Amanda (Highlander)
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Amanda | |
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Highlander character | |
First appearance | "The Lady and the Tiger" |
Portrayed by | Elizabeth Gracen |
In-universe information | |
Born | c. 820 AD[1] |
Immortality | 2580,[1] or before 860 AD |
Teacher | Rebecca Horne[1] |
Amanda is a fictional character in the television series
Amanda was created to be a former lover of fellow Immortal
Biography
Amanda was born in St. Anne in Normandy, France in 820 (though the exact date is unclear). She is poor, starving, and uneducated, and her skills as a thief are rudimentary at best. She is caught stealing food from a plague-ridden house and savagely beaten about the head, resulting in her first death. Since she allegedly consumed contaminated food, her body is to be cast into a cleansing fire in an attempt to keep from spreading the plague further. However, the Immortal Rebecca Horne saves her from that fate just as Amanda breathes her last.
Rebecca becomes Amanda's mentor, but they eventually become good friends. She teaches Amanda about The Game, but also about life and personal growth. It is Rebecca's fondness, empathy, and friendship that motivates Amanda to try to live, if just for a little while, as a "proper lady" should. Amanda leaves Rebecca and the Abbey of St. Anne in 853; as a parting gift, Rebecca gives Amanda a piece of her crystal,
During her travels later that same year, Amanda meets the Immortal
She eventually gains a reputation for being one of the world's most audacious, enterprising, and elusive of thieves, managing to appropriate items thought to be unstealable – the rarest of jewels, paintings, money, just about anything she desires, and she rarely gets caught.
In 1635, she and Rebecca meet newly Immortal Duncan MacLeod. Her relationship with Duncan becomes intimate and is renewed sporadically through the centuries. They share many misadventures, such as the bank robbery days a la
After Tessa's death, Amanda becomes a periodic constant in Duncan's life, and they share many adventures, avenging Rebecca's death by her pupil
Alternative Amanda
Once, when Duncan MacLeod is killed temporarily, he is thrown into another reality where he was never born. In this alternate reality, without Duncan in her life, Amanda never leaves her thieving ways and is a lot more evil than the real Amanda. She is killed by The Hunters led by James Horton, who are still active because Duncan never existed and nobody has been able to stop them.
Spin-off
Elizabeth Ward Gracen returned as Amanda, this time in the lead role in the series spin-off Highlander: The Raven. The show lasted one season in 1998–1999.
While Amanda is being investigated for burglary, a police officer named Claudia Hoffman jumps in front of a bullet meant for her, not knowing she is Immortal. Saddened by Claudia's needless sacrifice, Amanda decides to mend her ways. She meets a pre-Immortal cop, Claudia's partner,
Personality and relationships
Amanda manipulates friend and foe alike; she does whatever it takes to achieve her goals no matter the obstacle. She lives for centuries without looking back, without allowing herself to be distracted by the consequences of her actions. Yet she rarely steals from moral, ethical people, electing instead to pilfer from banks, museums, private collectors and corporations. Lacking in neither confidence or ambition, she is once compared to a shark by Duncan. All of these things aside, Amanda does have a softer side which she rarely shows to others. A prime example of this is Amanda's enduring friendship to her old mortal friend, Lucy Becker. Lucy is, the closest thing Amanda has to a confidant who provides advice and a sympathetic ear at different times.
Duncan MacLeod
Amanda's relationship with Duncan is erratic; more often than not, she appears out of the blue, usually to ask some new favor from him. Their relationship is ongoing for centuries and continues into the present. They often go decades without seeing one another, but have been known to spend a year or more together before amicably going their separate ways. Amanda unabashedly exploits him and although he seems to be aware of this, rather than deny her, he merely plays along, more amused by her antics than annoyed, knowing that she usually means well. However, despite her beguiling shenanigans, she is steadfastly loyal to Duncan, and he to her. The two have expressed their love for each other, knowing it is different from mortal love, and show it in their loyalty and devotion to each other. Both become involved in other relationships throughout their lives, but always make their way back to each other. In the series finale, Duncan admits his love to Amanda and tells her that she has always "made his heart glad."
Methos
She also develops an ally in, and a complex relationship with,
Rebecca Horne
This was the immortal who found and trained Amanda. She was a master swordsman, philosopher, humanitarian and educator. She made her home on holy ground as part of an abbey for a significant part of her life (though this is in the context of she was nobility, immortal, and had trained immortals before, prior to discovering Amanda and her own death). One of these students, Luther came after her to retrieve her shard of the Methuselah Stone (
Kenny
800 years ago, Amanda found a 10-year-old Immortal boy named Kenny and taught him about The Game and how to survive it. Being killed so young, he will forever live as a child, thus learns fast that his main weapon is his seeming innocence. After Amanda is captured by the soldiers who have killed him and his family, he runs away. Amanda survives, but is not able to find him. In 1995, she once again meets him. Kenny, however, is no longer the boy she knew. He betrays her and Duncan to Terence Kincaid, who has a grudge against Duncan. Amanda is heartbroken with the idea that Kenny is not a boy, but more a man in a child's body. She always considered him as a son that she could not have, forgetting that he is an Immortal who has grown up and only wants to win The Game.[2]
Derrick Markham
Just like Duncan MacLeod, who has been married only once (as far as is known) in the past, Amanda apparently also married an Immortal named Derrick Markham. They were separated and estranged for 132 years. Amanda betrayed him to the authorities because he was a brutal criminal. In 1999, Amanda defeats him in battle, because he wants to kill Amanda and her friends.
