Highlander (1992–1998): Season 1, Episode 7 - Mountain Men - full transcript

When Tessa's ramble in the great outdoors leads to her kidnapping by a group of lawless mountain men, Duncan must find and rescue her before a forced 'wedding.'

DUNCAN MACLEOD NARRATING: I was
born 400 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.

THEME SONG: Here we are,
born to be kings.

We're the princes
of the universe.

I am Immortal.

I have inside me
blood of kings.

I have no rival.



No man can be my equal.

Take me to the future
of your world.

CALEB [OFFSCREEN]: You boys
should've stayed in town.

We already got laws up here.

Real old laws.

We don't need any others.

All right, boys.

[gunshots]

[ejecting shells]

-[yawns]

You know what I don't like
about the great outdoors?

There's all these bugs and funky
animals looking at you,

hiding, trying to figure
out where you fit

in in the food chain.



-What are you going
on about now?

-I like nature in
smaller doses.

You know, like, shrubs
in pots.

I got lost in a nursery once.

-I'll be fine.

-Maybe you should
wait for Duncan.

There are bears up
in the mountains.

-I promise not to bother them.

You worry too much.

-Maybe I should come with you.

-No, you stay here and
mind the store.

I'll be home before
Duncan gets back.

-And what'll I say
if you're not?

-Tell him I've gone to visit
your favorite shaman.

-Oh, OK.

-That's one fine
hunk of woman.

-Yes she is.

-You like my new boots?

-Good afternoon, ma'am.

Ain't too many people who
know about this place.

-I'm with a guide.

He went up there, to
take some pictures.

-Well, then he just vanished.

Like the old Indians that
painted that there.

Because we sure ain't
seen him.

And we're pretty certain
to see almost anything

that moves up here.

It's kind of like our own front
porch, you might say.

I like to sit up here, think
about the old ones

who got this up.

Whooped themselves up
with a big bonfire.

What do you think?

And danced in front of it, their
shadows writhing on the

walls, some sorta fertility
rite or something.

-Where you going, girl?

Hell, you wanna dance
with me, huh?

You wanna dance?

[laughs]

[yelps]

Goddamn!

[gunshot]

-She cut me good.

I may have to stitch this up.

-We should have made our
intentions clear

to the young lady--

how nobody intends to hurt
one hair or your head.

Nor to offer you anything that
might dishonor you in any way.

-Then what do you want?

-Ma'am, I come up here to ask
for your hand in marriage.

I want you to be my wife.

Uh, I'm flattered.

But you want to be my husband.

But I'm already married.

Now I want you to let me go.

-Go?

Where?

-Back to my home.

-That ain't your home anymore.

I believe in goodbyes.

I come up here years ago and
said goodbye to all that human

stench, and I ain't
been back since.

-I'll be back.

They're looking for
me already.

-Oh, it's all right
to think so.

But where we're going, no white
man's ever been, nor

most Indians neither.

Nones ever been able
to track us.

-I don't want to go with you.

Why can't you understand?

-Full moon in an hour.

We make good time.

-Hello.

-You're back!

Excellent!

How was Peking?

-Pretty much the same.

Things don't really change
in the Forbidden City.

RICHIE [OFFSCREEN]: Right.

[clears throat]

-Where's Tessa?

-Actually, I was hoping
that was her coming

through here now.

She, uh-- she went up to the
mountains to sketch some wall

painting-- your favorite
shaman, she said.

She was supposed to
be back by now.

-I can be there by dawn.

-You're going to go to the
mountains tonight?

-Yeah.

If she's lost, I'll know
where to find her.

-I'll come with you.

-No.

She'll probably just
show up or call.

I'll check in from the trading
post up there.

Bring my other bag
up, would you?

-Oh, sure.

No problem.

-Excuse me.

Have you seen the woman
that drove that car?

-You a friend of hers?

-That's right.

MacLeod.

Where is she?

-Well, she hasn't come back.

Mr. MacLeod, I'm going to be
straight out with you.

I'm more than a little worried
about your lady friend.

Caleb Cole, his son, Joshua,
and Eddie Doyle, they're

wanted men.

A couple of my deputies walked
into a camp to serve a warrant

for poaching deer last year.

They never came back out.

-Last year?

-Well, they're mountain men.

They live off the land, come
in to Big John's here every

couple of years and steal
what they need.

This time they wrecked
the place--

tore my phone line
out, took the

distributor cap off my truck.

Took me a whole day to just
climb down the mountain.

-But Caleb, he knows this
country better than anybody,

natives included.

