# Highlander **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 26, 2004, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highlander/242056 "2004-04-26T06:42:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2004, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highlander/242056/21 "2004-04-27T21:51:28Z")
Hmm My vaguest recollection of the show-it’s not on in my area was that any injury sustained before the first “death” remains. Any injury occurring at the time of death and onward heals over time. Sometimes instantaneously, somes over years, depending on the severity. Killing another immortal accelerates the process, since the victor channels the energy of the dead immortal. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Ross](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e274bd/32.png) [@Ross](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ross)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2004, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highlander/242056/22 "2004-04-27T22:13:35Z")
Why wasn’t Highlander III included as canon? I thought that was a kind of a compromise, but it’s so long since I’ve seen it… However I’m quite impressed to hear that the series acknowledged most of the first movie, just not the admittedly slightly anticlimactic bit once he’s got the prize. I walked away from the whole thing as soon as I’d seen Highlander II (um… not that it was ever made), so maybe I should watch some of the series. I daresay it can’t be all bad. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highlander/242056/23 "2004-04-28T00:28:00Z")
You’re all forgetting a major part of Highlander-the [animated series](http://www.geocities.com/gisele_highlander_fan/cartoon/). ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highlander/242056/24 "2004-04-28T01:11:10Z")
> [@DocCathode](#): > > You’re all forgetting a major part of Highlander-the [animated series](http://www.geocities.com/gisele_highlander_fan/cartoon/). Just like there is no second movie, there is no animated series. Actually, neither is really all that bad - as long as you ignore the fact that they’re inexplicably supposed to be Highlander. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highlander/242056/25 "2004-04-28T01:33:18Z")
What confuses me most about the cartoon is that anybody would _want_ to adapt Highlander to a children’s cartoon. In these days of Cartoon Network, a Higlander cartoon might work (an episode could take place in any location or time without fear of costume, set or travel costs), But to adapt a violent series which revolves around armed combat and decapitation into a children’ series? Re Endgame I liked it. It answers several questions I’ve had (fer example-if Immortals don’t fight on holy ground, why doesn’t somebody just imprison a bunch on a holy site and thus prevent any Immortal from being last and claiming the Prize?). Re The Hated Zeist One episode of the series did touch on this. After Duncan’s first death, he’s cast out of his village. He asks his father how he can banish his own flesh and blood. Dad replies ‘Ye are na ours. We foun ye in the woods when ye were a wee babe.’ Re The Origin Of Immortals This theory is not supported by any episode or film that I know of. A friend came up with it, and I like it a lot. Somehow, the first Immortal came about. He had the Prize, could have children, and died of old age. Millenia pass and his descendants have kids, who have kids etc. Some of these people inherit whatever it is that makes one an Immortal. When there are enough Immortals, the Gathering commences. One Immortal wins the Prize. They have kids, and die of old age. The cycle starts over. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highlander/242056/26 "2004-04-28T02:00:51Z")
> [@DocCathode](#): > > But to adapt a violent series which revolves around armed combat and decapitation into a children’ series? Well, it worked for the last two seasons of _Snorks_. ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highlander/242056/27 "2004-04-28T04:53:43Z")
That was something I never got straight – where little Immortals come from. They always seem to be foster children. Do they pop out from under cabbage leaves? ---
**Author:** ![Nightime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Nightime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nightime)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highlander/242056/28 "2004-04-28T05:10:52Z")
> [@](#): > > Unfortunately, if it comes to pass, apparently Adrian Paul is supposed to be involved, which still doesn’t make Methos impossible, but either spreads the story thin, or sets it in the present, which would probably end up putting more emphasis on Duncan than Methos, even if it was nominally the latter’s story. If this happens, Methos is going to die. Duncan is a pretty crafty guy. He is supposed to be a hero, but somehow he has ended up killing two of his best friends, Richie and Connor. And when he isn’t killing his friends, he is avenging their deaths at the hands of his enemies. If I was Methos, I would be feeling a little nervous. ---
