HIGHLA-L Digest - 18 Sep 2004 to 20 Sep 2004 (#2004-178)
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Mon, 20 Sep 2004 22:00:08 -0400
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Topics of the day:
1. Season Five dvd Commentary: Money No Object
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Date: Mon, 20 Sep 2004 11:20:26 -0400
From: kageorge <kageorge@erols.com>
Subject: Season Five dvd Commentary: Money No Object
Commentary w/screen captures, at:
http://www.wordsmiths.net/MacGeorge/episodes/Season5/Money.htm
COMMENTARY: Elizabeth Gracen says MNO was probably her favorite episode,
because it was real fantasy. She has met many of the “true fans of the
show” and it is about escape, like reading a romance novel, and you know
it’s all going to turn out all right in the end.
James Thorpe, the writer, says MNO was memorable as the first script he
ever did for television. He remembers meeting David A., and unlike the
usual process where the writer comes up with ideas that get toss around
and refined, Thorpe was handed a 15-page outline of the story they
wanted him to write. He was told they wanted it a “bit of a cartoon” a
bit more humor than they’d had in the past, but they wanted to keep the
relationships real and the characters true. Thorpe says he’s naturally
drawn to dark comedy because most dramatic situations have a ludicrous
flipside to them. By highlighting some of those moments, you can make
some of the dramatic sequences a little easier to take.
He says he “had a ball writing for Highlander”. The staff experience for
HL, he eventually learned, was unique, that David A. created a
nurturing, protected environment where there was no fear, no bullshit,
they were free to make mistakes, to come up with ideas that were off the
wall.
Gillian says she loved the script and she loved Nick Lea, who played
Cory, but something happened in the filming and editing that caused it
to fall short of her expectations. The episode came “up short” on
filming, probably because the dialogue gets delivered at a faster pace
than the serious episodes. Because of that, the flashback was extended a
lot, which also ended up altering the premise of it a little.
Originally, Amanda and Cory drove off and Duncan was left standing there
wishing he had said he had wanted them to stay, which played as a
parallel with the plot in the present, when he couldn’t bring himself to
tell Amanda that he wanted her to be with him, not Cory. The parallel
got lost because the flashback got turned into MacLeod following them
around digging them up over and over, and Gillian notes that that didn’t
work for Duncan’s character or for Amanda and Cory’s characters. As a
footnote, Gillian notes that she loves Adrian’s Dennis Berry’s
impersonation, that it is a classic of all time.
OUTTAKES: Cory and Amanda toodle along in the old car, but there’s a
false start as EG misses the “action” cue.
The original idea of what interfered with Duncan stopping Cory’s robbery
was that a train would go through, but it improved impossible to get an
antique train, so they substituted a herd of cows to block the road.
However, there weren’t that many cows, and they kept wandering away,
creating an open path straight to the site of the robbery.
We see Adrian and Liz sitting in the antique car singing “Bang Bang,
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang”
We see the reaction shot of Richie as Cory makes the suggestion about
them going into the hot tub, but evidently Nick Lea made an ad lib
obscene suggestion about what they should do there, that Richie breaks
up, then at the next take, breaks up again; but then on the next two
takes we see Adrian mess up his line, saying definitely “insanitary”
instead of “unsanitary.”
THE EPISODE: In an obviously sleazy part of town, Richie (on his
motorcycle) drops Amanda off at a place that will do a money transfer
with no questions asked. Inside, however, is a masked Immortal robbing
the place and Amanda recognizes him. The moment of recognition gives the
guy behind the counter an opportunity to hit the alarm, and as Richie
watches, the robber and Amanda get into a van and drive off.
Amanda and Cory are enjoying the excitement of the escape, but Richie is
following behind. Cory laughingly runs Richie off the road and into an
irrigation ditch. Amanda objects, but Cory says he was Immortal and,
“takes a lickin’, keeps on tickin.” At a junkyard Cory unveils a 1924
Packard that thrills Amanda. They go for a drive, encountering a wet and
irritated Richie is walking along the road. Rather than stop for him,
once again Cory runs him off the road into an irrigation ditch.