He's kind of spooky that way.

My deputies will be here soon.

You're welcome to come
along with us.

-You'll slow me down.

-You don't even know
this country.

-Been here before.

-I can't be responsible if
you go off by yourself.

-Excuse me.

-Damn fool.

A sword?

-[shouts]

You knew I was about, but
you couldn't hear me or

see me, could you?

-No, you're very good.

-Yeah, the best there
ever was!

Better than any Indians come
for my pretty hair, better

than any US government scouts
paid to track me.

-I wasn't tracking you.

-Sure, that's what
you say now.

But you'll come for old
Carl's secrets.

Uh, uh, uh.

You kill me now, secret
is gone forever.

-I didn't come for your head,
and I wasn't tracking you.

-You don't want my secrets?

-Maybe I do.

-Ah, course you do!

Everybody wants to know
what old Carl knows.

[laughs]

See, I can think like any
animal that ever was.

Any man, too.

Like them there.

-Yeah, that's very old.

It's a form of prayer.

The ancient ones implored the
spirits of the animals to give

them success in the hunt.

-You know 'em personal?

-You know them, too,
don't you?

-Maybe.

-So how long you've been up
here on your own, Carl?

-Long enough.

-Will you teach me
your secrets?

-[laughs]

-Teach me how to track,
the ways of the land?

-What's in it for me?

-I'll teach you how to fight.

-You think I don't know how?

-[yelps]

-[laughs]

-There's room for improvement.

Come here, I want to
show something.

Tsk, tsk.

Just watch.

Now, pretend I'm coming
at you from behind.

Put your hip here and
take my hand.

Good, like that.

How do you track animals?

-You've got to know
what they want--

food and water.

It sounds easy but it ain't.

-Yeah, well, this looks
easy but it ain't.

What about men, have you
tracked them, too?

-Men who come up here are always
looking for something,

always going north like you.

You wanna track a
man up here--

go north.

[laughs]

-[chuckles]

-They were here.

They took the woman south.

DEPUTY [OFFSCREEN]: South?

Why would they go south?

-Throw us off, maybe.

The other one was here, too.

He headed north.

-Maybe he didn't
see the tracks.

-They squatted down right
in front of him.

He saw 'em, all right.

Then he headed north.

The tracks are far apart on
the balls of his feet.

He's running.

-Running?

-Running.

[airplane]

-Hey!

-[screams]

-What are you doing?

-She's trying to signal
them flyboys, Caleb.

Look here.

-I guess it's only natural.

You haven't learned
to trust us yet.

-Trust you?

You're kidnappers.

I'm nothing but a hostage.

-We don't see you that way.

Do we, Joshua?

-Whatever you say, Pa?

-What's that mean?

-It means we've got
folks following us

on account of her.

And just when we thought
they was going to

leave us alone again.

-Again?

Are you wanted for something?

-Shut up, you.

You learn to talk to her
with more respect.

And you, get!

-[laughs]

You oughta be nicer to us.

We're real bad men.

There's a couple of deputies
thought they was

tougher than us.

CALEB [OFFSCREEN]: Eddie.

[racks bolt]

-I just helping her with
her things here, Caleb.

Wasn't doing nothing.

-You're under my protection.

Nobody nor no thing
will harm ya.

What is your name?

-Tessa.

-You know, Tessa, I'd die for
you, if it come to that.

-You hardly know me.

-I wasn't joking.

DEPUTY [OFFSCREEN]: What
the hell did they come

here for, the view?

We just wasted four hours.

-They're headed north,
all right.

And no more fun and games.

The woman wasn't along, I
couldn't track them at all.

They move like cougars,
those men.

-North, huh?

Well, either her boyfriend's
dumb lucky or he knows more

than we do.

EDDIE [OFFSCREEN]: Caleb Cole
knows this country better than

anybody I ever heard of.

Ain't nobody going to
track us, [laughs]

no how.

-Are they father and son?

-Adopted son.

And me.

I'm just the boon companion
along for the pure hell of it.

For the fun, you might say.

Venison jerky?

Homemade.

You know, when Caleb talked
about bringing you along, I

thought it was a
piss-poor idea.

But now it's starting
to grow on me.

-[screams]

-Come here!

-[screams]

-Well, now, if it isn't little
Josh, protecting his daddy's

grazing rights.

You was out there watching me
instead of doing what you was

told like a good little boy.

-You pull your knife.

-Now, you just calm down
now, Josh, boy.

Ain't no harm be done to
your daddy's property.

I was only joking.

Hell, we've pretty much shared
everything up till now.

