Amanda awakens to find ne'er-do-wells trying to take her head, but more surprisingly, they steal the crystal that Rebecca gave her. Hmmmmm. That crystal is just an albatross around her neck. Luther came after it back in Season Two and killed Rebecca, and now THIS. Even if all the crystals assembled can make an Immortal invulnerable, well ... what's the big deal? And it's probably just a fairy story anyways.
So Amanda and Duncan investigate, and Amanda sneaks into the Watchers' museum to retrieve her crystal. Methos has beat her to it, however, and Amanda interprets his presence as proof that he was the one who tried to behead her. The truth of the matter is that Methos was trying to assemble the stone in order to try its power on the dying Alexa. When Amanda finally listens to him, she goes all sympathetic and they go after the crystals together. Unfortunately, they're caught. Amanda escapes, taking the crystals, and Methos is left behind, shot.
An offer is made to trade the Methos for the crystals, so Amanda meets the Watchers on a bridge. Mac shows up to assist. After a little bit of treachery involving a Watcher who's been Waiting For This Opportunity, the stone is assembled for one brief tantalizing moment, but falls to pieces and into the river.
Questions:
1. I'm going afield here. As Amanda is accusing Methos of being her night-time assailant, refusing to listen to his explanations, I keep hearing echoes of Rebecca Lord telling Duncan MacLeod that since he had Walter Reinhardt's sword, he must have killed Walter. The two episodes are listed with different writers, but that echo is almost as strong as the echoes in all the episodes in which the highest insult a character can say is "Go to hell". Any other echoing phrases or situations you can think of through the series?
2. Duncan is always pooh-poohing the magical aspects of Immortality, but in this case there seems to be some truth in an old legend. Why would not he and Amanda and Methos have donned underwater gear to try and find all those crystals? Why did Methos refuse to take even the one remaining crystal to see if its presence could do Alexa some good?
3. The idea of someone stealing something from Amanda is just so juicy that I have to wonder why anyone would feel sorry that it happened. Fair is fair. I would have to think that people she stole from over the centuries might have had some regrets about their missing stuff. Should she have been left with a crystal after all the others fell into the river or should she have been deprived, just for the sake of meanness?
4. Amanda and Methos going at it with swords was pretty fun to watch, arduous to film (I understand). From what I could tell, neither of them really had the intention of beheading the other. Why not just meet over a glass of wine and discuss it? The answer "because it's an action/adventure series, idiot" has already been taken and will not be accepted.
5. Has Amanda grown as a person since we've met her?