“Blink” is an example of what’s wrong with the 4400 recently.  On a whole nothing is explicitly wrong with the show per se.  Especially as an individual episode.  But there’s no connection.  The focus is again missing.  This has been the biggest problem of the show thus far.  No consistency in focus.  The writers grab a focus and go with it for a few episodes but then it dwindles.

Blink specifically decides to put the dramatic tension of Tom and Diana’s past lives that have supposedly haunted them although this is the first we’ve heard about it and we get to see them both confront them.  The device used in this scenario to propel these confrontations, is a new street drug, labeled Blink.  It gets people to confront those subconscious things that bother them.  It has caused three people to commit suicide from the visions having that much effect.

In the beginning of the episode we see a young woman confronting the uncle that abused her before jumping off the roof to escape him.

NTAC is called in because the Blink has traces of promicin in it.  In a related scenario Dan and Diana both got packages of cookies supposedly from each other that end up being laced with the Blink.

We learn that Tom has Daddy issues.  His father was never there for him and bordered on abusive until finally he ignored him jealous of Tom’s advancement to the FBI.  Then he died.  Well he’s back and he’s played by Brian Dennehy…one of the only saving graces of the epsiode.  Dennehy is a gifted actor who always brings a great presence to anything he’s in and in this episode it seems like a waste.

Diana on the other hand confronts her exfiancee that cheated on her two weeks before their wedding.  He is the reason for all of her men issues.

Honestly, the story of finding out who is behind Blink and what they are after is all secondary, rudimentary and even predictable.  Of course it’s the delivery guy, Randy.  The delivery guy got the promicin from secretions from his grandmother.  His grandmother’s body oils produce the effect.  She learned about it and always wore gloves afterwards except for when in the garden, thus the herbs that form promicin.

Randy thought he was doing everyone a favor by letting them confront their darkest memories.

But in the end la di da…the only change is that it appears at the end that Diana is going to break it off with Marco because deep down she knows it’s not going anywhere.  Kind of lame reason to break them up. I actually liked them together and thought they should stay together for awhile at least.

The only other part of the story that actually has long term repercussions is the ongoing Shawn-Isabelle routine.  Isabelle now demands they get married and tells Shawn it will happen no matter what.  I’ll be honest I loved and hated it.  I loved it because at least it meant something.  I hated it because honestly at this point I just want Isabelle to STFU and get her ass handed to her.  She’s a big spoiled baby.  Now in truth, that’s exactly how she should act, given her uprbringing and how old she really is, but I just don’t want to watch it anymore….and neither does Shawn as he attempts to use his powers to drain her of her life…but they don’t work.

Overall, a mediocre episode from a mediocre at best season, from an ever increasingly mediorce series.

C-

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With the near promise of cancellation in the future, “Perfidia” had the unenviable task of wrapping up the series, while leaving enough open in case of a miracle.

The miracle never came unfortunately which means looking back we have to look at “Perfidia” as the series finale.  How does it stack up?   Well, after ridding myself of the bitterness that I wouldn’t be able to discover more about the Vasser household.  And that’s the crux, a series that makes you not only care about the hook of time traveling, but how it effects all the characters on the sidelines.

But back to the specific episode.

Dan journies back in time but not very long and winds up in a mental institution.  How fitting.  Everyone’s b een telling him he needs help for so long and now he’s in one and can’t get out.   But more interesting is he meets Evan…who claims to be a traveler as well.  He claims that the sedatives keep him from jumping.  It’s a wonderful dichotomy.  Dan gets to be on the other side of the equation.  Of course, having knowledge of the possibilities means Dan can’t simply dismiss it.

As Dan and Evan begin to talk things out, especially with regards to Evan’s long lost love, Dan sees more and more of himself in Evan and  eventually agrees to help him escape, feeling that Evan might be his mission here and indeed after Evan gets out, Dan jumps back.

After two days.

