HIGHLANDER Season 1 DVD Review

HIGHLANDER is one of my all time favorite TV shows and probably one of the first shows that I watched on a regular basis when I was young. In short I was addicted. To this day, I still love the show. That's why I jumped on the opportunity to take another look at the whole series, which according to Amazon has actually been discontinued by the manufacturer (you can get yours on Amazon before it's too late), although it seems that Season 1 will be released on Blu-ray this December 2009.

And so I thought I would revisit all six seasons. First up, let's talk about Season 1.

While it does introduce us to Duncan MacLeod (Adrian Paul), Tessa (Alexandra Vandernoot) and Richie (Stan Kirsch), I will admit that it is not my favorite season, mostly because I was a huge fan of Methos (Peter Wingfield), and I also enjoyed Duncan's relationship with Joe (Jim Byrnes), which both come later in the series. Plus the opening is not yet narrated by Joe, which to me is almost a must, especially since believe it or not I had actually memorized the whole thing...no comment.

That said, season 1 does have quite a few episodes that I love, and you would be surprised by some of the actors that guest starred on the show.

Episode 1 "The Gathering" - This is the episode that starts it all as we first meet Duncan and his girlfriend Tessa (who by the way was the best girlfriend Duncan had throughout all 6 seasons in my opinion). But most of all, Christopher Lambert guest stars as none of than Connor MacLeod, which I'm sure fans of the movie will love.

Episode 16 "The Beast Below" - For some reason this episode always stood out to me, but I'm not sure why. It takes place mostly at the Paris Opera where an Immortal hides, sort of Phantom of the Opera style. Probably not an episode that most people will necessarily remember, but I thought I would mention it.

Episode 18 "The Lady and the Tiger" - This episode guest stars Jason Isaac, whom most of you now probably know as the infamous Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter series. The episode also features Elizabeth Gracen as Amanda. The story is pretty fun, and we get a first look at the banter between Duncan and Amanda that plays a big part in future seasons.

Episode 21 "Nowhere to Run" - This is the episode before the last of the season. Now the thing most noteworthy about it is that Marion Cotillard (yes, that's the Award Winning actress) and Anthony Head (Buffy the Vampire Slayers) guest star. The story in itself is pretty good, but nothing to jump up and down about. Still it's fun to watch, if only for the guest stars.

Episode 22 "The Hunters" - The season finale introduces us to the group of Watchers that hunt immortals. At that point we're not sure what they are all about, but it does leave you wanting more. It's also a really sad episode because Darius is killed by them in his church, and we know that it is sacred ground for the immortals.

Overall, as I mentioned, it's not the best season, but it's still a pretty good way to start the series. As a fan of the show, I had a great time watching these episodes over again, it brought back some memories.

Next stop, season 2. But before that I'd love to know if there are any other Highlander fans out there and what you think of season 1 or the series in general?