“The Bad Seed,” Highlander style.
In the Highlander universe, Immortals appear to be frozen in time at the age when they were first killed. There is no way for one Immortal to sense another’s TRUE age. Little Kenny APPEARS to be a ten-year-old innocent vulnerable child, desperately trying to survive despite his lack of strength and fighting skills. Poor little sweetie.
He finds the perfect protectors in Duncan and Richie.
Who could imagine that small, defenseless angelic face conceals the blackest of hearts?
Mac is suffering from one of his ever-present guilt trips. Since 1815, he vowed never to don a military uniform. Clearly, keeping that vow has never stopped him from fighting for his beliefs. In this episode’s Civil War flashback, he participated in the Underground Railroad, as an abolitionist, helping to guide slaves Northward toward Canada. It was here that he met Sean, his first child Immortal.
Sean was beheaded.
MacLeod blames himself for not being there.
He won’t let that happen again. Kenny, of course, has other plans.
New Characters:
KENNY — Immortal ten year old, weak and vulnerable.....NOT!
FRANK BRODY — Immortal, took Kenny in, and protected him.
DALLMAN ROSS — Immortal, he and his mortal wife ‘adopted’ Kenny.
SEAN—Immortal drummer boy in the Union army during Civil War.
KATHERINE — Mortal, during the Civil War, a Union sympathizer. Mac left Sean with her while he searched for the group of slaves he was guiding to freedom.
The Waterfront, Dockside
Shopping-cart full of junk,
Ragged clothes on his back,
A tired old vagrant—
Sits down for a snack.
Behind him, creeps Kenny—
Clutching a brick,
He cracks the man’s skull,
Grabs his sandwich real quick.
Kenny shows no remorse—
For the foul deed he’s done.
He wolfs down the sandwich,
It’s a prize he has won.
On the ground, in a heap—
His poor victim lies.
Kenny could not care less—
If the man lives or dies
Nearby
MacLeod’s Richie’s guide—
On a nautical tour,
The joys of the “ketch,”—
Is the subject du jour,
“It’s just an old boat,”
Is Richie’s retort.
Mac’s spirited defense—
By the Buzz, is cut short.
Kenny too, feels the tingle—
All Immortals emit.
To his hidey-hole scuttling—
Out of sight, he will sit.
Maybe they’ll go away,
He quivers with fear,
But MacLeod finds the boy,
“Take my hand, come down here.”
“I am Duncan MacLeod,
And I wish you no harm.”
Kenny: “You ALL say that!”
Eyes wide with alarm.
Mac’s soft coaxing calms him—
For the interim.
Richie asks, “Where’s the Immie?”
“You’re looking at him.”
The Dojo
“I came from Wisconsin,
Just four years ago,
The crash killed my parents—
But I woke up, and so—
I ran away frightened,
I was just ten that day,
All our kind tries to kill me,
I’m small...easy prey.”
Kenny’s Flashback, A Mountain Stream
“Frank was a nice one,
He taught me to fish,
‘You will be safe with me.’
That answered my wish.
‘If you’re patient,’ he said,
‘Many fish you will get.
Kenny, there’s a big one,’
“Frank, I’ll get the net!”
The Dojo
“Where is Frank now?”
“He’s dead.” Steely eyed.
Kenny’s gaze finds the swords,
Mac pulls Rich aside.
“He will never have strength—
To combat a man.”
“How will he survive?”
“Any way that he can.”
Flashback, Virginia, 1862, Civil War
A bearded MacLeod—
Flouts all local laws—
By joining the new—
Abolitionist cause.
His group of slaves knows—
Mac promised to lead ‘em—
Through the Underground Railroad,
Due North, to their freedom.
They run for their lives!
There’s a Reb column nearing!
They dash ‘cross a bridge—
To a small scrubby clearing—
Where a Union commander—
Bids his small troop to mass.
“We must take this bridge!
No rebel must pass!”
Mac warns, “You’ll be slaughtered!
Rebel troops wait behind us!”
The commander just scoffs,
“Who are you, to remind us?
A man who’s afraid—
To wear Union blue,
Go back to your Negroes—
Or you’ll be shot too.”
The bugler’s commanded—
To sound the advance,
But the troop’s decimated,
They hadn’t a chance.
MacLeod spoke the truth—
As piled corpses attest,
The commander and Mac—
Lie dead with the rest.
