"Mentor, can you explain the meaning of love?"
-Pilot
In a routine supply run, Hawk and Power are unknowningly observed by two men from a distance, Andy Jackson and Jim Mitchell. The two, former Special Forces members, observe Power and Hawk leave the Junkship.Jackson then stealthily approaches the Junkship and manages to open the hatch with a Sonic Key. Entering into the ship, he stumbles into the lift leading to the XT-10.Hearing Power and Hawk returning, he remains there,hidden. The Junkship departs, with Jackson on board.
Unknown to Power or Jackson and his partner, Dread has been observing the their every movement through his mobile 'Eye in the Sky' cameras. Piqued, he realises that this could be a means to discover the location of the elusive Power Base. Noticing that only Jackson entered the Junkship, Dread sends Blastarr to obtain information from Mitchell.
Meanwhile, Jackson, still undiscovered, finds himself in the hangar of the Power Base.Awed, he wanders around the Power Base and stumbles into the main control room, where Pilot is trying to squeeze a few Philosophy lectures between blasting BioDreads. Jackson watches surreptitiously from the corridor as Pilot quizzes Mentor on the meaning of love.
Unable to contain his excitement any longer, Jackson reports to Mitchell to announce that he has made it into the base, despite their earlier agreement that they would maintain radio silence. The relay is picked up by the PowerBase computer, and Pilot immediately jams the signal. She alerts Power, who calls the team together to begin a search for the intruder, warning that they may have to blow the base up if it is Dread.
Despite his Special Forces background, Jackson is somewhat inept and Power easily catches him without firing a shot when Jackson's shadow gives away his position.
While the team interrogates him, a distress signal comes from Mitchell. Jackson is suspicious - arguing that Mitchell would never break radio contact. Jackson then explains that the objective behind breaking into the Power Base was to show Power that they were good enough to join his team. Jackson informs Power that on their on they have been waging a two man war against Dread. Power doesn't really trust Jackson but decides Jackson is probably right that it is a trap. But the team still are going to assist Mitchell.
Jackson's suspicions are right - Blastarr has cornered Mitchell and manages to collect enough speech samples to duplicate his voice. Blastarr hopes to lure Power out into the open.
Sending Jackson out to distract Blastarr, the team take up strategic positions and manage to surprise the BioDread instead. While Blastarr and the troops exchange fire with Power's team, Jackson rescues his partner. Eventually, Blastarr is beaten back by the combined firepower of the team.
As Pilot patches up Mitchell, Power removes the wrist grenade that he attached to Jackson earlier, as an insurance measure.He informs Jackson that they only have one more place on the team, and it has to be the 'right' one. Jackson nods in understanding. Pilot appears with Mitchell and the team prepare to leave. But not before Jackson casually remarks to Pilot that perhaps she could ask the Captain to explain to her the meaning of love. Pilot gives him a strange look and scurries into the ship.
Jackson and Mitchell watch the ship depart, confident that they have "passed the audition."
Comment
This is the first episode which we see Dread being lectured by Overmind for being unable to control his human weakness. Like a child being admonished, Dread accepts the reprimand, yet we get the feeling that he is already beginning to resent it and suspects that Overmind is up to something behind his back.
Dread's concern that Overmind has a hidden agenda is manifested by his confrontation of Lackki. He demands to know 'Who do you Serve?' Lackki replies as always 'The Biodread Empire..I am Laccki, I live to Serve.'. Suspicious, Dread leaves, convinced Lackki is spying on him, but uncertain of the connection to Overmind. The truth is revealed only to us when Laccki enters Overmind's domain and calls him 'My Lord'.
David C Steigers remarks that this confirms that it is Overmind who truly rules the BioDread Empire. But does he? Is Overmind sufficiently independent enough to be able to control the Empire without Dread? Both Overmind and Dread perhaps underestimate their need of each other.The Empire's troops swear their loyalty to the machine, but it is Dread who speaks to them, who communicates to them. It also leaves out of the equation the consideration that Dread will passively allow Overmind to just stroll in and take over. Early in the season, Dread relies on Overmind in an almost Oracle-like manner. Increasingly as the season progresses and he suspects Overmind, Dread relies on him less and less for advice, and his resentment towards Overmind's patronising manner begins to fester
Steigers also says " Also near the end, Power tells Jackson that there is room for only one more member on the Power Team. We know that the team has two spare Powersuits. This means that the creators had planned for an existing character to die by the time this episode was made." This doesn't seem to make sense or add up. Power knows he has more than one powersuit, but yet says he has only got room for one more member. This doesn't seem to me to explain in any way how Steigers reached the conclusion that someone would die. The math doesn't work out.
Power also tells Jackson that it takes time and trust before he can accept another person onto the team. Yet, we know it wasn't that long ago that Pilot defected from the Dread Youth - how did she gain Power's trust so rapidly?
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Inexplicable Oddities