Why change arrangements,
is what I say.

My pa heard you talking like
that, he'd kill you.

-Well, now, wouldn't that be
a sorry ending to a good

companionship--

killing a fine fellow like
me over a woman.

I told you, I was only joking.

Reckon I better do what you
was supposed to be doing.

-I know you don't
want me here.

Let me go, now.

-I can't do that.

-You're afraid of your
father, aren't you?

-He ain't my real daddy.

He took me from my mama
when I was eight.

He'd kill me if I ran off.

He'll kill you, too, if you
don't start liking him soon.

-He treats you more like
a slave than a son.

-Where's Eddie at?

-He--he gone out scouting
for game.

CALEB [OFFSCREEN]: Eddie shoulda
been back by now.

Find out what's keeping him.

Gone on.

Hey.

Venison.

-You live like men on the run.

-We live like free men,
beholden to none.

This country gives
us what we need.

But there are some things that
civilization does have that

are worth having.

-Why did you leave?

-There was a woman.

Joshua's mom.

We were together from the time
he was three years old-- a

real family.

Then some doctors killed her.

I couldn't sleep.

To put the grieving behind me,
I come up here with Josh.

It's like I've been reborn.

I've been reborn before.

-Don't you get lonely,
for other people?

-We've been up here now 12
years, Joshua and me, added

Doyle for six.

Up here, we're kings!

-What happened to
those deputies?

-Eddie shouldn't have
talked about that.

-But he did.

What happened to them?

-They just didn't understand.

Up here ain't like
any place else.

They just didn't understand.

I know you won't like
me today, or

tomorrow, or next week.

But I plan to win
you over, Tessa.

I want you to be my woman
of your own accord.

-It will never happen.

There is someone else.

And I love him.

-You'll forget him.

In time, you always
forget him.

You will see.

-Don't even think
about moving.

Now, where are the others?

-We's right here behind
you, boy.

That's a real nice sword.

Take it from him, Josh.

Heh.

You're good.

I just coming up behind you,
Josh, boy, and there he was,

rising out of the ground
like a wisp of fog.

Let's get moving.

Never can see the bottom
of that old crevice.

So deep the sun never
does get down there.

-Come on, Eddie.

Let's just do it.

-[laughs]

Now, I bet he ain't so anxious
to get it over with.

-Doesn't matter.

-You hear that, we got a
real fatalist on our

hands here, Josh, boy.

We've known fellows to start
begging just about now.

Maybe he thinks he can fly.

That's the damnedest
thing I ever saw.

-Where you been?

-We found someone
out there, Pa.

He might have been working
for Sheriff Benson.

-Where is he?

-Oh, he's visiting his
deputy friends.

-What's this?

-Well, he had that on him.

Some kind of war souvenir
or something.

I thought you might like it, on
account of you collecting

old weapons and such.

-You know this sword?

You killed her man, boys.

He's down in the ravine?

EDDIE [OFFSCREEN]:
That's right.

Take somebody all night
to climb down there.

-Or up.

We're breaking camp.

Travel by night.

-Why we gonna do that?

-Now.

-He's your adopted son because
you can't have children.

You are one of them.

-What do you know about me?

Speak up, woman.

-Because he is like you.

-I thought so.

The minute I saw that sword.

So he's told you all about
him, our kind.

I knew there was something
special about you the minute I

laid eyes on you.

We travel by night.

Head straight for the river.

No more stops.

DUNCAN MACLEOD [OFFSCREEN]: If
you wanted to get away from

people, as far away as
you could go up here,

where would you go?

CARL [OFFSCREEN]: Big River.

If she don't kill you, she'll
take you where you want to go

as fast as anything--

right into the heart
of the big nowhere.

-Here she is.

As good as when I left her.

I'm gonna wander upstream
a piece, see if I

can scare up a deer.

Ought to be coming down
for water about now.

-Good idea, but make it quick.

Want to be on that
river by sundown.

Can't run them rapids
after dark.

-I'll be back in an hour.

-I believe I'll scout upriver,
too, just in case there's

somebody there who's
waiting for us.

-No.

Send him.

-Well, looks like she's
taking a shining to

you after all, Caleb.

Who'd have thought?

-Is that true?

Is that why you wanted
me to stay?

-I don't trust him.

-Why?

I asked you a question.

-They were fighting over me.

-For a second you
had me going.

But Eddie and Joshua both know
I'd do more than kill them if

they every crossed me.

No.

You're still grieving for your
man, and you're looking to

avenge him.

But you'll never
see him again.

