5-6: Double Jeopardy, Forgive Us Our Trespasses, The Modern Prometheus

[Tootsie Bee]

Discuss these episodes from Season 5:

Double Jeopardy
Forgive Us Our Trespasses
The Modern Prometheus

[Aleander]

"Double Jeopardy" feels exactly like what it is: An early season leftover. This had no business in season five, let alone season 4. More like season 2 leftover, really.

"The Modern Prometheus" is a pretty mediocre episode, complete with an utter disregard of actual understanding of how rock stars live and operate (so Duncan freely walks into his apartment and even kills him, but none of his security detail do anything about it?). But, its elevated by Adrian Paul's directing, whose visual style is better here than in either movie sequels or anything in the sixth season! Why he didn't have a hand in those is beyond me. Still, not a particularly memorable episode, beyond the Quickening.

"Forgive Us Our Trespasses" is the last worthwhile episode of the show, and the last original story that actual tries to do anything even slightly new with the franchise. What's more, it feels like an actual conclusion to Duncan's arc in the show, with him coming to terms with his own worth and his actions in his past, making the actual season six finale seem even more superfluous than it already is. It all reaches a climax - Amanda's love for Mac, Methos' preachiness has a point and context given his own past, and Duncan's guilt makes sense, as does the antagonist's rivalry with him. The only downside is that character's casting - frankly, he should've been someone more imposing. And the character should've been a century younger, IMO.

[Tootsie Bee]

All episodes courtesy of Cinedigm.

Episode 103: "Double Jeopardy"

I can only imagine that this script had been collecting dust since Season 2. It certainly should have been made before Season 4 (and it had no business airing as late as Season 5!). I liked seeing Delaney back, and I especially liked the return of Xavier. Like all St. Cloud episodes, it's a bit hokey, but fun.

[dubiousbystander]

But... Double Jeapardy IS Season 4 episode 19.

[dubiousbystander]

Ooh wait. I see! It's in the proper order where I'm watching it. Which is not on Youtube.

[Tootsie Bee]

Episode 104: "Forgive Us Our Trespasses"

Much like the Season 8 Simpsons episode "Homer's Enemy," FUOT introduces a guest character who arrives solely for the sake of judging the protagonist so that the writers can reflect upon the show's greater character arc. Such a premise suggests that the time has come to end a TV show's run; it's no surprise that the series jumps the shark only two episodes later. FUOT makes two major mistakes. First, Keane is presented with a rather shaky motive for judging MacLeod at first. It's not until the mid-episode twist that the writers allow for Keane to be seen as a reflection of Duncan himself. The second flaw is the ending. Just as Keane is hindered from being Duncan's moral equal, he is also shown to be anything but his physical equal. Duncan easily beats him and then orders him to walk away, as if Keane were the villain of this story. If the writers would have had more integrity, they would've allowed Keane to defeat him and then allow him to live, just as Duncan has done several times throughout the series. Even so, you can pretty much skip straight from here to the series finale.

[Tootsie Bee]

Episode 105: "The Modern Prometheus"

There are so many historical inaccuracies in this episode that it's mind-boggling. The worst atrocity is the presentation of Mary Shelly, who wasn't even married to Percy at that point and is far, far too conservative to be the historical Mary Wollstonecraft! The Quickening with rock music at the end was the highlight, though there were plenty of fun moments. More Methos is always a good thing.

[Aleander]

While I like "Forgive Us Our Trespasses" a lot, I agree. I wished back in the day that Duncan should've lost the fight, as he'd consciously know he was wrong and therefore not give it his best, and Keane would recognize that and let him leave, ending the feud.

If they had cast someone more physically similar to Duncan, or at least if they had staged the final fight scene as more of that of two equals in combat, it would've been much better, and sold their point better.

[Wilusa]

"Forgive Us Our Trespasses": This is one of the occasions where I think the writers may later have told us too much - at least for my taste. I had no problem at all with the guest star; but they told us they'd really wanted to get someone else. A specific someone else, though I'd never heard of him, and don't remember his name. They'd wanted someone who could himself, plausibly, have been a series lead.