, and it IS Holy Ground, but they don't know? Can they fight?
44:31 Kyle: Yeah, because there were just some runes, or inscriptions in some trees in the background, where he's building the cabin. That's easy to miss **sure!** Slan just might not be paying attention, when he's looking for your head.
44:41 Keith: Yeah, uh... So, back to the present. Connor and Duncan are sparring AGAIN. They've just re-edited this footage to kind of pad the episode a little bit, and Richie is spying on them. He's intrigued by this whole thing.
44:54 Kyle: He's a;fjsda;f and watching them training, and he does this nod, where he's going **Oh yeah!** He's a total creep about it, too! He looks like he's getting a mildly erotic thrill! **Eamon?: Oh definitely, definitely. He's like "Yes, please!"
44:11 Keith: While they're out, it turns out that Slan calls Tess, threatens to rape her, again, **Yup.** and challenges Duncan to a duel to the death. "Meet me at the bridge, we're going to fucking have it out." **Eamon: And is he just calling on the phone?** He just calls her on the phone! **Yeah.** So, just real casual. So, when Duncan gets home, him and Connor find out about this, they have a really great bro-talk!
45:34 I should have pulled the clip, but they're just--
45:36 Eamon: And the fight, it's like a bro-talk slash argument.
45:39 Keith: Yeah, they're talking about ladies. "You have all the best women, and most of the fun." **45:45 Kyle: It's the other way around!** Whatever.
45:47 "All the fun and most of the good women!" *together*
45:48 Keith: "Lately!" *laughter* That's really--it's funny and weird all at the same time.
45:53 Eamon?: It almost seems like it's improvised, or something?
45:58 **Something about the--****It's awkward, KYLE: Something about the pacing of the conversation... is wrong. *laughter* It feels like there's an extra beat between every response, where like if you didn't see them in the same shot, you would almost think that the conversation was filmed in two separate rooms, and they cut it together. **Yeah.** It's very strange.
46:16 Eamon: I do like them playing off of each other. **Yeah!** I think Lambert is really good in this episode. Especially working with the material he's being given, he's--
46:30 Keith: Yeah, he's totally fun. They have, he's the mentor, Duncan's the student that doesn't know any better, yeah it works really well!
46:37 Kyle: I don't know. His performance in this I just find very puzzling, often? And maybe it's this rascally character, because so many of his lines just end with him smiling and going "Hahah!"
46:51 Keith: The Christophe Lambert laugh-- **Kyle: Yeah!** --is amazing! "Eh-eh-eh-eh-eh!" This weird, weird creepy man-laugh. *laughter*
47:00 Kyle: I don't know what that is, but get used to hearing it, because he uses it all the time! And then just... something about him just feels alien to me. He seems like... his performance to me feels like he came from another planet, and he *wild laughter* *snix* --he thinks this is how humans act. *laughter* I don't know, I guess I'm alone on this one, but--
47:31 Eamon voice-under: There's definitely something strange.
47:30 Keith: He is a striking--I don't necessarily think he's the greatest actor ever, but he has an odd screen presence that--
47:38 Eamon: Yeah, I think that might be what I'm attracted to.
47:40 Keith: --is charismatic in some way.
47:43 Eamon: Like he's playing more of a character, where I feel like... they do a good job, but I feel like Tess and Duncan are a little... I don't know. I don't know what it is. Can't put my finger on it.
47:55 Kyle: Well he's definitely working hard. Lambert's definitely putting in some effort-- **sure!** and that definitely shows, so hats off!
48:04 Eamon: It's also interesting that the three of the maybe five... there are basically five characters in this episode. Three of them either have an accent, or English isn't their first language, *laughter* So it's pretty interesting.
48:19 Keith: Yeah, and if you're not familiar with the Highlander franchise, Christophe Lambert is French, playing a Scotsman. **yup!**
48:30 Kyle: Which produces a very strange accent.
48:31 Keith: A very strange accent!
48:33 Eamon: Do you think he's trying to do a Scottish accent?
48:35 Keith: I don't know. I don't know what he's doing.
48:36 Kyle: I don't think so... **That's a good answer.** I don't think he thinks his character should have a Scottish accent anymore. **Sure.****Yeah.** I think he's... I think he's using the fact that he already has an accent to his advantage, to build kind of a weird Frankenstein accent. Because he's from "lots of places" **"Lots of different places!"** *snickers*
49:58 Keith: So, Connor ends up punching out Duncan--
49:02 Kyle: With a weird left hook that instantly knocks Duncan out! **Eamon: Yeah! For hours!** If this is all it takes, he should definitely not go fight Slan. Definitely.
49:11 Keith: So, he gets knocked out because Connor wants to fight Slan. We still don't really know the reason for any of this drama [but] he doesn't want Duncan to find him, he's going to go and do it. So he hops in his car to go meet Slan on the bridge. Richie has been spying on this whole thing, he hops in the trunk of the car, **Yup!** and Connor does not notice. Richie is on the outside of the car. Connor gets in, then Richie hops in the trunk, closes the lid, **Yup!** Connor has no idea what's happening--
49:37 Eamon: So was the trunk just... open?
49:39 Keith: I don't know! *laughter*
49:43 Kyle: We've already established that Richie has some thief-skills. **Sure, sure, sure.** He could have rigged it so he could pop it open; I don't know. **That's true.** Burglars out there can let us know. **Eamon;afjs;afdjd;skfjsa**
49:50 Keith: So, they arrive on the bridge, and I guess then we have the big showdown with Slan and Connor. And they start kicking each other's a--or Connor's kicking Slan's ass, he ends up slicing--he stabs him through his mask, in the eyehole?
50:06 Eamon: Yeah, that's confusing. But he gets his face--
50:08 Keith: He gets his face, so it looks like Slan's going to lose, and then Slan has a projectile-thing built in the bottom of his sword, so he shoots--
50:19 Eamon: It's like a dart, or something.
50:20 Kyle: It's like a ballistic-knife, somehow!
