Contribution: Henry T.
Written by Jim Barnes
Directed by Charles Beeson
I should be praising this show for going off-format, at least for this episode. There are no unnecessary and redundant flashbacks. They minimized the teenage characters to bit players. It’s the show recognizing its myriad of flaws and taking steps towards correcting them. You can feel that the large cast is closer to interacting with each other instead of being off in their own separate worlds within a world. Miles and Charlie’s group is now on the perimeter of Philadelphia and they’re slowly, but steadily, getting to both General Monroe and Danny. But I still contend that this show can’t fully escape the problems created in the first few episodes following the pilot.
The hallucinations brought on by the lack of oxygen in the tunnels beneath Philadelphia didn’t tell viewers anything new. They reinforced what had already been established, and since what was already established isn’t that strong to begin with, it feels like the show is spinning its wheels. At least until it can get to the next big plot point. The fall finale is next so it’s safe to say that big cliffhanger event is coming soon.
At least the really good thing about this episode is that it followed through on one story instead of spending a lot of time navel gazing on a tangent. A rebel faction outside Philadelphia helps Miles and company get closer to Monroe Republic headquarters. I’d find it a little hard to believe that the Monroe militia would allow for a rebel faction to operate so close to their headquarters, but that’s just the start of some of the implausibilities of the episode. I’ll get to the bigger one in a moment.
Instead of rehashing the same material about how everyone fears the former General of the Monroe militia, more of the backstory with Miles and Monroe is espoused. Apparently, Miles tried to assassinate Monroe at one time, failed to pull the trigger when he had that chance, then exiled himself from the militia. If there was one flashback I’d like to see, it would be that one. Nevertheless, this little detail explains so much about Monroe’s obsession with Miles and why he ordered his minions to hunt him down. It’s the one piece of information that illuminates the history of the series that we have yet to see.
Going into the tunnels then proves to be a by-the-numbers kind of affair. The militia fits the tunnels with pressure sensitive mines, one of which Charlie steps on, and a part of me wished the mine would explode and eliminate Charlie for good. She’s a main character and as such, that won’t happen, but it was fun to think about. What bugged me is that no one even thinks to watch their step for the rest of the time they spend in the tunnel. When Charlie’s mine exploded though, it cut off the oxygen supply in the tunnel, which is a valid plot occurrence.
What doesn’t make sense to me is how the characters all of a sudden experience vivid hallucinations due to the lack of oxygen. And that those hallucinations are only windows into their heads. It’s a big leap to take, and undercut the positive impression I had on the episode. It shows stuff we already know: Aaron abandoned his wife; Miles still has guilt about leaving the militia; Nora is going to get eaten by an alligator, suggesting a fear of water. It draws no interest.
This goes on for a while until the obligatory “twist” is foisted upon the plot. One of the rebels turns out to be a double agent, and it’s really not hard to guess who that might be. The twist only lasts for so long because Charlie puts an arrow in his chest before he can get Miles to Monroe in time. The scene is cheer-worthy for two reasons, in that Charlie does something that helps the group for once without relying on her “vulnerable dove” persona. Also, the militia double agent wings Charlie with a bullet that knocks her out. The scene in her head where she talks to her father does remind her of what she’s lost so far in the series and I guess it should re-invigorate her to the cause. It’s hard to tell with an actress as blank as Tracy Spiradakos.
But that showdown is coming soon, and there are developments on Monroe’s side of things. Rachel works on a project that should make Monroe much more dangerous. It’s a power amplifier that increases the range of the power pendants from about ten feet to a half mile. I doubt the show will hold fast on that rule when the pendants are more widely used, but you never know with the writing on this series. I do hope the writers show some restraint when it comes to using the power pendants. Using them as a plot crutch might decrease the mojo around the show (I think of “Heroes” using the Haitian so much to basically reset the plot as needed for example).
This is an actual decent episode in a run that has felt mediocre for the most part. The four month hiatus for the show might kill the attention currently put on it. The fall finale better have something big up its sleeve, or the show may never be more than mediocre.
Score: 7/10
