What Aspects of the Series Didn't You Like?

[dubiousbystander]

I didn't mind the ep where Rich got killed because you could argue that Duncan went right round the bend. Ditto the one with Steven Webber as the the Im that was trying impose dreams on Duncan while he was awake. if we assume Duncan is skippy in the head, we can skip the magic.

Again, I want Ahriman to prove to be a mad Immortal imposing dreams on Duncan (and his associates) while he was awake! Heh.

[Coolwater]

I didn't mind the Immy of the week, although some of the WOWS were pretty awful. I'm one who loathed the addition of the magical stuff. To me one of the pleasures of HL was that you had these Immortals running around an otherwise natural, rational world. Prior to the introduction of magic in the stories, the storyline had to make sense. Once you have magic, the plot introduces a straw man in the form of a predicted fate or destiny or in the form of a magic imbued object. After that the plot becomes predictable running around until the magic "works" and the fate comes about. And isn't it amazing that the magic won't work until three minutes before the end of the episode? Bah.

I didn't mind the ep where Rich got killed because you could argue that Duncan went right round the bend. Ditto the one with Steven Webber as the the Im that was trying impose dreams on Duncan while he was awake. if we assume Duncan is skippy in the head, we can skip the magic.

[Haplo]

I now something mentioned the episodic nature of the show but I wanted to make a more precise gripe than that. I hated the Immy of the week thing. Are there really that many Immortals running around that particular part of the Pacific NW town (whether it's actually Seattle or Vancouver) and the particular part of Paris for Duncan to run into them and fight constantly? All three cities are fairly big and there should be plenty of room for two Immortals to live there without accidentally running into each other.

[Muireannpendrgon]

Was that a rule for immortals or a restriction in the religions?

I have no clue.

[Saber Dog]

I couldn't agree more. I also hated the fact that a male immortal could be a priest or shaman but not a woman. Plus it would have been really neat to see more magic.

Was that a rule for immortals or a restriction in the religions?

[Saber Dog]

What I dislike about the show is the treatment of Immortal women treated as wimps, as defeseless before the swords of male Immortals, i.e Rebecca, May-Lign, Grace. They lived for centuries and to survive in the Game would have developed more than one survival skill. Remember the female is the deadliest of the species in many cases; and when they are the equals of Duncan MacLeod, they are either a murdering b*** like Felicia Martins or a thief like Amanda. Even with Alex Raven : Duncan tries to sleep with her, thus trying to impose his sexual power over her as he did to Ceirdwyn.

I think Grace was unique in that she'd made a moral choice. You can't say she lacked courage. She didn't hide on holy ground.

I would say that Ceirdwyn was no wimp and a match for Duncan in force of character. They each helped the other when they needed it.

Also, let's not forget Kyra. When he challenges her with the pipe she did well against Duncan and in the end made short work of a male immortal.

[Aleander]

That's basically the reason why I disliked Amanda not beating Luther. She simply should've, to prove a point.

[Gardner]

A druidess would have done the trick. Cassandra as the oracle of Delphi, for instance.

[Muireannpendrgon]

What I dislike about the show is the treatment of Immortal women treated as wimps, as defeseless before the swords of male Immortals, i.e Rebecca, May-Lign, Grace. They lived for centuries and to survive in the Game would have developed more than one survival skill. Remember the female is the deadliest of the species in many cases; and when they are the equals of Duncan MacLeod, they are either a murdering b*** like Felicia Martins or a thief like Amanda. Even with Alex Raven : Duncan tries to sleep with her, thus trying to impose his sexual power over her as he did to Ceirdwyn.

I couldn't agree more. I also hated the fact that a male immortal could be a priest or shaman but not a woman. Plus it would have been really neat to see more magic.

