
Sam Richardson (Veep, Detroiters) joins Paul, June, and Jason to discuss 1991’s Highlander II: The Quickening. They’ll talk about why there’s no need to see the first Highlander movie, Sean Connery trying on a suit, Highlander sex in the streets, the psychic cooking show, and much more. Plus, we get to the bottom of where Sean Connery’s walking around money came from and what exactly is the difference between a Highlander and an immortal. (Originally Released 01/20/2017)
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Paul Scheer
I'm Dexter Morgan. I've been through hell, but now I'm back for my curtain call. And what better place to hide than New York City? There may be a new area code, but my code never changes. In a city full of monsters, my dark urges will feel right at home. Dexter Resurrection Starring Michael C. Hall, Uma.
Jason Mantzoukas
Thurman and Peter Dinklage.
Paul Scheer
New series streaming July 11th on the Paramount with Showtime plan in the summer, all of Oregon is our playground thanks to our incredible park system. That's why it's so cool that Oregon Lottery gameplay like video lottery or cash pop helps support tons of parks projects statewide, like accessible trails at Silver Falls State park or upgrades to your favorite dog park in Newburgh. It's just one way a little lottery play for many Oregonians can add up to a lot of good the Oregon Lottery. Together we do good things. Lottery games are based on chance and should be played for entertainment only. Must be 18 or older to play.
June Diane Raphael
Avoiding your unfinished home projects because you're not sure where to start. Thumbtack knows homes so you don't have.
Paul Scheer
To don't know the difference between matte.
June Diane Raphael
Paint finish and satin or what that clunking sound from your dryer is. With thumbtack, you don't have to be a home pro, you just have to hire one. You can hire top rated pros, see price estimates and read reviews all on the app download today.
Paul Scheer
A famous Highlander once said there can only be one. Unfortunately, the producers of this movie did not listen to that Highlander. We saw Highlander 2 the Quickening so you know what that means.
Sam Richardson
Screaming how did Schwarzenegger grow a baby in his belly?
Jason Mantzoukas
Rock a roster vest while whipping Justin the Kelly? Or maybe see a burlesque show with Nick Crow and take a boat with speech to hitting cruise control J man big Paul in the beautiful Jewel gonna take you from the goob all the.
Paul Scheer
Way to the room Ran the games.
Jason Mantzoukas
In Street Fighter hope to blow off.
Paul Scheer
Steam just to suck a punch the odd life of Timothy Green sharp NATO.
Jason Mantzoukas
The birdemic how we staying alive they call it in the badass and he's on the line cranking 88 minutes cause they cool as ice cause a bad Jim Barney looking kind and nice Paul and June getting literal Jason is getting laid June is making sure all the monkey shots getting paid they judge a bunch of movies while they making the grade Here's a real question for you. How did this get made?
Paul Scheer
Hello, hello people of Earth and hello people of Largo. Welcome, welcome. We are here at Largo at the Cornet, our LA home for our live shows. And we are so excited to talk to you about another sequel following in the brave footsteps of Grease 2, a sequel made about years late and not asked for. But unlike Reez 2, this movie makes zero sense. So here to help me dissect Highlander 2, the Quickening, I will tell you, I have some amazing people. Number one, please welcome Jason Mantzoukas.
Sam Richardson
What's up, Drew?
Paul Scheer
What's up, Jason?
Sam Richardson
How are you, Paul?
Paul Scheer
I am excited.
Sam Richardson
Thrilled to be here.
Paul Scheer
Very rarely backstage do we stop ourselves from even. We couldn't even talk about this on the basis of levels.
Sam Richardson
Back I came in hot, I was like, I want to talk about this as of right now starting go.
Paul Scheer
You were talking about in your car on the way over.
Sam Richardson
Talking to myself, just ranting and raving.
Paul Scheer
Probably like the screenwriters.
Sam Richardson
Why can't I get porcupine hair? It's one of the things I said to myself.
Paul Scheer
Well, we will find out that and much more. But first, let me introduce my other co host, the wonderful, the talented, the June Diane Raphael. June. Welcome, welcome, welcome, June.
June Diane Raphael
Hi, welcome.
Virginia Madsen
Hi, Paul. How are you?
Paul Scheer
Very well, very well. How are you, June?
Sam Richardson
I will say backstage too. You guys introduced yourselves to each other?
Virginia Madsen
Yeah.
Paul Scheer
June and I's relationship is. How many introductions would you say do we give each other in a day? Like a random day? 12.
Virginia Madsen
About. Yeah, about 12.
Sam Richardson
Just to be clear, is introduction's a euphemism?
Virginia Madsen
No, it's. You know, they say it's like the key to a successful marriage to really see someone anew every time.
Paul Scheer
Identify yourself at all points. I'll say, hey, June, it's Paul. And she'll say, it's June. And we'll. We'll move on with our day.
Sam Richardson
I will say backstage, you were like, I think we've met before.
Paul Scheer
She looks damn familiar to me.
Virginia Madsen
You'll place me sometime.
Paul Scheer
I will say, june, and I will. I'm not saying that I was above it at all, but watching this movie with you was particularly enjoyable simply because it was like watching a person who never has studied take an sat. And there was frustration and there was anger and there was yelling, we'll get into it.
Virginia Madsen
But this is what I'll say.
Sam Richardson
I feel like it's the picture of the woman in Times Square in Westworld. Like it caused you to short circuit.
Virginia Madsen
I kept on saying, I mean, I don't know how many times I said to you, do you know what's going on? I felt very scared that I had missed so much. But here's the thing. I didn't understand any of it, but I also didn't care to understand it. Yeah, that's the other part of that. And it's so important. I didn't care to. And that's what made me angry.
Paul Scheer
Well, buckle up. Joining us tonight, a very special guest. You've seen him in the movie Office Christmas Party. You can watch him on the television show Veep. He has a brand new Comedy Central show called the Detroiters coming out in February. Please welcome Sam Richardson. Hi. Welcome. Welcome, Sam. And. And I apologize because this is a tougher movie than we normally do.
Jason Mantzoukas
I don't know what it was. I. It could have been forwards or backwards.
Sam Richardson
I, at some point wrote, was this cut out of order? I. I WR Michael Ironsides appears to be able to be everywhere at once.
Paul Scheer
I wrote down this, and I mean it with 100% sincerity. This is not for comedic effect. Majority of this film I spent not understanding anything that was going on.
Sam Richardson
Okay, well, here's. I'm so happy to hear that. For this very reason. Early on into the movie, I realized something very important.
Paul Scheer
Okay.
Sam Richardson
I have never seen Highlander.
Paul Scheer
Yeah. Yeah.
Sam Richardson
As such, I was like, oh, this must be all Highlander stuff that I'm not aware of because I didn't see Highlander. Now, I'm glad to hear that you guys also felt like it was absolute gobbledygook.
Paul Scheer
Well, let me tell you something, Jason. Tell me, Paul, if you were a Highlander fan, you also would not understand it because apparently what has happened is they decided, well, yeah, Highlander was good, but we can't just continue those characters. Let's just get rid of everything that we set up and create a brand new world.
Sam Richardson
Does Highlander take place in 2024?
Paul Scheer
No. What? Literally, it is.
Sam Richardson
This is not the world of the first movie.
Paul Scheer
Not at all. I'm being very serious.
Sam Richardson
Whoa.
Paul Scheer
There is nothing about this movie that is, like, technically a.
Virginia Madsen
The first movie travel time.
Jason Mantzoukas
Well, the first movie, like, goes back to, like, the days of actual Highlanders.
Paul Scheer
Yeah.
Jason Mantzoukas
But then it's just 1985 and then like the 1500s or.
Paul Scheer
Right.
Sam Richardson
Yeah.
Paul Scheer
They go like, they're in, like, the Scottish Highlands.
Jason Mantzoukas
Yeah, exactly. Like Scotsman.
Sam Richardson
But sometimes when they're in the Scottish Highlands, he's got a machine gun.
Virginia Madsen
That made no sense.
Sam Richardson
I couldn't crack that at all. Well, that was like some Zardoz level nonsense.
Paul Scheer
Well, it's interesting. It isn't. Well.
Sam Richardson
Whatever. Whatever's about to follow, I guarantee is not interesting.
Paul Scheer
Well, here's here's what I. Here's what I will put down and I'll just throw it out there because I think it's worthy. Because there's probably some people who watch the Renegade edition, which is the director's cut, and there's some people who probably just watched regular Highlander 2, the Quickening.
Virginia Madsen
The big difference, by the way, this all makes me sick. Like, all these words make me fucking sick. Fucking hate this. I hate it.
Paul Scheer
Oh, the. The big difference that they made with this movie was that in the sequel, the Highlanders are from the planet Zeist and they are coming from another planet to come to Earth. Wow. Yes. Now the Renegade cut cuts that out. Yes. They don't in this movie.
Sam Richardson
They shot it in theory, going interplanetary travel as well as time travel.
Paul Scheer
So the Highlanders live in another planet and they come here.
Sam Richardson
So they don't live in the Scottish Highlands.
Virginia Madsen
Which, by the way, that might explain why he had a machine gun. Because that was not old in days. That was current.
Paul Scheer
Current Zeiss days.
Virginia Madsen
Current Zeiss days. Just on another planet.
Jason Mantzoukas
I didn't know that watching this. And I'm so glad that because I was watching that movie. Like, I'm going to do a bad job with this because I'm the only one who doesn't understand what's happening.
Paul Scheer
No, this is.
Sam Richardson
Felt like I didn't understand why Christopher Lambert was old Lambert. I didn't understand why he kept falling asleep in the opera. I didn't understand why the opera was being terribly lip synchronized synced.
Paul Scheer
Terrible. Like they spent so much money on that opera house, that stage.
Sam Richardson
Just get the opera singer sing the song. And then I also felt like was. He was flashing back to this other. Now I'm realizing planet where he is like the Neo of the.
Paul Scheer
But the Renegade. The Renegade cut does not allow you in on that fact. Like. Oh, like you can't.
Virginia Madsen
What is the Renegade cut?
Paul Scheer
The one that we watch. That's the director's version. The director was.
Sam Richardson
You watched Renegade.
Paul Scheer
The best Lorenzo Lamas. No, the.
Sam Richardson
Wait, that's the cut you watched.
Paul Scheer
I mean, well, that's what it's called, the Renegade cut. If you watch it on itunes.
Sam Richardson
I didn't.
Paul Scheer
Okay.
Sam Richardson
Oh, I didn't. I watched it on ulu.
Paul Scheer
Oh, you might have watched. Well, we'll find. Well, if you don't know about the Zeiss, do you know about Zeiss?
Sam Richardson
I know nothing about you probably watching.
Virginia Madsen
About Zeiss then if you don't.
Paul Scheer
If you watch the Renegade cut, you don't know about.
Jason Mantzoukas
Okay, yeah.
Sam Richardson
Okay. I was like, paul, what is Zeiss? What is Zeiss?
Jason Mantzoukas
That's a lot of words I didn't know.
Paul Scheer
Just so you understand, like, what's going on here. That makes a difference.
Sam Richardson
If you say Zeiss again, I'm gonna punch you right in the. Right in the nose.
Virginia Madsen
I don't want to hear Zeiss. I don't want to hear Renegade. I don't want to hear Quickening. I don't want to hear Highlander.
Sam Richardson
We're over there when we were there watching the trailer, and it goes, Highlander 2, the Quickening. June goes the Quickening. Didn't know that was the name of the movie. And I. I get it. Why would you?
