Avatar (97601)

Before discussing this episode, I thought I might reflect on the meanings and implications of the titles of each of the three episodes in this story arc. Besides the obvious significance and alliteration of all three beginning with "A"… (Archangel… Avatar… Armageddon) there are religious and Biblical overtones.

Archangel: In Hebrew mythology there were seven archangels, although I can only recall the names of the primary four: Michael, the warrior who leads God's armies against the foes of darkness; Raphael, the healer; Gabriel, the messenger; and Uriel, the angel of death. I must confess ignorance as to which of these the writers were referring to. Is MacLeod to be cast in the role of Michael the warrior, or is Ahriman the angel of death? Realize, Uriel is a force of good, for death is a relief from the burdens of life. It is man's reward. Is Ahriman cast in the role of Gabriel who must bring the message to earth that the time is at hand? Who might be cast as Raphael, the one who seeks to heal and bring blessed relief to the troubled?

Avatar: From Hindu mythology an avatar is a manifestation of a deity on the earth, a concrete realization of the abstract. Such is Ahriman in this episode. As with the second part of most trilogies, evil has the upper hand, and it is a dark time for the forces of good. There does not appear to be any relief in sight; evil seems to reign supreme. DM might also be considered the avatar, the hero with god-like abilities who must face evil.

Armageddon: Returning to Hebrew, this refers to the plain at Megiddo where the Bible says the final battle between the forces of good and the forces of evil will be fought. God's champions will meet to battle with Satan's minions. Currently the word has come to mean the end time… the final destruction or salvation of the earth.

Now in this episode, DM returns from a self-imposed exile of six months. (Producers had wanted this to be longer, ten years in fact, but costs prohibited this.) He has spent the time on holy ground cleansing his spirit and focusing his mind. DM must accept the consequences of his actions, he must face what he had tried to get his friend Warren Cochrane to face in the episode Through a Glass Darkly: the slaughter of his own student; the senseless death of someone who trusted him. If he can face his own fears and losses, perhaps he will have the strength to face the demon.

This episode reaches but does not realize the potential inherent in this situation. Too often the actors are merely going through the motions of the script without any apparent understanding or feeling of what they are doing. To me it was a letdown. I had eagerly anticipated the return of the series and in seeing the opening credits include PW and EG thought DM would marshal his forces and together the army of light would face the darkness. Instead, it was only DM and Joe (who seems to be in the position of offering only exposition) trying to discover what was happening, and what DM needed to do to defeat the enemy.

Most of the episode focuses on a young woman named Sophie, whom DM saves from drowning (or does he), and her temptation by Ahriman to do his bidding.

Notice throughout this episode the use of the color red as a sign of Ahriman's tampering with events.

Peter Hudson continues his romp as the visible face of Ahriman to the world.

Armageddon (97602)

Part Three! After today we can forget this arc took place! Almost!

The demon Ahriman, having failed to tempt DM with the return of those whom he has lost (Tessa and Richie), decides to go after DM's friends and those who would help him.

The only series regular helping DM is Joe, and JB gets to play one of the all-time greatest temptation scenes ever portrayed on TV. I cried when it was first shown. I understand the writers talked to him about it first and he was very much in favor of that scene because, "Hell yes… it's a temptation!"

Once again much of the episode is forced to focus on guest star characters whom the audience has never met and for whom there is no real connection and/or interest. If they could have had Amanda or Methos this episode, what would Ahriman have offered them? Now that might have been interesting!

Perhaps it would have been better to have done two episodes rather than three. These are so-so episodes that seem little more than filler. It would have been better to have utilized Methos and Amanda… it might have been better to have forgotten this arc and gone in another direction! Ah well…

DM must discover the way to defeat Ahriman who is immune to his sword; but his eventual discovery hardly tackles new ground, even for this series. It is pedestrian and I recall wanting to throw things at the screen and say, "Well… duh!!!"

Sins of the Father (97603)

This is the first of the episodes I tend to call "Attack of the Immortal Babes!" In all of them, DM runs into a female immortal with whom he has had some previous encounter. The story is often told mainly through her viewpoint and the flashbacks are sometimes hers of him. <shrugs> These were the episodes where TPTB were attempting to create and cast the character for their new series Highlander: The Raven.

