DVD, BUGS S4 (Money Spiders)
Here it is, then. After over a year of going through this series, we come to the final two-parter of its final year. I find myself a little sad to be coming to the end so 'quickly' (in relative terms), because 'BUGS' was such a highlight of life in the late-90s and carries with it memories of good times, so it's quite a moment to come to the end of that revisitation of a series that has remained in my top two or three TV series' of all my viewing experience. I wouldn't have said this episode was one of the high points, but they were still finding new ways to tell the same kinds of stories. This time it becomes a study of the psychology of certain characters, interestingly the two lesser used main characters, Jan and Alex. Alex is finding preparation for married life might suggest things are going to be more difficult than she imagined (likely a realistic reading of the situation!), with her and Adam arguing over everything from style of cutlery to who they invite to the wedding. But it's Jan's self-recrimination at the death of a civilian who'd demanded to be involved in an operation that is the real interest. We've seen so many characters offed throughout the series, most without even a backward thought to their families and those around them that may be affected, but here we actually have Jan visiting Daniel Michaelson's widow, trying to find some kind of absolution for her mistake in allowing him to put himself in danger. I'm not sure I feel entirely positive about the direction the series was going in - we'd already had far too much soap and domesticity in Season 4, and now the characters are going to second guess themselves?
Yet it also gives Jan Harvey some of her best scenes, a chance to emote and play something other than strict business or being under duress and for that I applaud them. The series may have started to become bogged down by issues of realism that could have affected how the stories were written in coming years, if there had been any, but there weren't, so any speculation is purely academic for how such story points might have changed the series. Any long-running drama needs to adapt and allow new angles in order to keep things fresh, otherwise you'd just be rehashing the same plots or scenarios (which they had done on many occasion, to be fair!), so it was good that they were trying new avenues and ways to explore characters. And Jan was a character ripe for exploration since she'd remained a mystery for most of the time, only Harvey's performance to give us the impression there was much more to her than giving out assignments. I liked that they brought back her psychologist friend Simon from 'Sacrifice To Science,' another time she was concerned about the state of others. Now she's concerned with the state of herself, believing the position has made her callous and unfeeling, nothing of the real Jan, the real Barbara, left. Rather than become self-pitying and reclusive, this drastic guilt and self-doubt manifests in a sudden desire to get involved at the coalface, go on a mission with her team, but in that state of mind it may not have been the best time for it.
As we see, the mission goes awry and right in front of Jan's eyes one of her people, Ros, is shot and collapses in Ed's arms. If there was anything that could have made Jan feel worse, that was it! But if you want to push the characters and uncover them, you have to put them through the worst stuff. I don't remember if I thought Ros would really die in the last episode, but it's a common enough trope to me now, the life of a main character thrown into the balance and leaving the audience wondering. It shows the villains are reasonably bloodthirsty, not just removed, keyboard-tappers that deal out their villainy from the anonymity of the internet. Up to that point, though, things had been quite technical - an indication Wymark is of that generation of dot-com opportunists who saw the potential in the wild west wasteland of the online world before it had fully developed into what we know it as today. But it's his hard-faced woman, Zephyr, slightly mysterious, who seems like the real skill behind it all. She had the same hard pride that Morag had in the opening two-parter and it would have been interesting to see who would have won in a fight between them! She suggests a nasty piece of work, while Wymark is more of a user happy to blackmail and extort any way he can.
I'm not sure it's really about the villains, as such, at least in this first part. Yes, we see they've got a nice thing going with their free internet service and the ability to hack into systems through the junk mail they send, a cutting edge idea in the Nineties, a bit of industrial espionage leading to blackmail. No, it's more about Michaelson and the consequences of getting him involved. The big blue computer face in the room must be dealt with first, though: was it intentional to suggest Cyberax with the blue helmet avatar the villains use to communicate with Michaelson? It seems hard to believe it wasn't, even though the design is very different, just the idea of a computer-affected voice and this sinister blue 'cartoon' as Michaelson describes it, immediately brings to mind the classic AI villain of Season 2. It's not like they don't throw in regular callbacks to things in the series' past - even in this episode the team mention Jan's recent management course from 'Jewel Control,' Jan herself recalls how she felt when Ros went missing at the end of Season 3, Beckett jokingly asks if Ed's been promoted back to Bureau Chief when he finds him using his computer, and of course there's the beginning of the culmination of The Hive being featured, Mr. Dent returning for the third time after his surprise reappearance in the third episode of Season 4. There are even special moments like Beckett meeting Dent again for the first time since he was cast out of the organisation, and gets to be in a position of accusation when, after Dent's claimed the Hive building's impregnable, Beckett reminds everyone that with his record of internal security, such assurances aren't worth a thing!
But deliberately evoking memories of Cyberax? It seems... unwise. Unless they were preparing the audience for a spectacular comeback, then it would have all been worthwhile, and one reason I use as a suggestion for the identity of the mystery man at the end of the final episode. But that's for next time. It's a risky move because those episodes were the best in the series, the top trilogy of 'The Bureau of Weapons,' 'A Cage For Satan' and 'Renegades' (quadrilogy if you include the excellent 'Schrodinger's Bomb,' quint if you want the 'prequel,' 'Pulse'!), and you're setting yourself up for unfavourable comparisons if you go down that road. But they didn't go down that road, or didn't seem to, so maybe I'm just reading too much into it. Nah! The writers had proved they knew the series very well indeed with all the minute past references they included, or stories connecting with previous characters, organisations and events, that's one of the things I love about the series and has given added depth to rewatching it. I did like that the bike helmet of whoever met Michaelson (and judging just by size and shape, not to mention I suspect she had more gall than Wymark, I'd guess Zephyr), was the same shape as the digital face, it added a bit of visual continuity. And though it'd been done before, the surprise exit of a getaway bike out the back of a van (see 'Stealth'), the stunts in this one were a bit better.
There's a bit more of a feeling of the villains being on the same kind of technological level as Ros and the gang. I'm surprised Zephyr didn't react with surprise to find the famous Ros Henderson in their office, since people like them would surely know about a technological genius like her, especially after her recent high profile, or maybe it's just the name and she's kept her face largely hidden. On the other hand it's apparently a simple matter to check up on Bureau 2, as the Brazer twins did in the previous episode, so I'm sure they'd have done the same and found out who the opposition were. There's already a rivalry there since Ros whacked Zephyr to the ground, the reason she was so eager to take the shot as Ros hangs trapped halfway down her abseil, and she seems very much the type to hold a grudge. It's fascinating to see so many technological terms in their infancy that we take for granted now. Ros using a virus to infect the digital spiders and make them visible when they infect systems; the whole idea of junk email ('the Trojan Horse of the 21st Century'!); it's amusing that old Michaelson needs technical assistance to get rid of it; then there's Adam and Alex making a digital wedding presents list - I'm sure that's as common as muck now, but did people do that in 1998 (or '99 when the episode was finally shown)? One thing that can't be good is Alex covering her computer monitor in novelty woolly sheepskin, that would trap all the heat!
Alex has greater problems than her choice of computer accessory, however, as she demonstrates quite, shall we say, eccentric tastes when it comes to decor, cutlery, tea sets... Adam's very much the traditionalist, and as if to make more of a contrast they have her going for quite outlandish designs. Still, it was funny, and lightened the mood, which helped to cover the fact that yes, we are indeed watching an episode of 'BUGS' in which the main characters are shopping. Even Beckett gets in on the act as he tries to help Christa choose a hat for the wedding, and she couldn't be more girly and irritating! Beckett shows remarkable good humour throughout, but then he is enjoying her company, inexplicable as it may be, and there's even a thoughtful realisation that he'd never done anything like that with Ros. That's because shopping is boring and Ros is much more interesting! It made a nice change to see Ros and Ed go off together to break into Wymark International at the end, just as we saw Beckett and Ros scout out the place earlier, Beckett getting to be the one to go undercover this time (from the Internet Users Council). Ros has the bluster to make a good courier and that sequence was well done as Beckett has to stall them while Ros deals with the spiders.
While it is a little galling to see wedding shops, or scenes of Adam and Alex arguing over the guest list, there was enough of a mixing in more typical locations for a visually appealing variety: Wymark's is really only offices, but they have that more colourful 'BUGS' touch to them, bringing in those neon blues and yellows again (speaking of which, things are back to normal on the clothing front, too, with Ros mostly in her bright yellow shirt and some small round silver earrings, Beckett in blue shirt and tie under his suit jacket, and Ed... yep, bland t-shirts again!), and the sinister reds when the villains accuse and manipulate Adam in a car park, then there's a nice return to The Hive (they've obviously redecorated since 'Out of The Hive' as Dent's office is very different this time), including getting to see more of it than we ever had before: the sprawling basement area where they keep their main security vault, and even a little utility entrance where Alex pops out a little way down from the main building. But the best view must go to the beautiful three-hundred-and-sixty degree view of London from the rooftop garden where Dent introduces Michaelson to Jan and the camera swings round them taking it all in. There's Tower Bridge, and oh, a tiny cameo you wouldn't have expected to see again: it's the HMS Belfast in the background, from 'Assassins Inc'!
