"Nothing you do brings anyone back." - Duncan MacLeod

In the aftermath of Tessa’s death, a grieving MacLeod has sold the store and bought the run down dojo owned by Charlie DeSalvo, but a chance encounter means that he and Richie must quickly come to terms with the change in their life, as Richie finds himself being hunted by a vengeful Immortal as grief-stricken as the Highlander. All opinions expressed here are my own, as is the retelling of the storyline.

Written by Elizabeth Baxter and Martin Brosselet

Cast

When we last saw Duncan and Richie, ("The Darkness"), they were walking away from the antiques store that Duncan and Tessa has run and the life that they had shared there with her. Now, MacLeod has bought the run-down dojo first seen in "Turnabout". As Duncan and Richie move in, Charlie DeSalvo prepares to move on, until Duncan asks him to stay on and manage the place for him. MacLeod is still in sombre mood in the aftermath of Tessa’s death and, in an effort to lift his spirits, Richie suggests going to get some food. Although not hungry, Duncan agrees and the two friends walk while Richie eats. An inadvertent comment raises the spectre of Tessa and Richie asks MacLeod when it gets easy, and is none too happy when Mac tells him that it doesn’t.

As they walk, they sense the presence of another Immortal and, going to investigate, stumble across an attempt by Irish terrorists to murder the British Ambassador. Mac takes on the would-be killer, and Richie steps into the path of another thug. As they fight, Richie trips the man he is facing, only for a woman to run up, attempting to rake the Ambassador’s car with a submachine gun. Richie tries to wrest the gun from her, but she won’t let go and the bullets go everywhere, killing the man Richie tripped. When she realises what she has done, the woman drops the gun and screams. In the confusion, the terrorist Duncan is fighting gets away, when the woman shouts at him and a fourth man as she is arrested. Before the police take her away, she vows revenge on Richie. She is Annie Devlin. an Immortal MacLeod knew in the aftermath of the Great War, when she wanted him to join the Irish Republicans in their fight for independence. He refused and left her behind with his wars.

When they reach the dojo, Richie is elated at his actions, but Duncan is coldly furious. He asks Richie what would have happened if he’d been shot and come back to life in front of all those people. When Richie argues that the man deserved to die, Duncan asks him if he knows this from having a good look at the man’s soul. Duncan tells Richie he’s got to learn the Game, but it seems to Richie that it’s more about dumping him on his back. Eventually, fed up with being pushed around, Richie turns on Duncan and tells him that he thinks MacLeod can’t get past the fact that he sent Richie and Tessa out into the street where they were killed, that MacLeod can’t handle the fact that he failed to protect them. Leaving Duncan to ponder this, Richie walks out.

Duncan retreats to the loft and is looking at pictures of Tessa, thinking about what Richie said, when Charlie comes in and tells him that he doesn’t need to push Richie so hard, because Annie Devlin took a dive out of a window at the police headquarters and is dead. The next day, Duncan makes his peace with Richie and tells him that he was right, Duncan has lost too many people recently and reacted badly. He also tells Richie about Annie being dead, as far as the cops are concerned. Unknown to the Immortals, one of the men training at the dojo is one of Annie’s compatriots. Duncan takes Richie up into the hills and starts training him to use a sword. He shows him Annie’s favourite move and how to counter it with a move that will disarm her.

Later, Richie goes to pick up a new bike, but is ambushed on the way back by Annie and the terrorists. Annie tells him that the man who died was her husband. Before Annie can take his head, Richie makes a getaway, but arrives back at the dojo battered and bleeding. Charlie is amazed when Duncan and Richie won’t consider getting him to a hospital. In the loft, Duncan and Richie try to work out how to find Annie. Richie remembers that she shouted something outside the Embassy, but it sounded like “Chuck Solis”. Duncan realises it was taigh-solais, the Gaelic for lighthouse. Leaving Richie to train with Charlie, who can’t believe how fast he’s healed, Duncan goes to the lighthouse, to try to persuade Annie to let it go. As they reminisce about the old days, the two grieving Immortals get drunk and fall into each other’s arms. The next morning, Annie tells Duncan that she is still going to kill Richie and he warns her that she’ll have to go through him.

Duncan goes back to the dojo and tries to persuade Richie to leave town. Initially reluctant, Richie agrees, but when MacLeod goes to pack, takes a sword from Duncan’s office and leaves. Duncan realises what he intends to do and follows him to the lighthouse, where he sees Annie and Richie fighting. Richie uses what Duncan taught him to defeat her, but cannot bring himself to take her head. When Annie swears that she’ll come for him again, Duncan tells her that Richie gave her her own life in exchange for her husband’s and she has to let it go. Later, at the dojo, Richie is worried that he couldn’t kill her and Duncan tells him that being Immortal doesn’t change who you are. He gives Richie a sword of his own and tells him to live with it, to make it a part of him, because it might be the only friend he has.