The 4400: The Fifth Page

The Fifth Page (Episode 2.11)

Directed by Scott Peters
Written by Ira Steven Behr and Craig Sweeny
Guest starring Peter Coyote, Tom Verica, Keegan Connor Tracy
First aired 21 August 2005

Rating: 8/10

Previous episode: "Lockdown"
Following episode: "Mommy's Bosses"

A suspicious title offers the second straight excellent episode of The 4400. It's the first of two parts and focuses on ailing returnees and a complete schism between the 4400 and the US government.

The episode opens with the promise of a new beginning and a sense of belonging as displaced Alana moves in with Tom and Kyle. Cozy it would appear, but Alana suddenly asks Kyle for a prescription for allergy medication. Tom reminds her that Kyle was a doctor only in their eight-year fictional life, and she grins, claiming she's just had a case of "brain freeze." Yet Alana grows more and more confused as the details of her two lives are merging. What looks like a great stand alone premise transforms into one part of the whole when we learn that she too has developed that mysterious rash that has stripped Maia and Shawn of their powers. Alana's powers aren't stripped, but she is losing her ability to control the life she leads over the one she created.


Returnees all over the world are succumbing to this rash, and NTAC calls everyone back into quarantine. While Jarvis is recovering from the gunshot wound she suffered in the previous episode, she is replaced by previous leader and Tom's good friend Dennis Ryland. Yet Ryland seems to adopted a hardcore attitude toward the returnees, and insists that even the healthy must submit themselves to quarantine.

Meantime, good friend from the previous episode Dr. Max Hudson is becoming a little suspect, especially since the fifth page of Maia's medical report goes missing, only to reappear with a couple of lines blotched out. Hence the episode title.

Meanwhile, at the other end of the episode, Kyle is guilt-ridden and visits Roy Marsden's home, where he encounters Marsden's suffering girlfriend Alison Driscoll (Keegan Connor Tracy) and Marsden's troubled younger brother Sam (Harris Allan). Both Alison and Sam think he has a thing for her, but Kyle insists that Roy is innocent and just wants to help. Alison is trusting but Sam isn't, and goes through Kyle's wallet, discovering his daddy works for NTAC. I just wonder why anyone, especially when assuming another identity, leaves his wallet on the couch in another room. On a side note, both actors (Tracy and Allan) appeared in Final Destination sequels, numbers two and six, respectively. Tracy has been in numerous projects, television and film, including a recurring role in Battlestar Galactica, while I recognize Allan only from that great Masters of Horror episode "Jenifer."


At the 4400 Centre, Lily is still suspicious of baby day care, as am I. Interestingly enough, ex-husband Brian is now being nice to her and first daughter Heidi seems okay. Shame on the writers for ending an earlier episode with Heidi ill, potentially due to baby Isabelle, and then pretending it never happened. Did the network complain that baby Isabelle is becoming too evil? That she must be a hero baby and not a devil spawn? Or did I miss simply something?

With Shawn ill Richard is promoted to centre spokesperson. A good choice, I think, since he has strong morals and a healthy sense of duty. As the third leader he will likely be the best. Not conniving and arrogant as Collier and not as boyishly arrogant as Shawn. Finally the centre gets an honest face.

That honest face must now deal with a split between centre and government. Ryland is threatening marshal law and Richard is telling the sick to enter quarantine, but the healthy to remain out, leaving many returnees on the run, seeking shelter in safe houses. The idea is that we are once again experiencing the plight of early Christianity. With JC gone, the minority Christians/returnees are facing persecution and must hide out from government agents. There are a few sympathizers who help out, but primarily the world fears and is hence against them.

The episode ends on a great twist. The rash and fever are after-effects of promycen inhibitors (PI) that have been injected into returnees since their return. Promycen is what is causing their abilities. It appears the government has been suppressing the returnee talents, and consequently getting them severely sick.

