Family Tree

Richie, the Orphan Searching for His Family is the theme of this episode. We see Richie trying to glom onto his own records and being arrested. Duncan rescues him from the pokey and the story comes out that Richie really really really wants to know where he comes from, and his memories of early childhood point toward that Mrs. Ryan woman. Against his better judgment. Duncan encourages Richie to seek his roots. In flashbacks, we see how Duncan's own father rejects him after he dies and comes back to life, and in fact denies that Duncan is his son. In a hair-memorable scene Duncan cries out "Where do I come from? Where do I come from?" as his father rides away.

Richie meets Joe Scanlon, a ne'er-do-well, down on his luck and trying to hide from Clinch, the enforcer/collector at Mrs. Gustavson's casino. Richie, ever the gullible street kid, believes that Scanlon is his long-lost father, and Duncan allows Scanlon to stay with them for a few days. Scanlon, of course, takes the big gold mask and makes a run for it. Richie follows him to retrieve the mask. Duncan follows Richie to retrieve what pieces are left after Clinch tears him to pieces.

And hence the comic relief of the episode, Duncan walloping Clinch and Mrs. Gustavson firing her loyal henchman because he can't beat Duncan. Turns out that Mrs. Ryan was Richie's foster mother, so Scanlon can't be Richie's father, and Duncan makes everything all right by telling Richie that now he can make of himself whatever he wants. Not a clear path in logic, but a tender moment between Highlander and StreetKid.

Questions for discussion:

1. Didn't you cringe when Clinch busted Scanlon's fingers like that? Ouch. That hadda hurt.

2. Wouldn't you have better security around a great big old solid gold mask like that? And wouldn't it weigh more than a piece of tin foil?

3. Since when are foster kids called by their foster mother's last name unless she adopts 'em?

4. Did you ever notice that when Richie is asking questions out on the street, he's always asking guys with either long hair or a ponytail? Discuss.

5. Didn't Duncan look totally awesome in those furs and long long hair? But didn't he kind of ruin the effect with the "where do I come from?" bit? And it just didn't help when he yelled "I'm Duncan MacLeod of the Clan MacLeod" did it?