Back at the money transfer store we learn that the police detective is
on the Russian storeowner’s payroll, that $1.4 million had been stolen,
and that the Russian is really pissed about it.
Richie has gone to Duncan and is looking through a picture book of old
cars to identify the car that ran him down. Richie thinks the driver
took Amanda against her will, and he and Duncan are determined to track
down the car’s owner.
But Amanda and Cory are drinking champagne at a lovely woodsy cabin home
and Cory is diligently trying to seduce Amanda (Cory: You always were a
great lookin’ skirt.”) Amanda squirms away, and ends up telling Cory
that, “I’m the original serial monogamist, you know. One guy at a time?”
Cory assumes that it is the guy on the bike and Amanda does not disabuse
him of the idea, but when she calls Duncan to tell him she’s okay, there
is no answer since he and Richie are out looking for her.
Duncan and Richie end up talking to a guy who works on antique cars, but
the guy is hostile and uncooperative until Duncan launches into an
elaborate, outrageous, heavily accented charade as “Jacque Berry, the
greatest director of all France”, who needs a particular car to complete
his filmic masterpiece and manages to buffalo the mechanic into giving
them Cory’s name. (Richie: “I’ll applaud later.” Duncan, proudly:
“That’d be nice.”)
Richie and Duncan sneak up on Cory’s house, finding the car parked in
front. Cory and Amanda feel their arrival, and Duncan recognizes Cory.
Richie and Cory face off, but Amanda tries to make peace, and Cory says
that Amanda is in “No immediately physical jeopardy,” and Duncan notes
grumpily that “she’s positively glowing.” Cory suggests they all get
into the hot tub, but Duncan snidely tells him they can count him out,
since, “two’s company and four is….. not sanitary.” Cory whispers to
Amanda that he thinks Duncan is “still jealous”, and we get a flashback…
Missouri, 1926. We see Amanda driving with Duncan along a dusty road,
talking about her determination to break her contract with Barnum and
Bailey because she wasn’t getting top billing. They stop (barely) for a
herd of cows in the road, when an armored truck followed by another car
comes along in the other direction, and they feel an Immortal. The truck
stops for the cows, and we see Cory rob the truck. Amanda just stands
and flirts with the robber while Duncan pushes through the cows
complaining that he didn’t want to get involved, and eventually the
robber drives off with the money (Note: Weak plot moment).
Duncan is now driving, still trying to talk Amanda into going back to
the circus, but all Amanda wants to talk about is the Immortal thief,
when she spots his car at a farmhouse and she insists that they stop to
meet him. Amanda carefully fixes her hair as Duncan gives her dirty looks.
The farm family is thanking Cory for giving them money to move west and
start a new life. Duncan doesn’t like Cory and is unconvinced of his
charitable nature, and notes that the farmer’s car has a cracked block
and they won’t be going anywhere. Cory gives the farmer the keys to his
own car, and Amanda is very impressed (of course, it turns out the car
was stolen, which Cory deems, “a minor detail, Macky Boy, a minor detail.”
The three of them are stopped by the police, so Cory comes up with a
plan to pretend that Amanda and Duncan are his hostages, get himself
killed by the cops, and then Duncan can dig him up afterwards. (Duncan,
indignantly to Amanda: “I’m not digging him up!”) Wrong. A reluctant,
irritated Duncan does dig Cory up, at Amanda’s insistence, and Cory
thinks the whole thing worked so well that they should do it again, all
over the country. (Amanda: “Brilliant!” Duncan: “Stupid!”) Duncan is
irritated that Amanda would chose Cory’s plan over being with him, but
when Amanda asks if that means he’s not going with them, he equivocates,
and she says if he wants her to stay, he should just tell her, but in an
excess of trying not to be jealous or possessive, he shrugs and says
it’s up to her. (Amanda: “Fine!” Duncan: “Fine!”)