Leaving a bloody trail behind from a cut he got prior to leaving and being gone for two days obviously took it’s toll on Katie who took it better than most women would have, but that’s a testament to her character.  however in subtle fashion you see the chinks in the armor especially as her sister keeps whispering to her how she should move on and she sees Jack begin to settle down in his life, can she continue to live like this?

Jack on the other hand has used his tenacity and determination to become a stalwart ally of Dan’s now that he knows.  He tracks down Langley and strongarms him.  Langley doesn’t buckle the first time around, but it’s great to see another tactic rather than Dan’s poking around.

Meanwhile Dan learned that Evan was killed while jaywalking after getting out of the mental instituion, as he tried to see the woman he claimed to be the love of his life.  When Dan jumps back again he runs into Livia who jumped forward during preparations for her wedding.  They find Evan and prevent him from being killed and actually get him to talk to his woman…who has no recollection of him.  Is he crazy?  This epsiode happens at a great time, as Dan has just gone through a scenario of his own where he erased his son’s existence so he knows how timelines can just change completely.

When they jump back Dan is confounded to learn that Evan still died, only this time trying to break into the woman’s home.  He knows he’s going to have to go back again.

Jack on the other hand sits in on one of Langley’s lectures and tries to steer it to time travel and Langley is visibly shaken confirming that these timelines haven’t altered Langley and that he still does know exactly what is going on.

On his third trip back, Dan finds Evan again, still unsure of his claims or whether Evan really is crazy when Evan claims he has proof that he knows the woman.  A videotape.  Dan takes the tape and goes to the office, knowing that at that time he was out covering a story.

Dan finds that Evan did in fact know her as the video shows the two in love winning a salsa contest.

Evan confesses that he changed something in the past which led to his wife’s death.  He kept going back and trying to fix it but everytime he “fixed” it it got worse and she still died, so he figured the only thing he could do is ala Butterfly Effect, go back to the day they met and prevent themselves from meeting.

Evan is still convinced though that there should be something of him left due to it being the original timeline.  Dan doesn’t think so, but empathizes with Evan’s pain so he agrees to help arrange a meeting.

Through some trickery, the two meet and while she doesn’t recognize him again, she does agree to dance.  The two dance salsa and it is clear through her eyes that there is a spark of…something.  Again this show does a wonderful job at being subtle.  They could over the top like most shows of the genre, but they choose not to.  It’s left mostly up to the viewer, but it is definitely there to read into.

After the dance, Evan drops dead to the floor as if it was his time to die regardless but at least he died happily.

Dan and Livia try to figure out exactly what happened as they share a moment that feels like goodbye.  It simply is because it’s the last time they’ll see each other due to cancellation, but you wonder if there was more to it.  But as they are about to say goodbye, they see Dan in this timeline entering a cab and we realize it is from the pilot episode - Dan’s first journey.  It isn’t hard to put two and two together and realize that Evan’s death was a trigger for Dan to start jumping…a theory that will never be answered or explained unfortunately.

Dan jumps back with Evan’s log of his jumps, almost as a textbook for him to learn from.  He gets on the elevator at the Register and who is inside?  Langley.  He offers up some explanations to give the viewer some closure including that Dan is the last Traveler.  Dan says he’s not, thinking of Livia, and Langley doesn’t refute it but makes it seem like she is either something else, or that she is going to stop now.  He also offers that it is a scientific anomaly and that there is a group of people looking to control those who have the gift.  He also says the reason he’s been standoffish, is that he doesn’t want to get too close and succumb to the temptation to use Dan.

Back at home, Katie is excited to hear that the sedatives would work, but it’s at this point that Dan realizes that it’s not a curse…it’s a calling and he doesn’t want to stop.  He loves Katie and Zach more than anything but he can effect real change and be a real force for good.  Katie becomes supportive and asks if Dan still will come home everytime and Dan agrees.

The series ends with Katie watching Dan jump for the first time.

It’s a fitting end to a series that ended far too soon.  This episode had a lot to deliver and it did a good job despite intrinsically having to feel a bit rushed.