50:22 Keith: And he SHOOTS Connor! **Eamon: It's pretty cool.** It IS pretty cool. **Yeah.**
50:25 Kyle: It's neat, *laughter* it opened a lot of questions for me, though. Which is... okay, this flies. He's allowed to have this dart-gun in his sword. Can't he just have a gun-gun, then? *laughter* Because it--once you've opened a certain door, there, **Sure.** when this weapon is allowed.
50:49 Keith: Yeah, what weapons are allowed?
50:50 Kyle: Because guns are also more convenient and will cause a lot less questions. It's like "Oh, why do you have a Claymore?" *laughter*
50:58 Eamon: Yeah. Well, I guess that's the whole trench coat thing too. They all wear trench coats to hide their swords. Which I literally just put together. *much laughter* It's like, I don't know, trench coats are cool! The Matrix blahblahblah. But, yeah.
50:10 Kyle: Getting there before The Matrix. You need a trench coat to hide all your swords!
50:16 Keith: So, Connor gets stabbed and instead of getting beheaded, he throws himself over the bridge **Yup!"** and there's an amazing just dummy, *laughter* this floppy dummy, just crashes into the water. But luckily, Duncan shows up, and he's **Kyle: Right on time!** right on time, and now he's going to take Slan on. As you said, Kyle, it's kind of a little unfair, **Yeah!** because Slan just got--
51:38 Kyle?: He was injured. He was in a pretty tough fight. **Keith: Yeah!** That's why he's been swinging around a two-handed sword for a couple of minutes, he's got to be kind of tired! That can't be easy!
51:49: Keith: So yeah, they end up going at it, and Richie is also poised on the side of the bridge. **Watching.** He's watching this whole thing play out.
51:57 Kyle: And before we get too far away: what'd you guys think of the fighting, just in general in this? We talked briefly about the warehouse fight. This is the... and then this, are the two main sources of action in the episode.
52:09 Keith: The warehouse fight is better, I think, than the bridge fights, or any of the fights with Richard Moll.
52:17 Eamon: I don't think Richard Moll really... I mean, he has to wield around this probably really heavy, big sword. Richard Moll I don't know... if he was trained too much?
52:27 Keith: Yeah, I don't know how much they rehearsed all this stuff. **Yeah.** They speed up some of the footage, for at least his fights with Duncan, which just looks a little clunky, **Yeah.** The sword fighting in the show gets really good at some point, depending on who the guest stars are, if they're pretty physical, there's some really great sword-fighting.
53:42 Eamon: Connor and Duncan are good. **Yeah!** I think they're pretty good.
53:46 Kyle: That's a good scene. Just in terms of what you were saying about their relationship, I actually think it comes through MOST in this mostly physical scene. **Sure.** The way they're interacting is great, when they pick him up off the dirt pile, and you know, all that stuff. I think it's solid.
53:02 Keith: Yeah, it's totally fun. Also, as far as the sword-play goes, I want to say that the Sword Master on the show was Bob Anderson... I think that's his name. And he's the stunt coordinator or Swords Master on the Star Wars films. The original ones. **Oh wow!** And he was, I think, Darth Vader's stunt double, or stand-in, for the sword fights. **That's amazing.** I want to say years ago I read some quote or heard some quote from him that he said Adrian Paul was the best swordsman he had ever worked with. Having no training, to learn all of this stuff....
53:32 Kyle: He's good at doing all the MOVES. A lot of the guys have to do sword-moves. And sometimes--**Keith: "Sword-moves!"** they'll do a slash, or something, or they'll spin the blade. He does it probably the best. A lot of them-- **Yeah, he makes it look cool!** --their moves don't really work too well. **Yeah.** But he's good.
53:52: Keith: Yeah! So, they have it out, Duncan injures Slan, and then cuts his head off. And I wanted to pause here, just for a second. So this is the way, in the Highlander f--this is how Immortals die. They get their--they have to be beheaded to die. This is a show on Saturday afternoons that I watched as a CHILD that features beheadings **Yup!*laughter*** on a WEEKLY basis! It even mentions it in the opening title, **Its central plot-point, yeah!** "With the fall of a sword, the beheading of a person!" That's how this works. Does this show fly on TV, today? When we can also turn on CNN and watch ISIS behead somebody? For real?
54:38 Kyle: Yeah. Totally. This would completely fly. Yeah.
54:42 asdkjf;lkfj;lkdjfsa; Keith: It's really **--grounds that it's shocking.** It IS, watching it again they don't--it's not gory or anything, **No.** Usually they try to obfuscate the body behind something so you just see the body fall. **Well I think this--** But they are cutting people's heads off, all the time!
54:02 Eamon: Blood doesn't come out--the white energy comes out of their "neck-hole" *laughter* we're going to call it, but--
55:06 Kyle: That doesn't happen when YOU get injured? *laughs*
55:09 Eamon: No! Well sometimes, blood afsdafj;sfd;alkj
55:12 Keith: This is another hallmark of this series is that this is what's called the Quickening. After the Immortal's beheaded, the winning Immortal gains that person's power. It's never really clear what that power is. Power, knowledge--
55:27 Eamon: Yeah, do they get memories?
55:29 Keith: I don't know. They don't really get into it too much. At some point they get into it a little more, but it's never really specific, and I guess that's kind of okay. But it is--
22:36 Eamon: Do you get Slan's PIN number if you get lj;lj;lkj;lkj
55:41 Keith: There's just lightning everywhere, it is very sexual. *Kyle laughs* I don't know how else to describe it. There's lots of groaning, **MmhmM** shaking; I don't know how else to describe what is going on other than a weird cartoon orgasm. **Eamon: It's a climax.**
56:03 Eamon: Also, everything explodes when the Quickening happens. I didn't notice--they show Slan's car explode. Does Duncan's car explode--or Connor's car? Does Connor's car explode?
56:14 Keith: I didn't notice.
56:15 Kyle: *amused* That would be really inconvenient.
