HLS3: Song of the Executioner

[ithildin]

Highlander Season Three

Song of the Executioner, Air Date: February 1995

In the 1600s, MacLeod sought refuge for a time in a monastery founded by Paul, another Immortal. There he encountered Kalas, an Immortal monk with a heavenly singing voice. When MacLeod discovered that Kalas was routinely taking the heads of Immortals as they left the sanctuary, MacLeod and Paul expelled Kalas from the monastery, separating him from the music that was his life. Now in the present, Paul and his choir have been lured out of their monastery for a concert tour.

When Paul disappears after a concert, MacLeod discovers that Kalas is after his revenge. Meanwhile, two mysterious deaths at the hospital seem to be linked to negligence on Anne's part. Later, when drugs are found in Joe's bar, it becomes obvious that Kalas is trying to destroy MacLeod's friends before coming for him. MacLeod confronts Kalas and finds that Kalas is a strong and skillful fighter, better than MacLeod has faced before, and is nearly the victor. To save himself, MacLeod throws himself off the concert hall roof, landing, dead, at Anne's feet on the street below. Kalas escapes and MacLeod is forced to leave his life in the U.S. and flee to France, leaving Anne believing that he is dead. ~ recap via tv.com

Next week: Star-Crossed

Comments

[macgeorge1.livejournal.com]

TPTB commentary and episode description at:
http://www.wordsmiths.net/MacGeorge/episodes/Season3/Song.htm

My observations: This is far more of a standard plot than something like “Blind Faith” - it has the old enemy come back to threaten Duncan and everyone he cares about. The flashbacks were well done, and it was interesting to see Duncan gradually pulling himself together after what was evidently a long, difficult time of violence and despair in his life.

The monastery was also where he seemed to really take to reading and learning, even if the monastic life chafed after a while. We have to assume he spent quite a while there, and it is interesting to speculate just how long that period was - six months? A couple of years? Long enough, at least, to have him reading Shakespeare fairly proficiently.

It was also good to see MacLeod meet an opponent who was presented as a swordsman at least as good as he was, and a real threat.

Frankly, however, I prefer episodes that deal with more substantive themes than this one does. Kalas is a straightforward Really Bad Guy with no real gray areas about who he is or why he is after MacLeod. However, this story sets up better episodes for the future, where we meet Methos, and have Finale I and II, so I can’t complain too much. All in all, it was an okay episode, but certainly not one of my favs.

[simonesa.livejournal.com]

I like my villains a little more gray as well. Kalas was more irritating than terrifying. Truly the best of this episode does not actually occur in the episode. Methos is the best thing to emerge from Kalas.