HLS4: Brothers in Arms

[ithildin]

Highlander Season Four

Brothers in Arms, Air Date: October 1995

Friends become enemies and the past is revealed when Immortal Andrew Cord in gunned down and MacLeod discovers the sniper is Charlie DeSalvo, his good friend who used to run the dojo. Charlie, who left MacLeod to fight the good fight in the Balkans with his love, Mara, is after Cord, who murdered her. Dawson knows Cord as the man who saved his life in Vietnam after a mine explosion took his legs and he begs MacLeod not to fight him. MacLeod agrees -- until Cord turns the tables and sets his sights on Charlie. ~ recap via tv.com

Next week: Double Eagle

Comments

[amberleewriter.livejournal.com]

I love this episode. Joe is center stage and we (along with Duncan) get the story behind the legs.

Some of the moments between Duncan and Joe are really poignant. The show opens with them both returning from their time in Scotland all smiles and by the end they are as estranged as they have ever been. Duncan's grief over Charlie at the end (and his distance with Joe) seems to me to also have roots in the loss of Darius and Tessa. Duncan starts to pull back -- to withdraw -- at the end of the episode but one has to wonder if it is about isolating himself or about protecting everyone involved. It makes events later in the season (and particularly the season closer) even more laden with meaning.

Another joy of this episode: we get to see a young version of Joe meeting his mentor, Ian for the first time. I really liked both of them and wished they would have done another Joe and Ian flashback at some point so they could bring back the actors. Meeting an older Ian in "They Also Serve," gives this flashback some additional weight and makes me wonder about the depth of the relationship there.

On the DVD front, the extras with this one are worthy of note. Jim is a very articulate man and speaks about his life and living with disability in a candid fashion. They also discuss the recreation of the Vietnam setting and I found this quite interesting.

In short this episode gives me rabid Joe bunnies with big sharp pointy teeth.

For me the weak parts include the Cord and Charlie grudge explanation bits. When the pair of them are on screen together it just doesn't work for me. On the other hand, Cord with Joe, Cord with Duncan, Charlie and Joe, and even Charlie and Duncan worked for me. I did think the death scene was a little drawn out, but I've never been a fan of the long goodbye (and even less of one where montage is used). Still, I understand why it's a staple of TV. In the end I wasn't sorry to see Charlie go. I never had a particular attachment to the character. Much like Anne, I think he was an interesting idea that never really found a groove.

Another complaint I have with the episode is how young Joe got his hands on a sidearm when in "hospital." Medics wouldn't have let him have one and neither would the psycs. They also probably would have sedated him after the psyc talked to him until they got him on a transport and into a real hospital. I know, picky picky.

Still, for all the minor quibbles, this is an episode I really enjoy. The background on Joe more than does it for me (as well as the exploration of having a Watcher befriend an Immortal and what the possible consequences might be).

Rabid bunnies, I say!

[pat-t.livejournal.com]

I've pretty much got to agree with all of this. I enjoyed seeing Joe being the center of attention and getting more of his background. As well as finding out how he got into the Watchers.

I also loved the interaction between him and Duncan. And how it all played out. Joe should have never stepped into Immortal business, but I understand why he felt like he owed Cord. But he was right when he told Cord that he owed him his life and not Duncan's. Unfortunately, Joe realized too late that he didn't owe him Charlie's life either and it cost him.

Honestly, I think Duncan should have simply told Charlie the truth. It would have saved them all alot of heartache and probably Charile's life.