Paul Scheer
Well, let's hear what the producer has to say about this movie and how you can enjoy it. It's a sequel because the characters do pick up 25 years later from when the first movie ended, and we had to resolve those issues. But it's also a picture that stands completely by itself. It is a story that has a beginning, a middle, and an end.
Jason Mantzoukas
Leaves us with an opening to go forward again for another picture.
Paul Scheer
But if you've never seen the first Highlander, you should be able to. We felt. Watch this one, understand it, and enjoy.
Sam Richardson
You are wrong.
Paul Scheer
Absolutely not.
Jason Mantzoukas
You can tell he's, like, sick of asking that question. Like, I don't know.
Paul Scheer
Well, here's the problem then. The first movie, Sean Connery dies.
Jason Mantzoukas
Yeah.
Paul Scheer
Yeah.
Jason Mantzoukas
As a big, like, part of the movie.
Paul Scheer
Yeah. And for the second movie, Christopher Lambert was like, well, I like Sean Connery. We should bring him back. And they're like, well, he's dead. He's like, well, I won't make this movie. And they're like, all right, we'll bring him back.
Sam Richardson
Was Highlander 2 that big of a success? I mean, Highlander 1. I'm sorry, was it. Did it necessitate this? Kind of, like, everybody was clamoring for that Highlander sequel.
Paul Scheer
I don't have that research in front of me. Yeah. I would imagine that people wanted. I mean, Highlander seems like a movie people talk about.
Jason Mantzoukas
People talk about. It had a great Queen soundtrack everybody loved, you know, But I don't know if the TV show was inspired by, like, the Quickening or Bills from.
Virginia Madsen
What was the Highlander about?
June Diane Raphael
What?
Virginia Madsen
What was the Highlander about?
Paul Scheer
Sam, you could probably take it. Yeah.
Jason Mantzoukas
I think I'll down on the. The explanation hat. Conor Connor McLeod.
Sam Richardson
Played by Christopher Lambert.
Jason Mantzoukas
Christopher Lambert was a. Was a Scottish Highlander and the leader of a tribe. I can't Remember the name of the tribe, but they're warring with another tribe. He's in war.
Sam Richardson
Clan McCloud.
Jason Mantzoukas
That's the name of his clan. And he's playing with clan other guy. And then in a battle, he gets harmed, and then he recovers overnight. And everybody's like, oh, he's a witch. Turns out he's one of these highlanders who cannot die unless their heads are removed.
Sam Richardson
But he didn't know that.
Jason Mantzoukas
He didn't know.
Sam Richardson
So he's just finding out in the moment.
Jason Mantzoukas
He's like, wait a minute, what's all this?
Sam Richardson
Uh, oh, zoinks, I'm immortal.
Jason Mantzoukas
And he like.
Paul Scheer
And then how does he get to 1985?
Jason Mantzoukas
He's been living lives, not dying. And the way it is is like two highlight. There can be only one. That means. So, like, it's hard to explain. There's a bunch of.
Sam Richardson
Don't worry about it. One of these fucking nerds will help us.
Paul Scheer
I know.
Sam Richardson
If we need it.
Jason Mantzoukas
I want to see if I can do this. So, like, they have to all. There's a bunch of highlanders who are these immortal beings who, like. But then they do battle because there can be only one. So they all fight each other over time, and they kill each other by removing their heads. And then what happens is the quickening, where, like, electricity goes and they gain, like, oh, that's the power from these.
Sam Richardson
So they take, like the essence of the dead hyper.
Jason Mantzoukas
I hear people like, no, am I wrong? Is that not right? Okay, all right.
Virginia Madsen
Something's feeling right about me, you know, so they basically.
Paul Scheer
Basically just took.
Sam Richardson
This isn't helping me understand the movie I watched any better, but, like, thank you.
Virginia Madsen
So Sean Connery's head is chopped off at the end of that movie.
Jason Mantzoukas
Yes. Because he's a Spaniard who comes.
Sam Richardson
He is.
Paul Scheer
He's Ramirez.
Sam Richardson
Ramirez.
Jason Mantzoukas
Who comes to, like, teach him the ways of the Highlander.
Sam Richardson
He is not a Spaniard at all.
Jason Mantzoukas
And he teaches him, like, about highlandering and then has his head chopped off as a huge, like, you know.
Paul Scheer
Yeah, right. That's a moment.
Jason Mantzoukas
He's like, oh, no. Now I've gotta avenge my master.
Virginia Madsen
Couple more questions. A couple more questions. So, like, on a day to day basis, like, what does a Highlander do?
Jason Mantzoukas
Like, it's a lot of, like, wrist training for, like, a lot of spins like this.
Sam Richardson
They're warriors.
Paul Scheer
They're warriors.
Jason Mantzoukas
They're warriors.
Sam Richardson
It's like, then when not high landing. They are titans of industry and developing Earth protecting shields.
Virginia Madsen
Well, no, that's what I'm Trying to get at. Which is like, what. What do they want out of life? You know, what do they.
Sam Richardson
They just want to keep that head on, baby. That head on.
Paul Scheer
So they're living a life of fear, knowing at one point someone's gonna come around and try to chop their head off.
Jason Mantzoukas
Try and chop the head off. That's why you always have a sword on.
Sam Richardson
You have to be a Highlander to fight a Highlander. Like, you don't fight. You don't take on a Highlander to gain immortality. You have to be also immortal.
Jason Mantzoukas
I think you already have to be in the club. You can't, like, get it. You don't. You can't get access to it from the outside.
Virginia Madsen
So with this phrase, there can only be one. Sorry.
Jason Mantzoukas
So, yes. So they bet they have to battle each other until like, for all time, until there's one left. And then they win what's called the prize.
Sam Richardson
What? What? The prize.
Paul Scheer
Yep.
Jason Mantzoukas
And I'm murky on what the prize is.
Paul Scheer
Does anyone know the prize?
Jason Mantzoukas
That's right. Mortality.
Paul Scheer
Because.
Sam Richardson
Because also you can die.
Virginia Madsen
I would imagine. Yes. That most of them are tired of living.
Sam Richardson
Like all of us.
Virginia Madsen
Yeah. But why?
Paul Scheer
Hey.
Virginia Madsen
Okay, another question. If I'm a Highlander and I wanna, you know, end it all, I can't kill myself via, like, decapitation.
Jason Mantzoukas
I don't think they addressed it in the film.
Sam Richardson
The suicidal tendencies of Highlanders.
Jason Mantzoukas
Highlanders.
Paul Scheer
So that movie takes us beautiful history and flushes it down the toilet. They just keep the head knocking off part of it. Like, that's really the only part that.
Sam Richardson
We really get, I guess wild.
Paul Scheer
And the names, because they don't. He doesn't even seem to be that surprised when Sean Connery pops up and like, oh, yeah, your head go. You know, there was no.
Jason Mantzoukas
And he's like, whoops, here I am.
Sam Richardson
Ramirez, my old friend.
June Diane Raphael
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Paul Scheer
By your vanilla bean.
June Diane Raphael
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Paul Scheer
That's right.
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Okay.
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I mean, I am addicted to the Boom Chicka Pop.
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Virginia Madsen
Can I ask another very basic question about this movie? Why do they want the shield down?
Paul Scheer
Oh, okay. This is. Now about the sequel.
Virginia Madsen
Okay, I'm sorry.
Paul Scheer
Well, I understand that. So basically, this will help us because I. Again, it's one of those movies like when you see in the beginning, this is a now become a trope of a how did this get made movie where the opening text makes a lot more sense at the end of the movie. And I feel like they should replay the opening text maybe midway through or at the end to be like, oh.
Jason Mantzoukas
Right, yeah, every 10 minutes, just pop that thing up there.
Sam Richardson
More text crawls is what this needed. It needs to be like a silent movie. Just like indiscriminately throughout the movie, just text blocks. Well, I mean, the year is 2024.
Paul Scheer
So the first one. The year is 2024. Second one. Industrial pollution has destroyed the ozone layer, leaving the planet at the mercy of the sun's ultraviolet rays. An electromagnetic shield now protects the Earth.
Sam Richardson
Which, by the way, is also in Escape from la. Yes, the same idea of, like, the UV tomorrow is gonna be real bad.
Paul Scheer
It's right all there. I mean, this is what everyone's afraid of, the UV rays. And it goes. A small group believes that the ozone.
June Diane Raphael
Layer has repaired itself and that the.
Paul Scheer
Shield is no longer necessary. But no one knows for sure.
Virginia Madsen
No, I read that, Paul. I got that.
Paul Scheer
You got that?
Virginia Madsen
I got that.
Paul Scheer
So.
Virginia Madsen
So I understand that they're not sure, but I don't. What I don't understand is why.
Sam Richardson
I.
Virginia Madsen
Guess why that other guy is keeping the shield up if there's no. Like, what are they gaining from?
Sam Richardson
Money, Money, money. Yeah, I think. Wait, you're talking about the bad guy?
Paul Scheer
John McGinn.
Sam Richardson
John McGinley. Yeah.
Paul Scheer
He.
Sam Richardson
He. He's making money. His company makes money. So.
Virginia Madsen
Okay, I guess here's the question. Are we to believe that the world has fallen into. That people are, you know, just turned into animals, and there's just despair everywhere because of this shield? Well, because they can't see the sky.
Sam Richardson
I do think that that is a little bit. What. What's her name? Louise.
Paul Scheer
Yes.
Sam Richardson
Says to him, is like, you. Like that nobody has seen the sun. Like, nobody. Like everybody.
Paul Scheer
When he talks about that. When she talks about the sun, she almost gets, like, real horn dog for it. Like, she's like, oh, tell me. Yeah, but the clouds.
Sam Richardson
And that's like foreplay for them.
Paul Scheer
And what? Like, did video cassette players or DVD players not exist? Like, could they not watch?
Jason Mantzoukas
Go back and look.
Paul Scheer
Yeah, I feel like there's a book around or something.
Sam Richardson
Pictures, TVs in their cars. You'd think they'd have. Yeah, they had a way to watch stuff from the past. It's 2024.
Virginia Madsen
Okay. I guess the other question is, so how is the corporation making money off.
Paul Scheer
The shield, charging countries for protection?
Jason Mantzoukas
It's protection money.
Paul Scheer
Ozone protection.
Jason Mantzoukas
Yeah.
Paul Scheer
But then that. Then that shield comes down. But it's tough because that's a one of five plots that are running concurrently and told to you with not the proper backstory. In the beginning, Christopher Lambert is doing his best. Jean Claude Van Damme doing an old man, which is, like, talking like this.
Jason Mantzoukas
But, like, still the same speed that he would speak in as a young man.
Sam Richardson
But that's.
Virginia Madsen
But when he has to move, he is sprightly.
Sam Richardson
Yeah.
Paul Scheer
Also like. Yeah, because he. Because, like, in the beginning, like, you see him look down at this old man, and he kind of tips his opera goggles to him, but we don't know who.
Sam Richardson
Opera goggles, right.
Jason Mantzoukas
Does he have goggles?
Paul Scheer
Or is it glasses?
Sam Richardson
Did you bring your opera goggles?
Paul Scheer
Sorry. It was glasses. It was glasses.
Sam Richardson
I want to be able to. To see the opera that's happening underwater.
Paul Scheer
It's 2024. You love that.
Jason Mantzoukas
2024.
Paul Scheer
That's why it looked like it was dubbed. So Christopher Lambert. So he's old at this point now, just to go back to the first movie.
Jason Mantzoukas
Yeah.
Paul Scheer
Do they get old?
