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Highlander: Counterfeit, Part 2

Richie: "If something looks too good to be true, it probably is."

Every sci-fi/fantasy show has to have an evil twin episode, so getting it over with was probably wise. Why did it have to be Tessa, though? Although I must admit that I liked her better evil than good.

I tend to re-write bad episodes in my head in an attempt to make them work. What if "Lisa" had just shown up at the graveyard early in part one, without all of the preparatory histrionics? If they had made her identical physically, but with a different past and interests so that it would have been easier for Duncan to accept the coincidence? If she and Duncan had begun developing a relationship, and we had slowly discovered through flashbacks that she wasn't just a doppelganger, but a plant? We could have had a lot more of the good stuff, which was Duncan reacting to a woman who looked exactly like Tessa, and a lot less of the unbelievable stuff, like instant plastic surgery.

It was Richie's turn to be skeptical, while Duncan appeared to be taken in. Except that he never was. Horton should have known that Duncan wouldn't be fooled for long. In fact, there simply wasn't a good enough plot-related reason for Horton to create a double. Wouldn't it have been a lot less effort to lead a massive armed assault on the barge? (Okay, it didn't work in the dojo, but still.) For that matter, why didn't Lisa kill Duncan or at the very least tie him up when they were in bed together and he was asleep?


My favorite part of this episode had nothing to do with the main plot: it was Joe and Richie bonding. Richie threw himself in front of Joe and took three bullets without even thinking about it, saving Joe's life. And Joe saw Richie come back from the dead, something he mentioned that Watchers don't often get to see.

Flashbacks:

— 1983 Paris. Duncan told Tessa the truth about himself, and proved it with a gun. Good thing he woke quickly instead of slowly, or he would have had to create another identity.

— There was a clip of Tessa's death from "The Darkness." There are expanded versions of this scene in future episodes, but not this time.

Bits and pieces:

— Please tell me Horton is finally dead. He's come back from the dead twice now. Enough, already.

— The priest who officiated at Pete's funeral was the same one with the car thing from part one. Paris is a big city. Coincidence factor off the charts.

— What would happen if an immortal had plastic surgery? Would they "heal" almost immediately, or would it take some time? It's an interesting thought.

Quotes:

Lisa: "This is the part where you say I remind you of someone else, right?"

Joe: "I'd say you were dying."
Richie: "Stick around. I'll be right back."

This was my least favorite Highlander season ender. Two stars,

Billie
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Billie Doux knows that there can be only one.

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