One thing that doesn't quite ring true is how Michaelson actually died. You get his boyish enthusiasm to get involved in all this spy stuff, a foreboding of his short future, but while he is champing at the bit to do something to the people extorting him, he does hang back and do what he's told, as much as it pains him. It's only when the team fail to predict the surprise getaway and focus is drawn away from him, that he takes independent action, trying to stop the biker. Trouble is it wasn't very clear where he was in relation to the bike and how he could have toppled right over the guard rail to the lower level, but it's more an issue with the directing of that moment in the scene. Something almost as troubling is that in that moment the team are clearly trying to capture the villain, yet later on when they break into Wymark's and are discovered, once they've overpowered the pair, knocking them to the ground, rather than stop and pick up their guns to hold them hostage, or arrest them, they flee for their lives. It's been done many times on the series and I suppose it can be put down to not wanting the characters to use guns if at all possible, but it always seems a little silly when they could halt the villains there and then. On the other hand if you pick up a gun you have to be prepared to use it, and they didn't know if there were other staff in the building with which they might need to have a firefight... Another odd moment is when Adam uses Dent's card to get into the vault area, and it only gives him a few seconds to run past that red laser barrier before it comes on again - I don't see Dent sprinting anywhere!
I noticed for certain the various computers used, including the Bureau's, were operating on Windows, although Ros does go back to the old operating system that we're used to when getting round Wymark's admin password via a tiny laptop. It's another time Dent's voiceprint was misused as Adam does here - that's how the baddies put Beckett under suspicion by using Dent's voice to call him to his office in the first ever episode. And Alex seems particularly insensitive when she asks Ed to be the one to give her away at the wedding. We learn her Father's dead, and it was nice of her to say he was her best friend (although this season I'm not sure we'd seen much evidence of that - and what about her life before Bureau 2, she was a martial arts teacher don't forget, so didn't she have other close friends?), but it was a bit much to go down the route of the symbolic giving away! And what's going on - there wasn't a single explosion! Can this really be the series we knew? No, in some ways it isn't, but it's best to just breathe it in and enjoy it because after one more lonely episode the journey would be over. Forever.
***
Friday, 19 August 2022
Thursday, 11 August 2022
Twin Geeks
DVD, BUGS S4 (Twin Geeks)
'Twin Geeks': 'Twin Peaks' - yes it was another pun for a title after 'Jewel Control' (just the previous episode!), started the ball rolling (though I'm not sure 'Twin Peaks' would have been quite as in the zeitgeist by the late Nineties as it was in the early). Fortunately this would be the second and only time they pulled that. More importantly, it's the start of Season 5, whoopee! At least, I thought it was back in 1999 when this was shown. Sadly, I didn't know then that this was actually the first of three episodes rescheduled from 1998 when Season 4 was cut cruelly short, but in those days I didn't understand narratives, serialisation and the ins and outs of TV production, otherwise I'd have realised what a poor choice this would have been 1) for starting a new series of stories, and 2) for encouraging new viewers into the fold. But then it wasn't meant to be, hence why this particular episode seems especially 'mythology' heavy with vast amounts of references to series lore, continuity and history. That's also why it's a fascinating watch if you are well versed in the 'BUGS' world (and if you've been following along you will be by now!), because few episodes before it have packed in quite so much self-referential material, characters or storylines. But before I delve into any of that, on this specific occasion one thought was in mind as I watched: is that... Valentine Pelka? It is Valentine Pelka! When I first saw the episode I would have had no interest in the name (he'd never been in 'Star Trek' you see!), and even in the subsequent viewings, but this time I came to it having watched all of 'Highlander: The Series' and knew the actor as one of the key recurring villains. When I was watching that I felt I recognised his face, but I'd never put it together (despite other actors who'd been in 'BUGS' showing up in that series, too), so that was a fun new perspective.
He plays Leigh Vaizey, Chief Executive of CET (Communications and Electronic Technologies), the latest company to be put at threat of extortion as in the old episodes of the series. So right there it's got a feel of the old freelance days about it, and the fact the villains are both bald with glasses can't help but suggest Jean-Daniel, at least in aesthetics, as well as them being geniuses capable of all kinds of technological inventiveness. Ros, herself something of a genius in the tech world, as we know, finds herself in some sympathy with them as the parallel story of Channing selling his company and all assets, including Ros' product licences to a Mr. Tachibana of Haichiku Corporation, has some similarity, the difference being that Ros chooses the self-sacrificial way of damage limitation for the sake of her friend, Graham Hurry, who's staked all to raise the cash for her to exercise a time-limited buyout clause and keep her designs her own. Seeing the episode now I wish there had been more depth in this part of the story to connect it to the twins, perhaps they hear and understand her position and there's some kind of sympathy between the parties, even though they've chosen the way of crime and revenge rather than reluctantly (and tearfully), submitting to the realities of the business world as Ros eventually has to. But I will say that there was more to it than some episodes this season and I was impressed how the writing duo of Colin Brake and Alex Stewart were able to throw in everything but the kitchen sink (or should that be refrigerator - no they threw that in as well), and managed to keep it all coherent.
Maybe the story doesn't have those spikes of exhilaration as much as past seasons, but they certainly achieved the vital building of tension at the end, calling on all the plot threads to advance and reach boiling point in impressive fashion. The episode didn't start that way, the buffing machine bomb looking most weedy when it goes off, another indication of the Season 4 softening or weakening of the series' vitality. The van which served as the twins' rolling headquarters for a while, and which Ed and Beckett have to leap out of and run for their lives, blew up real good, part of it wheeling toward camera, and nicely caught from multiple viewpoints, a classic explosion in the series' best mould, and Ros' car, a coasting, flaming wreck after being blasted by Beckett's reverse proximity explosive, was another great visual (and callback, as yet another of Ros' cars to be destroyed, a sort of running joke for the series). And if the majority of the episode isn't as exciting, there's so much to keep track of that it doesn't disappoint in the way that perhaps the last couple of episodes did. Let's see then, what lore was touched upon, a rundown is in order: the big one, though it doesn't really feel that way, is bringing back a character from way back in Season 1, not that that was unprecedented this year as they'd already brought Dent and his Hive back into the story (we visit it in this episode, and while Dent doesn't appear, he is mentioned again), but Graham Hurry wasn't one of the more memorable folks our people had dealt with, though 'Down Among The Dead Men' is a fine example of the series.
You notice they don't trouble the audience with backstory, Ros just mentions obliquely that she helped him and he owes her a favour. It's a real deep cut for the series that unless you had been following very closely would have gone over your head. It is a touch strange that they would bring back Hurry and the investment bank he works for, Kamen & Ross, but I expect it was more something they thought of after the story was planned and remembered him and the company, deciding to tie it to internal continuity rather than settle for something new. It would go over the heads of most people, though I suppose the series had come out on video in the late Nineties (not sure when exactly), so there may have been more opportunity for devotees to rewatch earlier episodes than I'm giving credit for. But still, it was a surprising character to bring back, just a shame they couldn't get the original actor, with a guy sporting a full head of hair replacing the original balding Hurry (if it had been the other way round you could believe it, but then again in the 'BUGS' world they do have all kinds of advanced technology...). I have the feeling Hurry had been slightly sweet on Ros then, but I can't remember for sure - here he's really head over heels, risking his bank's money, his career, even prison for his faith in her and the desire to help her out, although it must have been partly he felt he owed her since we learn he's advanced to a seat on the board. Mind you, having someone like Ros indebted to you would be a very good thing, because she has a first class mind and a lot of integrity to go with it (unlike the Brazer twins, Michael and Marcus, like evil versions of her - maybe there should have been more of a pitting wits against each other to have Ros more involved in defeating them?), which is the reason why Tachibana was interested in acquiring Channing's company in the first place.
