In which Duke gets foiled, Bunny gets broiled and an enemy's plan for Stan gets spoiled.

(U.S. premiere September 22, 2000)

Written by Paul Donovan
Directed by Bill Fleming

Your Kiss I Can't Resist

STAN: Kai is not Kai. He's Prince, only pretending to be Kai.    Related Links Lexx World PRINCE: Don't believe him, Xev. XEV: I do believe him. The real Kai would have been a better kisser.

GUEST STARS

Ralph Brown - Duke
Jeff Pustil - Fifi
Patricia Zentilli – Bunny

WHAT HAPPENED

The Lexx crew – plus Gametown's Bunny and Boomtown's Living Kai -- chases Duke and Fifi through the dusky skies between Water and Fire. Duke's troops are hot on their heels in a flight of stolen moths.

Xev throws their moth into reverse, and Duke's men shoot past them. Kai -- the dead one we've come to know and love -- destroys the enemy moths with his brace, but Duke's goons get off a few shots and damage the good guys' moth.

Duke and Fifi fly through a storm and crash to the surface of Fire.

The Lexx crew abandons the damaged moth. They all hang from Kai's brace line until the crippled ship nears the surface, then jump clear before the moth crashes. (spoilers)

ANALYSIS

Nobody enjoys eating crow. I'm no exception. But since it's necessary, I'll tie a napkin around my neck and take a big ol' bite.

In my commentary on "Boomtown", I wrote, "Kai's heroic sacrifice in the battle against His Shadow earned him a place on Water. Although his body and consciousness have walked the galaxy for millennia, some part of him . . . transcended the death of his body."

Kai's "resurrection" wasn’t what it seemed to be. The Living Kai appeared on the heels of Prince's death at Duke's hands, and I didn't pay enough attention to the timing.

That trick never works

"Gondola" is more about information than action. What happens isn't really as important as what those events reveal to the principal characters.

The most important development this week is that Stan and Xev understand that evil can take any form it chooses. Prince's latest return from the dead also confirms that his appearance to Stan and Xev aboard the Lexx was real, not a dream or a vision.

They may not understand the mechanics, but it’s now clear to them that death on Fire and Water isn't like death anyplace else in the universe. At best it is a temporary condition.

What they will do with this knowledge and how it will affect them during the rest of their sojourn on these worlds remains to be seen.

Of course, the Lexx crew should be less likely to take anything at face value, especially since at least two people -- not counting Duke, who doesn't seem to have any specific reason to come after them again -- are nurturing serious grudges. Xev has thwarted Prince’s plans and rejected his advances twice; from what we've seen of his personality and attitudes, he isn't one to let these insults go unanswered.

They may get a respite while Prince and Duke consolidate their power in the wake of their respective deaths. Prince's murder of Duke ensures that their struggle will continue -- as Duke explained in "Boomtown", killing your enemy only guarantees that they will come back again to bedevil you.

Unfortunately, Prince didn't have much choice: he needed to keep the airship afloat and to make sure Duke didn't reveal his secret. Getting rid of the dead weight achieved both these ends.

Their ongoing struggle for dominance may prove to be the only thing that keeps Xev and Stan alive, but don't bet on it.

UNANSWERED QUESTIONS

How will Stan, Xev and Kai get back to the Lexx?

What sort of reception will Stan and Xev receive in the city?

What's next for Duke, Prince and Fifi?

We've seen a lot of Fire's politics. What is Water's power structure like?

TUNE IN NEXT WEEK

Lexx leaves Friday nights for a few weeks, but there will be reruns of season two on Sunday nights at 1:30 A.M., starting at the top with "Mantrid". Remember when Lexx villains just wanted to destroy the universe instead of playing mad political games?

In the meantime, Gene Roddenberry’s Andromeda will be hitting the air in a couple of weeks, and SPACE.com will be right there reviewing it. Join me in the cheap seats if you dare (Jamahl Epsicokhan will be in the expensive ones, God help him) -- and bring some popcorn, why don’t you?