This episode shows us the dark side of the Highlander—the evil Duncan MacLeod.
Mac tries to help his good friend Jim Coltec, a Native American from a tribe long, long, gone. Coltec once saved Mac’s sanity and MacLeod cannot bear to see his friend succumb to the evil that threatened to engulf his own soul.
Coltec has suffered a Dark Quickening and MacLeod, even though he knows this, feels compelled to take his friend’s head. A Duncan MacLeod emerges whose evil is chilling, made more so by the good we know he once possessed.
Adrian Paul’s portrayal of EDM is masterful.
New Characters:
JIM COLTEC — a.k.a. Kol T’ek, born in Cahokia, 12th Century. A Native American Immortal: he is a Hayoka, a holy man, whose mission it is to absorb evil from others, taking it into himself. Up until now, relieving others from evil’s curse has not changed Coltec’s virtuous nature. Over time though, he has taken in too much.
HARRY KANT — a.k.a. Horvan Kant, Immortal, born 1798 in East Prussia, a very evil dude. Coltec surprises him during a holdup.
BRYCE KORLAND — An evil Immortal pyromaniac beheaded by Coltec in 1958.
The Loft
When Mac gets a call,
He is happy to hear—
The voice of a friend,
Very old, very dear.
“Jim Coltec, that you?
Are you in town?”
“If I was, I’d be there—
Feet up and butt down.”
“I’m stopping for take-out,
Then I’m on my way,
We can meet at the bridge—
Later on in the day.”
Mac owes him a debt,
He was once a godsend,
He’ll bring Rich along—
To meet his old friend.
Chinese Restaurant/Store
Coltec pulls up,
In front of the store,
He senses a Buzz,
That ices his core.
Inside, the owner—
Of Chinese descent—
Cringes in fear—
At a holdup attempt.
Kant knocks him out,
As Coltec walks in.
Coltec must challenge—
This bastard, and win.
While they are fighting,
The Chinese man wakes,
He sees the beheading,
Feels the Quickening’s quakes.
Coltec absorbs—
Kant’s poisonous soul,
As the lightning erupts,
There’s a thunderous roll.
The black abyss opens,
He’ll be the same…never,
The good in his essence—
Is buried forever
Coltec, victorious—
Re-enters the store,
The dazed man is grateful—
But cannot ignore—
The change that he sees,
Coltec’s eyes blaze blood red,
He raises his pistol,
And shoots the man dead.
A video camera—
Has captured his face.
His sadistic delight—
As he ransacks the place.
In his eyes, an expression—
Pure evil distilled.
Not a drop of concern—
For the man he has killed.
At the Bridge, Later
“Coltec is Hayoka,”
Mac explains it to Rich,
“He protected his tribe,
That was his holy niche,
He absorbed all the evil,
So his village knew peace,
But white men brought famine—
War and disease.”
“When his tribe ceased to be,
He made a decision,
He turned himself outward,
Made the whole world his mission.
He has a great power,
He makes a connection—
With people and things,
Beyond my detection.”
“Is it magic?” asks Rich
Mac ponders the skill,
“I believe there’s great power—
In faith and in will.”
MacLeod cannot know,
His words just expressed—
Are prophetic, and soon—
He’ll be put to that test.
The bridge spans a gorge,
There’s a river below,
A thousand-foot drop,
Not a fun way to go.
Mac pretends pushing Rich,
But his love is transparent,
He would never hurt Rich,
That’s very apparent.
The camaraderie—
Makes MacLeod’s features soften,
He smiles, “We should come—
To the country more often,
The air’s cool and brisk,
From the bridge’s far end—
Rich sensing a Buzz,
Walks to meet MacLeod’s friend.
Rich smiles, hand extended,
So pleased to be meeting—
Mac’s friend, but he’s not—
Prepared for THIS greeting!
A look of pure malice—
From Jim Coltec’s eyes,
Then he knocks Richie down,
An unpleasant surprise!
With lightning reflexes,
MacLeod jumps between.
He saves Richie’s head—
From this killing machine.
Both weapons are drawn,
But Mac can’t make sense—
Of Coltec’s behavior,
Such malevolence.
Mac pushes his friend—
To the side of the bridge.
He flips Coltec over,
Using his leverage.
The holy man plummets—
To the river below.
Mac must check this out,
Down the hillside he’ll go.
