[Episode Written By: Fiona
Avery] (7/07/99)
[Episode Written By: Fiona
Avery] (7/07/99)
Gideon is ordered to a planet containing rogues
thought to be contaminated by the plague. Dureena discovers that
she isn't the last of her kind, although she may be again. Gideon
uncovers a conspiracy. Max makes an interesting decision.
If you are hurrying back to the house to start the VCR, please do yourself a favor and save your tape. This one is, to put in simply, pretty darn bad. One thing that was seen over and over again in B5 was these brute characters with very little personality and even less acting ability. This was the equivalent of a DOWN BELOW episode. Then again what do you expect when the word GROPOS is used in an episode. There's actors out there who can carry a line...please go out and find them. Pass me the happy gas because I need it. I had a hard time watching this episode a second time to write this review. The crusher was that this episode ended at 45 past the hour. The last 15 minutes was not fluff, it was crap.
In the scene where Dureena undressed the old man it took me a few minutes to confirm that he was indeed one of her kind. The makeup job on him was really poorly done. The line in the center of his head was not enough...there are humans with that feature...its called aging.
When Gideon visits Max's quarters, Max's reaction to his visit is totally overdone plot-wise. They just saw each other a few minutes ago playing cards. Fine, he's never come to his quarters, but the line wasn't needed there. It would have worked if the card scene wasn't included in the episode...the two scenes should have been compacted into one.
We need a bang-em-up shoot-out episode real soon to balance out all
of these talkies. And most importantly, we need an enemy. The
Excalibur just seems to be floating out there where she wants to, in no
rush at all.
Out of place music for a story like this and randomly composed.
A shame because the episode before was so well done.
ACTING / CHARACTERS: (1 STARS)
The final scene in this episode is the only one that really matters character wise. Instantly Max becomes a much more complex character than previously thought. He may be out for his own good and for the profit of IPX, but how far does his IPX loyalty go? Max seems to have a conscience after all, but a weak one. As the Excalibur ventures farther out into the galaxy, and IPX fades from concern, where will his loyalties lie?
This episode gives us our first solid look at Dr. Chambers (Holden). She is very beautiful and there is a striking contrast in the heights of her and Dureena. Her back story has yet to be established, so she seems out of place at this point. Overly coy for your experience level.
Pointless. Absolutely pointless. This episode looks like it was written in an hour. The conspiracy situation has been beaten to death on B5. Sheriden claimed he was a conspiracy buff in his first season but JMS abandoned those plot lines. No reason to re-introduce them in Crusade. And most importantly no reason whatsoever for the last 15 minutes of the episode.
There is only one scene in this episode that was well done...the last one with Max (as mentioned).
Hideously choppy. This episode is not worthy of having Netter and B5 Productions attached to it. We are seeing shuttles used way too much and they do not translate well to CGI for some reason.