The final F'Immie episode. Whew! Not that we mind. Highlander of any ilk is better than no Highlander at all, and this is one of the better tryouts. No Duncan MacLeod of the Clan MacLeod, though. Have to work through that one. Maybe go into therapy someday.
Immortal Katherine is partnered to mortal lover Nick.They seem to be freelance do-gooders, out to right wrongs, rescue the endangered, and not get paid for it. Well, not right away. You see, Katherine and Nick rescue the kidnapped daughter of a mafia guy ... and they won't let him pay them, but he proclaims himself in their debt which allows them to call in the debt later.
Back in 1270 Katherine was a healer and Immortal Bartholomew was recruiting folks for a crusde, to which Katherine took public exception. She also made a nuisance of herself questioning that 50% tithe he imposed, so he had her killed. When she woke up in a pile of bodies, she finds that Bartholomew has made an example of her village, which is now burned to the ground and everyone dead.
In present time, Katherine finds Bartholomew, still playing on the religious and charitable impulses of folks, and enriching himself with the proceeds. She decides to go after him in the traditional Immortal fashion, and refuses the offered assistance of Nick. Bartholomew does not play fair, however, and shows up with a complement of armed goons. Nick saves the day, showing up uninvited with a gun.
The authorities enter the proceedings and take away all their firearms, and the guy in charge of their case gets killed for his efforts. Enter the mafia fellow, who now provides new weapons and is now officially even with them in the favors department.
In spite of all his efforts to stay hidden from Katherine's challenge, Bartholomew is flushed out and forced to fight her. She wins.
Questions:
1. There was great excitement that the actress who played Katherine was one of the F'Immie tryouts, and not so much excitement after the episode was aired. We had seen all of the women deemed particularly worthy of gaining the Highlander spin-off and none of them had seemed to capture the excitement that was Highlander: the Series. Was this the fault of the actresses who couldn't project the charisma exhibited by Adrian Paul/Duncan MacLeod? Was this the result of too little time/effort devoted to each spin-off tryout, as opposed to what would normally be expended on the pilot of a new action/adventure series? Was it just a losing proposition for all concerned, a doom shared by the actual spin-off Highlander: the Raven?
2. I rather enjoyed the camaraderie shared by Katherine and Nick, though it was tainted with the usual Immortal/mortal bickering about the Immortal's determination to go and kill the bad guy, telling the mortal to sit/stay, and the mortal's determination to share in the danger and excitement. It seemed, in fact, to be a replay of the incompetent Amanda's insisting that she could pull off an encounter against Kalas or Luther, Mac's insisting that HE had to do the deed and she should stay out of it ... but Amanda is Immortal. Not mortal. And then incompetent Amanda gets the spin-off and suddenly she's the competent Immortal, telling mortal Nick to stay out of it. The head spins. Pea soup shoots out of the viewer's mouth. It's only a movie. It's only a movie. No one will be allowed into the theater in the last 10 minutes. Extra points for anyone who can make sense of it all ... in 25 words or less.
3. Hair? Pants? Anyone? Anyone?
4. Okey dokey. This one always gets me. Maybe it gets you. Immortal Katherine is studying the healing arts with Berta, the healer of the village. Berta knows that Katherine's superior knowledge should make Katherine the acknowledged healer, but Katherine refuses the nomination. "Oh, you know much more than I, Berta ..." Why is she so condescending to the old lady, who probably just wanted a chance to sit back and watch the younger, stronger woman take a greater part of the load? Is it "nice" to load fake compliments onto the mortal and make her continue a role she may well have tired of long ago?
5. When Katherine meets Bartholomew in the parking garage and he shows up with goons fully prepared to shoot her down, and then Nick comes gunning to the rescue, Katherine is less than appreciative and more than a little pissed. I keep coming back to Amanda. Do you?