A Short Time Later
Rich and Mac have climbed down—
To the spot Coltec fell,
“Are you sure it was him?”
Richie’s baffled as well.
Mac finds a small pouch,
A reminder of Jim,
He remembers its purpose,
Sighing sadly, “It’s him.”
Flashback, Lakota Sioux Camp, 1872
“I wanted no part—
Of the world that I knew,
With it’s empires and hates,
I found peace with the Sioux
I was to be married,
Her name, Little Deer.
With her small son, Kahani,
My future was clear.”
“We shared a good life,
No more did I yearn,
But it all was destroyed—
By a bastard named Kern!
He was a scalphunter,
By killing, obsessed.
He slaughtered my people,
Kahani, with the rest.”
“I set out to track him,
I wanted revenge!
My thoughts were of blood,
Those lives, I’d avenge.
But days became weeks,
Then months, prolongated.
I lived like a beast,
I became what I hated.”
Later, That Year
“I stopped for some water—
At an Army outpost.
A soldier was laughing,
He mentioned Kern’s boast.
He ‘cleared out the Sioux,’
Then I went to work,
Attacking them all,
I was crazy, berserk.”
“They finally subdued me,
Threw me in the stockade,
My cellmate was Coltec,
He was calm, unafraid.
His sentence was death,
No crime did he do,
But he was an Indian,
And worse…he was Sioux.”
“He saw how the hate—
Had corroded my soul,
He offered his help,
He could heal, make me whole.
‘I’m Hayoka,’ he said,
‘My job is to take—
The hate from the world,
I can ease your heartache.’”
“‘Your hate will destroy you,’
I knew he was right.
It wracked and consumed me,
Each day, every night.
‘It isn’t your nature,
Does not have to be.’
From his pouch, a few mushrooms—
He handed to me.”
“I chewed them, woke up—
In a magical place.
A forest of green,
Coltec’s safe space.
He dipped a small cup—
In a pool, to its rim.
‘Your soul’s like this cup,
Filled with hate…to the brim.’”
“‘Just one more drop,
And you will be lost.
I’ll empty your cup,
To me…there’s no cost.
My cup has no bottom,
What you love, will remain,
All you will lose—
Is some of the pain.’”
“‘Then help me,’ I asked.
He put that same pouch,
Around my bent neck,
And I can avouch—
When he placed his hands—
On the sides of my head—
The hate was drawn out,
Peace filled me, instead.”
The Loft
Mac has been giving—
This lengthy recital—
To Rich, because Mac —
Considers it vital—
That Rich understand—
One fact…very plain,
Coltec kept MacLeod—
From going insane.
A newscast comes on,
With the gruesome report—
Of the Chinese man’s murder,
With the killer’s face caught—
On videotape.
Rich observes it unfold,
“There’s your holy man,
He’s a killer, stone-cold!”
Joe’s Bar
Joe can’t believe it,
“Jim Coltec, it ain’t!
For an Immortal,
He’s close to a saint!
It’s been many years—
Since he’s taken a head.”
Richie adds, “Yesterday,
He sure wanted us dead.”
Mac: “It’s not his style,
Never saw him get mad.
Always stayed calm,
Even when things got bad.”
He looks at the Watcher,
“What do you know—
Of Dark Quickenings?”
The question shocks Joe.
Says Joe; “They’re a myth,
Never seen one recorded.”
For Rich, Mac explains,
“The outcome is sordid,
Take in too much evil,
You might overload,
Something changed Coltec,
Put him on this dark road.”
Flashback,
Coffeehouse, Greenwich Village, NYC, 1958
Bryce Korland spews venom—
For the avant-garde ilk,
They’re lapping it up,
Just like mother’s milk,
He glorifies violence—
Culminating in fires.
His favorite visions—
Are funeral pyres.
MacLeod’s tracked him here—
To his coffeehouse lair.
The Highlander’s cool,
Radical/debonair.
The patrons all love it,
The best show that night,
MacLeod makes his challenge,
They exit…stage right.
But someone else wanted—
Very badly, to do it.
Mac’s friend, Jim Coltec—
Has beaten him to it.
The Quickening’s left him…
Shaken, wild-eyed,
“Most men couldn’t take—
Such a monster, inside.”
Issuing from his face—
An evil pulse flashes,
He fights to subdue it,
But within him, it thrashes.
