Jeanne Rose, Methos' wife #47, sister of Darius, guardian of Duncan's storage room, and ticket collector on the immortal love train

OK, all Saturday I was trying so hard not to get my hopes up, because even though TV Guide said "Indiscretions" would be on, TV Guide has been wrong for several weeks running.  But after about thirty seconds I knew it was new stuff, and I abandoned by chair and plunked myself on the floor right in front of my TV to drink it in.

Methos!  My heart skipped a beat when I first caught sight of him walking down the road in that black coat.  Ah, what an incredible sight for sore eyes!  I swear that man gets more photogenic by the minute.  I recorded the whole thing on the slow speed just to get the best possible images of his lovely expressive face.  And wonderful dialogue as usual, although the accent and the delivery is at least half the fun.  It doesn't sound nearly so good when I say it.  I wrote most of it down.  I still have to decide what goes on the new and improved Methos quote T-shirt.  Joe had a bunch of great lines too - maybe I'll have to make a Joe quote T-shirt one of these days.

My friend called me during a commercial.  "Well, what do you think so far?"  Gee, he got shot, did a little rolling in the hay, said lots of sarcastic lines - what more can a girl ask for?  And that look, after he shot the guy he had tricked into thinking he was out of bullets - that was a steely gray horseman look, just like he had when he was with Kronos.  What a delightfully devious Methosian thing to do!

OK, enough drooling.  I thought the story was excellent.  Being my usual dense self, it didn't occur to me until afterward how nicely the title fit - both plot conflicts stem from "indiscretions" on the part of Methos and Joe, respectively.  Good old Joe might not have been so upset at Methos breaking into the Chronicles if he hadn't been under a load of guilt himself.  Funny how we tend to accuse others of just what we ourselves are actually doing.  BUT - this time, unlike JD/OMTM, the cross purposes didn't tear them apart.  The situation threw them together, and they ended up on the same side.  With some good, meaningful drama, and some very delightful comic relief.  "Thanks, nothing.  We're out of gas." "Observe, and record." It still cracks me up just typing it.

And - I had a minor Methos epiphany.  Based on some of the Methos discussions we've had over the past months and some of the things Peter said at the Con, I've been thinking of Methos as a sneaky, devious character at heart, whose true motivations you can never be sure of, and who you always have to watch your back a bit with.  And that's not the way he came off at all!  Sure, he's a survivalist, and that devious side came out for a minute (and of course it's fun when directed against the bad guys).  But did he jump in front of Joe when the bullets started flying?  Without hesitation.  He called Joe on trying to use his watcher oath as an excuse not to let him take a peek at the Chronicles, but did you notice how he refrained from throwing Joe's nasty little "couldn't keep it in your pants" reference back in his face when the opportunity arose?

What I realized is - Methos does not take risks on the sake of principle alone.  But he will do it for people.  Specific people that he knows and cares about.  Duncan, Alexa, Amanda, Joe.  He is brutally honest with himself, and sees other people with pretty clear eyes.  He does not put up with hypocrisy in himself or in others.  He forces people to face the truth about their own motivations - and he can be manipulative in his methods, but underneath the real purpose is that he cares about them.  He doesn't always take pains to spare people's feelings, but he is really a very gentle person.

Now, Duncan thinks of himself primarily as a man of principle.  He'll take lots of risks and suffer personally just because he thinks something is right.  For him, people and principles usually merge, because one of his principles is protecting others, being the chieftan's son.  He cares a great deal about honor, justice, a good name, etc.  It was a huge sacrifice for him to walk away from being called a coward.

It doesn't bother Methos at all.  He's not even making excuses about the better part of valor.  He doesn't feel any obligation to fight just because he's been challenged.  His own survival is the ultimate good.  *Unless* someone he knows is at risk, or in pain.  Therein I think he unwittingly reveals the goodness at the core of his soul.

As for Joe - well, I still maintain that the whole watcher thing is as untenable as the prime directive.  Watching evil and doing nothing about it is tantamount to agreeing with it.  Joe almost always ends up in situations where his loyalty to his watcher oath is in conflict with his personal relationships.  And Methos, who does not act on principle alone, is the perfect person to call him on it.

But I love the gentleness with which Methos pushes Joe into doing the right thing with Morgan Walker.  All that spouting about bonding and best friends and trust was not done with malice, to watch Joe squirm.  There is only a trace of sacrcasm when he puts a hand on Joe's shoulder and says, "well, that wasn't so hard, was it?"  He knows it's a trap.  He could have told Joe to go to hell and walked away.  He could have called Joe on it as soon as he lied.  Instead he goes along, and faces Walker to rescue Amy.  But  he wants Joe to be able to live with himself, and knows exactly how to push him past being able to endure the lie.  "I'm easily amused."  Not.  He might have gotten a little perverse pleasure in it, but he didn't do it for fun.  When Joe has a chance to think about it, he will realize that Methos gave him a gift.  This is the Methos we saw in Timeless and Chivalry and Deliverance and Valkyrie and Forgive Us Our Trespasses.  He is indeed very old and wise.

And so I take issue with what Joe said at the beginning.  Yes, we know MacLeod, who he is, what he stands for.  And we love him for it.  But I submit that we also know Methos.  He has revealed himself in how he treats his friends.  Yes, there are dark corners.  Yes, there are tons of situations out there that he could be placed in that would reveal more, make him struggle and grow, just like we've been doing to Duncan for six years.  Yes, I saw 2B/N2B, and I'm going to take issue with it after it airs.  But I'm no longer just fascinated by Methos.  I love him, the way I love and hurt and hope for Duncan.  This is the man whose wife I signed up to be (as Naomi, in 12th century eastern Europe - yes, I do try to keep my realities straight).  It's late, so this is all coming out a little disjointed, but I hope it makes some sense. Let me know what you think.

All I can say is - BRING ON THE METHOS CHRONICLES!!!!

(Have you written your letter yet?)