[Gardner]

What I dislike about the show is the treatment of Immortal women treated as wimps, as defeseless before the swords of male Immortals, i.e Rebecca, May-Lign, Grace. They lived for centuries and to survive in the Game would have developed more than one survival skill. Remember the female is the deadliest of the species in many cases; and when they are the equals of Duncan MacLeod, they are either a murdering b*** like Felicia Martins or a thief like Amanda. Even with Alex Raven : Duncan tries to sleep with her, thus trying to impose his sexual power over her as he did to Ceirdwyn.

[Wilusa]

I just remembered the thing I disliked most about the series! Maybe not surprising, given the type of thing it is - no one else has mentioned it either. It's our having had to pretend that Vancouver, British Columbia, was really a U.S. city - eventually, with the ridiculous name "Seacouver." I assume there was some convoluted legal, contractual reason why it had to be "disguised" as a U.S. city. But the producers never should have let some subset of fans pick a name for it...accepted a silly squashing together of parts of the words "Seattle" and "Vancouver"...and made it official by using the resulting name in - I think it was a sign posted on a wall - in an episode.

[dubiousbystander]

I decided to dedicate myself to the idea I read in at least one fanfic: Ahriman is really just a powerful psychic Immortal, and Duncan burnt him out.

[Aleander]

Well, that's pretty much what happened to Rebecca, May Ling, Sean Burns...

Well, not quite. Rebecca and May Ling knew it was coming, and may Ling and especially Sean Burns were shocked that they were going to die the way they were. Richie seemingly didn't even try to defend himself against a raging lunatic waving his sword around like a real nutcase, screaming obscenities. Talk about horrible writing - they should've just had him hold a sign like Willie Coyote that said "BEHEAD ME, PLEASE" and be done with it.

See, its not just the concept of magic and especially of a demon roaming the centuries that's stupid. Its the writing that accompanies it that makes it especially idiotic. Stuff like the above in inexcusable, because its simply a means to an end.

[Wilusa]

I don't see why anyone should "dislike" such concepts as all Immortals being foundlings, beheadings on holy ground having catastrophic consequences, or one you didn't mention, belief that one last Immortal will triumph in a future "Gathering." Every fan should be willing to acknowledge the existence of a universe in which some - though undoubtedly not all - Immortals believe these things (while others live and die without ever hearing of them). And then, every fan can decide for himself or herself whether, in their view of that universe, the concepts are true, or simply myths. Some of us incline more to fantasy, others to quasi-"realism."

[Wilusa]

I didn't so much "dislike" the two things I'm going to mention as find them a "distraction." Two implausible "messages"...

First, the clue Darius left for Mac, when he knew he was about to be killed. He left a Watchers' Chronicle, and a piece of cloth with the MacLeod tartan. But then, the simple message "27NJS." Quite a stretch for Mac to have to figure out it meant "27 N(something) J(something) Street" in his Seacouver zip code!

And later, the clue Methos left for Mac to tell him where the "Horsemen" were gathering. He was supposedly able to write "Bordeaux," and a long hotel name, in a matchbook?

[SouthernChickie]

Adding: As I rewatch the series I am coming around to Anne. It's been 15 years since I last watched the show and 20 since I started watching it. I'm developing all new opinions on the characters and the show as I watch. The biggest change in opinion is Anne.

[dubiousbystander]

And finally, Richie's death was the worst in the entire series. He just stands still like a complete idiot while Duncan cuts his head off.

Well, that's pretty much what happened to Rebecca, May Ling, Sean Burns...

[dubiousbystander]

Well, Shadows was just psychic powers. Prophecy was just a blatant use of psychic powers as opposed to the more vague "I read your marriage line and you're never gonna marry, you stinking pig!"

[Tootsie Bee]

The producers had to stylize how they depicted some of those beheadings, yes, due to Standards and Practices, but those beheadings still indeed happened onscreen.

If you say so, but the arc of Duncan's swing didn't always seem to match up with where their necks were supposed to be.

