Comes A Horseman...
OMG, this episode was everything I thought and hoped it would be! (Except, of course, Duncan and Methos never did you know, Duncan was a right prat, Kronos' dialogue could've been improved in one particular place... - Maybe I should have said 'expected'. :D Loved it anyway!)
Even though Methos' '80's hairstyle is shock-awful (yes, it really is that bad. Plus the blue face paint that's rubbed off onto his cloak), the characters not-doing what I tell them to *grins* and Duncan being the all Boy-Scout know-it-all judgemental bastard I just couldn't help but wish he wasn't, it was FAN-BLOODY-TASTIC!
Oh, and the bridles, saddles, stirrups, steel swords *cringe* and other bad bloopers were quite nasty too. It's the BRONZE AGE, people. Iron hasn't been invented yet, steel not for another millenia or so! But we criticise it because we love it, of course.
Featuring pictures courtesy of Crowblanket's nifty screencaps. Taken without permission, so apologies, but as it's for really my own use, and she seems a nice person, I hope she won't mind awfully... *grin* Found here.
So... the guys.
Duncan finds Cassandra after seeing "Melvin Koren" (Kronos) for the first time after a long long time... (who isn't currently sporting the swirly look, but I wanted both pics together). When he turns up, he looks more like the guy on the left.
Methos. Who actually (I think) looks morbidly cute in the whole fake-Bronze Age thing he's got going on here. I mean, the hair and the make up was a mistake. The towel, not so bad... but he's just such a great, fantabulous actor! Unfortunately, in CaH there are very few pro!Methos pics (i.e. ones where he looks cute and sexy without the whole rabbity-nose thing). So we had to settle for *wishtwisht*!Methos instead, as it was better than *blowjob-dagger-to-stomach*!Methos. Well. More decent. :D
And can someone tell me why Methos is a) the only Horseman wearing white and b) the only Horseman with the football-hooligan blue facepaint? Kronos is swirly and Caspian and Silas' are kinda similar, but Methos? O-oh no, just because he's different. *grin*
Also to our favourite Really Old Guy's right is Caspian and Silas. I have absolutely no idea which is which, and which is Famine or Pestilence. *shrugs* Maybe there's some deep meaning in that. I don't think so.
...On seconds thoughts, I'd guess that Caspian, the *nutty*er one is the one with Methos' sword around his throat (left). He looks kinda barmyier, whereas Silas is just simple. And likes killing people.
And onto the story!
Methos has appeared on a TV quiz show (Idiot! Has 5000 years taught him nothing about survival?!) Duncan is reprimanding him for it (go Duncan!). There is *wishtwisht*ness, so Methos runs off. (Coward!). It's 'Melvin' (I mean, what sort of a name is that?!) Koren, and we have a Duncan-ey flashback that tells us that Koren is an evil bastard who just won't die (like they're hard to find in this canon...). Duncan runs away from him and finds Cassandra instead, who tells him her sob-story about Koren-who-is-really-Kronos, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocolypse, who killed her and her people. So, obviously, after 3000 years of trying to get over it, she is gonna kill him.
Fair enough so far.
Meanwhile, Kronos has 'bumped into' Methos, and kills him, dragging him away for a brother-to-brother chat (after waking from the dead - really good way to treat old friends that!). He mentions Methos being a survivor, him being surprised he's still alive, and gives him a choice - join me or I'm gonna kill you (oh come on mate, which are you gonna pick?! And besides, do you really want someone at your side like Methos, who would very happily stab you in the back? Has the past couple of millenia robbed you of every brain cell you were born with?!).
Anyway, rant over. Predictably, Methos says yes. Everyone in the audience is 'shocked' that Methos would go back to the evil-killing-raping bastard he used to be. I mean, come on - look at the guy! He was forced into it!