It makes sense that the business world would seek to capture Ros because she is a force and resource to be tapped and they were laying down possibilities for where the story might have gone in future years if the series had continued. Actually, I'd forgotten Ros had such issues and it may be they get resolved before or during the final episode, but it was certainly a great new spin to put the character into. But Hurry and the bank weren't the only connections in an episode rife with references: Ros' Mo... monetary advisor (and Mother!), Coral Henderson, returns after being introduced at the beginning of the season as a place Beckett went in his search for Ros. Usually I rail against the domestic settings of this particular season, but there was something reassuring and pleasant about seeing Ros' Mum in her house helping her daughter (seems uncharacteristic of Ros not to know all the legal stuff in her contract), and this wouldn't be her last appearance. Bureau 2 is mentioned by the Brazer's when they look up the opposition CET have brought in against them, commenting that it was a reincarnation of the old Bureau of Weapons Technology –I need to break off there because maybe it's just me being too close to the series, but there are a sprinkle of clues that suggest they wanted to evoke thoughts of Jean-Daniel and Cyberax, that whole sequence of events that closed out Season 2 and 3, in these finale episodes: it's maybe going too far to say the Brazer's were designed to look reminiscent of JD, they're just generic stereotypical boffins, the baldness and glasses goes with the territory, but also mentioning the old Bureau, and then other things in the last couple of episodes would be reminiscent of Cyberax and JD...
I was wrong. That is, I was mistaken in my belief that the Armed Response Squad Jan calls up in 'Pandora's Box' was what I associated with SSD, because it was in this episode that the memory of black-clad soldiers being at Jan's beck and call as they drive down between some nondescript buildings came from. It was a far cry from the old SSD agents in their suits and overcoats, and they weren't SSD, they were a bomb disposal unit, presumably army, but this was the moment I'd thought SSD had some input, and it turns out it wasn't them at all. They were quite realistic actually - I'm thinking of when the disposal expert barks at Jan, Vaizey and another soldier to stand still when they're clumping about and talking loudly mere metres from his examination of the bomb! Other connections to the past include Beckett's history with Naval Intelligence - he visits an old colleague, Iain Keating, at the Naval Engineering Stores, to get some background on a piece of equipment the twins were using in one of their bombs (previous viewings led me to believe that was a big oversight because it seemed it was the timer for the bomb in the van, but you clearly see it in Beckett's hand when he exits), and it's good to see him use his contacts for once. There's also the reminder of how Ros and Beckett met when Ros tells Christa it was he that got her into all this (as we saw in 'Out of The Hive'), and her statement that her independence is very important to her is a throwback to the beginning of Season 3 when Jan was trying to bring her into the Bureau. The Channing connection is another big part of that season (shame he didn't come back, but you can imagine the scene, Ros getting angry, Channing apologetic but defensive). Her affection for Beckett is also key as she says his safety is more important than her money issues, which leads to the big dramatic destruction of the case in her car that has the Hurry money that will get her out of the Tachibana deal... (a bit like the ending of 'Hell and High Water' when Jan blows the car with the money in the back).
There's all this detail, but they also bring in the other plots of Christa and Adam, and I felt none too badly considering the pair of them were usually intrusive, irritating characters. Christa progresses from the car park of Bureau 2 right up to the offices themselves when she 'makes a scene' demanding to know what's happened to Beckett, who's been kidnapped by the twins. And Adam is starting to show some suspicious activity when a designer watch he bought for Alex isn't the fake she thinks it is, plus Ed sees some of his bank statements when rescuing the pair from a freezing room at the Electric Freezer Company and notices large payments coming in... (how did he find time to photocopy them - was there an old model he could hot-wire hanging about the place?). I'm pretty sure we never got to find out what happened with Adam, whether he was being blackmailed or whatever, because of the cliffhanger ending in two episodes' time, which is annoying, but at least what happened here all made sense, even if the final scene where Alex comes in and announces her and Adam's engagement couldn't have come at a worse time with the team all shellshocked from what's just happened: Ros is tied to Tachibana, Beckett's had to be honest with Christa and admitted it was all over between him and Ros a long time ago, and Ed's reported Adam's suspect riches to Jan. Still, they all put on a brave face and wish the happy couple well. I don't know if this was deliberate, but both Ros and Beckett wear blue at the end of the episode as if in sympathy for each other. Otherwise, Beckett's in red shirt and red silk tie under his suit, Ros in a black suit with skirt and spiky silver earrings, and Ed's inconspicuous as ever in black t-shirt and sometimes the blue jacket.
The episode probably is an improvement partly because Ed isn't as integral to the story, and in the bits he does get it's less talk and more physical. As you'd expect, he makes sure to save both Alex and Adam, despite any personal issues. Oddly, he's become much more technological, carrying around a tiny laptop or organiser which has a crossword puzzle cheater program on it, not the sort of thing you'd have associated with him previously, as if they'd forgotten what sort of guy he is. The old Ed would have been making fun of the 'geeks' right before stepping in one of their traps, but there's no lightness of touch or wit to this version of Ed. Alex, too, doesn't have much involvement other than her subplot with Adam and The Hive software, but still, everything is integrated and nicely put together. And I like that they did get the parallels of it all being about technology and the all-important licensing and control. Perhaps they weren't the most serious villains the team have ever come up against, very much emphasising their quirks over ruthlessness, but ex-employees with a grievance was a different approach, and there is threat because they don't mind killing if it'll get their point across, though they don't seem to have much of an end goal in place other than revenge, taking down the company that exploited them and left them with nothing. We see their character in that game of draughts where Michael cheats as soon as Marcus looks away - they'll even do each other a mischief if it serves them, so no wonder they ended up as villains attacking the system. I also liked the musical tone of using a small piece of the Asian theme associated with Tachibana when Ros says she knows how they feel.
I know it's dramatic convention, but it was a bit odd how Jan, Alex and Ros discuss the twins' history, how they were ahead of their time and all that, all while searching for the bomb at CET. You'd think they'd be showing a little more focus and concern since it's due to go off any time soon, but it's information needed to get across to the audience. The same can be said about Ed and Beckett talking about Adam while also hunting for the bomb, and it does show that the soapy side of things didn't suit the action-driven nature of the stories. But still, it's enjoyable, even if I can see why it would have put general viewers off when it's so heavily bound up with the series' details and so much going on, and to then plonk it down a year later and expect people to be able to keep up, well, it was like you'd stumbled into the middle of a season instead of the start, which you had really! At least it was nicely directed, and though there were lots of broken down old locations, as is their wont these days, they also got in the occasional shiny 'BUGS' building, too - I loved the watery abandoned warehouse area that Beckett's left in, the reflective floor really making it appeal visually. This is essentially the last single story of the series, since the following two are a two-parter, and it's a good one to go out on.
***
'Twin Geeks': 'Twin Peaks' - yes it was another pun for a title after 'Jewel Control' (just the previous episode!), started the ball rolling (though I'm not sure 'Twin Peaks' would have been quite as in the zeitgeist by the late Nineties as it was in the early). Fortunately this would be the second and only time they pulled that. More importantly, it's the start of Season 5, whoopee! At least, I thought it was back in 1999 when this was shown. Sadly, I didn't know then that this was actually the first of three episodes rescheduled from 1998 when Season 4 was cut cruelly short, but in those days I didn't understand narratives, serialisation and the ins and outs of TV production, otherwise I'd have realised what a poor choice this would have been 1) for starting a new series of stories, and 2) for encouraging new viewers into the fold. But then it wasn't meant to be, hence why this particular episode seems especially 'mythology' heavy with vast amounts of references to series lore, continuity and history. That's also why it's a fascinating watch if you are well versed in the 'BUGS' world (and if you've been following along you will be by now!), because few episodes before it have packed in quite so much self-referential material, characters or storylines. But before I delve into any of that, on this specific occasion one thought was in mind as I watched: is that... Valentine Pelka? It is Valentine Pelka! When I first saw the episode I would have had no interest in the name (he'd never been in 'Star Trek' you see!), and even in the subsequent viewings, but this time I came to it having watched all of 'Highlander: The Series' and knew the actor as one of the key recurring villains. When I was watching that I felt I recognised his face, but I'd never put it together (despite other actors who'd been in 'BUGS' showing up in that series, too), so that was a fun new perspective.
He plays Leigh Vaizey, Chief Executive of CET (Communications and Electronic Technologies), the latest company to be put at threat of extortion as in the old episodes of the series. So right there it's got a feel of the old freelance days about it, and the fact the villains are both bald with glasses can't help but suggest Jean-Daniel, at least in aesthetics, as well as them being geniuses capable of all kinds of technological inventiveness. Ros, herself something of a genius in the tech world, as we know, finds herself in some sympathy with them as the parallel story of Channing selling his company and all assets, including Ros' product licences to a Mr. Tachibana of Haichiku Corporation, has some similarity, the difference being that Ros chooses the self-sacrificial way of damage limitation for the sake of her friend, Graham Hurry, who's staked all to raise the cash for her to exercise a time-limited buyout clause and keep her designs her own. Seeing the episode now I wish there had been more depth in this part of the story to connect it to the twins, perhaps they hear and understand her position and there's some kind of sympathy between the parties, even though they've chosen the way of crime and revenge rather than reluctantly (and tearfully), submitting to the realities of the business world as Ros eventually has to. But I will say that there was more to it than some episodes this season and I was impressed how the writing duo of Colin Brake and Alex Stewart were able to throw in everything but the kitchen sink (or should that be refrigerator - no they threw that in as well), and managed to keep it all coherent.
