Cade looks for the alien connection in the discovery of a woman who has survived 55 years of being buried in a New York subway tunnel.
(First aired in the United States on April 23, 2000)
Written by Daniel Howard Cerone
Directed by George Mendeluk
GUEST STARS
Lalainia Lindbjerg – Francesca Dutton
Kim Hawthorne – Special Agent Josie Simon
Blu Mankuma – Special Agent Henry Vervet
Bernard Cuffling – J.J. Reed
Anthony Ulc – Frederick Lansing
Doug Abrahams -- Hank
WHAT HAPPENED
Two subway workers walk down a subway tunnel. It’s a dank, dark hole in the ground, but as one worker reminds his friend Hank, it’s three years of well-paid work.
Reminding himself that he needs the money, Hank begins to cut into the wall. To his surprise, he exposes a human hand – which promptly reaches out to him.
That’s impossible, Hank’s friend says, staring in disbelief at the arm. The tunnel was built in 1945, and any body in the concrete should have become a skeleton years ago.
The construction worker chips away at the concrete, exposing the face of a young woman. She opens her eyes and stares at the shocked men.
"Help me," she whimpers. (more
spoilers)
ANALYSIS
Cade’s compassion trips him up this week. He feels Francesca’s pain and isolation, and that convinces him she’s human.
What he’s overlooking, though, is that – as we’ve learned in episodes like "Undesirables" – the Gua are all too human inside, and are prey to many of the same feelings. Francesca suffered through a terrible experience, but doesn’t mean she’s not an alien.
It’s a similarity that would make the Gua considerably more sympathetic if they weren’t so determined to take over the planet.
Cade’s mistake is a costly one, though. Eddie was right – they had a real live alien in custody – and because Cade failed to identify her, she escaped and two potential allies died.
Frederick Lansing was resourceful enough to defeat three aliens 55 years ago, and might have had more to contribute to the cause. As a federal agent, Henry Vervet could have been immensely valuable.
Cade and Eddie try to console themselves with the knowledge that they have other followers who might rise up someday and help them. "Frederick Lansing took them on half a century ago," Cade tells himself, and seems to find comfort in knowing he’s not the only one to actively oppose the Gua.
Too bad he got Frederick Lansing killed.
Let’s hear it for the writer
It’s high time we said a few words about writer Daniel Howard Cerone. He’s First Wave’s story editor, and he’s done some of the show’s best scripts.
Series creator Chris Brancato tends to write the big "mythology" episodes that advance the alien invasion plotline, but Cerone has done a lot of the little gems of the show – the character pieces that give it some personality.
"The Channel", "Undesirables" and now "Lost Souls" are all shows that go beyond the formula, featuring unusually human guest stars or a slightly offbeat take on the series premise.
He’s also written the occasional stinker – "Melody" comes to mind – but his name on an episode usually means it’ll have something more than the usual dissolving aliens and scantily clad women.
WHAT WE LEARN
The First Wave established itself on Earth by dropping meteors filled with message balls carrying Gua consciousnesses. When unwary humans picked up the balls, the Gua would possess their bodies.
UNANSWERED QUESTIONS
Why did Lansing bury the others in their hometowns?
REALITY CHECK
The 1945 newspaper pictures of J.J. Reed and Olivia Quinn look like headshots of actors from the late 1990s, not respected professionals of the 1940’s. The pictures are closely cropped, but Reed is T-shirted and hatless, while Quinn’s eyebrows, hairstyle and clothing are – Eddie’s opinion aside – quite modern.
It’s also surprising that the article about Quinn seems to make no mention of her architect husband, which might have provided a valuable clue. Then again, Eddie was a little off his game this week, and might simply have missed it.
TUNE IN TWO WEEKS FROM NOW WHEN
First Wave goes back into the first season with a rerun of "The Aftertime". A soldier from the future saves Cade’s life so he can lead the resistance against the second wave of the invasion.
What do you think? Send your comments to the editor.
advertisement