56:19 Eamon: Yeah. If you win, does your car get to not explode? Is that part of it? **Yeah!***laughter*
56:24 Kyle: So do they mention the word Quickening anywhere but in the opening credits in this episode?
56:28 Keith: Never. Ever ever ever. I don't think they ever say you get the Quickening.
56:32 Kyle: Because that just again makes the opening credits introduction to this very--
56:34 Keith: LiKeith: "What is all this terminology?" **Kyle: Yeah.****Eamon: Yeah.**
56:38. So, after Duncan gets all this power, he wins the fight, the body's just there on the bridge. He notices Richie's spying on him and gives him a look, and then he just throws himself off the bridge. *laughter* I again don't know why. Richie saw him, so it's not like he's hiding from Richie. I guess you could just drive away, unless he's thinking "I'll follow the path Connor went. I'll float downstream to find him."
56:59 Eamon: I guess maybe that's the most direct route.
57:02 Keith: I guess! So again, floppy dummy just hitting the water. It's awesome. He ends up meeting up with Connor. I guess he rescues Connor on the side of the shore, whatever, and Connor [says] "You have to take care of the boy," and Duncan [says] "Yeah, I'll look after him." Anyway, so then they go to meet back up with Tess, who I guess at this point has decided she wants to leave Duncan? Because it's dangerous or--**Well Duncan--** Or Duncan wants to leave HER?
57:27 Eamon: Duncan wants to leave her, and Connor goes back to Tess for some reason, maybe because he wants them to be happy. I don't really know why Connor goes back...? **Keith: Oh yeah!**
57:37 Kyle: He was supposed to tell her that Duncan was leaving. *Oh, right.** That he was alive but he's leaving.
57:44 Keith: He's done, yeah. But instead he tells her where he thinks he is, which is back at the old cabin that he built on Holy Ground. **Right, in the flashback, yeah.** So Connor brings Tess there, and I guess it's a happy ending.
57:55 Eamon: Yeah, it's happy. He leaves so that they can bump uglies for the fourteenth time on this episode and he goes to the canoe. So, are they stranded on that island, because he's taking the canoe?
58:05 Keith: *laughs* He's taking the canoe! Well, I guess Duncan got there somehow. **Eamon: Duncan has to get there somehow.** So I guess there is a way out. And that's the episode.
58:16 Keith: So what do we, as a pilot, would you watch this series after--if you just saw the pilot, would you be like "I'm going to keep going."
58:24 Eamon: I feel like that's a hard question to answer. If you weren't already a Highlander fan, I don't know if you would want to keep watching this or not. I thought it was pretty good.
58:38 Kyle: I think I would have given this... this would have been on a short leash. I'd watch another one, but I don't think I'd be hooked, after this. I'd be "Well, okay." But it's cool, one thing that's in it is that Duncan and the concept do jump out as cool. They're ill-defined, but I'm kind of into the protagonist, even though he definitely hasn't quite found exactly his footing and his voice yet. But he's cool. The katanas are cool. *laughter***Oh yeah!** I'll give this a little bit longer and see what happens. **Eamon: Yeah. Sure.**
59:13 Keith: Yeah. I feel like--I think the pilot does a pretty good job of putting the set pieces there. They try to explain what the Game is, or Immortals, it gets a lot of stuff that pilots need to do out of the way. And pilots are always kind of clunky, **Yeah.** because they need to do pilot stuff. I think I would give this show a chance. **Like this one?** Like this one, yeah. It does have that cool factor. I think I would be in it just--I want to know more about guys that have sword fights NOW. **Yeah!** Like present-day people with swords is cool! **It is.** So yeah, I think this episode is okay. In the scope of the whole series, it's not one of the best. But of course this show really gets a lot better, I think, as it grows.
1:00:00 Kyle: I think we're going to be saying that a lot about the first season! Like "This is okay, but--"
100:03 Keith: Yeah, stick with us, we all--everyone at this table LOVES Highlander, I think, but it's not without its faults, and this first season is a little at a loss for finding its footing, and what it needs to say and do. So, yeah. Thanks I guess for listening to this episode! **Yeah!** This was fun, I don't know. **Kyle: Yeah, absolutely! I hope you had fun!** Yeah, See ya!
100:29 Keith: Make sure you guys follow us on Twitter. Highlander Rewatched. Our handle is @TheRewatchers on Twitter. Facebook, just look us up and like us. Highlander Rewatched. Make sure you rate us on iTunes, that really helps with our rating. Tell your friends about us, if they're into Highlander or if you want to get a friend into Highlander. This is a great way to watch the show with them. And if you want to contribute and be part of the discussion, we're probably going to read a lot of fanmail, reader mail, that sort of thing. Either write to us on Facebook, leave us comments. You can e-mail us at highlanderrewatched@gmail.com. Eamon, do you want to plug some art?
1:01:08 Eamon: Oh, sure! If you want to look me up, I'm on Twitter @EamonBDoc and on Instagram as eamonbdoc.
1:01:14 Kyle: And what do you do, Eamon?
1:01:15 Eamon: Oh, I'm a cartoonist, comic book artist, and all-around fun guy.
1:01:20 Keith: So do you think there's going to be some Highlander art in the near future?
1:01:23 Eamon: Yeah, look for that. I'll have some stuff in the works.
1:01:27 Keith: Awesome! Alright, yeah! And we'll see everybody next week for another exciting chronicle in the Highlander: The Series saga! Thanks!
30:30 Keith: As the pilot, this episode kind of jumps around a little bit, so the next scene is Duncan and Connor just kind of sparring in a dirt warehouse? It's a warehouse just full of dirt.
30:42 Eamon: This whole thing is weird. Connor shows up, and they talk to Duncan, and then it cuts to them sparring, but they're wearing different clothes? **Yeah, and then...** Which, this was in... this was definitely an editing kind of thing, because there are two scenes where they fight in this warehouse, **20:58 Right! They just cut back!** In between they change, but then they cut back to that and they're in the same clothes again. **Right.** All that footage came from one day, when clearly all that was supposed to have happened.
31:09 Kyle?: That confused me and I thought it was weird.
