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Melissa Berkowitz is a young mortal woman who worked as a hairdresser in Seacouver during the day, but by night was a pickpocket and thrill-seeker.
In 1995, she met Amanda at Joe's tavern. Amanda noticed Melissa's play for a man at one of the tables, and assessed her work like a tutor with a student. When Melissa successfully scored the man's car keys and made a dash, Amanda called her over and gave her a critique of her work, asking why she hadn't gone for the man's wallet. Melissa explained she wasn't a thief, but she was bored, and wanted the keys for a joyride in the man's BMW.
Amanda invited Melissa to accompany her for a bit more 'rush' that night and they broke into LaBelle's Jewelry, just to set off the alarm and run away. Melissa was thrilled and excited, and completely delighted to have accompanied Amanda, "This is outrageous! I mean I do some crazy things sometimes, but this is just...." "Fun," supplied Amanda. "Yeah!"
Melissa after bonding with Amanda
Delighted with her young friend, Amanda took MacLeod to meet her at her place of work, where the girl had completely transformed her look to mimic Amanda's. Amanda, slightly taken aback, still seemed flattered, but MacLeod, stunned, said, "I think one of you is enough."
Simon Killian, however, an immortal who was hunting MacLeod, had his minions follow and record MacLeod's actions. They returned to Killian with photos of Amanda who he called the perfect bait. Unfortunately, his minions kidnapped Melissa, thinking she was Amanda. Melissa told Killian he was mistaken, that his photos were of Amanda, and she had only just met MacLeod, "I'm a nobody." Killian believed her. Killian allowed his venomous spiders to bite the girl, and then took her to MacLeod's dojo to dump her, knowing his presence would bring MacLeod, who would then be both distracted and determined to challenge.
Amanda stayed with Melissa and called an ambulance for the girl. She was taken to the hospital where her condition was touch and go. She did survive, but Amanda was wracked with guilt, "She was trying to be like me, she almost died....I forgot how fragile they are," and left Seacouver to do some thinking.
She made a full recovery and her last known location, according to the Watchers, was the Hair-n-Now Salon in Los Angeles, California.
Trivia[]
Although Lisa Butler was not the only actor on Highlander to have played more than one character, she is one of the only actors to have played five separate characters: Jillian O'Hara in Not to Be; Genevieve Hill in Haunted; Melissa in The Colonel; Kenny's mother in Reunion; and a passing woman in The Innocent.