Frequently, the penultimate episode of a season, especially if it's the end of the series as well, will kind of get lost in the furor of the following week. Unfortunately, that happens here. It's not a bad episode, but it's not really anything special either. It does get kudos for broaching the subject of killing children and the poverty of the third world. Bridger gets caught in the middle of a political and ethical nightmare, and does his best to stick to his morals in resolving the situation. But not only is this episode wanting in the science department, but in the bad guy department as well. This is probably partly a byproduct of too many in-jokes regarding Guzmano and Colonel Miguel, but these guys really are doofuses. It's no wonder their country is in such a bad state if this is who they have in control.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY:
Depth Charges - It's nice to know some technology hasn't changed over the past century. Depth charges have been in use since at least WWII, if not before. Granted, it's the Amazonians dropping them, and their navy isn't the most advanced, but still.
Nepheloid - It's so nice to learn something new from a TV show. While this term isn't in most dictionaries, I did find a reference or two to it on the internet. And Bridger's pretty much correct about what it is. Not to mention being creative in using it to hide the seaQuest from the Amazonians.
CHARACTERS:
Cynthia is really the first relative we meet until next week (unless you count Bridger's dead wife). That puts her in a pretty unique position when you think about it. Kristin pulls the typical mother role of berating her daughter for putting herself in danger; but if you really think about it, the fact Cynthia is doing this and helping these kids means Kristin did something right along the way. The best parents can hope for with their kids is that they retain the morals and teachings you just spent the past twenty years instilling in them. I'd say Cynthia turned out pretty good. And just a few brief points about her: a) Unless Kristin has another daughter we don't meet, when Cynthia "was 17 she shaved off half her hair and died the other half bright orange." Not only that, but she has a degree in nutritional biochemistry. b) Her last name isn't Westphalen. Not going to take up more space explaining again, so for a refresher go here.
Malique's big contribution to this episode is the human face he puts on the kids' situation. That's important because it makes the children's plight that much more real and makes you care about whether they get sent back or not.
The background they give Shan is nice. If they're going to feature him so much these last episodes, we should know a little more about him than just what his function is on the ship. We know plenty about the rest of the crew by this point, so why not Shan. You'll also notice that Shan thinks better on his feet than Ford does. This doesn't surprise me since it's the same thing I noticed back in "Nothing But the Truth." Ford does best when it's a situation he can prepare for and train for; but when it comes to making it up as he goes, it gets a lot tougher for him.
Call me petty, but Ortiz looks really good in this episode. Maybe it's the sleeveless shirt or maybe it's just that he seems so much more confident than he did toward the beginning of the season.
Kristin Westphalen:
For some reason, I seem to have saved Kristin for last. Perhaps it's because she's arguably my favorite character. Her advertised main function on the ship is as a medical doctor and scientist. And that's how they portray her for the first three episodes. But as the season goes on, the science side takes a backseat, and they tend to use her more to fill the traditional sorts of female roles. She's a sounding board for Bridger; she's both a sister and a mother; along with Bridger, she's the moral and ethical heart of the ship; she's like a surrogate mother to Lucas, offering encouragement and next week a sympathetic ear; she's a pretty face in "Knight of Shadows"; and she's a love interest for Bridger (wahoo!). Despite all the advances women have made in gaining equality with men, it still falls to women to do much of the housework and child rearing. That forces women to budget their time effectively and balance their different roles. So it comes as no surprise to me that Kristin is able to function as scientist, mother, advisor and lover, more or less all at the same time. Some of those roles are probably second nature to her; mothering the crew is likely just an extension of her years spent raising Cynthia. Same with her time spent counseling Bridger; I'm not sure I know a woman who doesn't gossip and give unsolicited opinions from time to time. It's one of the reasons I like the character so much. She's a professional, tops in her field, and yet she still has a life outside of work. Despite claims to the contrary, it is not possible to have it all in life. You have to make sacrifices in work, family and love to fit all three in. But Kristin comes about as close as possible.
QUICK QUESTIONS, QUERIES, QUANDRIES AND COMMENTS:
Bridger's line "He ain't heavy, Father, he's m' brother," is from the movie Boy's Town, starring Spencer Tracy and Mickey Rooney. In fact, in the middle of the wide entrance to the 1,380-acre grounds to Boy's Town in Omaha, Nebraska is the famous statue of a handicapped boy named Howard Loomis being carried by a healthy Ruben Granger above an inscription that matches Bridger's line.
While I didn't find any references to chityana (which I assume is the name of the 'shanty town'), I did find a page about the favelas in Brazil. And as for Curitiba Cove (where they came ashore), the city of Curitiba is in Brazil, but is not on the water, so I don't know how it would have a cove.
Let's see what we know about Cynthia's father (Kristin's ex, I assume). He owns a beach house, "is not very sympathetic to causes...and he's a public figure." Exactly how many people fit that description? Not many, I don't think. My guess is politics, or something similarly high profile.
"Bad sinks, the future floats." I love this quote, but I never was good at abstract thinking so don't ask me what the heck it means. Or what the point to that whole scene is.
Those streets sure are well paved for a 'shanty town.'
In 1963, Thresher was lost in 8500 feet of water with all hands aboard. Due to that disaster and the loss of Scorpion three years later, the Navy developed two deep diving rescue submersibles, Mystic and Avalon. They are unique in that they can attach to a downed sub and safely remove the crew. Though I imagine there's a little more to it than just that.
