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Highlander: The Series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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he final season of Highlander makes one thing clear. The Highlander we all know and love ended in season five. While the abbreviated 13-episode sixth season does tie up some loose ends and offer a couple excellent episodes, star Adrian Paul's appearances are limited, and the search for an actress to fill the title role in the Highlander spinoff series Highlander: The Raven overwhelms everything. It's an unsatisfying conclusion to a great show, and the DVD set's shortcomings mirror those in the series. The Highlander: The Series season-six set features seven DVDs and one CD-ROM, and while it pales in comparison to past seasons, it still manages to offer more extras than most television-show DVD sets.
The death of Richie (Stan Kirsch) at the end of season five is dealt with in "Avatar" and "Armageddon," as Duncan returns after a one-year absence to take on Ahriman, the mystical demon responsible for Richie's death. Unfortunately, there's very little Duncan MacLeod on hand, or any of the other series regulars, as the season shifts to focus on several female guest stars, each hoping to star in the new Raven series, a role that eventually went to Elizabeth Gracen's Amanda.
The most enjoyable episode of the middle bunch brings back Roger Daltrey as Hugh Fitzcairn, who steps into 1929 to explain why he's not dead for this tale. Daltrey and Paul have a wonderful chemistry together, which makes you wonder why they ever killed off Daltrey's character in the first place. And the best episode of the season finally does what the producers should have done all along ... bring back the regulars to take up Paul's slack. In "Indiscretions" Joe (Byrnes) and Methos (Wingfield) hit the road to save a Watcher. Finally, in a vaguely unsatisfying two-episode series finale, "To Be" and "Not To Be," Duncan sees what life would have been like if he'd never existed.
The DVD foldout-style box set is packaged like season five's, with two DVDs on each panel. The contents include the "making of" featurettes for each episode, with video and audio commentaries on selected episodes. Other extras include new never-before-seen footage, a retrospective by Bob Anderson, "Immortal Memories" by the cast and crew and "Favorite Quickenings." The CD-ROM includes all 13 scripts, production notes and a trivia game.
Disappointing DVD and season
We've been spoiled. Few other television series have offered such a dizzying array of extras, with most of the major players on hand to provide detailed behind-the-scenes information. What a disappointment to have this final set, even if it is based on an unsatisfactory season, pale so in comparison to previous sets. Beyond that, the only reason to spread out 13 episodes over eight discs is to maintain the set's hefty price tag.
The first three DVDs offer the majority of the episodes and the typical "making of" for each of the episodes. These are very poorly done, and it's surprising at first, because we were used to so much more. The primary interviewees are writer James Thorpe and supervising music editor Hal Beckett, although there are also brief interviews with others, including Adrian Paul. While Thorpe and Beckett do offer some interesting insight, Thorpe's comments are reused for different episodes, and it's annoying.
The other major theme among the three discs is the screen tests for the Raven wannabes. The only saving grace is director Richard Martin's video and audio commentaries.
The set finally offers something special when we get to disc four and Jim Byrnes and Peter Wingfield's commentary for "Indiscretions." Since "Indiscretions" was filmed out of order and was actually the final episode shot, these old friends have a lot to say about the series and this particular episode. Beyond that, the extras for the two-part finale are once again uninspired, especially considering it's the end of the series.
Still, there are some very nice featurettes to wind up the DVD set and give us a few moments to reminisce. Bob Anderson offers a retrospective in "SwordMaster"; "Immortal Memories" takes a look at the cast and crew's favorite beheadings, villains and episodes; and "Favorite Quickenings" provides a interviews with all the major players. One odd note is the inclusion of a documentary about La Carrera Panamericana, a famous Mexican race that Paul participates in, which feels like padding. Otherwise, it's only this strong ending that might make this set worth the price tag.
I have to admit, I'm disappointed. We all knew the season left a lot to be desired. However, the DVD set didn't have to show so vividly the cast and crew's loss of interest. Paul is no more involved in the DVD set than he was in the final season, and the behind-the-scene bigwigs are barely present. And that's just a shame. It could have, and should have, ended so much better. —Kathie
Also in this issue: Invasion Iowa, Red Dwarf Series VI DVD and The Flintstones Season-Two DVD
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