'I was born four hundred years ago in the Highlands of Scotland. I am immortal and I am not alone. Now is the time of the Gathering, when the stroke of a sword will release the power of the Quickening. In the end, there can be only one.' ~Highlander (1992-1998)
When our favorite show is cancelled or ends production it can leave us wistful for more. Shows that in hindsight may not have been as wonderful as we imagined them were somehow taken away from us. The characters we let into our homes and hearts have in a way died and all we have are repeats to reminisce over. Even the introduction music to the show can trigger memories years later and bring us back to who we were when we first viewed it. The people we were with, the places we grew up in, all of those memories somehow become linked to the music in our memories and the characters who were almost family. Television is a powerful medium.
I watched a lot of television growing up. I escaped into the worlds they created. As a child I would sneak out of bed and convince my folks let me watch episodes of Dallas or Falcon Crest. There were the nights of Love Boat or Fantasy Island that stick in my head. As I grew a bit older it was Quantum Leap and Highlander that stick out in my mind. They both combined my love for history and adventure with a moral compass of right and wrong. Both characters struggled to do the right thing even when sometimes it was more advantageous for them to do otherwise. I wonder how much these shows have impacted me in my own life choices as much as the guidance of my own family. It also makes me wonder how awesome it would be if these shows somehow were combined into an episode.
What if Sam Beckett leaped into an episode of the Highlander? Maybe he would leap into the body of an immortal enemy of Duncan MacLeod and have to try to convince him somehow that he wasn’t after his head after all. Maybe the two would sword fight if Sam was unable to sway Duncan and right at the moment Sam was about to lose his head maybe he leaps into an episode of ….
…The Love Boat! There Sam is a lonely bachelor on the ship being greeted by Captain Stubing and drinking at the bar being served antidotes by Isaac. While on this episode he meets another lonely woman and they start a romance and right when, ABC has to start sending the kids to bed, he once again leaps into a hard slap to his face from…
…Alexis Carrington on Dynasty. Sam now finds himself in a dress in the body of Linda Evans. He is hard pressed to fight back as he doesn’t want to hit a woman but when Alexis knocks him into the water fountain and he sees in his reflection that he is now the character Krystle Jennings all bets are off. They proceed to wrestle in the fountain and the throw down begins. His designer dress ruined and make up streaming down him wet face Sam pulls his hand back for a wicked slap on Alexis when once again he leaps into…
“De Plane, de plane!!” Fantasy Island and he is Tattoo. A small plane pulls up onto the Island as he runs back down the bell tower. This episode would be pretty dull except for the arriving guests as Tattoo didn’t do much on the show but welcome guests and yell “De plane, De plane!” but it was still a fun leap. Maybe Sam would eat coconuts and drink pineapple juice on the beach. Or maybe Sam reveals to Mr. Roarke that his fantasy is to return to his own show and Scott Bakula would appear as one of the guests getting off the plane. So essentially he could leap into himself on Fantasy Island. This would be almost a climatic episode until once again he leaps…
Into September 1st, 2011 and a banker desk and a tie…opening business accounts…wait…oh no. I’ve leaped home. Send me back! Pleeeeease…..
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