Drive-by squailing

[sholio]

... for Highlander 4x11, because some things just can't wait for a roundup post. So, flailing commencing NOW!

METHOS HITTING ON THE WAITRESS OMG. So much fail and yet, quite possibly the cutest thing I have ever seen in my LIFE. "Cute! I can do cute!" YES, METHOS, YES YOU CAN. TRUER WORDS WERE NEVER SPOKEN. I am so very amused that even after 5000 years he's so utterly lacking in suave. But ... THE EPIC ADORKABLENESS! And then sudden 180 degree turn into HEART STOMPING. Oh Methos. Oh show. :(

haha, also, Duncan is hysterical in this one. Adrian Paul is so good at doing the comedy stuff; his facial expressions, heeeeee!

After the waitress's mortality came up, the thought had already crossed my mind even before the show made it textual that everyone mortal is on the verge of death to someone Methos's age. (Or any of the immortals, really, but especially him.) They're all brief candles and it makes perfect sense that it doesn't matter to him how much time someone has left. He's just had to learn to deal with it. And he still loves them anyway, and oh, Methos.

Random side note, pertaining to the Buddhist monastery: something I've loved since the first episode is that holy ground is completely non-denominational in this show. It would have been really easy for the writers not even to think about it and just default to churches=safety, but they've never gone that route, even in the first episode. I really love that.

And Claudia's choice not to learn to swordfight, and her reasons for it -- I really loved that too! I really enjoyed the Claudia plot and I adored the Methos plot and I loved the way they dovetailed together. This episode was made of WIN. And if I hadn't already fallen about as hard for Methos as it is possible to fall, this would have clinched it. He's just ... I can't get over what a wonderful character, a wonderful person he is. There is probably a lot of serious meta-ing to be done about mortality and living and enjoying life and all those interesting issues that this episode raised, but I am totally stuck on the ADORABLE and the SQUEE and the sheer ;alksdjfalsdkjfpalsdkjf;asdkg;ad KEYMASH of it all.

My love for this show has been growing by leaps and bounds over the last couple of seasons, but this episode? This was where I hit the SQUAIL** point.

**Squee+flail, greyias's coinage. It's what happens when SQUEE and FLAIL is just not adequate!

This entry is also posted at http://friendshipper.dreamwidth.org/321621.html with comments.

Comments

[sheron]

*SQUEEEE*

I love Methos's character SO much. There's so much here to work with that it's truly frightening to start sometimes!

I've watched each of his eps probably 20 times by now, and I still don't know who he is, exactly, except that I kind of do. It makes no sense, you know?

I kinda loved Claudia, she was so refreshingly without modesty and yet she wasn't cold. A spoiled brat -- but so much fun!

[sholio]

I think what has surprised me the most about Methos (and sold me so utterly on his character) is how genuinely sweet he is. I wondered in the first couple of Methos eps if the sweet dorkiness was mostly an act, but this episode (and the last one) pretty much clinched that it's not an act, he's not putting on a show or playing a game, he really is that person. He may have a dark side that I don't know about yet (obligatory please-do-not-tell-me warning here *g*) but he's also affectionate, kind and willing to self-sacrifice, and I'm just so far gone for the character, I don't even have words. :D

[sheron]

The best thing about Methos is that he's many things, indeed :)

Are you watching more? I'm watching Something Wicked right now XD

I can't wait until you watch some more of my favourite episodes and I can read your reaction to them.

[sholio]

Not gonna watch any more tonight. I'm trying to slow back down to an episode or two a day ... I couldn't help rushing ahead a bit knowing that there was MORE METHOS coming up, but now that he's wandered off again, I'm back to being good. *g* I want it to last, because as tempting as it is to just EAT IT ALL, I do enjoy it more when I take my time -- and I'm going to be so very sad when it's all gone!

Along those lines, one thing I really do not want to know is which episodes have which guest stars, to avoid the aforementioned "rushing ahead to get to the Methos" problem. :) So thank you very much for not spoiling; I really appreciate it! I just want to take the episodes as they come.