B+

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Starring: Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr., Brandon T. Jackson, Jay Baruchel, Danny McBride, Bill Hader, Nick Nolte, Brandon Soo Hoo, Reggie Lee, Matthew McConnaghy and Tom Cruise.

Written and Directed by: Ben Stiller

I’m glad I went to see this movie first today. I at least got a good laugh out of it before seeing another movie that has 2 reviews on it already. Honestly, I laughed my ass off through the movie. The movie opens with commercials and previews for the movies of the characters in the movie. These are some of the most ridiculous movie ideas ever, but it makes for a great laugh.

Then you have them on set. Robert Downey Jr. having a skin pigmentation procedure so he can play a black man. The rest being primadonnas who can’t be controlled by the director. when the film goes through several million dollars in under 30 seconds that isn’t on film, the film gets canceled by a major studio exec played by Tom Cruise. The director wants to finish the film so he, the pyro guy and the man who wrote the book, Tropic Thunder(played by Nick Nolte), take the actors out and then run into real bad guys and the director is killed by a land mine.

Look, if you want a plot line that is dramatic and no holes, go see some other flick. If you want funny, this rivals “Get Smart” from earlier this year. While some of the humor is crude, well, maybe most of it, I think that it is enough to make anyone laugh even if they do use the term “retarded” in the same sentence as moron, imbecile stupid and other similar synonyms.

This is a fun movie and is hilarious. Go see it but make sure you use the facilities before or you may go in your pants.

A-

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Space battles everywhere and whoa momma did that big black ship just pulverize that other ship! I would love to have the visions as long as I didn’t have to lose what little hair I have left in order to attain them. That Morden is a dreamy dude, I would so sell out the rest of the galaxy for him. Lord Kiro on the other hand is not so much on the dreamy end and a wee bit too moody for my tastes.

Written By: J. Michael Straczynski

Directed By: Janet Greek

Bare Essentials:

A Plot - The Raiders are afoot again. They enact a plan to get a Centauri artifact, the Eye, off of B5. They do so while taking Lord Kiro hostage at the same time. They do take considerable losses in enacting their plan but with the Eye and Kiro they should make more than enough money to buy as many new ships as they want.

B Plot - Londo is in charge of the recently found Centauri artifact, the Eye. Lord Kiro and his aunt, Lady Ladira, arrive on station to transport the Eye back to Centauri Prime. It turns out that Kiro has been working with Raiders and together they hatch a plan to steal the Eye and use it to put Kiro atop the throne of Centauri Prime. The Raiders have other ideas however and turn on Kiro the moment they have him and the Eye aboard their Battle Wagon. As they are informing Kiro of their plans they are attacked and destroyed by a Shadow Battle Crab.

C Plot - A mysterious man, Mr. Morden is on station. He asks Delenn, Londo, and G’Kar one simple question but only the answer of Londo seems to satisfy him. He runs afoul of Kosh and in their confrontation Kosh’s encounter suit is damaged, indicating that Morden is a major player of some type. As his last act before leaving the station he returns the Eye to Londo, aligning himself with the vessel that destroyed the Raiders.

D Plot - Lady Ladira has a vision of B5’s destruction. She allows Sinclair to partake in this vision.

More Arc, Less Arch:

Of course the character of Morden and his associates will have a lasting impact on the series. Morden will pop up in numerous episodes while his associates, The Shadows, are the big villains for the first three seasons of Babylon 5.

When Morden comes to see Delenn she is working on the machine that will come into play with her in the episode Chrysalis and later for Commander Sinclair in the episode, War Without End, Part 2.

The symbol that appears on Delenn’s forehead in her meeting with Morden is a sign that she is a member of the Grey Council. This was previously seen on another Grey Council member in And The Sky Full Of Stars. The fact that this symbol reacts to Morden is a big deal and is a sign that the Shadows have returned to the galaxy at large. Not only is it a sign that they have returned in the general sense, but it is a sign that Morden is not alone and has actual Shadows with him, a fact that will be fully revealed in, Chrysalis and In The Shadows Of Z’ha’dum.

