In which we get our first glimpse of the planet Water and discover that Stan, Xev and Kai are not the only beings aboard the Lexx. Also, Stan makes a deal certain to have dire consequences for Fire and Water.
(U.S. premiere August 25, 2000)
| The Voice of Reason |
KAI: I have no feelings against you. Clearly you cannot defeat me. I suggest that you assist me in my search for Xev rather than continue to be an obstacle. |
Written by Paul Donovan
Directed by Chris Bould
GUEST STARS
Nigel Bennett – Prince
Anna Kathrin Bleuler – May
WHAT HAPPENED
Kaidives from the Lexx toward the planet Water. A woman named May watches his descent from a balcony of a battle damaged, smoking fortress.
In the bellows factory on the planet Fire, Stan reaches the limits of his endurance. He stops pumping the bellows, and a guillotine blade plunges toward his neck.
One of Prince's minions arrests the blade's fall and frees Stan from his captivity.
Kai pulls himself off the ground, cracks his broken undead neck back into place, and explores the fortress. Inside, he discovers the arrow-pierced, beaten and burned bodies of the citadel's defenders.
Drawn by the sound of pipe music, Kai locates May on the balcony. (spoilers)
ANALYSIS
Stan went for Door Number One in Prince's little game of Let's Make a Deal. He won the prize, but can he actually live up to his side of the bargain?
As Xev points out, intentionally destroying an inhabited planet is different from annihilating an asteroid or uninhabited moon. Even assuming that Stan can bring himself to destroy Water, how will May feel about that?
Finally, how will Xev and Kai react to Stan's decision? Will they support him or will they try to stop him?
Come live with me and be my love
The deal will no doubt play into the tension between Stan and Xev seen in this episode. Both are being influenced by their infatuations.
They have chosen sides based on the best faces put forward by a single inhabitant of Fire and Water. Prince and May's methods of seduction appear expressly designed to attract and snare the hapless pair.
The attraction between Xev and Prince takes the form of shared passion. Meanwhile, Stan and May appear to share a more idealistic Romantic desire.
This suggests that Prince and May know which buttons to push on their respective allies. Xev responds to passion because her love slave programming makes her especially susceptible to sexual advances.
Although Stan has nothing against good old-fashioned lust, the subtler approach is more effective. He would certainly enjoy a roll in the hay, but Stan will walk through fire (or even Fire) for true love.
Are May and Prince's modes of seduction a function of their planets of origin, or are they simply able to size up and respond to the subconscious levers of their targets?
The liveliest dead man yet
So far, this new season has afforded Michael McManus ample opportunity to expand Kai's range. While the undead assassin retains his customary reserve, McManus has added a note of ironic detachment to his portrayal.
Faced with the weird goings on around Fire and Water – to say nothing of becoming the object of 790’s demented affections – Kai has gone from affectless to deadpan. It's a subtle change; McManus achieves most of it with slight variations in inflection and an expanded – at turns amused and bemused – range of facial expressions.
The new, kinder 790 would bemuse anyone. The robot has become decidedly less abrasive since transferring his devotion from Xev to Kai.
Stan may turn out to be the biggest beneficiary of this change. 790 retains his low opinion of Stan's character and abilities, but his put-downs thus far lack the vicious overtones of previous incarnations.
Although ship and crew are in a new universe, this season of Lexx may not be as removed from the past as I suggested last week.
There is a continuity that runs straight back to the first Lexx film, "I Worship His Shadow". The Light Universe is gone, but the Cluster's malign influence lives on in the moth breeders, who are both products and victims of the Divine Order.
It remains to be see what, if any, impact this Cluster residue will have on Fire and Water.
Doctor Who fans will also recognize the moth breeders as cut-rate Cybermen. The Lexx's drones are more human, but the mix of organic and technological components calls to mind the silver nemeses of British SF, and the shot of a breeder bursting through a membrane to go about its business is a direct visual reference to the Cybermen's own storage methods.
UNANSWERED QUESTIONS
How did May survive the attack that killed everyone else in the fortress? Why did she then die from such a minor wound?
Who kicked over the cryo-pod console?
Are there any other specialized humans aboard the Lexx?
Which side started the war?
REALITY CHECK
Even a dead person falling from high orbit should hit the ground like a water balloon. It should take more than a few stretching exercises to survive -- in fact, it would probably require a mop and bucket to clean up the mess.
TUNE IN SEPTEMBER 8
Stan loves May, Xev loves Prince and Kai showers with a beautiful woman in "Gametown".
Enjoying the new Lexx look? Send your comments to the editor.
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