First Wave: Requiem

Cade gathers the Raven Nation generals together to warn them about Jordan's transformation, but Mabus has sent an assassin after them that won't stop until they're all dead.

Starting off well, this is a nicely claustrophobic episode, set in an abandoned base with no way of communicating with the outside world. The generals and Cade are trapped by the creature and have to kill it before it gets to them. So far, so good. The problem lies in the fact that it goes on for ages dragging out this one plot. Jordan/Mabus is present only at the beginning of the episode (in which Traci Lords plays the seductive bad guy to perfection) and after that there's a woman in a leotard running around looking faintly ludicrous.

The generals themselves spend all their time getting lost or separated, and what kills one doesn't seem to kill another for some reason. Frankly, considering how much bumbling around they do, it's a wonder they last long at all. The acting is also pretty poor, with Kendall Cross landed with delivering dreadful dialogue when naked about Cade 'liking what he sees' and her two compatriots either banging on about being in the marines or simply dying in horrible agony.

While the ending is a big one and demonstrates on a smaller scale what's occurred, it seems an odd alley to go down after going to all the trouble of introducing Cade's supporters at the start of the season. It's a crippling blow and I assume it's heading for a big season conclusion that will put things into more focus. For now, though, Cade has major problems...

***

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