Jason Mantzoukas
No, but he. He. But he won the prize, right? Is that right? So he won the prize. So he's. So now he ages and he.
Paul Scheer
And so when he gets that cut on his hand and he sees it heal Like Wolverine. He's like, shit.
Jason Mantzoukas
He's like, shit.
Paul Scheer
Here we.
Jason Mantzoukas
Here we go again, essentially.
Paul Scheer
And there's no reason to why he lost the prize.
Jason Mantzoukas
Yeah.
Sam Richardson
Well, in this. They say. In this thing, they say. The priests say to Michael Ironside, right?
Paul Scheer
Yes. Mm.
Sam Richardson
Both of these movies have, like, all of my favorite character actors from when Michael. Cause I watched this one first. I was like, oh, yeah, Michael Ironside's the original Powers Booth. And then. And then in the next movie, Stacy Keach. And I was like, stacy Keach, the original Powers Booth. I was like, these are titans of villainous character actors from the 80s and 90s. I'm so happy.
Paul Scheer
There's so much. And I think John C. McGinley falls in that category too. So much beautiful scene shoeing is like. And even Sean Connor is like, fuck it.
Virginia Madsen
People are acting their asses off in this movie.
Sam Richardson
But the priests say to Michael Ironside, he's not chosen whether he's gonna grow old and die or whether he's gonna come back here, which is apparently something called Zeiss, which is where they are and I'm assuming, fight Michael Ironsides for supremacy, right?
Paul Scheer
Yeah, I guess that's part of the story.
Virginia Madsen
Here's my question. After that moment when he gets zapped.
Sam Richardson
Then Michael Ironsides is like, well, I guess I'll go to him then.
Paul Scheer
Right.
Virginia Madsen
But when he gets zapped in, he's going to the future, correct?
Sam Richardson
Correct.
Virginia Madsen
So he's not aging. Okay.
Paul Scheer
Yeah.
Virginia Madsen
He starts aging in the future from whatever age he was at the moment he was zapped into that.
Sam Richardson
Correct. I think at that point, I'm assuming. Well, at that point. At that point, when there's two Highlanders, aren't they both immortal?
Paul Scheer
Yes.
Virginia Madsen
I mean, there can only be one.
Sam Richardson
I think we're going to be unsatisfied if we think we're gonna figure it out.
June Diane Raphael
Yeah.
Paul Scheer
Well, here's why we'll never. Here's why we'll never figure it out. They shot three endings. There are three cuts of this movie. And the director left at a certain point, so there are some giant plot holes in it. As a matter of fact, when he.
Sam Richardson
Kills both the Porcupine Boys and what I've now found out is the Quickening. The Quickening happens and he absorbs their power. There is an explosion of energy all around him. Windows. Cars explode. Windows are blown out.
Paul Scheer
Yes.
Sam Richardson
The number of civilian casualties that must have died simply so that he could become young Handsome Lambert again.
Paul Scheer
It was worth.
Virginia Madsen
Was worth it.
Sam Richardson
And it seems like it both hurts him when the quickening happens and it seems like he's coming.
Paul Scheer
Which is like sex. Yeah, that is just. Just take a listen to this. This is another clip from the documentary of the making of this movie, about the actors understanding the movie.
Sam Richardson
I'd never been in and have never since been in a situation where the plug was pulled. And you.
Paul Scheer
You actually thought to yourself, well, hang.
Sam Richardson
On, have we finished the movie?
Paul Scheer
It was a complete nightmare. All of a sudden, people who had been allowed in the cutting room were not allowed in the cutting room. All the creative shifted. You had a new set of bosses. Different producers came in. At the end of the day, we're just like a horse with a different rider on it. And all of a sudden, this rider was like, totally into purely finishing the film from an insurance company standpoint. So you have an actor going, I don't know if we finished the movie.
Sam Richardson
Wow.
Paul Scheer
So that would be.
Sam Richardson
Well, see, that's why I feel like. Cause there were scenes where Michael Ironside from scene to scene was like, okay. For example, in the scene where they leave the Max prison. Guys, I don't fucking care about the order of this movie. Yeah, they didn't. They did. So they run Michael Ironside over with the truck. Louise is like, ha, ha. That was amazing. And then he fights Christopher Lambert on the truck.
Paul Scheer
Sure.
Sam Richardson
They knock him off and they keep driving. Then they are. They're driving to climb the ladder to see above the shield. Cut to Michael Ironside in a room with John C. McGinley. He's like, we don't have any idea where they're going. Like, you just fell off the car. Like, where were you? Where were you when you fell off the car? They're not much farther from there. Like, why did you come back? Why?
Paul Scheer
He got an Uber. He went back. He was like, I lost it.
Virginia Madsen
And they.
Sam Richardson
And they have a scene which is genuinely like, John McGinley's like, I don't know. And it's like, how did you get back here so fast? What the fuck is. And I think that's not meant to be there.
Paul Scheer
Well, of course not. Like, I mean, this movie, like.
Sam Richardson
Well, I. I think I figured out that this was not a very well made movie.
Paul Scheer
I. I felt like all the fight scenes in this movie was like watching a theme park stunt show. It was like they would shoot something and like, a giant piece of a balcony would fall off. Like, gun. And they're like, wait, how would that. Like.
Jason Mantzoukas
And like a sharply cut off piece of balcony. Like, no, like, fray at the edge. Just.
Paul Scheer
Like you know that there's a guy at the bottom. Like, show's over. It goes right back in the.
Sam Richardson
And the guy who's on a wire, who's got, like. He's got wings. This is one of the Porcupine Boys. The Porcupine Boys have one. Dude's got a hoverboard.
Jason Mantzoukas
Yeah.
Sam Richardson
And that shit is nonsense. When Lombert jumps on the hoverboard and starts flying around, and then he's being chased by Porcupine Boy with wings. They're both moving so slowly. They're both moving at such slow, deliberate paces. It's shitty beyond belief.
Paul Scheer
Now, I'll tell you who was really nervous about that hoverboard scene. Robert Zemeckis. Because they. Back to Future 2 is not out yet. And they're like, oh, shit.
Jason Mantzoukas
Oh, no.
Paul Scheer
So they got real freaked out from Highland. If Highlander 2 gave us anything, they gave us cooler hoverboards. Marty McFly would have been on these.
Sam Richardson
Like, I felt like this is where, like, the Wachowskis were like, ooh, I know what we can do in Jupiter Ascending. We'll give him. Yeah, we'll give him flying boots. The problem is the board.
Paul Scheer
But now, you guys might know this, but when do you think this movie was made? I know when it was, but it doesn't feel like it was 2024. 2024?
Virginia Madsen
I'm gonna say 19. 1987.
Paul Scheer
Okay.
Virginia Madsen
No, 1990.
Paul Scheer
Got it.
Jason Mantzoukas
I'm gonna price this right at 1991.
Paul Scheer
1991. 100%. But this is crazy, because it doesn't feel like these are the movies that were their contemporaries. Terminator 2, like, Robin Hood, Princess of Thieves and Beauty and the Beast. Like, this is like. If this feels like. I mean, maybe it's just the fact that they shot it in Buenos Aires. It's like, you know, like old cameras taking shots.
Sam Richardson
Taking shots at Buenos.
Virginia Madsen
But weirdly, though, there's a couple of scenes, like the scene with Sean Connery where he's trying on the suit. Like, that looks. I love that scene. I love. Genuinely.
Sam Richardson
I loved.
Virginia Madsen
I loved it.
Sam Richardson
It was the best scene.
Jason Mantzoukas
Exactly.
Virginia Madsen
It felt like a movie, and it looked like a movie.
Sam Richardson
Yeah. I was like, finally, I understand a character's wants in a scene from beginning to end. And they are unchanged, by the way. It's not like I know what he wanted at the beginning of that scene. And then a bunch of nonsense happened, and then, I don't know where we are now.
Paul Scheer
The man simply wants a suit. And I also felt like, why didn't they ever make a prank show where Sean Connery just got on stage during Broadway productions and interrupted? That was my favorite scene.
Jason Mantzoukas
That was the best. And, like, by the end of it, the audience was on board.
Sam Richardson
Oh, yeah.
Paul Scheer
He comes and interrupts. The middle of Hamlet starts, like, making fun of Hamlet, and he's interrupting a show, and the audience gets on his side.
Jason Mantzoukas
They start out like this. Like, what this guy? And then he just bows and they're like, yeah, Bravo.
Paul Scheer
That was theater.
Sam Richardson
Why does Sean Connery land where he lands? Why, when Christopher Lambert says, I need you, Ramirez, my old friend. And thus conjures him, why doesn't Sean Connery show up? Is there something in there that seems to say that the shield bounces him away?
Jason Mantzoukas
Well, I have a theory.
Paul Scheer
Oh, yeah, Okay.
Jason Mantzoukas
I think it's because he was decapitated in Scotland that he returns.
Sam Richardson
Really?
Jason Mantzoukas
To Scotland.
Sam Richardson
Okay, I'll take it.
Paul Scheer
All right. I like that.
Sam Richardson
The nerds. The nerds agree.
Paul Scheer
The odd part of this, when he does appear in Scotland, and this is a screen grab, which, if you're listening, you can't see, is everyone's dressed like they're from the 1940s, which is also hard to like. Oh. So in Scotland, they kind of stopped. Like, they stopped. They went backwards almost, because the shield only went up in 1999. So they went backwards in time.
Sam Richardson
Yeah. You would think they would be dressed. Oh, who cares?
Virginia Madsen
One of my favorite scenes in this movie was early on, there's.
Paul Scheer
Should we see that Hamlet scene, by the way? Is it worth just. Just because we have it and it's one of my. I think it's the best scene in the movie. Here we go.
June Diane Raphael
Just real quick.
Sam Richardson
Wow.
June Diane Raphael
Well done.
Paul Scheer
Alas, poor Yorick. I knew him, Horatio.
Jason Mantzoukas
Actually, the name is Ramirez.
Paul Scheer
Will you get out of here?
Sam Richardson
I'm a Spaniard.
Paul Scheer
Excuse me.
Jason Mantzoukas
A fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy. Forgive me for interrupting your conversation, but.
Paul Scheer
He hath borne me upon his back.
Sam Richardson
Back a thousand times.
Paul Scheer
Here hung those lips that I have kissed. I know not how oft.
Jason Mantzoukas
Sir, whatever you gentlemen felt for each.
Paul Scheer
Other when your friend was still alive.
Jason Mantzoukas
Is certainly none of my affair.
Paul Scheer
What's your fucking game, shithead?
Jason Mantzoukas
Shithead?
Paul Scheer
What's a shithead? That's how he wins over the office.
Sam Richardson
My apologies.
Jason Mantzoukas
Enough of this useless banter.
Paul Scheer
I shall be on my way and.
Jason Mantzoukas
Leave you to converse with your scum. Farewell, dear shithead.
Paul Scheer
Farewell. And the stage manager, very upset.
Jason Mantzoukas
And also good on that actor for watching a man apparate on stage and Then trying to continue the scene.
Paul Scheer
Yes, professional.
Jason Mantzoukas
Professional.
Sam Richardson
And also when he makes his exit, who's playing the bagpipes? Well, by the way, the bagpipes for the Spaniard who has appeared on stage.
Paul Scheer
They play bagpipes in every scene that he is in. That is like his under. He has, like, a motif. Like, it's underneath. Like, oh, we gotta play bagpipes. Remind people.
Jason Mantzoukas
Very so subtle.
