Andromeda Main Page | Episode Guide | Links

Heart For Falsehood Framed - Episode #203 (spoilers below!) (Click here for review)

While docked at the orbital habitat of Pierpont Drift the Andromeda hosts negotiations between Than General Clarion of Loss, Red Glow at Daybreak, Haloes a Bloody Shadow and the Drift's ruler Doge Miskich. Doge arriving first on the Observation Deck fails to bribe Dylan to fight the Than rather than return the Hegemon Heart (a valuable Than relic). Later, the feuding parties do little but yell with a seven day cease fire the only thing preventing war between the Than fleet and Doge's mercenaries (supported by the Free Trade Association enforcement unit).

Meanwhile Beka on the Drift has her ID stolen, but when she and Harper give chase a man trips her. She fights him only to find he's head of Doge's Security and that theft is legal if you're a citizen of Pierpont. Leydon Bryce-Hawkins runs a security check on the Andromeda crew and all except Dylan (though Rev is not mentioned) come up with a list of crimes. Later on the Maru, Harper reveals a fake Hegemon Heart that they hope to switch with the real one.

They go to the museum and Trance slips into a sarcophagus while Harper checks security measures and Beka asks Leydon (though an obvious camera) out for dinner. Dressed up in the Gardens, Beka runs into Tyr in an awkward moment before Leydon arrives. After Tyr leaves she says he was being territorial and as Leydon compliments Beka on her past 'accomplishments' as a thief. Later they kiss, but when he leaves she peels off sheet from her cheek that has DNA and fingerprints Harper will need to disable Museum security. Meanwhile Tyr meets with an alien named Beetle, promising a commission to find a rare item. In the museum Harper disables the security nanobots, though not the floor systems. Trance jumps, climbs and moves down a wire to replace the Heart with their fake.

On the Andromeda General Clarion and Doge's arguing gives Dylan a headache and when Tyr offers to kill them Dylan jokingly agrees, stopping him before he does so. They find the FTA has pulled support of Doge since he owes back taxes and he has 24 hrs to return the Heart. Dylan meets Beka, Harper and Trance celebrating on the Maru and says they have to return the Heart (so Doge returns the real one). Later, Beka reads a letter from Rev (he's converting heathens by the truckload), notices no one around and tests the jewel. Trance is beating Harper at cards (he owes millions, paid if they sell the Heart). Beka tells them it's a fake. She and Tyr have an idea who may have the real one.

Beka meets Leydon in the gardens and compliments 'Schroedinger's Cat' on past accomplishments, admits to buying information on him and implies that he is "the Cat" and continuing his thefts (including stealing the Heart). Later they are in his bed and Beka waits until he is asleep to head into the other room, finding a hole with a flexi inside. Leydon appears with his gun drawn and orders her to play it which reveals Trance stealing the Heart. Leydon says death is the penalty for stealing from Doge, but fires and destroys the flexi. Beka and Leydon both seem confused by this.

Tyr meets the Beetle who says there's been a delay, but Tyr draws his knife and Beetle tells Tyr to follow. He leads to Leydon where Tyr asks to buy the Heart only for himself. Leydon stalls but Tyr grabs him by the throat stopped by security guards who he fights off and escapes. Leydon retrieves the jewel from a man eating plant in the garden but Beka holds a gun on him and asks if he stole it the day she arrived. He explains that he took it 6 months before, after becoming a Citizen. He had the jewel, got paid by the Doge and did side jobs. He gives Beka the jewel and asks her to marry him, become a citizen and have "fringe benefits". Beka tells him to meet her on the Maru in an hour.

Dylan had been trying to stall Doge and General Clarion but now the Than fleet will be in firing range within 2 hours and Dylan asks Rommie to prepare for defensive measures. On the Maru, Beka and Leydon are talking and kissing when Tyr drops from the ceiling. Beka switches the jewels and hands one to Leydon. Tyr escorts Leydon and the jewel to Dylan, Doge and Clarion of Loss. Tyr says Leydon didn't recover the jewel but stole it while Beka checks the real jewel and finds the treasure map hidden within which she has the Maru's computer record. She then takes the Heart to the meeting where Leydon says she is the thief and the jewel a fake. Beka greets Dylan with a kiss, and palms the Heart to him as Tyr watches. Dylan hands the Heart to Clarion of Loss who then declares it genuine.

In the hall, Beka can't believe Leydon betrayed her. He says it was part of the game, he beat her to it. He congratulates her on winning and Beka sadly says maybe they'll play again. Rommie tells Dylan she wasn't sure Beka would come through, but Dylan says he knew he could trust her, he knew her heart. Beka gazes out sadly as they pull away.

Synopsis 10 /22/01 by Larry Kramer

Andromeda Main Page | Episode Guide | Links

© 2001 Larry Kramer (See Copyright Disclaimer)