Who wants to live forever? Has that been a question we’ve asked before, here on Immortal Monday? I’ve been sitting at my desk thinking about that question and the first thing that came to mind was…
Yes, the theme song for the first Highlander movie. A story that begins with our Scottish Clansman, Connor MacLeod, as he joined the league of immortals, after his human death, to fight amongst them to be the last one left standing. Confused and disoriented as he returned to this world from his death, Connor is cast out by his Clan and labeled a demon. Now that’s pretty messed up. To wake up completely unaware of what has happened to you and have everyone you’ve ever known or loved treat you as something “other.” To fear you. How do you think that would make you feel?
Connor MacLeod sulks away in a state of depression. He doesn’t understand himself or his situation until a Spaniard by the name of Juan Ramirez (played by Sean Connery in the 1986 film – I so want my navigation system to use his voice instead of that irritating female) comes, having heard the rumors, explains to him what he is and trains him on how to survive. The year was 1536 and they were in the Scottish Highlands.
Connor would find hope and friendship again. Immortal life was not all dreary after all. But Ramirez would lose his life in battle to another when MacLeod was not there to fight. It was the Quickening for our dear Juan. A death by decapitation, whereas the life force and energy of the loser (Ramirez) is transferred to the victor (Kurgan).
Connor MacLeod would go on to live many lifetimes, meeting, friending, and battling a multitude of immortals along the way. He would love. And he would watch love wither, growing old and die before him while he remained the same. Is that any way to live? And don’t’ you worry; he got his chance at Krugan, fighting his biggest battle on New York soil in 1986. Krugan would not be The One.
The movie was a great success, launching Christopher Lambert (Connor MacLeod) into stardom. Highlander would be followed by Highlander II The Quickening and Highlander The Final Dimension. Milking it for all it was worth, television got involved and Highlander the series was introduced in 1992. It ran for six long years during which time we got to know Duncan MacLeod (Adrian Paul) fairly well. Connor MacLeod, fellow clansman, was kind enough to make an appearance in the pilot episode to pass the torch to Duncan and the show went on to become an international hit.
After the show went off the air, a fourth Highlander movie, Highlander End Game, hit the theaters bringing both MacLeod’s together in the fight. But there can be only one. {Raises brow} What an evil twist to throw on our immortals. Tossing them into lifetimes of kinship and bonding only to force their hand at the end. I wonder what would have happened had the two men decided not to pass the quickening on, but try to go it together?
But ultimately Connor passes his über quickening power to Duncan…
But here’s what really got me going while thinking about Highlander: at the opening of the Series it is established that Duncan MacLeod is 400 years old. During this time he has amassed a great deal of antiquities. Because of his large stock of high-end merchandise, he has a thriving antique store and is very well off. He wants for nothing. He even owns his own barge (floating home) in Paris, even though he lives in the United States. In the movies Connor MacLeod was established in much a similar fashion.
We’ve seen it before, set up in other stories, with other immortals. If you knew you had forever to plan for, how would you go about it? Would you stockpile the things around you or would you invest in stocks, unsure of what the future had in store for any of them? Where do you start when you have very little or nothing to begin with? It’s much easier when you’re already established, but we have to assume these men started with nothing. They were both Highlanders, after all. Both were probably tossed out of their clan with nothing more than the clothing on their backs after rising from the dead.
If this was your story, and you were the writer, how do you see it happening? Twist the plot into a modern-day. Not as easy, is it?
And because it’s Immortal Monday… your Highlander cast of characters…
(shown in order of appearance)
Assuming you didn’t know the outcome, who would you pick as your favorite immortal?
<=oOo=>
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Thanks for posting the article, was certainly a great read!
Thank you, Rick. I apologize for your comment getting tangled up in my spam filter.
Most people I know like Adrian Paul’s highlander the best, but my fave is the original. It does seem like those immortals are always rich! My time travelers aren’t immortal, but they have to deal with this stuff too, and if they use their knowledge of the future for personal gain, the consequences are pretty severe. 🙂
You’ve peeked my curiosity Jennette. I’ll have to check out your book. 🙂
YUMMY Duncan MacLeod/Adrian Paul. I haven’t watched the Highlander series in forever. I think this is a must rent for hubby and I some camp weekend – oldies but goodies! 🙂
I’m with you, I haven’t watched it in a very long time either. I think I’m reaching that point when my son would totally love it. Might be time to Netflix. Thanks for stopping in Natalie!
I’m singing along to Queen in my head right now. “Born to be King, we’re the princes of the universe”. Maybe I shouldn’t be admitting this but I never saw the movies. I grew up watching the tv series so Duncan MacLeod and Richie are the characters I associate with Highlander.
Now I’m singing that song! LOL I watched all of them. Except that last movie. Ugh. That one we were talking about on twitter. I watched the recap recently on YouTube when I was preparing this piece and I was still sickened by the 5 minute short. SO BAD.
Just throwing it out there. That Connor Quickening video is actually a fan-edit. Connor’s actual Quickening was a lot shorter than that.
Thanks for enlightening us Lee. Sorry for the late response. My computer has been down all week (since the morning of this post) due to a nasty computer virus. Connor deserved a massive Quickening, don’t you agree?
Coming out of the closet as a Highlander fangirl 🙂 Was wondering when you’d cover it on Immortal Monday, Debra. My favorite was Methos, world’s oldest man, from the TV series. Really nuanced character.