[sheron]

Yeah sometimes I hate even seeing the guest star's names in the opening credits. I used to cover that part of the screen up with my hand so I wouldn't know if Methos will appear or not XD (Nuts? Maybe but effective!)

So no worries on that front.
I also tend to enjoy things more when I give it some time to settle and to think about it. You almost can't see the nuances as well if you are rushing through it, because you haven't had a chance to process everything.

[sholio]

Hee! Yes, I've done that with the covering up guest star names. :D If you're nuts then so am I!

And yeah, that's it precisely ... I want to savor it, and wallow around in the squee a bit before I get the next chunk o'squee.

[scrollgirl.livejournal.com]

I want it to last, because as tempting as it is to just EAT IT ALL, I do enjoy it more when I take my time -- and I'm going to be so very sad when it's all gone!

I don't know if you noticed when you were originally looking at episode titles, but Season 5 is a bit shorter than the previous four (18 eps instead of 22), and Season 6 is even shorter (13 eps). Just a heads-up so you're not too disappointed when you finally reach the end!

[sholio]

I missed this comment the first time, but thank you! :) Good to know!

[trobadora]

and I'm going to be so very sad when it's all gone!

Say, do you think you'd be up for a rewatch once you're through? It'll be a while till I get my DVDs, and there's so much that would be fascinating to discuss with hindsight. (And maybe other people would be interested in joining in?)

[trobadora]

Yes, I don't think anyone could watch him with Alexa and think he's somehow not being genuine here!

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

haveta go to bed and too tired for coherency but SQUAIL~ back at you!

"Because the alternative is unthinkable."

(...yes, I do have almost every line Methos says memorized. Whaaaaaat, there aren't *that* many of them...he's not in that many eps!)

(also Claudia is kind of an awesome bitchy darling)

[sholio]

METHOS IS SO AWESOME. I can totally see why the fandom flipped its collective lid when he showed up. *squails*

And what really gets me about this episode is that his EPIC AWESOME is not the sort of awesome that you normally get in this kind of show -- the sort of awesome where the hero defeats a rampaging tyrannosaurus in hand-to-hand combat in a lightning storm, say. :D Instead he fell in love with a dying girl and was a sweet dork with her, and it was just about the most awesome thing I've ever seen.

[trobadora]

"You are all dying." OH METHOS. *cuddles him*

something I've loved since the first episode is that holy ground is completely non-denominational in this show

So very much agreed. It would be a constant source of annoyance if they hadn't, but they got it right. YAY.

[sholio]

*inserts obligatory METHOS SQUEEEEEEEEEEE here* *g*

Yeah, just ... 5000 years! It boggles the mind.

[rheanna27.livejournal.com]

I haven't seen a minute of Highlander, but I'm enjoying this whistle-stop tour with squeeful highlights immensely.

[sholio]

Hee! I'm glad you're enjoying it, though I hope you don't spoil yourself too dreadfully in the process! :) I'm planning on putting together a "why you should all watch Highlander" post at some point in the future, because I think a lot of my flist would like it (and I'm amazed at how many of them have already seen it and fanned on it; I think Highlander and SGA have a lot in common, as far as the fannishly appealing things about the shows, which might explain why their fandoms seem to overlap like they do).

[pat-t.livejournal.com]

You got to Timeless! Go you! I love Methos like this and I'm having to hold my hands down to not type in the future for you because I know you would ban me forever!

Methos is adorkable. And so is Peter *points to icon*.

Methos was so many things no one could describe him and be completely right. I agree that Claudia was a great character. So was Walter.

A couple of trivia facts? They originally made Walter very dark and he was going to die, but decided a likable Walter who lived was better.

The "6 months, 20 years?" line was cut in editing and Peter went to them and (demanded?) asked them to put it back in because he thought it was important to who Methos was. They complied.