**Author:** ![TitoBenito](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2acd7d/32.png) [@TitoBenito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TitoBenito)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highlander/242056/29 "2004-04-28T05:15:21Z")
> [@DocCathode](#): > > You’re all forgetting a major part of Highlander-the [animated series](http://www.geocities.com/gisele_highlander_fan/cartoon/). I think I’m the only person in the universe who actually liked the cartoon. It reminded me more of the Logan’s Run TV show (another show nobody liked but me) then it did any highlander movie. Kortan was way cooler than General Katana. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highlander/242056/30 "2004-04-28T05:34:37Z")
> [@Baldwin](#): > > That was something I never got straight – where little Immortals come from. They always seem to be foster children. Do they pop out from under cabbage leaves? Again, there was an episode where a rebellious teen died and discovered she was an immortal. But she was living with her real parents at the time. Apparently, it’s just something that pops up now and then. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highlander/242056/31 "2004-04-28T06:09:14Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > Again, there was an episode where a rebellious teen died and discovered she was an immortal. But she was living with her real parents at the time. Apparently, it’s just something that pops up now and then. Gotta link? I’m pretty sure in Line of Fire (the episode where Ritchie’s ex claims to have had his child), Duncan, while telling Ritchie that it’s impossible for him to be a father, also mentioned that that’s connected to the fact that they’re all foundlings. I’m trying to find proof of my assertion, but the FAQ is silent on the issue, and the only script site I can find starts at season 4. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highlander/242056/32 "2004-04-28T08:03:29Z")
Well, I know it was in the first three seasons, because those are the only _cough_ DVDs I’ve watched all the way through so far… (I’m so ashamed) I’m pretty sure it was season three, but it might have been season two. If it helps, here’s the rest of the plot as I remember it: Duncan is friends with the parents for some unexplained reason. The girl is a rebellious teen, fights with dad, takes the car, and dies in a reckless car crash. Duncan rescues her from the hospital morgue, explains the whole deal, and starts trying to teach her. Another, evil immortal shows up and wants her for himself. She has to choose between good ol’ Duncan, who wants to teach her and keep her under control, and the evil guy who pretends to treat her as an adult. In the end, Duncan whacks the evil guy and gives the girl to Amanda to teach. I’m about 80% sure they specifically say that the girl’s parents are her real parents. At one point, the girl goes to her own funeral by hiding behind trees, and there’s a long sentimental dialogue or two about the love of parents and whatnot. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highlander/242056/33 "2004-04-28T12:12:27Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > If it helps, here’s the rest of the plot as I remember it: Duncan is friends with the parents for some unexplained reason. The girl is a rebellious teen, fights with dad, takes the car, and dies in a reckless car crash. Duncan rescues her from the hospital morgue, explains the whole deal, and starts trying to teach her. Another, evil immortal shows up and wants her for himself. She has to choose between good ol’ Duncan, who wants to teach her and keep her under control, and the evil guy who pretends to treat her as an adult. In the end, Duncan whacks the evil guy and gives the girl to Amanda to teach. Episode 5 of the third season, Rite of Passage. I haven’t seen that one, found it in the episode summaries from the FAQ. Now, let’s see if I can find a script or something to confirm or refute your memory. Sadly I doubt I’ll have any more luck than I did trying to find one for Line of Fire to confirm or deny mine. Dumdidum… Yep, no luck. Found one site offering it for sale, a bunch of episode summaries, and a bunch of unrelated things…pretty much what I expected. ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highlander/242056/34 "2004-04-28T12:45:29Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > Again, there was an episode where a rebellious teen died and discovered she was an immortal. But she was living with her real parents at the time. Apparently, it’s just something that pops up now and then. I don’t remember any reference in that episode to her parents being her _biological_ parents. I’d always assumed she was adopted like all the other foundlings, but perhaps never knew about it. Ritchie Ryan was a foundling and “ward of the state”. The mom he remembers was a foster parent. And in the episode where his ex-girlfriend shows up with a kid, Ritchie protests that maybe it is his kid because he has sex with the girl _before he became immortal_ and both Duncan and Dawson tell him it “just doesn’t work that way.” FWIW - I kind of like the mystery of the “foundlings”. No one knows where the immortals come from and no one really knows _why_ the Rules are the way they are, but everyone follows them nontheless. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highlander/242056/35 "2004-04-28T17:48:14Z")
