sholio | The now-obligatory Highlander post

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tv:highlander

The now-obligatory Highlander post

By way of trying to make myself slow down, I've been stopping to write a few things on each episode ... not sure how long this will keep up (or how much of my flist is willing to put up with it *g*) but, well. Here?

Also ... I'm still running very close to the edge of my icon slots on DW, but ... I've been posting so much on the show lately that I think I need more icons (of people other than Duncan) for variety's sake. I've seen people use some very pretty icons in my comments ... are they gankable? A non-spoilery Methos icon would be particularly nice, or one of the women, or something sort of generic for the show ... I would love to add about 50 more Duncan icons (

scrollgirl offered so many pretty ones when I asked before!), but I have no ROOM!

4x01 - Homeland:

{{{{{DUNCAN}}}}}

Man, his life is just 400 years of tragedy and suck.

(But also, in all seriousness, joy and wonder and love, too. And one of the reasons why I love Duncan so much is because those are the parts that he focuses on -- because he's still the person that he is, and still in love with being alive, in spite of everything.)

This episode was visually gorgeous, though. I guess if you're going to shoot on location in Scotland, as I presume they did, you may as well make the most of it, right? And I noticed this episode was directed by Adrian Paul. Cool.

(Although, in the Quickening scene at the end, WTF GIANT MOON. It was so distracting that it was all I could stare at.)

There's something that really appeals to me about the poignancy of Duncan having his own legend, and being his own "ghost".

4x02 - Brothers in Arms:

AAAAAAAA CHARLIE NOOOOOOO. JOE AND DUNCAN'S FRIENDSHIP NOOOOOOO.

Holy crap, Dawson's Vietnam date in this episode tallies with the dossier that was shown briefly in the last season finale -- yes, I screencapped all the characters' dossiers. XD And Joe's file shows him starting with the Watchers as an historian in 1968 -- shortly after he got back from his tour of Vietnam, obviously -- and he wasn't a field agent for a couple of years because, well, recovering from injuries. CONTINUITY OMG!

On top of that, the little "sponsor" line on those dossiers suddenly clicks into context, because of course to get into a secret society you'd need to have someone recruit you, and you'd need to keep track of it so that you knew who to blame if things went horribly bad with a new recruit.

I like how the Watchers in general are not an unmitigated good or evil -- the show appears to be quite self-aware about the fact that completely unregulated shadow organizations are kind of creepy (a great deal more so than, say, Sanctuary, which seems to take more of a "Secret organization? Claiming they know what's best for you and then pulling strings behind the scenes? AWESOME!" tack. And yet, the Watchers as an institution aren't bad, exactly; some of them are, but many of them are well-meaning people who help keep the Immortals' secret.

Somewhat randomly, it wasn't until the characters were talking about it later that I realized Charlie's flashback to the Balkans was now and not, like, years ago before we met him. Right! 1995 is the present!

Also, {{{{Joe}}}}. And the ups and downs of Joe and Duncan's friendship, from the closest they've ever gotten to Duncan shutting a door on the whole relationship -- agh, this episode ripped my heart out.

4x03 - The Innocent

Yay, Richie's back! :D

And oh, look, someone on the writing staff has apparently read "Of Mice and Men" recently.

This show is so unrelentingly tragic. I'm starting to see why some people compared it to A:tS in the comments to one of my early posts. I might have to slow down with the mainlining just to give myself the emotional space to roll with the punches. *g*

One thing I keep forgetting to mention -- I do enjoy that look of glee that Duncan often gets when he's swordfighting. He may be a nice guy, but he is a warrior at heart (well, your basic warrior-poet/warrior-priest type of guy) and he does like the physical stuff. And he absolutely delights in handing a bully or killer's ass to them.

I like Duncan's new digs. There's something almost painfully apropos about it, at this point in his life -- an old, kinda-isolated, run-down house that needs to be fixed up.

4x04 - Leader of the Pack

More continuity -- from two seasons ago! Awesome! (Sadly, this also means more heart-trampling Tessa montages, aaaaugh.)

hahaha, I love how Duncan and Joe being on the outs is having no effect on Richie going to Joe for advice. And once again -- okay, I know I keep saying this, but I'm so very impressed with how this show maintains emotional continuity with the development of the characters' relationships and personalities.