31:11 Keith: It is weird. But they spar, and it's fun, because Connor's wearing jeans and a sweatshirt, Duncan is wearing like a... pirate shirt or something?
31:20 Eamon?: He looks like Jerry Seinfeld! He has the puffy shirt on, and he's fighting, and there's no dirt on him, I mean I like their relationship; they kind of have a fun --
31:29 Keith: They do!
31:31 Eamon: --friendly, they're always smiling at each other, and making jokes *Keith laughs*
31:37 Kyle: But then they're also just randomly dicks to each other? **yup** Inexplicably. I don't quite know what's going on, but every once in a while, their conversation gets kind of stilted and hostile-sounding. **Yeah, definitely.**
31:48 Kyle: They have a conversation later. *beat* As Connor says. *laughter*I did my best Connor impression.
31:54 Keith: So, Duncan explains at some point [to] Tess the rules of the Game, which at this point "There can be only one" is the prime rule. That of all these Immortals, there can only be one left. And she's "Well what do they get?" They get the Prize, and she [asks] "What is it?" and Duncan says "The last Immortal will rule the planet forever." **Mmhm.** And... I feel like that's a little nebulous, too, in the series. They drop what the Prize really is, I think it's an unknown Prize, at some point, which I think is a little more fun. No one knows why they're fighting, they just have to do it.
32:26 Eamon: It casts a weird negative light on all of them, if they're fighting for control of the planet? **Yeah.** That seems malevolent or weird. **Kyle: --by nature.** 32:37 Keith: They're all going to be dictators-- Either a good dictator or an evil dictator. **Kyle: I don't want Connor to be my president!
32:42 Eamon: The guy can't--The guy's been an Immortal for how long? And he still can't even lie well, that he's an Immortal. *laughter* He says to Tessa, "Oh, we're... from the same... neighborhood..." Just, "Dude, work on this!" *laughter*
33:02 Keith: So actually, we did one of the hallmarks of the series is a flashback, one of many.
33:07 Kyle: Which is what makes this show, to an extent. **Keith: I love the flashbacks!** It opens so many options, storytelling-wise, and I think often that's the line between great episodes, and other episodes. It's how well they use the infinite past to their advantage when shooting the episode.
33:28 Keith: There's all sorts of character development they can have. So they flash back to 1872, they're with the Lakota Indians, and there's been a massacre and Duncan--again, one of the quintessential themes of the Highlander franchise is the love and loss thing. He lives forever, but all the people he cares about die. He gives a pretty heart-breaking speech to Connor, who I guess is visiting him at this Indian **camp!** Kyle: --who is kind of dressed like a pilgrim; it's like his outfit--33:57 Keith: Connor looks even more like shit. He looks awful. Connor in the present time, he's wearing sweatshirts, white tennis shoes, and a frumpy jacket. In this other one, he might as well be just wearing mud! His hair's all fucked up, **Eamon?: He's wearing a big hat--** He's just covered in dirt! He looks like what's his name from Peanuts! **Oh, Pigpen!** Pigpen! 34:23 He's Pigpen! *much giggling*
34:26 Keith: So, why don't we take a listen to this amazing little monologue in the flashback.
34:33 Duncan:*choked out words* She knew the names of all the grasses, **Oh boy.****laughter** the wildflowers, the songs that told where her people came from. **Keith: Duncan is holding his dead love in his arms.** How they lived, what they believed in! **Eamon: And Connor's kind of **consoling** comforting him, sort of. 34:59 Mostly just looking at him.** C: I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.
35:04 And that's it. I guess we get an idea of--Duncan's lost loves before. **Eamon: He was dating Pocahontas. **Yeah! 35:10 It took me a while, in the leadup to this flashback, to figure out that he was supposed to be with Native Americans. Just in terms of what they were showing, "What IS this?"
35:20 Keith?: Yeah it kind of just jumps right into it. Kyle: It was confusing. Yeah. His garb, I guess, just seeing it again, looks more Native American to me, but not being primed for it... **Kyle: Yeah.* It was like "Wait! Where is he and why?!"
35:35 Keith: Yeah, I've actually spoken to some people that have not... aren't familiar with the Highlander series, and have just caught an episode here or there, and some people are like "Does he time-travel or something? Is that what the show's about? **Yeah.** Because if you're not really sure what's going on, you might think he's time-traveling? I don't know. I don't get that impression, but I guess I'm familiar with it.
35:53 Eamon: Yeah, I think if you're already familiar with it, it's not confusing. But I feel like there's a lot of room for people to kind of not really know what's going on here quite yet.
36:04 Kyle: Yeah, and it's kind of hard to take yourself out of six seasons and five movies worth of knowledge of this stuff, but... yeesh. Uh, what are we--what is his accent in that, by the way?
36:20: Keith: It's kind of Scottish still, right?
36:22 Kyle: --ISH still, is he overcome with emotions, or is that a conscious choice, that "I'm with natives, I speak different, now!"
36:29 Keith: Maybe! I give Adrian Paul some credit. He does kind of switch his accent up as they do flashbacks.**sure!** I think he's still trying to find his footing in this season, "Where my character's supposed to be, developmentally," because he also even plays the character, which I think is fun, when he's younger, when he's only a hundred years old, he's like a juvenile. He's more of a party animal. He's really brash. And then up until present day, where he's kind of a stoic hard-ass, I think. 36:57 Also in the first season I think he's much more than he is, he's a little more fun in some of the other seasons. I think they try to--they paint him too rigid. But anyway, Duncan comes home after fighting with Connor, I guess, sparring, and he thinks Tessa's in her studio, working. Tessa's a sculptor. **Right.** And it turns out it's not her, 37:19 it's SLAN, and he's got her tied up!
37:23 Kyle: And he's preparing to rearrange her face with some kind of saw!
37:26 Keith: Yeah, he's got a saw and he's just gonna cut her up!