Sorry it took me so long, Debra. Never be afraid to slip me clues as to future topics. 😉 I adored Methos as well. I thought about bringing him up when I wrote this, but for the sake of length decided to keep it straight forward with Connor and Duncan. Glad I could bring you out of that closet to declare your love for Highlander.
I’m not sure I’d want to live forever; there’s entirely too many decisions I’d have to make. Of course, if I could live with one of those hunky guys I’d reconsider.
I’m not a fan of this genre, but my husband loves the Highlander series. He’s always telling me I need to watch it, but as of yet, haven’t done so. Your post is intriguing. Perhaps I’ll have to take him up on his suggestion. Now the guys in kilts, that goes hand-in-hand with my blog this month about Irish heros. Come on over and leave a comment. http://www.jansenschmidt.wordpress.com
Patricia Rickrode
w/a Jansen Schmidt
I agree, Patricia, it could get old. If you decide to give Highlander a try you’ll have to let me know.
Now that my computer is back from the dead I finally got over to visit your blog! So cool! Are you telling me the whole month will have something to do with men in kilts? Hmmhmmhmm
LOVE this one. (Although I thought it was going to be a Harry Potter post at first, just from reading the title, LOL.) I’m a huge fan of the TV series and of Duncan. Just watched the first movie last year and was totally confused…until I figured out it happened BEFORE the show. Haha.
Your comment makes me wonder how many stories have actually used that line. I’m sure there are more than we can think of or even know of. How funny. I can see how one could easily get confused watching the show and movies out of order. 😀 Notice how they picked a hotter actor when casting the series once the popularity had been established?
Somehow I thought Highlander was only a tv show & that the star was Stevan Segal. Guess I was wrong about that! It sounds interesting. Not the male Touched By An Angel I had pictured.
I’m trying to picture what you’re describing. It’s quite the visual. 😀 No Stevan Segal!!! You should give it a try if you think it looks interesting. Let me know what you think if you do.
Patricia, you’ve got to watch it!
I love Adrian Paul and Chris Lambert. I think Adrian probably pips Chris to the post!
Great post, Debs.
I’ve got to go with the old guy here. I’ve seen pictures of Sean Connery when he did the whole James Bond thing…and didn’t think he was cute at all. But everything I’ve seen him in since he’s gotten older…he’s gotten sexier with age (the voice and accent doesn’t hurt anything either!). So it’s Juan Ramirez/Sean Connery for me. Followed closely by Christopher Lambert. 🙂
I love Sean Connery! I want my navigation system to have his voice. That would be awesome. Then I would listen to it.
I so had a thing for Adrian Paul! But I loved the original movie, I can still hear Connor calling Juan a ‘Spanish peacock!’
All those peacock feathers in his outfit. I so envied it then. It was funny, wasn’t he? I love all the immortals. They are my kryptonite.
Hi Debra, thanks for finally featuring the MacLeod on Immortal Monday. Connor MacLeod has always been my favorite. With today’s special effects abilities, it is time to make this one again.
A man returning to life from a death today would spend his existence trying to avoid the authorities and wealthy people who want to study him, find out how it happened and how to duplicate the process. Think fire starter.
Oh, yes. With today’s effects they could do a lot. Of course, after the last movie I don’t think they will touch Highlander any time soon. It’s too bad. A revamp would be good.
Great post, Debra. And wow, you really raise some interesting questions! I’m not sure how I would plan to live forever… I would hope that knowing I would wouldn’t keep me from living fully. I suppose I would consider the millions of books I could author with glee. 😉
Yes, you could author millions of books, not to mention all the knowledge you would acquire over such a length of time!
Wow, I’ve never seen any of the Highlander movies or TV show. I wonder how that could be. I think I’d love them. I’ll have to keep an eye out for the reruns. Thanks, Debra!
You’re welcome Lynn. Hope you find them in reruns.
Living forever? not sure about that except when I watch my grandchildren how would I plan? I haven’t the foggiest idea, but you’ve given me food for thought. by the way, thanks for the yummy eye candy. whoa!
You know me, Louise. I like to provide eye candy when I can and ask questions that make you think from time to time – if it might help your novel process. 😉 Can you guess what might be in my stories? LOL
Gotta go with the original. I never watched the TV show (and after seeing that video, I’m glad for that! What was he thinking with that ponytail?). I didn’t like the sequels because I thought the original answered all the questions, but love the idea behind Highlander.
I can’t remember if he had the ponytail during the series at all or not. He may not have. I know he didn’t always. He looks much better without, I totally agree with you there. I, too, had trouble getting over that original hump of “WHY” was there more than one movie when it all wrapped up so neatly with the one. Made no sense, except in the pocketbooks of the executives.
Sean Connery every time. He wins no matter who you put him up against. I know he’s ridiculously older than me, but I’ve had a bit of a star crush on Sean Connery since I saw him in First Knight (one of my all-time favorite movies). As for living forever, I plan to 😉
P.S. I shared this post on my Facebook page 🙂 Thought you’d like to know.
Oh my gosh, Marcy! Did I thank you? You got me at such a disadvantage time wise. Computer crash and all. Thank you for the share. That was so cool of you. 😀 Between you, me and the rest of the world reading this, I have had a crush on Sean Connery as well. I always seem to fall for the older man. They generally have more of a gentleman’s appeal to them. So many men today lack all those fine mannerisms.