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Highlander The Series - Season 1

Highlander The Series - Season 1

List Price: $89.98
Your Price: $71.98
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: If you're here...
Review: .... You're probably a fan already. Let's face it, the majority of the people who're fans of this show are women drooling over an actor who're straight off the cover of a romance book, and they play up that aspect a bit in the show. There's some flashback shots of our hero in white ruffled blouses riding to the rescue on a white stallion... The good news is the show doesn't always take itself seriously.

The other half or third of the fans are people with a strong predisposition to own lots of sharp pointy things (with one edge or two?), go to ren faires, and talk sensibly about the origins of damascus steel while scarfing down copius amounts of sushi. (Is that a claymore in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?)

I was something of an Adrian Paul fan as a teen, a caryover from "War of the Worlds". As I was also a fan of the original Highlander movie, it was natural that I watch the show. Now, years later, it's out on DVD... and I bought it. And watched it. (well, obviously... duh...)

I'm seeing flaws I didn't see as a teen (and some I did see but forgave)... like the first episode (how obvious, exactly, do you really need to be? And how much contempt do producers have for their viewing audience?)

But I'm also seeing some decent programing. Adrian Paul brings a sense of humor to the show (beware the bloopers: preview before watching with small children), and the characters Tessa and Ritchie begin to make up a family. It takes a bit in the begining for it all to gel, like any new team; but when it does work, it works like wild.

The martial arts scenes range from amazing to amusing; some of the stars are very very good at what they do, others are... well, they're lovers, not fighters. Or at least I hope they're lovers, because otherwise they've got nothing going for them at all.

On the DVD's themselves, it can be a bit tough to navigate to the episodes: the screen is a bit confusing and takes some getting used to.

All in all, I'm glad I bought it, and I'll be getting the second season when it comes out. Maybe the third season, I'm not sure; the show underwent some changes then and I'm not entirely sure they were for the best. We'll see.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Incorrect information in Stubblefield review
Review: ...there are no "missing scenes" on the DVDs. During its first season, Highlander did not have any pre-credit opening scenes as it did in later years. The opening credits are the first thing you see, then the episode starts. The episodes are approximately 48 minutes long including opening and closing credits, and nothing is missing on my set of DVDs. Perhaps [another reviewer] either isn't aware of this, or [he/she] is incorrectly navigating the chapter menus. In any event, there is nothing wrong with the DVDs, and the incorrect comments shouldn't influence your purchase decision...

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: In the end... there can be only one
Review: All 22 episodes on 8 disks. There is also a 9th disk (CD-ROM) containing full scripts for all the 1st season episodes.

Highlander is the story of Duncan MacLeod born 400 years ago in the Highlands of Scotland and engaged in an epic battle against other Immortals like himself to be the last one.

Disc One
1) The Gathering - An old friend, Connor MacLeod, visits Duncan McLeod. They also visited by an Immortal Slan who is out to be the last one.

2) Family Tree - Richie Ryan attempts to learn more about his parents, whom he has never known. He falls prey to a con man who, needs money and pretends to be Richie's long-lost father.

3) The Road Not Taken - When Richie's friend dies of a herbal drug, MacLeod suspects the drug is another Immortal, Kiem Sun. Kiem has long sought to perfect such a drug for 300 years. Now that Kiem has stepped over the line MacLeod will take his head the next time they meet.

Disc Two
4) Innocent Man - An Immortal friend of MacLeod's is beheaded in his isolated mountain retreat.

5) Free Fall - A long time Immortal Felicia Martins seeks MacLeod as her mentor and becomes involved with Richie. It is really a scheme to trap MacLeod.

6) Bad Day in Building A - MacLeod, Tessa, and Richie are among a group that is taken hostage by a group of men that want Slade freed from imprisonment. When Slade's demands are not met, he chooses a hostage to sacrifice. MacLeod makes sure that hostage is himself, and returns from the dead to hunt down the gunmen one by one.

Disc Three
7) Mountain Men - Survivalists in the Pacific Northwest take Tessa. Caleb is their leader, is an Immortal, and falls for Tessa. MacLeod and Caleb battle to the end.