37:29 Kyle: Which is very dark! *staggered laugh*
37:31 Keith: Yeah, it's VERY dark, and Richard Moll plays it great, I think, it's again super-theatrical, and we should listen to a little clip of him kind of chewing up the scenery! *Oh boy.***laughter**
37:43 Slan: You know what some wags call me? Slan the Cat, because I like to play with my victims first.
37:51 Keith/Kyle: What?! Kyle: Some wangs or some wanks? Keith/Eamon: I think it's WAGS. Eamon: Like W-A-G.(((wag - a witty amusing person who makes jokes))) I don't know what--Keith: I tried to look it up, I don't know what that--
38:01 Eamon: I just have "wags??" here, and I'm "What's a wag?"
38:04 Keith: Yeah.
38:06 Kyle: I like this unknown "wag" word more than "some wangs"! **Eamon: Some wangs call me Slan the Cat.**
38:12 Keith: So, Duncan and him have it out again. I guess Slan has the disadvantage, so he flees once again.
38:18 Kyle: *indignant* No he does not! *laughter* I was very puzzled by this, right? Because, so, I'm just saying, he has the saw and is going to cut up her face, and you know Duncan, the clever fox that he is, CUTS the cord on the saw! First off, it's clearly still spinning very fast, *laughter* He can still cut her up! And then, he has a massive two-handed sword, which he then also is able to threaten her with! And does! So it's--your advantage has not changed AT ALL! And the thing he does, right before fleeing, is throw Duncan to the ground! So you still have a hostage, and your enemy is on the ground, yeah you're right. It's a great time to run. What did he come here for? Or is he just there to play?
39:05 Keith: I think he playing with his--because he's the Cat!
39:07 Eamon: Yeah. He's playing. **Meow!** *laughter*
39:11 Keith: So, when he does flee, I don't know if anyone caught this, he says "Ta-ta for now, kid!" *snorts* TTFN, which is the same thing Tigger says in Winnie the Pooh! **Wow!**
39:25 I don't understand his lingo!
39:29 Eamon: Slan's just a wacky guy, y'know?
39:31 Keith: I guess he's SO wacky.*Kyle laughs*
39:33 Eamon: Also, he's vain. He likes to look at himself, and--
39:35 Keith: Yeah, we find that out later. He's looking at himself in a mirror, and we find out that's why he has this mask, is that he doesn't want to mess up, I think he says his most valuable asset?! *Yeah.* Which I--WHAT? He's played by Richard Moll, who looks like--no offense, Richard, like a caveman! He's a giant seven foot dude. He's super-b--he's square-jawed, **39:56 Eamon: He's like an Easter Island head.** Yeah! **He's just, you know.** But it's like, I guess they had that idea, and then maybe for a different character? And then cast Richard as it but didn't change it? I can understand if the villain was maybe a womanizing, good-looking guy that was--this is--
40:11 Eamon: Maybe he's just delusional? Maybe they're going for a delusion?
40:17 Keith: Maybe. But also this brings up another weird question. **Kyle: Lots of questions!** Um, because as Immortals, they can't die, and they heal, but he has to protect his FACE, because they can get scars...? I guess....
40:30 Kyle: Yeah, so I can understand wanting to wear some kind of armor on, I don't know, ALL of your body, since you're sword-fighting--*lots of laughter* **Keith: That's a great point.**
40:42 Kyle:--but that being said, they've been sword-fighting for four-hundred years. If he actually needs to protect his face for beauty-related reasons, does that mean all their hands and arms should just be covered in scars because you're having hundreds of years worth of sword fights? **41:02 Eamon: That's a great point.**
41:03 Keith: I guess so. And I think this is maybe something that's left over from the movie. **Kyle: Right!** The movie mythology. The series I think has its kind of own mythology, apart from the movies. Serious, it's in the movies. Yeah, I guess the main--the villain--Clancy Brown, in the original, he gets his neck cut, and holds it together with safety pins? Which is awesome, because he's this punk-rocker-- **Oh yes!** --sort of dude, and it's this cool visual, but it's oh, I guess you can... maybe it's [that] your head can get damaged? I don't know. It's never really explained in the movie.
41:36 It doesn't even really need to be, because it's just kind of a fun, visual thing. **Sure.** But I think maybe that's left over from the movie.
41:43 Kyle: So you need a Mankind mask to protect yourself!
41:45 Keith: I guess so! So anyway, then we get another flashback. Duncan, it turns out, is building a cabin. It turns out it's on Holy Ground. We find out another rule of the Game. Which is Immortals can't hurt each other on Holy Ground, or Sacred Ground. So he builds this cabin on an old Indian burial ground or something, he gets permission from the tribe's elders, or whatever, to do it.
42:09 Eamon: Here's what I don't get about that. Are they physically incapable of doing it, or are they just no allowed to?
42:20 Keith: Well, that's the question about ALL these rules, right? Who's going to enforce, if Connor and Duncan jumped Slan and took him down in the first scene? It doesn't seem like there's Immortal police who's going to come in and solve this, so--
42:35 Kyle: I always got the impression they physically couldn't. Like something is driving them to fight each other, the same way something is driving them to not hurt each other--
42:42 Eamon: Because some of the characters obviously have no code of honor, or ethics, so are you telling me Slan wouldn't kill someone on Holy Ground if he had an opportunity?
42:51 Keith: That's a good point!
42:53 Eamon: He breaks every other rule. I feel like he just... they can't, for some reason, or, I don't know. I don't know.
43:01 Keith: That makes sense.
43:03 Kyle: That's fair if Duncan and Connor's jam has always been finding and killing people they describe as evil. It's got to be, somehow, cosmically enforced. **Yeah.****Sure.**
43:15 Keith: Speaking of other, weird questions, we shouldn't go down this rabbit hole too much. *laughter* And again, the "no fighting on Holy Ground" works great as a plot device. It's somewhere they can talk. It's that sort of thing. People can be out of the Game. It works for what the show needs it to do. But I guess the big question is: What decides what's Holy Ground? Like if they were in the Parthe--some sort of Greek temple, **right!** Does that count as Ho--at what point in time counts as Holy Ground? Can they go to the Church of Scientology and not fight? **Oooh!** Can they go to any sort of multiple-belief system, like what counts and when?
