Renee sets out in a sub to find out if Liam is still alive beneath the erupted volcano, but finds herself unleashing a threat even more dangerous than the Taelons.
There are a whole number of reasons that this episode doesn't work. Firstly, we all know that Liam isn't coming back, so the amount of time wasted on searching for him is ludicrous in the extreme. He's not in the opening credits or getting a guest cast credit, so he's definitely deceased. This takes any tension out of the episode as this, coupled with Renee's new opening narration, gives the game away so much that the audience knows what it's going to get before the episode even really begins.
We're also expected to believe the abrupt transformation in Renee from tough corporate hardcase to hard-bitten freedom fighter. I'm sorry, but it just doesn't work at all. I've always had doubts about Jayne Heitmeyer's ability to handle main character duties, but she sure as hell can't cope with being a lead. Her new tough outlook is laughable and you just keep wanting to tell her to get back to the office and do some paperwork. Having a crack at a punchbag just doesn't make it convincing in any way.
The arrival of the new alien presence is a little better handled; we are given the impression that there are a lot of atavus, and that only two survive the cull, but they lack the appeal of the Taelon which was their cunning. The atavus are just ruthless killers, nothing more or less, and that won't let them become a realistic enemy. The concept of Taelons still within them somehow is interesting and worth further exploration, but it seems Renee just wants all aliens dead now and doesn't care how useful they could be. This blinkered kill or be killed attitude does her no favours either.
Street's presence is utterly wasted here, and it's debatable if she's that useful in the grand scheme of things anyway, and it's clear from the start that the crew are all there as cannon fodder, so Renee's sadness at their deaths is a waste of airtime. She may be upset, but we're never allowed to have any sympathy for them as we know why they're there from the start. The only saving grace is the now scarred and pissed off Sandoval, who seems to finally be getting an edge denied him, turning into a Phantom of the Opera figure and taking his frustrations out on the world from the comfort of the Taelon mothership. It's the only place I can see any potential in this entire season, which is a worrying realization.
**
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