1:8 Deadly Medicine – Duncan JUST SO HAPPENS to be almost killed in a hit-and-run, and it takes him clear until the ambulance deposits him in the ER and the doctor (Joe Pantoliano!!!) has already taken X-rays before his Immortal healing catches up. Duncan stumbles out when no one is looking, but Dr. Wilder had copies of his ID, so he heads Duncan off at home and kidnaps him (!!!!) and takes him to the doc’s private basement laboratory to figure out what makes him tick.
Worst episode of the first season? Possibly, and definitely so far. Apparently Immortals can heal from terminal trauma in an hour or two, but the drugs Dr. Wilder puts in Duncan’s system render him a semi-conscious stumblebum for over 24 hours. At least Nosy Reporter Girl becomes part of the story instead of just a peripheral annoyance, as Wilder kidnaps her too when she starts getting too close.
Will Duncan ever live down almost having his ass handed to him by JOE FREAKING PANTOLIANO? Maybe, in a couple of centuries…
Guest Immortals: 0
Flashbacks: 0 (and wouldn’t it have been a great opportunity, in Duncan’s drug-induced haze?)
Quickenings: 0
1:9 The Sea Witch – Richie ventures back into the old neighborhood while on an errand for Duncan to another antique shop, and stumbles upon old friend Nikki and her new boyfriend, who’re just about to make a drug deal; then the new boyfriend tries to double-cross his upline and steal the money back, he gets perforated, and Richie tries to keep Nikki alive (even though she’d made it hard by keeping both the drugs and the $50,000 meant to pay for them).
Oh, and Nikki has a daughter she’s trying to provide a better life for. She’s supposed to be three years old, but the child actress has a mouth of both missing and adult teeth.
And how about that? The drug lord at the top of the chain is an Immortal (Stephen Macht, another “that guy” actor), with whom Duncan has a beef dating back to Stalinist Russia. As unlikely as it is to run into Immortals every time Duncan turns around, it makes more sense for them to be ones that he’s encountered before, rather than those who, despite being around for centuries, he’s never crossed paths in his wanderings (see episodes like “Free Fall” or “Mountain Men”).
Guest Immortals: 1
Flashbacks: 1
Quickenings: 1