space: 1999 -- season 2 episode 02 -- the exiles

Season 2, Episode 02: The Exiles

This blog comes with the generalized warning that any post may contain spoilers. That is especially true of these Space: 1999 posts. So if you haven't seen this episode, intend to watch it, and therefore don't want spoilers, then don't read.

Plot Synopsis
Alpha encounters a flock of missiles containing people in suspended animation. These people seem frendly and eager to help, but they have a plan up their sleeves.

My Thoughts
This wasn't as strong an episode as the first, but it's still much better than most of what we saw in season one. And, like the first episode, this story seems like something they would have done for Star Trek. There's action and suspense. There's a morality tale. And, of course, there's that whole "things are not as they seem" feel.

That said, I am still having trouble appreciating the look of the show. Maybe that's unfair -- as a Star Trek fan, I kind of want things to look like that show, and this doesn't. It's more Land of the Lost, though the whole sequence in the underground lab (with electronic "danger" signs embedded in the walls) made me think of Batman (the TV show). As well, they seem to be inventing new gadgetry as the plot requires it. That's one of the silly things about Batman that we enjoy because that show is supposed to be campy. In a presumably serious science fiction show it's kind of head-scratching.

The producers seem to have really been trying to humanize the characters. We get some glimpses of crewmambers sunbathing in bikinis, and talking about meeting in rec facilities. There's some flirty banter, which makes this an improvement. And we even learn that Helena is a bit of an artist, as we see a clay sculpture she made. I would have appreciated that touch a bit more if it hadn't come out of the blue -- through more than a season, there was no hint of it, and now we see it in all its surprising glory. Of course, it's important to remember that season two represents a reboot of sorts, so maybe this change shouldn't matter. Extra points go to the producers (or writers, or whoever) for working that clay bust in as a plot device (as opposed to just a prop).

It's also a pleasure to see that Barbara Bain can act -- there are believable emotions being conveyed. Of course it boggles the mind that, for a full season she was being told to act like a block of wood.

Koenig is also very different from last season. In season one he had a touch of the academic in him, which was encouraged by his relationship with Bergman who was a professor. Now he's much more a man of action -- surprising people by firing his laser staple gun at an alien. Not because he was provoked or anything -- just to make sure it was an effective weapon. And his relationship with Tony accentuates that new character. It is a definite improvement.

Of course, not everything is carried off well. Koenig is understandably unwilling to help the exiles and thereby sell out a whole planet. But he does so (albeit reluctantly) to save Helena from torture. Even though his protective feelings for her (as both crewmember and lover) are a positive, I find it hard to believe that his judgement is so bad. Relatedly, while the banter is welcome, it still doesn't have the right feel for a scifi show. The soft focus and music make it more appropriate for one of those late '70s family drama shows.

Another thing that really annoyed me was the way Helena shouted out exposition to Cantar (one of the exiles) near the end -- "You're old, Cantar!" "You're too feeble to handle the gun!" I realize they needed to do that as a way of explaining to the audience what was happening, but it was very hokey. Oh, and those stupid outfits the exiles are wearing make them look like top flight figure skaters.

Still, even with the flaws, I'm liking the second season better than I did the first.