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ANALYSIS
Marina Sirtis proves once again that she makes a better voice actress than on-screen presence. While her work in the animated series Gargoyles was first rate, her live action characterizations never quite live up to that standard.
It was one of the ultimate ironies of Star Trek: The Next Generation that Sirtis, who played an empathic character, seemed to have difficulty conveying believable emotion.
While that might have been as much a function of writing as acting -- and let's face it, very few writers seemed to know what to make of her TNG character, Enterprise counselor Deanna Troi -- she doesn't fare much better in this week's EFC episode.
Ethlie Ann Vare's script gave Sirtis the opportunity to demonstrate a range of emotions, but the actress never quite hit her mark with any of them.
On a show where wooden acting is occasionally epidemic, that's not a terribly good sign.
A decent mystery
Structurally, this is a very nice episode, touching on all the essential Agatha Christie elements. There's an isolated setting, a surfeit of motives, a secret past, interpersonal tensions, and of course, going into the final act, the hero announces that he knows who the killer is.
On the negative side, the crime-fighting deck is heavily stacked in favor of Liam Kincaid.
Despite the fact that the police have all the same evidence, he's the one who puts all the pieces together. True, that's part and parcel of being the hero, but the conclusions he draws should have come out in basic police procedures.
This seems especially egregious in this episode, which attempts to portray police work with more realism than is usual for E:FC.
Sandoval defies expectations
It's emblematic of the character, but even when Sandoval is innocent, I tend to believe he's guilty.
In this episode, he had no apparent motive for murder, but when has that stopped him in the past? He's the ultimate red herring; when he's around, suspicion just naturally gravitates to him.
Of course, with Sandoval, the real questions remain. What does he really know about Liam and Renee's role in the Resistance? How much does he suspect? How much can he prove? Do they fit into his plans, or is he merely biding his time in the hope of a decisive victory?
The talented Miss Palmer
Speaking of Renee, is she really who she claims to be?
Sister Elizabeth places special emphasis on Renee's name. Was this a choice made by the actress to convey the feelings between the two characters, or does it indicate that Renee's current identity is nothing more than an alias?
This ignores a deeper mystery about Renee: why is she in this episode at all?
From a plot perspective, she isn't terribly necessary, and her introduction into the action seems forced.
Liam could have handled her investigation into why Sister Elizabeth left the Resistance just as easily, and the story didn't really need the additional (mostly unbelievable) motive for murder.
Among the aliens
The father-son dynamic between Da'an and Zo'or was an especially high note this week.
As Zo'or, Anita La Selva provided the perfect note of petulance when accusing Da'an of not understanding the younger Taelon's tribulations. Whether carbon- or energy-based, parents across the universe just don't get it.
In the end, the new perspective on Zo'or may be the key to this episode.
By telling the people of Earth the truth, and coming to them in a supplicant pose, Zo'or risks rejection, which would in his mind directly doom the Taelon civilization.
His means may be extreme and underhanded, but he obviously believes he serves an end that justifies them.
DANGLING PLOT THREADS
Will his experience with Sister Margarette give Zo'or a new perspective on humanity? Will this insight prove to be more than he bargained for?
Does Liam know, or even suspect, the truth about the relationship between Da'an and Zo'or?
Were the Sisters' pregnancies arrived at naturally, or through artificial/assisted means?
TUNE IN NEXT WEEK
The race to the season finale ramps up as new episodes begin again. In "The Fields", Liam and Renee go undercover in the Church of the Companions and learn that humanity is being used to produce sustenance for the Taelons. Scary!
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