Friday, June 21, 2013

Highlander: The Series 1x02 - Family Tree

The Highlander series returns as I cover another episode. In this one, Duncan beats people up with a pool cue and Richie learns about his lack of family. Not sure why, but Season 1 of this show has this weird fear of two-parters. The pilot episode should have been a two-parter (and I feel like it was supposed to be). Can say the same about "Band of Brothers" - the high point of the season - and possibly the finale episode as well. But since "The Gathering" didn't get the two-parter status it deserved, we get this for a second episode. It's a good episode, but it's... different.




If you missed it, check out episode 1x01: The Gathering.


This is an episode that I like. It's all about Richie. It doesn't exactly follow the first episode with a bang, and I can see why first-time viewers wouldn't like it. It doesn't have any sword fights, and it isn't really Highlander-like... but it does give you a sense of who this Richie guy is.

This sketchy guy is down and out, because he owes $50,000 to the casino he works for.

This guy breaks his finger. "You pay us the money, or we break-a the rest" he says.

Meanwhile, Young Richie is wondering about his father. His mother died when he was younger, and he never got to know his real father. So he hits up an adoption agency and tries to get some information from them, since... wait, what's up with that jacket? Didn't Michael Jackson wear that in the video for "Beat It"?

Richie STEALS THE FILES and runs for his life, only to get caught by what appears to be WWF legend Sergeant Slaughter. I hope Richie has his windshield wiper visor on. ...man, this site would be so much more relevant ten years ago.

Duncan bails him out of jail... again.

Richie is really full of himself, talking about how he bounced from foster home to foster home. Wear that "my life sucks" badge with pride, rebellious teenager!

Duncan is like ".........."

And Richie is like ".......yeah."

Not to worry, he'll grow up soon enough. And now, FLASHBACK TIME!

We see Duncan's father, who was a proud dwarf of Moria.

He abandoned Duncan, much like Richie's dad abandoned him. He thought Duncan was possessed by evil spirits since he couldn't die.

Duncan still carries the abandonment around with him, but there's more to the story that he hasn't let on yet.

Dinner time, as young Richard is now a part of the family. Sort of.

Richie gets emotional while remembering his mother having a heart attack. He later found out that she adopted him, making things even more confusing.

Next up, we get a montage ("MONTAGE!") as Richie walks around his old neighborhood questioning people about his parents, completely not seeing the supple miss walking by.

Finally, in an old park, he finds...

...this guy, who used to own a candy shop. No relation to the one 50 Cent talks about in the hit song "Candy Shop".

From there, Richie finally has a lead: a guy who might have known his mother. Duncan goes with him to see the guy, but waits in the car.

Duncan: "There's a proverb in India. If you're going to go hunting tigers, be sure you're prepared to find one."

Richie confronts the guy who knew his mother, Joe, but the guy won't tell him much of anything. Joe does notice that Richie's friend is driving an expensive car, though.

The bad dude shows up after Richie leaves and beats Joe up some more. He's all "I need the $50,000 by tomorrow or you lose-a you fingers, capiche?"

With that, Joe goes and meets up with Richie with a shocking revelation: "I'M your father". They talk it up, and Joe makes up all kinds of stories. Richie is pissed at the guy, but gets over it before long and they walk around a lot.

Tessa, meanwhile, is doing stuff and being gorgeous and whatnot.

Duncan is suspicious of Richie's "dad", so he breaks into the guy's apartment and looks around. Is he jealous of Richie's dad stealing his "father figure" heat, or does he just smell a rat?

Richie wants to know what Duncan's problem with his dad is, and Duncan says "I'm just looking out for you."

Then Richie breaks into a rousing rendition of "Beat It".

The trail takes Duncan to the Seedy Casino, where he confronts the bad dude and beats him up with Kung-Fu.

Bad Dude: "Where'd you learn that stuff?"

Duncan: "From the people who invented it. Ha-ha!"

He goes home and gets into a fight with Tessa...again. Didn't this just happen in the previous episode.

He ends the fight by just going and planting one on her. There may have also been some sex.

In any case, Duncan knows Joe is a fake, and tells Richie. Then they realize Joe stole a priceless mask from Duncan's collection. Richie is now PISSED.

Another flashback, and we see Duncan's father. In their one post-abandonment meeting, he tells Duncan that he was adopted. This ends up being a running theme throughout the show: none of the Immortals seem to have biological parents. ...and neither does young Richie. Huh.

"So I never knew who my real parents were either. But after a couple hundred years, I got over it. You will too...someday."

Next thing we know Richie gets kidnapped by the villains. Who the hell is that zombie woman in the background? It's safe to say that NO ONE WANTS TO BEEE DEFEATED!

Duncan barrels in and just beats the shit out of everybody...again.

Richie throws a pool stick to Duncan, who goes all Kung-Fu Staff with it and disarms all of the bad guys. And with that, the feud is over... I guess.

Richie is saved, Joe gives back the mask, and the bad guys agree to go away. Richie ships Joe off to Tucson where he can try to pick himself up, and that's that.

So there they are, with neither man knowing who his parents are. The last scene is more bonding, and it's obvious Richie is starting to see Duncan as the father he never had.

Next episode: Immortals and nefarious Chinese herbalists.

Read more Highlander stuff HERE.

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