Honor and commitment are the themes. A drowned Duncan MacLeod is taken in by Hideo Koto, a samurai of 1778 Japan. Duncan learns much from Hideo, but Hideo is sentenced to kill himself for the gross crime of hiding a foreigner. Duncan acts as Hideo's second in the ritual suicide, and is given Hideo's katana. Duncan promises to protect the Koto family into perpetuity and gives a spyglass in token of his promise.
Midori, one of Hideo's descendants, is unknowingly married to an Immortal, Michael Kent by name. Kent is particularly unforgiving about Midori's affair with another man and murders him. Midori sees the murder and kills Kent in return. She turns to Duncan MacLeod for aid, assuming that Kent is dead. But Kent wants her back. Midori is a prized specimen in the Kent collection.
Midori releases Duncan from his promise to assist her, and returns to Kent. Duncan challenges Kent for Midori's freedom, and beheads him. Nice Quickening.
Questions:
1. Midori is about as conflicted as a 3-headed snake trying to engorge a 2-headed chicken. She marries Kent to save Hideo's shrine. Kent treats her like an object, refuses to accept her affair conducted right under his nose, and kills the lover. Midori kills Kent, then runs to Mac, then back to Kent, then allows Mac to fight for her freedom. I think Hideo would have smacked her silly if he hadn't been spinning so fast in his grave. Comments?
2. Duncan was released from his pledge to assist the Koto family by Midori, but refused to accept the release. He carried the pledge beyond Midori's wishes by challenging the man whom she had killed in the first place. Should he have just let Midori sleep in the bed she made or was he right to continue in trying to fulfill the pledge?
3. We won't mention that interesting topknot Duncan wore for the seppuku ceremony of Hideo, but wasn't Duncan's hair just wonderful throughout this episode? Nice pants, eh?
4. How did Midori know Duncan would be returning from Paris on that particular day, and why did Charlie let her wait in the office when he apparently didn't know Duncan would be returning from Paris on that particular day?