So Amanda and Cory go on a gleeful crime spree across the southwest,
robbing banks and then getting shot, having a reluctant Duncan dig them
up again, and then repeating the process all over again.
Back in the present, it is clear that Duncan still resents the hell out
of Cory, and is uncertain where Amanda’s affections lie. Back at the
loft, Amanda confesses that she and Cory are planning to rob an armored
truck and Duncan is incensed, saying that if she gets in over her head
not to come to him to bail her out. They end up shouting at each other
and Amanda takes it as Duncan not wanting her around. (Richie to Duncan
after Amanda slams down the elevator gate and leaves in a huff: “Smooth.
Very, very smooth. I’m takin’ notes.”)
Duncan chases after her, wanting to know why she’s doing this, saying it
was dangerous and stupid. She gets pissed off, wanting to know if he’s
jealous, and he insists he’s not, but… but can’t find the words to ask
her to not go to Cory, so she turns to leave. (Duncan: “Amanda, what do
you want from me?!” Amanda: “We’ve known each other for 350 years, and
you still haven’t figured that out.”)
Amanda goes to Cory’s, and when she feels another Immortal arrive as
she’s reading late at night, she smiles, whispering to herself that she
knew he’d come. But it is Richie who tries to get her to go back to
Duncan, but when she learns that Duncan didn’t send him, she just gets
irritated, saying a woman wants to be wanted, and when she asks Richie
why Duncan didn’t tell her to stay, he says that it’s, “Because Amanda,
dear, nobody actually tells you anything.”)
She invites Richie to participate in the armored truck robbery, where
the plan is to take over the armored truck when a nearby car explodes
(which Cory rigged with dynamite), but while she is showing him the
plans, the police arrive. Turns out the detective has tracked Cory down,
and they take Amanda but Richie gets away, along with the map that has
their plan written on it.
The next morning Cory is awaiting Amanda, and feels an Immortal, but it
is Duncan instead, who is delighted to punch Cory (twice) and take him
by the ear to have him help them get Amanda out of jail. Cory insists,
however, that they have a “little situation”. It seems that the bomb has
already been set to go off in only a few minutes, when the armored truck
is supposed to go by, but a marching band has also chosen than moment to
round the corner and march toward the explosive-rigged car.
Duncan has to force Cory to give him the keys to the car and Cory dashes
away as Duncan drives the car away. Cory follows in the Thunderbird as
Duncan speeds away from occupied areas and pulls into a vacant field and
parks the car, but the handle comes off in his hand as he tries to get
out of the car. He mouths “I hate you!” from inside the car just before
it explodes.
“Yowsa!” yells Cory as Duncan’s body falls from the sky, and we have a
“comic” moment of a blasted-looking Duncan trying to get up, then
collapsing. When he revives, he prepares to beat the living crap out of
Cory but Cory insists he needs him to help free Amanda. However, the
police do not have Amanda because it turns out that Cory stole from the
local Russian crime boss, and rather than take Amanda into custody, they
have kidnapped her in order to force the return of the stolen money,
which were illegal funds to begin with. However, Cory can’t return the
money because he gave it all to an orphanage, so this time Duncan comes
up with a plan. They rig Cory up with a vest wired with dynamite and a
trigger. (Cory: “That’s a fake one, right?” Duncan: “Trust me. I’ve got
a plan.”) They put fake money in a briefcase and send Cory off to free
Amanda.
The plan goes off pretty much without a hitch, as Amanda is freed, but
instead of giving them a combination, Cory reveals he is wired to
explode in 60 seconds. Amanda joins Duncan and Richie in a shed outside
as Cory manages to convince the Russian and the bad cop that he’s not
bluffing by lighting and holding a stick of dynamite. Of course, he
takes the fuse out once the bad guys are gone, and as Cory leaves the
building, triumphant, Duncan gleefully pulls out the trigger on the
explosives (Richie: “You didn’t!” Amanda: “You wouldn’t! Would you?”
Richie: “Come on, Mac, let me.” Duncan: “No, no, no. This one’s all
mine.”) and blows Cory up.