Morden’s lone act of returning the Eye to Londo has implications for the entire series. This one act literally affects the entire scope of the series and the universe. It will have ramifications on almost every single episode from here on out.

Sinclair was far down the list of candidates to helm B5, like way far down. The only reason he was put in charge at all was at the behest of the Minbari. This was also the condition upon which the Minbari agreed to help fund the station, they were to be allowed to unconditionally pick its commander. This all ties into their belief that Sinclair has a Minbari soul, that of Valen no less, and is broached in In The Beginning, And The Sky Full Of Stars, Chrysalis, Points Of Departure and War Without End Parts 1 & 2 along with a few others eps and the book To Dream In The City Of Sorrows.

The vision Lady Ladira shows Sinclair of B5 being destroyed is both true and false. It is false in that it is shown to be an alternate future in Babylon Squared and War Without End, Part 1. But, it is true as it is shown that her exact image is the last moments of B5 in Sleeping In Light.

Who Are You? What Do Yo… Hey, I’m Asking The Questions Here!:

Based on the name of the battle where the Eye was lost it appears to have been lost on some Narn world. Why would the Centauri allow such a revered object to be present during an off-world battle?

Why did Morden bother seeing Delenn? The Shadows know that the Minbari are loyal servants of the Vorlons, so what did he, and the Shadows, hope to find out by seeing her? Perhaps it was their intention to try and glean from Delenn just how much other races know about their return?

How come the symbol on Delenn’s forehead only reacts this one time? How come it doesn’t react any of the other times she is in the presence of the Shadows themselves or their servants? For that matter why create a symbol that lights up out of nowhere the moment your ancient enemy is around?

Idiosyncratic Musings:

Garibaldi’s willingness to help Sinclair despite the possibility of a bad ending shows his bulldog mentality yet again. But it also shows how fiercely loyal he is to those close to him under any circumstances.

G’Kar’s flustered reaction to Morden’s question of “and then” offers great insight into the short sightedness of the Narn. They can only see their revenge against the Centauri and nothing else beyond that. This will be their eventual downfall until G’Kar finally realizes their mistake and begins the process of enlightening them to the larger picture. It is quite amazing how two simple words from Morden send G’Kar into a complete state of bewilderment, because he honestly has no idea of what exists in the universe at this point outside of revenge against the Centauri.

Morden hiding from Kosh at the onset helps to add to his mystery and to really point out how powerful Kosh and the Vorlons really are. The final confrontation between the two is intensely high drama and they don’t even have to show one second of the actual physical nature of the confrontation to achieve that effect. At the end of that confrontation we are left with even more mystery, about both Morden and Kosh, especially since Kosh’s encounter suit is damaged. We are now given a new person and from what we find out later an entirely new race to fear.

Londo’s response to Morden’s question is perfect for the Shadows. It shows the right amount of desperation and fanatical devotion to a cause while also grasping the bigger picture. That is why the Shadows choose Londo over G’Kar. It isn’t that he’s an evil man while G’Kar isn’t or anything like that. Rather it is that he has a better grasp of the bigger picture and wants more than G’Kar does and because of that fits far better into the Shadows plans.

I See What You Did There:

Mr. Morden makes the first of many appearances on station, although at this point it is not known what his purpose is nor has he been named yet.

Lieutenant (Junior-Grade) Corwin makes his first appearance, unnamed on Babylon 5. His character will be around for all five seasons as well as in a few of the movies.

It’s Not Kosher If It’s Not Kosh:

“Leave this place. They are not for you. Go. Leave. Now.”

Say It Again Mac:

Lt. Commander Ivanova, “Why does my mouth always taste like old carpet in the morning?”

Mr. Morden, “What do you want?”

Lady Ladira, “I see death. Destruction. Fire. Babylon will fall. This place will be destroyed.”

Delenn, “They’re here.”

Londo, “I want my people to reclaim their rightful place in the galaxy. I want to see the Centauri stretch forth their hand and command the stars. I want a rebirth of glory, a renaissance of power. I want to stop running through my life like a man late for an appointment afraid to look back, or to look forward. I want us to be what we used to be. I want… I want it all back the way that it was.” Powerful, powerful words.

