"Music of a Distant Drum" - Episode #113 (slight spoilers below) (Click here for synopsis)

Well here was an episode where the teasers actually left me with relative low expectations, leading to some pleasant surprises.

Other than being a bit violent at times, I found the plot enjoyable in general (some exceptions, noted later). There have been many stories filmed elsewhere involving characters who were shipwrecked and/or who have lost their memories. However, Keith Hamilton Cobb's outstanding acting and the continuity with previous Andromeda episodes (especially concerning the Drago-Katzo Nietzscheans) made this particularly well done.

The scenes on the Andromeda were not particularly well done and Beka seemed quite inconsistent in her defense after taking advantage of Dylan. Her claims about the others were interesting, but neither justified her actions nor made complete sense given the changes in attitude she seemed to display in previous episodes. She is right that everyone has ulterior motives, but it seemed that she and the others had a genuine interest in the Commonwealth. If not, one has to wonder why Dylan does not seem more concerned and is not interested in finding a different crew.

The scenes on the planet moved along quickly and were great. Tyr was especially handled well, being portrayed as deadly, yet thoughtful and with principles (he did not kill the Nietzschean leader at first). I also thought that Linea Sharples (Yvaine) and the actor playing the Nietzschean leader also did a good job.

On the science front the three part lock was an interesting idea and made for a logical reason to keep Tyr alive. The nanobots, while fascinating, were a bit difficult to swallow (no pun intended) as both attacking machines *and* acting like 'viruses' to wipe away Tyr's memory. I am hoping that these nanobots do not become 'generic' technobabble (ala the 'graviton beams' in another series) for writers to insert as needed. If used sparingly, or if the technology is explained a bit (to make it less all purpose), then this could be an interesting part of the series.

There unfortunately were several "loose ends" in the plot (mostly near the conclusion) including:

• Tyr's wet suit - where in the world did this come from (no hint he took it from the ship)?
• The cave - it had only one entrance (per the Nietzscheans), how did Dylan and Beka get in unnoticed?
• The Maru - it apparently crashed and had its circuits scrambled, yet apparently was repaired very easily.
• Yvaine/Breyon - with likely little time it seems very foolish to expect them to get away from the 'dragons'.
• Tyr's nanobot immune system - never mentioned previously, likely just invented for one episode!

Overall this was a good episode that could lead to some interesting stories in the future now that Tyr has successfully retrieved something that the Drago-Katzo pride would tend to pursue hotly.

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

Review 02/14/01 by Larry Kramer       Updated 10/26/01

© 2001 Larry Kramer (See Copyright Disclaimer)