"All Great Neptune's Ocean"-Episode #110 (slight spoilers below) (Click here for synopsis)

Some previous episodes of Andromeda had been somewhat disappointing to me. Well, while not 'grand scope' like some others, this one pleasantly surprised in many ways!

The plot was a classic "who done it" murder mystery with similarities to countless similar ones (including ST-TOS's "Wolf in the Fold"). However, in any genre writing the important thing at times is not a "new" plot type, but rather telling a known type of story well, which this week's show certainly did. The plot, character motivations and acting were all generally well done, even including the annoying but believable Castalian President and Chancellor.

At first I thought I could see the how the plot would go, but the only thing I was right on was Tyr's role and his attitudes concerning the murder. There were a couple of nice plot twists which left things a least a bit uncertain up until near the end of the hour. Also, while the boarding party incident was clearly to provide the 'action quotient' for the week, it did at least advance the plot via Dylan's use of the force lance.

Unfortunately, the force lance issue, while a nice plot device, is not convincingly handled. If the lance was 'keyed' to Tyr, then having it 'remote controlled' would not seem to make it no longer recognize him. Also, another point that distracted from the story was the apparent ease with which Rommie was 'infected' (compared to the difficulties Harper had in "An Affirming Flame"). However, one nice touch on the science front was the plausible mention of genetically engineered humans (which would have endless ethical/religious ramifications).

The actors and actresses all seemed to handle their characters consistently and well. I particularly was impressed with Dylan who was far more believable than in the past. Dylan conversations with Tyr about the "long view" and later about the assassination were classic. Lexa Doig's character continues to be well done, although the " I'm a warship" line is getting a little old.

One small disappointment was Rev Bem's role which seems to continue a trend to make him a stereotyped religious 'counselor' for Dylan. His character early on was one of the most fascinating, and I hope to see his motivations and background explored more fully. I also noticed Trance's absence, which perhaps should have been mentioned, since with such a small crew it is strange to have someone missing with no explanation.

One thing I did like a lot about Dylan and Rev's final conversation was that there was no 'certainty' that Dylan had made the right decision. All to often leaders on SF shows are portrayed as always right, but reality is that tough decisions are rarely cut and dried even with strong convictions to guide you.

The rating for the episode is given below. For information on how my rating system works, click on this link.

Review 01/23/01 by Larry Kramer       Updated 10/25/01

© 2001 Larry Kramer (See Copyright Disclaimer)