Three astronauts from the future are discovered and both Sandoval and Liam are keen to find them for what they know about the way the fight against the Taelons will end.
A premise like this threatens to rip through any surprises the show may have to offer at a later date, so it's good that the astronauts are only revived at the end of the episode and only able to provide a small amount of cryptic information. Whether the writers know where they're going with all this is debatable, but here's hoping they've started to finally make some long-term plans. Although Earth: Final Conflict will be back for another year, it's time to start wrapping things up now before it's too late.
Meanwhile, there are some changes in store for Sandoval. His CVI is removed (although it's later revealed that he somehow kept it) and his wife comes back into the picture, held captive to obtain some data. Von Flores does a fine job with some more emotional material than he's been used to, including a tearful reunion with his with which is cruelly snatched away from him. Although it was a possibility set up by earlier appearances from her, it still seems a little unfair to cut off his only link to the world, as it could have provided a great deal more depth to his character.
The problem is that while the character elements are strong, the plotting is weak. The story leaps around all over the place, takes too long to get to the point, and doesn't make a lot of sense. By the end I'm still not sure what's been accomplished, why Heather North is helping Liam all of a sudden and why Liam and Renee left the two thawed astronauts without checking to see how they were. The final scene with Zo'or also begs a question: Liam and Sandoval both seemed to be trying to steal the codes to thaw the astronauts from the mothership. In which case, why can't Zo'or just go and pick them up himself? He must know where they are if he has the codes, surely? It's a shame, because the lack of coherency spoils a great episode.
***
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