Richie meets Methos and listens to his message of peace among Immortals. The Game can end! Methos says, if we all just lay down our swords and make it so. Richie is impressed and becomes a follower of Methos. He goes to Duncan, who goes to Joe. Joe's answer of "Oh, is HE at it again?" is not the answer Duncan expected, but Joe knows that there has been "another" Methos around who preaches the gospel of peace, and whose followers tend to be beheaded shortly after they lay down their swords.
Duncan worries that this will be Richie's fate if he follows the path of Methos the Messenger.
In the meantime, Duncan is concerned that an old foe has entered on the scene, someone Duncan wants very much to whack. Culbraith was in charge of the POW camp at Andersonville, a truly horrific place in 1864. The imprisoned Duncan had begged him to have the camp surgeon see to his friend Jeffrey, but Culbraith refused, being oblivious to anything other than his own pain over the death of his wife and her children. Duncan had to put Jeffrey to sleep permanently, and forevermore carried a grudge against Culbraith.
The True Methos is willing to let Methos the Messenger do his own thing, knowing that anyone looking for Methos will go first to the fellow who actually admits to being Methos.
Culbraith encounters Messenger Methos and listens to his words of peace, and does not behead him. Then he goes back and whacks him anyway.
He is ready and waiting when an unarmed Richie comes around looking for Messenger Methos, and Richie is at a distinct disadvantage until Duncan shows up and tosses Richie's sword to him. Richie takes Culbraith's head and has a psychedelic Quickening.
Questions:
1. Duncan is immediately opposed to Richie's acceptance of Methos the Messenger's message of peace. How does Methos' message differ from the message Duncan accepted as truth from Darius? Was one wrong and other right?
2. The Truth Methos takes pains to appear as a regular guy, but at the same time, he never fails to make his points to Duncan MacLeod in the same way that Duncan MacLeod never fails to make his points to other people around him. Are his words so compelling because he's a really old guy with a lot of wisdom or because he's just a really old guy?
3. Richie's Quickening from Culbraith is unique. If we are to believe that everything in Highlander is done with consideration and attention to its ultimate meaning, we must wonder why it was shown in such a manner. Anyone care to take a stab at explaining it?
4. Would the True Methos have regretted the death of Messenger Methos, since that effectively destroyed one decoy that protected him?
5. Since we have Dueling Methos, so to speak, in this episode, perhaps we should devote a hair/pants question to them. Perhaps not. Are there any hair/pants worth commenting on in this episode?