Watcher Business
the watchers
It can sometimes be difficult for TV viewers to keep track of all of Highlander's Immortal characters, to understand their histories and motivations. Handily, the series has a group of historians who keep tabs on Duncan MacLeod and his kind. Still, the Watchers are more than just an "exposition society", and some of the best stories arise from their machinations.
The Watchers are a secret society of mortals who observe and record the lives of Immortals. Most Watchers are assigned to specific Immortals, though some serve as researchers and administrators. Their findings have been noted for centuries in journals called the Chronicles. They recognize one another by distinctive tattoos worn on their wrists. While most Watchers are benign, they can represent a threat to Immortals when their strict rules are disregarded.
Foremost among these rules is that of non-interference. They generally believe that fate will decide the winner of the Game, and that is isn't the Watchers' place to change the outcome, or give any one Immortal a distinct advantage. However, the rules have been bent or broken by several Watchers, notable cases being those of James Horton and Joe Dawson - both introduced at the end of season one.
James Horton leads a splinter group called the Hunters. His fanatical beliefs drive him to kill Immortals - good or bad - in a plan to exterminate these "freaks of nature". They pose a major threat to Immortals, since they can't be sensed and aren't bound by any rules.
When the Hunters slaughter Darius, a kindly priest and Duncan's great friend, the Highlander aims to avenge his death. While Duncan and Joe Dawson manage to end the Hunters' activities, killing Horton proves to be one of Mac's most intense struggles.
Duncan first discovers the Watchers' existence through Joe, and the two remain friends after defeating Horton. Yet Joe breaks the Watchers' rules himself in maintaining this relationship and repeatedly aiding Mac. He faces trial for his actions after 5 years, in One Minute to Midnight. Only Duncan and Joe's loyalty to one another prevents an all-out war between the Immortals and Watchers.
The Watchers return to the shadows until the film Endgame, when it's revealed that they've created a place called the Sanctuary for Immortals weary of the game. They are kept drugged, re-living the happy memories of their past and forgetting the pain and loneliness of immortality. This service seems to be a violation of the non-interference oath, as it keeps Immortals out of the game to prevent an evil one from winning the Prize. However, the violent slaughter ordered by Jacob Kell brings an effective end to the Sanctuary. Also, in the film, we see that the Watchers have long been tallying Immortal killings by computer, a chilling revelation.
The Watchers' information is often as helpful to the viewer as it is to Mac. Through them, we gain the perspective of ordinary people witnessing the extraordinary.
