Overall: 6.5
The main plot is pretty unoriginal, and the B-plot is implausible. But hey -- at least they haven't yet committed the deal-breaker sin discussed last week.
Plot Synopsis:
FOX.com has a recap here.
The Skinny:
Throwing enemies together and forcing them to cooperate in order to survive has been done many, many times. Still, the conversations between Taylor and Mira are kind of interesting. Actually, while listening to Mira discuss her personal motivations for opposing Taylor, I realized there is yet one more reason why things may not be as simple as they look on this show, and it relates to Terra Nova's selection process. As we've seen, there are two main avenues to getting a place in a pilgrimage: Either 1) you are a professional who possesses a desired skill set, or 2) you win the lottery. And apparently, option number two is extremely susceptible to corruption. Mira got a place in the sixth pilgrimage because her employer "had deep pockets," while Josh's old girlfriend might get a place in the eleventh because of Mira's "connections." Do you see where this is going?
I have no problem with the aforementioned professionals moving to the head of the line because they are needed. But the lottery has evidently become a process that favors the rich and/or politically connected -- and that's why I think the portal should go both ways. It's not okay that the cream of the crop gets to live in paradise while the larger and poorer mass of humanity has to suffer back in 2149 without any hope of reaping Terra Nova's benefits. I'm not saying we should strip-mine the place, of course. But we don't even know that that's what Mira's employers are seeking to do. We only have Taylor's word on that, and Taylor is hardly a disinterested party.
(By the way, a note: As you all know, I'm a right-wing Catholic, not a class-warfare-obsessed leftist. So the fact that I'm seeing the social-justice-related pitfalls of Taylor's pet project really indicates their significance.)
As for the other plots? Well, Zoe continues to be too twee for words. Seriously -- I'm about to fall into a diabetic coma over here. And Skye as the traitor? To be honest, my reaction was pretty incredulous. I mean, I definitely buy the motivation the writers set up for her, but I'm having a difficult time believing that a teenager - a teenager - would have access to the colony's intelligence information. Come on, guys. That's stretching things a bit too far.
Writing: 6.0
I'm downgrading this script a bit for its "WHAAAAAAT?!?!" revelation in re: Skye as the mole -- and for its resort to a cliche in the main plot.
Acting: 7.5
The performances are respectable.
Message: 6.0
It's unclear at this time whether the writers see what I see as far as the complexities of the situation are concerned, so I'm going to go with the neutral score here.
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