A group of apple-growing Scottish Highlanders led by a gruff clan chief (Liam Redmond) move onto Cherokee land, and Daniel must persuade them to take an off-ramp before a general Indian war erupts.
Continuing the previous hour's delving into actual economic detail on Appalachian frontier life, this outing focuses on the role of the Scots-Irish in colonial settlement. And the story is privileged to center Dublin Abbey Theatre alumni and distinguished stage actor Redmond as the Celtic thunder. He marshals the Scottish screen attributes well (for an Irishman!). Also along is B-movie journeyman Nestor Paiva as Cherokee chief Menewa.
The hour starts with high hopes, but rapidly nosedives when the focus is on the interplay between Israel plus a Cherokee and Highlander of his age. Disneyfication quickly sets in and remains; a comparison of the Highlander and Cherokee tribal structures would have been far more interesting.
Plus, the writers would have had a wealth of material to work with. After the initial executions for the failed Scottish 1745 rising at Culloden, the British government hit on the idea of reprieve, swearing of loyalty, and resettlement of Highlanders on the North Carolina frontier. (Depicted well in the later seasons of "Outlander.") For them a bargain at the time that soured; fulfilling their loyalty to the Crown and mustering to join with British forces during the early Revolution, many were decimated by Patriot militia at the 1775 Battle of Moore's Creek, NC.
Not a tremendous amount of action here, and Daniel doesn't do much. Mingo gets to take up his interlocutor role, and we do get a nice tutorial on Highlander settler tradework (though the Highland bonnets look a bit too much 19th century). Redmond carries the screen when deployed, but the writers let Israel and pals take over the hour. Not to any benefit; a strong start with possibilities becomes fairly pedrstrian fairly fast.
Continuing the previous hour's delving into actual economic detail on Appalachian frontier life, this outing focuses on the role of the Scots-Irish in colonial settlement. And the story is privileged to center Dublin Abbey Theatre alumni and distinguished stage actor Redmond as the Celtic thunder. He marshals the Scottish screen attributes well (for an Irishman!). Also along is B-movie journeyman Nestor Paiva as Cherokee chief Menewa.
The hour starts with high hopes, but rapidly nosedives when the focus is on the interplay between Israel plus a Cherokee and Highlander of his age. Disneyfication quickly sets in and remains; a comparison of the Highlander and Cherokee tribal structures would have been far more interesting.
Plus, the writers would have had a wealth of material to work with. After the initial executions for the failed Scottish 1745 rising at Culloden, the British government hit on the idea of reprieve, swearing of loyalty, and resettlement of Highlanders on the North Carolina frontier. (Depicted well in the later seasons of "Outlander.") For them a bargain at the time that soured; fulfilling their loyalty to the Crown and mustering to join with British forces during the early Revolution, many were decimated by Patriot militia at the 1775 Battle of Moore's Creek, NC.
Not a tremendous amount of action here, and Daniel doesn't do much. Mingo gets to take up his interlocutor role, and we do get a nice tutorial on Highlander settler tradework (though the Highland bonnets look a bit too much 19th century). Redmond carries the screen when deployed, but the writers let Israel and pals take over the hour. Not to any benefit; a strong start with possibilities becomes fairly pedrstrian fairly fast.