In today's episode we meet Alex Raven, who during WWII was working with the Jews in Poland. They were attacked and her mortal lover was killed as was she. She managed in the aftermath to save her lover's son.

In the present, one of DM's friends is killed in a car bomb and he sees Alex whom he once met killing an unarmed opponent. From Alex's viewpoint, however, she was killing an immortal who'd just killed her then mortal lover. Currently, DM suspects that Alex is involved in his friend's death. But in the world of The Highlander nothing is ever as simple as black and white, it is shades of grey.

As DM gets to know Alex and investigates his friend's death, he learns startling truths.

This episode is one of the better of this group. It has an interesting conflict and a … at that time… current story line--reparations for Jews who survived the holocaust. The true villain is evident almost from the moment we meet this person. There are no surprises, but it is a thought-provoking episode.

For how many generations do we carry a grudge? Are we responsible for the evils our forebears committed? Must we pay for the crimes of the past?

Diplomatic Immunity (97604)

After the first three episodes of the sixth season, along comes this one and I recall thinking, "Oh good! Back on track except… where's Methos? Where's Amanda?… Where's Joe even?" (I know he said at the end of the Ahriman story that he was going out of town, maybe back to Seacouver to handle the bar there… I thought.)

Anyway… once again much of this story is from the point of view of the immortal con man and old friend of DM's whom he chances across.

Con man Willie Kingsley and his mortal wife Mollie have this little scam they've been running for years. Man gets hit by car, wifey sobs, and extorts money from driver. Man re-awakens and he and wifey go live on what they make.

They pull this scam once too often and Mollie dies. Willie wants help from DM but the license plate matches that of another friend of DM's, a diplomat with immunity.

Moral dilemma: what does DM do?

Look for him to pick up his sword once more…

Also Buffy and Angel fans… look for Alexis Denisoff (Wesley Wyndham-Price) in this episode as the diplomat's son.  The diplomat is played by Ed Bishop who played Stryker in the old British televsion show, UFO.

This one is a mixture of comedy and seriousness. Mortals die once more, and DM feels this loss.

Patient Number Seven (97605)

Welcome to "Attack of the Immortal Babes… part 2".

A young woman escapes from a mental sanitarium and wanders the streets of Paris aimlessly. DM senses her, catches up with her, and discovers she has amnesia and doesn't recall who she is… or that she is immortal. (Shades of Through a Glass Darkly!)

Once more, as she re-covers her memory both old (of a previous encounter with DM) and new (as to why someone was trying to kill her) the story is basically told from her point of view and it is her story that is told. DM seems to mainly be an observer. She has to work through her own issues.

That said, this episode contains one of the funniest flashbacks ever written: how DM and Kyra once shared a room at an inn, and a bed, and discussed… the… uh… length of a Scotsman's… uh sword.

The actress playing Kyra is a delight, but the episode is just old ground re-worked. Oh, and the creepy asylum attendant who feels her upis the actor who played immortal villain Luther in the Season Two episode Legacy.

TPTB were simply auditioning another actress for that coveted role of "The Raven."

Black Tower (97606)

Nowas to this episode? DM's ladyfriend is abducted and he knows an old foe is challenging him. So, he gets out his trusty katana and goes off to rescue said damsel in distress.

It seems DM was there when Devon Marek, this week's k-immie, first awoke. Since the man was a real shithead, he didn't listen to DM and blames our hero because he loses his "lifestyle"!

In the present, Marek has a gaming empire and lures DM into his fortress like office building to rescue the damsel while being hunted by a crack team of mortal hunters.

Room by room, floor by floor, DM must subdue the mortals (ho hum) in order to reach the top floor and rescue the damsel. (Yeah… right.) I don't really like this episode; it is a take-off on The Most Dangerous Game a classic short story, but Marek uses others to do the hunting while he plays it safe, and breaks all the rules except holy ground.

Also, this episode contains only stock characters who offer no surprises in an unexciting episode. When it ended,the first time I saw it, I looked at my son and winked. Can Highlander the video game be far behind? Said son, however, was actually thinking, "This would make a cool set-up for a game!"