Just as in the car explosion, no body parts are lost, and a blasted, but
completely intact Cory yells, “Hey! What was that for?!”
“It was all in fun, Cory Boy! All in fun!”
In the tag, Duncan enters the loft in that same terrific suit we saw him
in “Manhunt”, and Amanda is packed and ready to leave. He says he wished
she could stay and she plays with his lapels and tells him that was
really nice to hear. They kiss, but Amanda says she ought to go. “Of
course you should,” Duncan agrees awkwardly.
“Hey, Mackie Boy,” she calls. “See you in Paris?”
“But of course, cheri,” he answers in his Dennis Berry accent, and blows
her a kiss with a smile. But after she’s gone, he looks around the empty
loft and there is a definite sense of loss.
MY COMMENTS: This episode had a whole lot more going for it than
“Dramatic License”, with Nick Lea as a far better, and more appealing
actor to work with than Sarah B., and in general they did a much better
job of playing the situation rather than the comedy. The story was
really about the relationship between Amanda and Duncan and that also
gave the episode a better dramatic focus than DL, as well. But they blew
it, big time and I didn’t realize exactly why until I heard Gillian
Horvath’s comment about them coming up short on film time. The expansion
of the flashback where Duncan obediently follows two unrepentant
miscreants around the country digging them up time and time again is so
totally out of character that the story got very strange for anyone who
had a strong sense of who Duncan MacLeod was supposed to be over the
previous four years of episodes. It was really kind of a relief to know
that the original storyline did not include that whole set of events,
but knowing why it happened doesn’t fix that fundamental flaw in the
episode.
And Adrian Paul’s send up of Dennis Berry was an inside joke that was
obviously amusing to the cast and crew, but it, too, seemed very out of
character (to me) for Duncan MacLeod. It was one of those moments that I
talked about in my discussion of “Dramatic License” where the writers
and actors are really playing the comedy rather than the situation.
One last criticism, however, is the cartoon violence. In my opinion, it
is not kosher to set up season after season where Immortals can be hurt,
where one of the central tragedies of their lives is that they suffer,
but always survive – then turn around and have a whole episode dedicated
to *not* suffering those self-same consequences. We (and Duncan) are
supposed to get irritated at Cory for acting as though there are no
consequences to his irresponsible actions, but then we are shown over
and over again that Cory is right – there *are* no consequences, not to
Richie getting run off into a ditch (twice), or to Duncan getting blown
up, or to Cory getting blown up. It was supposed to be a visual joke, I
know, but as a student of drama, I found myself resenting TPTB
re-writing their own canon mid-stream.
That being said, I liked the scenes between Duncan and Amanda and while
the Cory Raines character was pretty much an adolescent asshole with no
sense of consequences for his own actions, he is pretty to look at and
charming in an adolescent” I want to slap him upside the head” fashion.
I also asked myself the question of why Duncan would have such a hard
time finding the right thing to say to Amanda. She has flitted in and
out of his life (more out than in, at least until lately), apparently
more interested in independence and excitement than in romance, and in
the previous episode Duncan talks about how they couldn’t stand to
commit to each other over the long haul. So Duncan’s question, “What do
you want from me?” is a legitimate one, at least from his perspective.
To him, relationship is about commitment – but that’s not in the cards
with Amanda. Throughout their history she has asserted her independence,
so he’s trying to be sensitive to that. He also has his own stubborn
male pride at work, so admitting that he’s lonely without her, or that
he is jealous and resentful that she would find more fulfillment and
excitement with the likes of Cory Raines than with him, isn’t something
that would come easily. It seemed the classic conflict of two proud,
stubborn, willful, independent people, and I like the way it ended –
ambiguously. <g>
MacGeorge
All Espisode commentaries at:
http://www.wordsmiths.net/MacGeorge/episodes/indexframeset.htm
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End of HIGHLA-L Digest - 18 Sep 2004 to 20 Sep 2004 (#2004-178)
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