Ladira again, “The Shadows have come for us all.”

Yes, I Am A Fleet Junkie:

The pre-title sequence features a battle between a lone Aurora Class Starfury Heavy Fighter and a group of Zephyr 109 Light Fighter’s. The Zephyr’s prove how well they work when in pack hunting mode by swarming the Starfury and completely overwhelming it before shooting the vessel out of space.

This is the first time we get to see Kosh’s ship, and it is a Ambassador Class Light Cruiser. Like all Vorlon ships it is alive and has a bio-armor hull. Its armament consists of one Vorlon death ray, several lightning guns, and it is jump capable. The Ambassador’s don’t carry any fighter craft, but they don’t need them. In the Vorlon ship hierarchy these are considered measly transport ships, and yet they are more powerful and destructive than any ship used by any of the non-First One races in the galaxy. Chew on that for a bit.

The Raiders plan is actually quite smart and would have worked if not for the fact that the Shadows made their presence felt for the first time. They achieved their end goal and were willing tactically to take the risks to achieve that goal. Any losses were acceptable losses so even having to run the gauntlet and lose as many Zephyr’s as they did was perfectly acceptable as long as they made it out with the Eye and Lord Kiro.

The Raiders main vessel is a Battle Wagon Class Light Carrier. It is purely a ship transport as it has no armament of weapons whatsoever. It is capable of forming its own jump point and can carry twenty one Zephyr’s. Outside of that it is completely defenseless and its hull is not the sturdiest found in space.

In the battle at B5 the Raiders use stall tactics from the start. They never intend to win the battle, they merely want to stall B5 long enough to receive their cargo and get out. They were outnumbered and outgunned by the Starfuries and the B5 defense grid. Their idea of a successful stall and retreat was halted by the genius of Sinclair as he used the grid with the Starfuries to create a firing gauntlet that the Zephyr’s had no hope of getting out of. The liabilities of the Zephyr’s are put on display again, the grid slices through them like nothing as do the Starfuries. The final battle numbers illustrate this better than I can. Eleven Zephyr’s were destroyed while four others were damaged/captured. Compare that to only minor surface damage to B5, three damaged Starfuries and only two destroyed.

Bear witness to the scariest vessel in B5 space, the Shadow Battle-Crab Class Attack Cruiser. These babies are behemoths, mammoth in size and only comparable to the capital ships of other First Ones. They are alive and do feature a bio-armor hull. They are controlled by a lone occupant that merges with the ship and serves as the equivalent of a CPU in a computer. Their exit from hyperspace appears to be more like a decloaking so they may have cloaking capabilities as well. They carry 40 Spitfire Class Heavy Fighters, although as I will tell you at a later point carry may be a misnomer, or entirely accurate. Their armament consists of one Shadow death ray and energy mines. The Battle-Crabs are extremely powerful and are well above any non-First One vessel in space.

A lone Shadow Battle-Crab phases out of hyperspace and slices through the Raiders Battle Wagon like butter. As I said, a very, very powerful ship.

It’s Your Cultural Imperative:

The Eye is the oldest symbol of Centauri nobility. It dates all the way back to the first Emperor and the first noble house, that of Kiro. It is a jewel that was lost over a hundred years prior at the Battle Of Nu’Shok.

Centauri women have the ability to be seers and prophetesses. They can see visions of possible futures and foretell these possible events. However Lord Kiro’s disbelief in his aunt’s visions makes the point that not all Centauri believe in these seers like Londo does.

The Shadows make their first appearance in Signs And Portents. We don’t actually get to see the Shadows yet, so I’ll tell you their physical characteristics at a later time when it is revealed. We also aren’t privy to any information on them yet, so that will be revealed by moi at a later date as well. At this point all we know is that The Shadows are extremely powerful and very feared.

I Think This Might Be Based On Something:

The main Raider identifies himself as “Six” this may be a nod to the TV series The Prisoner, a common theme in Babylon 5.

