'Judgement Day' & 'One Minute to Midnight'

[ithildin]

Welcome to the ninth & tenth installment of Methos Episode discussion. You can find the last one, for 'Till Death'here. All episode discussion links can be found over on the sidebar.

Since this is a two parter, this will be for both Judgement Day & One Minute to Midnight.

Judgement Day/One Minute to Midnight, Air Date: May 1996/Sept. 1996

Dawson's life is on the line when the Watchers try him on the charge of treason for his friendship with MacLeod. Watcher deaths have risen dramatically since Dawson first told MacLeod about the Watchers and the Tribunal is determined to punish Joe and stop the killing. MacLeod and Dawson argue his case, but even as the trial goes on, the Watcher killings continue.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Immortals and Watchers are poised at the brink of war. On the orders of the Watcher Tribunal, every Watcher in Europe is hunting for MacLeod, to bring him in dead or alive. MacLeod discovers that the real killer is Jacob Galati, a Gypsy MacLeod once traveled with, who has vowed to destroy all the mortals who wear the Watcher tattoo, convinced they are all out to destroy Immortals. ~ via tv.com

Next up: The Messenger. Look for it on Thursday.

Quotes below the curtain





Methos: We've got to quit meeting like this - people will talk.
___________________________

Duncan is holding a blue teddy bear: "I'm not your enemy, *your prescene only proves how dangerous it is for Immortals to know we exist*" Duncan punches the bear and throws it down.
___________________________

Methos: I spent years losing my conscience, for him to go and find it again.
___________________________

(Duncan knocks out a guard and walks into a giant playroom where Dawson's being held prisoner.)
Duncan: Eew, did it come like this or did they throw it together for you?
___________________________

Executioner: On your knees.
Joe: Not in this lifetime.
___________________________

Jack: Last request?
Joe: Yeah, I'd like to die of old age.
___________________________

Joe: They're gonna blow my brains out tomorrow. Tradition. You gotta love it.

Comments

[ekaterinn.livejournal.com]

I have to say to say, I love the playroom they keep Joe in. So surreal. I also really enjoyed Methos playing Adam Pierson, all hestitant and nervous, in his own attempt to save Joe. And Duncan's own willingness to put his life on the line for Dawson and his helpness at the end of "Judgement Day" is always heartbreaking.

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

I would dearly love to see the missing scenes between Duncan finding Joe and Methos checking his bandages, during which Methos learned Joe was alive but wounded, and had to go into physician mode to save him.

The playroom was a masterful touch. It reminded me of the similarly surreal playroom in some of the last episodes of The Prisoner.

[eveningblue.livejournal.com]

One of my favorite scenes is in "One Minute to Midnight," the very first scene, in which Head Watcher Guy (is it Shapiro? I forget) is addressing a room full of Watchers, and telling them they've got to root out Duncan and Joe and anyone who's helping them, because they are evil and they must be stopped.

The camera pans to Adam Pierson, who somehow manages to look tiny, and whose eyes move all the way right and all the way left, almost like a cartoon version of himself. You can almost hear him gulp. It's a comical moment in an otherwise very serious episode.

[ithildyn.livejournal.com]

Methos at the end of OMtM. Now that was interesting. When he freaks at Joe that he doesn't know who he is anymore. Makes you wonder how stressful keeping the 'Adam Pierson mask' on is for him on a day to day basis when there's other things intererfering and he has to be 'Methos' as well?

[enchantersnight.livejournal.com]

I wasn't sure about this one but in the end rather enjoyed it, it had a bit of everything didn't it.

Sorry am still rather tired atm passed my Advanced open water diving at the weekend so still knackered, very much enjoying reading your thoughts though, hopefully will be able to get mine in order sometime :)

[keerawa.livejournal.com]

I find not just the playroom but also the Tribunal "courtroom" very surreal indeed. It definitely adds to the tension for me.

I love Joe in these episodes. He's been walking the razor-wire between Watchers and Immortals for years now. This is what happens when he falls, and he's not even vaguely surprised.

Galati is an interesting character. MacLeod has an fascinating history with him and Irena. I imagine that Horton's attacks on Immortals reminded Galati of the way the Nazis had tried to wipe out the gypsies (Rom). So the Watchers got a doubled response.

The other thing that fascinates me about OMTM is how close it came to an all-out war between the Watchers and Immortals. Galati kills Watchers. Watchers think it's MacLeod, and send every available agent after Mac. And then Mac goes for Shapiro. MacLeod makes one hell of an assasin, by the way. If he HAD killed Shapuiro, I'm sure it wouldn't have ended there. The AU potential is staggering.