The Immortal.
Demons of the Night, Parts one & Two
Mallos : You don't really believe that you are immortal, do you ? I mean, what is that all about ?
The Enigma of Immortality , part two. ( Part one may be found below, as my previous posting. )
I received , as I was finishing the previous instalment to my Review-Blog , the boxed set of the now all but forgotten show :
The Immortal. http://imdb.com/title/tt0248644/
This little bit of synchronism ( I had been warned by my diligent providers that it might take a long time for me to receive it ) was interesting, as I was wrestling with the concept of immortality as shown in the Highlander film,when I received it- and this prompted me to make this review a two part item.
The show lasted one season, in the months preceding 9 / 11. It appeared briefly in the middle of the longer lasting series “ Highlander” and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”. The reviews one can find of this show are at best unfriendly and at worst Scathing. This is unfortunate , as , in fact there is something quite refreshing about this theatrically direct , unambiguous and naïve portrayal of our fight against Evil . I watched every episode , but the first two, ( which it seems were also made into a movie ) Demons of the Night, parts one and two , are the focus of this comparative review.
The entertainment industry ain’t no Charity Ball. If a show cannot rake in the viewership , ( read dollars ) , to slake the thirst of this hungry Media Vampire then , even if it may save a few souls through humour , than it is not worth the trouble of keeping it going . It might have been fun to see how the writers of “The Immortal” developed the theme of Raphael Cain’ s immortality and addressed the dilemma’s it presents , but as it stands we have very few clues as to the origins of this condition .
Through a vow to fight and kill every one of Satan’s henchmen who walk the earth Raphael Cain inevitably finds himself kept alive by the forces that drive him in his mission. Though at one point he states that he “ can be killed” he also tells us that he has been provided with the necessary learning to survive by his Mentor Yashiro ( played by Canadian actor Robert Ito :
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0411731/ )
Other
Why Immortality and Evil are such companionable partners in film and television , of course harkens back to the ancient promethean curse of seeking forbidden knowledge : Man , humanity , rather does not unless under duress, desire death. It’s inevitability has somehow irked most of us in our somewhat pedestrian existences. The Human-animal is shown to make unholy pacts galore, at least in literary narratives , to prolong his own individual or racial life.
Very much as with The Highlander , the immortality of our hero is contingent upon a quest , a search. This seemingly endless and frustrating journey , the one upon which hinges the quality of the metaphysical meaningfulness of our admittedly minuscule lives , is the one reason our Hero continues battling , much as the other greek tragic figure, Sysiphus keeps pushing up his rock up a hill , only to have it roll down again.
As the Demoness , Vashista ( Kira Clavell, http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0165413/ ) says :
“ An eternity of pleasure , or an eternity of Pain : You do the Math.”
She is convinced that her path as the accomplice of Mallos ( magnificently played by Dominic Keating http://imdb.com/name/nm0444098/) the archvillain of the show, will bring her an eternity of gratification. This of course is the lure that Evil has traditionally been portrayed as using to make playthings of humans
Though no television show is likely ever to resolve the spiritual paradoxes of existence, the ones that are presented here are nonetheless given a very satisfying if simple treatment. As is the Highlander movie , this series is much like a Medieval mystery play, naïve yes , but delightful in it’s uncomplicated focus.
Raphael , The Immortal :
Sarah, you have no idea how close the Demons have come to bringing this world into total Darkness. All the wars, the holocausts , the demons caused all of it . If they win this world would be turned into an epoch so vile it would block out the sun . I’m not letting this happen .
And later :
Sarah, you may think you know what you are dealing with here , but you don’t .
One reviewer of this show felt that , as compared to Highlander it was a bit like Low fat potato chips compared to the real thing. Good to nibble on and for entertainment, but unsatisfying for thinking people , to he recommends Highlander. Perhaps . I myself prefer neither, but I do find The Immortal offers plenty to think about, that is, if one is willing to think about the unthinkable.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sarah, the modern Physicist and student of fringe phenomena echoes her newfound mentors teachings when, in a later episode she discusses the Demonic with a medical practitioner.
Sarah : You don't have a clue what you are dealing with here .
Doctor : And I suppose you do ?
Sarah : You are damn right .
Doc : Demons are manifestations of internalized trauma. they are not boogey men under the bed.
Sarah: I used to think that too- that is until Demons killled my parents.
Doc: Well. I think you have proven my point .
Sarah : The only one in denial here is you. You know what I think doctor? You are afraid . This isn't about helping the mentally ill. -This is about your inability to recognise that Evil has a face . That Evil is a real and tangible thing.
Doc: I deal in clinical fact , not metaphysical speculation .
Metaphysics has had a bad name since the age of enlightenment ushered in reductivist science. To be sure there is much to be said for the physics we know today . But the Meta-dimension is returning in full force with the advent of Quantum thought , with it's promises of other dimensions and energy based realities. As our lovely heroine Sarah says early in the show :
" Well I felt a whole lot safer when I thought I was crazy "
Truly, human , all too human , is the tendency to need to feel safe. Even if the safety we create for ourselves is illusory, we often prefer the illusion to the alternative. I would fault no fellow human for this natural weakness. After all living the paranoid dream is doubtless far from pleasant.
So Whether the lure of immortality for the human animal is healthy or a delusional and sick fantasy is unclear. Nonetheless I warmly recommend either Highlander - The Source or The Immortal ( which is the re-released 2 part pilot of the show and possibly available seperately from the boxed set ) . With the proviso of course that the viewer not be expecting answers to life's greater mysteries, rather an artistic representation of them .
So, to end this brief exposition, I encourage anyone with an inquisitive mind to employ caution , but to never cease to consider the unthinkable. For although deductive science when misapplied can destroy many mental constructs , we must not forget that one of the ancestors of this tradition of thought , William of Okham taught us one valuable principle, which I paraphrase as follows : Eliminate all theories that are plausible and which nonetheless do not accomodate all the experiential elements of a given problem-cluster , and whatever remains, however implausible must be reconsidered as possibly true fact .
So , " B " movies and television productions must not be too easily dismissed, dismal as the prospect is of watching them . Or so I presently believe.
The Immortal : This place reeks of Evil
Goodwin : Could be the plumbing
The Immortal :Could be the stench of all those rotten T.V. Shows .
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Immortal is unfortunately not for Rent at Movieland ( 1972 st. Catherine street West ) but can be obtained through the help of Metrovideo, below Scotia Bank Cinema, in Les Cours Mont Royal.
