When I was in college, two of my favorite television shows were Highlander, and Mystery Science Theater 3000. It didn't take long to realize that these are two tastes that taste great together, and so I started "The Nitpicker's Guide to Highlander", a summary and subsequent riffing of each episode. I completed 12 episodes, and then college ended and I no longer had easy access to reruns.
Several years later, a link on wikipedia renewed interest in this page, and I started receiving requests for new episodes. Thanks to a very good sale at the local Borders, I acquired a box set of Season Five, and started up again. Since then, Hulu.com has picked up the series, so I now have access to all of it. (Although if you want to buy me a set anyway, I won't stop you. ^_~) You can expect a new riffing every once in a while, when I feel like it. I tried to keep to a schedule, and... well, it just didn't happen. A good riff can take a long time, and I can't really predict how long. For convenience, new or updated entries will have a tagline beside them to differentiate from the older, less complete nitpicks.
Spoiler Warning: Obviously, because this is a site of episode summaries, there will be spoilers. However, please be aware that I am merciless with them. Any episode may reference any other episode, from the pilot to the series finale. Be forewarned; no plot twist is sacred.
We have a new domain, and with it, new toys!
Both are at the bottom of the page, so get scrollin'. ^_~
And of course, there's also a new Nitpick: Something Wicked.
Season 1
Season 2
Season 3
Season 4
Season 5
Season 6
For anyone just web-surfing, who is unfamiliar with a Quickening, when one Immortal decapitates another, a white mist rises from the body and lightning begins. On this scale, a Quickening can be awarded anywhere from 0 to 10 katanas. A Quickening is judged on a very subjective scale, taking into account gesturing, the light show, property damage, and other numerous criteria.
For long-term fans of The Nitpicker's Guide to Highlander, I should warn you that the rating scale has been slightly recalibrated in the new episodes. I found that I had boxed myself in to 3 and below for "non-existent to really horrible" Quickenings, and I needed more room. I've redefined 5 katana as the minimum "Yup, that was a Quickening" Quickening, 4 as the rating for a non-Quickening, and from 3 down to 0 for really bad Quickenings. Older episodes have not been updated to the new scales.
Want to know when we update without having to check every few weeks? Sign on to our announcement list, and you'll receive a notice whenever we add a new episode.
Want some say in which episode I riff next? Take the poll.
Legal mumbo-jumbo nobody reads: Highlander and all such associated characters, concepts, images, and other schtuff are copyright Davis/Panzer Productions, Inc., and Gaumont Television/Filmline International (Highlander) Inc. For the record, the sword image used on this page was scanned from the official Highlander holiday catalog. This site is not affiliated with any of these people except for Kati d'Esprit, rebel that she is. No subtitlians were harmed in the creation of this page.