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Heart For Falsehood Framed - Episode #203 (some spoilers below) (Click here for synopsis)

This episode was interesting to watch, especially if you enjoy Lisa Ryder's portrayal of Beka. As it played out it occurred to me that it could have been told in another non-SF series or movie with relatively few modifications. This is not bad, but using a familiar plot only adds to the need for a well executed story if it is to "shine'.

There were actually several stories going on this week. These included Dylan's brokering some negotiations, Beka's attempts to steal/find a valuable relic while possibly having a romance with a competitor and finally Tyr attempting to obtain the same relic.

The first story was important as a setting for Beka's story which was the real "Heart" of the episode and was fairly well done. A problem with the main story was that the museum robbery was a bit hard to swallow both in terms of the action and science involved, likely because the writer did not want to spend too much time on this.

The Tyr story seemed aimless and just there to give him more to do. This added little to the episode over all and perhaps would have been better left out. One nice touch with Tyr though was when he ran into Beka before her date with Leydon, leaving the question of his feelings for Beka nicely ambiguous for the future. Also the scene with him and Dylan concerning "killing" the negotiators was priceless!

On the other hand, it was very hard to believe that straight and narrow Captain Dylan Hunt would go along with a plan to steal the Hegemon Heart. He made a reference to finding out more about the Drift's local law which makes me wonder if this was a plot point that was later abandoned and that might have been a more believable route for Sorbo's character to follow. Also, although Rev Bem was not in this episode the reference to him converting "truckloads" of heathen did not make much sense given his character to date.

Beka was believable and handled well, leaving a bittersweet taste as she succeeds in her 'mission', but has her heart torn open again. I am not sure where the 'treasure map' fits in and will need to wait to see if this is another hidden agenda, which would be surprising given her growing commitment to the restored Commonwealth. Her interactions with Leydon were well done and fit her character if you assume her feelings for him were sincere.

As far as guest stars Anthony Lemke as Leydon did a good job in his role. However, I found Doge (Peter Kalamis) and especially Clarion of Loss (Nicole Parker Smith) to be more annoying than believable or interesting.

Overall, an adequate episode with a few problems giving an interesting and somewhat sad look into Beka's character and heart. Not one I enjoyed as much as some, but that is likely personal taste since my wife seemed to enjoy it more.

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

Review 10/22/01 by Larry Kramer

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© 2001 Larry Kramer (See Copyright Disclaimer)