'The Messenger'

[ithildin]

Welcome to the eleventh installment of Methos Episode discussion. You can find the last one, for 'Judgement Day/One Minute to Midnight' here. All episode discussion links can be found over on the sidebar.

The Messenger, Air Date: Nov. 1996

Richie's found a new teacher: an Immortal who preaches a message of peace. An Immortal who believes that all Immortals can lay down their swords and live together as brothers. An Immortal who claims to be the oldest of their kind still alive -- Methos. Will laying down his sword in the name of peace mean Richie will lose his head? And what does this mean for the friend MacLeod already calls Methos?. ~ recap and quotes via tv.com

Next up will be The Valkyrie. Look for it on Monday.

Quotes below the curtain





*from the extended scene*
Methos: Okay, there's this Spanish guy, Alejandro Diego Spinofa...one day he gets called in by the Inquisition for questioning, red hot pincers, tongs, usual drill...now, all he has to do is say no, 'kay, very simple word. They take his home, his money, his lands, but he will not give in.
Joe: So what happened?
Methos: He died screaming in agony. But he kept his integrity.
Joe: You are one calculated son of a bitch.
Methos: Thank you very much, it's just a matter of anticipation.
Joe: Really...well have one on me. (pours his drink on Methos' head)
Methos: What the hell was that for?!
Joe: Just one of those unforseen dilemmas. I'm surprised you didn't ancitipate it.
________________________

Methos: Look, there are enough people out there who want my head for who I am. Now, I say, if he wants to play Methos let him.
Duncan: Even if it gets him killed?
Methos: Yeah. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Look at these boots. What happened to craftsmanship? I only put a thousand miles in them.
________________________

Duncan: Do you really think peace between us was possible.
Richie: I'd like to think so.
Duncan: Would have been nice.
Richie: You know, I don't even know what his real name was. I mean, I know he wasn't the real Methos. Maybe he wasn't right either, but he was a good man.
Methos: Listen, I'm sorry I disappointed you, kid.
Richie: That's okay.
Methos: Later.
Richie: Old timer, you got any words of wisdom for me?
Methos: Nope.
________________________

(about Richie)
Duncan: Well, it's his (mistake) to make. It's about integrity.
Methos: Okay, there's this Spanish guy: Alejandro Diego Spinofa. One day he gets called in by the inquisition for questioning, red hot pincers, tongs, usual drill. Now, all he has to do is say no, 'kay, very simple word. They take his home, his money, his lands, but he will not give in.
Joe: And so what happened?
Methos: He died screaming in agony. But he kept his integrity.
________________________

Fake Methos: Can anyone live for five thousand years and say they did nothing, risked nothing, merely stayed alive? It'd be pointless.
Methos: Some might think that that experience is worth saving.
Fake Methos: I'm not one of them, but we can talk about it.
Methos: No, I've got a prior engagement, I'm afraid.
Fake Methos: I, uh, didn't catch your name.
Methos: No, that's right, you didn't.
________________________

Joe: I'm gonna go check on this other Methos. Maybe I'll turn something up.
Methos: Maybe I'll go and buy some socks.
________________________

Methos: But it's got such a nice ring to it. No more fighting, no more killing, peace and harmony - don't tell me you never fantasized about that? Some young sucker's always gonna fall for it.
Duncan: Richie has.
Methos: Voila.
________________________

(talking about the fake Methos)
Duncan: I thought you were out wandering the world.
Methos: Tibet...yak butter plays hell with the digestion. Besides, I've had all the enlightenment I could use.
Duncan: Maybe you should've kept it to yourself.
Methos: Sorry, I must have dosed off. What is it we're talking about?
________________________

Methos: One speech from the wise one and you forgive Culbraith - what's next? Friendship bracelets? The Love Boat?
Duncan: I didn't forgive him, (the other Methos) just made me think.
Methos: (cocky) Ooooooohhhhhhhhhhhh, just don't think too long.
________________________

Duncan: Turning the other cheek will only get you slapped harder.
Methos: Has a nice ring to it, though.
________________________

Methos: Hey, grab a beer. There's a cold one in the fridge.
Duncan: I know - my fridge.
________________________

Joe: (Richie's) young...young people make mistakes.
Methos: Yeah, look at disco.
________________________

Joe: I did some checking on this (fake) Methos flake. (Duncan and Real Methos look at him) The other one.
________________________

Messenger: Can anyone live for 5,000 years and say they did nothing? Risked nothing? Merely stayed alive? It'd be pointless.
Methos: Some might think that that experience was worth saving.

Comments

[eveningblue.livejournal.com]

Oh, one more thing I wanted to mention!

I noticed how he pronounced the Spanish name, Alejandro Diego Spinoza, with a very distinct Spanish accent. This is in sharp contrast to the way he says "Mi casa es su casa" in "Methos," not even really trying to make it sound right.

Methos is supposed to be this great chameleon, right, so if he'd ever lived in Spain he'd be able to do a perfect accent. Isn't he also supposed to be a language expert?

It always jars me that he doesn't pronounce "Mi casa es su casa" properly, and I wonder if this was a deliberate attempt to somehow correct that.

(I'm sure we could come up with some fanficcy reasons for the discrepency.)

[unovis-lj.livejournal.com]

Almost all the accents and readings in foreign languages other than French in the show are horrible (Adrian Paul's, outstandingly -- his Russian and German and Scots are dreadful). It's just one of those things in this show you have to blink away, like the magically appearing katanas and the lack of blood.

[heh, rash of comments because I just came across this, compiling links]

[keerawa.livejournal.com]

It always jars me that he doesn't pronounce "Mi casa es su casa" properly

Never bothered me one bit. He's not saying a phrase in Spanish, he's using an English phrase that comes from Spanish. Same as if you were calling in a "Mayday", you wouldn't use the orignal French term. I'm a native English speaker with a decent Japanese accent. When I'm talking about the vity of Tokyo to English-speakers, I don't pronounce it the way I would in Japan. They wouldn't know what the hell I was talking about!

[pat-t.livejournal.com]

Let me also add here that in Methos - Methos was not letting Duncan MacLeod in on who he was. He had a very specific impression he wanted to make on Mac. One of vulnerablitiy and youth. He didn't let Mac see the man that he was until after Chivalry. Each Methos episode was, in fact, an unveiling of who the man was and what he was capable of. And in my mind, you can bet Duncan was making these same mental notes as well.