He staggers away,
With consciousness grim—
That his Hayoka’s cup—
Is filled to the brim.
Joe’s Bar, Present Day
To help him find Coltec—
Who better than Joe?
“Where was he last seen?”
MacLeod wants to know.
“With Kant now inside him,
He’s a sociopath.
He’s filled with Kant’s anger,
Hatred and wrath.”
“Down by the docks,
Where Kant used to lurk,
Coltec’s been seen,
Doing Kant’s evil work.
This murdering thief,
Takes pleasure in killing.”
If this is who Coltec—
Is now…It is chilling.
Water Street, Dock Area
With no shred of decency—
Left to restrict him,
Coltec leans over—
His latest dead victim.
He feels an Immortal,
“Get a name…quick!”
“MacLeod.” Is his answer,
Mac’s voice low and thick.
“Jim, let me help you,
Like you once helped me.”
“MacLeod…I feel GOOD,
And I like what I see.
If you want to help,
How’s this for a starter?
Stick your neck out…
Just a little bit farther.”
Mac has no choice,
He’ll reluctantly fight,
All the while trying—
To set Coltec right.
Mac can’t behead him,
While there’s any doubt,
Step one: Disarm Coltec,
Step two: Knock him out!
The Island, Campsite, (Holy Ground)
“Why drag me here—
Just to cut off my head?”
“That isn’t my style,
Let’s talk some, instead.
You saw this coming,
And you tried to stop,
But Harry Kant’s evil—
Put you over the top.”
“You became what you fought.”
Coltec snarls, “So will you!
I am your future…
You will do as I do.”
MacLeod shakes his head,
“You once taught me how,
Let me drain your cup,
And give you peace…now.”
“You? A Hayoka?”
Coltec growls derision,
Undaunted, MacLeod—
By the campfire has risen,
He grabs Coltec’s head—
Between his two hands,
Probing his psyche—
With silent commands.
But the evil’s too strong—
Can’t be overcome.
Against so much hate,
Even Mac must succumb,
MacLeod’s hurled aside,
Coltec’s wrists, now unbound,
“Next time,” Coltec warns,
“We’ll be off Holy Ground!”
Joe’s Bar
To Richie and Joe,
Mac’s tidings are glum.
“He’s got to be stopped,
He’s as bad as they come.”
MacLeod knows the risk,
By his look, so does Joe.
“Find him,” to Dawson,
“Then let me know.”
The Loft, Later
Joe’s seen Coltec’s work,
A pawnshop was chosen,
“He murdered the owner,
Then watched the explosion.”
Mac says, “Pyromania,
Bryce Korland’s MO,
The Immortals Jim killed,
Are beginning to show.”
“I tracked Korland once,
When Jim took his head,”
Mac pictures the hippies,
Their vacant eyes dead,
“I found Korland then,
His desires I know,
Jim has his habits,
I know where he’ll go.”
Similar Coffeehouse
“Just like the 50’s,”
Thinks Duncan MacLeod.
Coltec’s bad poetry—
Bores the sparse crowd.
Coltec knows well—
Why MacLeod has come there,
They’ll take it outside,
The patrons don’t care.
The Street
“I wish,” says MacLeod,
“There was some other way.”
There’s regret in his voice,
In his eyes, grim dismay.
“From me,” derides Coltec
“You will get no remorse,
Mr. Nice Guy is gone,
I won’t change my course.”
“Real strength is EVIL!
I don’t want to change.”
“I know,” sighs MacLeod,
His dilemma looms strange.
Hidden from view,
His anxiety, great—
Joe Dawson will witness—
The Highlander’s fate.
Joe sees MacLeod—
Commit to the fight.
Whatever the cost,
Mac knows he is right.
Dawson is sure—
That MacLeod will prevail,
But what monstrous soul—
Will the Quickening unveil?
Duncan soon brings—
Coltec to his knees,
One last hesitation—
MacLeod seems to freeze.
Then Coltec’s eyes flash,
Mac concedes, it’s the end,
The katana swoops down—
“Travel well, my good friend.”
MacLeod stands uncertain,
Waiting to see—
Just how enormous—
The impact will be.
It hits with a roar!
Then a powerful blast!
All of the evil—
From the Hayoka’s past.
Mac takes it all in,
With lightning and fire,
Drums’ savage beating,
Flames soaring higher.
Cascades of water,
All nature, insurgent,
And when it is done
Pure evil, emergent.