According to the Lurker, the episodes title is probably reference to the radio drama, On A Note Of Triumph by Norman Corwin. Although not named yet the character that Joshua Cox plays is probably named after Norman Corwin.

You Look Mighty Familiar:

Lyn Red Williams, the security officer that greets Morden, played Jax Briggs in Mortal Kombat: Annihilation. However he should be most well known for portraying Sabre on the long running TV series, American Gladiators.

Joshua Cox, Corwin, had one notable role as Midwife Riggs for the entire run of Strong Medicine.

Whip Hubley, the main Raider, instantly jumped out at me because he was Hollywood in Top Gun. He also portrayed Michael Russo in Black Scorpion II: Aftershock.

Gerrit Graham, Lord Kiro, played the Q member Quinn in the Star Trek: Voyager episode, Death Wish. He also played Dr. Victor Frankenstein in the TV series Weird Science for one episode, Searching For Boris Karloff. He also voiced Milo in The Tick Vs. episode Armless But Not Harmless and the character of Franklin Sherman on numerous episodes of The Critic.

Casting Ahead:

Doug McCoy returns as the unnamed Starfury pilot from B5, this time he’s Ivanova’s wingman as they go to help the Achilles.

That Wasn’t Supposed To Happen:

As nitpicky as it may be the day given by Ivanova’s computer at the beginning is wrong. If the date is August 3rd, 2258 that would fall on a Tuesday, not a Wednesday.

As Garibaldi and Sinclair are leaving the men’s room at the end of the episode they are passed in the hall outside the bathroom by someone on their way in. The one problem is that this person is a woman and the bathroom is clearly marked as a male only one.

When Morden enters Londo’s quarters with the Eye the door never closes behind him and it actually stays open throughout the entire scene. This is in contrast to the fact that the doors always close right after someone enters.

The Ombuds Have Decided:

This is B5 at its finest, it is as simple as that. The pacing, acting, writing, lighting, camera work, directing, everything is as spot on as you would want an episode of TV to be. The character interactions all make sense and every one of them drives the show forward. Signs And Portents moves at such a brisk pace that it is over before you know it, it draws you in and doesn’t let go of your throat until the moment the credit comes up. The only negatives in the entire episode were the two tiny faux pas listed above. That is all that stops Signs And Portents from getting a perfect grade. Tremendous, breathtaking television.

Morden’s simple answer of “yes” in regards to the question of whether or not he found anything interesting while traveling the rim is very coy. It’s a smart was of immediately creating a mystery and certain air about the character.

The camera work in the scene where Sinclair begins to confide in Garibaldi that he now knows more about the missing hours of his life is a thing to behold. The camera pans and follows Sinclair as he walks closer and closer to Garibaldi. With each step he utters another word about his upcoming revelation that he is going to divulge to Garibaldi and the camera continues to follow him as he closes in on Garibaldi. It’s a brilliant bit of camera work to visually represent the fact that Sinclair is closing any remaining distance between the two by letting Garibaldi this deep into his life.

Having Kiro name the major villain of the series first three seasons in an anecdotal story to Londo without even knowing he was doing as such was a sweet irony play. The fact that at the end of the episode Ladira’s vision about his death comes true and he is killed by Shadows is neat gem that most shows would never even consider doing.

The lighting in the Morden/Delenn scene is superb. The shadows crossing over him just as Delenn reacts negatively to his presence is a great visual and very powerful imagery.

The battle between B5 and the Raiders works really well. The CGI looks great, and the drama and action of what is happening outside the station is mixed in very well with what is going on inside the station. The fact that the Raiders and Sinclair used actual strategy in the battle is a nice change of pace from what had been seen in sci-fi up till this point. The standard was two forces lining up opposite each other and trading shots until one was destroyed or surrendered. Needless to say strategic cunning and planning is much better than that.

