NEW!: Terra Nova 1:7 - Proof

Overall: 7.3

Definitely the best episode so far. Let's hope this is the start of an upward trajectory for this series.



Plot Synopsis:

FOX.com has a summary here.

The Skinny:

As I suggested above, this episode was a pleasant surprise. All three of the plot-lines managed to engage my interest on some level:

• Maddy and fake!Horton. This story is probably the weakest of the three, but I still liked watching Maddy's hero worship evolve into disappointment, unease, suspicion, and - eventually - fear. She stumbles onto a real mystery, and the way she handles it shows, for the first time, that she actually is genuinely intelligent. (Note: A few geek explosions here and there don't really establish that a character is "smart." You have to put that character in situations in which being smart is crucial to success and/or survival. Thankfully, the writers have finally evinced awareness of this key rule of thumb.)
• Taylor's deal with Curran. Here's yet more evidence that Taylor is evil -- or at least not wholly good. The fact that he is willing to recruit an alleged criminal just to root out his mole certainly indicates a vaguely Machiavellian approach to solving problems. Very interesting.
• Josh's finally realizing that secretly dealing with the Sixers is wrong. As I noted in my first post on this series, I don't really care for Josh. From the start, he's struck me as incredibly self-absorbed and thoughtless. I wanted to smack him when, in the pilot, he blamed his father - and not the government - for the latter's stint in prison. And he's been acting like a total dumbass ever since. Here, however, one of Josh's few brain cells fires for once, and I for one was relieved to witness the change. "Hey, wait -- maybe I shouldn't blindly trust Mira." Ya think? I just hope Josh isn't let completely off the hook for the break-in and general treachery. I better see him on waste disposal duty next week.

Writing: 8.5

I may be over-rating this script just a bit, but I can't help it: I was genuinely happy to see an episode that clearly rose above its predecessors on the writing front.

Acting: 7.5

The performances weren't too bad either.

Message: 6.0

But we're still missing Big Themes to tie things together, and that's holding the series back.