HIGHLA-L Digest - 14 Dec 2003 to 15 Dec 2003 (#2003-28)
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Mon, 15 Dec 2003 22:00:06 -0500
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Topics of the day:
1. Season Two: Turnabout
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Date: Mon, 15 Dec 2003 16:38:55 -0500
From: kageorge <kageorge@erols.com>
Subject: Season Two: Turnabout
Next in the Season Two dvd comments:
COMMENTARY: Bill Panzer talked about how they had problems with season
two because of the cost of building sets, and ended up offsetting that
cost with lots of 6 (rather than 7) day shooting schedules for episodes.
Because Alexandra Vandernoot wanted to return to Brussels and be written
out of the show, they knew they would be moving the location of Duncan's
living quarters, and chose the dojo, along with Charlie DeSalvo, who
would then provide the mortal with whom Duncan would regularly interact.
They shot the episode at the Riverview Mental Asylum, which had been
closed for 40 years. They used it for the hospital (new and in the
flashback), and for the execution scene, and it turned out to be ideal.
He also talked about how this was an episode where Duncan could interact
more with Joe Dawson. The fact that Joe was persuaded to give Duncan a
file was the beginning of a relationship that transcended the boundaries
of the Watchers.
OUTTAKES: This was an episode where there was an extra bonus of some
outtakes, specifically of AP and the guy who played Michael (Gerant Wyn
Davies, subsequently known for his role on Forever Knight), doing a
sword fight scene a couple of times until they got the timing right,
then a brief verbal exchange as they walked to the T-bird. First AP
blows the line, then GWD blows a line, but they get it right the third
time. The only notable thing about them is that it seems like AP is very
concentrated and serious one minute, and clowning around the next.
EPISODE: We are introduced to Charlie DeSalvo and his martial arts
studio when DM and Richie go there "looking for a place to work out".
When DeSalvo says membership is by invitation only, Duncan says, "Then
invite me." Predictably, he and Charlie square off, and Charlie gets his
butt kicked by a guy who has been doing martial arts for several hundred
years. While they are having a very nicely done hand-to-hand set-to, Joe
Dawson wanders in. The upshot of the whole thing is that a bad dude
Immortal by the name of Quentin Barnes is now roaming around free, after
having been electrocuted for multiple homicides a few decades before.
This is the first time Duncan has seen Dawson since the fight in the
warehouse where DM had killed Horton, and after which Dawson had
disappeared. DM is fairly hostile to Dawson's request that he "do
something" about Quentin Barnes, saying he's "not a cop."
Lo and behold, Duncan's old friend Michael Moore then shows up, whose
fiancé was one of the women Barnes killed. The upshot of the whole deal
is that Moore has a split personality, and like an Immortal Dr. Jekyl
and Mr. Hyde, has a tendency to turn into a bad guy, never later
remembering what he did. Tessa likes Michael, who is a gentle soul, but
is threatened by him towards the end when Michael morphs into Barnes.
Duncan eventually kills Moore, who begs him to because he can't control
Barnes anymore.
I found the plot of this episode to be transparent from the very
beginning, when they hid the face of the evil Quentin Barnes as they
showed the flashback of his execution. There were some nice scenes
between Moore and Tessa, and the comfortable physicality of the face-off
between Duncan and Charlie was pleasant to watch, although Charlie's
role as the official clueless guy who always yells "MacLeod!" after his
retreating back is quickly established.
In addition, it was made clear that Joe Dawson was now not only directly
involved in Duncan's life, but felt free to "use" Duncan as his resident
Immortal Good Guy. I got the impression that for a long time Joe had
wanted to be able to go to him, pointing out some really bad guy that
needed to be whacked, and have Duncan righteously ride off on his white
horse to do the deed. Similarly, Duncan insisted that if Joe wanted him
to be involved, he couldn't hold back necessary information just because
of Watcher rules.
There is a lot of 'fanon' out there that has Duncan 'abusing' his
friendship with Joe by taking advantage of Joe's relationship with the
Watchers, yet here we have it firmly established that it is Joe who is
using Duncan, rather than the other way around. We will see this again
unequivocally in "The Zone".
Other than those items of moderate interest, I found this episode fairly
unremarkable.
MacGeorge
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End of HIGHLA-L Digest - 14 Dec 2003 to 15 Dec 2003 (#2003-28)
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