Characterization
Executive Producer William Panzer thinks Amanda is "a beautiful, funny, international grand thief kind of character, who's crazy mad about MacLeod, but also crazy mad about her own freedom. And when Amanda comes into his life, if he's free, they have a moment. And she generally slips off into the night".[3]
Amanda in The Game
With no real interest in winning The Game, Amanda instead focuses on staying alive, and so has minimized the number of duels she fights. When faced with another Immortal, she typically runs or cons her way out or has to be rescued by a friend like Duncan. On occasions where she seeks out a battle, she almost always meets with disaster.
During the original series, her swordsmanship appeared to be less-than exceptional, and in fact she was never actually shown winning, even against an unarmed Kalas. Her skills receive a considerable upgrade after she meets
- Hengist the Saxon1, 853 ("Methuselah's Gift")
- Zachary Blaine2, 1993 ("The Lady and the Tiger")
- Mario Cardoza, 1998 ("Full Disclosure")
- Stefan Collier, 1998 ("Immunity")
- Wilson Geary, 1998 ("Passion Play")
- Crysta, 1998 ("A Matter of Time")
- Andre Korda, 1998 ("The French Connection")
- Frank Brennen, 1999 ("The Rogue")
- Talia Bauer, 1999 ("Inferno")
- Derrick Markham, 1999 ("Love and Death")
- Vladimir Rankov, 1999 ("The Manipulator")
- Dr. Julian Heller3, 1999 ("The Ex-Files")
- Evan Peyton, 1999 ("Dead on Arrival")
- Unknown, 2008 (Reunion)
1First beheading.
2Duncan MacLeod defeats Blaine, but Amanda beheads him.
3Beheaded by Nick Wolfe.
Watchers
The following is a list of all of Amanda's known Watchers:
Years | Watcher |
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850–853 | Melucine |
853-?? | Whitread the Tinker |
??-1182-1183-?? | Elsbeth of Maldon |
??-Sep 1635-?? | Gabriel Sabatini |
??-Sep 1753-?? | Nabil al Alem |
??-1804-?? | Claus Sieger |
??-Oct 1888–?? | Wallace Hammond |
??-Mar 1936 | Otto Goff |
Mar 1936–?? | Gerta Schoernin |
??-Dec 1950 | Richard Bryce |
Apr 1951–?? | Richard Bryce |
1969–1970 | Renee Ginsburg |
1995 – Mar 1996 | Daniel Geiger |
Appearances
Highlander: The Series episodes
- "The Lady and the Tiger"
- "The Return of Amanda"
- "Legacy"
- "The Cross of St. Antoine"
- "Rite of Passage"
- "Finale"
- "Finale Part 2"
- "Double Eagle"
- "Reunion"
- "The Colonel"
- "Methuselah's Gift"
- "The Immortal Cimoli"
- "Dramatic License"
- "Money No Object"
- "The Stone of Scone"
- "Forgive Us Our Trespasses"
- "To Be"
- "Not To Be"
Raven episodes
- "Reborn"
- "Full Disclosure"
- "Bloodlines"
- "Immunity"
- "So Shall Ye Reap"
- "Birthright"
- "Crime and Punishment"
- "The Unknown Soldier"
- "Cloak and Dagger"
- "Passion Play"
- "The Devil You Know"
- "A Matter of Time"
- "The French Connection"
- "The Rogue"
- "Inferno"
- "The Frame"
- "Love and Death"
- "Thick as Thieves"
- "The Manipulator"
- "The Ex-Files"
- "War and Peace"
- "Dead on Arrival"
Books
- White Silence
- An Evening at Joe's
References
- ^ a b c Episode "The Lady and the Tiger", Bonus material, Article: "Amanda", in Highlander: The Series (season 1) (DVD, Anchor Bay Entertainment, 2001), disk 6.
- ^ Episode "Reunion", in Highlander: The Series (DVD, Davis-Panzer Productions, Inc.)
- ^ Episode "The Lady and the Tiger", Bonus Material, William Panzer's interview, in Highlander: The Series (season 1) (DVD, Davis-Panzer Productions, 2001), disk 6.