Joe Dawson (Highlander) - Appearances

Appearances

Dawson is first introduced in the first episode of season two, "The Watchers" (1993), as a middle-aged, scholarly man working as a clerk in a bookshop owned by James Horton in Seacouver, Washington, United States. MacLeod has been led there by a clue written by Darius on the Fifth chronicle, an old book MacLeod found in Darius' rectory after his death. MacLeod does not know at first that Dawson is his Watcher, but Dawson tells him the truth after MacLeod knocks out two Hunters: "I probably know more about you than you know about yourself. (...) I could tell you the time and place you became Immortal, the name of your first love, but that's not important. What is important, is that you care about mortals, and you don't kill for pleasure." When MacLeod doubts his story, Dawson tells him with a smile, "You've been around for four hundred years. You'd feel it if I were lying to you. You can always kill me. But between you and me, I hope you don't have to." This episode also introduces Dawson's family, his brother-in-law James Horton and his niece, Horton's daughter Lynn. Dawson is stunned to learn that Darius was probably killed by Watchers. Dawson reports this to Horton and has to witness MacLeod's confrontation with Horton. MacLeod finally convinces Dawson he is telling the truth. Dawson and his niece Lynn confront Horton, who is finally injured by MacLeod. Dawson and the Watchers disappear from the bookshop.

In "Turnabout" (1993), Dawson asks MacLeod to stop Immortal Quenten Barnes. MacLeod agrees because Barnes is threatening his friend Michael Moore. No one realizes that Barnes and Moore are the same person. Conversely, when MacLeod asks him to break the rules of the Watchers to get information, Dawson hesitates before accepting.

In "The Zone" (1993), Dawson asks MacLeod for help again, to check if the leader of the Zone is Immortal but tells him, "Be careful around Canaan, allright ? I would hate to lose another friend", to which MacLeod retorts, "Since when did we become friends ?" When MacLeod tells Dawson Canaan is not immortal, but he still wants more help from Dawson to stop him, MacLeod tells, "There are people that watch and there are people that do."

In "Under Color of Authority" (1994), Dawson mentions bird-watching is a "lot less dangerous than keeping an eye on " and adds, "You know, maybe we should both stick to watching the birds, MacLeod. That'd be much safer all around."

In "Unholy Alliance" (1994), Dawson tells MacLeod two Immortals have been shot by mortals and then beheaded by an Immortal and adds, "You watch yourself, MacLeod." When Dawson learns that the mysterious Immortal is Xavier St. Cloud, he decides to help MacLeod despite MacLeod's warnings. Dawson introduces MacLeod to Barton, Xavier's Watcher, ignoring that Barton is a renegade Watcher helping Xavier and James Horton to behead Immortals. After Horton shots Charlie DeSalvo, Dawson pretends not to know that Horton is still alive. MacLeod meets Horton in the Dawson family crypt and Horton hints that Dawson knew he was alive. MacLeod follows Dawson to a wharf when Dawson meets Horton and see them together. Later, Dawson tells MacLeod, "After you fought with Horton, I had to take him to the hospital. He was dying. (...) He surprised us all. But I made sure he was through with the Watchers, MacLeod." When MacLeod angrily asks why Dawson failed to tell him this, Dawson answers, "Because I knew you'd kill him. (...) I've known the man for twenty-five years, he's my sister's husband. I couldn't just let him die. (...) I didn't even know he was here, until you said you saw him... I had to find out why he came back." When MacLeod angrily asks what Dawson would have done if he had known what Horton was really doing, Dawson cannot answer. MacLeod is hurt by this breach of trust and answers, "Next time I see you will be the last."

In "Unholy Alliance Part Two" (1994), Dawson tries to regain MacLeod's trust by giving him the address of Xavier and Horton's hiding, telling him, "What's done is done, MacLeod. I can't take it back. (...) Maybe we weren't friends, but we did trust one another once, based on nothing more than a feeling. I just hope you can trust me now. (...) Whether you believe me or not is up to you. But it's the truth." MacLeod actually finds Xavier and Horton where Dawson told him they were. Later in Paris, Dawson finds Horton as Horton is about to flee in a boat and aims a gun at him. Despite Horton's claim that "we're family," Dawson shoots him. When MacLeod hears the sound of the shot and joins him, Dawson tells him, "We make mistakes... we clean them up." The script remarks, "A debt has been repaid."

In "Counterfeit Part Two" (1994), Dawson meets MacLeod and Richie to warn them that Horton might have resurfaced. After MacLeod meets Lisa Milon, a perfect lookalike of his deceased lover Tessa sent by Horton, Richie turns to Dawson for help. Dawson agrees to investigate Lisa. As Horton tries to shoot Dawson, Richie throws himself in front of Dawson and saves his life. Dawson finds extraordinary to witness Richie's death and revival and asks him what it is like to come back. Then he tells Richie, "I owe you one." Later, Dawson prevents Horton from shooting MacLeod in the cemetery where Tessa is buried. After MacLeod kills Horton, Dawson says he will take care of the body.

Joe eventually opens his own jazz club and bar called Joe's where Joe himself and several bands perform. Music, indeed jazz music, is a love of Joe's as he is seen performing songs in a few instances. The bar, apart from providing Joe with an income also acted as a cover for his activities with the Watchers. The bar also acts as a meeting place for other Watchers who may be in the area as Joe is seen hosting a card game in the bar with other Watchers in attendance. The extent to which the staff of the bar know about the Watchers in never disclosed.

Joe Dawson served in the United States Marine Corps in Vietnam under Immortal Andrew Cord. In 1968, after seeing Cord shot, Joe accidentally stepped on a landmine, blowing him up. He was saved by the resurrected Cord, who carried him on his back the sixteen miles to the nearest field hospital. There he tried to tell the psychiatrist that it had been Cord who had saved him, but was told that Cord was dead. Later, he was told that he had his legs amputated.

Not being able to cope with the loss of his legs, he tried to commit suicide by shooting himself. Before he was able to do that, he was visited by a Watcher named Ian Bancroft, who told him about immortality. Joe found a new meaning to his life and became a Watcher, owing it, in his perspective, to Andrew Cord. Bancroft would become Joe's mentor within the Watchers and a close friend. That year, he begun his Watcher career as an historian. He later became a field Watcher, observing Immortals like Roy Ferrer (1971–1974) and Liza Grant (1975–1978), later being assigned to Duncan MacLeod in 1979.

The Watcher oath states that they can only observe and record, but never interfere. Because of the developing friendship between Duncan MacLeod and Joe, he has been forced to break that oath, almost leading to his execution by his fellow Watchers. Joe, himself, is shown to be conflicted about breaching his oath; especially during the beginning of his friendship with Duncan. Over the long term however, Joe forms a strong friendship with Duncan which brings him into conflict with his fellow Watchers.

Joe met his untimely demise in Highlander: The Source, trying to rescue immortal Reggie Weller from the Guardian, who responded by running him through with the shattered blade of Duncan MacLeod's sword. However, the events of The Source have been acknowledged by the actors and Series head writer David Abramowitz as having been nothing more than a bad dream, and are not part of the overall continuity.

It is revealed in the 2008 short film Highlander: Reunion, said to take place a decade after the end of Series, that Dawson has begrudgingly been retired from the Watchers, just shy of 40 years of service. Dawson tells his long-time friend and former Watcher Methos that a new, 28-year-old Watcher has been assigned to Duncan MacLeod. His replacement is a Princeton University graduate and member of Phi Beta Kappa and is not physically handicapped as he is.