Methos runs away (good instincts there, Old Man!) and goes to tell Duncan he is doing so. Duncan asks him about some random Immortal by the name of Kronos, but before he can answer, Cassandra turns up and puts her foot in it rather badly. Duncan and Methos' relationship will never be the same again. *sobs* It's just too much... He's all like "no, I've no idea who you're talking about - help me Macleod from this crazy woman!" and Cassandra's all "evil murdering bastard, I'll kill you!" and Duncan's like "WTF?", but thankfully he does the good thing, and holds Cassandra while Methos runs. Cassandra angrily tells Duncan that his friend Methos is another of the Horsemen. Duncan is upset, understandably. (Well, apart from when he takes it waaay too personally. I mean, what kind of a complex has this stupid Scot got?!)
Anyway. Duncan goes to Joe (who of course knows everything. I got really annoyed here because Macleod was all evil to Joe and not friendly or anything. Duncan is a right bastard to Joe and it's not fair! Stupid Scot. Methos is officially my favourite character. Forever. Though Joe does come in second, 'cause he's so amazing and puts up with Macleod where I'd just punch him). Joe tries to persuade him that Cassandra is wrong (go Joe! Listen to this dude!) but Macleod is indecisive and takes it all personally (as usual). He goes off in a huff to find Methos.
Meanwhile, Methos has been meeting with Kronos. Methos tries to kill him, but Kronos is too quick, and after nicking his sword, tells Methos he hasn't really changed. He goes on about the power and the freedom of being a Horseman and poor Methos is clearly trying to fight the feeling (he may have been an evil bastard, but goddamit he's reformed and he's our bloody evil bastard! Leave the poor guy alone!). He just about succeeds, but it is clear that this is having a lot of inward conflictions for him.
Duncan goes to find Methos for an explanation. Despite his whole puppy-do, disbelieving eyes throughout this whole scene, I hated him here for being such a bastard to Methos. I mean, the guy is clearly really upset and trying to hide it, he gets hysterical, he's full of remorse for a life he can't change and he knows Duncan will never understand. GIVE THE GUY A BREAK! But once again, as usual, Duncan's black-and-white view comes in.
(Excerpt taken from the transcripts at Methos.Org)
Methos: [Packing boot of car] I'm outta here.
Duncan: No, you're not. You're not outta here. Is what she said true?
Methos: [pause] The times were different, MacLeod. I was different. The whole bloody world was different, okay?
Duncan: [pause] Did you kill all those people?
Methos: Yes. Is that what you wanna hear? Killing was all I knew. Is that what you want to hear?
Duncan: That's enough.
[Methos throws Duncan hard against the 4x4 - he is angry with Macleod, I think because Mac finds it so easy to believe this of him. He wants to shock him.]
Methos: No! It's not enough! I killed. But I didn't just kill fifty, I didn't kill a hundred. I killed a thousand. I killed ten thousand. And I was good at it. [hysterical beginnings] And it wasn't for vengeance. It wasn't for greed. It was because - I liked it. [hysterical giggle] Cassandra was nothing. Her village was nothing. Do you know who I was? I was Death.
[Methos laughs, caught in the throes of the power he used to have. Duncan, disgusted, wanting him to stop, throws him against the 4x4 as Methos did]
Methos: Death - Death on a horse. [Still light, partly hysterical. Like he knows he's blown it with Macleod - the best friendship he's had for years. He is pressing forward the fact that Duncan will never really understand him.] When mothers warned their children that the monster would get them, that monster was me. I was the nightmare that kept them awake at night. Is that what you want to hear? The answer is yes, o-oh yes. [almost regretful - especially in his eyes. He sees that Duncan cannot understand. He's blown it for once and for all.]
Duncan: We're through.
Wow. Though the script (edited in italics by me) can't really capture it, and neither can the pictures, it still brings a tear to my eye in memory... :(
Anyway, we have The Shedding Of The Coats (my Mum reckons it's a macho thing :D ). It's all gone horribly wrong. Their relationship can never be the same again. They've both lost a valued, trusted friend (and I'm screaming at the TV for Macleod to remember all the times Methos has helped him... "He's changed goddamit! He offered you his head repeatedly, he loved Alexa, he saved you from the Dark Quickening!...")
