"Harper 2.0" - Episode #114 (slight spoilers below) (Click here for synopsis)

Once again my expectations were relatively low based on the teasers, which perhaps is a good thing when the episode again turns out better than expected!

The story moved along quickly, at times almost chaotic, but I could still follow it. Jeger was a formidable opponent with Tyr, Dylan and the Andromeda itself often helpless against him. While I enjoy seeing 'the good guys win', it is still important for a believable story not to have them "too" superhuman!

Speaking of superhumans, Gordon Michael Woolvett was convincing as a basically "supercharged" Harper. However, since Harper has always been a bit "annoying" (on purpose I think), this did not exactly add to my viewing enjoyment. Also, it does seem strange that everyone seemed to have a fairly high level of familiarity with 20^th century history and languages, considering this was probably millennia before their time.

On the other hand, the scenes between Harper and Rev Bem (Brent Stait) were great, especially the one where Rev attempts to comfort him while he is in restraints. In fact, this episode more than any in awhile started to use Rev as more than convenient "ship's counselor and gave at least a bit of depth to his beliefs and his struggle against his "baser" desires. It reminds me of why I liked this character early on and I hope to see more of this.

The special effects were good and I found the portrayal of the "energy man" and of some of Jeger's technology intriguing. I questioned the "PSP trail", the easy "download" of information to/from Harper and the consistency of the slipstream "wall" with what we have seen of "slipstream" (the wall is reminiscent unfortunately of "subspace" technobabble elsewhere). Also, while Jeger's phase density shifting (per Harper) is believable inside vessels, it makes no sense as an escape from an exploding spaceship, likely light years from Jeger's home base.

This "energy man", who does not as yet even have a name, looks like he(?) could be an intriguing adversary and be the start of an interesting story arc. Also, the associated mentions of the All-Systems University and also of the fall of Brandenburg begins to start filling in some much needed back story about the Commonwealth.

With a few above mentioned concerns I still have to say this was a very good episode that once again could easily lead to some interesting stories. My hope is that the important plot points here, like the information in Harper's downloaded file and their new apparent adversary, will not be ignored in the future.

The ratings for the episode are given below. For information on how my rating system works, click on this link.

Review 02/22/01 by Larry Kramer

© 2001 Larry Kramer (See Copyright Disclaimer)