“Revolution, Part 1″

Flash and Terek meet as they plan how to best unite the cantons.  Flash will be Terek’s mouthpiece while Ming musters her forces.  After Fria makes good on her oath to trade her icewater with every canton but Ming, Ming orders an attack on Frigia.

Aura reaches out to Rankol to discuss Ming’s suspicions of him, and they reach an accord of sorts.  Rankol’s loyalty is murky but it is quite intriguing.

Ming goes to the monks to try to determine what to do next.  We learn that Barin has been exiled to the dark isles which explains his absence.

As the episode goes on it seeminlgy becomes more and more like a set up episode, unfortunate given what we have already seen to set up so far.

But it is only in spurts.  Flash gathers the cantons and gets them to listen to Terek while a spy for Ming ferrets out the goings on and attempts to assassinate Terek, but Flash gets him out of the way.  The spy escapes.  Flash and Vultan track him down.

Meanwhile Ming’s forces met with stiff resistance in Frigia, but Ming forces them to continue.  Demanding to see the monks, he bursts in and finds Rankol among their ranks.  Ming is predictably pissed at Rankol’s deceit.

Dale tries to get her boss to let her do her report but he rejects it saying it is hogwash.  Taking the ultimate jump, she puts it on anyways.

Meanwhile Flash and Vultan find out that the spy was sent by Azura.  Vultan kills him, telling Flash that it was now war.

Aura leaves the city to join Terek’s force, despite his wishes and meets with Vestra.   The memory stone goes off, leading Aura to guess that Vestra is her mother, but with the knowledge of the blood oath, Vestra still denies it.

Meanwhile back on earth government agents track Dale down and attempt to take her in but she escapes.

When Terek is informed of the spy, he decides to take the cantons warriors and attack Nascent City while Ming’s troops are in Frigia.   Flash is dismayed and warns against it, but Terek says the spy has forced his hand.  They use Aura to break into the city like a Trojan horse to raid Ming’s weapon storehouse, but Ming finds Aura and takes her with him, as he vents on Rankol’s betrayal.  Aura confronts him about Vestra and accuses Ming of being the deviate, and Ming grows even more insane, confining her to her room.

Baylin and Zarkov need Rankol’s blood to get into his lab, so they go and get a sample.  After Rankol asks them for release, Zarkov desires to help.  They let him go but Baylin stuns him so he won’t follow them.  Rankol awakens and goes to the Deviate stronghold and trying to ally himself with Terek.   After a battle of wit, Rankol gives his allegience to Rankol.

Flash saves Aura and lets her go back to her mission of raiding the weapons hold.  It is a moment where Aura has proven her worthiness and her rise above the spoiled brat she was when they first met.  Maybe it’s the rise in quality of the show, but even her horrible acting isn’t nearly as atrocious or jarring as it had been.

Meanwhile Dale turns to Mrs. Gordon as she doesn’t know where else to go while on the run from the government agents. They have to find someplace safe.   Where could they go that was away from the agents?  Mongo.

Aura’s raid is succesful and the revolution is armed and ready to go.

Meanwhile Ming has taken Vestra captive and punishes her for Aura’s discovery.  He forces her to drink the gray water, turning her into a Deviate for when the secret comes out, he can blame her bloodline.

Zarkov, Baylin and Flash find the Imex and steal it, but setting off alarms.

Aura and Rankol reunite in Terek’s stronghold as the revolution prepares to begin.

The war for Mongo is on…and almost as importantly, Flash finds the most important thing he could have found…his father.

The episode slows up a bit and the introduction of Mrs. Gordon to Mongo is…questionable, but overall it still serves as a good but not great setup episode.  It takes a bit to get there, but ultimately the ending is very strong.

B

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