(I’m stealing my own text on the Highlander show page here, because it says exactly what I want to say.)
When Highlander (1992-1998) was good, it was exceptional. The tango on the Eiffel Tower. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. The Byron-Shelley house party. Okay, pretty much every episode with Methos, Fitz and Amanda. It took the writers and producers awhile to find their niche, but they finally did. Highlander was best when it was about the lifestyles and personalities of the immortals. What sort of person has the endurance for immortality? Who really wants to live forever?
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| Adrian Paul v. Jason Isaacs |
Even though I love the series (just watching Adrian Paul with a sword is practically a religious experience), I'm the first to admit that the quality varied a great deal and the first two seasons had its share of stinkers. Honestly, I don’t know if I would have watched the entire series if I’d started with season one.
One of the best things about Highlander is the flashbacks. Nearly every episode features a blast from the past with Adrian Paul in various historical costumes and hair pieces, usually interacting with the guest star. Nearly every episode includes a duel, too. The show’s producers found actors who could wield a sword, some better than others.
My favorite character on Highlander was Methos, the world’s oldest immortal, played with craftiness and cleverness by the young Peter Wingfield. He should have gotten a spinoff of his own. I’ll always be sorry that he didn’t. I was also extremely fond of Jim Byrnes as Duncan's watcher, and Elizabeth Gracen as Duncan’s off-again on-again immortal girlfriend, Amanda. (All three in the photo above.)
I also loved Roger Daltrey from The Who as one of Duncan’s immortal buddies. I mean, look at this photo. They're arguing about golf. Golf!
Stay tuned for Number 16, to be posted tomorrow. We've got a major snowstorm coming this way; what else is there to do?
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Billie Doux loves good television and spends way too much time writing about it.
There is no episode of television as good as any Highlander episode with Roger Daltry. 'The Stone of Scone' is corny as all get out, but it's also absolute perfection. That show, at it's best, was peak TV. We've been going downhill ever since.
ReplyDeleteIt's a perfect episode. No question about it.
DeleteWhat do you think of the reboot idea with Henry Cavill?
ReplyDeleteI don't like Henry Cavill at all, in anything, so that's that. What do *you* think?
DeleteI think you answered my question. I would be up for watching a Highlander reboot. After all it’s why I like Toyota Highlanders. But I’m not up on Henry Cavill. Which I why I asked. Now I know. Thanks.
DeleteI really think they missed the boat when they did such terrible movies. :)
DeleteThe bar's low, folks. So far, there hasn't been a good movie with the word "Highlander" in the title. It would take very little for the reboot to be the best one. It can't give us the magic of the show's cast, but it might have its own magic. I'm totally there.
DeleteHighlander is one of my favorite shows. The flashbacks are amazing.
ReplyDeleteI totally missed this show completely! I saw the original movie long ago, and it was good, but never anything beyond it. Sounds like I missed out.
ReplyDeleteI didn't even know there was a show about this, I'm only (vaguely) familiar with the movie. Sounds interesting though.
ReplyDeleteI first saw Highlander when it originally aired in the 90s. I was still in the single digits but I remember loving it because my older brother loved it. Immortals, swordfights, Adrian Paul. Queen. I thought it was the coolest thing I'd ever seen. Then I grew up and forgot about it for a while until I stumbled onto the media tie-in books at a booksale. The one I enjoyed the most was Zealot. I loved it so much it reignited my love for the show (and gave me a brief obsession with the Siege of Masada).
ReplyDeleteSomehow, despite all the vibrant and complex characters in that book, a character that only had a couple of scenes and a handful of lines still managed to catch my attention. Methos. The tone of his character was strange, almost discordant with the rest of the book. I couldn't quite work out what his relationship with Duncan was. I didn't even remember him from the TV show. Maybe I was too young or maybe I just didn't see the episodes he was in. He had such a small part in Zealot and the other characters were so interesting that I didn't pursue the small curiosity that grew in me. So he stayed there for a while -- in the back of my mind.
While deciding whether to rewatch the show or not, I found your Highlander reviews. I loved them. Insightful without being ponderous or humorless, with just enough bts facts to satisfy my trivia-loving heart. They were so fun to read that it felt enough to just relive the show through them. Until I got to your "Methos" review. The character that had been idling at the back of my mind was suddenly at the forefront, jumping up and down. The way you described him, your impressions of him, and how clearly he was your favorite made me go "I've gotta get in on this". So I immediately started my rewatch with Season Three. I blame you entirely (and thank you with all my heart) for the ensuing marathon and consequent fixation. I fell harder in love with Highlander than ever before, it was like watching a new show entirely. Watching it as an adult gave me a new appreciation for the Highlander world and its characters, Methos and Joe especially. Today, years later, the fervor has abated but the love lingers. I still rewatch some episodes on occasion. I still re-read the old books and fan fiction. They're as comforting and pleasurable as an old, worn sweater.
This show will never die. Thanks for keeping it alive.
Anonymous, what a lovely comment. Thank you so much. I still long for a show about Methos and Joe. That last outing of theirs, "Indiscretions" -- it's not enough.
DeleteDid you know that Peter Wingfield retired from acting, went to medical school and became a pediatrician? :)