Maybe the story doesn't have those spikes of exhilaration as much as past seasons, but they certainly achieved the vital building of tension at the end, calling on all the plot threads to advance and reach boiling point in impressive fashion. The episode didn't start that way, the buffing machine bomb looking most weedy when it goes off, another indication of the Season 4 softening or weakening of the series' vitality. The van which served as the twins' rolling headquarters for a while, and which Ed and Beckett have to leap out of and run for their lives, blew up real good, part of it wheeling toward camera, and nicely caught from multiple viewpoints, a classic explosion in the series' best mould, and Ros' car, a coasting, flaming wreck after being blasted by Beckett's reverse proximity explosive, was another great visual (and callback, as yet another of Ros' cars to be destroyed, a sort of running joke for the series). And if the majority of the episode isn't as exciting, there's so much to keep track of that it doesn't disappoint in the way that perhaps the last couple of episodes did. Let's see then, what lore was touched upon, a rundown is in order: the big one, though it doesn't really feel that way, is bringing back a character from way back in Season 1, not that that was unprecedented this year as they'd already brought Dent and his Hive back into the story (we visit it in this episode, and while Dent doesn't appear, he is mentioned again), but Graham Hurry wasn't one of the more memorable folks our people had dealt with, though 'Down Among The Dead Men' is a fine example of the series.
You notice they don't trouble the audience with backstory, Ros just mentions obliquely that she helped him and he owes her a favour. It's a real deep cut for the series that unless you had been following very closely would have gone over your head. It is a touch strange that they would bring back Hurry and the investment bank he works for, Kamen & Ross, but I expect it was more something they thought of after the story was planned and remembered him and the company, deciding to tie it to internal continuity rather than settle for something new. It would go over the heads of most people, though I suppose the series had come out on video in the late Nineties (not sure when exactly), so there may have been more opportunity for devotees to rewatch earlier episodes than I'm giving credit for. But still, it was a surprising character to bring back, just a shame they couldn't get the original actor, with a guy sporting a full head of hair replacing the original balding Hurry (if it had been the other way round you could believe it, but then again in the 'BUGS' world they do have all kinds of advanced technology...). I have the feeling Hurry had been slightly sweet on Ros then, but I can't remember for sure - here he's really head over heels, risking his bank's money, his career, even prison for his faith in her and the desire to help her out, although it must have been partly he felt he owed her since we learn he's advanced to a seat on the board. Mind you, having someone like Ros indebted to you would be a very good thing, because she has a first class mind and a lot of integrity to go with it (unlike the Brazer twins, Michael and Marcus, like evil versions of her - maybe there should have been more of a pitting wits against each other to have Ros more involved in defeating them?), which is the reason why Tachibana was interested in acquiring Channing's company in the first place.
It makes sense that the business world would seek to capture Ros because she is a force and resource to be tapped and they were laying down possibilities for where the story might have gone in future years if the series had continued. Actually, I'd forgotten Ros had such issues and it may be they get resolved before or during the final episode, but it was certainly a great new spin to put the character into. But Hurry and the bank weren't the only connections in an episode rife with references: Ros' Mo... monetary advisor (and Mother!), Coral Henderson, returns after being introduced at the beginning of the season as a place Beckett went in his search for Ros. Usually I rail against the domestic settings of this particular season, but there was something reassuring and pleasant about seeing Ros' Mum in her house helping her daughter (seems uncharacteristic of Ros not to know all the legal stuff in her contract), and this wouldn't be her last appearance. Bureau 2 is mentioned by the Brazer's when they look up the opposition CET have brought in against them, commenting that it was a reincarnation of the old Bureau of Weapons Technology –I need to break off there because maybe it's just me being too close to the series, but there are a sprinkle of clues that suggest they wanted to evoke thoughts of Jean-Daniel and Cyberax, that whole sequence of events that closed out Season 2 and 3, in these finale episodes: it's maybe going too far to say the Brazer's were designed to look reminiscent of JD, they're just generic stereotypical boffins, the baldness and glasses goes with the territory, but also mentioning the old Bureau, and then other things in the last couple of episodes would be reminiscent of Cyberax and JD...
I was wrong. That is, I was mistaken in my belief that the Armed Response Squad Jan calls up in 'Pandora's Box' was what I associated with SSD, because it was in this episode that the memory of black-clad soldiers being at Jan's beck and call as they drive down between some nondescript buildings came from. It was a far cry from the old SSD agents in their suits and overcoats, and they weren't SSD, they were a bomb disposal unit, presumably army, but this was the moment I'd thought SSD had some input, and it turns out it wasn't them at all. They were quite realistic actually - I'm thinking of when the disposal expert barks at Jan, Vaizey and another soldier to stand still when they're clumping about and talking loudly mere metres from his examination of the bomb! Other connections to the past include Beckett's history with Naval Intelligence - he visits an old colleague, Iain Keating, at the Naval Engineering Stores, to get some background on a piece of equipment the twins were using in one of their bombs (previous viewings led me to believe that was a big oversight because it seemed it was the timer for the bomb in the van, but you clearly see it in Beckett's hand when he exits), and it's good to see him use his contacts for once. There's also the reminder of how Ros and Beckett met when Ros tells Christa it was he that got her into all this (as we saw in 'Out of The Hive'), and her statement that her independence is very important to her is a throwback to the beginning of Season 3 when Jan was trying to bring her into the Bureau. The Channing connection is another big part of that season (shame he didn't come back, but you can imagine the scene, Ros getting angry, Channing apologetic but defensive). Her affection for Beckett is also key as she says his safety is more important than her money issues, which leads to the big dramatic destruction of the case in her car that has the Hurry money that will get her out of the Tachibana deal... (a bit like the ending of 'Hell and High Water' when Jan blows the car with the money in the back).
There's all this detail, but they also bring in the other plots of Christa and Adam, and I felt none too badly considering the pair of them were usually intrusive, irritating characters. Christa progresses from the car park of Bureau 2 right up to the offices themselves when she 'makes a scene' demanding to know what's happened to Beckett, who's been kidnapped by the twins. And Adam is starting to show some suspicious activity when a designer watch he bought for Alex isn't the fake she thinks it is, plus Ed sees some of his bank statements when rescuing the pair from a freezing room at the Electric Freezer Company and notices large payments coming in... (how did he find time to photocopy them - was there an old model he could hot-wire hanging about the place?). I'm pretty sure we never got to find out what happened with Adam, whether he was being blackmailed or whatever, because of the cliffhanger ending in two episodes' time, which is annoying, but at least what happened here all made sense, even if the final scene where Alex comes in and announces her and Adam's engagement couldn't have come at a worse time with the team all shellshocked from what's just happened: Ros is tied to Tachibana, Beckett's had to be honest with Christa and admitted it was all over between him and Ros a long time ago, and Ed's reported Adam's suspect riches to Jan. Still, they all put on a brave face and wish the happy couple well. I don't know if this was deliberate, but both Ros and Beckett wear blue at the end of the episode as if in sympathy for each other. Otherwise, Beckett's in red shirt and red silk tie under his suit, Ros in a black suit with skirt and spiky silver earrings, and Ed's inconspicuous as ever in black t-shirt and sometimes the blue jacket.
The episode probably is an improvement partly because Ed isn't as integral to the story, and in the bits he does get it's less talk and more physical. As you'd expect, he makes sure to save both Alex and Adam, despite any personal issues. Oddly, he's become much more technological, carrying around a tiny laptop or organiser which has a crossword puzzle cheater program on it, not the sort of thing you'd have associated with him previously, as if they'd forgotten what sort of guy he is. The old Ed would have been making fun of the 'geeks' right before stepping in one of their traps, but there's no lightness of touch or wit to this version of Ed. Alex, too, doesn't have much involvement other than her subplot with Adam and The Hive software, but still, everything is integrated and nicely put together. And I like that they did get the parallels of it all being about technology and the all-important licensing and control. Perhaps they weren't the most serious villains the team have ever come up against, very much emphasising their quirks over ruthlessness, but ex-employees with a grievance was a different approach, and there is threat because they don't mind killing if it'll get their point across, though they don't seem to have much of an end goal in place other than revenge, taking down the company that exploited them and left them with nothing. We see their character in that game of draughts where Michael cheats as soon as Marcus looks away - they'll even do each other a mischief if it serves them, so no wonder they ended up as villains attacking the system. I also liked the musical tone of using a small piece of the Asian theme associated with Tachibana when Ros says she knows how they feel.