43:54 Eamon: I think they all count.
43:58 Keith: They seem like they would, yeah.
43:56 Kyle: Yeah. Because he's building it on Native American Holy Ground. So some hierarchical organized religion isn't required. **Right!** Though we see churches obviously count. So I'm going to say yes, Scientology, probably..?
44:13 Keith: Yeah! Probably.
43:14 Kyle: Yeah but then it's, not to get too into this, *soft giggles* If they're on Holy Ground, does it just automatically work? Or do they have to KNOW it's Holy Ground? **Oh, yeah!** What if they wander in somewhere, and it IS Holy Ground, but they don't know? Can they fight?
44:31 Kyle: Yeah, because there were just some runes, or inscriptions in some trees in the background, where he's building the cabin. That's easy to miss **sure!** Slan just might not be paying attention, when he's looking for your head.
44:41 Keith: Yeah, uh... So, back to the present. Connor and Duncan are sparring AGAIN. They've just re-edited this footage to kind of pad the episode a little bit, and Richie is spying on them. He's intrigued by this whole thing.
44:54 Kyle: He's a;fjsda;f and watching them training, and he does this nod, where he's going **Oh yeah!** He's a total creep about it, too! He looks like he's getting a mildly erotic thrill! **Eamon?: Oh definitely, definitely. He's like "Yes, please!"
44:11 Keith: While they're out, it turns out that Slan calls Tess, threatens to rape her, again, **Yup.** and challenges Duncan to a duel to the death. "Meet me at the bridge, we're going to fucking have it out." **Eamon: And is he just calling on the phone?** He just calls her on the phone! **Yeah.** So, just real casual. So, when Duncan gets home, him and Connor find out about this, they have a really great bro-talk!
45:34 I should have pulled the clip, but they're just--
45:36 Eamon: And the fight, it's like a bro-talk slash argument.
45:39 Keith: Yeah, they're talking about ladies. "You have all the best women, and most of the fun." **45:45 Kyle: It's the other way around!** Whatever.
45:47 "All the fun and most of the good women!" *together*
45:48 Keith: "Lately!" *laughter* That's really--it's funny and weird all at the same time.
45:53 Eamon?: It almost seems like it's improvised, or something?
45:58 **Something about the--****It's awkward, KYLE: Something about the pacing of the conversation... is wrong. *laughter* It feels like there's an extra beat between every response, where like if you didn't see them in the same shot, you would almost think that the conversation was filmed in two separate rooms, and they cut it together. **Yeah.** It's very strange.
46:16 Eamon: I do like them playing off of each other. **Yeah!** I think Lambert is really good in this episode. Especially working with the material he's being given, he's--
46:30 Keith: Yeah, he's totally fun. They have, he's the mentor, Duncan's the student that doesn't know any better, yeah it works really well!
46:37 Kyle: I don't know. His performance in this I just find very puzzling, often? And maybe it's this rascally character, because so many of his lines just end with him smiling and going "Hahah!"
46:51 Keith: The Christophe Lambert laugh-- **Kyle: Yeah!** --is amazing! "Eh-eh-eh-eh-eh!" This weird, weird creepy man-laugh. *laughter*
47:00 Kyle: I don't know what that is, but get used to hearing it, because he uses it all the time! And then just... something about him just feels alien to me. He seems like... his performance to me feels like he came from another planet, and he *wild laughter* *snix* --he thinks this is how humans act. *laughter* I don't know, I guess I'm alone on this one, but--
47:31 Eamon voice-under: There's definitely something strange.
47:30 Keith: He is a striking--I don't necessarily think he's the greatest actor ever, but he has an odd screen presence that--
47:38 Eamon: Yeah, I think that might be what I'm attracted to.
47:40 Keith: --is charismatic in some way.
47:43 Eamon: Like he's playing more of a character, where I feel like... they do a good job, but I feel like Tess and Duncan are a little... I don't know. I don't know what it is. Can't put my finger on it.
47:55 Kyle: Well he's definitely working hard. Lambert's definitely putting in some effort-- **sure!** and that definitely shows, so hats off!
48:04 Eamon: It's also interesting that the three of the maybe five... there are basically five characters in this episode. Three of them either have an accent, or English isn't their first language, *laughter* So it's pretty interesting.
48:19 Keith: Yeah, and if you're not familiar with the Highlander franchise, Christophe Lambert is French, playing a Scotsman. **yup!**
48:30 Kyle: Which produces a very strange accent.
48:31 Keith: A very strange accent!
48:33 Eamon: Do you think he's trying to do a Scottish accent?
48:35 Keith: I don't know. I don't know what he's doing.
48:36 Kyle: I don't think so... **That's a good answer.** I don't think he thinks his character should have a Scottish accent anymore. **Sure.****Yeah.** I think he's... I think he's using the fact that he already has an accent to his advantage, to build kind of a weird Frankenstein accent. Because he's from "lots of places" **"Lots of different places!"** *snickers*
49:58 Keith: So, Connor ends up punching out Duncan--
49:02 Kyle: With a weird left hook that instantly knocks Duncan out! **Eamon: Yeah! For hours!** If this is all it takes, he should definitely not go fight Slan. Definitely.
49:11 Keith: So, he gets knocked out because Connor wants to fight Slan. We still don't really know the reason for any of this drama [but] he doesn't want Duncan to find him, he's going to go and do it. So he hops in his car to go meet Slan on the bridge. Richie has been spying on this whole thing, he hops in the trunk of the car, **Yup!** and Connor does not notice. Richie is on the outside of the car. Connor gets in, then Richie hops in the trunk, closes the lid, **Yup!** Connor has no idea what's happening--
49:37 Eamon: So was the trunk just... open?