There's no helping some people.
Cassandra (the idiot she is...) goes and challenges Kronos. Fortunately, half way through, Methos turns up and subtly clobbers her one over the head and throws her into a nearby handy river, thus saving her life. Meanwhile Duncan challenges Kronos. Methos, thinking this is not so hot an idea (whilst wearing his expressionless mask - poor guy! He must be so worried about Macleod and yet so torn against hurting an old friend, even if he is a bastard who murders people, his friends and wants to kill him), gets some random flaming petrol bombs and throws them down onto the fight. A little more firepower is needed however, so he gets a full can of petrol and slops it all over the floor and sets it alight. The pair are split up and Methos hits the fire alarm, meaning they all have to leave before the fire brigade get there. They all escape unscathed, thanks to Methos (but no-one thanks him, oooh no...).
Kronos and Methos meet up on some pier (presumably having been together since the fight), with Kronos' sword at his throat. He wants to know why he split up the fight - wonders if Methos is having second thoughts. Methos coolly replies that it could've gone either way. Kronos is still suspicious, but our Old Guy stops him from delivering the fatal blow with some precious news - he knows Caspian and Silas are still alive, and where they are. Heartened that the Four might be together again, Kronos agrees to go and find them.
Then the traitorous bastards put up a "To be continued..." sign just as we pan onto Methos' face. (Can you not see that he is just doing this to stay alive?! He has no option!)
Pyro!Methos and the last look in his eyes... see the pain...
Well, I thought it was superb and am so looking forward to tomorrow and Rev6:8!
...Damn, I was going to say something intelligent. :(
Grrrr - if Macleod really existed, he'd get a piece of my mind, I can tell you. Four hundred years - you would have thought he'd learned some tact or face-reading by now. But then, you only criticise something if you love it or hate it, and despite its' faults, I love these episodes. And to think - I've never seen these eps before!
Even though Methos' '80's hairstyle is shock-awful (yes, it really is that bad. Plus the blue face paint that's rubbed off onto his cloak), the characters not-doing what I tell them to *grins* and Duncan being the all Boy-Scout know-it-all judgemental bastard I just couldn't help but wish he wasn't, it was FAN-BLOODY-TASTIC!
Oh, and the bridles, saddles, stirrups, steel swords *cringe* and other bad bloopers were quite nasty too. It's the BRONZE AGE, people. Iron hasn't been invented yet, steel not for another millenia or so! But we criticise it because we love it, of course.
Featuring pictures courtesy of Crowblanket's nifty screencaps. Taken without permission, so apologies, but as it's for really my own use, and she seems a nice person, I hope she won't mind awfully... *grin* Found here.
So... the guys.
Duncan finds Cassandra after seeing "Melvin Koren" (Kronos) for the first time after a long long time... (who isn't currently sporting the swirly look, but I wanted both pics together). When he turns up, he looks more like the guy on the left.
Methos. Who actually (I think) looks morbidly cute in the whole fake-Bronze Age thing he's got going on here. I mean, the hair and the make up was a mistake. The towel, not so bad... but he's just such a great, fantabulous actor! Unfortunately, in CaH there are very few pro!Methos pics (i.e. ones where he looks cute and sexy without the whole rabbity-nose thing). So we had to settle for *wishtwisht*!Methos instead, as it was better than *blowjob-dagger-to-stomach*!Methos. Well. More decent. :D
And can someone tell me why Methos is a) the only Horseman wearing white and b) the only Horseman with the football-hooligan blue facepaint? Kronos is swirly and Caspian and Silas' are kinda similar, but Methos? O-oh no, just because he's different. *grin*
Also to our favourite Really Old Guy's right is Caspian and Silas. I have absolutely no idea which is which, and which is Famine or Pestilence. *shrugs* Maybe there's some deep meaning in that. I don't think so.
