Overall: 6.5
Meh. Someone turns out to be a Psi Corps mole, but it's not anyone I personally care about. Sorry, Ivanova/Talia fans.
Plot Synopsis:
The Lurker's Guide has a summary here.
The Skinny:
'Tis true that Andrea Thompson's abrupt departure forced Straczynski into a corner, but I would've liked this episode more if I had been properly prepared for it.
Here's what needed to happen: we needed to see more of Ivanova and Talia's burgeoning relationship. Yes, you heard me right: I'm saying that Straczynski needed to make the show gayer. Because all we see of this couple is suggestions and penumbras, the traumatic severing of their relationship carries no emotional resonance even though Claudia Christian acts her heart out. In order for me to care now that Talia turns out to be the mole, I needed to see, explicitly and over the course of several episodes, that she and Ivanova were developing an intimate bond. Without this development, I don't feel the intended sense of betrayal nearly as keenly despite Christian's best efforts.
Writing: 6.0
Again, I recognize that Talia's sudden departure was necessary for real-world reasons, but the Big Reveal in this episode only prompts a mild "ouch!" because of the lack of set-up.
Acting: 7.5
Claudia Christian is the highlight. Other performances were merely par.
Message: 6.0
This script is purely functional. It removes Talia from the picture and lays down more groundwork for the EA Civil War arc, but it doesn't tackle any of the show's Big Themes.
No comments:
Post a Comment