8) Deadly Medicine - MacLeod is struck and "killed" by a speeding automobile.

9) The Sea Witch - Richie tries to protect Nikki from a band of drug dealers. This puts them in jeopardy from an Immortal, Voshin, whom MacLeod knows from World War II.

Disc Four
10) Revenge is Sweet - Seeking revenge for the apparent death of her lover, Walter Reinhardt, Rebecca Lord toys with MacLeod. Unknown to her, Reinhardt is still alive, and is using Rebecca to draw out MacLeod for their final confrontation.

11) See No Evil - A serial killer dubbed "The Scalper" is attacking blonde women, including a friend of Tessa's.

12) Eyewitness - Tessa witnesses the murder Anne Wheeler but the lack of a body leads everyone but MacLeod to doubt her story. Tessa is taken to a police safe house but MacLeod realizes that the killer is the Chief and he must rescue Tessa.

Disc Five
13) Band of Brothers - A warning comes from MacLeod's old friend Darius, a 2000-year-old monk, that Grayson Darius' one-time protégé is now stalking Darius' other students.

14) For Evil's Sake - An Evil Immortal, Kuyler, has hired himself out down through time as an assassin. MacLeod confronts the Immortal assassin and puts an end to his centuries-old reign of terror.

15) For Tomorrow We Die - MacLeod crosses the path of an Immortal, Xavier St. Cloud, who has lived in self-indulgent splendor down through the ages by brutal robbing and killing innocent men and women.

Disc Six
16) The Beast Below - A death at the Paris Opera re-acquaints MacLeod with one of the strangest, Ursa a colossal giant.

17) Saving Grace - Grace Chandel, a Good Immortal working for the betterment of mankind, has a weakness for another Immortal, Carlo Sendaro, a former lover. Carlo slays Grace's current (mortal) lover and, she turns to MacLeod for help.

18) The Lady and the Tiger - While at the circus MacLeod runs into a former lover, the Immortal femme fatale, Amanda, who has always meant big trouble for him.

Disc Seven
19) Eye of the Beholder - Richie meets a beautiful young woman who leads him into trouble.

20) Avenging Angel - Alfred Cahill becomes convinced that he has been chosen by a higher power to wage a crusade against "perversion," MacLeod tries to explain Immortality to Cahill, but he can't get through to him, and finally is forced to take his head.

21) Nowhere to Run - After the stepdaughter of an Immortal is raped, the Immortal comes after the young man. MacLeod feels he must protect the family from this unstoppable menace.

Disc Eight
22) The Hunters - MacLeod discovers that there is a band of mortals hunting Immortals, and even holy ground is no protection from them.

Disc Nine - CD-ROM containing full scripts for all first season episodes

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: wonderful dvd's
Review: Buy buy buy

You will love the these Dvd's even thought you have the vhs. The color and sharpness of the dvd's is a must for any collector.

Highlander the series is a wonderful series check these dvd's out if you have never seen an episode.

One item any seasoned fan or new fan are the Highlander novels
The Element of Fire, Scimitar, Scotland the Brave, Measure of a Man, Te Path, (one of my favorites and must read) Zealot,Shadow of Obsession, The Captive Sou. (another favorite)White Silence.

also these books The complete Watchers Guide

and this one is a must Evening at Joe's
wonderful Wonderful

Mary

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: highlander web site
Review: great box set but if you really want it go to highlander web site and buy it for 39.95 a set all 6 for 240.00 plus the box to put them in for only $1.00

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Swashbuckling Adventures Through Time!!!
Review: Highlander Season One, a 9-disc DVD Collection, collects the entire 22-episode first season (1992-1993) of the syndicated action series based on the cult-favorite film.

THE STORY

"Highlander" tells the tale of a race of "Immortals" who battle one another throughout history for "the Prize." The "Immortals" game is simple -- take the heads of all other Immortals and receive ultimate knowledge and power. In the end -- there can be only one.

In 1986, the first Highlander the film, starring Christopher Lambert as Connor McLeod hit theatres. In 1992, Highlander: The Series debuted in syndication to tell the Highlander's tale anew. The series followed the adventures of a new Highlander, Duncan McLeod (Adrian Paul), a kinsman of Lambert's Connor from the original movies.