49:39 Keith: I don't know! *laughter*
49:43 Kyle: We've already established that Richie has some thief-skills. **Sure, sure, sure.** He could have rigged it so he could pop it open; I don't know. **That's true.** Burglars out there can let us know. **Eamon;afjs;afdjd;skfjsa**
49:50 Keith: So, they arrive on the bridge, and I guess then we have the big showdown with Slan and Connor. And they start kicking each other's a--or Connor's kicking Slan's ass, he ends up slicing--he stabs him through his mask, in the eyehole?
50:06 Eamon: Yeah, that's confusing. But he gets his face--
50:08 Keith: He gets his face, so it looks like Slan's going to lose, and then Slan has a projectile-thing built in the bottom of his sword, so he shoots--
50:19 Eamon: It's like a dart, or something.
50:20 Kyle: It's like a ballistic-knife, somehow!
50:22 Keith: And he SHOOTS Connor! **Eamon: It's pretty cool.** It IS pretty cool. **Yeah.**
50:25 Kyle: It's neat, *laughter* it opened a lot of questions for me, though. Which is... okay, this flies. He's allowed to have this dart-gun in his sword. Can't he just have a gun-gun, then? *laughter* Because it--once you've opened a certain door, there, **Sure.** when this weapon is allowed.
50:49 Keith: Yeah, what weapons are allowed?
50:50 Kyle: Because guns are also more convenient and will cause a lot less questions. It's like "Oh, why do you have a Claymore?" *laughter*
50:58 Eamon: Yeah. Well, I guess that's the whole trench coat thing too. They all wear trench coats to hide their swords. Which I literally just put together. *much laughter* It's like, I don't know, trench coats are cool! The Matrix blahblahblah. But, yeah.
50:10 Kyle: Getting there before The Matrix. You need a trench coat to hide all your swords!
50:16 Keith: So, Connor gets stabbed and instead of getting beheaded, he throws himself over the bridge **Yup!"** and there's an amazing just dummy, *laughter* this floppy dummy, just crashes into the water. But luckily, Duncan shows up, and he's **Kyle: Right on time!** right on time, and now he's going to take Slan on. As you said, Kyle, it's kind of a little unfair, **Yeah!** because Slan just got--
51:38 Kyle?: He was injured. He was in a pretty tough fight. **Keith: Yeah!** That's why he's been swinging around a two-handed sword for a couple of minutes, he's got to be kind of tired! That can't be easy!
51:49: Keith: So yeah, they end up going at it, and Richie is also poised on the side of the bridge. **Watching.** He's watching this whole thing play out.
51:57 Kyle: And before we get too far away: what'd you guys think of the fighting, just in general in this? We talked briefly about the warehouse fight. This is the... and then this, are the two main sources of action in the episode.
52:09 Keith: The warehouse fight is better, I think, than the bridge fights, or any of the fights with Richard Moll.
52:17 Eamon: I don't think Richard Moll really... I mean, he has to wield around this probably really heavy, big sword. Richard Moll I don't know... if he was trained too much?
52:27 Keith: Yeah, I don't know how much they rehearsed all this stuff. **Yeah.** They speed up some of the footage, for at least his fights with Duncan, which just looks a little clunky, **Yeah.** The sword fighting in the show gets really good at some point, depending on who the guest stars are, if they're pretty physical, there's some really great sword-fighting.
53:42 Eamon: Connor and Duncan are good. **Yeah!** I think they're pretty good.
53:46 Kyle: That's a good scene. Just in terms of what you were saying about their relationship, I actually think it comes through MOST in this mostly physical scene. **Sure.** The way they're interacting is great, when they pick him up off the dirt pile, and you know, all that stuff. I think it's solid.
53:02 Keith: Yeah, it's totally fun. Also, as far as the sword-play goes, I want to say that the Sword Master on the show was Bob Anderson... I think that's his name. And he's the stunt coordinator or Swords Master on the Star Wars films. The original ones. **Oh wow!** And he was, I think, Darth Vader's stunt double, or stand-in, for the sword fights. **That's amazing.** I want to say years ago I read some quote or heard some quote from him that he said Adrian Paul was the best swordsman he had ever worked with. Having no training, to learn all of this stuff....
53:32 Kyle: He's good at doing all the MOVES. A lot of the guys have to do sword-moves. And sometimes--**Keith: "Sword-moves!"** they'll do a slash, or something, or they'll spin the blade. He does it probably the best. A lot of them-- **Yeah, he makes it look cool!** --their moves don't really work too well. **Yeah.** But he's good.
53:52: Keith: Yeah! So, they have it out, Duncan injures Slan, and then cuts his head off. And I wanted to pause here, just for a second. So this is the way, in the Highlander f--this is how Immortals die. They get their--they have to be beheaded to die. This is a show on Saturday afternoons that I watched as a CHILD that features beheadings **Yup!*laughter*** on a WEEKLY basis! It even mentions it in the opening title, **Its central plot-point, yeah!** "With the fall of a sword, the beheading of a person!" That's how this works. Does this show fly on TV, today? When we can also turn on CNN and watch ISIS behead somebody? For real?
54:38 Kyle: Yeah. Totally. This would completely fly. Yeah.
54:42 asdkjf;lkfj;lkdjfsa; Keith: It's really **--grounds that it's shocking.** It IS, watching it again they don't--it's not gory or anything, **No.** Usually they try to obfuscate the body behind something so you just see the body fall. **Well I think this--** But they are cutting people's heads off, all the time!
54:02 Eamon: Blood doesn't come out--the white energy comes out of their "neck-hole" *laughter* we're going to call it, but--
55:06 Kyle: That doesn't happen when YOU get injured? *laughs*
55:09 Eamon: No! Well sometimes, blood afsdafj;sfd;alkj
55:12 Keith: This is another hallmark of this series is that this is what's called the Quickening. After the Immortal's beheaded, the winning Immortal gains that person's power. It's never really clear what that power is. Power, knowledge--
55:27 Eamon: Yeah, do they get memories?
