Witness the birth of Lili Marquette's alien love child! See Augur on the lam! And if you thought Da'an was a stiff before, wait until you see him now!
(Originally aired in syndication during the week of October 2, 2000)
Written by George Geiger
Directed by Michael Robison
| Trapped in a World of Smarm |
Quotable Moments SANDOVAL: Mental interventions have . . . unexpected consequences.
ZO'OR: Fatal ones. I am told for humans it is like having a rodent trapped inside your head, trying to escape. |
LIAM: How did you get in?RENEE: Makeup and costume rental. Hey, it's a sex club, not a bank. |
LIAM: He wasn't exactly an ally, but I understood him. |
GUEST STARS
Melinda Deines - J Street
Dan R. Chameroy - Vorjak
Richard Zeppieri - Tate
Lisa Howard - Lili Marquette
WHAT HAPPENED
Aboard the freighter they hijacked in the
season finale, Renee tries - and fails - to contact Augur.
Lili Marquette -- pregnant with a Jaridian hybrid child -- siphons energy from Da'an to ease her labor. She gives "birth" by teleporting a ball of energy out of her womb.
The energy quickly coalesces into a human-looking baby girl. Vorjak, the proud alien papa, greets his daughter as "Our child, our salvation."
His role as extraterrestrial epidural complete, Da'an's body transmutes into a crystalline form. It appears the Taelon has died. (
surly spoilers)
ANALYSIS
At one point in this episode, Lili tells Liam that the Taelons and the Jaridians have been fighting for so long that no one remembers what they're really fighting about anymore. Why should the faithful viewers care any more about this conflict than the fictional principals?
We've now spent three years watching the Taelons' maneuvering toward a decisive advantage in this intergalactic war, and we're no closer to understanding the specifics of the current conflict, to say nothing of the nominal "final" conflict toward which the series is supposedly building.
Of course, Tribune Entertainment's marketing team probably decided Earth: Repetitive Conflict wasn't a saleable title.
This does not Augur well
Is Augur's sudden fugitive status fodder for future plot developments, or merely a device intended to facilitate the introduction of J Street and get rid of Richard Chevolleau? It would be nice to believe the former, but bitter experience with this series (and confirmed buzz) suggests the latter is the more plausible explanation.
As for J Street herself, she is a problematic addition to the cast. From what we see in this episode, she is simply an "edgier" -- as television executives commonly understand this term, "obnoxious" -- version of Augur.
Personality and actor availability aside, why introduce a second Augur when the current one is going to waste?
Augur Mark One spent last season as little more than a walking plot device. Need something impossible done?
Go see Augur. Writers, do you need a deus ex machina to back you out of the corner you've written yourself into? Go see Augur.
Granted, we only have this one episode by which to judge, but thus far J Street's skill set and reason for being appear nearly identical to Augur's.
Her primary contribution in this episode is cross-referencing Lili's DNA against portal records, apparently following up Liam's abortive attempt to find Lili's name in the database.
This basically means that J Street is only useful in direct proportion to Liam's circumstantial stupidity. All she did was expand the search parameters.
If Liam had half a brain in his head -- and given the level of duplicity he's come to expect in his dealings with both Sandoval and the Taelons (both of whom have falsified peoples' identities in the past), thinking outside the box should be second nature to him by now, or he should be dead -- he could have done this search on his own.
Again, there may be more to J Street than there appears at first blush.
WHAT WE LEARN
Taelon plasma induces stasis when transfused into a human patient.
J Street's real name is Juliet.
Taelons can enter a state of crystalline regeneration when their personal energy reserves drop too low.
REALITY CHECK
Why does no one seem to notice Da'an's absence from active duty? By the time he emerges from his crystalline hibernation, he has been out of commission for several days. Did no one wonder about his whereabouts?
Even if the embassy staff canceled his diplomatic appointments, his absence would almost certainly raise a red flag somewhere. If nothing else, Zo'or probably got lonely without Da'an to spar with and kick around.
TUNE IN NEXT WEEK
Da'an's got a monkey on his back. Despite the bad blood between them, it's once again up to Liam to save him in "Sins of the Father".
Tom Janulewicz is hunted for a crime against television he didn't commit. Are the Earth: Final Conflict creators equally innocent?
Let us know.
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