| Summary
and analysis by Dallascaper
Saved
from death at the last minute by Jena, a secret Peacekeeper operative,
John wastes little time going after Prince Clavor. However, possessing
no physical proof of the attack, John is branded "unstable"
by the Empress. Princess Katrella is embarrassed by John's behavior
and doesn't believe her own brother would kill anyone. Katrella's
feelings of sibling trust are replaced by horror as both John and
she narrowly survive another assassination attempt.
Conspiring
with the Empress to keep John alive, Rygel hatches a plan to hide
the human on a barge orbiting the Royal planet. The idea is to make
everyone think John has fled, forcing the treacherous villains to
show themselves with desperate actions. However, the plan goes awry
when the Empress' most trusted servant, Ro-na, betrays John. Working
for Scorpius, Ro- na reveals John's location and he is captured
by the Peacekeeper officer, Bracka*. Smug with the knowledge that
John is in custody, Scorpius makes plans for a reunion with the
human.
However,
Bracka is clearly under orders not to harm John. Crichton uses this
fact to his advantage. Unable to control the desperate human, Bracka
can only watch as John goes nuts and activates the weapons system
on the barge. The barge is immediately attacked by the Royal Planetary
automated defense system. Left on the disintegrating barge alone,
with no space suit or means to reach his transport, John makes a
last ditch effort to survive. He jumps out of the barge, into space
without a space suit, seconds before it explodes.
Surviving
three assassination attempts in one day, John and Princes Katrella
are finally wed. Scorpius, the Scarran emissary, D'Argo, Chiana,
a beaming Rygel, and honored guests are treated to a simple wedding.
Conspicuous in her absence from the festive event, is Aeryn. The
episode ends just as Katrella and John are turned into statues -
according to royal tradition.
Desperate
as John's situation may be, it pales in comparison to what Zhaan
and Pilot are experiencing with Moya. The "builders" have
revealed themselves to Moya and those aboard her. The "builders"
are upset that Moya, created to be a peaceful being, has produced
a gunship offspring. In their infinite wisdom, the "builders"
have decided that Moya is to be decommissioned and will die. Zhaan
pleads for Moya's life, but to no avail. Moya is allowed to communicate
directly to Zhaan and expresses a feeling of fulfillment and acceptance
of her fate. Bonded to the Leviathan, Pilot's fate is also sealed
and he, too, seems to accept his impending death.
Analysis:
Well,
the party atmosphere of part 1 is gone. Part 2 is a more tense experience
for all. Crichton narrowly survives three assassination attempts
on his life, Aeryn realizes she has lost John, and the Royal family
is rocked by betrayal.
Things
seem to be going Scorpius' way when he fouls Rygel and the Empress'
plans for protecting John. John, trapped on a ship with the Peacekeeper
officer and the treacherous Ro-na, sees no way out of his desperate
situation. When he is left on the exploding ship alone, it seems
John must accept his fate. Just when death seems imminent, John
is pushed into action by none other than Scorpius. John hears Scorpy's
voice in his head. Scorpy tells John that he must focus and he's
come too far to die now. John's escape from the exploding ship is
an impressive piece of technical photography and is one of the highlights
of season two.
On
Moya, the "Builders" reveal themselves and their plan
for the Leviathan. Moya is to be be decommissioned for birthing
a gunship. Frankly, the godlike entity Zhaan meets seems more like
a reject from that cheesy Greek mythology movie, Clash of the
Titans. Fortunately, we see very little of him in this episode.
Of more interest, is Moya herself. Allowed to communicate to Zhaan,
Moya explains she accepts her fate. We know Moya will not die, so
it would be interesting if the bond between Zhaan and the Leviathan
is maintained, allowing future communication.
Overall,
an entertaining episode. Not light as LATP part 1, this episode
is very serious and is filled with solid acting by all. Would like
to add that I find the music in the first two parts of this trilogy
to be quite beautiful.
*The
Sci-Fi channel Journey Logs identify the Peacekeeper officer as
Lt. Heskon. However, Scorpius calls him "Bracka", or something
like that. Unless I am mistaken, Lt. Heskon was a character from
Nerve and THM.

<<Look
At The Princess part 1.....Episode
Guide.....Look At The Princess part 3>>
|