This image of government officials entering the 4400 centre makes me think of conventions in medieval Christian paintings depicting Jesus Christ and John the Baptist as infants (mostly by Italians). It's easy to tell which figure is Jesus (even if he isn't seated in the Madonna's lap), because John is always pointing at and/or looking at him. Baby Jesus, on the other hand, is pointing at the sky or at his mother. Mother has a pale yet distinct halo. These paintings were distinguished by many facets, yet always established a clearly defined hierarchy. In this shot, Ryland is in the forefront with Diana and Tom behind. I won't interpret the shot that Ryland is Christ because that role has already been given to Jordan Collier. Hierarchically, Ryland certainly is at the top of the political chain, and the look on his face as he looks into the centre is less than ecstatic. He is, after all, there to remove Collier/Christ's followers. Diana has a direct link to Ryland, making her the Baptist figure, while Tom is at the bottom of this trinity. Each is looking to the other for guidance. What do I make of all this? Very simply that I have too much time on my hands.

The 4400: Lockdown

Lockdown (Episode 2.10)

Directed by Douglas Petrie
Written by Douglas Petrie
Guest starring Tom Verica, Hiro Kanagawa, Roger R. Cross
First aired 14 August 2005

Rating: 8/10

Previous episode: "Hidden"
Following Episode: "The Fifth Page"

The second season's weakest entry is followed by its strongest, so far. "Lockdown" is a tense and interesting episode that veers somewhat from the normal The 4400 formula. There is no returnee-of-the-week and primarily one main focus dealing with the lock down of NTAC (hence the episode's title), while the sub-plots are for the most part not filler. The episode succeeds in delivering a tense stand alone scenario, while using that same scenario to highlight overall aspects of the series, and likely to progress future plot points, primarily by raising tensions between the returnees and the government.

Breaking the somewhat formulaic pattern of these Casual Debris reviews, I will begin this episode by discussing the sub-plots. First of all, Shawn is attempting to unite science and faith by recruiting the eccentric Dr. Kevin Burkoff (the wonderful Jeffrey Coombs returns!); Isabelle is now talking to daddy Patrick, and evidently hasn't spoken to mommy Lily in weeks (I'd be upset too, the way she's been acting), and it appears that baby has been undergoing some secret tests at the 4400 Centre. Maia has contracted a rash, and later Shawn develops the same; both lose their powers as a result. And finally, Kyle gets laid. I mention above that the sub-plots are "for the most part not filler," and Kyle's getting laid is nothing other than filler material. There is clearly no real purpose to the scene, and I doubt his partner will play much of a role in the show, even though he tells her, post coitus, "I don't deserve you."

The episode opens with a dramatic montage, as Diana is comforting a sick and sweaty Maia in a gymnasium whose doors are blocked with filing cabinets and other heavy objects. Someone or something is trying to break in. It resembles a dream sequence, with lots of shadows and cold blue hues. Diana pulls out her gun, promising Maia that mommy will help, and breaking through the barrier comes Tom, bloody and stumbling, drawing his own weapon. The two face each other, guns aimed at faces like some movie poster.

The episode then jumps back in time ten hours, and it's clear that the opening sequence is no dream. The NTAC building is shut down after a virus is released through a high pitched ultrasonic screech that only men can hear. The men inside the building start becoming uncontrollably aggressive, attacking one another at the slightest provocation, and amid the chaos Jarvis takes a bullet in the shoulder. Meanwhile, a team of field enforcement officers are in the building, having just been introduced as backup for the agents. These men, led by Major Culp (Roger R. Cross), take over and try to handle the situation, killing a returnee in the process, a Roger Wolcott who was visiting for his mandatory check-up. The thing is, it's made clear that the virus was spread by a returnee, and these cold agents are attempting to eliminate every potential suspect. Wolcott's death brings our remaining returnee count to 4394.

I won't drown you with the rest of the episode's details, and we're pretty certain neither Diana, Maia or Tom get hurt. The idea that a 4400 ability is used against NTAC heightens the notion which Jordan Collier spouted on about, that there is a war looming ahead. The episode leaves behind a few corpses and presents the returnees as potential terrorists. It is an act of terror, the victims insist, and the government will likely not become more sympathetic toward the 4400 cause.

