Plot Synopsis:
As always, the Lurker's Guide has a handy plot synopsis here.
Overall: 7.0
Finally - an episode with more than marginal relevance!
Writing: 8.5
Lawrence Ditillio actually does a very good job laying the groundwork for plot lines down the road. We have, for example, the unsettling scene between Sheridan and Senator Voudreau which foreshadows the development of the Night Watch. Moreover, we learn of the existence of a secret organization within Earth Gov that, apparently, has installed an agent-in-residence on Babylon 5 - an organization that, evidently, has the ability to reprogram people and use them as drones for black ops. And lastly, we have Talia's decision to conceal the Psi Corps' connection to the aforementioned government organization, an act which, for the first time, casts some doubt on her loyalties. One gets an overwhelming impression here that, where Earth Gov is concerned, something is rotten in the state of Denmark, and that makes this episode far more interesting to watch than the previous two.
Acting: 6.5
Unfortunately, I don't think Andrea Thompson is a very good actress, and she's necessarily front and center in this episode. I also don't believe that Michael Beck does a particularly subtle job conveying the switching between Abel Horn's real and programmed personalities; his "seizure" in particular definitely drifts into melodramatic territory. (And melodrama is only okay when it's committed by a Certain Pair of feuding aliens. Yes, I realize that's not fair, but that's just the way it is. LOL!)
Message: 6.0
Because, as noted above, this is a set-up episode, there isn't really a noticeable theme here. I suppose I could discuss the ways in which the Earth Gov plot in the series as a whole has been misused by left-wing fans, but I think I'd like to wait on that until we get to the juicy bits.
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