On a lighter side ... THE LEVITATING HOUSE. I NEARLY DIED LAUGHING. I think this is my favorite Quickening scene to date, because ... FLYING HOUSE. :DDDDDD I will be laughing about this scene for YEARS.

ETA:

scrollgirl has hooked me up with lots of icons ... again! Thank you! :)

This entry is also posted at http://friendshipper.dreamwidth.org/320748.html with

comments.

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Here from

trobadora's LJ. It's so much fun seeing someone who is watching the series for the first time.

I went on the Scotland tour in 2006 with HLWW and Adrian. We had so much fun and Scotland was gorgeous. They shot half the ep in Vancouver and half in Scotland and Adrian had some great stories.

The moon! *facepalm*. Are you watching the extra's on the dvds? They talk about that big moon.

I like Richie more or less. And this was one of his best episodes (The Innocent).

Believe it or not, Leader of the Pack is also a favorite episode.

Glad to see another Duncan fan too.

Hi! The more the merrier! *waves*

Oh, I do love Duncan. I'm not sure how anyone could not love Duncan; he's such a wonderful person and a wonderful character. (And, um, awfully easy on the eyes! *g*)

I'm watching the show on Netflix (streaming) so I don't have the DVDs, but I've actually been eyeing them on Amazon. For one thing, I really want to vid this show and the video quality on Netflix is just not good enough. *covets*

I think one thing that The Innocent really showed about Richie is how much of an influence Duncan has had on him -- it's not just Duncan, because he was a good person and a sweet kid even when we first met him, but being mentored by Duncan has really shaped him into someone responsible and kind, someone determined to use his strength to protect those weaker than himself.

And that tour sounds awesome! What a wonderful opportunity!

Also here from [info]trobadora's and [info]frogspace's journal. HAve been reading along for several posts now and have been biting my nails and clapping my hand over my mouth not to say things, so I've been keeping quiet for now, so as not to accidentally let something slip.

Anyway:
GEt the DVD extras just for the Outtakes. Seeing Adrian Paul goof off or fall off his horse is one of the best things ever! It'll put a huge smile on your face for sure!
I'd offer to borrow you DVDs (S2-S4, S1 on region code 1) but as I don't know where in our country you live...
(Icon should not be too spoilery, even though you haven't seen that ep yet, I think)

I'm in Alaska, so, yeah, prolly not. Though I do really appreciate the offer! :) Naahhh, I want to buy them for myself and have them and hold them. :D *eyes Amazon*

I really do appreciate how everyone is being so good about keeping me unspoiled! Thank you! I'm looking forward to being far enough along in the series that I don't have to try so hard to avoid even minor spoilers -- at least now I don't have to avoid EVERYTHING pertaining to Methos, because I really did not want to know anything about him before his first appearance (and now I'm doubly glad!).

Oh, sorry. Confused you with somebody else, who I thought was German. Sorry.
Still. S1 is yours if you want it. I have no opportunity to play RC1 DVDs anymore and by now they are available in Germany pretty cheap.

Believe me, until you've hit S6 you need to avoid EVERY spoiler that pertains to Methos.
By S6 you're quite safe, but until then...

'sokay! :) ha, I have had more conversations than I want to admit with people on LJ before I realized that I was totally mixing them up with someone else.

I will let you know about season 1! :) I may be able to get the whole series as a boxed set for a cheaper price than buying the seasons individually, and shipping overseas is hella expensive. But I really appreciate the offer; I just need to shop around and see if I can find them here for cheap. The stores around where I live have older shows on sale a lot; maybe I'll get lucky ...

And yeah, I am being ultra-spoiler-avoidant, because so far I've been getting the very BEST reactions to things I didn't know were coming, and I would hate to spoil anything awesome for myself, especially if Methos is involved! I do know a few minor things because of seeing clips in vids, long before I watched the show, but they're totally out of context, and half the fun is seeing how they fit into the show when they happen! (Also, the vids were one of the things that made me check out the show! But I'm absolutely not watching anything now, 'til I finish the series.)

*goes back to hiding eyes from spoilers*

Damn, I really need to get the DVDs - I want to rewatch it all! And I only have the Methos episodes actually around. (Had everything on videotape, but ... well. Videotape.)

