'Under Color of Authority'

[ithildin]

Highlander Season Two

Under Color of Authority, Air Date: February 1994

Richie wants to protect Laura Daniels, a young woman who's on the run from an Immortal bounty hunter, Mako. MacLeod has met Mako befoe and doesn't like his methods, but he knows the other man is lawful. He questions whether Laura is necessarily innocent. Richie doesn't care, he wants to help her anyway, no matter what it takes. MacLeod is torn between doing what's right and helping his friend. Richie defeats Mako and receives his first Quickening, and he and MacLeod realize it's time for him to move on. ~ recap via tv.com

Next week will be 'Unholy Alliance'

Comments

[mamamia1964.livejournal.com]

I often wondered whether Duncan sent Richie away at the end of this episode because he couldn't face teaching Richie to become more cold-blooded, ruthless. Duncan was raised to be this decisive person, but Richie was a hanging out with the guys, having fun kinda person. He wasn't taught the responsibilities that go along with making judgements. Richie seemed like he wanted to be like Duncan, but he just didn't have the wherewithal to do so. He didn't have the foundation in personality or background to be decisive, to make quality judgements about people and situations. He hadn't grown up enough. Duncan, however, had spent that his youth learning to become a leader with all of the heavy load of expectations that came with it. (Dad must've been tough to please!)

I think that Duncan, in the emotional mess that was his life (grief over Tessa and Darius, worry about Richie, plus the constant pressure of being an Immortal), realized that Richie was trying too hard to be like him, but couldn't be. He realized that Richie needed to experience life on his own as an Immortal. Richie also needed to absorb the reality of his new life and the issues/responsibilities that are part of the Immortal world. Richie needed to walk in his own shoes, instead of trying to step in Duncan's footsteps. (In the meantime, Richie was a typical kid, rebelling one minute against every thing his "parent" suggests, and going overboard the next minute in trying to be just like the man he admired most in the whole world.)

(Just imagine how Duncan impacted Richie's life. Until he lived with Duncan and Tessa, he'd had a pretty unsettled life with little guidance or love. Along comes this really cool guy that's lived forever and knows everything. *At least it would seem so to Richie!* Duncan is a true blue hero, suave, handsome, brave, everything that a needy young man wants and needs for a role model. It's just that Duncan's a tough act to follow.)

Ummm, crazy day in my classroom, so I'm hoping that I make sense. Long and short, Duncan loved Richie and didn't want to lose him, but realized that Richie needed to leave to grow up and appreciate his mentor's advice.

[keerawa.livejournal.com]

I agree with you, mamamia. Richie was trying to be a hero, just like Mac. We've seen him do this before. If you compare young Richie to MacLeod at age 50, Richie actually comes off pretty well.

I always wonder if this was a decision based on how and why Richie Challenged Mako, or if this is some rule of Immortal society. "Thou Shalt Not Keep a Student After He Has Taken His First Quickening."