I know it's dramatic convention, but it was a bit odd how Jan, Alex and Ros discuss the twins' history, how they were ahead of their time and all that, all while searching for the bomb at CET. You'd think they'd be showing a little more focus and concern since it's due to go off any time soon, but it's information needed to get across to the audience. The same can be said about Ed and Beckett talking about Adam while also hunting for the bomb, and it does show that the soapy side of things didn't suit the action-driven nature of the stories. But still, it's enjoyable, even if I can see why it would have put general viewers off when it's so heavily bound up with the series' details and so much going on, and to then plonk it down a year later and expect people to be able to keep up, well, it was like you'd stumbled into the middle of a season instead of the start, which you had really! At least it was nicely directed, and though there were lots of broken down old locations, as is their wont these days, they also got in the occasional shiny 'BUGS' building, too - I loved the watery abandoned warehouse area that Beckett's left in, the reflective floor really making it appeal visually. This is essentially the last single story of the series, since the following two are a two-parter, and it's a good one to go out on.
***
The Last Man
DVD, Stargate Atlantis S4 (The Last Man)
Other than the last few minutes, which followed the pattern you'd expect for a season-ending cliffhanger, this was quite different to what I was expecting. It's pretty much a standalone story right in the middle of this big 'Save Teyla' arc, which leads me to wonder if they felt forced into treading water regarding the story maybe they felt the need to have a cliffhanger. Because they could have resolved it if this episode had been following on from the previous episode. Instead, it's a very science-fictional story that reminded me of the finale to 'SG-1' in that it was its own thing. I wonder if they knew they were getting a Season 5 or not, and if that played into their decision here as it could have morphed into a conclusion to the series if they weren't going to make more. As it was, although I generally warm to these high-concept ideas I felt fairly certain it was all going to turn out alright and have no real bearing on the ongoing story. Of course it has one major effect: that they're able to find the location Michael took/will take Teyla to have her baby, so it was a long-winded way of pulling that solution out of the hat, though as we see, it didn't end too well for them as they activate a boobytrap which collapses the building around them, leaving them in who knows what situation.
Sheppard's sudden leap into a future Atlantis buried in sand forty-eight thousand years in time was the kind of story I've seen done in Trek (I think especially of 'The Visitor' as one of the best ever episodes anywhere), and 'SG-1,' but never as a season finale. In one sense it was brave and bold, but it also has the downside of an impression of lacking purpose. We see in flashback all kinds of strange and sad endings for the characters: Teyla's gutted after her baby has been removed; Carter dies in a final stand after she's got her own ship (the Phoenix - I know she ends up a ship's Captain in 'Universe' so it'll be interesting to see if it was the same one...); Ronon finds himself going down with the unlikely ally of 'Todd' the Wraith as they blow up one of Michael's major facilities; and Rodney quits the SGC and ends up with Jennifer Keller, who then dies of complications from the Hoffan virus, and then spends the rest of his life working out how to reverse what happened when Sheppard went through the 'gate and ended up so far into the future. His old age makeup as a hologram was good (ironically, Robert Picardo as Wolsey, best known for playing a hologram, becomes the boss of Atlantis - I was really hoping he'd play another hologram!), and it was eerie that it's just Sheppard and this aged version of someone we know in the long abandoned shell of the city we know so well, the kind of story that might have worked better in the middle of a season rather than as a seeming stopgap between serials, and a convenient solution to their problem.
I don't judge it too harshly, it did provide some stirring moments such as when Carter stands alone on the bridge of her ship as she rams into an enemy vessel, or Ronon and Todd finding common ground as they prepare to die for the greater good. McKay's brainy sister even has a small cameo as she tries to help with his calculations, and of course it's always good to see Dr. Keller, who I feel should really be bumped up to main cast for the final season. It's been another standout year for the series after the first two were variable, and like Season 3 they found a good mix of stories and events. In retrospect the addition of Carter to the main cast didn't work as well as I'd imagined it would, and as I've said many times I don't think the character is best suited to command, but more as tech backup, dependable support, like McKay, the one to get us out of jams (a shame Zelenka barely gets a cameo as he brings McKay a drink and barely see him, though that's sort of the joke). The chemistry wasn't quite right and it made me feel that actually I'd have preferred Weir to stay and for Carter to be a recurring character drafted in from time to time - honestly she wasn't in every episode anyway so I'm not sure it would have made that significant a difference.
Going back to this episode, I wasn't entirely convinced that Sheppard's absence would have allowed Michael to take over the entire Pegasus Galaxy, but I do understand that it's more about the lack of information on where Teyla was being held, which had a knock-on effect that our people couldn't stop Michael carrying out the completion of his hybrid experiments in time, leading to him getting the upper hand, but it was still all a little hard to believe. I also wasn't clear on how putting Sheppard in stasis for several hundred more years would enable him to go back, but I assume it was something to do with when the phenomena would affect the Stargate again. Maybe? I should have paid more attention to the technobabble! It wasn't a bad episode, but ultimately came across as largely inconsequential and while fun to see alternate futures for the characters, I wasn't completely convinced by it all. Especially Lorne, and no disrespect to him, ending up as General over the SGC! No matter, nothing that happened in this episode can detract from the quality of the season overall and I will look forward to getting back into it soon, probably much sooner than later since I don't have anything to review between seasons now that both 'SG-1' and 'Smallville' are all done and dusted...
**
Other than the last few minutes, which followed the pattern you'd expect for a season-ending cliffhanger, this was quite different to what I was expecting. It's pretty much a standalone story right in the middle of this big 'Save Teyla' arc, which leads me to wonder if they felt forced into treading water regarding the story maybe they felt the need to have a cliffhanger. Because they could have resolved it if this episode had been following on from the previous episode. Instead, it's a very science-fictional story that reminded me of the finale to 'SG-1' in that it was its own thing. I wonder if they knew they were getting a Season 5 or not, and if that played into their decision here as it could have morphed into a conclusion to the series if they weren't going to make more. As it was, although I generally warm to these high-concept ideas I felt fairly certain it was all going to turn out alright and have no real bearing on the ongoing story. Of course it has one major effect: that they're able to find the location Michael took/will take Teyla to have her baby, so it was a long-winded way of pulling that solution out of the hat, though as we see, it didn't end too well for them as they activate a boobytrap which collapses the building around them, leaving them in who knows what situation.
Sheppard's sudden leap into a future Atlantis buried in sand forty-eight thousand years in time was the kind of story I've seen done in Trek (I think especially of 'The Visitor' as one of the best ever episodes anywhere), and 'SG-1,' but never as a season finale. In one sense it was brave and bold, but it also has the downside of an impression of lacking purpose. We see in flashback all kinds of strange and sad endings for the characters: Teyla's gutted after her baby has been removed; Carter dies in a final stand after she's got her own ship (the Phoenix - I know she ends up a ship's Captain in 'Universe' so it'll be interesting to see if it was the same one...); Ronon finds himself going down with the unlikely ally of 'Todd' the Wraith as they blow up one of Michael's major facilities; and Rodney quits the SGC and ends up with Jennifer Keller, who then dies of complications from the Hoffan virus, and then spends the rest of his life working out how to reverse what happened when Sheppard went through the 'gate and ended up so far into the future. His old age makeup as a hologram was good (ironically, Robert Picardo as Wolsey, best known for playing a hologram, becomes the boss of Atlantis - I was really hoping he'd play another hologram!), and it was eerie that it's just Sheppard and this aged version of someone we know in the long abandoned shell of the city we know so well, the kind of story that might have worked better in the middle of a season rather than as a seeming stopgap between serials, and a convenient solution to their problem.
I don't judge it too harshly, it did provide some stirring moments such as when Carter stands alone on the bridge of her ship as she rams into an enemy vessel, or Ronon and Todd finding common ground as they prepare to die for the greater good. McKay's brainy sister even has a small cameo as she tries to help with his calculations, and of course it's always good to see Dr. Keller, who I feel should really be bumped up to main cast for the final season. It's been another standout year for the series after the first two were variable, and like Season 3 they found a good mix of stories and events. In retrospect the addition of Carter to the main cast didn't work as well as I'd imagined it would, and as I've said many times I don't think the character is best suited to command, but more as tech backup, dependable support, like McKay, the one to get us out of jams (a shame Zelenka barely gets a cameo as he brings McKay a drink and barely see him, though that's sort of the joke). The chemistry wasn't quite right and it made me feel that actually I'd have preferred Weir to stay and for Carter to be a recurring character drafted in from time to time - honestly she wasn't in every episode anyway so I'm not sure it would have made that significant a difference.