Lord Kiro’s plan is idiotic, but not in a bad storytelling sense mind you. I really like that they would allow a character to be this stupid. It completely jives with his sense of self-importance and his desperation for allies in his bid for power that he would be stupid enough to trust the Raiders. For as idiotic as his planning may have been the performance of Gerrit Graham as Kiro was tremendous. He brought a gravitas to the role and managed to keep him grounded despite how idiotic he eventually turned out to be.

While most of the episode is tense and drama filled the scene with Ivanova bemusing her mouth’s unnatural texture as well as the confrontation at the transport lift between G’Kar and Londo adds a bit of levity to the episode. Those two scenes stop the episode from being balls to the wall action and intrigue, but they are good scenes and add to the episode as a whole. Both are funny as all can be and both are mundane moments that offer small insights into key characters.

Rating:

99/100

A

That’s all for this excellent episode, next I shall return with TKO, and I’m pretty sure that will be a giant step backwards.

Cheers,

Bill

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“Hanged Man” was a phenomenal episode, dramatic, soulsearching, and wonderfully performed at least emotionally.   It showcases both a good storyline via Bradbury’s A Sound of Thunder in that the tiniest of indiscretions can change things enough to have significant changes in the time travelers lifetime.  It however does fall short in the transitions of getting from scene to scene.

In addition we are also given just a bit more information on Dan and Livia and another intersting if fruitless conversation with Langley.  So all in all without answering too many questions, we still get an exciting show.

We began this week in a rare moment of intimacy for Dan and Katie which involve Dan taking snapshots of his undressing wife.  He slips the camera in his pocket and before they can take their journey together, Dan flashes back in time, leaving Katie to take a solo journey of her own.

Dan ends up in an RV perilously hanging off the edge of a cliff.  He quickly helps the driver and her teenage son get off before the RV falls over and Dan flashes back to the future.  Unfortunately in the scuffle, Dan’s camera falls to the ground.

When he gets back to the future he quickly realizes that leaving even the tiniest bit of advanced technology can cause major rifts in a timeline.  Everything seems to be completely still in sync, until Katie calls down their “daughter” Caroline to say goodnight to Dan.

Yes, it seems that for reasons they explain a bit later, the new rift caused the Vassars to have a girl instead of a boy.  In a great performance by both Vassars it is a highly charged incident.  Caroline the innocent, Katie Vassar who has not idea what Dan is talking about when he talks about Zach and their “old life”.  As far as she knows this is her life and Carloine is her duaghter leaving Dan alone in this world, remembering Zach.

Unfortunately the journey of the week though set up to cause this rift, just isn’t very compelling beneath the surface. The characters are rather bland and there seems to be  an overwhelming sense of just being there because they have to be.

One glaring example is that Dan discovers the camera and then lets this one woman secruity captain take it away from him.  He has it in his hands…what causes his son to disappear and he’s worried about…what?  He knows that that is a part of a mission.  Why doesn’t he just destroy it right then and there, or take it and run.  It seemed kind of forced that he gives the camera back at this point.

Of course it doesn’t matter due to the heartfelt performances.  You can feel Dan’s desire to reclaim his son, but also his guilt at having to destroy the innocent Carolne.

The tidbits we get this episode are very intriguing.  It seems that both Dan and Livia were born under a rare celestial occurance.   This might indicate who can travel and who can’t.

Also Dan tries to talk to Langley again and shows him the picture he found of himself as a young boy and a younger Langley at NASA.  But Langley refuses to even acknowledge that he knows Dan.  What exactly is Langley anyways?  Well we’ll never learn now, but interesting nonetheless.

Of course Dan gets Zach back by the end and everything seems smooth, andt that’s what’s important and hopefully Dan TRULY gets not to mess with things in the past although it is true that it wasn’t exactly his fault this time.  I honestly love this episode for the performances but if I had to be unbiased, it is dragged down by the shoehorned journey.

