Highlander: The Zone

Charlie: "I spent half an hour diving for your body."
Duncan: "I'm touched."

A little Duncan/Charlie male bonding.

I can only surmise that this was an attempt to incorporate Charlie and his past into the narrative, and it's a shame that it's such a wretched episode. Obviously, at this point, Highlander was still searching for its niche. But Duncan MacLeod, social crusader doesn't work any better than Duncan MacLeod, immortal detective.

For me, the highlight was the scene where Duncan gave Charlie a history lesson on the origins of several martial arts that included a hands-on demonstration. It was martial arts in a fun and interesting context. The rest of the episode had lots of martial arts but in a less fun and interesting context.

Flashbacks:

— 1920 Pennsylvania. The flashbacks were actually the best part of the episode; they were about Duncan and his mortal friend Jesse, a young mine owner's son with a social conscience. Jesse was played by Michael Shanks (credited as "Michael G. Shanks), who was about three years away from sci-fi fame on Stargate SG-1.

Bits and pieces:

— Charlie's friend Aja was a repeat of Richie's friend Angie. Aja's decision to work with the devil she knew was predictable.

— Charlie saw Duncan die, which was inconvenient. Fortunately, it was under inconclusive circumstances.

— The bad guy's name began with a hard C. But he wasn't an immortal, so it doesn't count.

With the exception of Duncan and Charlie sparring and the nice bit by Michael Shanks, this one had little to recommend it. One star,

Billie
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Billie Doux knows that there can be only one.

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