[trobadora]

The "6 months, 20 years?" line was cut in editing and Peter went to them and (demanded?) asked them to put it back in because he thought it was important to who Methos was. They complied.

Oooh, I didn't know that! So glad they put it back in - Peter was exactly right.

[sholio]

I'm glad they decided not to kill Walter! I'm actually quite glad when we get episodes on this show where no one dies; it's a nice change.

And that's so wonderful that Peter stood up for that line, because it really is a fantastic line and was one of my favorite bits in the episode! :D

[pat-t.livejournal.com]

I know I'm risking you getting tired of my trivia, but, doggone it, I'm having fun.

First, let me tell you that you will enjoy watching these again and again. I have all the dvds (you have to watch all the great interviews and outtakes!) and have watched the series at least 3 times through (since it went off the air). You will still see or hear something you missed the first time. I promise you. David and the actors were so good with subtext and plot. Not everything was in your face, and you'd be surprised what you catch on a second or third showing.

I don't know if you're aware, but the regulars (Adrian, Peter and Jim) were also allowed to change a line or ad lib a line if they wanted. I know you've watched Chivalry now so I can tell you that the *nose painting* was an Adrian ad lib. Peter didn't know it was coming. But it just seemed the right thing to do at the time and Adrian did it.

Another story Peter told us was about the park scene with Methos and Alexa. The director would come up and whisper something in Peter's ear and then he would do the same with Ocean. Neither actor knew what the director told the other to do and they were very focused on one another during the scene trying to catch something that was different. It was a great scene and very touching.

[sholio]

No no, don't stop, I'm loving your trivia! :D And I find it completely awesome that they were allowed to ad lib stuff. That the nose-painting thing was an ad lib absolutely makes me flail in glee. (And that might help explain why the look on his face when it happens to him is so ... convincing. :D)

(One line that I'd particularly wondered if it was ad-libbed -- when I watched the episode -- was Methos's "That would be the phone" in "Finale"; because the camera has already panned away when he says it, it had made me wonder if that was scripted or something the actor threw in.)

And the Methos and Alexa scene in the park was so wonderful! That's a really neat directorial choice; I'd think you'd get some great reactions out of the actors by doing something like that. :D

[merriman.livejournal.com]

Hi there. Just commenting to say hello and tell you how fantastic it is to see a new fan's reactions to HL like this. I'm going to work hard to refrain from making even vaguely spoilerific comments, which means I likely won't comment much. But yay for squeeing and flailing and squailing.

[sholio]

Hello! I'm glad you're enjoying the episode reactions. :) I'm so much in love with this show right now that it's just funny. :D And thank you for refraining from spoilers; I know it's hard!

[merriman.livejournal.com]

It's really hard, especially since you're enjoying it so much. It's so tempting to effuse about things to come. But at the same time, I remember seeing it all for the first time and I wasn't involved in the fandom as it was at the time and it was all totally new. When the Watchers were revealed? New! Methos? New! I don't want to ruin that feeling for anyone.

[sholio]

*nods* I'm trying to recapture that experience, and I know it's hard since it's a show that's been in the fannish zeitgeist for over a decade! But so far, people are being pretty good about it; I know it's hard to talk about it without spoiling, but I really appreciate everyone making the attempt, anyhow! :)

(Also - love your icon! I have a deep and abiding fondness for that movie ...)

[rhi]

::Grinning:: Pat_T mentioned you'd started watching Highlander -- I'm so glad you're loving it so much. Enjoy!

[sholio]

Thank you! :D I'm loving it so much, and always happy to have new people to squee with! :)

[rhi]

::cheerful:: Welcome to the sword side of fandom -- we have cookies! And fic. Lots and lots of fic. Good to see you over here!

[tes-fic.livejournal.com]

Just popping by to say - welcome to the madness :D Enjoy every episode. The best part is seeing it all for the first time and watching how the characters evolve.

[sholio]

Thank you! :) Feel free to hang out. :D