HIGHLA-L Digest - 7 Feb 2004 to 9 Feb 2004 (#2004-29)
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Mon, 9 Feb 2004 22:00:02 -0500
There are 6 messages totalling 277 lines in this issue.
Topics of the day:
1. Season Two dvd Commentary: Under Color of Authority
2. Joe singing/Celebration auction pictures? (5)
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Date: Mon, 9 Feb 2004 08:41:13 -0500
From: kageorge <kageorge@erols.com>
Subject: Season Two dvd Commentary: Under Color of Authority
COMMENTARY: Bill Panzer tell us that this is one of his favorite =
episodes, which brought together Jim Byrnes and Lochlyn Monroe who had =
worked together on Wise Guys even though they didn't share any scenes =
together in the episode. He mentions that they had thought about the =
character arc of DM as a newspaper man, and this was part of it, =
although it was never really pursued the way they had originally =
intended. He also said that "If "Eye for an Eye" was "The Education of =
Richie Ryan", then "Color of Authority" was his coming of age." He gets =
his first Q (calling it the "Paint Can Quickening"), and the whole =
series of events put Mac in a tough spot. Richie was his younger =
brother, his ward, and had now killed somebody who maybe didn't deserve =
to be killed. The Immortal world is full of gray areas like that, and =
maybe Richie "didn't get it", but maybe that's what has to happen in =
order for him to move forward.
This is the time for Richie to leave and find himself, to see what it's =
like surviving on the outside. He says Mac's reaction at the end was =
fantastic. "Any time you turn a youngster loose in the world, it's a =
pretty scary moment for the parent."
OUTTAKES: They show the scene with Mac (who looks quite fine) and Richie =
in the elevator, and we hear Gillian Horvath say as we watch that the =
clip demonstrates why we so rarely saw the elevator move on the show. As =
the two actors speak, there is this ugly and distracting grinding noise =
caused by the technicians winding the winch that made the wall behind =
the elevator move (to make it look like the elevator was moving).
The next two outtakes are very brief, one of a scene with DM, Richie and =
the girl Richie is trying to help, where AP cracks a joke and ruins the =
take, and then we watch as Stan Kirsh takes direction to enter a scene.
EPISODE: Richie rescues a pretty young girl running away from a scary =
Immortal. He takes her to Mac (who meets him at the door without a =
blade, by the way, raising once again the unanswered question of =
whether, after a certain amount of time and close proximity, one =
Immortal can "recognize" the buzz of another). Mac recognizes Richie's =
description of Mako, who he knew back in the Gold Rush days. Back then, =
Mako was a federal marshal looking for a young man who was a friend of =
Mac's. The man had peripherally participated in a robbery years ago and =
Mako was tracking him down, and it was made clear that Mako lived by the =
rule of law without regard for the individuals involved, saying law is =
what separates men from beasts. Mako had been a lawman for over 600 =
years, and it was the creed he lived by. Mako ended up killing Mac's =
friend when his friend resisted arrest despite Mac begging him to turn =
himself in peacefully.
As a result of Mac's knowledge of Mako, he was pretty certain Laura, =
Richie's friend, was a fugitive of some sort. Laura spins them a story =
about how she had married the son of a small-town tyrant. Her new =
husband beat her, and she ended up running away from him, and her =
husband's father had lied and said she had stolen from him, and that the =
guy after her was hired by her father-in-law. Richie is totally taken in =
by her, and Mac is clearly worried that Laura is lying and that she is =
putting Richie at risk.
There is a really nice long scene where Mac is talking to Laura, but his =
primary concern is entirely about Richie. She says, "You act like you're =
his father or something." And he replies, "I'm not his father, but he is =
like family to me."
Then we see Richie taking a shower (with his watch on. The boy needs a =
keeper <g>), and Mako attacks him, subduing him easily, asking him where =
the girl is. When Richie asks him to let her go, telling Mako that he =
"...doesn't even know what this is all about," Mako replies that he =
doesn't care about the hows and whys, his job is just to bring her back. =
Richie tells him he left Laura off at the bus station, and Mako walks =
away.
