White discovers Max's clone 'sister' Sam and enlists her to capture Max. Meanwhile, Eyes Only is traced and Joshua moves in with his own kind in Terminal City.

This has all the elements of a season finale, moving characters around, pulling things down, introducing new aspects and setting up for a new run. What's odd, then, is that it isn't. Admittedly you'd expect a season finale to be more action-packed than this episode is, but there is plenty going on.

Things start to get trickier for the transgenics now as White moves on to the next stage of The Conclave's plan, although he only seems to have pushed all transgenics into hiding now rather than bringing them out where he can take them down. Assuming, of course, this is even what is required of him. Martin Cummins plays the guy with maximum nastiness, but he's still driven by finding his kid which may provide an Achilles' heel. What I'd like to see is a little more of his fighting and use of his genetically superior qualities, though, even if his revelations to the congressional committee at the end have far more terrifying consequences. His discovery and destruction of Eyes Only's base of operations is a surprise as well, although it does leave you wondering how Logan can better White and hack into his equipment so often, yet White's men can trace him fairly easily. Quite where this leaves Logan now is open to question.

The Joshua storyline doesn't go a long way here, as I mentioned earlier it counts more as setting up a new phase than anything else, and you get the impression that Terminal City will be figuring prominently in the end of this season. The way Normal is getting jumpy about possible transgenics on his staff is decidedly creepy and hopefully will lead to something before the end of the year, and Sketchy's ongoing curiosity seems to be making him a more useful character, one who you suspect might side with Max and Alec judging by his reaction to Normal.

The Sam plotline doesn't really go as far as maybe it could, being there mainly for shock or surprise value and to give Max a chance to fight herself. The technique that has put two Jessica Albas on screen is a flawless piece of work, but I would have liked a bit more background to Sam and more of a meeting of minds between her and Max, one having what the other would maybe one day like and the other blaming her sibling for her punishments at Manticore after Max's escape. Like Hello, Goodbye before it, this episode is more set-up than pay-off, but it will be interesting to see just how explosive all this gets in the two-part season finale starting next week.

****

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