THE DVDS:

Here are the contents of each DVD.

Disc 1

Episode 1: The Gathering - Connor McLeod returns to "pass the torch" to kinsman Duncan McLeod as he helps Duncan prepare for a deadly Immortal who's set sites on Duncan's head.

Episode 2: Family Tree - Richie searches out for his long lost father and runs afoul of a con man and the mob enforcer sent to collect from him. Can McLeod save him in time?

Episode 3: The Road Not Taken - When Richie's friend dies from an apparent drug O.D., McLeod suspects an old Immortal friend of his.

Disc 2

Episode 4: Innocent Man - McLeod searches out an Immortal who took the head of a good friend.

Episode 5: Free Fall - McLeod trains a "new" immortal woman. All is not as it seems though.

Episode 6: Bad Day in Building "A" - Highlander goes Die Hard as McLeod takes on a bunch of criminals who have taken a courthouse hostage.

Disc 3

Episode 7: Mountain Men - McLeod goes Survivor when Tessa's kidnapped by a bunch of survivalists in the mountains.

Episode 8: Deadly Medicine - A psychotic surgeon takes McLeod prisoner to study his miraculous healing powers.

Episode 9: The Sea Witch - Richie helps an ex-girlfriend outrun the drug dealers whom she double-crossed.

Disc 4

Episode 10: Revenge is Sweet - A master swordswoman seeks revenge on McLeod for the death of her (Immortal) lover whom she believes McLeod killed.

Episode 11: See No Evil - McLeod searches out a serial killer who patterns his killings after an Immortal McLeod beheaded in the 1920s.

Episode 12: Eyewitness - Tessa's life is endangered after she witnesses a murder by an Immortal who's "above the law."

Disc 5

Episode 13: Band of Brothers - McLeod's old friend Darius sends warning that a deadly Immortal, clearly beyond McLeod's league, is coming for McLeod's head.

Episode 14: For Evil's Sake - McLeod takes on Kuyler, the Immortal Assassin, who's one-upped McLeod a few times in the past.

Episode 15: For Tomorrow We Die - McLeod takes on Xavier St. Cloud, an Immortal killer with poison gas and no regard for mortal lives.

Disc 6

Episode 16: The Beast Below - A "beast-like" Immortal is threatening Richie's new girlfriend. Can McLeod save her?

Episode 17: Saving Grace - McLeod comes to the aid of Immortal Dr. Grace Chandel, an old-flame, who's being stalked by her Immortal ex-husband.

Episode 18: The Lady and the Tiger - Will Amanda, an old friend and lover of McLeod's, sacrifice his head to save her own?

Disc 7

Episode 19: Eye of the Beholder - Richie falls for a model who's associated with a beauty obsessed Immortal who will do anything to collect and keep beautiful things, including killing Richie.

Episode 20: Avenging Angel - McLeod takes on a new Immortal who believes he is on a Holy Mission to destroy all sinners.

Episode 21: Nowhere to Run - McLeod and the gang must defend the arrogant and maladjusted son of Tessa's friend who is accused of raping the step-daughter of a dangerous Immortal.

Disc 8: Episode 22 and Extras

Episode 22: The Hunters - Season Finale. MacLeod and Fitzcairn investigate the recent disappearances of several Immortals and uncover a deadly plot.

THE DVD EXTRAS

By far, this set clearly has one of THE best DVD extras packages you'll ever see.

COMMENTARY AND NOTES

ALL EPISODES include commentary from producer Bill Panzer and "Watcher" notes. The producer commentary provides great insight into the situations surrounding each episode production including location, special FX or the actors and actresses. The "Watcher" notes gives additional background and provides more insight into "Highlander" canon with reference to events and characters. In all, these two features alone make purchase of the DVD well worth it. BUT, there's more...

BLOOPERS

Disc 8 includes the "Highlander Blooper Reel." Nearly 20 minutes of stunts gone wrong, lines flubbed and other hilarious outtakes featuring our favorite "Immortal" stars.

BEHIND THE SCENES

This is the half hour documentary used to promo the series before it debuted in 1992. Like most "behind the scenes" features we get the standard on-location footage and interviews with the cast and production crew.