Paul Scheer
And I also feel like there was a point where Sean Connery was like, the reason why he has that scene where he gets in a suit is just because he's like, I'm not wearing this fucking Highlander outfit. I'm gonna work for three days, tops. You're gonna pay me $10 million, and I'm gonna wear a nice suit. And guess what? I'm keeping it.
Virginia Madsen
He looks great.
Paul Scheer
I also just like that Sean Connery is, like, notorious for picking the wrong movies. Like, it's amazing. Like, he was supposed to be in Lord of the Rings. He's like, no, I'll do Legal of Extraordinary Gentlemen. He was supposed to be in the Matrix. He's like, no, thank you. Like, he's turned down every good movie and just been like, yep. Highlander 2. Where do I sign?
Sam Richardson
Only if you make the origin story that we started on another planet and get zapped here. Who knows why, then I'll do it. That's my Sean Connery impression.
Virginia Madsen
It was great.
Paul Scheer
I liked it.
Sam Richardson
I think gets pretty good.
Paul Scheer
June, I. I interrupted you before we played that scene. You were. Did you have a thought there before?
Virginia Madsen
Oh, I was thinking the female characters in this movie are insane. The woman in the bar in an early.
Sam Richardson
Oh, yeah.
Virginia Madsen
Oh, I am so obsessed with. I. It's a performance that. Unlike anything I've ever seen. Yeah, it was. Is really quite something.
Jason Mantzoukas
Like, so many facets of it.
Sam Richardson
I always wanted to meet the guy that turned the world to. Well, he saved our lives, if you ask me. I'm not asking you. Okay, what do you want? Did you ever think about that before you covered the sky with that puke? I work all day and my life stinks.
Paul Scheer
And it's your goddamn fault, you old bastard.
Sam Richardson
Don't turn your back on me. There are some people in this world who know when to stop and some people who don't. Which kind are you okay, Miss Nobody, you're out of here. Come on, come on, come on, come on.
Paul Scheer
Take it back. No. Prostitute.
Sam Richardson
I'm sorry, Mr. McLoud. Jimmy. No problem.
Paul Scheer
And then she comes back and what?
Sam Richardson
Son of a. I love the runaway I love her. I love it. I love that she runs away.
Paul Scheer
Okay?
Virginia Madsen
I'm obsessed with her. And I'm also obsessed with the woman on the airplane.
Sam Richardson
Obsessed. Also. Also, why does the plane appear to be from the 1940s?
Jason Mantzoukas
Also on that plane, why has the instructional video come on halfway through the damn flight?
Sam Richardson
Also, why does it end with a plane crash? Why does the safety video for the plane end with the plane crash?
Paul Scheer
Whoa, wait, wait, wait.
Sam Richardson
There's a lot of footage of the plane, like, of harrowing footage.
Paul Scheer
It is, I would argue, worse than any airplane disaster movie you've ever seen.
Virginia Madsen
It's really scary.
Paul Scheer
Used to calm passengers mid flight.
Sam Richardson
Mid flight. It. That is crazy. Sean Connery appears to be, like. He also is in the air for, like, days of movie time. So much happens to Lambert while Connery's in the air. It's, oh, this movie.
Paul Scheer
I wanted to ask you guys what he meant by this, because they go, would you like some food? They show him some food, and he goes, I won't eat anything I can identify. And then, oh, yeah. He kind of says, oh, yeah, yeah, like, but that's not always the case to a woman.
Sam Richardson
Yeah. Because I can't always identify that puss. Yeah.
Virginia Madsen
I mean, but that's an insult.
Sam Richardson
Don't get me wrong. I'll chow down on it, even if it's an unidentifiable puss.
Paul Scheer
And those are the lines that got Sean Connery to sexual harassment lawsuits during the filming of the. This movie over nine days.
Sam Richardson
What? What are you talking about? Are you saying that that scene in the movie was. They. He didn't know he was being filmed.
Paul Scheer
I want to improvise a line just a bit.
Sam Richardson
Oh, my God, that's amazing.
Paul Scheer
But, yeah, like, that was an odd way to come on to a woman. Cause it also. She kind of liked it. I mean, she loved it.
Sam Richardson
She loved it. Oh, yeah.
Jason Mantzoukas
I've never seen a person laugh harder at anything in my life.
Sam Richardson
You do have to be like, if you turn down putting stuff in your mouth and you want to get with the lady next to you, you do have to assure her that you do indeed put stuff in your mouth.
June Diane Raphael
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Paul Scheer
June. Do you identify with Louise when she sees the raw masculinity of Christopher Lambert? And just that's.
Sam Richardson
I have a lot to say about that scene.
Virginia Madsen
I mean, ultimately it was just like this same haircut. Like making and fucking, like watching, like two people who have the same haircut.
Sam Richardson
Do you think that's what was attractive to her is she saw herself in his hair?
Jason Mantzoukas
It was just an egotist.
Virginia Madsen
It was like a wild.
Sam Richardson
And she's just a narcissist.
Jason Mantzoukas
She's a super narcissist.
Sam Richardson
They do not know each other. He throws her in a dumpster.
Jason Mantzoukas
Yeah.
Sam Richardson
As an old man. Like a child's magic trick. When she comes out of the dumpster, he's a young man. So she raw dogs him in the street against a wall in the street. She's like, you were old moments ago. I've come out of a dumpster. You're young. Put it inside me.
Paul Scheer
Now this has to imagine that he does it quite quickly.
Sam Richardson
Oh, he just goes for it. And by the way, they're just making it out. And I was like, okay, cool. Maybe a make out. But they are hard making out. She's making out with his chin. And he shoves it in and comes. Yeah, he just came. We just watched him come. It was quick. It was quickening.
Jason Mantzoukas
The quickening.
Sam Richardson
Thank you. Thank you. Guys, guys, guys, guys, guys. Thank you, guys. I'd like to accept my howdy for the.
Paul Scheer
No, you gotta wait two and a half some odd years before the next one comes out.
Virginia Madsen
Here's the thing I'll say on her behalf. First of all, let's not just entirely blame her for this. I mean.
Sam Richardson
Oh, no, he's completely.
Virginia Madsen
He attacks her. Okay. But it does seem like there's an energy to this world where people are just in the streets.
Sam Richardson
Like, that's in the opening.
Virginia Madsen
Crazy.
Sam Richardson
But it starts on the opening scene. There's a woman being on a mattress on the street.
Virginia Madsen
Really disturbing.
Sam Richardson
Which was not cool.
Paul Scheer
No. Yeah. I wouldn't say. I would say being raped Right.
Jason Mantzoukas
She didn't seem entirely conscious.
Paul Scheer
Seem like a real loving. It started off real nice. This is like a real. This is like, hey, a great, cute, as you would call it, very Harry Met Sally moment.
Sam Richardson
Watched him de Age decades and stand.
Jason Mantzoukas
Out of a fire.
Sam Richardson
Yes. Like.
Jason Mantzoukas
And then he'd ask her, who are you? And then they.
Paul Scheer
She's like, I want some of this. I gotta. You know. Oh, my gosh. That isn't. This is a very intense scene because there's. That's the only connection between them. And then in the next scene, she.
Sam Richardson
Explains the 15 seconds. I just counted it. Oh, that's 15 seconds of penetration. And he came. I mean, probably he hasn't fucked in, like hundreds of years, but that is.
Virginia Madsen
No, not true. Because we do find out that he's had wives and girlfriends.
Jason Mantzoukas
Yeah, no, no, you're right.
Sam Richardson
You're right. But, like, that was 15 seconds of sex. At which point, like, that's disappointing.
Paul Scheer
I think sometimes Highlanders can't hold the back.
Sam Richardson
And he doesn't apologize. He's not like, my bad.
Paul Scheer
I'll.
Sam Richardson
Give me a minute, I'll go again.
Jason Mantzoukas
He's proud of himself.
Paul Scheer
Yeah. He's like, I did it. Yeah.
Jason Mantzoukas
He's like, there can be only one.
Paul Scheer
The original. The original way.
Virginia Madsen
Just lost that, Jason.
Paul Scheer
The original way. Ramirez came in with Ramirez. I need your help. And Sean Connory from behind. And it's a very awkward.
Jason Mantzoukas
That's not the Renegade. Cut.
Sam Richardson
I'll help you, Highlander.
Paul Scheer
I'll eat anything. I can't identify.
Sam Richardson
What.
Paul Scheer
Seconds later, though, this scene happens, which is, I think, always. There are things in these movies. Title cards, flying skateboards, skateboard scenes. And then a movie. And then this point, which is like, probably about 30 minutes, where they just go, okay, shit. The audience is lost. How about this?
Sam Richardson
Oh, amazing.
Paul Scheer
Let's see if I can get this straight. You're mortal there, but you're immortal here until you kill all the guys from there who have come here, and then you're mortal here. Unless you go back there or some more guys from there come here, in which case you become immortal here.
Sam Richardson
Again, Something like that.
Paul Scheer
Of course, it would be something like that, wouldn't it? Even he's not sure.
Jason Mantzoukas
I think that was the actress legitimately asking and was being filmed.
Paul Scheer
It wasn't. Yeah, it was a pre. Before they called Action. She's like.
Sam Richardson
And there's a moment there where he looks down at sides and he's like, I don't know that.
Paul Scheer
That. I mean, it's all. Movie reeks. Of, like, additional recording later. Some wide shot. Say this as quick as you can, Virginia Madsen. Okay, so here's the plot. You came here and I didn't. There's no. Like, that's like. Thank God they had that wide shot to shove that all in.
Sam Richardson
There's so much to talk about. Oh, go ahead, Sam. Sorry, sorry.
Jason Mantzoukas
My other favorite thing about this scene is that he just got back from being an old man. So now he's a young man and he just got home and he's got. Got denim jeans that fit so sweet and tight. Did they stop at a store on the way home?
Sam Richardson
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Paul Scheer
He really got into a naive. He knows what he likes.
Sam Richardson
He walked out of the fire dressed like a fashionable young man.
Paul Scheer
No, he walked out of the fire in the same clothes as the old man, but the clothes didn't burn.
Sam Richardson
Are the clothes immortal?
Paul Scheer
Yeah.
Sam Richardson
Oh, that's an interesting.
Paul Scheer
Do we think it's not like the Hulk where his clothes are ripped and tattered? They are completely just hanging off?
Sam Richardson
Because that makes total sense.
Paul Scheer
Yeah. I wanted to also talk about the psychic cooking show.
Sam Richardson
Yes.
Paul Scheer
Oh, yeah.
Jason Mantzoukas
Oh, that's my favorite part.
Sam Richardson
That's my favorite cook.
Jason Mantzoukas
Psychic cook.
Paul Scheer
So what was going on?
Sam Richardson
Psychic cook and the airplane video are part and parcel of the same thread of insanity that's running through this movie.
Paul Scheer
It's like these two moments of what entertainment is. So again, we're 25 years under the dome. It's 2024. And now there is a psychic cook.
Jason Mantzoukas
Who'S calling ghosts and then like, cooking next to them as they choke each other.
Paul Scheer
Yeah, that was the thing. Why is that ghost killing the other ghosts?
Jason Mantzoukas
That's entertainment, baby.
Sam Richardson
I couldn't figure this out at all.
Paul Scheer
So it's a world in which ghosts exist and can be broadcast cast over tv. That's another part of this world. And that's why probably people are this.
Sam Richardson
And it seems like a very highly regarded show.
Paul Scheer
Huge.
Jason Mantzoukas
Like it felt like they were trying to have those moments like, from. From like RoboCop where, you know.
Paul Scheer
Yeah.