-Duncan isn't dead.

You know that.

And he's coming after you.

-Duncan.

That's his name, Duncan?

-Duncan MacLeod.

-Well, he won't catch up
to us in time, because

we'll be long gone.

-[shouts]

-[screams]

-Joshua!

You sit.

-Leave me alone!

No!

-You sit.

[mystical noise]

-It's you.

Ain't it?

MacLeod!

Duncan MacLeod!

You killed my boy?

Come on out!

We'll fight, naked blade
to naked blade!

[gunshot]

-That's right.

Run or I'll blow a hole in your
chest and saw your head

off with a pocket knife.

MacLeod!

-[groans]

-You going somewhere, missy?

-Go away!

-Is that you shooting, Caleb?

You can hear that shot
for ten miles.

-We're leaving.

-Where's Joshua?

-We're leaving.

-With--without him?

-And without you, too,
if you don't shut up!

-All right, Caleb.

Settle down.

-Joshua's dead.

Get up.

Get up!

Nothing's stopping me
from killing you the

way he killed Joshua.

-I'm sure he didn't do it.

It's not his way.

What if someone else
killed your son?

-Who?

-Someone he trusted.

Someone who could've
walked up to him,

smiled, and killed him.

Eddie and Joshua were
fighting over me.

Eddie told me he wanted
me all for himself.

-You think I can't see
what you're doing?

-Where was Eddie when Joshua
screamed, Caleb?

[yelps]

Get up.

-Sheriff.

Come look at this.

-Well, hello, Joshua.

Got yourself in a bit
of a bind, I see.

You and your old man have
falling out, did ya?

-No.

it wasn't him.

Wasn't my pa.

It was a dead man.

-A dead man.

[laughing]

-I found them canoes right
where we left them.

Now we can just shoot through
them first set of rapids

before sundown if
we start now.

We're going to be 300 miles
north by week's end.

-[yelps]

The hell you do that
for, Caleb?

You ain't right in
the head, Caleb.

-What'd you do with Josh?

-Joshua?

What the hell you been saying?

-Is he alive?

Did you kill him?

Leave him for the wolves?

[racks bolt]

-Caleb, I--

I swear, I never touched Josh.

I don't know what
happened to him.

-Don't kill him.

Just send him away!

-You wanted her for yourself?

-Don't listen to her, Caleb.

She's talking trash.

Look, I'll just take one
of those canoes.

I'll--

I'll go away, I'll vanish.

Caleb, you'll never
see me again.

-Let him go, Caleb.

-I'll go with you.

-Looks like somebody's
gone sweet on you.

-No.

No, it ain't.

Caleb, she ain't!

No, Caleb.

She ain't!

-Don't!

-Caleb!

-Don't!

[gunshot]

-How could you?

-What are you doing?

Pick up that gear.

[mystical noise]

-It's you, ain't it?

MacLeod!

I had your woman!

I had her good!

-He's lying, Duncan!

DUNCAN MACLEOD [OFFSCREEN]:
You've been out

here too long, Caleb.

You're beginning to think
you're a god!

CALEB [OFFSCREEN]:
Duncan MacLeod!

You don't easily forget
a name like that.

Old Carl has some mighty
kind words for ya.

He's likely used his
lifetime supply.

-You killed him, didn't you?

-Think what you will.

-This was his place.

He suffered all the beasts!

But none of the monsters.

-What we have, you and
me, it's a sign.

[gunshot]

[gunshot]

-[yelps]

-Duncan!

-You all right?

-I'm fine.

-The signs are just part
of the fun, Caleb.

Whatever gods made you and
me made us different.

-First, I take your
Quickening.

In the end, I take your woman.

Not this time, MacLeod.

Your Quicken is mine!

TESSA [OFFSCREEN]: Duncan.

-[shouts]

-Duncan.

Duncan.

-Who's this?

-Caleb.

I thought he should be buried
here and not in some cemetery.

-No, you murdered him.

-Eddie's down by the stream.

-Caleb killed him.

-Did they hurt you in
any way, ma'am?

-I'm fine.

-You're the most amazing son of
a bitch I've seen in all my

years, you know that?

For 100 years, no one's
even known how to do

what you just did.

-That's cause he ain't human.

We killed him.

-Let's move out.

-I forgot something.

THEME SONG: And here we are.

We're the princes
of the universe.

And here we belong, fighting
for survival.

We've got to be the rulers
of your world.

I am Immortal.

I have inside me
blood of kings.

I have no rival.

No man can be my equal.

Take me to the future
or your world.