THE SCRIPTS

Disc 9 includes the finalized shooting scripts for ALL 22 episodes in season one. The scripts are presented in Flash format. The scripts are a Highlander completist's dream as it includes all the lines and all the stage directions.

THE VERDICT

This series may have passed by a lot of people's radars due to syndication, but lovers of action-adventure and romance are bound to fall in love with this series. The "historical" flashbacks to earlier time periods in the Immortal's lives are something unique not seen in TV before or since. The martial arts and swashbuckling action will fix most people's action craving and the countless romantic "love scenes" featured in the series will reel in the ladies too. If you've never been exposed to world of Highlander before check this series out and see what Highlander fans have known for years, "In The End, There Can Be Only One" -- and this series is it!!

Highest Recommendation

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Best Telling of the Highlander Story
Review: Highlander started as a single cult movie about a Scottish highlander (Christopher Lambert) who discovers he is immortal, and as such must battle other immortals to save the world. It's an excellent movie. Shame is, it was followed up by three more motion-picture tellings of the Highlander story, each of which must take place in alternate universes since they seem to totally ignore anything and everything that happened in the films that came before.

Somewhere along the line, someone got smart and decided to make a television series based on the Highlander concept (three series, actually, if you count the animated series and Highlander: Raven). But this time, instead of Christopher Lambert in the title role of Connor MacLeod, we follow the tales of clansman Duncan MacLeod (Adrian Paul). Lambert does show up in the first episode to pass the torch so to speak, and the two reunite in the final Highlander film, Highlander: Endgame.

But enough about the movies, this is where the Highlander story really spread its wings. The writing of this TV series was some of the freshest on TV, but for some reason this show was always burried at the oddest hours in the schedule (3 a.m. on a Sunday) and therefore ignored by a lot of the U.S. audience.

Adrian Paul does an excellent job of playing the tormented Duncan, not wanting to take part in the game (the battle between the Immortals) but realising he has no choice. By developing it into a television series, the producers kept the same motion picture production quality, but were able to take the storyline to greater depths and evolve the characters and storylines even more.

Highlander was great because the characters were real, and they evolved from season to season. Each year, more was woven into the rich tapestry that is Duncan MacLeod's world. It isn't all about swordfights and kill or be killed, but instead an exploration of who Duncan is and truly what it means to live the life of an Immortal.

Frankly, only one other TV show that I've known has been this deep, this evolving, this gutsy -- Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Maybe it's no coincidence that both are genre shows, both have characters who call themselves Watchers (although they have a similiar function, Highlander Watchers and Buffy the Vampire Slayer Watchers are supposedly not related), and many of the actors who would later appear on Buffy the Vampire Slayer would also have turns on Highlander at some point. And both blend the humor and the drama with ease.

Wether your into science fiction, swords and sorcery or just well-written storytelling, Highlander: The Series is a worthy addition to any video collection.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: okay one down five to go!!
Review: highlander the series was the first television series that compelled me to want to buy every episode and i bought all the six seasons on vhs from the official site..since then i have bought a few other shows(stargate sg-1,buffy,24, friends etc..)but none of them has been as captivating as watching one mans struggle to do the right thing at all costs. When the official site offered the dvds of the first season i scoffed at the price they were asking but still wanted them, but i bided my time and waited (almost an eternity) for a general release knowing that it would be less expensive, and thank darius here it is. needless to say i bought this as soon as it was released and watched it over the next two days everything is intact episodes are full and complete video quality is better than vhs but alot of the darker colors get grainy ( so are the vhs)....but it will never degrade and it still looks awsome.
if you like well written well thought out television this is for you...if you enjoyed the first movie just know that the series blows it away as far as depth and lore.
this is about good overcoming evil"nice guys finish last" or so i've been told....but it is so well done that even if you have watched an episode 3 or 4 times you can come away from it with somthing new.
in the highlander universe there is only HIGHLANDER,HIGHLANDER THE SERIES AND HIGHLANDER..ENDGAME..trust me you can live without the second and third movies.
if you are unfamiliar with highlander BUT enjoyed "24","stargate sg-1", "buffy the vampire slayer","star trek the next generation"....know that all of these series have a similar depth and writing style.obviously they have differing themes but if you enjoyed one of them you should enjoy all of them

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A great series that bounced around a lot.
Review: Highlander was a series that although very well done, could not hold a decent time slot. When it first aired I was only 8 years old and when I fianlly grew up enough to want to watch it, it had bounced from to many stations to keep track. Well now it is here on DVD and it ruely kicks ....

