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Highlander Remember this? You set me up Highlander

"You're history" - Duncan MacLeod


100th episode

There were 21 writers who would write more than 1 episode for "Highlander" and the last to join the club was Tony DiFranco, whose first contribution was "Revelation 6:8". The only other episode he wrote was Season 6's "Armageddon". Guess the guy just had the epic touch....

There is an uncommon generosity of spirit in the way that "Revelation 6:8" was written and filmed. Each week, as I came to write the synopsis that accompanies the vidcaps, I tried to write the story from Duncan's point of view. For those of you who are familiar with the 100th episode of "Highlander", (just in case anyone isn't!), you'll realise how much I had to leave out to do that this time round. Even finding some reasonable shots of Adrian Paul was difficult enough, which is a testament to the artistry of the director in allowing the story to shine through at the expense of his star, something even more commendable when you realise that the director was Adrian Paul himself. All opinions expressed here are my own, as is the retelling of the storyline.

Revelation 6:8



Written by Tony DiFranco

War Famine Pestilence Death

Cast

Duncan MacLeod Adrian Paul
Joe Dawson Jim Byrnes
Methos Peter Wingfield
Cassandra Tracy Scoggins
Kronos Valentine Pelka
Silas Richard Ridings
Caspian Marcus Testory

Cassius Polonius?Kronos and Methos have vanished. With no means of tracking them, Duncan turns to Joe in the hopes of finding Silas and Caspian, the other two Horsemen. With Cassandra looking over his shoulder, Joe goes through the Watchers' records and finds details of Evan Casparri, detained in a Romanian asylum for the criminally insane. Why?Cassandra recognises him as Caspian and they leave for Romania, but find that they are too late. The Doctor in charge has been found dead in his cell and the Horseman is gone. Arriving only just ahead of the police, the two Immortals find a matchbook for a French hotel on the floor in the cell. Whether it's a clue left for them to follow or the bait for a trap is a moot point - it's the only lead they have and they follow it to the Hotel de Seze in Bordeaux.

No messagesArriving in Bordeaux, they book in at the hotel, but there are no messages and no clues. Whilst they wait for the next move, Cassandra tries to convince Duncan that he must kill Methos - Kronos may be the leader of the Horsemen, but Methos is the brains of the outfit and she wants the Highlander to Why do you think?accept that both must die. A telephone call for Duncan turns out to be Methos, who wants him to meet him at a church, alone. Telling Cassandra that there is a problem with his credit card, Duncan goes to meet his former friend. He asks Methos why he never told him about his past and Methos points out that he knew how MacLeod would react. What he did is beyond MacLeod's ability to forgive. Besides, he doesn't know the whole story.

BrotherAs Duncan listens, Methos tells him how they made the world. They rode by day and, at night, shared their plunder. But one prize that Methos was less than willing to share was Cassandra. After her village was burned and she became Immortal, Methos enslaved her and kept her for his own. She fell in with his wishes, rather than face death every day, and they grew accustomed to each other. I didn't think you'd make that mistakeBut Kronos saw her as a growing threat to his relationship with Methos and decided that it was time to share the fruits of battle. He took Cassandra and Methos stood by and let him. Cassandra was stunned at his betrayal, but refused to submit to Kronos, instead seizing a knife and stabbing him. As Kronos lay wounded, she fled across the desert watched by Methos, who did nothing to stop her, believing that the wilderness was a better fate than life with the Horsemen.

Start small We begin tonight To the victor... Redemption?

Brave new worldMethos tells Duncan that he has to get Cassandra away from Kronos, as none of them can stop him. Kronos intends to rule the world and has been experimenting on monkeys to develop Don't do thisa virus with which he will blackmail countries into submission. Now, he has succeeded and his first test will be tonight - a bomb in a fountain, to get the world's attention. Methos tells Duncan where the bomb is and how to disarm it, but refuses to go with him. Crossing Kronos openly is not yet on his agenda. Duncan races to the Place des Quinconces and arrives just in time to disarm it.

You're gonna go hungryOn his way back to the hotel, Duncan senses an Immortal nearby, then another and sees Silas and Caspian coming for him. They are taking no chances - if he kills one, the other will finish him when he is weak from the Quickening. He leads them on a foot race through the town, until Caspian circles round him and blocks his way. Excuse meHe draws the Horseman on to a bridge as Silas watches and waits, but it is the Highlander who triumphs. As the Quickening starts, Duncan throws himself off the bridge to elude the enraged Silas. When he eventually gets back to the hotel, he finds Cassandra gone, kidnapped by Kronos whilst she was alone. Remembering what Methos said about Kronos' experiments, Duncan starts to track shipments of monkeys and the trail leads him to an abandoned submarine base.

I am the end of timeHe arrives to confront Methos and Kronos, who makes him an offer. If he lays down his sword, Cassandra lives. If he fights, it won't matter. Duncan elects to fight and Kronos sends Methos to tell Silas to take Cassandra's head. With Methos seemingly abandoning him, MacLeod fights his best fight and pursues Kronos through the base and out into the empty submarine pens, wounding his opponent as they go. As Kronos staggers back, they see Silas and Methos locked in combat on the opposite side of the pen. MaybeAt almost the same moment, Methos and Duncan triumph and the twin Quickenings intersect as they rip through the building, linking the two men together. In the aftermath, the only sound is Methos weeping for Silas, then Cassandra's scream as she comes for Methos. To her surprise and anger, Duncan insists that she let Methos live and she stalks off in fury. Later, Duncan accuses Methos of orchestrating the whole affair. The reply he gets is the nearest thing to a confession from the usually guilt-free Immortal. Maybe.

Next, passion and vengeance takes us to the moment of "Duende"