Highlander: Run for Your Life

Duncan: "Things are changing, Carl. All you have to do is live long enough."

This was a semi-good episode centered around a fairly interesting and complex immortal. But I've never cared much for it.

I think it's because even though it was about immortals, which was what Highlander did best, it was also a transparent morality tale about racism that felt a lot like Duncan MacLeod, Social Crusader. Yes, Duncan fighting racism wasn't exactly a concept galloping in out of the blue; he has clearly spent much of his long life actively aiding the oppressed and taking up for the underdog, which is monumentally cool and quite admirable. But still. (Note from later: I think the words I was searching for in this review were "white savior complex.")

At least it was well-written enough that I couldn't see the end coming. Would Carl come down on the side of good or evil? Whom did he murder? Turned out that it wasn't anyone, but we didn't know that at first.) An adversarial relationship between Duncan and Carl was strongly hinted at during the vigorous duel in the dojo, where Carl appeared to be making friendly attempts to behead Duncan.

Where's Richie? For that matter, where's Joe Dawson? In the cast, but not in sight. But we did get an evil Watcher. The cop/watcher going after Carl with an axe was shuddery. Did the bad Watchers infiltrate the police force, or was this just a one time thing?

Flashbacks:

— 1926 Louisiana. Duncan managed to rescue Carl twice, and got killed in the process.

— 1954 Alabama. Duncan and Carl were ejected from a lunch counter. Carl's attitude at this point was that it wasn't worth making trouble; he was ready to "go along to get along." His attitude forty years later was completely different.

— During the fifties flashback, seeing Duncan wearing a Fonzie D.A. and a two-tone windbreaker made me laugh out loud. I love how they do the costume and hair in the flashbacks; it can be tremendous fun.

Bits and pieces:

— Interesting that immortals always seem to die violent deaths the first time. What happens if a potential immortal dies of old age? Do they just spend eternity doddering around? I mean, really. What a bummer that would be.

— Carl and Charlie both had chips on their shoulders, and kept lashing out at each other. Dueling shoulder chips.

— Lots of pointless musical montages. Was the episode running short?

— In this episode, Adrian Paul jumped onto and off of a car. No stuntman.

— Carl: "Slave, to president, to the big leagues. All in one lifetime." Carl did have an interesting, varied life worthy of an immortal.

A fairly good episode. Two and a half stars,

Billie
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Billie Doux knows that there can be only one.

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