...On seconds thoughts, I'd guess that Caspian, the *nutty*er one is the one with Methos' sword around his throat (left). He looks kinda barmyier, whereas Silas is just simple. And likes killing people.
And onto the story!
Methos has appeared on a TV quiz show (Idiot! Has 5000 years taught him nothing about survival?!) Duncan is reprimanding him for it (go Duncan!). There is *wishtwisht*ness, so Methos runs off. (Coward!). It's 'Melvin' (I mean, what sort of a name is that?!) Koren, and we have a Duncan-ey flashback that tells us that Koren is an evil bastard who just won't die (like they're hard to find in this canon...). Duncan runs away from him and finds Cassandra instead, who tells him her sob-story about Koren-who-is-really-Kronos, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocolypse, who killed her and her people. So, obviously, after 3000 years of trying to get over it, she is gonna kill him.
Fair enough so far.
Meanwhile, Kronos has 'bumped into' Methos, and kills him, dragging him away for a brother-to-brother chat (after waking from the dead - really good way to treat old friends that!). He mentions Methos being a survivor, him being surprised he's still alive, and gives him a choice - join me or I'm gonna kill you (oh come on mate, which are you gonna pick?! And besides, do you really want someone at your side like Methos, who would very happily stab you in the back? Has the past couple of millenia robbed you of every brain cell you were born with?!).
Anyway, rant over. Predictably, Methos says yes. Everyone in the audience is 'shocked' that Methos would go back to the evil-killing-raping bastard he used to be. I mean, come on - look at the guy! He was forced into it!
Methos runs away (good instincts there, Old Man!) and goes to tell Duncan he is doing so. Duncan asks him about some random Immortal by the name of Kronos, but before he can answer, Cassandra turns up and puts her foot in it rather badly. Duncan and Methos' relationship will never be the same again. *sobs* It's just too much... He's all like "no, I've no idea who you're talking about - help me Macleod from this crazy woman!" and Cassandra's all "evil murdering bastard, I'll kill you!" and Duncan's like "WTF?", but thankfully he does the good thing, and holds Cassandra while Methos runs. Cassandra angrily tells Duncan that his friend Methos is another of the Horsemen. Duncan is upset, understandably. (Well, apart from when he takes it waaay too personally. I mean, what kind of a complex has this stupid Scot got?!)
Anyway. Duncan goes to Joe (who of course knows everything. I got really annoyed here because Macleod was all evil to Joe and not friendly or anything. Duncan is a right bastard to Joe and it's not fair! Stupid Scot. Methos is officially my favourite character. Forever. Though Joe does come in second, 'cause he's so amazing and puts up with Macleod where I'd just punch him). Joe tries to persuade him that Cassandra is wrong (go Joe! Listen to this dude!) but Macleod is indecisive and takes it all personally (as usual). He goes off in a huff to find Methos.
Meanwhile, Methos has been meeting with Kronos. Methos tries to kill him, but Kronos is too quick, and after nicking his sword, tells Methos he hasn't really changed. He goes on about the power and the freedom of being a Horseman and poor Methos is clearly trying to fight the feeling (he may have been an evil bastard, but goddamit he's reformed and he's our bloody evil bastard! Leave the poor guy alone!). He just about succeeds, but it is clear that this is having a lot of inward conflictions for him.
Duncan goes to find Methos for an explanation. Despite his whole puppy-do, disbelieving eyes throughout this whole scene, I hated him here for being such a bastard to Methos. I mean, the guy is clearly really upset and trying to hide it, he gets hysterical, he's full of remorse for a life he can't change and he knows Duncan will never understand. GIVE THE GUY A BREAK! But once again, as usual, Duncan's black-and-white view comes in.
(Excerpt taken from the transcripts at Methos.Org)
Methos: [Packing boot of car] I'm outta here.