> [@Eats\_Crayons](#): > > FWIW - I kind of like the mystery of the “foundlings”. No one knows where the immortals come from and no one really knows _why_ the Rules are the way they are, but everyone follows them nontheless. In one episode (IIRC the bad guy in that one had convinced a few younger Immortals that he was Jesus.), Duncan asks Dawson if the Watchers have any record of a beheading on holy ground. ‘One. It happened long ago in a little town you may have heard of, a place called Pompei.’ He says it isn’t clear that a duel on holy ground will cause a huge catastrophe. But, Immortals are understandably reluctant to test it. ---
**Author:** ![Catalyst](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e47774/32.png) [@Catalyst](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catalyst)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highlander/242056/36 "2004-04-28T20:28:56Z")
> [@DocCathode](#): > > In one episode (IIRC the bad guy in that one had convinced a few younger Immortals that he was Jesus.), Duncan asks Dawson if the Watchers have any record of a beheading on holy ground. ‘One. It happened long ago in a little town you may have heard of, a place called Pompei.’ He says it isn’t clear that a duel on holy ground will cause a huge catastrophe. But, Immortals are understandably reluctant to test it. Unrelated nitpick: if I’m thinking of the right episode, the immortal in question was claiming to be _Methos_, much to the amusement of the real deal. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highlander/242056/37 "2004-04-28T20:56:36Z")
Not the episode I was thinking of. IIRC The one you mention has Ron Perlman (Beauty&The Beast, City Of Lost Children, Hellboy) as an Immortal who claims to be Methos and who carries no sword. IIRC The fimposter is delusional and thinks he really is Methos. The episode I was referring to has an Immortal who is definitely pretending to be Jesus. Flashbacks reveal that he first met Duncan while posing as a god in an Aztec (it might have been Inca, Maya, Olmec, Toltec or one of the others) city. In the present, he recruits new Immortals and convinces him that he’s Jesus and that they must do his holy work. At one point he tells his followers ‘No, you can not fight him here, on sacred ground. Holy places are sanctuary for all, even the soldiers of the Enemy.’ ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highlander/242056/38 "2004-04-28T20:58:25Z")
I’m hoping that none of the future movies (Og, help us all if there are any) ever try to explain the hows and whys of the Immortals existance, althought the title of “the Source” suggests that they’ll take a stab at it. The mystery of if all is way too intriguing and I don’t think there is any explanation that could do the mythology justice. **DocCathode** I remember that episode. I thought it was a little hokey. But worse was in the III movie that never happened! was when they continued a fight on holy ground and their swords shattered so they were weaponless. That’s sort of why I like the _mystery_ of the Immortals existance and the Rules. I’m kind of partial to the idea that Immortals are scared shitless to fight on holy ground without really knowing _why_. There are a lot of fans who speculate and theorize about all such things. Like raging debates about “questionable Quickenings” – e.g. an Immortal husband and wife are captured by mortals, the mortals behead the wife, husband gets the Quickening. Yuck! That would mean that if an Immortal beheaded another and then a third Immortal walked up and was the closest to the body… he’d be the one to get it? I don’t think so! Or Ritchie Ryan was close to an Immortal who killed himself, and Ritchie got the Quickening?.. Well, okay, but what if the Immortal had killed himself and the nearest Immortal was 10 miles away. Would that Immortal get a big surprise? Bah! Never liked “questionable Quickenings”. If you aren’t the one to remove the head from the body, you shouldn’t be Quickified. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highlander/242056/39 "2004-04-28T22:17:15Z")
I agree that the rules and the origin of Immortals are best left unexplained. Maybe the whole holy ground thing is just a baseless superstition. Or maybe it would cause a massive disaster. Highlander 3 The Sorcerer, wasn’t IMHO bad. It just wasn’t good. The plot was unoriginal. The characters are unoriginal. It’s just another a b movie to for local channels to show on saturday afternoons. Highlander Endgame has a scene about the holy ground rule. ‘Go on. Take my head. Maybe the rule on holy ground is a lie. Maybe nothing will happen.’ ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Death](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecccb3/32.png) [@Evil\_Death](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Death)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highlander/242056/40 "2004-04-28T22:31:27Z")
> [@DocCathode](#): > > Highlander 3 The Sorcerer, wasn’t IMHO bad. It just wasn’t good. The plot was unoriginal. The characters are unoriginal. It’s just another a b movie to for local channels to show on saturday afternoons. But it does have the scene where Mario van Peebles tries eating a condom. That was worth a yuck or two. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highlander/242056.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highlander/242056.md?page=3)