'The Modern Prometheus'

[ithildin]

Welcome to the sixteenth installment of Methos Episode Discussion. You can find the last one, for Forgive Us Our Trespasses here. All prior episode discussion links can be found over on the sidebar.

The Modern Prometheus, Air Date: May 1997

Lord Byron, the brilliant Romantic poet, is alive and well and living the decadent life of a rock star. He lives life way over the edge and has taken some promising young musicians over the edge with him. When following in Byron's footsteps tragically ends the life of Dawson's protege, MacLeod is faced with a decision -- is the beauty and genius that is Byron worth the cost? ~ recap and quotes via tv.com

Quotes below the curtain





Duncan: Duncan: Cut the crap - Mike is dead because of him.
Methos: No, Mike is dead because of Mike.
Duncan: The kid idolized him. Maybe he didn't pull the trigger but he sure as hell put the gun in his hand. "To live like me you have to be like me." Come on, Methos, Mike couldn't do that, he wasn't Immortal.
Methos: And that is not Byron's fault
________________________

Byron: My task is done. My song has ceased. My theme has died into an echo...it is fit.
________________________

Byron: Would you rather have a tombstone that says "he lived for centuries', or one that says 'for centuries, he was alive"?
Methos: You're not listening to me - I don't want a tombstone.
________________________






Next up will be Indiscretions aka The Methos & Joe Show 'Archangel'.

Comments

[carenejeans.livejournal.com]

But Byron *does* "perpetuate violence." He doesn't just have an "attitude." We see him, even before Mike comes into the picture, cajoling and goading a man to *jump to his death*. Now whether or not that guy is an idiot to get himself drunk/drugged enough to think this is a good idea is beside the point. Byron led that man to his death. On purpose. With malice aforethought. Because he wanted to -- what? Enjoy the rush?

Yes, I think he does deserve to die. The implication is that Mike is not Byron's first victim. Probably not his second (or even tenth or twentieth?).

And besides that, I do think he's got a bad suicidal jones, and is just waiting for someone like Duncan to come along and give it to him.

[eveningblue.livejournal.com]

I agree completely. He is *luring* these people to their deaths, using his rock star charisma and power. He's not going to stop till he's dead. He gets a thrill from it, and is pushing the bounds of addiction with it. Just as he is addicted to laudanum and then cocaine, he is addicted to this kind of thrill killing.

And I agree that he's suicidal. Methos gives him the chance to run away, and he refuses. He *wants* to die. The comparison to Gregor is apt. He is tired of being alive.

[amonitrate.livejournal.com]

My other question is - if Byron deserves death for his actions, didn't MacLeod himself deserve death for his actions during the dark quickening? He killed an unarmed immortal, directly. Or how about Warren Cochrane, who killed his student over politics? In both of those cases, the immortal was a direct threat to mortals and other immortals, but those who could have, chose not to judge them worthy of death. Methos chose to try and help Duncan. Duncan made a similar choice about Cochrane, but with the added subtext that Cochrane had to live with his actions.

So what's the difference?

[lastrega.livejournal.com]

So what's the difference?

The difference is that Byron is using his Immortality to hurt mortals. He's pretending to them that they're on a level playing field and then letting them wear the consequences of their mistakes while he walks away unscathed. He's cruel and remorseless and treats mortal lives as if they're disposable.

Warren killed an Immortal. DQ!Duncan killed an Immortal (and yeah, he beat up a couple of mortals but they didn't die and they were fair-ish fights). They may well have been a threat to mortals, but neither of them killed any of them.

Brian Cullen on the other hand...he's a whole other discussion.

[ithildyn.livejournal.com]

And Duncan under the influence of the DQ (I always think of Dairy Queen soft serve cones when I type that) (and DQ Duncan eating the cone, and it just gets odd after that) was not himself. I think Sean Burns would have been the last person to hold Duncan repsonsible, if that makes sense. And Duncan certianly derived no pleasure from what happened once he was himself again. Just the opposite.

[amonitrate.livejournal.com]

are mortal lives worth more than immortal? This is something that has always confused me a bit about Duncan.

[lastrega.livejournal.com]

I don't think he sees a difference in worth, only a difference who can protect them. He leaves mortal on mortal violence to the hands of the police whenever he can, but who is going to intervene when an Immortal using their physical advantages to hurt mortals? There isn't anyone but other Immortals. Mortal law isn't going to be effective, and could actually expose Immortality to the world. Immortals need to be a self-policing society in order to survive and Duncan strongly believes in not standing by while people are injured.

This 'none of my business' idea is a very modern way of looking at life and society and not something Duncan believes in, I think.

[amonitrate.livejournal.com]

hmm. Good point, but I'm not sure it's a matter of "none of my business" but of questioning whether one man can or should make that kind of judgement, especially one leading to death.

[lastrega.livejournal.com]

Seriously, what's the alternative? Given that Immortals have no laws and no society and a desperate need to hide their existence, how else do they protect themselves by eliminating the mad, bad and dangerous to know?

[amonitrate.livejournal.com]

this is where I want to talk about the pitfalls of vigilantism and the difference between defense and judgement... but sadly don't have time this morning. Maybe later.

[ithildyn.livejournal.com]

I don't see that there is any other way than to do it themselves. They can't call the police, or count on anyone but themselves to protect them and their loved ones.

I've often wondered what would happen if their existance became public knowledge, assuming they weren't hunted down. But for the sake of argument, they're assimilated into mortal society, and become subject to mortal law. How would that change the Game?

[lastrega.livejournal.com]

Took the words right out of my mouth (or off my keyboard anyway).

Byron wants to die. His life had become an unbearable burden to him and he was obsessed with death. He lured others to their deaths as a part of that obsession. And he didn't back off when he was warned that Duncan would kill him. Why? Because he had finally found someone who could end it for him.

His pride won't let him lay down and die without a fight, but he sure wasn't looking to duck it either.