Someone in one of the other comment threads was telling me about the extras on the DVDs, and I think that conversation sold me -- I'm gonna be buying them myself sometime soon. And then I can make vids of all the pretty! :D THIS SHOW. I AM SO GONE FOR IT.

YOU AND ME BOTH OMG. I think I could happily disappear into Highlander quite a while if I didn't have to stay there alone. :D

Well, you'll definitely have company for awhile. I get the impression that I've found my next fandom. :D

*clings to you* All right, we can be obsessed together! :D

(I wonder if I can write Methos? It's sort of a daunting prospect ...)

Squeeeee!

Yeah; I'm trying to write him now ... well, not RIGHT now, but in this fic I'm working on, and it's HARD. Of course, I've only seen 3 episodes with him so far, which doesn't really help ...

Heh. I think I'll have to rewatch everything again before I dare try!

ROFL You will look back on this and laugh.

*hugs you*

Methos is the fav character of my friend. I really though he showed up sooner/was around more. Or maybe that's the seasons to come. hmm....

Based on the fandom, I'd thought Methos was one of the main characters, but he's not -- just a wildly popular recurring guest star, apparently. Still, I'm greatly looking forward to seeing him again. :D

One thing I keep forgetting to mention -- I do enjoy that look of glee that Duncan often gets when he's swordfighting. He may be a nice guy, but he is a warrior at heart (well, your basic warrior-poet/warrior-priest type of guy) and he does like the physical stuff. And he absolutely delights in handing a bully or killer's ass to them.

Oh yeah. I'm up to 4x04 myself since yesterday in my rewatch, you are so gaining on me!! :-)

And yeah I love that little scene he wears when fighting, that he obviously enjoys it occasionally makes total sense to me. I also love his comfort with himself and the perfect way he says, "Sorry, I've already eaten."

I didn't make the connection between Duncan's life and the old house, pretty neat comparison there!

The Innocent ripped my heart out not so much for Duncan who was so tragic in his anticipation of the eventual ending, but of Richie's face when Mikey lays down on the tracks. Wow, that whole scene was a punch.

One of the things that really impresses me about this show is that the relationship tragectories often travel at different wavelength -- such as Richie not automatically ignoring Joe just because Duncan is on the outs with him. Richie has his own relationship with Joe, and with the world. Every person in this show has some kind of agency, they have a choice good or bad, however limited that choice may be by their circumstance.

Another thing that I noticed that I don't think I did before, is how comfortable most of what Duncan wears is. Like his loose pants and loose shirts, not meant to show off every refined muscle but rather something anyone could wear while at their home. It makes sense!

ROFL at flying house -- I know! :D

It's so much fun to rewatch these...I'm probably going to go almost (*g*) as fast as you through the rest of this season. Aside from the Methos eps I only have a vague memory of how things turn out -- well or badly -- so it's almost like watching the show anew with well-loved characters.

All of whom I love to death. *vbg*

One of the things that really impresses me about this show is that the relationship tragectories often travel at different wavelength -- such as Richie not automatically ignoring Joe just because Duncan is on the outs with him. Richie has his own relationship with Joe, and with the world. Every person in this show has some kind of agency, they have a choice good or bad, however limited that choice may be by their circumstance.

Yes, this! The characters all have their own things going on, and wander in and out of each others' lives, and grow and change and relate to each other differently ... I keep thinking of Buffy, which was one of the first shows I saw that really dealt with these ongoing character arcs, but of course this show predates it by several years.

Another thing that I noticed that I don't think I did before, is how comfortable most of what Duncan wears is. Like his loose pants and loose shirts, not meant to show off every refined muscle but rather something anyone could wear while at their home. It makes sense!

Oh, I hadn't thought of that, but you're right! Actually, this goes along with one of the things I love most about Duncan, which is how comfortable in his skin he is -- physically and, to some extent, emotionally. It's fascinating to compare Duncan and Richie, 400 years apart on their life's story arc, but in some ways quite similar people.

