The first half of this episode is great. It's the most fun half hour probably of the whole season. The second half, however, is not nearly as good. That's where you get the real plot and the actual events of consequence. And of course, the destruction of seaQuest. The story is that filming the show in LA was too expensive, I believe, so for the second season they wanted to move to Florida for filming. But since the sets were too big to move, and it was probably cheaper to just build new ones, they decided to 'destroy' the ship at the end of the season and build a new one. Not a good move, IMHO. But ignoring that fact, this episode really is a nice wrap-up to both the 'tour' and the season/series. The crew gets a day off to celebrate and party with their shipmates and friends, Bridger gets to make a poignant speech, Lucas and his dad get to make a new start, and seaQuest gets a touching burial at sea while saving the world yet again. And we get a hint at who's not coming back next season in that last scene based on the comments people make about finding new jobs and taking new positions. But by far, the best scene in the episode (and possibly the whole season) is the volleyball game. Tons of fun watching them make fools of themselves. Oh and can anyone say, Top Gun?
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY:
World Power Hydroelectric Plant - On the surface, this is yet another really neat idea. I know hydroelectric power is one option scientists have been looking into as an alternative power source. But more than that is the idea of providing power for the whole world. I don't know about anyone else, but I get very nervous having that much riding on just one small facility and group of people. Especially if it has government backing. Just think of the sheer logistics it would take to get everyone in the world mapped to a universal power form. Hell, even America and Europe use different wall plugs. It would be really monumental if it happens, but I also see a prescription for disaster in trying to do it.
CHARACTERS:
The one side of Bridger we haven't really seen yet in the series is his membership in the 'old boys' club' of the Navy. That's sort of my term for the fraternity of those officers who make it to captain and beyond. They're career officers to whom the Navy is more than just a job. When you've been in the service that long, you pretty much know just about all the other ranking officers. There aren't really that many of them once you hit captain and admiral. Which is what the whole dynamic between Shelley and Bridger is all about. They're not great friends like Bridger and Noyce, but they're still familiar with each other. And sometimes, as the guy in charge, you need someone in similar circumstances to talk with, someone who'll call you by your name rather than your rank.
They've been pretty consistent in setting up all along the friction between Lucas and his dad. Every time Lucas' parents are mentioned, it's pretty much in a bad light, and most of the negativity is from Lucas himself. Lots of references to how his parents don't have time for him.
"'Bout time." -- Damn straight, it is. It seems like it took these two forever to get to this point. They've only been dancing around each other and their feelings for at least seven weeks now. I'm so glad (and not because I'm a staunch supporter of the relationship) that they put some closure on the Bridger/Westphalen relationship. It would have been a huge mistake to have them flirting in half the episodes of the last two months and not eventually make a go of it. Though to move quite that fast is unexpected. Especially with that oh so smooth pickup line of Bridger's. "May I kiss you, Doctor?" Obviously he hasn't dated in a long, long time if that's the best he can come up with. Not sure I'd have been able to keep a straight face, let alone say 'yes' had he said that to me.
There's obviously some nice Bridger/Lucas material this week. It really cements the surrogate father role Bridger has played with Lucas all year long. I can't help but wonder, however, if Bridger ever put work ahead of his own son the first time around. You know he tries to make time for Lucas when he can, but there's also a measure of trying to make up for the things he did wrong with Robert when he deals with Lucas.
There's also some very nice Lucas/Westphalen scenes in here. Not just the one in his quarters, but also several when they're abandoning ship. Westphalen is almost a surrogate mother for Lucas, although less so than Bridger. But she's still there for Lucas, and they both realize that her relationship with Bridger can very easily drive a wedge between Lucas and Bridger, something none of them wants to happen.
Of course, you have to love the discussion between Ford, Krieg and Hitchcock. They're all officers, all about the same age, so it seems natural that they'd spend time together off duty. And the discussion itself is good. They talk about work related topics, but in a lighthearted manner. And how can you not like a scene in which they make fun of Ben?
I don't know the exact stats, but I have a pretty good guess that lots of Navy marriages break up shortly after retirement from the Navy. Those guys spend a lot of time at sea and away from their spouses. That's tough on relationships. If you haven't spent much time together over the years, and then you're suddenly not apart, it can be tough to make the transition. So from that aspect, the breakup of Crocker and his wife is wholly believable, especially for the reasons she gives.
QUICK QUESTIONS, QUERIES, QUANDRIES AND COMMENTS:
This episode actually has two different names, depending on where you look. I think "An Ocean on Fire" was the original title, and it was later changed to "Higher Power." But I could have that backwards.
If you'll recall "To Be Or Not To Be," you'll remember that Noyce tells Bridger Lucas' father is "in charge of our largest corporate endowment." I can't really consider the World Power Project a corporation. It may be being funded by one, but it isn't itself. I really do wish they'd keep their stories straight.
Shelley is trying to convince Ford to transfer to an aircraft carrier, but it's kind of rare for a submariner to move to a surface ship, let alone a carrier. They're more or less two separate career paths.
I cannot believe in the era we live in that no environmental impact study was performed on the site for the power plant. It's pretty much a requirement for all government programs.
It sounds like Martin Tucker from "The Stinger" has done pretty well for himself. A company big enough to hire its own security, headed by Crocker no less.
It seems to me that typical sea tours are much less than 13 months. I seem to remember hearing closer to 6 months, but that can be extended under special circumstances, like war. Of course, SSBN subs do have a rotating crew system set up so that after one crew finishes a tour, the sub itself is in dock for about a week restocking before sailing again with a second, different crew. It keeps the sub at sea for as much time as possible while limiting deployment time for the crews.
"I spoke with your mother, and she assures me ... that you’re growing up." As opposed to what, growing down?
I covered the speed of subs previously with the Stinger, but 150 mph is very fast, for a sub or any boat. That is one hell of a design if it can do 150 mph.
When O'Neill is sending a mayday and giving seaQuest's location, he first says 13°15' then 15°13' -- oops.
BOB BALLARD MOMENT:
Scientists are working on ways to extract energy from the Earth rather than the sun. In Hawaii a small geothermal power plant has been built over a magma chamber under the island. Recent experiments with Alvin tried to extract energy from undersea vents thousands of feet under the surface in a world of total darkness.
