The show relies heavily on two things ( maybe three). There are almost always martial arts style fights where the hero triumphs over thugs, sometimes armed and sometimes not. Most of the episodes have sword fights followed by a light show that represents the "quickening" which is where one Immortal receives power and more from the one he or she just defeated. You could group those two things together as one and call it fighting. The other (second or third depending on how you reckon) is the history. Almost all, if not all, episodes have flashbacks to a earlier period in history, usually from Duncan's perspective, but occasionally from another Immortal like Amanda or Fitz.
This show is also very chauvinistic even misogynistic. I tried to post a parental warning that many episodes include abuse and mistreatment of women. This includes everything from the emotional and threats, to the physical. Significant female characters are abducted, tied up, drugged, roughed up (usually not drastically unless they are killed), coerced into marriage sometimes tantamount to slavery, enslaved outright, threatened with rap,e and there was at least three episodes were rape occurred or was strongly implied. Certainly men are roughed up, even tortured, and killed, but with the women it is most frequently done in a gender demeaning way. They are also frequently used as bait or leverage.
Despite this, I mostly enjoyed the show when it was at it's best focusing on character development heavily supported by historical flashbacks.
Seasons 2 and 6 where not the show at it's best, although many people will not mind season 2 which revolved around Horton and the mortal Watchers who wanted to kill Immortals just because they were afraid of them. Like many religious zealots, these evil watchers were just that, evil, justifying their actions which including killing many innocent mortals because of the greater goal of eliminating what they considered Abomination. I hated season 2.
Season 6 descended into an even darker place than the earlier seasons and included battles against demonic forces and possession. Many people who were otherwise fans of the show did not like season 6, including myself.
I loved Tessa and Alexandra Vandernoot was excellent. Perhaps it was her and her relationship with Duncan that hooked me to the show so that I did not easily abandon it in harder times. She was able to play contrasting personalities when she doubled as Lisa. Episode 4 of Season 2 goes down in my book as one of the most memorable episodes in a television series of all that I have watched.
Despite her morally questionable ethics, I also loved Amanda and always hoped for more of her, but not as the Raven, but opposite Adrian Paul.
The show dealt with interesting topics especially ones that are neither black or white, but gray. MacCleod has a definite set of principles which are usually heroic, but even he must make difficult choices. Sometimes difficult social issues were addressed and it was common to demonstrate the plight of financially distressed people.
Obviously the show includes bloody violence. It also can be disturbing as so many of the villains are ruthless. At times it seems like unnecessary killing is the first choice even when innocents become collateral damage. In one episode, a father and his cohorts open fire on MacCleod and his companions after refusing to discuss the situation but demanding immediate surrender of the father's baby. This father turned out to be the wronged party, but he was a little too eager to kill to get his way. In the previous episode, another father was willing to storm a house and decisively kill 4 innocents along with the one guilty rapist. This attitude is not isolated in the show.
This show is also very chauvinistic even misogynistic. I tried to post a parental warning that many episodes include abuse and mistreatment of women. This includes everything from the emotional and threats, to the physical. Significant female characters are abducted, tied up, drugged, roughed up (usually not drastically unless they are killed), coerced into marriage sometimes tantamount to slavery, enslaved outright, threatened with rap,e and there was at least three episodes were rape occurred or was strongly implied. Certainly men are roughed up, even tortured, and killed, but with the women it is most frequently done in a gender demeaning way. They are also frequently used as bait or leverage.
Despite this, I mostly enjoyed the show when it was at it's best focusing on character development heavily supported by historical flashbacks.
Seasons 2 and 6 where not the show at it's best, although many people will not mind season 2 which revolved around Horton and the mortal Watchers who wanted to kill Immortals just because they were afraid of them. Like many religious zealots, these evil watchers were just that, evil, justifying their actions which including killing many innocent mortals because of the greater goal of eliminating what they considered Abomination. I hated season 2.
Season 6 descended into an even darker place than the earlier seasons and included battles against demonic forces and possession. Many people who were otherwise fans of the show did not like season 6, including myself.
I loved Tessa and Alexandra Vandernoot was excellent. Perhaps it was her and her relationship with Duncan that hooked me to the show so that I did not easily abandon it in harder times. She was able to play contrasting personalities when she doubled as Lisa. Episode 4 of Season 2 goes down in my book as one of the most memorable episodes in a television series of all that I have watched.
Despite her morally questionable ethics, I also loved Amanda and always hoped for more of her, but not as the Raven, but opposite Adrian Paul.
The show dealt with interesting topics especially ones that are neither black or white, but gray. MacCleod has a definite set of principles which are usually heroic, but even he must make difficult choices. Sometimes difficult social issues were addressed and it was common to demonstrate the plight of financially distressed people.
Obviously the show includes bloody violence. It also can be disturbing as so many of the villains are ruthless. At times it seems like unnecessary killing is the first choice even when innocents become collateral damage. In one episode, a father and his cohorts open fire on MacCleod and his companions after refusing to discuss the situation but demanding immediate surrender of the father's baby. This father turned out to be the wronged party, but he was a little too eager to kill to get his way. In the previous episode, another father was willing to storm a house and decisively kill 4 innocents along with the one guilty rapist. This attitude is not isolated in the show.