Jason Mantzoukas
It's like the commercial for the like. Like the car that electrocutes somebody. It's like, oh, that's like a commentary on what things would be like in the future. This one was like, also, ghosts are in the future.
Paul Scheer
You could eat.
Jason Mantzoukas
You can eat and see him eat. And they're like, see through. And planes crash in the video constructs.
Paul Scheer
It's edgy. You get it.
Sam Richardson
And the subway goes 700 miles an hour if you just push it fast.
Jason Mantzoukas
You gotta Turn the knob.
Virginia Madsen
Why would the subway ever had a gauge that would go?
Sam Richardson
Why? Why would it be built. Why would the subway be built to even go?
Virginia Madsen
That makes no sense.
Jason Mantzoukas
In case businessmen are in a hurry.
Sam Richardson
100 miles an hour, a man. A man's face explodes off of his skull. Because of the speed that the subway is effortlessly capable of achieving.
Paul Scheer
My question is, why didn't Sean Connery take a subway from Scotland to wherever they are?
Sam Richardson
Great. I love, too, that Michael Ironsides says to the kid, you want to see how fast this thing can go? And by the way, real fast is the answer.
Virginia Madsen
Really very fast.
Sam Richardson
And every single person on that subway dies. I was like, oh, this is crazy. And then I was like, oh, wow, they're killing everybody, children.
Virginia Madsen
I mean, everybody's dead on that subway.
Sam Richardson
Meanwhile. Oh, that whole thing, too. Wait, is this video or is that just the picture?
Paul Scheer
I have a video of the subway scene.
Sam Richardson
Can you play it, please?
Paul Scheer
Yeah.
Sam Richardson
Only because. Only because it happened. This. This movie has one of the best insane visuals to terrible electric guitar scores combinations of any movie we've ever done.
Paul Scheer
You know, Sam, you brought up that the first movie, the music was done by Queen. This movie, the music was done by Stuart Copeland. From the. Yes.
Sam Richardson
From the police.
Paul Scheer
Yes.
Sam Richardson
Oh, by the way, bad on him, because this is terrible. And I love Stuart Copeland.
Paul Scheer
Yeah, that's what. All right, here we go. I thought that mother went after her kid in a very lackluster way. The baby carriage was rolls down and she's, like, trying to get it.
Jason Mantzoukas
She's like, man, she doesn't cry out, like, oh, my baby.
Paul Scheer
Someone says, stop it.
Jason Mantzoukas
She's like, oh, crap.
Virginia Madsen
I'd also like to think if I'm a passenger on the train and not the mother of that child, that I would reach out and just stop it.
Jason Mantzoukas
Oh, there you go. Save that baby.
Sam Richardson
Let me help you.
Virginia Madsen
Yeah.
Paul Scheer
What I also love about, like, these actors are all. I mean, Christopher Lambert gives the most grounded performance. I would argue Virginia Madsen, too, but they were so into the roles that Lambert refused to use fake swords for the fight scenes. And the first time they ever gave him a real sword, he cut his finger down to the bone.
Sam Richardson
Oh, my God.
Paul Scheer
And then. And then Michael Ironside chopped off a part of Lambert's finger. And then Lambert got his tooth chipped. And then Michael Ironside dislodged his jaw in a fight scene. And then after that, they were like, okay, you have to use plastic swords. And they reel. And then still, Lambert has terrible eyesight, so he can't see. And he almost cut off Michael Ironside's thumb. So. And basically his argument was, well, it's hard to do precision thrust when you're wielding a 22 pound broadsword. So that was his.
Jason Mantzoukas
But it was worth it. It shows in the film.
Sam Richardson
Can you. Hey, Paul. Paul, can you forward to the end of this scene, by any chance? Not the very, very end, but, like, the last 15 seconds maybe?
Paul Scheer
Yeah. Yeah. What do we got?
Sam Richardson
Okay, I just. Okay, I want to watch. I want to watch the. The. The guy's head explode. And then I want Michael Ironsides, his final line, if we have it.
Paul Scheer
Yeah, hopefully we do. All right, here we go.
Sam Richardson
Hey, Michael, usually you're getting. Oh, shit.
Paul Scheer
Remember it? Fuck.
Sam Richardson
So he comes out, looks straight down the barrel of the lens, and goes, last stop, right? Is that what it was? Hold on.
Paul Scheer
I wrote that. Yeah, I wrote it. Yeah.
Sam Richardson
Cause every last stop, everyone's dead. He look, but he looks right into camera. It's like. He's like, ha, ha, ha, ha. Last stop.
Paul Scheer
They say things. They say things sometimes that feel very bizarre in the world. It's like. Well, I wouldn't say that.
Sam Richardson
Okay. Especially because. And Michael Ironsides and Sean Connery, they do a little bit of business with Sean Connery, but they make no effort to have them be like, what world am I in? You know what I mean? Like, Michael Ironsides just starts driving a train. He was just. Just zapped here. From Zeiss. Yeah, I just said the past. Or the past on Zeiss. I don't know.
Virginia Madsen
I had to believe that he's been zapped there before. I think it's possible. Yeah, it is.
Sam Richardson
Maybe.
Paul Scheer
Maybe Zeiss have subway trains.
Jason Mantzoukas
Maybe got subway trains.
Sam Richardson
Maybe he did semester abroad, but he was at Zeiss U.
Paul Scheer
But there are some odds. Like, there are odd moments, because then when Sean Connery comes in, he kind of makes some sort of weird reaction to a statue. And Christopher Lambert is like, that's a sculpture. Well, yeah, I think arguably the one thing you probably did have was some sort of, like, sculpt. Like, stone carving would be the most familiar thing.
Jason Mantzoukas
It's not new.
Paul Scheer
Yeah, that's a new thing. It's like, that's. That's a tv I get. He's like, oh, what is this odd stone thing of a man?
Jason Mantzoukas
But then, like, also, like, he. He's here, and then he sees, like, a bus go by, and he's like, whoops. So much for horse and buggies. And then he's like.
Paul Scheer
They'Re very they're unfaced. Look, John C. McGinley watches Michael Ironside come in and he's like, just kill all these people. Like, I'm not even moving. And he's just a businessman.
Sam Richardson
No, he's not just a businessman. He's the head of shit.
Paul Scheer
Oh, yeah. And then doesn't Michael Ironside. I don't even know what Michael Ironside's doing, but he gets a man's face on the table and is like.
Jason Mantzoukas
He's banding his jaw, pulling his head, open his jaw, and you're just hearing.
Paul Scheer
Like, crack, crack, crack, crack.
Sam Richardson
I have a real question. Up until now, none of my questions have been real. No. Okay. Michael Ironside, Sean Connery, Christopher Lambert. Okay.
June Diane Raphael
Yes.
Sam Richardson
They all are from the past. Also maybe are from another planet. Yes. Okay. Regardless, they find themselves in 2024 on Earth.
Paul Scheer
Yes.
Sam Richardson
How do they keep finding each other Everywhere they go? They are so easily locatable by each other at all times. Do Highlanders know where other Highlanders are?
Jason Mantzoukas
It's an app. Oh, hang on.
Virginia Madsen
Ask.
Sam Richardson
Wait, is that real?
Paul Scheer
Yes.
Sam Richardson
Wow. They're drawn to each other.
Virginia Madsen
Drawn to each other.
Sam Richardson
Wowee. Okay. Okay, then. Actually, I'm glad you said that, because I was really like, this is shitty that they keep showing up and being like, I found you.
Virginia Madsen
When you say they're drawn to each other, do you mean they have to sort of put the vibe out they're looking for someone or they're just like, naturally.
Jason Mantzoukas
Well.
Paul Scheer
Cause I guess their only job is to kill each other, right?
Jason Mantzoukas
Yeah, exactly. That's the theory.
Sam Richardson
Exist. So they have, like, a homing beacon to the guy that they're gonna fight.
Jason Mantzoukas
And to win the prize.
Paul Scheer
To die.
Jason Mantzoukas
To die.
Paul Scheer
So you're dying either way.
Sam Richardson
Yeah, exactly.
Paul Scheer
You're either gonna get your head cut off or you're just gonna die.
Sam Richardson
You're gonna die eventually.
Paul Scheer
Not really a great upside there.
Sam Richardson
How about the fact that when he goes out to fight, Virginia Madsen, straight up reads his centuries old diary.
Paul Scheer
Oh, yeah.
Sam Richardson
She's like, oh, what's this big book? Also, like, I'm not a big journal keeper, but like, he's been keeping the same diary for hundreds of years. It's one book. Does he do, like, one entry a year?
Paul Scheer
Highlanders are thrifty. They get, you know, a moleskin notebook.
Sam Richardson
But I'm also like, hey, don't look at my diary. Yes, I'm immortal, but, like, don't worry about it. And she's basically like, so there have been other women.
Virginia Madsen
I did appreciate that. He has.
Sam Richardson
Who's this bitch.
Virginia Madsen
I did appreciate he had amazing penmanship, which is a. It's really going the way of the dodo bird. People don't have good penmanship anymore.
Paul Scheer
What about. Was his wife talking to him from beyond the grave too, when she was all burned?
Virginia Madsen
Now, if you are sick with, like, UV rays. Is that what you look like?
Sam Richardson
I think you're all burned up.
Virginia Madsen
So you've gone outside and you got burnt.
Sam Richardson
You were exposed to the sun. Is this is what I'm assuming because there were so many people, the sun is too powerful, and you get all burned up. And that's why they created the shield, to keep the UV rays out. But to plunge us into a dystopian future of darkness, Wouldn't it have just.
Paul Scheer
Been better to start the movie with him creating the shield?
Virginia Madsen
I would have loved to have seen that.
Paul Scheer
When you finally get to the idea that he created this shit.
Sam Richardson
Ooh, you mean a SHIELD origin story.
Paul Scheer
Yeah. You're like. You're at least 40 minutes deep.
Jason Mantzoukas
You're well into it. You know the shield exists.
Paul Scheer
Yeah.
Jason Mantzoukas
So they're like, oh, here we go.
Paul Scheer
We're gonna turn it on.
Jason Mantzoukas
Like, I know it's on.
Paul Scheer
Yeah. Like, the better. The better thing that would have been was, like, why? He's visiting his wife. She's dying. Then he creates the shield, and then.
Sam Richardson
Flash cuts in the middle of it or in the middle of the. In the middle of the cre. Oh. Oh, I see what you're saying. So it's like, that's how to start the movie.
Paul Scheer
That's how you would start.
Virginia Madsen
It's a great idea.
Paul Scheer
Just. Hey, audience, we like you to follow along with us just a tad, but build. Instead of making it a reveal, which doesn't. Only the reveal is like, oh, it's beginning to make sense. Like. Like the. That's what they're revealing is just.
Sam Richardson
Did we. Have we even mentioned that storytelling. Virginia Madsen, Virginia Madison.
Paul Scheer
Yeah, yeah.
Sam Richardson
Is a eco terrorist. We have yet to mention her flawless break in at SHIELD hq, which involves some, like, some real nonsense. These people would have been caught instantly. Everyone seems. Everybody gives up.
Paul Scheer
Yeah, yeah. Very quickly.
Sam Richardson
And everybody gains access to everything very quickly, immediately. That's all.
Jason Mantzoukas
I also didn't. I, like, legitimately don't get. Didn't get. Like, when she was, like, out there and she's changing her clothes. She took off her clothes in the street after her amazing espionage mission. And then there was a phone number, and there's a note.
Paul Scheer
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Virginia Madsen
Where did that come from?
Jason Mantzoukas
His number. And Then that was just it. Would it say McLeod and his phone number? And then she randomly. I thought you were somebody else.