B-

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Two: Medea: Harlan’s World

edited by Harlan Ellison

by:Jack Williamson

Thomas M. Disch

Larry Niven

Frank Herbert

Harlan Ellison

Poul Anderson

Frederik Pohl

Kate Wilhelm

Hal Clement

Theodore Sturgeon

Robert Silverberg

Pub date: June 1985

ISBN 0-553-34170-7

One of the few books that functions as a bonanza for both readers and writers, Medea is based on a series of discussions held at UCLA in 1975, in which noted sf authors Ellison, Clement, Anderson, Niven, and Pohl laid down the premise for an imaginary world. For those of you who haven’t heard of them, the participants, except for Ellison, are renowned for their ability to construct scientifically correct, believable worlds in which to set their tales.

The introduction-Cosmic Hod-Carriers by Ellison is short and merely notes the sequence of events that led to the workshop, and who the participants were.

It’s time for the Christmas Episode.  Every show has them.  They are usually inconsequential in the overall scheme of an ongoing storyline and Journeymand is no exception.   However the usual focus on character allows the show to go beyond the very special episode.

Christmas seems to be a big deal at the Vassar residence.  Jack is coming with his new girlfriend, and their mother as well.  There is a party and a choir.  It’s all pretty high class.  But Dan has to go into work. He finds out from Hugh that he’s being fired and Hugh himself is gone and it’s all a directive from the head honcho, Dennis Almbacher who has ordered that about a quarter of the staff be fired.

So is it any coincidence that Dan’s next trip takes him to a company Christmas party from 1979….the day the Dennis’ father, Merrit, died and left him the gig?  But who else is at that party?  Dan’s father Frank.  It also happens to be the day Frank left his family.  Livia shows up in a stunning red dress telling us that she was going out back in her time.

And thus raises a plot hole.  If Livia IS from the past and living in 1948…then how come she always meets Dan and is looking stylish?

But anyways.  With only the clue being a rumor that a journalist friend of Dan’s named Nancy, got her job on her knees and that night she was with the old man when he died and that there was an anonymous phone tip to 911, they look to discover the truth.  Dan seems not to have learned his lesson from “Blowback” as he thinks that his mission might be to keep his father from leaving him.

This part of the storyline is strange.  Dan doesn’t really want his father not have left can he?  I mean how much of his own life would change?  I did like it though as Gretsch and McKidd share a good chemistry together…almost as if Frank knows.  Is that why Frank left so long ago?    Dan doesn’t stop Frank, but he does enough to make Frank come home and tell his son’s why he was leaving.

Meanwhile while Dan and Livia are flitizng through the party, Katie is having a hard time holding down her own.  She keeps getting flashes of Ayden Bennett and her kidnapping.  It’s true and believable and I was glad to see it still have effects instead of fading into the background like what happens on most tv shows.

With help from an unexpected source, the mother in law, Katie works through it for a Merry Christmas.  It was a wonderful, believable performance from the understated and underrated Gretched Egolf.

But they’re not the only ones with a family situation.  When Jack discovers his girlfriend snooping in his brother’s bathrooms looking for meds, Jack confronts her, saying that it’s none of her business.  Then she comes clean, she isn’t worried about Dan or even Jack for genetic reasons.

She’s worried about the child she’s carrying.

I like likable Jack and his reactions.  I also like the fact that they introudce a new family member (so to speak) to hide Dan’s ability from because while I like Jack being Dan’s ally, having  someone close he has to avoid adds good solid dramatic tension.

Back at the party, after Dan knocked Dennis down after hitting on Livia a little too hard, Dan discovers that Livia has a man’s picture in her locket that was knocked off during the altercation.  We discover that Livia has a very serious boyfriend back in her real time.

It’s good to finally start learning a little more about Livia and her timeline.

Finally the two discover that Nancy was nowhere in the building and that it was Dennis who was in the office with his father and Dennis just watched him die before making a call.

Back in the present, Dan presses Nancy on the truth, telling her she’s better than the rumors say and that he knows Dennis offered her a spot for allowing the rumor to spread through.  But on Dan’s request after thinking of all the people who would be fired on Christmas, she joins Dan in blackmailing Dennis to keep everyone on.

Merry Christmas!

So overall a filler Christmas episode, but one that still was fun to watch.

B

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