Bill Panzer said that Tessa became popular with the program 's audience . Rob Lineberger called Tessa " ... beautiful and spirited , " and said that " ... she is the perfect mortal foil for MacLeod 's heavy concerns . She lighten and strengthen him . " Reviewer Abbie Bernstein of the Audio Video Revolution website wrote that Tessa was " ... depicted not as a screechy , in @-@ the @-@ dark Lois Lane but rather as a woman who handle her lover ’ s supernatural aspects with remarkable pragmatism . " Berstein added that Tessa was " estimable " and " ... an unusually gutsy love interest ( not to mention a refreshing sexually active heroine , as opposed to the coy ' sexual tension ' -generating females who usually populate the genre ) . " Other reviewers had a more negative opinion . Reviewer Gord Lacey of TVShowsOnDVD.com " ... found it odd that everyone liked Tessa because [ he ] found her rather annoying . " Reviewer Doug Anderson of The Sydney Morning Herald wrote that Tessa was " ... too arty and sympathetic to serve any purpose other than an emotional spur for the hero 's vengeance . "