Then we have a scene between Joe and Mac, where Mac asks Joe a favor(!) =
- to find out whether Laura is telling the truth or not, and intrigues =
Joe when he mentions that Mako is involved.
Richie says he's going to help Laura run away from Mako, and Mac tells =
him that's a mistake, not to do it. Then they feel Mako coming, and =
Richie and the girl leave while Mac tries to waylay Mako. There's a nice =
scene, sort of like an old western style fast-draw moment where the =
focus is all on Mako and Mac's eyes as each watches the other, waiting =
for him to pull out his sword.
Mac wins the 'quick-draw' moment and urges Mako to let them go. "They're =
only children." But "The law is my life," says Mako, and asks if this is =
Mac's idea of justice. Mac can't bring himself to kill Mako over it, and =
Mako walks away.
Richie takes Laura to a motel, and they end up making love, and it's =
clear that Richie is smitten.
Joe tells Mac that the girl didn't run away from her husband, she killed =
him - probably justifiably, but that's not completely clear since we =
know Laura has been lying all along. Mako tracks them down at the motel, =
and they run to Mac, where Laura is finally forced to confess the truth, =
but Richie is still too caught up in his role as hero, and even though =
Mac demands that Richie think about it, that Laura would be better off =
dealing with the consequences within the justice system than running =
from the law, Richie says that all he knows is that he has to help her, =
that she needs him.
Mac ends up giving him the keys to the t-bird, but it doesn't start, and =
they run for it on foot. Mako shows up with two goons who keep Mac busy =
while Mako tracks down the girl. He ends up unintentionally hitting her =
with his car and killing her when she panics and runs into the street. =
Richie goes ballistic, and the two end up fighting in a building under =
construction. Mac begs Richie to back off, that it doesn't need to go =
any further. But Richie is determined, and Mac backs away, watching as =
it appears that Richie is going to lose, but Mako's foot goes through =
the floor, trapping him, and Richie takes his head. Richie turns to Mac =
and calls to him, but Mac turns and walks away. Then we see Richie's =
first Q, with lots of paint cans exploding.
Richie comes off the elevator in the loft, making awkward small talk, =
but Mac turns to him and says abruptly, "You have to leave."
"It's that time?" Richie asks, as though he had been expecting it. "Was =
I wrong? About Mako?"
"It's done," Mac replies with finality.
Richie comments about how his life is all backwards from what he had =
originally wanted to be, then says, "So...I guess I'll see you around."
"Yeah, you take care of yourself," Mac says softly.
Richie reaches out to shake Mac's hand but Mac turns away, his face a =
mask of grief and pain. "Thanks, Mac," Richie says. "For everything." =
Mac just nods stiffly. "Mac, are we ever going to have to face each =
other?"
"Maybe," Mac nods, his face turned away as a tear traces down his cheek.
COMMENTARY: Great emotional potency in this episode. Mako lives in a =
world of black and white, of rules that he believes defines and =
maintains society. He is not evil, just blind to any value but the law. =
Mac believes in the law, but is more focused on the people, on the =
reasons and circumstances surrounding their lives and their actions. It =
was interesting that I recently watched a little of FUOT on TNN, where =
Mac desperately tries (unsuccessfully) to explain Sean Burn's death to =
Steven Keane, who is equally uninterested in reasons. ("I don't judge =
your reasons, MacLeod, only your acts.")
Richie is caught up in his own world of wanting to be a hero, of having =
a pretty girl who needed him, but at the very end, just before Laura is =
hit by Mako's car, he finally tries to convince her to give herself up, =
that running isn't going to achieve anything. Was Richie wrong to go =
after Mako? Well, in the flashback, MacLeod had been faced with the same =
choice - of challenging Mako for killing his friend, even though Mako =
was merely following the Law, and all his friend had to do was give =
himself up. Mac chose not to challenge. He did not see evil in Mako, nor =
did he believe vengeance was justified.
