HIGHLA-L Digest - 10 Feb 2004 to 11 Feb 2004 (#2004-31)
Automatic digest processor (LISTSERV@lists.psu.edu)
Wed, 11 Feb 2004 22:00:05 -0500
There are 5 messages totalling 303 lines in this issue.
Topics of the day:
1. Season Two dvd Commentary: Bless the Child (4)
2. Impact & New HL Mini-Series?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 11 Feb 2004 09:04:38 -0500
From: kageorge <kageorge@erols.com>
Subject: Season Two dvd Commentary: Bless the Child
Dropping into the well of silence:
COMMENTARY: Bill Panzer tells us that when filming episodic television =
you alternate directors, with one prepping while another is shooting. In =
the case of Bless the Child, it was decided that Clay Borris could do it =
without prepping, so he went from Color of Authority straight to Bless =
the Child with very little preparation. It was cast and prepped by the =
producers, and the art director. At the end of the filming of Color of =
Authority, BP says, they dropped him in the middle of the woods with the =
script and the actors and said, "We'll see you in six days."
EPISODE: The episode opens with two brothers arguing about cattle who =
died from mercury poisoning from a mine that "Billy" is running, with =
the other brother (Luke) insisting that they have to tell Avery about =
the deaths. An older man enters and chastises them for making too much =
noise, or they will waken "Jamie". We then hear a baby cry, and a young =
Indian woman is seen driving away in a truck with the baby, with the men =
chasing after her.
Charlie and Mac have been stranded overnight on the mountain because =
Charlie's jeep broke down, and MacLeod is fixing a breakfast of trout =
and jam, which Charlie rejects. They hear a noise and look over a rise =
to see a truck taking a gravel road far too fast, and watch it go over =
the edge and crash a little ways down the mountain.
They rescue the young woman and her baby, and she tells them that her =
husband died before the baby was born, and that her father-in-law wants =
to take the baby. Before Charlie can fix the jeep, the man (Avery), and =
his two brothers come along and when Mac tries to talk to them, they =
shoot at him. Charlie, Mac and the woman run.
Then ensues a long hunt/chase where Mac uses his forestry/tracking =
skills to keep them ahead of their pursuers, while Billy ends up killing =
his brother (to keep the secret of the poison in the mine) and tries to =
blame it on MacLeod.=20
Mac finds a small cabin for them to stay the night, and begins to =
suspect something is not quite right when the woman, Sarah, murmurs to =
the baby in Lakota, calling the boychild "aimchen", which is an =
endearment for a girl. There is a cute scene of Duncan changing diapers =
rather expertly, and Charlie talks about how great it would be to have =
kids while DM is notably silent.
FLASHBACK: To a 1920's speakeasy, with everyone doing the Charleston and =
drinking illicit booze. The police raid the place and Mac and his =
liberated date hide in a storeroom. She asks DM to be the father of her =
baby. While DM looks very uncomfortable, she talks about how much she =
wants to have lots of children. He tells her he can't have children, but =
she insists, saying they could go see doctors, but he says "it will =
never happen no matter how much I want it to."
PRESENT: A bear invades the cabin, and they sneak past, still running =
from Avery and Billy and a couple of henchmen with dogs. They end up =
having to climb a steep ridge, practically a cliff. Mac carries the baby =
on his back, leading them up the cliff, until they reach a ledge about =
halfway up. It genuinely looks like quite a struggle, but just as they =
get there, they find that Billy is at the top of the cliff, Avery is at =
the bottom and they can't go up or down.
It gets dark, and Avery is demanding they send the baby to them in a =
sling. Sarah is adamant that even for the baby's safety, they not let =
him go, and Duncan speaks to her in Lakota, questioning her about the =
child. It become clear that the child isn't hers after all. "Aimchen" =
was her baby girl, who had died from mercury poisoning from the water =
from the mine.