Going back to this episode, I wasn't entirely convinced that Sheppard's absence would have allowed Michael to take over the entire Pegasus Galaxy, but I do understand that it's more about the lack of information on where Teyla was being held, which had a knock-on effect that our people couldn't stop Michael carrying out the completion of his hybrid experiments in time, leading to him getting the upper hand, but it was still all a little hard to believe. I also wasn't clear on how putting Sheppard in stasis for several hundred more years would enable him to go back, but I assume it was something to do with when the phenomena would affect the Stargate again. Maybe? I should have paid more attention to the technobabble! It wasn't a bad episode, but ultimately came across as largely inconsequential and while fun to see alternate futures for the characters, I wasn't completely convinced by it all. Especially Lorne, and no disrespect to him, ending up as General over the SGC! No matter, nothing that happened in this episode can detract from the quality of the season overall and I will look forward to getting back into it soon, probably much sooner than later since I don't have anything to review between seasons now that both 'SG-1' and 'Smallville' are all done and dusted...
**
Jewel Control
DVD, BUGS S4 (Jewel Control)
Very punny title. We haven't seen one like that since... actually we've never had a pun for a title (jewel control: dual control...), so that's a first for the series at this late stage, but it wouldn't be the last. I suppose, other than the fact our Mr. Diaz wants control over the jewel smuggling business, it refers to his hold over the hapless Richard Blenco, this season's Mark Schumann (or was it Mark Curtis, I can never remember?), who in turn has exerted his 'charm' over Ros' old school friend, Sorrel Mandrake, in order to marry him and then he'll have leverage over her Father, Owen. I suppose. Watch enough episodes and you begin to see patterns, or at least repetitions in story and character - the obvious one is, as I mentioned, the 'happy couple' from Season 3's 'Happy Ever After?' They had it right down to the conman who only marries the woman to get to her Father in the government, both times the connection is a friend of one of our team (Jan with Sir Anthony, Ros with Sorrel), both times the little woman is kidnapped by the conman's associates and both times they get some physical comeuppance from their rage-blushing bride (a vicious kick in the shins from Julia, a solid double-handed slap from Sorrel). I don't recall who wrote the former episode, but if it was either Colin Brake or Stuart Doughty (this episode's co-writing team), they have some explaining to do. Not that I'm complaining about the lack of originality, it's fun to note the parallels and gives me more to examine! Another, less conspicuous similarity is in setting the teaser in a foreign country, this time what looks like the favelas of Columbia, scene-setting that reminded me of the desert opening to 'Schrodinger's Bomb,' something that adds a greater sense of scale, geographically speaking. And the International Emerald Exchange with its overconfident head of security reminded me of Jacobs Doyle from 'Down Among The Dead Men.'
The biggest connection to past episodes, however, must be the realisation of another 'Action Jan' story with our Jan off on her own much of the time, the older woman given the chance to show her initiative and resourcefulness, courage, and application of the very practical experience she's been claiming make the very assessment she's been assigned to complete, an irrelevance. Books are no substitute she claims and does come off a touch entitled and arrogant, or would do if we didn't know better, have seen her abilities, knowledge, connections and dedication. If we didn't know her (as fellow assessee, Melissa doesn't), and if she wasn't given the opportunity to prove herself in fine fashion when Diaz and his mob, The Three Amigos, come a-calling. It is ridiculous that a woman who's served in the intelligence services for twenty-five years would be called upon to complete a course, let alone alongside fresh young things who must be straight out of college, but perhaps forbearance and patience were part of the test? We later learn she has to be assessed every five years, but judging from the way she reacts to this particular assessment we can conclude this was different to what she'd gone through before, unless she was simply tired with the procedure and felt her age and experience should count for something, which it should! It was probably a cost-cutting measure from the government: just chuck in old hands with new recruits, that'll save money. But it was a bit demeaning, especially when you consider Jan and her team have saved civilisation as we know it on more than one occasion!
The important thing, and one more reason why the episode works, is that she's given her chance to show what being in the field is really like: under fire or in danger of death, guerrilla tactics, using mind and body to take on the enemy to the best of her ability in spite of scant resources (why would the Harding House facility have no weapons - you'd think arms training and testing would be par for the course!), just like in 'Identity Crisis,' hence another parallel with the past. Jan isn't put through the wringer quite as much as she was in that episode, but she's certainly tested, paired with the only available asset in the aforementioned Melissa, a 'bright young thing' very receptive to whatever new ways and ideas the current regime claim as best operating procedure. At first you can see where she's coming from, facing an attitude like Jan's when she doesn't see the point of using a rowing machine because she's never in all her years been required to row for her country, but as Melissa points out fitness is important in the field (or an attitude to that effect), as Jan knows only too well. But the really important things are mind and willpower - the ability to make the right decision when faced with threat and without much time to contemplate. Boldness, striking at the right moment in the right way. Melissa just comes to pieces when faced with this reality - she does get one moment to shine, to show she has potential (and if the series had continued it would have been great if they could have brought Naoko Mori's character back, perhaps in the Alex role as she moved up - Alex could even have been a sort of mentor), her knowledge of the tech manuals means she knows how to open the blast doors trapping the others in a room with a time bomb, and showing that book-learning has its place too. But for the most part she ably demonstrates that simulation can't match up to reality.
You'd think a phobia of needles would be on her bio if the services are as forensic about potential agents as Adam thought they were, nervous about his Anarchist Society membership at university. Perhaps she didn't declare it or they decided that wasn't reason enough not to accept her on the programme. And it is meant to be a comedy moment when, after all her excelling at the physical and mental rigours of the assessment she falls down in the face of a needle, literally fainting at the feet of a bemused Diaz. I must say, he seemed like a particularly humane villain, for all his bluster, at least up until he leaves the gang with the bomb, but it's more that he comes across pretty stupid in all his dealings. He has these unrealised ambitions of being Big Shot Emerald Smuggler, yet he allows himself to be taken in by the singularly unimpressive Blenco. He won't delegate all this to underlings, maybe he doesn't trust them to do things right, and comes to England with the promise of an emerald haul from the IEE (would they really store such expensive gemstones loose in little plastic trays in the vault?). But he seems very keen not to kill anyone unnecessarily, even going to the trouble of bringing along drugs and needles to sedate the inhabitants of Harding House when he also had automatic weapons and could easily have mown them all down without a second thought, even telling Ed to back off when he chases him at the end, when he has him in his sights (if he had killed off Ed it would definitely have changed the series, some might say for the better in this case!), as it seems he might have from Jan's perspective when she hears the rattle of gunfire - that was a moment she could have had second thoughts and simply done everything to escape and save her own skin, but she has an innate sense of responsibility and the guts to do what's necessary. In contrast, Blenco is quite gutless, seemingly no motivation other than money, while Diaz isn't much better - money, but prestige as well. They aren't the greatest team of villains our team have ever dealt with, but they do at least have the edge of intimidation thanks to Diaz' three heavies, especially when they smash into Sorrel's house to take her and Ros prisoner (recalling the guy who smashes through a glass door trying to get to Ros in 'A Sporting Chance'). As ever, while most would run away, Ros runs towards the danger, intent on using herself to slow down the adversaries so her friend can get away in typically selfless, heroic fashion.
More could have been made of the connection to Ros' past that Owen and Sorrel represented, especially the elder Mandrake, for it seems that he was the one that first gave spark to her interest in electronics in the first place - it's just thrown into dialogue that when she was twelve Ros liked horses until Owen showed her how radios work, setting her on the course of her life! That's quite a momentous thing, and I'm not saying she wouldn't have found her interest and line of work without that, but this is how it happened so you'd think there'd be a little more poignancy and affection between them. Ros seems to have reverted back more to her Season 2 reserved persona, perhaps because of the soapy side of this season which must have affected how Griffiths played her. Once again we sense an undertone of tension underlying the interactions, what with Ed complaining Adam isn't right for Alex, who's spending a lot of time with him socially (and so has apparently taken a bit of a backseat in recent episodes when it comes to meaningful participation in the adventure), while Beckett becomes inexorably closer to the invasive Christa, going so far as lying to the team about where he was going in black bowtie and dinner jacket, Ros seeing him picked up by Christa on CCTV when he claimed he was heading to an all-male Naval reunion. How dense can he be? Why change into the outfit at the Bureau, why let Christa pick him up from there, and why claim it was an all-male do in the first place? It seems cut from the same cloth of soap-silliness designed so Ros can be sad, an end scene that must be the worst of the season. How can you make it so negative?