[Nicholas Ward]

I actually liked the deaths of Charlie and Richie. They had it coming for some time.
Charlie dabbling as a mercenary got him againstan opponent he couldn't beat, even though that knife fight was awesome.
And Richie escaped his inevitable fate a few times before. His impulsive nature of rushing into any situation led to a fitting end.

Tessa's death was sudden but did wonders for the series and I didn't mind at all that it was shown that immortals don't have control over all aspects of their lives. Tragedies happen.

[somecallmejames]

Wait a minute, there..."kid-friendly"? A series where people get beheaded left, right, and center, plus other assorted dark, horrible stuff happening to the characters (including, as you mention, killing lots of them off)? The producers had to stylize how they depicted some of those beheadings, yes, due to Standards and Practices, but those beheadings still indeed happened onscreen, and the series was about as far from "kid-friendly" as you can get for a syndicated cable-drama in the mid-'90s.

RoboCop: The Series was sanitized and "kid-friendly." Highlander: The Series most definitely was not.

What I meant by the kid-friendly comment, was that by having decapitations not shown properly, poorly shot nudity and never showing a body without it's head that's not covered up in some way (except the pilot, if I remember correctly), it makes it hard for me to take it as seriously as I could do.

What I meant by the charater deaths, was that they were often poorly done. For example:

Charlie Desalvo was brought back in season 4, just to die.

Tessa's death was terrible because it had nothing to do with the rest of the episode and it felt like an ass-pull on the writer's part. I don't care if it's realistic, it's not very good story-telling.

And finally, Richie's death was the worst in the entire series. He just stands still like a complete idiot while Duncan cuts his head off.

[Leto II]

Now there are other problems (like how kid-friendly the series is, the tendency to kill-off characters, and the horrible sixth season), but the fact the Series tries to put the movie in the same continuity as it is my biggest problem with it.

Wait a minute, there..."kid-friendly"? A series where people get beheaded left, right, and center, plus other assorted dark, horrible stuff happening to the characters (including, as you mention, killing lots of them off)? The producers had to stylize how they depicted some of those beheadings, yes, due to Standards and Practices, but those beheadings still indeed happened onscreen, and the series was about as far from "kid-friendly" as you can get for a syndicated cable-drama in the mid-'90s.

RoboCop: The Series was sanitized and "kid-friendly." Highlander: The Series most definitely was not.

[Tootsie Bee]

Series: The Quickening is Lighting, immortals getting injured causes them to fall unconscious

Those two changes sorta began in Highlander II, so I don't see them as major inconsistencies.

[somecallmejames]

I never liked how the series said that the original movie took place in the same continuity as the series. It's like trying to put the Buffy the Vampire Slayer move and TV show into the same universe: it just does not work as what is established in the movie contradicts what is established in the TV show. However, unlike Highlander, Buffy the Vampire Slayer put the movie into a different continuity (as the movie was not very good, and the Origin comic is the canon origin of Buffy). Here are the reasons why the Highlander movie and series do not belong in the same universe:

Movie: The Quickening is a very bright light, immortals getting injured does nothing to them, they can stay underwater without anything bad happening, nobody knows about the immortals except the immortals themselves and a few humans and during the film, the Gathering happens, and Connor wins the prize, meaning there are no more immortals left.

Series: The Quickening is Lighting, immortals getting injured causes them to fall unconscious, they can't stay underwater without something bad happening to them for some reason, the Watchers know about the immortals and the Gathering takes a long time to happen (and only gets sort-of-resolved in the worst movie ever made: Highlander the Source).

Now there are other problems (like how kid-friendly the series is, the tendency to kill-off characters, and the horrible sixth season), but the fact the Series tries to put the movie in the same continuity as it is my biggest problem with it.

[Colleengael]

Shadows
Prophesy
Ahriman

Each of these tried to deal with supernatural powers, demons and preordained fate. I feel these stories were trying to cash in on the fandoms of other supernatural shows at the time. In my opinion immortality and the magic of the quickenings did not need to be sidetracked by these stories.