Kyra: "We'll share the bed. Under strictly honorable circumstances."
On to immortal babe audition episode number two: Alice Evans as an immortal named Kyra. According to the Watcher Chronicles, she was born in 450 BC in Sparta. And more recently, she worked as a bodyguard until she lost her longtime mortal boyfriend (shades of Tessa) and came down with a bad case of hysterical amnesia.
Alice Evans, interestingly enough, just did three episodes of Lost this past season, playing young Eloise Hawking. I think Eloise Hawking was a much better fit for her acting abilities.
On to our established immortal babe criteria.
1. Charisma? Yes, she was dynamic and attractive. But Kyra as a character wasn't sympathetic. I didn't really care what happened to her.
2. Acting ability? Alice Evans did a good job with some difficult material. Although there were way too many close-ups of her looking wide-eyed and perplexed.
3. Athleticism, especially with a sword? She was definitely athletic; she did a lot of climbing and jumping about as well as fight scenes, some of them in a hospital gown. But that final duel wasn't her; it was obviously a stunt woman. Yes, I know, Sarah Michelle Gellar didn't do her own stunts on Buffy, but being able to handle a sword at least to some extent is pretty important on Highlander. She couldn't pull off a quickening, either.
4. Compelling immortal flashbacks? There was only one flashback, and it was the best part of the episode: Kyra picking a fight with Richelieu's guys, and sharing a teensy weensy bed in an inn with Duncan. I thought their flirting was fun, especially their conversation about the size of a Scotsman's weapon. But the flashback didn't have much about Kyra herself, other than that she worked as a bodyguard three hundred and fifty years ago, too.
5. Really great hair? Hard to tell. Her hair was an absolute rat's nest throughout most of the episode, including the flashback. What were they thinking?
Would a series centered around Kyra have worked? I don't think so. Evans is a good actress, but she didn't have an immortal vibe (if there is such a thing) and I didn't actually like her character all that much. I didn't believe her as a bodyguard, either, in the past or the present. Even the executive producer in the extras said this episode wasn't Highlander; it was La Femme Nikita. I disagreed. I didn't think it was La Femme Nikita, either.
Flashbacks:
-- France 1640: Kyra in very cool 17th century drag was accosted in a pub by two louts who worked for Cardinal Richelieu. She ended up sharing a very small bed with Duncan.
Bits and pieces:
-- Again, no Methos, Amanda or Joe. I should probably stop mentioning it. But I can remember when I first saw season six, I found it just incredibly frustrating. I am now articulating that frustration for posterity. :)
-- I thought it wasn't quite believable that Duncan and Kyra had sex *once*, three hundred plus years ago, and he remembered a birthmark on her body. Duncan has been with a LOT of women, after all, and I would assume that includes a large number of immortal women as well.
-- The scenes with the vicious villain and his two idiotic henchmen were really bad: all accents, inaudible dialogue, and violent melodrama.
-- So Kyra was hiding from the cops, and she and Duncan had dinner in full view on top of the barge?
Quotes:
Kyra: "Tell me. Is it true Richelieu has syphilis? Because if so, that's quite an accomplishment for a eunuch. Maybe he's not a eunuch. But I hear it's, um..." (she points to the tip of her little finger).
Kyra: "There's only one bed."
Duncan: "Then there's only one sensible course of action."
Kyra: "You mean, kill the innkeeper?"
Um, one star? Two stars? The first audition episode was much more of a Highlander episode than this one was, so it's hard to rate,
Billie
All of my Highlander reviews are archived here.
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