HLS4: 'Timeless'

[ithildin]

Highlander Season Four

Chivalry, Air Date: February 1996

World famous pianist Claudia Jardine has a secret that even she doesn't know -- she's destined to become Immortal. Immortal impresario Walter Graham, who has guided the careers of mortal greats like Shakespeare, sees his chance to shepherd Claudia's genius forever and kills her, triggering her latent Immortality -- against MacLeod's better judgment. Meanwhile, Methos has fallen for Alexa, a waitress at Joe's who has a secret of her own.

Next week: The Blitz

Comments

[macgeorge1.livejournal.com]

As usual, I'll just repost my summary comments from my lengthy and detailed original discussion of the episode, at:
http://www.wordsmiths.net/MacGeorge/episodes/Season4/Timeless.htm

SUMMARY: This is one of the top ten episodes of the entire HL series. It has everything in it, wonderful performances, a resonant theme, and is chock full of both humor and pathos. The production values are rich in color and visual interest, and everybody just looks so damned good. Walter is handsome and elaborately debonair, “Adam” is charming and winsome, Alexa has a transcendent beauty, Joe looks ruggedly handsome, and Duncan looks great in every scene, even the ones where he is a poorly shaven cross-dresser in a wig. Even Claudia looks lovely, and conveys a wonderful brattiness, but still manages to be vulnerable and likeable.

It’s not perfect. Gillian is right, the sudden loss of Claudia’s gift as a performer creates a believability gap, and Duncan makes for a rather tall, unshaven woman, although he gives it his best shot.

[robi-travels.livejournal.com]

"It’s not perfect. Gillian is right, the sudden loss of Claudia’s gift as a performer creates a believability gap, and Duncan makes for a rather tall, unshaven woman, although he gives it his best shot. "

I never found the loss a believability gap. The women was shot, point blank, and saw it coming. That kind of shock can rattle things including her ability to play.

I am sure over time the magic in her fingers would have returned even without the "death" threat. But in her mind she linked the two.

[holde-maid.livejournal.com]

"I never found the loss a believability gap. The women was shot, point blank, and saw it coming. That kind of shock can rattle things including her ability to play."

Personally, I did have a hard time believing that. After all, you could select pieces that are about fear, and pour the fear you felt into them. Music is versatile like that. :-) Also, her argument is that it took fear away from her altogether. My wild guess is that they originally had the experience leave her numb, then realised that at least one of her two rivalling mentors would make her see that the numbness would pass with the shock. And then time ran out, and they were stuck with this bit as it was. :-D

[pat-t.livejournal.com]

and Duncan makes for a rather tall, unshaven woman, although he gives it his best shot.

*snicker*

[unovis-lj.livejournal.com]

Well -- count me among the few who gagged on Methos and Alexa. It was a cute idea, but horribly over-written and flatly unbelievable, for me, mainly because of that one scene where Methos wibbles to Mac. We were supposed to accept the thunderbolt of love explanation for Methos being smitten, not seeing much of Alexa that was that terrifically appealing (one aspect that could have been sold so much better in print than as it was on the screen). Without the scene of Methos acting unconvincingly like an insecure adolescent, his infatuation and the other aspects of the relationship, and Methos emerging from Adam Pierson, would have been more compelling and real. But still, it seemed to work for so many people, so go figure. It's Methos In Love in canon and acting cute.

Other than the bad Methos as puppy scene, I quite liked the Shakespeare flashback; I loved Walter as another friend of Duncan's with questionable morals and charisma (whom Duncan spanked but didn't kill); I liked the continuity of Duncan looking out for pre-Immortal friends and for talented young women he stumbled across (in a genial, avuncular sort of way).