OH SHOW. I love it so much. And I'm so happy to have so many people on my flist to discuss it with! :D

...I swear, looking at the above comments and me and neechan and my mom's discussions inspired by your recent fanning, you're gonna be responsible single handedly for a HL fandom resurgence! ^_-

It does go *ridiculously* tragic at times, doesn't it? Because we came into it near the end of the show, and started with random reruns, we had spoilers for most of the tragedies so that, I think, we were kinda better braced for them. Tessa, Darius, Charlie, Fitz (...wow but Duncan really does have a BAD track record with friends/lovers, doesn't he?)we all had prior warning to their fates. Even coming in prepared, though, it still can be quite dark at times! ...And then at others ridiculously random and light and cute and funny...oh HL...you're making me love it all over again!

^_____^

*laughs* I would LOVE to be responsible for a fandom resurgence, frankly! Because it would give me lots of people to talk about the show and squee with! I'm actually SO delighted that so much of my flist love this show and are happy to talk about it with me.

I do in fact know about one character death, which I suspect is going to absolutely gut me when it happens, but I'm trying very hard to pretend I don't know about it. (This is a spoiler I ran across years ago, before I even was interested in watching the show ... I'm not sure why it stuck in my head, but in a way I'm sort of glad, because I can prepare myself beforehand ...!)

Based on the first season, though, I was not at all expecting this to turn into the show that it's become. I keep thinking of Buffy, actually -- it's not quite as consistent in terms of overall plot arcs, but it's fairly similar when you look at the character growth and development, and the NONSTOP DEATHS, OMG.

Poor Duncan.

But in a way, I'm actually glad that the show goes ahead and SHOWS you his life, and what he has to deal with, rather than just telling you about all the tragedies in his past. As it is, even no farther along than I am, I've seen him start over a couple of times, seen him deal with the loss of people who really mattered to him. And this is what his life is, and what it's always going to be.

Luckily I just watched 4x05, the one with Amanda and the double eagle and the race horse, and laughed myself silly, so it was a nice change from all the GLOOM and DEATH.

Heeee, yeah, Double Eagle is one of my fav non-Methos eps! It's just so hysterical! I love them trying to keep Amanda and him from running into each other! LOL!

...And yeah, I'm guessing I know what death that is and it might have stuck with you just cause it did impact the fandom itself in such a big way and I've seen it referenced other places as certain examples of tropes and such, so....*shrug* But we'll all be there to support you through it when it happens, and there's always Clan Denial (or as Neechan and I like to call it, our nice House boat floating down that river in Egypt ^_- There are just so many series that have forced us to build additions and such, but that was one of the core reasons for construction...^_-)

Also, was inspired to just go rewatch the bloopers along with some favorite Methos scenes on Youtube (the bloopers are all available there, btw) and heee, can't wait for you to be ready for those, cause they really are fantastically fun and AP is SO adorable in them! ^__^ Seeing actors goofing around on sets is always so fun...

OMG hahaha i just watched 4x05 too XD I don't think I've ever seen that one actually, which was a real treat. Oh Amanda!!!!

I don't know if any of them appeal to you, but you're welcome to my few HL icons...(although I would like creators credit for them) *g*

Thank you very much for the offer! :) I think I've got enough HL icons now (at any rate, I have to stop because I'm going to run out of icon slots!) but I really appreciate it and I will definitely look through your icons if I need more. Thank you!

WTF GIANT MOON
In the extras on the DVD, they say that this became a running joke behind the scenes. Like, every time someone was pushing something too far, they'd be like REMEMBER THE GIANT MOON.

*giggles* That's awesome.

There was one scene in a recent episode of Sanctuary that had a hilariously giant moon, too. It was supposed to be a moving, emotional scene, but I couldn't stop laughing at the moon. Obviously some people do not learn from the mistakes of the shows that came before them! Here's a screencap so you can see the scary moon for yourself. *g*

Holy crap! Is the plot of the episode is that the world is ending because the moon is crashing into the earth?

If only! No, it's just background for the ~*serious, angsty*~ discussion they're having, most of which I couldn't hear because I was too busy laughing hysterically at the GIANT MOON and calling my husband over to laugh at it with me. *g* (That moon didn't wobble, at least, but it made up for it by being twice as huge ...)

Here's a screencap so you can see the scary moon for yourself. *g*

Ahahahahaha, is that for real?! *falls over laughing*

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The now-obligatory Highlander post

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