(originally aired in syndication during the week of October 4)

Written by Paul Gertz & Cory Tynan
Directed by Allan Kroeker

Barry Flatman - President Thompson

A squad of heavily armed Taelon Volunteers storms the safe house where Major Liam Kincaid, Augur and the fugitive Jonathan Doors are hiding. A pair of Volunteers immediately apprehend and remove Doors from the scene while Liam and Augur engage in hand-to-hand combat with the rest of the troops.

The problem with season-bridging cliffhangers is that backstage politics and the passage of time in the real world can really mess things up in front of the camera. The resolution of these interrupted stories often hinges on details -- actor availability, artistic direction -- that nobody really knows when they're filming the first part of the story.

One of the most extreme examples of this in the science fiction genre was "The Best of Both Worlds," the Star Trek: The Next Generation cliffhanger that bridged that series' third and fourth seasons. Although viewers were left wondering about the fate of Captain Jean-Luc Picard, the deeper question was whether actor Patrick Stewart, who played Picard, would renew his contract no matter what the Borg did to his character.

Likewise, on Earth: Final Conflict, Lisa Howard's decision to spend more time with her newborn child forced the series' creators to write her into an apparently tangential subplot. Similarly, the challenge of introducing series newcomer Jayne Heitmeyer (as Renee Palmer) to the audience -- largely to add a strong woman to the cast to make up for Howard's absence -- required writing the character into the story in a way that made sense.

Frankly, these backstage maneuverings proved to be one demand too many on an episode that was already struggling to break too much new ground at once.

The last season of Earth: Final Conflict was uneven at best. While this is a series with definite potential, it suffered last year from a marked lack of focus. While "Crackdown" is a step in the right direction, it was a transitional rather than a definitive episode -- all we really see is the aerial view of the landscape we'll be traveling this season, but we still haven't gotten much detail.

And how is the view from here, so far?

At the moment, it looks like the Resistance - in the form we've seen in past seasons - may be all but out of commission, leaving our heroes to wage a much more personal battle. Meanwhile the alliances around the Taelons appear to be in flux. Given Zo'or's alliance with Doors, Sandoval's personal agenda, Da'an's apparently uncertain loyalties, and the wildcard Renee Palmer, there should be plenty of intrigue during the season. While this may make for some interesting stories, I hope this doesn't detract from the larger story of Earth's role in the war between the Taelon and Jaridian races.

As for the scattered specifics, I thought the story of Liam's investigation suffered for its reliance on DNA evidence. I don't care how far the Taelon influence has advanced human technology, I refuse to believe you can simply plug in a sample and access a complete dossier on someone in less time than it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop. I realize it's a convenient storytelling device, but this very convenience makes DNA an excuse for bad storytelling.

Since I wasn't kindly disposed toward the hunt for DNA in the first place, I found the "molecular bonding" sequence especially weak. I have no problem with rubber science in my science fiction, but there is a big difference between the speculative and the patently absurd. Molecular bonding falls into the second category.

Finally, for all the time he spent chasing after DNA evidence during the episode, I have to wonder why Liam didn't insist on taking a DNA sample from "Lili's" corpse during his visit to the mothership. Given his distrust of Zo'or and Sandoval, and his first-hand knowledge of their past schemes, his willingness to believe Lili was dead, even after seeing the body, seems out of character.

Why is Da'an running around free? When we saw him at the end of last season's finale, Sandoval was apparently taking him into custody on Zo'or orders.

What did Zo'or offer Jonathan Doors to cement their alliance? Is Doors' "conversion" genuine, or is he merely leading Zo'or along in exchange for access to Taelon technology?

Why is someone (Sandoval?) making the world believe Lili Marquette is dead?

Will the organized Resistance continue now that their members are free of Taelon incarceration?

Whose side is Renee Palmer on? Is she Doors' agent, or is she acting on her own behalf?

How much does Sandoval really know about Liam's Resistance activities? How much can he prove?

TUNE IN NEXT WEEK