The drummer boy searches—
Uniforms, blood imbued—
For something of value—
To barter for food.
He senses Mac’s Buzz.
Like a curious pup—
He pleads, “You’re not dead,
You’re like me, please get up!”
“You’re only a boy!
This is no place for you.
Later I’ll keep you safe,
First things I must do.
Some runaway slaves—
Are depending on me,
Meanwhile stay with Katherine,
Your protector she’ll be.”
Sean does not want to stay,
“I’ll be safer with you.
We are the same kind,
I am scared through and through.”
Mac: “As soon as I see—
Those slaves safely gone,
I’ll come back for you.
I promise you, Sean.”
The Loft, Present Day
“Kenny, you can stay here,”
But MacLeod has a date,
Anne knocks at the door,
Mac must now fabricate.
“He’s a cousin...Wisconsin.”
He does not like to lie,
“Is she your girl friend?”
“Working on it,” Oh my!
Joe’s Bar
Mac orders some drinks,
Hoping soon they’ll be cozy,
But Anne third-degrees him,
She’s become very nosy,
“Wisconsin? How is it?”
MacLeod’s ill-at ease,
“It’s...nice, they raise cows,
And...they make some fine cheese.”
Mac toys with an ashtray,
Anne pulls it away,
She’s a certified snoop,
But Mac’s good at wordplay.
“Your link to Kenny’s folks—
Is it a close one?”
Mac smiles, “I guess so—
I do have their son.”
The Loft/Dojo
Richie’s been left in charge,
Unpaid baby-sitter.
Kenny vents his complaints,
He’s resentful and bitter.
“I will be ten forever,
Always hiding, in flight.”
Rich suggests, “I will teach you,
Even small guys can fight.”
Is this a mistake?
Rich had better be wary.
This sweet-faced young cherub—
Is a mean adversary.
He pretends an attachment,
Sweet and harmonic.
But his blue eyes betray—
An agenda demonic.
They both sense a Buzz.
Is it Mac? Maybe not.
Richie’s off to protect—
This vile little snot
In the shadowy dojo,
A large man appears.
His name’s Dallman Ross.
Now Rich is all ears.
“Where is the boy?”
Rich will not let him pass.
Ross enjoins, “You don’t know—
What he IS!” (He has class)
Rich stands with sword poised,
MacLeod taught him well.
“I’ll be back,” threatens Ross
(For that demon from Hell)
The Loft, Next Morning
“Have you any idea—
Why Ross wants your head?”
MacLeod seeks some answers,
“He just wants me dead—
I am easy to kill,
‘Cause I’m little and weak,”
Mac says, “You’ll be safe,
Holy Ground we will seek.”
“There’s a priest that I know,
He runs a church school.”
Church has no appeal—
To this malicious ghoul.
His innocent protest—
“You’ll send me away?”
“Tell you what, Mac unbends,
“This will be your day.”
“Just you and me,
What shall we do?”
“Duncan, I’d love to—
Go fishing with you.”
Soon they are perched—
By the same sparkling stream,
Where Frank Brody learned—
Some kids aren’t what they seem.
Kenny’s Flashback
“It’s a big one!” Frank cries,
“Frank, I’ll get the net!”
But it’s Frank Brody’s sword—
From his pack, he will get.
“Kenny, the Chinese—
Have a saying, ‘To end strife—
Every year that you fish—
Adds a year to your life.”
“Do you think so, Frank?”
From behind, Kenny creeps.
One stroke takes Frank’s head,
Now with fishes, he sleeps.
The Quickening shows—
Kenny’s true, ugly core.
This spawn of the devil—
Fills the air with his roar.
The Stream, Present Day
MacLeod’s back is turned,
In their pack....There’s a blade!
But footsteps approach,
Anne! —A picnic she’s made.
She has to horn in—
On a boy and his buddy,
To her overtures—
Kenny’s rude, really cruddy.
The Dojo
Mac: “Why did you treat—
Anne in that nasty way? —
She was trying to be nice.”
“I don’t like her. Okay?”
“Just you and me—
That’s what you promised.”
“Well, Kenny, I like her.”
Too bad, Mac is honest.
Joe’s Bar
“Ross came for Kenny,”
MacLeod pumps Joe, “Why?”
“Mac, Dallman Ross isn’t—
That kind of a guy.
