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SERIES BACKGROUND: The Immortal is a Lorenzo Lamas series, much like Renegade in that it is filled with some humor, some corny dialogue, bad acting, bad puns and ridiculously unrealistic fight sequences - but this show also adds some of the worst special effects you'll ever see in a television series. Like Renegade, this series is designed for entertainment value only, and even trying to take it seriously would deprive anyone of his or her sanity. The main idea of the show is this: hundreds of years ago the wife of Raphael Cain (the Immortal) was killed and his daughter was kidnapped, so somehow he managed to get a shot at making good on an oath: as long as demons still roam the Earth, he will be able to stick around long enough to send the last one back to Hell. In short, it's not reasonable to call this series good television, but it definitely has its amusing moments and isn't a bad way to kill an hour for anyone who just wants some mindless entertainment. If you're a fan of Highlander, you'll even get some of the ""where the hell did that sword come from" element that Highlander provided us with for six years.
OVERALL IMPRESSIONS: Surprisingly, this was a highly entertaining episode, despite all the holes that could be punched in it regarding plot, logic, continuity, etc (as an example, in a fairly large crowd Cain kills a demon cop and sends him into a fiery funnel-shaped path to Hell, and nobody notices except for Cain and the girl the cop was hassling). Much like Renegade, this is a show that can be enjoyed as long as you accept that it's entertainment only.
KUDOS TO GABRIELLE: If you're among the visitors of this site who think I'm too complimentary to Gabrielle in my reviews, you won't be getting a much of a break in this one. Out of all of her guest appearances that I've seen to date, this one is my favorite and probably most impressive as well. If you're a fan of Gabrielle's, especially if you're familiar with her work on Corner Gas, I urge to do whatever you can to find a copy of this and watch the same actress who is so convincing as Lacey Burrows do Satan's work and be so good at that as well.
It's true that this episode isn't the most serious hour of drama ever recorded (or anywhere close to it), but by watching it you'll be able to see that if this actually were serious drama, Gabrielle could easily handle the role of an evil satanic bitch in that as well. Because this is a tongue-in-cheek show, Gabrielle gets the chance to add humor to a role of pure evil does it perfectly. In one scene that cracked me up, she describes Raphael Cain as someone who "makes me like PMS." She's absolutely incredible as she insults her lackey and slaps him around like a tetherball, which I found all the more impressive since she's so skilled at playing likeable characters.
Particularly funny was seeing her slap around her lackey after his failed attempt to shoot Amente's "wood nymph slut sister" with a poison arrow. At various points in the episode, among other things, she calls him "moron," "idiot," "pinhead," threatens to make him a lifeguard at Hell's lava pools, shoves him around like a linebacker, calls her sisters "sluts" and "tarts," drinks a flaming shot of liquor that she lights with her own finger, and asks why "The Boss" can't send her any good help. It's tough to imagine Lacey Burrows doing any of this, which makes Gabrielle's versatility as an actress all the more amazing. Also highly amusing: near the end of the episode, after everything she has done and when she's in deep trouble, she describes herself to Cain as "a sweet but misguided young girl, misled by The Master of Darkness," adding "just ask my shrink."
It is worth pointing out that Alex Zahara, who plays Amente's lackey, does an amazing job himself. It was hilarious watching him kiss Amente's ass while she dumped on him at almost every step, and the way he addressed her with respectful titles such as "Your Depraved Wickedness," "Your Darkness," "Mistress of Maliciousness," "Princess of Putrescence," "Your Soulessness," and "My All-Knowing Lady of Wickedness" was side-splittingly funny.
APPEARING HERE AND ELSEWHERE WITH GABRIELLE: April Telek, who plays Dr. Sarah Beckman in this episode, also played Brittany in "Dead Man's Gun" (segment: "The Great McDonacle) and Rhonda Rowan (the TV reporter) in "Voyage of Terror." Mark Holden, who played the demon cop in this episode, played Hunter in "Inspectors2: A Shred of Evidence."