Imagine, if you will, an open sewer located in the heart of Seacouver, a sewer overrun by rats and other filthy vermin. And the meanest, orneriest vermin of them all is a guy wearing a zoot suit, a guy known as Canaan. Canaan orders the death of a Watcher disguised as a mild-mannered reporter, and Joe comes to Duncan MacLeod of the Clan MacLeod to seek justice in the Immortal fashion. You see, Joe thought Canaan (having a name that started with C and all) might just be an Immortal hisownself, and that Duncan MacLeod of the Clan MacLeod was just the fellow to deal with such a foul miscreant.
Duncan decides to investigate and is joined by that hard-ass street-fighter Charlie DeSalvo, a former denizen of The Zone, who is convinced that the fragile and naive MacLeod would be easy pickin's for just about any Zone-dweller he runs across. It turns out that Canaan isn't an Immortal at all, but just a mean nasty mortal with an evil streak a mile wide and poor taste in outerwear. Charlie introduces Duncan to Asia, the obligatory do-gooder in the story. Duncan tries to convince Asia that they could improve the lot of the good people of The Zone, and a neighborhood meeting is arranged.
Asia, however, is merely a tool of Canaan; however, she has an obligatory change of heart and she and Duncan are imprisoned together to die in a freezer. Duncan shows great dexterity in the face of frostbite and manages to free himself and Asia from the freezer. He shows up at the neighborhood meeting and kicks the snot out of Canaan who shows no grace or dignity in defeat at all.
Questions.
1. There are many good points to this episode. People have been telling me so for years. Now is the time for all those people to express their exuberance for The Zone in any fashion they choose. Be convincing.
2. There are many mediocre and downright bad features of this episode. Those who do not wish to stretch their imaginations and destroy their chances for heaven by lying about its good features may rant and rave about it *now*.
3. Is there any way different pants or longer hair could have improved this episode?
4. Would the episode have been better if Duncan had whipped out the katana and whacked Canaan? If he had whacked Charlie? The writers, producers, directors?
5. Do we forgive Highlander for The Zone because, on the whole, it's so good that stink bombs like The Zone stick out as *almost* unforgivable, whereas in a normal series, this would just be another in a long line of stink bombs?