Even worse for the series, though I'm sure they wouldn't have had an inkling at the writing stage, was that back in the day this was effectively the Season 4 finale! The BBC was mistreating the series, shifting it around the early evening Saturday schedule instead of the prime time slot it deserved, and then the ultimate indignity of indignities, they didn't have room for the final three episodes, shunting them off to an entire year later, August 1999, perhaps deliberately in case the finale drew in big figures and highly favourable audience reaction as 'Renegades' had achieved, buying the series a stay of execution. They wouldn't let that happen again, which is unfathomable since they didn't have to recommission for a fourth year anyway, so why do that, then not support it? Perhaps if the writers knew this episode would be a kind of mid-season finale they might have done things differently, made it a bit of a cliffhanger to leave people bubbling with speculation over what it could mean, not concluding on such a downer! Despite the poor ending, the soapiness was still kept to a minimum, thankfully, meaning the episode, though still one of the lesser instalments of both series and season, was still mostly inoffensive and enjoyable to watch - I certainly had the urge to get into it. While I'd place previous episode 'Pandora's Box' a small notch above, this at least is more visually colourful than that drab-looking example: we have the team dressing in colour, Beckett in light green shirt, green tie under his suit; Ros in a red or orange top beneath her black suit (complete with gold star earrings, perhaps as a comment on her boss, Jan's rating, though I suppose two stars isn't very flattering!); and even Ed remembers his dark blue jacket. The palette extends to some of the locations with yellow lighting in the RSG (Regional Seat of Government) bunker, and blue lighting in the IEE security office which did look like a proper 'BUGS' location, all blue-tinted metal walls and a bank of monitors - it could almost have been Gizmos, if we're allowed to mention that name! Sorrel's house, too, with all its glass, was very 'BUGS'-ian, especially in contrast with Beckett's flat and the RSG is just the kind of secret underground bunker our team should be at home in!
One area the episode didn't deliver was the disappointing explosion - up to that point they handled the traditional escalation of events rather well, problem after problem overcome, all dashing out, but then it looked like a lot of stock footage, in close so you didn't get the sense of proximity to the characters. If anything, the much smaller air explosion when an escape hatch is revealed in a wall outside the vault for Diaz to exit through (from the Kanin school of exits, if you remember the guy from 'Blackout' who blasted his way into Gizmos to save time ringing the bell!), was more effective because it was a surprise. For once there aren't a great deal of direct references, but Beckett does mention SSD early in the episode - according to them Diaz travelled with an Englishman. Ed continues his climbing exploits, entering Diaz' hotel room up the inside of the atrium while Beckett's there as eyes and ears (actually giving him an order to get out at one point!), though you wonder how no one saw him climbing with all those windows about! They seem to have stopped using the old Operating System that was based on The Hive's systems right from the very first episode, and now it looks more like a version of Windows - perhaps this is all part of the changes in relations across the services. Maybe Hive agents noticed Bureau 2 were using their system when they came in to help search for the sword last episode? I certainly hadn't noticed them use a different OS before. Beckett seems to be fairly handy setting up the intruder alarm in his flat (but not quite as with it when it comes to his house key - he rushes out without one as far I could see), but I suppose that's small potatoes compared to the technology he's used to dealing with - handy that it cements his 'electrician' cover for Christa. Also funny when the villains make Owen fix the RSG controls, Ros offering to help because she 'knows a little bit about electronics,' the understatement of the year!
There's a little bit of tantalising history for the Bureau when Jeff the security guard says he once knew a former Jan that almost came to blows with her assessor, and she became chair of covert operations. So there had been at least one female Jan before... Jan. Maybe it was the one before Roland, maybe it was Mrs. Gardner, you never know? Melissa does warn the service is changing, and by featuring an older character in the mix with Jan Harvey it gave them more ground to explore if they chose to, as they do a little bit here: the threat of tried and true methods being replaced, probably because younger minds simply want change for its own sake and to feel superior to those with more experience than they have, to feel they have an edge of their own making - Jan's even threatened with demotion to a non-operational post if she quits, though I'm sure Commander Cordray was just blowing hot air - they wouldn't want to lose someone like her with a proven track record for results. I loved seeing her save Melissa's life when they take on one of the goons, and then not to be outdone, Beckett saves Jan's life. Teamwork, that's what I like to see! Maybe going down the route of old tech again (especially after the focus on centuries past in the previous episode), the RSG from forty years ago might not have been the best idea, and there really haven't been a great deal of techy sci-fi stories in this final year, which makes it a bit less 'BUGS,' but at least in this case we got our quotient of 'BUGS' buildings and no sign of housing estates, schools or any other such mundane locations. At the same time you can see the elements aren't quite gelling: negative soapiness, less technology, generally more grounded, 'realistic' locales, and Ed still comes across too stilted and unnatural in his interaction. But it's still 'BUGS,' it's still pretty good and it's better than nothing.
***
Very punny title. We haven't seen one like that since... actually we've never had a pun for a title (jewel control: dual control...), so that's a first for the series at this late stage, but it wouldn't be the last. I suppose, other than the fact our Mr. Diaz wants control over the jewel smuggling business, it refers to his hold over the hapless Richard Blenco, this season's Mark Schumann (or was it Mark Curtis, I can never remember?), who in turn has exerted his 'charm' over Ros' old school friend, Sorrel Mandrake, in order to marry him and then he'll have leverage over her Father, Owen. I suppose. Watch enough episodes and you begin to see patterns, or at least repetitions in story and character - the obvious one is, as I mentioned, the 'happy couple' from Season 3's 'Happy Ever After?' They had it right down to the conman who only marries the woman to get to her Father in the government, both times the connection is a friend of one of our team (Jan with Sir Anthony, Ros with Sorrel), both times the little woman is kidnapped by the conman's associates and both times they get some physical comeuppance from their rage-blushing bride (a vicious kick in the shins from Julia, a solid double-handed slap from Sorrel). I don't recall who wrote the former episode, but if it was either Colin Brake or Stuart Doughty (this episode's co-writing team), they have some explaining to do. Not that I'm complaining about the lack of originality, it's fun to note the parallels and gives me more to examine! Another, less conspicuous similarity is in setting the teaser in a foreign country, this time what looks like the favelas of Columbia, scene-setting that reminded me of the desert opening to 'Schrodinger's Bomb,' something that adds a greater sense of scale, geographically speaking. And the International Emerald Exchange with its overconfident head of security reminded me of Jacobs Doyle from 'Down Among The Dead Men.'
The biggest connection to past episodes, however, must be the realisation of another 'Action Jan' story with our Jan off on her own much of the time, the older woman given the chance to show her initiative and resourcefulness, courage, and application of the very practical experience she's been claiming make the very assessment she's been assigned to complete, an irrelevance. Books are no substitute she claims and does come off a touch entitled and arrogant, or would do if we didn't know better, have seen her abilities, knowledge, connections and dedication. If we didn't know her (as fellow assessee, Melissa doesn't), and if she wasn't given the opportunity to prove herself in fine fashion when Diaz and his mob, The Three Amigos, come a-calling. It is ridiculous that a woman who's served in the intelligence services for twenty-five years would be called upon to complete a course, let alone alongside fresh young things who must be straight out of college, but perhaps forbearance and patience were part of the test? We later learn she has to be assessed every five years, but judging from the way she reacts to this particular assessment we can conclude this was different to what she'd gone through before, unless she was simply tired with the procedure and felt her age and experience should count for something, which it should! It was probably a cost-cutting measure from the government: just chuck in old hands with new recruits, that'll save money. But it was a bit demeaning, especially when you consider Jan and her team have saved civilisation as we know it on more than one occasion!
The important thing, and one more reason why the episode works, is that she's given her chance to show what being in the field is really like: under fire or in danger of death, guerrilla tactics, using mind and body to take on the enemy to the best of her ability in spite of scant resources (why would the Harding House facility have no weapons - you'd think arms training and testing would be par for the course!), just like in 'Identity Crisis,' hence another parallel with the past. Jan isn't put through the wringer quite as much as she was in that episode, but she's certainly tested, paired with the only available asset in the aforementioned Melissa, a 'bright young thing' very receptive to whatever new ways and ideas the current regime claim as best operating procedure. At first you can see where she's coming from, facing an attitude like Jan's when she doesn't see the point of using a rowing machine because she's never in all her years been required to row for her country, but as Melissa points out fitness is important in the field (or an attitude to that effect), as Jan knows only too well. But the really important things are mind and willpower - the ability to make the right decision when faced with threat and without much time to contemplate. Boldness, striking at the right moment in the right way. Melissa just comes to pieces when faced with this reality - she does get one moment to shine, to show she has potential (and if the series had continued it would have been great if they could have brought Naoko Mori's character back, perhaps in the Alex role as she moved up - Alex could even have been a sort of mentor), her knowledge of the tech manuals means she knows how to open the blast doors trapping the others in a room with a time bomb, and showing that book-learning has its place too. But for the most part she ably demonstrates that simulation can't match up to reality.