Sam Richardson
And then that's number.
Jason Mantzoukas
And did she call it.
Sam Richardson
Wait, what? Wait, wait. For real? Who gave her that information?
Virginia Madsen
I don't know. I thought maybe Ramirez. She found it while she was in. But I feel like the scene that they cut where she found it during that mission. I don't know.
Sam Richardson
What? What?
Paul Scheer
Maybe the cab driver gave it to him.
Sam Richardson
She's supposed to meet him. It's an address. It's not a phone number.
Jason Mantzoukas
I think it's an address. That's right.
Sam Richardson
But still. Which would lead me to believe she's coming to the bar to meet him. Where he is when the Porcupine Brothers attack. But why is she sent to meet with him?
Paul Scheer
Because he created the shield.
Sam Richardson
By whom, though? Do we. Maybe by his partner.
Paul Scheer
That old man was sending messages.
Sam Richardson
Maybe that's somebody, remember?
Paul Scheer
And then, like, John C. McGinn was like, I see all those messages.
Sam Richardson
Yeah, that's who they said they sent. Send him to prison then.
Paul Scheer
Yeah. This is hard. The audience is doing a lot of work.
Virginia Madsen
Those messages that you're talking about are the messages he was just communicating with.
Paul Scheer
Fuck.
Virginia Madsen
Fuck it.
Jason Mantzoukas
This.
Paul Scheer
This isn't a good one. I never. And then, by the way, just. I want to talk about you and I watching this movie together. You were.
Sam Richardson
I've never.
Paul Scheer
I'm being serious. I've never seen you get this mad at a movie.
Virginia Madsen
He's really mad.
Paul Scheer
And feeling like someone was tricking you because you said to me, you're like. Like, do you get it? Do you get it? And I said. And then at one point, I said, yeah, of course. And you would reply like, tell me. Tell me. I was like, well, you know, because it's about. It's a. It's a. It's more of a metaphor. It's not necessarily a straight story. And you're like, what?
Virginia Madsen
No, because what. What angers me about you is that you then go on, after viewing this, to do tons of research about the movie and understand it. And if I did that research, yeah, I'd understand it, too. But I'm just with an open heart, coming here, describing my reactions.
Sam Richardson
Matt. Paul, how does that make you feel? What June just said was how she felt.
Paul Scheer
I know, I know. I was annoying about you, I guess.
Sam Richardson
So how did that make you feel to hear that?
Paul Scheer
I guess maybe I need to have.
Sam Richardson
Guys, I'm an open heart. I'm so sorry.
Virginia Madsen
We just asked him a question.
Sam Richardson
But I just Looked at the clock.
Paul Scheer
You know, Should I be here?
Sam Richardson
Sorry.
Paul Scheer
We're so appreciative that you're here. Well, obviously we have a lot of questions, but We've barely tagged Mr. Now, we're coming to you. To answer or to ask us some questions? To answer some questions. To make observations.
Sam Richardson
We're not going to have answers.
Paul Scheer
You never know, you might have a real Highlander head in the house. All right. Okay, here we go, sir. Your Name, your logline. Highlander 2. The blank. What would you call it? And your question? Highlander 2.
Sam Richardson
What?
Paul Scheer
All right, I like it. Here's your question. What the hell was happening with Sean Connery and the fan? Like, could he.
Sam Richardson
Oh, oh, oh, yeah.
Paul Scheer
Sean Connery.
Sam Richardson
When Sean Connery used the Force, he just blew up. Like, you mean didn't crush him?
Paul Scheer
Like.
Sam Richardson
Yeah. No, no. You mean when he used the Force.
Jason Mantzoukas
Yeah.
Paul Scheer
But then he. He died.
Sam Richardson
He didn't get his head.
Paul Scheer
But my whole theory about.
Sam Richardson
Sure, right. It was a beheading device.
Jason Mantzoukas
Whole point of the device.
Paul Scheer
But I also thought then, like, as a. Just as like a creative type, I was like, why even bring Sean Connery here? Because the action, if you track Sean Connery's story, it's like he interrupts a play, he gets a suit, he meets Christopher Lambert, and then he kills himself. Like, he doesn't do. He doesn't do anything.
Sam Richardson
Well, he helps get Christopher Lambert into the jail by having the both of them get shot 200 times.
Virginia Madsen
But by the way, Virginia legends in the trunk and somehow makes it out alive.
Sam Richardson
She would be so dead. How did he get that door open?
Paul Scheer
And where did that come from?
Jason Mantzoukas
The door they got out of.
Sam Richardson
The magic is the answer.
Paul Scheer
Well, you're asking a lot of great questions, so I'm gonna give you this pamphlet of what happened to Lumpy from the Star Wars Christmas Special. So I left some gifts. There's actually for you three. There's one that relates to the Star Wars Christmas special.
Sam Richardson
I don't like it.
Paul Scheer
He wants to know what a Wookiee cookie is.
Sam Richardson
So, I'm sorry, we're allowing random bags to just be put on stage. I'm sorry, Largos, what's going on? Are we just cool with Randos leaving bags on stage? What world are we living in, guys? Come on.
Jason Mantzoukas
Also, where's my gift?
Paul Scheer
All right, ma' am, your name? Well, you would subtitle the Highlander 2.
Sam Richardson
Movie, and can you point out anything that you've left on stage?
Paul Scheer
So, first of all, what's your name?
Virginia Madsen
Jennifer.
Paul Scheer
Jennifer Highlander. Two, the sex.
Virginia Madsen
Too fast.
Paul Scheer
All right, you're too fast.
Virginia Madsen
I was just wondering in the scene where Sean Connery goes to the shop to get his clothes, if anybody thought.
Sam Richardson
Of Pretty Woman at that point.
Jason Mantzoukas
1,000%.
Sam Richardson
Yes, but only because I'm always thinking about Pretty Woman.
Jason Mantzoukas
Also, like, why was.
Virginia Madsen
I thought Sean Connery might say, big mistake.
Jason Mantzoukas
It's not in the renegade version, but it's in one of the others. Also, why was the main guy being such a dick about that tart, that Scottish print? He was like, no, but like.
Sam Richardson
Well, you don't know if he likes it or not. You know why? Because the other guy kept trying to put Scottish stuff on him. And he knew that he was a Spaniard and he was in that back.
Paul Scheer
But why does that bag Piper follow him around all the time? Here's something for you. This is a little graphic design from someone called Hanksy. He's like Banksy, but with pop culture. Hanksy. All right. Yes. Yes. Your name, your title, and your question. Here we go. What's your name? My name is Shane. Shane Highlander 2. The. There should have only been one. Okay, great. Your question. Okay, so did you guys notice that when he goes to the bar and the bartender knows him, they cheers to a drink?
June Diane Raphael
He's drinking whiskey.
Paul Scheer
The bartender, for some reason, is drinking a tall glass of milk.
Virginia Madsen
Ew.
Paul Scheer
And they live in a world where. I don't know if they said it in the movie, but it read that it's 99 degrees outside at all times. So he's drinking a tall glass of milk on a hot day.
Virginia Madsen
Gross.
Sam Richardson
And what's even crazier is, I heard it was breast milk. Cause that's what everybody is into in 2024. Boob juice.
Paul Scheer
And they weren't. I had a terrible joke. I'm not gonna say anything. This is. That's a great observation. A lot of research went into that. And you get this notebook that is using the VHS cover of Masters of the Universe done by this guy on Facebook called facebook.com. piece of work. W E R K. Yes. Your name, sir? Your. Your subtitle and your question. What's your name?
Sam Richardson
Kevin.
Paul Scheer
And it's Highlander 2. Who writes this shit. Great. Love it. Apparently, by the way, an Argentinian financial company who, when the movie started going over budget, they started giving script notes. Anyway, here.
Sam Richardson
That's amazing.
Paul Scheer
Now there's really only one Highlander.
Sam Richardson
That's Connor McLeod.
Paul Scheer
Everybody else is just immortal. He's the Highlander because he's from the Scottish Highlands. Right?
Sam Richardson
You tell Me, bro, Like.
Jason Mantzoukas
Like a Dracula.
Sam Richardson
You're speaking more authoritatively than I am.
Virginia Madsen
If you say so.
Paul Scheer
I. No, but, you know, when Sam was describing it, I assumed that they're all Highlanders and they just battle until there's one left.
Sam Richardson
But then why does Sean Connory call him Highlander?
Paul Scheer
But what was Sean Connory?
Sam Richardson
What? Sean Connory was actually Egyptian by way of Spain.
Paul Scheer
Wait, did you hear this? Yeah, yeah.
Sam Richardson
This is crazy, because the only Scottish. Everybody shut up at. That guy played a Spaniard.
Paul Scheer
So the only Scottish person in the movie played a Spaniard by. Or an Egyptian, by the way of Spain. So he's a Highlander. So what makes Christopher Lambert special?
Jason Mantzoukas
Not his acting.
Paul Scheer
I'll tell you what.
Sam Richardson
Whoa.
Paul Scheer
Wow.
Sam Richardson
Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Christopher Lambert.
Jason Mantzoukas
He's over there crying. He's not coming out.
Sam Richardson
He's so upset at you.
Jason Mantzoukas
He's hurt.
Sam Richardson
Oh, he's not coming out. Really sad. Wow, you guys, you would have had with Christopher Lambert if it hadn't been for that guy.
Paul Scheer
There you go.
Sam Richardson
Wow. Chris. Chris.
Jason Mantzoukas
Oh, Chris.
Paul Scheer
Chris, no.
Sam Richardson
Yes. Chris.
Jason Mantzoukas
No, don't.
Sam Richardson
No. Boy, he's taking his shit.
Paul Scheer
Not backstage.
June Diane Raphael
Aw.
Jason Mantzoukas
It doesn't hurt him. It just hurts us.
Paul Scheer
All right, does anyone understand the Highlander a little bit more that we could kind of pick your brain? You do. Okay, that was a very authoritative hand raise. Because I do want to understand, by.
Virginia Madsen
The way, is it Highlander or Highlander And.
Sam Richardson
And. And.
Paul Scheer
And is it Toyota based on that?
Sam Richardson
Toyota, yes.
Paul Scheer
So are you driving. When you drive a Highlander, is it impenetrable?
Sam Richardson
Like, I'm immortal.
Paul Scheer
It goes 700 miles an hour.
Sam Richardson
Hey, was that just another Highlander? Shit. There can be only one.
Jason Mantzoukas
Remove the engine.
Paul Scheer
They never went for that tie in.
Sam Richardson
Yet another nerd battle of Highlanders on the 101.
Paul Scheer
All right, so you. You have some Highlander knowledge.
Sam Richardson
Yeah, I'm gonna go back and. And kind of finish what the prize is. So not only is it because mortals.
Paul Scheer
Are sterile, so he's not gonna be sterile anymore, but he's also gonna.
Sam Richardson
Wait, wait. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. I'm gonna ask you to not gloss over that. Fellow sterile mortals are sterile. He's upset.
Virginia Madsen
Cause immortals are immortal.
Sam Richardson
Immortals are.
Paul Scheer
Immortals are. And he's upset in the first one.
Sam Richardson
Because he has a wife and she can't get pregnant.
Paul Scheer
It's his fault because he's immortal.
Sam Richardson
So anyway, the prize, he becomes mortal.
Paul Scheer
But also he gets to hear the.
Sam Richardson
Thoughts and become one with nature and.
Paul Scheer
Hear the thoughts of everybody.
Sam Richardson
So my Whole problem with the second.