55:29 Keith: I don't know. They don't really get into it too much. At some point they get into it a little more, but it's never really specific, and I guess that's kind of okay. But it is--
22:36 Eamon: Do you get Slan's PIN number if you get lj;lj;lkj;lkj
55:41 Keith: There's just lightning everywhere, it is very sexual. *Kyle laughs* I don't know how else to describe it. There's lots of groaning, **MmhmM** shaking; I don't know how else to describe what is going on other than a weird cartoon orgasm. **Eamon: It's a climax.**
56:03 Eamon: Also, everything explodes when the Quickening happens. I didn't notice--they show Slan's car explode. Does Duncan's car explode--or Connor's car? Does Connor's car explode?
56:14 Keith: I didn't notice.
56:15 Kyle: *amused* That would be really inconvenient.
56:19 Eamon: Yeah. If you win, does your car get to not explode? Is that part of it? **Yeah!***laughter*
56:24 Kyle: So do they mention the word Quickening anywhere but in the opening credits in this episode?
56:28 Keith: Never. Ever ever ever. I don't think they ever say you get the Quickening.
56:32 Kyle: Because that just again makes the opening credits introduction to this very--
56:34 Keith: LiKeith: "What is all this terminology?" **Kyle: Yeah.****Eamon: Yeah.**
56:38. So, after Duncan gets all this power, he wins the fight, the body's just there on the bridge. He notices Richie's spying on him and gives him a look, and then he just throws himself off the bridge. *laughter* I again don't know why. Richie saw him, so it's not like he's hiding from Richie. I guess you could just drive away, unless he's thinking "I'll follow the path Connor went. I'll float downstream to find him."
56:59 Eamon: I guess maybe that's the most direct route.
57:02 Keith: I guess! So again, floppy dummy just hitting the water. It's awesome. He ends up meeting up with Connor. I guess he rescues Connor on the side of the shore, whatever, and Connor [says] "You have to take care of the boy," and Duncan [says] "Yeah, I'll look after him." Anyway, so then they go to meet back up with Tess, who I guess at this point has decided she wants to leave Duncan? Because it's dangerous or--**Well Duncan--** Or Duncan wants to leave HER?
57:27 Eamon: Duncan wants to leave her, and Connor goes back to Tess for some reason, maybe because he wants them to be happy. I don't really know why Connor goes back...? **Keith: Oh yeah!**
57:37 Kyle: He was supposed to tell her that Duncan was leaving. *Oh, right.** That he was alive but he's leaving.
57:44 Keith: He's done, yeah. But instead he tells her where he thinks he is, which is back at the old cabin that he built on Holy Ground. **Right, in the flashback, yeah.** So Connor brings Tess there, and I guess it's a happy ending.
57:55 Eamon: Yeah, it's happy. He leaves so that they can bump uglies for the fourteenth time on this episode and he goes to the canoe. So, are they stranded on that island, because he's taking the canoe?
58:05 Keith: *laughs* He's taking the canoe! Well, I guess Duncan got there somehow. **Eamon: Duncan has to get there somehow.** So I guess there is a way out. And that's the episode.
58:16 Keith: So what do we, as a pilot, would you watch this series after--if you just saw the pilot, would you be like "I'm going to keep going."
58:24 Eamon: I feel like that's a hard question to answer. If you weren't already a Highlander fan, I don't know if you would want to keep watching this or not. I thought it was pretty good.
58:38 Kyle: I think I would have given this... this would have been on a short leash. I'd watch another one, but I don't think I'd be hooked, after this. I'd be "Well, okay." But it's cool, one thing that's in it is that Duncan and the concept do jump out as cool. They're ill-defined, but I'm kind of into the protagonist, even though he definitely hasn't quite found exactly his footing and his voice yet. But he's cool. The katanas are cool. *laughter***Oh yeah!** I'll give this a little bit longer and see what happens. **Eamon: Yeah. Sure.**
59:13 Keith: Yeah. I feel like--I think the pilot does a pretty good job of putting the set pieces there. They try to explain what the Game is, or Immortals, it gets a lot of stuff that pilots need to do out of the way. And pilots are always kind of clunky, **Yeah.** because they need to do pilot stuff. I think I would give this show a chance. **Like this one?** Like this one, yeah. It does have that cool factor. I think I would be in it just--I want to know more about guys that have sword fights NOW. **Yeah!** Like present-day people with swords is cool! **It is.** So yeah, I think this episode is okay. In the scope of the whole series, it's not one of the best. But of course this show really gets a lot better, I think, as it grows.
1:00:00 Kyle: I think we're going to be saying that a lot about the first season! Like "This is okay, but--"
100:03 Keith: Yeah, stick with us, we all--everyone at this table LOVES Highlander, I think, but it's not without its faults, and this first season is a little at a loss for finding its footing, and what it needs to say and do. So, yeah. Thanks I guess for listening to this episode! **Yeah!** This was fun, I don't know. **Kyle: Yeah, absolutely! I hope you had fun!** Yeah, See ya!
100:29 Keith: Make sure you guys follow us on Twitter. Highlander Rewatched. Our handle is @TheRewatchers on Twitter. Facebook, just look us up and like us. Highlander Rewatched. Make sure you rate us on iTunes, that really helps with our rating. Tell your friends about us, if they're into Highlander or if you want to get a friend into Highlander. This is a great way to watch the show with them. And if you want to contribute and be part of the discussion, we're probably going to read a lot of fanmail, reader mail, that sort of thing. Either write to us on Facebook, leave us comments. You can e-mail us at highlanderrewatched@gmail.com. Eamon, do you want to plug some art?
1:01:08 Eamon: Oh, sure! If you want to look me up, I'm on Twitter @EamonBDoc and on Instagram as eamonbdoc.
1:01:14 Kyle: And what do you do, Eamon?
1:01:15 Eamon: Oh, I'm a cartoonist, comic book artist, and all-around fun guy.
1:01:20 Keith: So do you think there's going to be some Highlander art in the near future?
1:01:23 Eamon: Yeah, look for that. I'll have some stuff in the works.
1:01:27 Keith: Awesome! Alright, yeah! And we'll see everybody next week for another exciting chronicle in the Highlander: The Series saga! Thanks!