But Richie was young, still had many lessons to learn, and it was time =
he learned them on his own, as Mac had learned them. That last scene is =
a heartbreaker, for both of them. Richie is confused and hurt and =
feeling rejected and insecure, needing reassurances that Mac can't give =
him. Mac could have railed at him, which wouldn't have achieved anything =
other than disaffection. He could have "forgiven him", but the act =
wasn't up to Mac to forgive. He could have accepted it, but he didn't =
believe it was acceptable, and ultimately, he had to acknowledge that =
Richie had now taken his first Quickening, had killed his first =
Immortal, and done so in anger and vengeance.
It is the last thing Richie asks that is at the core of his despair. =
"Are we going to have to face each other?" It is the defining tragedy of =
their lives.
MacG=20
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Date: Mon, 9 Feb 2004 19:08:19 -0500
From: Heidi <heidi@bronze.lcs.mit.edu>
Subject: Joe singing/Celebration auction pictures?
Are there any episodes where Joe Dawson actually sings? I know
there are plenty where we see him play guitar, but offhand I
don't remember him singing. I only mean Joe singing on screen,
not Jim Byrnes doing `soundtrack songs'. I know in `To Be/Not
To Be' Duncan asked the alternate universe Joe to play but I
don't remember if he sang at all.
Also does anyone have a pointer to a site with pictures of the
auction from the HL Celebration convention? I was talking to some-
one about it and mentioned I remembered seeing a picture of
someone, maybe Rodger Daltry, wearing Duncan's dress from the
`Timeless' flashback, and Stan Kirsch and Peter Wingfield having
fun doing a sword auction. I wanted to point them to some
pictures but doing a search for it turns up too many results
to be useful in finding them.
=}{=
(heidi@bronze.lcs.mit.edu)
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Date: Mon, 9 Feb 2004 19:43:05 -0500
From: kageorge <kageorge@erols.com>
Subject: Re: Joe singing/Celebration auction pictures?
From: "Heidi" <
> Are there any episodes where Joe Dawson actually sings? I know
> there are plenty where we see him play guitar, but offhand I
> don't remember him singing. I only mean Joe singing on screen,
> not Jim Byrnes doing `soundtrack songs'. I know in `To Be/Not
> To Be' Duncan asked the alternate universe Joe to play but I
> don't remember if he sang at all.
I believe he sings in "The Cross of St. Antoine". There is probably at
least one other, but that's the one that sticks in my mind, in the tag scene
at the end. Joe is playing and singing the blues about his lost love as
Duncan and Amanda look on, and Duncan comments that Joe knows everything
about him, but that he really knows almost nothing about Joe.
MacG
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Date: Mon, 9 Feb 2004 19:46:52 EST
From: Highlandmg@aol.com
Subject: Re: Joe singing/Celebration auction pictures?
Hi
Joe/Jim does sing on camera in Glory Days.
Mary
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Date: Mon, 9 Feb 2004 19:48:19 EST
From: Highlandmg@aol.com
Subject: Re: Joe singing/Celebration auction pictures?
Hi
wrong episode sorry It is Cross of St Antoine
Mary
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Date: Mon, 9 Feb 2004 21:18:51 -0500
From: Heidi <heidi@bronze.lcs.mit.edu>
Subject: Re: Joe singing/Celebration auction pictures?
From: kageorge <kageorge@EROLS.COM>
I believe he sings in "The Cross of St. Antoine". [..] in the tag
scene at the end.
Thanks. I had forgotten about that since it's been awhile since I've
watched it. While I have the Season 3 DVD set, I haven't gotten around
to watching that one. (Since I never liked Amanda I've been putting
off watching the episodes she's in until I get thru the others.)
=}{=
(heidi@bronze.lcs.mit.edu)
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End of HIGHLA-L Digest - 7 Feb 2004 to 9 Feb 2004 (#2004-29)
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