The series focused on Duncan McKloud (which for those who don't know anything about highlander is not to be mistaken by CHristopher LAmbert from the Films) who runs an antique shop while dueling immortals whenever they arrive. Duncan McKloud is played by Adrian Paul which to my knowledge the only other thing I have seen him in is the movie "THe BReed". Along with his wife Tesa and friend Richie they live their life in the antiwue store while mystical adventures, as well as real life ones stumble in their way.

SO basically if you are in to swordplay, early 90's rock and roll, and good story, than this is the series to check into.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Highlander Season 1
Review: Highlander: The Series Season 1

A DVD Review

The award winning television series based on the movie of the same name in which an immortal hero from the Highlands of Scotland must fight immortal baddies to the death with swords. To the death you say? Why yes, to the death, because even though the characters are immortal, if their heads come away from their bodies, it's over. So through the centuries these immortals have fought one another to survive, struggling to reach the time of The Gathering when the few who remain will battle for the Prize of ultimate knowledge and power.
Like most first seasons Highlander gets off to a shaky start. The first few shows must be used to both introduce the concept, as well as the characters. In the first episode, "The Gathering" The audience is introduced to Duncan Macleod of the clan Macleod played by Adrian Paul, younger (by 50 years) kinsman of film Highlander Connor Macleod played by Christopher Lambert. In an almost unheard of move, the powers that be managed to get Lambert to appear in the first episode as a sort of passing of the torch, or sword as the case may be, from one immortal to the next which in my opinion gives this series more credibility that many other TV shows based on movies have. We are also introduced to Tessa Noel, Duncan's love for the past 12 years played wonderfully by Belgian actress Alexandra Vandernoot, and a street punk named Richie Ryan, played by Stan Kirsch, who will turn out to be much more than he appears later on in the series.
One of the problems the powers that be had with the show for the first half of the season at least was figuring out how to do a weekly action/adventure program based on a character that has to fight to the death to survive. Originally they decided that Duncan would not only fight the immortal baddie of the week, but also get himself involved in mortal affairs, solving crimes and meting out appropriate justice. A noble concept, but one the writers and producers ultimately could not make work, as one will see in viewing the series; the "immortal of the week" episodes were for the most part stronger, writing wise and visually. The show was a Canada/France co-production so about half way through the first season, the show moved to Paris to shoot, and it is at this point that the series really takes off. The viewer is introduced to Darius, the immortal warrior turned Catholic priest and long time friend to Duncan, played by the late Werner Stocker, immortal baddie Xavier St. Cloud (Fine Young Cannibal lead singer Roland Gift), and the incorrigible Hugh Fitzcairn, played by the Who's Roger Daultry.
The stories are told, for the most part, in the modern day with the occasional flashback to a point in Duncan's past in which he found himself in a similar situation, or when he'd had a run in with the immortal of the week, or an old friend. The first season, for it's occasional faults, does still manage to convey the happiness, and the heartache that Duncan has gone through in his four hundred years, giving the viewer a sense of the "magical" world of the immortals, as well as a peak into how the series would progress over it's next five seasons.
The DVD set includes eight discs featuring all 22 episodes of the first season from "The Gathering" to "The Hunters." It also includes a ninth disc which is a CD-ROM containing all the first season scripts. Extras include pre episode intros by Bill Panzer, the original series promo "Making of" featurette, Watcher Chronicles of all the mortals and immortals from season one, and a hilarious ten minute blooper reel. The sound is remixed in Dolby Digital 5.1 (like EVERYTHING that's on DVD SHOULD BE these days, but alas, isn't) and sounds better than it ever has before, both on TV and on the VHS season releases, and is presented in the 1.33:1 aspect ratio in which it was originally shot.

All in all, the first season gets three stars out of five.


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