Hunters (Hrs)

Ein schlechter Verlierer

Week starting September 27th, 1992

Peter Mitchell

Michael A. Levine

Daniel Kash as Macavoy

The episode opens with Nick and Schanke trying to convince Anderson to take the job as daytime commander. A shot rings out, and Anderson falls into Schanke's arms, dead.

Schanke convinces Stonetree to allow him and Nick to investigate Anderson's death. When they return to the station, Schanke picks up his mail and finds an envelope along with his week-old police gazette. He opens the envelope and finds a picture of himself inside with a target drawn on it. Nick and Stonetree soon realize that Schanke is the next target. Schanke is put under protective custody, but the killer soon finds him. A bomb is planted in his hotel room and it blows as Nick is walking to his car. Schanke survives the explosion, but the officer protecting him doesn't.

Nick goes through all cases relating to Schanke and Anderson. He finds no leads. When it begins to look like an inside job, he realizes there is only one safe place for his friend. He takes Schanke to the Raven and asks Janette to keep him.

Schanke becomes restless as the day proceeds. He decides to follow one of the Raven's guests to the cellar. Janette catches him just before he learns the truth about the occupants in her cellar. She is forced to keep him entertained with stories of Nick's bravery in Chicago.

The idea of someone on the force being responsible for Anderson's death makes Stonetree suggest going through everyone's records. When Nick asks Norma (records officer) to look up info on Schanke's and Anderson's past, she begins to question the absence of Nick's records. Nick is forced to ask Janette to contact Larry Merlin (vampire forger) to give him a past.

Schanke's restlessness in the Raven increases. He convinces Janette to allow him to go across the street to buy the latest Police Gazette. While glancing at the personals column he finds a message threatening Myra and Jenny and insisting that Schanke meet him on "memory lane". Schanke rushes to the academy training facilities to meet the killer. When Janette realizes that Schanke is not returning she calls Nick.

Schanke is forced to go through the training course while the killer (Macavoy) is shooting at him, and reporting his mediocrity during training. Schanke gets shot in the arm, but continues to follow Macavoy's voice.

Nick arrives just in time as Macavoy prepares to shoot Schanke. He screams, and Schanke drops quickly and shoots, killing Macavoy. The episode ends with Nick explaining to Schanke that even though his shooting scores at the academy were low, he was still a very good cop.

The first flashback opens with Nick, Lacroix, and Janette being chased through the woods, on horseback, during the day. They stop at a farm house and send the horses on, thinking the hunters will follow them. They don't...

In the second flashback the hunters catch up with our vampire trio. When one of the hunters start to break through the window, Nick pulls him inside. He vamps out and attacks the man as Lacroix repeats "No mercy!".

The third flashback shows a second hunter coming through the window with an axe. Nick dispatches him with the broken tool handle. This one is shown from Janette's perspective.

The forth flashback shows Lacroix and Janette retreating to the cellar. Nick refuses to follow because one hunter still remains. The hunter comes at him with a cross raised. Lacroix reaches up from under the floor and trips the attacker making it easier for Nick to finish him.

This episode is one of my favorites because we get to know many intimate details of Schanke's life. Instead of just comic relief, he becomes a real person and a real partner. We see just how much Nick cares for him when he asks Janette to put herself and the community at risk to save him. Because of this "favor", we get our first look at the Raven's cellar. Another thing that I enjoy about this episode is the introduction of Larry Merlin, vampire forger, who gives Nick a past.

FoDs	We get to know a lot about Schanke in this episode, from his nickname (Doughnut Don) to his scores at the academy.
Ravens	Janette has some great lines in this episode, and we get to see her reacting to someone other than Nick.
Immortal Beloveds	Janette does two favors for Nick in this episode, proving her love for him.

Nick to Janette:	"There's someone hunting him. He's a target. If anyone should be able to understand it, we should."
Janette to Schanke:	"We cater to the occasional fetishist."
Janette to Nick:	"Let the hunted become the hunter!"
Schanke:	"Igor Stravinsky, Charlie Parker, the Beatles... The world of music has as many facets as the gem of life, each beautiful in it's own way."

Act 1:

• Just after the shooting, Nick asks Stonetree to cut Schanke some slack, but the captain says no. He lost a partner once, and shot the killer -- and it didn't help.
• One skyline shot before est. shot of precinct station, and part of the flashback horseback chase.

Act 3:

• "Filler" scene of Nick sitting at his piano, fiddling with the keys and with a lighted candle while we hear voice-overs from earlier in the episode.
• A lonnnnggg music video sequence to "Touch the Night" with Nick driving through night-time Toronto (just before Schanke at the Raven complains that the brass should just let him go after the guy).

Not available