Paul Scheer
Movie is how does he not know that people are, you know, misusing what he's trying to do?
Sam Richardson
And anyway, so that just bothers me the whole time. Yeah, so. So upon gaining mortality, he can just get his wife pregnant.
Paul Scheer
Well, he can become fertile, but he can also hear everything.
Sam Richardson
Yeah, got it. At the end of the movie, the prize is he's going to know everything going on.
Paul Scheer
Like he can hear the thoughts and everybody. And he's supposed to help bring humanity together.
Sam Richardson
Got it. So he's like Professor X. Yes.
Paul Scheer
Without the room. Without Cerebro.
Sam Richardson
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay.
Paul Scheer
And he can walk, as was pointed out here.
Jason Mantzoukas
But then he doesn't have a baby and can walk.
Sam Richardson
Hey, dick move, bro. Thanks for the explainer, but you don't have to take Professor X to task for being in a wheelchair, bro.
Paul Scheer
Yes. You have a good question. Come here. And I always like when someone pimps out one of their friends. Here we go. Your name, your subtitle and your question. My name is Jenny. It is Highlander 2 the confusing.
June Diane Raphael
Ooh, I like that.
Paul Scheer
And I want to know where Sean Connery gets his Wham. His walking around money. Because I know that he traded it.
Sam Richardson
Was his earrings shopping, right? No, but that earring is definitely not.
Paul Scheer
Worth, at best 500 bucks.
Sam Richardson
Right?
Paul Scheer
Whoa. Not nearly as much as that suit. And then he gets on a plane. How did he get to the plane? How did he get that ticket?
Sam Richardson
Ticket? How's Michael Ironside doing? All the same stuff.
Jason Mantzoukas
I agree. That is a 400 or 500 year old earring though.
Paul Scheer
How much?
Jason Mantzoukas
They go up in value every hundred years.
Paul Scheer
So is it a cash, Is it a cash back thing? Does he give that earring to the suit place? Like. Well, I guess we'll pay you 2x thousand dollars extra.
Jason Mantzoukas
Does he take the earring and put it in the cash register?
Paul Scheer
Yeah, like.
Sam Richardson
And they seem like you. Yeah. You already changed him in 2024 needs for suits.
Paul Scheer
Yeah, but then he'd have to get like a cash back at a certain point because it would cut that earring up in half.
Sam Richardson
Right.
Paul Scheer
This is a tough question. This is a tough question. You know what?
Sam Richardson
This is the part of the movie that makes no sense. And that's a bummer because up until now everything has added up for me. But that's a hole that I feel like they didn't address, by the way.
Paul Scheer
Yeah. Where did Sean Connery get his Wham?
Sam Richardson
Yeah.
Paul Scheer
We didn't even think about that.
Virginia Madsen
And it sucks. Cause you loved it. And now your Mind's gonna go there.
Sam Richardson
Yeah. Now this movie's kind of ruined for me. Thanks a lot, lot. Wait, is Wham a thing?
Virginia Madsen
I never. I love it.
Jason Mantzoukas
Yeah.
Sam Richardson
Raise your hand if you've heard Wham before. For walking around money, everybody in her.
Paul Scheer
Row, small group friends, her three friends raised their hand.
Sam Richardson
I was just. I was just making sure I'm not insane.
Jason Mantzoukas
Yeah.
Sam Richardson
So I thought it was a new thing. Wham is not a thing. You should stop saying it.
Paul Scheer
She's trying to get it out there. Trying to get it out. I want. I want to come to you guys. You both are wearing the same sweatshirt, right? Oh, my gosh. This is great there. It's a. The room. Not the Brie Larson movie, but the Tommy Wiseau movie. And it's a Christmas sweater that says, you're tearing me apart, Lisa. But it's a Christmas. Like a Christmas decorated room sweater. It's awesome. Let's talk to both of you, Your name, your subtitle, and your question.
Virginia Madsen
My name is Brie Highlander 2. Let's get Zeisty.
Paul Scheer
Like it.
Virginia Madsen
So there's this part where Christopher Lambert.
Paul Scheer
Goes to see his former partner at.
June Diane Raphael
The shield office, where there's a lot.
Virginia Madsen
Of industrial fans happening.
Paul Scheer
And this computer screen is like this see through thing.
Virginia Madsen
And John McKinley walks in the room.
Paul Scheer
And they're acting like super secret.
Virginia Madsen
Like he can't actually just see what's on the screen. And Also, John C. McKinley doesn't say.
Paul Scheer
A word about the fact that fucking.
Virginia Madsen
Christopher Lambert, who started this company, is young.
Sam Richardson
Yeah. And not, nope, barely is a partner. His partner is like, you look great. What did you do? A facelift? He's like, something like that. If by a facelift, you mean I murdered two immortals. I, through the quickening, gained my immortality back raw dogged this lady.
Paul Scheer
Well, now at least we know he can do that without the fear of immortal impregnating her. And I. Yeah. It makes that part of the movie a lot more palatable to me.
Sam Richardson
Now I'm here talking to you, old dude.
Paul Scheer
I'm also gonna give you a little piece of work for that. And now your. Your name, your title and your question. Name's Jim Highlander 2. The free men of Zeist. The what? The free people of Zeist. Okay, got it. Love it. So this movie with Michael Ironside, his henchmen actually tell him what the plot hole of the whole fucking movie is before he starts anything in the Renegade cut. And he's just like, no, no, it's fine. Like they. The porcupine Men literally say, if you send us back in time, he's going to be in Malta again. You could just wait a couple years and he can die.
June Diane Raphael
Yes.
Sam Richardson
So the whole movie doesn't feel like that. The priests say that he could still choose to come back to Zion. Oh, God. Yeah, you're right. You're right.
Virginia Madsen
But I guess what I took away from that. And again, I don't know a ton about Highlanders, but.
Sam Richardson
Wait, what I. June. You don't even having now watched it.
Virginia Madsen
But what I took away from that was this idea of there can only be one, and if he were to die, he would be the one. Right?
Jason Mantzoukas
Yeah.
Virginia Madsen
So that's why he went.
Paul Scheer
But wouldn't there be another one?
Sam Richardson
How many? Yeah, so they don't get replaced.
Virginia Madsen
I don't know if they keep on popping up.
Sam Richardson
Is Highland okay. Now I have a question. Is Highlander a thing that throughout time there is always a Highlander, or is he the Highlander because he's from the Highlands and as a result became the Highlander? Was. Yes.
Jason Mantzoukas
Yeah, that was like his.
Sam Richardson
Okay, okay. Hey, guy.
Paul Scheer
Wow. Hey, bud.
Virginia Madsen
Whoa.
Paul Scheer
Hey, bud.
Sam Richardson
Hey, Fell.
Paul Scheer
What? The producer of the movie is here and he.
Sam Richardson
Christopher Lambert. Okay, hold on one second.
Paul Scheer
I'm done taking a. And now everybody shut up.
Sam Richardson
Except for the loudmouth. Loudmouth. Explain it very concisely.
Paul Scheer
Wait, wait. But I gotta go, too.
Virginia Madsen
I also think we've asked this question like 10 times, but I'm curious to hear it again.
Sam Richardson
Okay, he's over there. Paul. He's on the other. He's that asshole.
Paul Scheer
I'm going to go around, going around, going around. Most exercise I've gotten in weeks.
June Diane Raphael
There we go.
Paul Scheer
All right, here we go. I'll hold the mic. So he's the Highlander because he's from the Highlands. Everyone talk to us like we're idiots.
Jason Mantzoukas
Yeah, man.
Virginia Madsen
You. I fucking watch this fucking movie, bro.
Sam Richardson
Hey, hey. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Here's. Here's what's not happening. Here's what's not happening. We don't come bring the mic to you after you scream from the audience for you to condescend to me. I'm sorry. Wow. I'm sorry.
Paul Scheer
June threw down her notebook in disgust.
Sam Richardson
Wow.
Paul Scheer
Every member of the stage just got up to fight you.
Sam Richardson
I want everybody to get a look at this guy so that we know who the is.
Paul Scheer
All right? So watch. Watch your tone and explain this movie to us. All right? Here we go. So the. The immortals are like capacitors. They contain Energy from the universe. And when they kill each other by beheading each other, they gain the energy of the person they beheaded until there's only one. And he contains all of the leftover.
Sam Richardson
Energy, which is the prize which he.
Paul Scheer
Gave gets to die. Wait, so the immortals, though, are not highlanders, but the Highlander is immortal?
Sam Richardson
Yes, Is. Okay, so can I ask you this? If in the first movie, and I don't know the first movie, obviously I didn't see it, if Sean Connery had killed everybody, would the movie be called the Spaniard because he's from Spanish? It would be called the Egyptian because he was from Egypt and then went to Japan and then went. And then went to Scotland. I. I legitimately hate you, but.
Paul Scheer
June.
Sam Richardson
But I thank you for your service.
Paul Scheer
So it all comes down to this for me.
Sam Richardson
Now. Give me a howdy.
Paul Scheer
Never. June. Now it all comes down. This is what I'll say to you. And I want to ask you, in all honesty, do you have a better idea of what a street fighter is or what a Highlander is?
Virginia Madsen
You know what I think? Highlander.
Paul Scheer
So you know what a Highlander is?
Virginia Madsen
I think so. I think I have a pretty good idea.
Paul Scheer
Want to hit it back?
Virginia Madsen
No, No, I don't. I don't. But I think I have a good idea.
Paul Scheer
Oh, my God.
Virginia Madsen
I'm gonna leave it at that.
Sam Richardson
So there can be only one. Refers to only one immortal, not only one Highlander.
Paul Scheer
That's. That makes a lot more sense.
Sam Richardson
That's huge.
Paul Scheer
Cause the movie is a. I think. Yeah. The idea that there could be a movie called the Spaniard is helpful. Yeah, I think that makes sense.
Sam Richardson
And I wish it hadn't been delivered how it was delivered.
Virginia Madsen
Yeah, me too. Yeah, me too.
Jason Mantzoukas
Residual.
Sam Richardson
Residual. But I am grateful for the information.
Paul Scheer
Well, we can talk about the Highlander all day and we can talk about the Spaniard all night, but there are some people out there that have a different opinion about it than we do. It is now time for second opinions.
Sam Richardson
The movie was a piece of shit, yet this person recommends it. Tell me, what is the message? Maybe that art is subjective. I need a second opinion.
Paul Scheer
That is John Lajoie. The best, the very funny, the very talented John Lajoie.
Sam Richardson
If you have not checked out fantastic record, Go buy it on itunes.
Paul Scheer
It's really, really great. So, John, Lois, thank you so much for your second opinions theme. And these are five star reviews called from Amazon. Not many. Not even many. One star reviews. Seem like people passed this one in the reviewing matrix. They were like, not gonna Even spend the time. But I do have a few. This one is from Kevin Gandy, written on January 31, my birthday, 2015. Wrote simply, Just what my child wanted. Five stars.
Sam Richardson
To be disappointed. This one, just what my child wants. I am a divorced dad.
Paul Scheer
I don't understand my son. This is written by Lon Sugara. And this is a tough one to make sense of. So it's not me, it's Lon. My fantasies get tickles by the dream. The truth about physics is revealed just by watching movies and playing games and eating good food and experiencing different things and hanging around girls. It's really just an oxymoron for just about everyone's coverup of shit. Five stars.
Sam Richardson
Wow.
Jason Mantzoukas
Wow.
Sam Richardson
Like that's either. That's either really, really profound or it's a bot.
