~  Highlander: The Raven/L'Immortelle n. The Frame  CAN/FRANCE TV Series 1998:  Series 1, Episode 16  Ronan content: approx  17.7%   (45 mins) Character: Sir Trevor, art collector and Cold Hearted Bastard Cast: Elizabeth Gracen Amanda, Paul Johansson Nick Wolf,  Robert Cavanah Father Liam Riley, Charlotte Lewis Jade,  Ronan Vibert Sir Trevor Benton, Philippe Caroit Inspector Colbert, Availablity: Video box set available in France. Repeats regularly on Sci-Fi digital channel.

Plot/Comments: Watchable cult spin-off fodder of a higher class than the 'original' Highlander  television series.     Amanda (an immortal sword-wielding cat-burglar) and faithful-sidekick, brawny ex-cop Wolff, end up in Paris where they run into one of Amanda's (seemingly endless) nemeses and immortal rivals, Jade.      An elaborate scam involving a priceless modern masterpiece, numerous double-crosses,  and immortal payback ensues, with the villain taking the form of Ronan Vibert as Sir Trevor Benton: a smooth, cold-hearted, cruel, controlling, and moneyed British aristo.  Clad in expensive, refined Gordon Gekko suits and immaculately groomed, Vibert  displays a finely-honed, buttoned-down, unblinking  psychopathy which is riveting.

This French/Canadian co-production was axed after one  series but enjoys quite a cult following and is of a far better quality than you would expect: the actual plotlines win no prizes for originality, but the interplay between the  characters gives them a chance to grow, and there are plenty of juicy lines for the bad guys.  This episode was one of the best of the series: easy to watch, entertaining, some good set-pieces, witty lines which add spark to the characters, and great speeches for Vibert.

Ronan content:  Ronan gives a steely-eyed, angry, icy performance, adding a classy polish to the  Richard III-meets-The Godfather lines.     As the episode progresses and the plot unwinds, he gives Sir Trevor a sense of crumbling panic as he begins to lose control of the situation.     Vibert gets plenty of boo-hiss Big Villain scenes, of the type that Alan Rickman  traditionally gets. In addition to the aforementioned Marble Scene (see quote, left), one of the most memorable has him abruptly and coldly clouting his Big Bruiser henchman with the sharp edge of an antique jug and then chastising him for bleeding on the  priceless  carpet.      A particularly nice touch can be seen  when Sir Trevor is addressing the assembled glitterati with a speech commemorating his donation of the priceless masterpiece. Vibert adds enough 'uhms' and 'ahs' to reinforce that this is a businessman speaking in public, rather than an actor spewing his lines.

Back Scarlet Pimpernel  Back Canterbury Tales Next Talos the Mummy Next Ocean Acrobats VIBERTOGRAPHY

The only problem with the character of Sir Trevor is that the viewer never believes that this controlling, stalking wolf/viper of a  villain would ever fall for the final ransom double-cross (when he is found unconscious and framed for stealing the painting and trying to replace it with a fake), when he could have sent someone else to do it for him.      This enormous plot hole and over-convenient breakdown of the main baddie is relieved somewhat by the increasing flickers of desperation that Vibert allows to show through Sir Trevor's emotional armour.

Typical Ronan Character Quotes: "When I was 12 I had the most incredible bag of marbles -- cat's eyes. Billy Donnelly tried to relieve me of them...12 stitches over his eye -- still got the scar. And me...I got my marbles back...and his. That's how you build an empire: one bloody marble at a time...and nobody...screws with you".  "Lovely man: I shagged his daughter in the china closet at Kensington Palace the day I got my O.B.E." Trainspotter Comments and Queries: Robert Cavanah, who guest starred with Vibert in Cadfaelas his do-gooding nemesis, features as Father Liam Riley (an immortal: he had a regular spot in the French episodes of the series). They have no scenes together in Highlander: the Raven.  This makes yet another occassion when Vibert has worked again with a past co-star. See What Goes Around Comes Around in Loose Ends for a list of other recurring co-stars.