You'd think a phobia of needles would be on her bio if the services are as forensic about potential agents as Adam thought they were, nervous about his Anarchist Society membership at university. Perhaps she didn't declare it or they decided that wasn't reason enough not to accept her on the programme. And it is meant to be a comedy moment when, after all her excelling at the physical and mental rigours of the assessment she falls down in the face of a needle, literally fainting at the feet of a bemused Diaz. I must say, he seemed like a particularly humane villain, for all his bluster, at least up until he leaves the gang with the bomb, but it's more that he comes across pretty stupid in all his dealings. He has these unrealised ambitions of being Big Shot Emerald Smuggler, yet he allows himself to be taken in by the singularly unimpressive Blenco. He won't delegate all this to underlings, maybe he doesn't trust them to do things right, and comes to England with the promise of an emerald haul from the IEE (would they really store such expensive gemstones loose in little plastic trays in the vault?). But he seems very keen not to kill anyone unnecessarily, even going to the trouble of bringing along drugs and needles to sedate the inhabitants of Harding House when he also had automatic weapons and could easily have mown them all down without a second thought, even telling Ed to back off when he chases him at the end, when he has him in his sights (if he had killed off Ed it would definitely have changed the series, some might say for the better in this case!), as it seems he might have from Jan's perspective when she hears the rattle of gunfire - that was a moment she could have had second thoughts and simply done everything to escape and save her own skin, but she has an innate sense of responsibility and the guts to do what's necessary. In contrast, Blenco is quite gutless, seemingly no motivation other than money, while Diaz isn't much better - money, but prestige as well. They aren't the greatest team of villains our team have ever dealt with, but they do at least have the edge of intimidation thanks to Diaz' three heavies, especially when they smash into Sorrel's house to take her and Ros prisoner (recalling the guy who smashes through a glass door trying to get to Ros in 'A Sporting Chance'). As ever, while most would run away, Ros runs towards the danger, intent on using herself to slow down the adversaries so her friend can get away in typically selfless, heroic fashion.
More could have been made of the connection to Ros' past that Owen and Sorrel represented, especially the elder Mandrake, for it seems that he was the one that first gave spark to her interest in electronics in the first place - it's just thrown into dialogue that when she was twelve Ros liked horses until Owen showed her how radios work, setting her on the course of her life! That's quite a momentous thing, and I'm not saying she wouldn't have found her interest and line of work without that, but this is how it happened so you'd think there'd be a little more poignancy and affection between them. Ros seems to have reverted back more to her Season 2 reserved persona, perhaps because of the soapy side of this season which must have affected how Griffiths played her. Once again we sense an undertone of tension underlying the interactions, what with Ed complaining Adam isn't right for Alex, who's spending a lot of time with him socially (and so has apparently taken a bit of a backseat in recent episodes when it comes to meaningful participation in the adventure), while Beckett becomes inexorably closer to the invasive Christa, going so far as lying to the team about where he was going in black bowtie and dinner jacket, Ros seeing him picked up by Christa on CCTV when he claimed he was heading to an all-male Naval reunion. How dense can he be? Why change into the outfit at the Bureau, why let Christa pick him up from there, and why claim it was an all-male do in the first place? It seems cut from the same cloth of soap-silliness designed so Ros can be sad, an end scene that must be the worst of the season. How can you make it so negative?
Even worse for the series, though I'm sure they wouldn't have had an inkling at the writing stage, was that back in the day this was effectively the Season 4 finale! The BBC was mistreating the series, shifting it around the early evening Saturday schedule instead of the prime time slot it deserved, and then the ultimate indignity of indignities, they didn't have room for the final three episodes, shunting them off to an entire year later, August 1999, perhaps deliberately in case the finale drew in big figures and highly favourable audience reaction as 'Renegades' had achieved, buying the series a stay of execution. They wouldn't let that happen again, which is unfathomable since they didn't have to recommission for a fourth year anyway, so why do that, then not support it? Perhaps if the writers knew this episode would be a kind of mid-season finale they might have done things differently, made it a bit of a cliffhanger to leave people bubbling with speculation over what it could mean, not concluding on such a downer! Despite the poor ending, the soapiness was still kept to a minimum, thankfully, meaning the episode, though still one of the lesser instalments of both series and season, was still mostly inoffensive and enjoyable to watch - I certainly had the urge to get into it. While I'd place previous episode 'Pandora's Box' a small notch above, this at least is more visually colourful than that drab-looking example: we have the team dressing in colour, Beckett in light green shirt, green tie under his suit; Ros in a red or orange top beneath her black suit (complete with gold star earrings, perhaps as a comment on her boss, Jan's rating, though I suppose two stars isn't very flattering!); and even Ed remembers his dark blue jacket. The palette extends to some of the locations with yellow lighting in the RSG (Regional Seat of Government) bunker, and blue lighting in the IEE security office which did look like a proper 'BUGS' location, all blue-tinted metal walls and a bank of monitors - it could almost have been Gizmos, if we're allowed to mention that name! Sorrel's house, too, with all its glass, was very 'BUGS'-ian, especially in contrast with Beckett's flat and the RSG is just the kind of secret underground bunker our team should be at home in!
One area the episode didn't deliver was the disappointing explosion - up to that point they handled the traditional escalation of events rather well, problem after problem overcome, all dashing out, but then it looked like a lot of stock footage, in close so you didn't get the sense of proximity to the characters. If anything, the much smaller air explosion when an escape hatch is revealed in a wall outside the vault for Diaz to exit through (from the Kanin school of exits, if you remember the guy from 'Blackout' who blasted his way into Gizmos to save time ringing the bell!), was more effective because it was a surprise. For once there aren't a great deal of direct references, but Beckett does mention SSD early in the episode - according to them Diaz travelled with an Englishman. Ed continues his climbing exploits, entering Diaz' hotel room up the inside of the atrium while Beckett's there as eyes and ears (actually giving him an order to get out at one point!), though you wonder how no one saw him climbing with all those windows about! They seem to have stopped using the old Operating System that was based on The Hive's systems right from the very first episode, and now it looks more like a version of Windows - perhaps this is all part of the changes in relations across the services. Maybe Hive agents noticed Bureau 2 were using their system when they came in to help search for the sword last episode? I certainly hadn't noticed them use a different OS before. Beckett seems to be fairly handy setting up the intruder alarm in his flat (but not quite as with it when it comes to his house key - he rushes out without one as far I could see), but I suppose that's small potatoes compared to the technology he's used to dealing with - handy that it cements his 'electrician' cover for Christa. Also funny when the villains make Owen fix the RSG controls, Ros offering to help because she 'knows a little bit about electronics,' the understatement of the year!
There's a little bit of tantalising history for the Bureau when Jeff the security guard says he once knew a former Jan that almost came to blows with her assessor, and she became chair of covert operations. So there had been at least one female Jan before... Jan. Maybe it was the one before Roland, maybe it was Mrs. Gardner, you never know? Melissa does warn the service is changing, and by featuring an older character in the mix with Jan Harvey it gave them more ground to explore if they chose to, as they do a little bit here: the threat of tried and true methods being replaced, probably because younger minds simply want change for its own sake and to feel superior to those with more experience than they have, to feel they have an edge of their own making - Jan's even threatened with demotion to a non-operational post if she quits, though I'm sure Commander Cordray was just blowing hot air - they wouldn't want to lose someone like her with a proven track record for results. I loved seeing her save Melissa's life when they take on one of the goons, and then not to be outdone, Beckett saves Jan's life. Teamwork, that's what I like to see! Maybe going down the route of old tech again (especially after the focus on centuries past in the previous episode), the RSG from forty years ago might not have been the best idea, and there really haven't been a great deal of techy sci-fi stories in this final year, which makes it a bit less 'BUGS,' but at least in this case we got our quotient of 'BUGS' buildings and no sign of housing estates, schools or any other such mundane locations. At the same time you can see the elements aren't quite gelling: negative soapiness, less technology, generally more grounded, 'realistic' locales, and Ed still comes across too stilted and unnatural in his interaction. But it's still 'BUGS,' it's still pretty good and it's better than nothing.
***
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