I guess it's a "guy thing".

Unusual Suspects (97607)

Any episode with Fitz except for The Hunters is a good one! (Don't really like The Hunters as that is when we lose Darius.)

It is October 1929 and DM is called to the estate of Hugh Fitzcairn to attend his funeral. It seems that Fitz died while playing the clarinet and a la Agatha Christie's Ten Little Indians DM (in a tux about half of the time) must discover for his hiding friend "Who done the dastardly deed!"

One by one DM's suspects die. Every time he thinks he knows who it has to be they drop dead. Soon there are none left! Ha!

Look for Roger Daltrey's comic talents to be showcased in this episode as he dons a suit of armor and shows up as his own "father" so he can inherit his money and move on.

This is a fun episode! No swords, no bad immortals, just DM (in a tux) and Fitz (supposedly dead) running around as in Stone of Scone without a clue. (Pun intended).

Pop the popcorn! Put up your feet! And prepare to laugh! This one gets a thumb's up!

Justice (97608)

Welcome to "Attack of the Immortal Babes, part 3"

After meeting mortal fencing champion BaptistaDM saves the Argentinean from an assassination attempt by Immortal Katya!

But things are far more complicated than DM suspects. He learns that Katya's attack on Baptista is motivated by revenge. It seems the man killed her "adopted" daughter, Elena, and then got away with it in a biased court. Anything other than this SOB's life will not satisfy Katya. What to do? What to do? DM finds himself in the middle as the truth of the situation slowly comes out.

Ho hum, another episode told mainly from the woman's viewpoint and flashbacks, but interesting as DM is faced once more with teaching another immortal that vengeance is not the answer and that it is love and mercy that defines who we are.

Neither the actress (Justina Vail later of Seven Days) nor the character being explored in this episode is all that remarkable; truthfully I tend to forget this one. But the flashbacks and the truth about Elena are an interesting look into how immortals change and shift with the children they choose to raise. Katya is at first a mother, then an older sister, and finally a younger sister. These scenes give us a real glimpse into an immortal "life."

Deadly Exposure (97609)

Welcome to "Attack of the Immortal Babes, part 4. This one actually features a fairly interesting character in Reagan Cole played by a fairly competent actress.

Reagan Cole has spent much of her immortal life as a bounty hunter. Once she was hired to capture Duncan MacLeod but let him go when she discovered his crime was being "too friendly" with another man's wife.

In the present Reagan vacations in Paris after her latest job goes bad and her target is murdered. While there she "watches" a male underwear model being photographed for a shoot. Suddenly the photographer is killed and Reagan is thrown into a situation where she must "rescue" said model. (The fun part is the reversal of roles in the scenes between them!)

Curious as to what is going on, she looks up MacLeod to help her, but does most of the episode by herself. At the end, she and Mac get cozy. Someone must have thought that as DM had so little to do in this episode, he might as well get something for his trouble.

All total, it's not a great episode by any stretch of the imagination, but the character of Reagan Cole had definite possibilities! I'm certain the guys will find her most attractive.

Two of Hearts (97610)

Welcome to "Attack of the Immortal Babes, part 5~~the final chapter". This episode could also be called: "No Highlander at all!" Nope… not even a mention!

Immortal Katherine and her private eye husband, the mortal Nick Sutherland (think Nick and Nora Charles of The Thin Man except she that carries a sword) track down an old enemy of Katherine's in Paris… the immortal Bartholomew (hereinafter Bart).

Seems Bart is still using religion (as he had done long ago) to line his own pockets. Now he is collecting funds for charities that don't really exist. Katherine is furious and intends to finally take this SOB's head! She warns Nick to stay out of it. But will he? Of course not! And Bart is known to cheat!

This is the most blatant attempt to set up the new series. The only redeeming factor of this is Claudia Christian as Katherine, fresh from her firing from Babylon 5 (to be replaced by Tracy Scroggins, Highlander's own Cassandra) Claudia is in great form! She even does most of her own stunts.

Her husband's name being Nick will also be carried over to The Raven the following year. But the actor is someone else.