He would not whack a kid.”
Mac believes there is more.
“Joe, please find out—
Where those two met before.”
The Dojo
Richie tries to teach Kenny—
The judo he knows.
With each fall the brat takes—
His frustration grows.
When he smashes a bottle—
Richie’s not mad at all.
While Rich sweeps the floor—
Kenny strolls toward the wall.
He’s reached for a sword,
Pulls it out from its sheath,
Tiptoes behind Richie,
Lifts it high, grits his teeth.
The Buzz! MacLeod’s back!
Kenny slithers away.
Mac retrieves the sword calmly.
“Let’s not use this today.”
The Loft
Meddling Anne Lindsey—
Again pays a visit.
Her Bad Idea timing—
Is surely exquisite.
Her latest inspiration—
A stroll through the park.
Just she and Kenny,
Wouldn’t that be a lark?
Neither Kenny, nor Duncan—
Think much of her plan.
“Kenny should not be out—
On his own,” Mac tells Anne.
“He won’t be alone,”
Whining, “He’ll be with me.”
Mac reminds her, “He’s my—
Responsibility.”
Flashback, 1862, Virginia Woods
Mac’s found the slaves—
Just in time, they’re in trouble.
He knocks out the Rebs,
Saves their butts, on the double.
As he gives them directions—
Flashes light up the sky.
MacLeod looks on heartsick,
There’s a Quickening nearby!
Through explosives and gunfire—
As the war rages on,
Mac dodges the bullets—
To run back to Sean.
In vain! Sean is headless!
Katherine, too met her end.
MacLeod was not there—
To protect and defend.
The Park, Present Day
Anne sees kids skateboarding,
“That looks like fun.”
“I don’t have a skate.”
“Well, try borrowing one.”
Mac soon must pry Kenny—
Off a young boy whose crime—
Was refusal to yield—
His skateboard in time.
“Your cousin is troubled,”
Lectures Anne like a shrew.
“He’s had a tough life.”
(If she only knew.)
Anne recommends—
A child therapist.
What she thinks Kenny needs,
Is a good exorcist.
The Loft
“What’s up, D?” asks Rich,
While he slices a veggie,
“It’s Kenny, he’s trouble.”
Joe Dawson sounds edgy.
Rich laughs, “He’s just ten.
What trouble can you mean?”
Joe frowns, “Rich his age—
Is eight hundred fourteen.
“Let’s see, when you found him—
He was hiding and scared.
His teacher was killed,
Only Kenny was spared.
That’s his MO,
Folks are easily led,
They take this kid in—
And they’re...all of them...dead!”
The Park
Anne’s left the scene—
To Kenny’s great glee.
He and Mac feel the Buzz,
Dallman Ross... “Came for me!”
Mac sits Kenny down—
On some church steps to wait,
Then he goes to face Ross—
For an unpleasant date.
An Alley
They abide by the rules,
Introductions exchanged,
Ross is no raving monster,
He is grim, not deranged.
“He will use you, MacLeod,
Just like he used me.
He cannot be allowed—
To survive, don’t you see?”
“We are not enemies,”
Mac begs Ross, “Let him be—
And you’ll walk away.”
Dallman Ross won’t agree.
He’s soon on his back,
With his face toward the sky,
Mac’s sword’s at his throat,
Mac asks of him, “Why?”
“We gave him our love,
Treated him like our son,
Then he murdered my wife,
What could I have done?”
Mac lowers his blade,
He cannot kill Ross,
He knows how it feels—
To have suffered such loss.
“Watch your head,” cautions Ross,
Sitting down, badly shaken,
On the stairs, he feels safe,
But he’s badly mistaken.
Creeping down from behind—
While evading detection,
Kenny adds Ross’s head—
To his growing collection.
Again we must watch—
Kenny’s hideous Quickening.
The beast that he is—
Manifests in a sickening—
Feral, blood curdling—
Roar...then MacLeod—
Returns to the corpse,
Leaves in sadness, head bowed.
The Loft
“Ross was a good man,”
Says Joe; “It’s a shame.”
MacLeod shrugs it off,
“Joe, Ross knew the Game.
He was there to kill Kenny.”
Joe: “He’s evil clear through.”
“No, he’s fights to survive,
The way we all do.”
“What about Ross’s wife?
She was MORTAL,” says Joe.
