just finished watching Highlander the TV Series (SPOILERS)

[Mark_Nguyen]

Totally agreed. I didn't even keep the perfectly legally downloaded copy I had - and I've got DVD of absolutely everything else. It sucks really, really bad.

Duncan Macleod's timeline seems to have wormed its way to Wikipedia, and from what I recall of my last run-through of the series two years ago most of the big points are there:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duncan_MacLeod_Timeline:1592-1691

I'm sure the writers got a pretty good bible going after the first year as the series flashbacks are pretty consistent with where he tends to be in a given era - a few places stick out, like when he went to China for no apparent reason in 1680 and then right back again, but the next time he was out there he spent several epiosdes worth of continuity over the series in the 1770s-80s pissing off immortals, getting shipwrecked, and finding a really cool sword. Also, the evolution of his personality over the centuries is kept fairly straight after the first season or two, as he goes from Chieftain's son to world-wanderer, to businesman, back to soldier, to pacifist, to hermit, and ultimately to 1990s antique store owner.

Mark

 

[Procutus]

Highlander: The Source: Haven't seen it yet.

Don't see it. Save yourself the pain.

It's like The Quickening, but worse.

Trust me.

Indeed. It sucks big-time, even with Dunkie, Joe and Methos in it.

 

[broberfett]

Highlander: The Source: Haven't seen it yet.

Don't see it. Save yourself the pain.

It's like The Quickening, but worse.

Trust me.

Indeed. It sucks big-time, even with Dunkie, Joe and Methos in it.

It is indeed one of the worst movies ever made.

 

[Trevacious]

I loved Amanda - until she went Platinum.

 

[Gojirob]

The Horsemen episodes made what followed worth it. Kronos would have made a great season-long villain. If the producers wanted their post-Apocalyptic world so much, who better to create it than Pestilence?

Also, in the S5 opener, Horton in flashback seems to have a roar behind him as he kills a lady Immie. Its a roar I heard later on with Ahriman's presence. I wondered and still do if we were meant to believe that Horton served or was twisted by Ahriman.

 

[OsmiumJohnnycake]

What are your thoughts on the movies?

I like good movies. Just want to get that out of the way. But I enjoy the HIGHLANDER franchise as a whole for changing its mind and the rules every entry.

The first film would have worked fine as a standalone film (although even as a kid I found Connor's trench coat, jeans and white tennis shoes about the least badass look someone could have come up with for an immortal - but hey, he carries a sword and gets the job done). Christopher Lambert is great and his accent adds a certain something to the character to really make it memorable (during the final fight, the delivery of "There can be only one!" is perfect in both a cool and a bizarre way).

The second film changes everything, no matter which version you watch. I still can't make sense of what they were trying to do, why Sean Connery is back, why they decided to give it a scifi twist and add a fight that looks like an outtake from the Burton Batman films. But if you are okay with tossing continuity completely out the window, the film is certainly fun in a ridiculous corny way.

The third film is okay but not as fun either in a ridiculous way or as a good movie. It's still interesting to see them pretend the second film never happened and that the first film didn't really portray the final gathering. And the villain is laughable but that's sort of a plus.

I knew from the cover that the fourth film included Duncan from the tv show, which is why I decided to delve into the series so I would be able to see just how much continuity had been bungled in that one. Connor's cameo in the first episode of the tv show still suggests that the second film didn't happen and obviously rules out the idea that Connor was the last immortal standing in the first film. (Not sure where the third film, which happened during the tv show I think, is relegated to in the grand scheme of things. But if I had to bet, I'd guess the garbage can.)

So next up on my viewing is Endgame and The Source. So far the only part of the series I can say I enjoyed not because it was corny was the tv show. So I have high hopes that the fourth movie will trash that memory in favor of some goofy nonsense.

Makes me kinda wish they had made Buffy the Vampire Slayer stay in continuity and when the tv show started, Kristy Swanson showed up at Sunnydale and handed the stake to her cousin, Muffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar). Then Buffy could have continued to have onscreen adventures in the future, on other planets and who knows what else. Then after season seven of the tv show, Buffy and Muffy could team up against The Deadliest Threat Ever.

But not really.

 

[Skywalker]

I knew from the cover that the fourth film included Duncan from the tv show, which is why I decided to delve into the series so I would be able to see just how much continuity had been bungled in that one. Connor's cameo in the first episode of the tv show still suggests that the second film didn't happen and obviously rules out the idea that Connor was the last immortal standing in the first film. (Not sure where the third film, which happened during the tv show I think, is relegated to in the grand scheme of things. But if I had to bet, I'd guess the garbage can.)

The TV show is set in an alternate universe where the events of the first movie still occurred, except that it wasn't the Gathering and Connor and the Kurgan weren't the last two Immortals.

The third movie exists in a new continuity separate from both the TV show and the first movie, where Connor thought he was the last Immortal until Kane and his henchmen escape from Nakano's mountain. I don't know why they didn't just make it a semi-sequel set in the universe of the TV show; I guess they thought they had to keep the "movie universe" and the "TV universe" separate.

 

[KB24]

We're halfway thru Season 4 in our rewatch now. I'll have to snoop and check back here again when we're done with all my thoughts.

 

[God Magnus]

Highlander: The Source: Haven't seen it yet.

Don't see it. Save yourself the pain.

It's like The Quickening, but worse.

Trust me.

I was super die-hard into Highlander in the 90's and early 2000's. I held on to hope that the films would get better, especially "Endgame" (which was filled with good stuff, and bad stuff). However, once I watched "The Source" I think the Highlander fan in me crawled into a deep cave and only came out briefly to read the recent "Dynamite" comic book series before retreating again.

 

[Satyrquaze]

Highlander: The Source: Haven't seen it yet.

Don't see it. Save yourself the pain.

It's like The Quickening, but worse.

Trust me.

I was super die-hard into Highlander in the 90's and early 2000's. I held on to hope that the films would get better, especially "Endgame" (which was filled with good stuff, and bad stuff). However, once I watched "The Source" I think the Highlander fan in me crawled into a deep cave and only came out briefly to read the recent "Dynamite" comic book series before retreating again.

Exactly.

I mean... another ringing endorsement for The Source!

 

[Susan In SFL]

I just finished watching the Highlander tv series yet again, on Amazon. There is so much that is good and so much that is ridiculous! The 'comedy episodes' seem to be a desperate attempt to fill space. And the Season 6 episodes? All were worthless except the last two - To Be and Not To Be. I felt used.

I liked those simply because that is something we should all do - take inventory of our lives and see the positive influences we've made over the years to various persons and other beings in our lives. If you can't find any positive, it's time to step away from the TV and do a bit of soul searching and meditation.

Since we don't watch TV and have no real TV services, all we do is stream from Amazon or Netflix, but hey - not missing it one bit after a year and a half without.

 

[FormerLurker]

Indeed. It sucks big-time, even with Dunkie, Joe and Methos in it.

They hated being in it. They only made it to fulfill a contract, and deliberately phoned in their performances to show their contempt.

I was super die-hard into Highlander in the 90's and early 2000's. I held on to hope that the films would get better, especially "Endgame" (which was filled with good stuff, and bad stuff). However, once I watched "The Source" I think the Highlander fan in me crawled into a deep cave and only came out briefly to read the recent "Dynamite" comic book series before retreating again.

I feel your pain.

Exactly.

I mean... another ringing endorsement for The Source!

Isn't it though?

 

[Turtletrekker]

There should only have been one. Movie, that is.