Jordan attends a ball, but is abducted by the Gua who brainwash her, leaving Cade to return her memory to her and uncover the secret the aliens wish to keep hidden.

It's a bit of a free-for-all, this episode. You wait ages for an alien and a whole bunch of them turn up at once. Yes, this week Cade takes on an alien in every skin as Jordan's ball seems to contain half the Gua invasion force, all trying to acquire Radcliffe holdings for themselves. It certainly keeps the excitement level high, even if it ceases to become a surprise when each successive alien is revealed. What I don't quite get is why they don't seem to be planning their strategy very well. Control Jordan, capture 117, brainwash him so he's no longer a threat would work brilliantly. Instead, one Gua decides to seduce Cade with obvious consequences and several others try to brainwash him, kill him or capture him. It's no wonder they lose; they don't have a clue what they're doing.

That aside, the plot unfolds rather well, leading to the discovery that Jordan's father was an alien-fighter as well. The ending, in which Jordan wonders if she should return to Cade all his bad memories, is a nice moment, but it's a shame that more isn't made of Jordan's brainwashing and subsequent betrothal. Spoiling her happiness should be a concern of Cade's, yet he takes it away without any hesitation.

There are some problems, notably the wooden Gua and the underused Andrew Jackson as Jordan's love interest who dies before doing a damn thing. The plot is also a bit familiar from halfway through when the brainwashed Jordan is merely switched for a brainwashed Cade. That aside though, it holds the attention well and provides an affirmation for both Cade and Jordan to continue their fight. Not bad.

***

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