The Dojo, Later
Richie is practicing—
Moves with his blade.
He catches a Buzz,
But isn’t afraid.
It’s Duncan, his friend…
But something’s not right.
“You okay?” he asks,
“I’ve worried all night.”
Mac says he’s fine,
But Coltec is dead,
Rich: “Mac, I know you—
Hated taking his head.”
“Hate it?” Mac’s sword—
Cuts across Richie’s chest!
“I loved it!” he grins,
As his actions attest.
Now, Richie’s scared!
Mac dances around him,
Like a cat with a mouse,
Mac seems to surround him.
With arrogant malice—
He bows like a lord,
Kisses Rich on the head,
And raises his sword.
The final blow’s coming!
Then three shots hit Mac.
He staggers and falls,
Lies dead on his back.
Joe trailed him home,
He sure got involved,
He saved Richie’s head,
But the problem’s not solved.
“Get out of here, Rich!”
Rich can’t comprehend.
“He tried to kill me.”
“This man’s not your friend!”
“Joe, he needs help...
What he tried to do…”
“This is not the Duncan—
MacLeod that you knew.”
Confused and frustrated,
Too shaken to grieve,
Rich allows Joe—
To convince him to leave.
Joe stays behind—
Thoughtful, head bowed,
What’s to be done—
With Duncan MacLeod?
Later
When Duncan revives,
He is tied to a rack,
Exploding with fury—
He throws himself back.
A heartbroken Joe—
Is waiting nearby—
Appalled by the hate—
In the Highlander’s eye.
“These ropes will not hold—
Forever,” growls Mac,
“Run while you can.”
Then Joe answers back,
“I will not give up—
On a friend,” he declares,
“I would not be friends—
With a mortal, “ Mac swears.
“I know all about you.”
(Joe’s pleading his case),
“Your strength and your goodness—
You cannot erase.
No matter what monsters—
Are dwelling in you—
I know, for a fact—
That you’re in there too.”
“Is it worth your life?
You better kill me,
Use that sword now,
Or a dead man, you’ll be”
Mac kisses the blade—
Dawson puts to his neck,
Joe struggles to keep—
Tears of sorrow, in check.
MacLeod is a monster,
Yet, Dawson has hope,
He brings Mac’s sword down,
Splitting the rope.
“You made the wrong choice.”
“Maybe so,” Joe says sadly
Then Mac cries in pain…
His head aches so badly.
The struggles within him—
Are taking their toll.
Inside his head—
Voices vie for control.
Mac’s face shows the conflict,
In torment, he leaves,
Dawson’s done watching,
Now lonely, he grieves.
Later, Dockside, A Freighter
One crewmember’s needed,
Then they’ll put to sea.
MacLeod climbs aboard,
Saying…,”That’ll be me.”
“Don’t you want to know—
Where this freighter will go?”
MacLeod’s voice is flat,
His answer is, “No.”
To be continued…….
Peace, Emit
© 2002
Under The Kilt from Highlander: The Official Site:
David Abramowitz, Creative Consultant
"I loved these two episodes."
Don Paonessa, Creative Consultant, Post Production
"From a show standpoint, this is where Mac becomes evil because he kills the hayoka and takes the Dark Quickening. From a Post standpoint, what we needed to do was to somehow create an evil essence and we did this by playing with this negative image. That was an experiment that we were feeling out in ‘Something Wicked’ and we refined in the next one, ‘Deliverance’. The other issue was the Dark Quickening. Dennis Berry and I had several cups of coffee over a few meetings, discussing what the Dark Quickening would be. We landed on the idea of hell, not that's that surprising, and in doing that we said, ‘OK, what elements do we want to use here?’ And the idea of fire and water came into play. Then I wanted to get into an almost acid-trip Quickening. So I did all this posterization on that stuff and created an acid-trip. That was fun."
Ken Gord, Producer
"These two are terrific. Obviously, Adrian is having a ball being able to play the bad guy and he was a terrific bad guy. Dennis Berry was having the time of his life, also, because it was so special. Don Paonessa was at his peak because the Dark Quickening is probably as good as it gets. He did a terrific job. And Dennis did a terrific job setting up all the pyro, so that Don would then add his magic to it. I thought the casting was great. I thought Byron Chief-Moon was great. I think all the casting was good. It was really satisfying."
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