The discovery of a bracelet belonging to a lost love brings Duncan back to his home village with Joe in tow. There Duncan discovers a series of murders are the work of an old Immortal enemy, Kanwulf.
You can forgive the show a few indulgences here. The sweeping vistas and folk singing just scream someone showing off that they're in Scotland, but they're utterly beautiful so all's forgiven.
Less forgivable is the melodrama of the flashback to Duncan's tragic losses in his youth. It's all a bit overwrought, and it's Duncan, so we know marriage and babies isn't on the cards and it's leading to tragedy.
The character of Rachel MacLeod is hard to like at first, with her sour attitude towards Duncan, but she proves a loyal supporter once she finally realises his good intentions. Kanwulf makes one of the most chilling villains we've seen and we get a brilliant atmospheric final fight slightly spoiled by an abrupt ending.
It's also nice to get a callback to Duncan's rejection by his clan as seen way back in the show's second episode, and the discovery that his mother still welcomed him.
First appearance of Rachel MacLeod, who'll be back later in the season in Deliverance. Duncan's father Ian made his first flashback appearance in Season 1's Family Tree and is joined here by his wife Mary: They'll both be back in flashback in the Season 5 opener Prophecy. Ironically, that episode's villain is played by Gerard Plunkett, who has a small role here as a rival antiques buyer. Joe mentions Duncan hasn't been back to Scotland in 250 years, presumably since around Culloden. He also suggests Duncan and the bad guy just go their separate ways both alive, so he seems to have forgotten what show he's in.
We get entirely new opening titles, with new opening narration by Jim Byrne, which now actually references Joe. Anne's officially off the regular cast so we're down to three regulars again for the first time since Season 1. And one of them isn't in it.
