Re: Highlander Character Seminar: Mikey Bellow in The Innocent

Post 3

                   Questions For Further Study

1)Was Mikey autistic?  Could he have become more functional with
professional help?

2)Why do you think Mikey became obsessed with trains?  What need did
this obsession satisfy for Mikey?

3)Why was Mikey interested in the empty water containers?

4)Mikey seemed oblivious to reality, but he pointedly ignored the
K'Immie when he offered to take Mikey to a place where he can ride
trains all day.  He must have been aware that the K'Immie wasn't
sincere.  Was Mikey more intelligent than the K'Immie thought?  Was
Mikey aware of the Game?

5)Is it a coincidence that Mikey spoke of the Trans-Siberian railway
while he was in prison?  You would think Mikey wouldn't be aware of
Siberia as a location for prison camps, but maybe he really does know
more than anyone imagines.  Could the trains be a metaphorical code
that he's using in an attempt to communicate?

6)Why does Mikey finally tell Duncan what happened to Alan and Helen
after he's killed the cops?

7)Mikey tells Richie that he didn't want to hurt anyone, but he
certainly did want to hurt the police when the cop car ran him down,
and he probably wanted to hurt them when they were trying to arrest
him for murder.  Where did Mikey's aggressive impulses come from?

8)Given Mikey's circumstances, his decision to be beheaded by an
oncoming train seems mature and appropriate.  Do you respect Mikey by
the end of the episode?  What is your conclusion about Mikey?

9)Do you think Mikey is in "train heaven" after his death?

This is a powerful episode that presents an ethical dilemma and
therefore displays David A.'s stamp on the series.

Next time I hope to post about Richie in this episode.

Professor Shomeret