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4.1: Homeland, Brothers in Arms, The Innocent

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  • johnnybear
    replied
    I really enjoyed the Kalas episodes of season three so felt the fourth season started off very well with new credits and Duncan actually returning to Scotland to fight Kanwolf his old enemy of many centuries back!
    JB

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  • Zzickle
    replied
    Just finished going over the official domestic cut of these three episodes, kindly provided by the wonderful Gillian Horvath. I have converted them from their VHS tapes to mpg (m4v) format if anyone is interested in them. Also, the official 'Eurominutes' are now marked out on my transcript pages. [www.zzickle.com/tv/transcripts.html]

    And now, back to the showdown: DVD/European cut vs Domestic cut - who wins?


    4x01: Homeland
    The domestic version of this episode has a lot of cuts, many small and unimportant, but some of them definitely worthwhile. In particular, Duncan tells Joe he’s going to let the police handle the murders, then later (in his room at the inn) decides not to leave until the killer is found. Also, Rachel confronts Duncan when they are both out riding and notes the dirt on his hands, which ties in to the later scene at Debra Campbell’s grave. And finally, in the church, Kanwulf shows Duncan the cloak pin that led him to Glenfinnan in search of his ax, explaining the otherwise-coincidence of both of them returning at the same exact time (both having found artifacts stolen by grave-robbers). The other cuts are less important to the story, but overall, I say...


    Winner: DVD/European cut!


    4x02:Brothers in Arms
    The largest cut from this episode is the flashback montage following Charlie’s death. The other cuts are mostly of Cord being an ass at paintball, and a portion of his fight with Duncan in the dojo, although we do also lose the beginning of the scene between Joe and Charlie at the bar, where Joe greets Charlie and starts trying to explain his friendship with Cord. Overall, I am okay with pretty much all of the cuts. While a flashback memorial for Charlie is nice in theory, it feels like it slows down the pacing too much, as we are still building up to the climax of Duncan facing Cord. Going directly from Charlie dying to Duncan storming into the bar feels like it has a better flow to me...

    Winner: Domestic cut!


    4x03: The Innocent
    The domestic cut of this episode loses the following: King confronting Mikey at the kids’ train in the park, Mikey overreacting to men fencing in the dojo, parts of Duncan riding into McKewansville with Chaske, the townspeople outside the doc’s office, and Duncan’s brief conversation with the sheriff there, Richie leading Mikey back to the T-bird after encountering King again at the switching yard, and some of the flashes of Mikey at the switching yard in the tag scene. If these were the only cuts, the domestic version would win, as I don’t feel any of them really add anything important to the story. But there is also the1:25 minute scene of Duncan and Richie meeting up (somewhere) to go get Mikey out of jail. In the domestic cut, it is completely REPLACED with a nineteen second clip of Duncan and Richie meeting up outside the jail. In the longer clip, the conversation getsrather philosophical about Mikey’s situation and fate in general. The shorter clip is basically just ‘Mikey’s in jail. Let’s go get him.’ I definitely prefer the longer scene. So… DVD/European version for that scene, Domestic version for everything else.

    Winner: Tie!


    Updated tally:
    Domestic = 23
    DVD/European = 20

    Leave a comment:


  • dubiousbystander
    replied
    I'm watching Homeland now. Rachel was so... belligerent. It's hilarious to see Ewan 'Sudsy' Clark here. I had to look him up because I could not pinpoint where I'd seen him before. Hahaha, way back in The Return of Amanda. And of course, ever since the first few seasons of The Walking Dead, seeing Laurie Holden here makes me smile!

    Leave a comment:


  • Tootsie Bee
    replied


    Episode 69: "The Innocent"

    Laughably bad episode that never rings true. When it's not stealing whole plot threads from Of Mice and Men, it's trying in vain to echo Rain Man. Mikey isn't a character, but rather an assemblage of cliches. The villain is a joke, and Duncan defeats him so easily that it's hard to believe that the writers even bothered posing him as a threat. At least it's a decent Richie showcase, but it's very much the sort of story I'd expect from the first two seasons. Oh, and what was with those flashbacks? They had no bearing on the present, and the application to the Mikey story was so forced that they could've stuck in any flashback and made as relevant a connection!

    Leave a comment:


  • Tootsie Bee
    replied


    Episode 68: "Brothers in Arms"

    All-around terrible episode, reminiscent of the weaker parts of Season 2. Awful villain with no motivation. Pointless wasting of Charlie. Lame, trite flashbacks of Joe's past that don't ring true and seem far too convenient. Worst of all, Duncan loses all credibility that he gained in the previous episode, as he returns to being an unlikable jerk who ruins the lives of everyone around him.

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  • Tootsie Bee
    replied
    Episodes courtesy of Cinedigm.



    Episode 67: "Homeland"

    Why did it take them three whole lousy seasons to come to this point? The rich visuals, the beautiful footage of Scotland (with Bonny Portmore, no less...they knew to steal the only good thing from Highlander III). Adrian Paul's direction is solid. The final fight was nice, and the Quickening...finally, good effects! Probably the best thing about this episode is Duncan. For once, I could understand how anyone could find him even close to being as interesting as Connor. For once, he was likable, fascinating, and compelling. For once...I cared about the character. The outstanding flashbacks helped this, and I can now say that I'm a Duncan fan...for at least one episode.

    Leave a comment:


  • Firkin
    replied
    Love me some Pruitt Taylor Vince.

    Leave a comment:


  • Aleander
    replied
    I still think that episode would have to be "Band of Brothers". If you don't like that, forget about watching the show.

    Leave a comment:


  • Wilusa
    replied
    All excellent, but I think it's "Homeland" that sticks in most fans' minds as...maybe not necessarily the "best" episode, but the one we'd recommend to others as the most representative of Highlander at its best.

    Leave a comment:


  • Aleander
    replied
    "Homeland" is a great episode, but I wish they could've done a Scotland episode without an Immortal villain. Also, the casting of said villain was iffy - maybe not in the present day scenes, but he's definitely not selling the Viking bit in the flashback. Nevertheless, this is an impressive-looking episode, gently ripping off HL3 and showcasing Adrian Paul's best directing gig. And Joe cracking jokes around isn't half bad. The only thing that could've made this better would've been an actual Connor appearance.

    Leave a comment:


  • Tootsie Bee
    started a topic 4.1: Homeland, Brothers in Arms, The Innocent

    4.1: Homeland, Brothers in Arms, The Innocent

    Discuss these Season 4 episodes:

    Homeland
    Brothers in Arms
    The Innocent
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