She was saving her husband—
When she took a death blow.”
Duncan says not one word,
He grasps Kenny’s plan,
Grabs his coat, rushes out,
He must get to Anne!
Hospital Parking Lot
Anne is coming off duty,
En route to her car,
Unaware the ‘bad seed’—
Lurks not very far.
The sound of an engine—
Doesn’t faze her a bit.
Till the car speeds right at her,
And she knows she’ll be hit.
She cannot see the driver—
And there’s no place to hide.
At the very last moment—
Someone sweeps her aside!
Two strong arms protect her,
Mac appeared, in a flash.
Now the car that attacked her—
Has stopped with a crash!
MacLeod alone sees—
Kenny’s figure escaping.
Anne claims she is fine,
Just received minor scraping.
“Go back to the dojo!”
(Kenny’s cruel acts must cease.)
“No, Duncan... Don’t go,
Leave it to the police.”
But cops won’t stop Kenny,
Mac alone knows his ploy,
Duncan still has mixed feelings,
Kenny’s such a small boy.
Softy, Mac calls him.
“Come out, we can talk.”
Kenny hides far above,
Creeping on a catwalk.
“Why Anne? She’s no danger?”
“SHE GOT IN MY WAY!
You all want my head!
I don’t care what you say!”
Mac stands beneath—
A machine, all alone.
When Kenny unscrews it—
It drops like a stone!
MacLeod’s pinned and helpless,
Kenny’s sure Mac is done.
Climbing down, sword upraised,
“There can be only one!”
But Mac’s arm is free,
He grabs Kenny’s wrist,
Against MacLeod’s strength—
Kenny’s forced to desist.
Kenny bolts for the exit,
Mac pries himself loose.
He calls Kenny’s name,
Kenny’s fled; it’s no use.
Outside—Kenny’s Buzz.
A school bus pulls away,
Mac sees through window—
Kenny’s lived one more day.
The Loft
They nestle on the couch,
Anne happily jokes,
Kenny’s been sent—
“To his Wisconsin folks.”
She cannot feign sadness,
Neither can Mac,
Their relationship now—
Is on a new tack.
Her head’s on his shoulder,
He strokes her arm gently,
In spite of her faults—
Mac needs her intensely.
She is honest and caring,
Dedicated and strong.
The deep, sweet kiss tells us—
They’ll be lovers, ere long.
Peace, Emit
© 2001-2003
From Under the Kilt from Highlander: The Official Site:
David Abramowitz, Creative Consultant
“Myles Ferguson, may he rest in peace. This is a Dennis Berry episode where I got pissed at Dennis Berry because he called me a "bourgeois hack" because I wouldn't allow him to build a boat and spend our entire flashback budget. He wanted the fight in the flashback between the Union and Confederate soldiers to happen on boats instead of happening on a bridge. And to build the boats that would hold all the people would cost us more than we had for the entire budget for the flashbacks for two episodes. But he demanded in his French arrogant way and I said absolutely not. And that's when he called me a bourgeois hack and that's when I said I was coming up, going to take a hotel room and only one of us was going to come out alive and I was going to kick his ass. It was the beginning of a fairly fiery relationship. We've since become very good friends.”
Don Paonessa, Creative Consultant, Post Production
“A good show because Myles was so good. He was a cool guy. In Post, we played with a couple of things. In the opening, I had Roger Bellon take ‘Frere Jacques’ and do it in a very twisted way so that it was surreal and weird and the music just kind of wafted through to earmark Kenny. The only other thing was that in one of the Quickenings, I did second unit and shot just the stunt coordinator's eyes being quickened. Then Dennis shot Kenny being quickened. And we took the eyes of the adult and put them in the kid's head, so that it was this little subtle thing that happens where the eyes get old in the middle of the Quickening and that was because this is a 400-year old kid. I always thought this was the cruelest Immortal joke that existed, being ten years old for 400 years.”
Ken Gord, Producer
“Myles Ferguson... This is so sad. It's hard for me to talk about this. Myles was such an amazing kid. He knew from the time that he was five that he wanted to be an actor and he was single-minded about it. On set, usually there's a chaperon or a parent, and his parents were there, but he didn't need any supervision; he was a total professional. And he loved the show, he was really happy to do it because his father was a fan. He was such a great kid, a good actor and a total professional.”
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