During the night, DM sneaks into Avery's camp to negotiate a peace, =
convincing Avery that he hadn't killed look and tells him what's really =
going on. Avery tells DM that his wife is dead and that Jaime is his =
son, and his only reason to go on living. "Grief can make a man go =
crazy, can't it?" DM asks, and Avery agrees. "It can do the same thing =
for a woman," Mac says.
In the morning, as Mac is climbing back up to Sarah and Charlie, Billy =
lowers himself down to the ledge, knocks out Charlie and is about to =
kill Sarah, when Avery shoots and kills him. Mac finally reaches them, =
but Sarah threatens to jump with the baby rather than give him up. =
Duncan asks her who will remember Aimchen if she is gone, "who will sing =
her song?" He tells her that babies give us hope, a promise of better =
things to come, and not to do this to Jaime, who is innocent. He manages =
to pry Jaime away from her as she weeps bitterly.
In the tag ending, Avery tells DM he is going to close the mine, and =
that he won't press charges, but unfortunately Charlie's "fixed" jeep =
still won't start, and DM suggests that maybe next time they should use =
a horse.
COMMENTARY: This is a so-so episode, with no canon-significant events in =
it. We see Woodsman!Duncan speaking fluent Lakota, making false trails, =
sneaking up on bad guys and doing some expert tracking, and learn that =
not being able to have children is one of the big voids in his life. =
This is, however, an interesting follow-on to the whole issue of his =
relationship with Richie and DM's deep desire to have a family. He is =
also very cute and natural with the baby, looking like he had handled =
them before. That shouldn't be surprising since, after 400+ years, it =
seems likely he would have changed a diaper or two.
MacGeorge
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 11 Feb 2004 10:04:46 -0500
From: Wendy Tillis <immortals_incorporated@cox.net>
Subject: Re: Season Two dvd Commentary: Bless the Child
MacGeorge says:
>Dropping into the well of silence:
:::Ouch!!!:::
Watch where you drop those things!
>COMMENTARY: Bill Panzer tells us that when filming episodic television you
>alternate directors, with one prepping while another is shooting. In the
>case of Bless the Child, it was decided that Clay Borris could do it
>without prepping, so he went from Color of Authority straight to Bless the
>Child with very little preparation.
Hopefully they learned their lesson and never did that again? Or does BP pocket that excuse to use on other occasions as well?
>COMMENTARY: This is a so-so episode,
You are too too kind<g>
> with no canon-significant events in it.
It suffers from the "has nothing to do with Immortals" curse that afflicted a number of HL episodes over the years (especially the early years). Other than pointing out (again) Duncan's inability to have children, the episode tells us nothing about the world of Immortals and could have been (and probably was) a plot for any generic action show. I can see MacGuyver doing the same things -except he wouldn't have killed anyone doing it.
> This is,
>however, an interesting follow-on to the whole issue of his relationship
>with Richie and DM's deep desire to have a family.
Hmmmmm...I never really thought about Richie when watching this episode, even though it follows UCOA. Mostly I just thought..how did this incredibly boring and weak episode follow that emotionally powerful one? Now I know...bad decision making at the top. Then again, I guess I never really thought that Duncan saw Richie as a surrogate child.
> He is also very cute
>and natural with the baby, looking like he had handled them before. That
>shouldn't be surprising since, after 400+ years, it seems likely he would
>have changed a diaper or two.
I don't know...for most of those 400 years, diaper changing was strictly women's' work <eg>
Wendy(I thought the bear in the cabin was a bit too ..campy.)(Campy...get it?)(Campy....)(Never mind)
Immortals Inc.
immortals_incorporated@cox.net
"Weasels for Eternity"
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 11 Feb 2004 10:59:43 -0500
From: kageorge <kageorge@erols.com>
Subject: Re: Season Two dvd Commentary: Bless the Child
----- Original Message -----
From: "Wendy Tillis" <immortals_incorporated@cox.net>
> MacGeorge says:
> >Dropping into the well of silence:
>
> :::Ouch!!!:::
>
> Watch where you drop those things!
Sooorrrrryy.
