William Panzer, "When we cast Stan, we were just looking for a good actor and we found one, likable, charming, and building a very nice fanbase. We had not anticipated, when we cast him, that the option might exist for him to become an immortal. But we laid at that into the very first episode, 'The Gathering.'" Panzer was referring to MacLeod sensing an immortal in the first episode and concluding it is Richie before the villain Quince then arrives. In every other instance when the show featured an immortal sensing another, they were able to zero in on exactly who it was they sensed and not mistakenly target another person standing nearby. Along with this, Connor MacLeod shows an interest in Richie at the end of the episode, telling Duncan the young man will need someone to look after him. These two moments could be later be seen clues of Richie's immortality or could be dismissed as Duncan's senses being out of practice due to having spent years away from the Game and Connor wanting Duncan to make sure the young man simply did not tell others about the immortals he had witnessed. Another instance is in the season 1 finale "The Hunters," when Richie arrives on the barge and the immortal Hugh Fitzcairn sees him then looks questioningly at Duncan. While this could have been Hugh wondering if this new arrival was someone who already knew about immortals and could be trusted to join their discussion freely, it could also be that Hugh sensed Richie as a "pre-immortal" and was curious if Duncan had told the boy what he was or not. The producers of Highlander: The Series remarked that the show became darker and more cynical following the death of character Tessa and that Richie was a major example of this, grieving for his friend while also discovering his immortality. Associate Creative Consultant Gillian Horvath recalled "it changed the tone of the show. It made Highlander the show where you couldn't be positive that the characters were safe because they were in the credits." Reviewer Rob Lineberger said, "Richie and Duncan relate to each other differently from now on, and Duncan is bereft of much of his joy [and] moodier as well. Tessa is no longer around to lighten him." Creative Consultant and Executive Producer David Abramovitz said, "You can't keep a character a street punk for