The title of this episode is probably an homage to the 1950
film of that name, though thematically unrelated.
This episode is narrated by Julia at the beginning and Devon
at the end. Julia remarks that it has
been 6 days since they left the winter camp. However,
Danziger later says they've been stuck in the valley for 8
days; it's not clear how much time has passed since the
burial of their comrade on day 6, so it's possible this
scene takes place two days after the opening.
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After all of the Eden Advance
members contract a strange malady,
the first of them dies and is buried
at the beginning of this episode.
The grave marker left behind
identifies her as Eben Sinh (the end
credits of this episode call her Eben Synge instead, but I think the
grave marker takes precedence!). This is
a name we've not heard previously in
the series, but is identifiable by
the body later examined by the
revived Dr. Anson as one of the
background characters seen in the
past who never had dialog; an
attractive, dark-haired young woman.
The screen grab at right is Eben
from
"Better Living Through Morganite"
Part 2. |
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A jet contrail is seen in the sky at 2:23 on the DVD.
Alonzo remarks that the first ship out as far as G889 was a
Jupiter-class freighter. But the crashed vessel
they've found now is from 30 years before even that, a
Venus-class vessel.
Julia refers to the cryo-suspension tubes in the crashed
ship as "cold-sleep crypts".
At various times in the episode, the names of some of the
cold-sleep crew members are visible on the nameplates of the
sleep crypts or on computer displays. These names are nods
to a few production crew members on this episode: China
Iwata was the art department coordinator,
Bruton Jones was an assistant art director, and Maxine Shepard
was the production designer.
Yale finds the crashed ship's records and finds that it was
a Council research ship, commissioned out of New Mars
Station.
This episode reveals that the colonists were all unknowingly
injected with bioprobes at the base of the neck that were
meant to allow the Council to monitor them from the
satellite orbiting G889.
Bennett states, during his conversation with Dr. Anson about
the crypt logs, that they indicated they'd sat frozen in the
crypts for 50 years.
Riley now appears with a mustache, though he is also
revealed to be nothing but a computer program operating from
the orbiting satellite.
Discussing the problems with the Council implants, Riley
suggests Eve can effect a repair and, "No more problemo."
Possibly, Riley's statement is a nod to the phrase "No problemo"
used by the robotic Terminator played by Arnold
Schwarzenegger in the 1991 film Terminator 2: Judgment
Day.
When Devon and Yale establish the communication link with
Riley, the computer-programmed image is reciting lines from
Geoffrey Chaucer's 14th Century collection of stories
The Canterbury Tales:
Whan that Aprille with his shoures soote
The droghte of March hath perced to the roote
And bathed every veyne in swich licour
When Devon points out to Riley that the implants allowed him
to pinpoint the group's whereabouts on the planet at all
times and asks why he didn't, therefore, simply come for Uly
(and his Terrian-laced DNA) at any time, Riley responds that
he and the Council are not cruel, "Are we not men? Do we not
bleed?" The "do we not bleed" phrase is from William
Shakespeare's play The Merchant of Venice.
At 28:40 on the DVD, a very obvious jet contrail is seen in
the sky.
Near the end of the episode, notice that the group is
salvaging parts and equipment from the crashed Venus
ship to take with them.
Alonzo remarks to Julia that he'd like to take the Venus
ship's food hydrolyzers. To hydrolyze something means to
dissolve it by addition of water; it seems more likely that
the devices he speaks of are meant to reconstitute dried
food for consumption.
As his mother is placed in the sleep crypt to prevent her
immediate death and left to be revived at some later date,
notice that Uly leaves his decorated walking stick (first
seen in "The Man Who Fell to Earth (Two)") next to the
crypt.
Unanswered Questions
Why is the humanoid image of the Eve program depicted as
nude when the Riley program is always clothed?
While beginning his cyberspace link with Riley, Yale makes
some rather cryptic remarks which are not elaborated upon:
"I can see them. I can see the others. I can see their
settlements. I can see their children! They're dying.
They're all dying!" Are there as yet undiscovered
settlements on G889? Human? Alien? Is Yale's vision related
to the cryptic warning from Dr. Anson before she dies that
the planet is rejecting them? Is it related to Devon's
ailment?
Will Devon be cured of her ailment? Since this was the last
episode of the series, we'll never really know. But,
remember, we did see her still alive 16 years in the future
in "The Boy
Who Would Be Terrian King".