>
> > This is,
> >however, an interesting follow-on to the whole issue of his relationship
> >with Richie and DM's deep desire to have a family.
>
> Hmmmmm...I never really thought about Richie when watching this episode,
even though it follows UCOA. Mostly I just thought..how did this incredibly
boring and weak episode follow that emotionally powerful one? Now I
know...bad decision making at the top. Then again, I guess I never really
thought that Duncan saw Richie as a surrogate child.
Some see it, some don't, but at least some of that sense comes (IMO) from
the thematic consistency between these two episodes where we see Mac force
Richie out of the nest, followed immediately by an episode where Duncan's
desire for children and family is emphasized. It may all just be
coincidence, but it is not difficult to read into it the notion that Mac was
feeling the loss of family (both Tessa and Richie), and saw Richie as far
more than just a student. Whether you interpret that relationship as big
brother or surrogate father is probably a personal issue. Either way,
Richie was "family."
>
> Wendy(I thought the bear in the cabin was a bit too ..campy.)(Campy...get
it?)(Campy....)(Never mind)
Hoooookay. <g>
MacG
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 11 Feb 2004 18:23:05 -0000
From: Jette Goldie <jette@blueyonder.co.uk>
Subject: Re: Impact & New HL Mini-Series?
----- Original Message -----
From: "Wendy Tillis" <immortals_incorporated@cox.net>
To: <HIGHLA-L@LISTS.PSU.EDU>
Sent: Tuesday, February 03, 2004 9:05 PM
Subject: [HL] Impact & New HL Mini-Series?
> Ok....I've been patience....has anyone here actually read this
article (besides John whom I will assume read it <eg>)? Any
comments? Details? Anyone? John? ( If a magazine article falls in
the forest and no one reads it, is it still news?)
>
> I suppose this needs spoiler space:
> 1
> 2
> 3
> 4
> 5
> 6
> 7
> 8
> 1
> 2
> 3
> 4
> 5
> 6
> 7
> 8
>
> Tiny bits I've gleaned:
>
> Working Title : Highlander: Archangel
>
> Lead characters name : Michael MacKenzie (McKenzie?)
I know a Michael Mackenzie and he's far from a 20 something.
Still a rather attractive 50 something gentleman who gives great
hugs though <g>. Does mostly stage work in southern Scotland,
with occasional TV appearances.
Having a character named "Michael Mackenzie" (or McKenzie) in a
new
HL show would be just too weird for me! (I'd have to tell
Michael <g>)
http://www.whom.co.uk/whom/aceofwan.htm
(picture here of Michael as "Tarot", Ace of Wands)
His son James is the right age, a gorgeous young man in his early
20s, who just won a BAFTA for his first tv series, "Raven" - a
children's telefantasy/game show. (he plays a Celtic warrior
called
Raven, <which makes for a HL connection all by itself>
auditioning
kids 12yo + for further training - a mix of logic puzzles and
skill/courage games)
(and <sob> I knew him when he was 12 years old himself)
Maybe I should send James Mackenzie's picture to DPP? <g>
Jette
"Work for Peace and remain Fiercely Loving" - Jim Byrnes
jette@blueyonder.co.uk
http://www.jette.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 11 Feb 2004 14:27:01 -0500
From: Sandy Fields <diamonique@comcast.net>
Subject: Re: Season Two dvd Commentary: Bless the Child
At 10:59 AM 02/11/2004 -0500, kageorge wrote:
>Some see it, some don't, but at least some of that sense comes (IMO) from
>the thematic consistency between these two episodes where we see Mac force
>Richie out of the nest, followed immediately by an episode where Duncan's
>desire for children and family is emphasized.
I never saw UCoA as Mac forcing Richie out of the nest. It looked to me as
if Richie jumped out head first all on his own. Richie forced Duncan's
hand, IMO, not the other way around.
-- Sandy
------------------------------
End of HIGHLA-L Digest - 10 Feb 2004 to 11 Feb 2004 (#2004-31)
**************************************************************