Paul Scheer
I don't know. We now go deeper into the pit. We go into third opinions. These are where we just see what people gave it. The one star review. This one is titled what a horrible movie. And it says, I am just confused by this plot. Did anyone read this and say, hey, this makes no sense? One star. So that is the second opinions there. Blake J. Harris will probably go deep with someone to talk about this film. You can find his articles on slashfilm.com I love doing this show. I love finding out different things. And this is something that I thought was well worth it. I have two things before we kind of wrap up. One is, well, I'll do this. First one is how the movie could have been. These are the three different endings on the three different things. The fairy tale ending. Louise and Connor return magically to Zeiss embrace in front of a field of stars. They transform into light and fly into space. That is one ending. Okay, the. Okay, this.
Sam Richardson
Like all fairy tales, there's a British.
Paul Scheer
Version which is 10 minutes long and it's closer to the original script and it includes flashbacks and an alternate ending. They don't get more of that. And then the renegade version, which is one that we've watched, is all references to the planet Zeist and them being aliens are removed. And a lot of people think this is the best one because it doesn't severely change the canon. It doesn't like alike because basically when they become aliens, it basically takes away everything that people have done.
Sam Richardson
I see.
Paul Scheer
And then they tried to make a Highlander TV show. And so Lambert declined to reprise his role. So they created a new character called Duncan McLeod who was also the Highlander. But then Lambert came back in and was in the show. So that kind of Confused the mythology again to have two Highlanders. And then another Highlander movie called Highlander 3, the Sorcerer came in. And I don't know what happened there, but this is kind of my favorite part of the entire thing. This is Roger Ebert trying to explain the plot of this movie. And let's just. I'll just start it about here because he talks some shit at the top, but. All right, here we go. Under 2. The Quickening. Plot of Highlander 2, the Quickening is one of the most hilariously incomprehensible experiences I've had in a long time. The immortals from the planet Zeiss who are caught in a time warp of their own involving the fact that they got oriented in Scotland 500 years ago. Plus events in the year 19, 1999, and more events in the year 2025. Plus the cartel, plus the ozone shield, plus the mysterious killer, plus the beautiful independent scientist who exposes the secret of the ozone. Him trying to put together the movie. And I think he does the best version of it. And that version, he said, mysterious killer. Is there a mysterious killer?
Sam Richardson
Wait, is that Michael Ironside?
Paul Scheer
I guess he's not that mysterious. All right, well, going around the horn. Does anyone recommend this movie? Would you say watch it? I mean, obviously not for quality. You know, this is not the. This is not the la la land of the season or, you know, but it's like. Would you. Would you say it's enjoyable enough?
Virginia Madsen
No.
Sam Richardson
No.
Paul Scheer
Yeah.
Jason Mantzoukas
I'm gonna say no. It fucked me up.
Virginia Madsen
It fucked me up.
Jason Mantzoukas
I'm still, like. I can't, like, think.
Paul Scheer
I feel the same. I felt like. I feel like the way maybe someone that was coming over to the New World would feel and when they saw the Statue of Liberty. But when they got off the boat, it was like, now, and it was like they came from the 1920s. Like, what? It's so much information. It broke me. This movie broke me.
Sam Richardson
It also is so convoluted that it's hard to enjoy on a, like, stupid level.
Paul Scheer
Yeah.
Sam Richardson
You know, like, because I find myself continuously just trying to be like, wait, what's actually happening?
Paul Scheer
We're a group.
Sam Richardson
I'm not enjoying the nonsense.
Paul Scheer
We're in a room of 200 people, and we're just about cracking some elements up.
Sam Richardson
Right.
Paul Scheer
Yeah. Right.
Sam Richardson
But we're also, like. We do this a lot. And I was still confounded by. Anyway, so it wasn't as fun as I wanted it to. To be. But there's some, like, true nonsense that's pretty enjoyable.
Paul Scheer
But, yeah, not worth it. Not worth it. All right, let's talk about this. So, Sam, you have a new show coming out on Comedy Central. It's called the Detroiters. Tell us a little bit about.
Jason Mantzoukas
Comes out on Comedy Central February 7th. It's about two ad men who make local, cheap, local commercials in Detroit. Stars, me and a buddy named Tim Robinson.
June Diane Raphael
And.
Jason Mantzoukas
Watch it. It's on. It'll be on tv.
Paul Scheer
Yeah, it's great. Everything I've seen from it so far looks really, really awesome. June, what do you want to talk about?
Virginia Madsen
Nothing. I'll just plug two podcasts that I really love. Bitch Sesh and omfg. Also an Earwolf.
June Diane Raphael
All right, thanks, Jason.
Paul Scheer
Um.
Sam Richardson
I'll just say, you know, we're. It's January now, where it's 2017. We're living in a new world. Yeah, but, like, if you haven't caught up with it, like, why not watch the Gilmore Girls revival on Netflix? Don't worry about it.
Paul Scheer
June and I have just started the Gilmore Girls, and we're powering through season one right now.
Sam Richardson
Ooh. It's a good. It's great.
Virginia Madsen
Loving it.
Paul Scheer
It's really good.
Sam Richardson
It's only gonna get better, and then it's gonna get real bad for a minute, and then it's gonna get real good.
Paul Scheer
Kinda like the. That moment when. Like in Friday Night Lights when. Like when.
Sam Richardson
When they kill.
Paul Scheer
When?
Sam Richardson
Oh, yeah, yeah. When they killed that guy.
Paul Scheer
Yeah. I was like, wait a second.
Sam Richardson
Everybody was like, jk, jk. That didn't happen. Sorry.
Paul Scheer
Sorry.
Jason Mantzoukas
Football, Football, football, football.
Sam Richardson
Well, just full hearts. Can't lose. Except we murdered someone, right? Do we. Are we murderers?
Paul Scheer
And the tornado wipes it all away. She's having sex with a teacher. Not cool. So you can sign up for the how to Get Made mailing list. You can find out about shows in your area because we'll have all sorts of cool mailing lists. A big thank you to everybody who makes this show possible. Marissa Zeitz, who helps us put this live show together. Everybody at Earwolf, Avery Halle for cutting together these amazing clips, watching a Highlander 2 documentary. Not only did she sit through Highlander 2 the Quickening, she sat through a documentary about the Quickening. So thank you to her, thank you to Nate, Kylie, for doing this amazing research, and thank you to all these people here at Largo. We appreciate you, we thank you, and we'll see you next time.
Jason Mantzoukas
Let's take a look at today's confidence. Market freshness is on the rise with the addition of Dove Men plus Care, Whole Body deal to daily routines everywhere. And speaking of everywhere, Dove Men defends.
Paul Scheer
Against all your odor zones.
Jason Mantzoukas
We're talking pits, we're talking privates, and.
Paul Scheer
We'Re definitely Talking about those FE with.
Jason Mantzoukas
72 hour odor protection, you can expect to see high returns on investing in yourself.
Paul Scheer
Dove men plus care whole body deal get everywhere.
Jason Mantzoukas
Everywhere care even down there. Find it at Walmart today.
Podcast Summary: "How Did This Get Made?" – Highlander II: The Quickening LIVE! w/ Sam Richardson
Release Date: July 1, 2025
Introduction
In this live episode of "How Did This Get Made?" (HDTGM) hosted by Paul Scheer, June Diane Raphael, and Jason Mantzoukas, the trio delves into the notorious sequel, Highlander II: The Quickening. Joined by comedian and actor Sam Richardson, the hosts attempt to unravel the convoluted plot of this widely criticized film, exploring its numerous plot holes, production mishaps, and overall reception.
Overview of Highlander II: The Quickening
Highlander II: The Quickening attempts to expand the original Highlander universe but quickly confuses both fans and newcomers with its intricate and poorly explained mythology. The sequel introduces the concept of the Highlanders being extraterrestrial beings from the planet Zeist, adding layers of time travel and alternate realities that stray far from the original narrative.
In-Depth Analysis and Critique
Plot Confusion and Character Dynamics
From the outset, the hosts express their bewilderment regarding the film's storyline. Paul Scheer reflects on the opening narration:
“I'm Dexter Morgan. I've been through hell, but now I'm back for my curtain call...” ([00:01])
This unconventional introduction sets the tone for the ensuing confusion.
Sam Richardson admits his unfamiliarity with the Highlander franchise:
“I have never seen Highlander. As such, I was like, oh, this must be all Highlander stuff that I'm not aware of because I didn't see Highlander.” ([07:18])
June Diane Raphael echoes the sentiment of frustration and anger toward the film's incoherence:
“I felt very scared that I had missed so much. But here's the thing. I didn't understand any of it, but I also didn't care to understand it. Yeah, that's the other part of that. I didn't care to. And that's what made me angry.” ([05:56])
Production Issues and Multiple Cuts
The discussion reveals significant production turmoil, including multiple endings and cuts that left the narrative disjointed:
“They shot three endings. There are three cuts of this movie. And the director left at a certain point, so there are some giant plot holes in it.” ([29:10])
The Renegade Cut attempts to present a version where Highlanders are from another planet, but this addition only further complicates the already tangled storyline. The hosts criticize the lack of coherence and logical progression, making it difficult for audiences to follow.
Character and Mythology Inconsistencies
The film’s mythology, particularly the introduction of characters like Sean Connery’s Ramirez and the concept of the "Quickening," is a focal point of frustration:
“The only Scottish person in the movie played a Spaniard by. Or an Egyptian, by the way of Spain. So he's a Highlander... What makes Christopher Lambert special?” ([74:02])
Jason Mantzoukas summarizes their collective confusion:
“I spent not understanding anything that was going on.” ([07:18])
Notable Quotes and Moments
Throughout the episode, the hosts share notable quotes from the film that highlight its absurdity and lack of continuity. One standout moment involves a parody of a Hamlet scene:
“Alas, poor Yorick. I knew him, Horatio... What's your fucking game, shithead?” – Sean Connery’s Ramirez ([37:12]–[38:25])
This blend of Shakespearean references with crude humor exemplifies the film’s erratic tone.
Audience Reactions and Reviews
The hosts examine real and fabricated reviews, further cementing the film's reputation:
Five-Star Reviews: Absurdly positive comments that seem out of place, such as “Just what my child wanted” and “My fantasies get tickles by the dream...” ([88:08]–[89:00])
One-Star Reviews: Genuine confusion and disappointment, exemplified by statements like “I am just confused by this plot.” ([90:23])
Roger Ebert's scathing critique is also referenced:
“Plot of Highlander 2, the Quickening is one of the most hilariously incomprehensible experiences I've had in a long time.” ([91:00])
Conclusion and Final Thoughts
After an exhaustive and often exasperated discussion, the hosts reach a unanimous conclusion:
“The movie was a piece of shit... It fucked me up.” – Jason Mantzoukas ([92:54]–[93:04])
They lament the film’s inability to present a coherent story, its reliance on nonsensical plot devices, and poor character development. Despite the hosts' efforts to dissect and understand the film, Highlander II: The Quickening ultimately stands as a testament to how a sequel can dramatically falter by deviating too far from its source material without providing a satisfying narrative for audiences.
Closing Remarks
The episode wraps up with plugs for upcoming projects and other shows the hosts enjoy, maintaining their signature blend of humor and camaraderie. They express their appreciation for their live audience and the continued support from listeners.
Key Takeaways:
Notable Quotes:
Timestamp Highlights:
Note: This summary excludes advertisements, introductory segments, and non-content sections to focus solely on the discussion and analysis of Highlander II: The Quickening. Readers unfamiliar with the podcast or the film will gain a comprehensive understanding of the hosts' perspectives and critiques.