Once again the writers were being topical regarding just where all that money for charity ends up.

AP was busy with Endgame by this time and was not at all involved with this episode; no mention of him is even made by the characters.

Thankfully it lasts only 48 minutes and once watched, most fans will likely choose to forget it.

Indiscretions (97611)

I cannot stress how good this episode is, even if DM does not put in an appearance!

This is arguably the best episode in Season Six. It features the characters of Joe Dawson and Methos (now no longer a part of the Watchers and at least partially unmasked as it were) in what we might call "a road trip!"

Now while that may not sound exciting at first, just these two guys in a car arguing has unlimited potential! This episode gives a glimpse of what the series might have "morphed" into had there been money and enough producers' interest rather than starting another show from scratch.

Even without DM this episode works because it concerns characters we the fans care about. It gives us a glimpse into their respective pasts, and insight into their psyches.

The set-up is that new Watcher Amy reports to her mother's old friend Joe Dawson, and thereby reveals that she knows he is her "biological" father, and that it is why he has guided her Watcher career.

She is watching Morgan Walker who has just kidnapped several models into white slavery, ordering the death of one of them. Amy cannot accept just Watching.

Meanwhile Methos, learning that his old adversary Morgan Walker is in town, wants to know where he is… so he can avoid him.

Amy is discovered. (She's not really cut out for fieldwork it seems.) Joe is distraught. Methos is convinced to help his "buddy" get Amy back and face the enemy he has not particularly wanted to face.

This was the last episode actually filmed and the last scene filmed is the quickening. PW was  injured slightly in the filming, but professional that he is, ignored the injury and kept the scene going. If you know to look for it, you can see the debris from the explosion hit his face.

By the way, Methos gets to say one of his truly great lines in this one: "Just because I don't like to fight… doesn't mean I can't!"

To Be (97612)

For the two-part series finale, the producers pulled out all the stops and spent all the money they had hoarded all season by not spending too much on the previous episodes.

In the past, DM once knew immortal terrorist Liam O'Rourke. When Liam goes too far and kills innocent people, DM betrays Liam and his mortal wife to the police. They are sent to jail where the wife grows old and dies.

Now Liam, free once more, wants his revenge! His plan is too kidnap Amanda and Joe and threaten to kill them unless DM "gives" him his head.

Seeing no way out… DM is on his way to do just that. But Methos has a plan…

DM is shot and awakens to find Clarence the Angel who will now show him It's a Wonderful Life… Wait a minute, that's Fitz! And it's how his friends would be in a world without DM.

Well, you get the idea:  a world with no Highlander. Hmm, isn't that pretty much what Season Six was about?

Methos and Joe lend support and Amanda returns for two-part finale!

Not To Be (97613)

There is a poignancy and sadness involved with this episode. First, it was the series finale. For the last time on our weekly TV screens we would see Duncan MacLeod of the Clan MacLeod in a "new" adventure. Both he and his companions would fade from sight if not memory. (OK I know Amanda shows up the following fall as The Raven… but enough about that at this time.)

Second, we get to see what Tessa's life would have been like had she never met Duncan. While she would be alive, which is important, there are questions as to whether the life she is living can be called living. Once again, for those familiar with It's a Wonderful Life there are echoes of a life unfulfilled, potential never developed, of settling rather than seizing the day.

For an added bonus in today's episode, Kronos returns and he's still trying to reconstitute the four horsemen. In a world where Watchers became Hunters and the Hunters kill Immortals, perhaps Kronos and company are the "good" guys. Then again… maybe not.

Richie Ryan also returns and as Fitz says… "That's another sad story."

Watch  and remember are the by-words for this episode, for once DM is through with his little dream, he still has Liam O'Rourke to deal with.

A keeper… and far better than part one!

We not only get our gorgeous and very tricky Methos today, we also get Death and the return of the deliciously evil Kronos as DM continues his journey through a world in which he never was.

Today's episode is good for the above reasons. Too bad it was the end of everything. The final montage is a tribute to all that has gone before. Scenes from various episodes play against DM's final words to his friends and the glorious sounds of Bonnie Portmore, a song which will always conjure up visions of The Highlander forevermore.