Cade walks into a trap and finds himself surrounded by the police, stalked by a bounty hunter and trapped in the apartment of a woman who he must trust to keep him hidden until he can make his escape.
This could have been brilliant. As it is, it’s merely adequate. That’s not to say that there’s not plenty to enjoy here, and a lot of things going on as several different parties try to get to Cade, but too much of the episode is spent restating the series’ basic principles. It’s as if in an effort to bring in new viewers, this episode was made to bring them up to date. Joshua appears, with someone on hand who can explain just who he is to the audience, Eddie is found by the bounty hunter so the viewer can work out how he fits in, and Cade explains his mission to the woman he takes as a hostage, so that the watching public can find out everything they need to know about Nostradamus, quatrains, the Gua and the Paranoid Times.
With much of the action taking place on a couple of sets, it’s clearly a relatively inexpensive episode to make, and at least it’s not a clip show. Sadly, so much time is wasted on the explanations that there’s little plot left at the end. Indeed, most of the events of the episode are in the last five minutes, as Cade gains a new follower but loses another.
Hatcher, the bounty hunter, is worthy of another appearance, if only because he could be useful and isn’t given the chance to do much here, and Joshua’s plan to trap Cade is clever and nearly works. It’s good to see a change in approach for the aliens at last, although too many clearly think they know how to handle the Foster situation better. It’s also quite clever the way the script wrong-foots the viewer when Joshua talks about using a human to catch a human. Led to believe it’s the bounty hunter, the end proves otherwise.
Eddie likewise gets to show his strength of character when he refuses to give up Cade’s location, regardless of what he’s put through. The bond between the two is strengthened by events here, which is good to see. There are signs of intricate plotting and plenty of thought in this episode, not to mention a short but no less effective stand-off at the end, but it’s all dragged down by the pointless exposition.
***
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