Duncan: No, you're not. You're not outta here. Is what she said true?
Methos: [pause] The times were different, MacLeod. I was different. The whole bloody world was different, okay?
Duncan: [pause] Did you kill all those people?
Methos: Yes. Is that what you wanna hear? Killing was all I knew. Is that what you want to hear?
Duncan: That's enough.
[Methos throws Duncan hard against the 4x4 - he is angry with Macleod, I think because Mac finds it so easy to believe this of him. He wants to shock him.]
Methos: No! It's not enough! I killed. But I didn't just kill fifty, I didn't kill a hundred. I killed a thousand. I killed ten thousand. And I was good at it. [hysterical beginnings] And it wasn't for vengeance. It wasn't for greed. It was because - I liked it. [hysterical giggle] Cassandra was nothing. Her village was nothing. Do you know who I was? I was Death.
[Methos laughs, caught in the throes of the power he used to have. Duncan, disgusted, wanting him to stop, throws him against the 4x4 as Methos did]
Methos: Death - Death on a horse. [Still light, partly hysterical. Like he knows he's blown it with Macleod - the best friendship he's had for years. He is pressing forward the fact that Duncan will never really understand him.] When mothers warned their children that the monster would get them, that monster was me. I was the nightmare that kept them awake at night. Is that what you want to hear? The answer is yes, o-oh yes. [almost regretful - especially in his eyes. He sees that Duncan cannot understand. He's blown it for once and for all.]
Duncan: We're through.
Wow. Though the script (edited in italics by me) can't really capture it, and neither can the pictures, it still brings a tear to my eye in memory... :(
Anyway, we have The Shedding Of The Coats (my Mum reckons it's a macho thing :D ). It's all gone horribly wrong. Their relationship can never be the same again. They've both lost a valued, trusted friend (and I'm screaming at the TV for Macleod to remember all the times Methos has helped him... "He's changed goddamit! He offered you his head repeatedly, he loved Alexa, he saved you from the Dark Quickening!...")
There's no helping some people.
Cassandra (the idiot she is...) goes and challenges Kronos. Fortunately, half way through, Methos turns up and subtly clobbers her one over the head and throws her into a nearby handy river, thus saving her life. Meanwhile Duncan challenges Kronos. Methos, thinking this is not so hot an idea (whilst wearing his expressionless mask - poor guy! He must be so worried about Macleod and yet so torn against hurting an old friend, even if he is a bastard who murders people, his friends and wants to kill him), gets some random flaming petrol bombs and throws them down onto the fight. A little more firepower is needed however, so he gets a full can of petrol and slops it all over the floor and sets it alight. The pair are split up and Methos hits the fire alarm, meaning they all have to leave before the fire brigade get there. They all escape unscathed, thanks to Methos (but no-one thanks him, oooh no...).
Kronos and Methos meet up on some pier (presumably having been together since the fight), with Kronos' sword at his throat. He wants to know why he split up the fight - wonders if Methos is having second thoughts. Methos coolly replies that it could've gone either way. Kronos is still suspicious, but our Old Guy stops him from delivering the fatal blow with some precious news - he knows Caspian and Silas are still alive, and where they are. Heartened that the Four might be together again, Kronos agrees to go and find them.
Then the traitorous bastards put up a "To be continued..." sign just as we pan onto Methos' face. (Can you not see that he is just doing this to stay alive?! He has no option!)
Pyro!Methos and the last look in his eyes... see the pain...
Well, I thought it was superb and am so looking forward to tomorrow and Rev6:8!
...Damn, I was going to say something intelligent. :(
Grrrr - if Macleod really existed, he'd get a piece of my mind, I can tell you. Four hundred years - you would have thought he'd learned some tact or face-reading by now. But then, you only criticise something if you love it or hate it, and despite its' faults, I love these episodes. And to think - I've never seen these eps before!