This is precisely why the episode works. As a stand alone episode it is tense and interesting, and yet it also helps to mount the rising tensions between the 4400 and the "normals." Along the way we are treated to the return of Dr. Burkoff, and are introduced to a positive and sympathetic character and a potential love interest for Diana, Dr. Max Hudson (Tom Verica), who is looking into the strange rash that Maia has developed.


The episode was written and directed by Douglas Petrie, who also wrote the much weaker episode "Carrier," as well as numerous episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Mommy's not gonna let anyone hurt you.

The 4400: Hidden

Hidden (Episode 2.9)

Directed by Vincent Misiano
Written by Frederick Rappaport
Guest starring Teach Grant and Katia Khatchadourian
First aired 7 August 2005

Rating: 4/10

Previous episode: "Rebirth"
Following episode: "Lockdown"

"Hidden" is not a terrible episode, but it's an unnecessary one that comes off as little more than season filler. The episode focuses primarily on the Kyle assassination plot, with a minor triangular sidetrack concerning Shawn, the return of Liv, and Danny. I'm really not sure why the episode was produced, since it doesn't progress the plot, only delays it.

First off, that minor plot involving Liv and some attraction between her and Danny is pointless. Nothing is gained and we end up just where we started off. Liv and Danny go to a party despite Shawn making it clear she cannot go, and Liv steals some pills which she tries to take with Danny. They're caught, Danny feels badly though he didn't realize she's a recovering addict, and Shawn tells Liv to behave. That's all folks.

The episode opens with a warning from Maia, as she tells Diane not to catch Collier's murderer, since someone will get hurt. Of course she can't say whom, since the suspense would be lessened and we'd be dealing instead with one character trying to stave off injury or death. This way we're enshrouded with mystery.

Then we spend the episode with Tom realizing what Kyle's done, and searching for him. NTAC too is searching, and they have a lead on the murder weapon and a handgun the killer also purchased. This handgun is found in a storage locker, but Tom gets to it before NTAC. There are a multitude of problems with all this running around. First of all, why would Kyle buy a handgun and leave it in someplace as unsafe as a bus station locker, whereas he ditched everything else? What does he need with that handgun anyway? Secondly, how come Tom's fingerprints weren't found all over the locker?

Tom eventually finds Kyle, there is some bonding, discussion of trust, and the understanding that Kyle is not responsible for Collier's death since the people of the future made him do it. The plan is to send Kyle to Brussels where he can stay with a friend of Alana's, but some cops capture a man they believe is Collier's murderer, and Kyle is off the hook. Can anyone define "convenience"? Well, as the person is brought in, a gun is grabbed a little too easily off a police officer, a shot is fired, a bullet heads toward Diana... and misses. All is well.

But the episode finishes off with a good line from Maia, and we know the danger hasn't yet passed.

And what about that police officer who let his gun get taken so easily? Don't police act cautiously around known criminals suspected of murder? Idiotic scene, the entire episode suffers from such convenient acts.

The 4400: Rebirth

Rebirth (Episode 2.8)
Directed by Milan Cheylov
Written by
Co-starring Hill Harper and Lew Askew
First aired 31 July 2005
Rating 5/10

Previous episode: "Carrier"
Following episode: "Hidden"

[Episode spoilers.]

Given the title, I was assuming Jordan Collier was returning this episode, but I was fooled. Rebirth refers to 4400 member Edwin Mayuya (Hill Harper), a nurse with the ability to repair the cells of babies who were supposed to have been born with mental or physical deficiencies. NTAC wants to study him, and the 4400 Centre wants him in their midst, but complications abound when it turns out he was a surgeon in Rwanda and a bystander at a massacre at his own clinic during the 1994 Rwandan Genocide. His involvement riles communities and causes a division between level-headed Diane and the emotional Tom, who wants him extradited for execution. An interesting idea all around, but the delivery lacks the moral depth that the writers are trying to generate. What do you do with a man who participated in one of the most horrible events of recent history who simultaneously has the ability to cure unborn babies of various diseases? Moreover, it turns out that whenever he cures a child his own cells are damaged, so that the act of curing others is an act of self destruction. Perhaps if less time were spent on other threads this one could have been better developed, but sadly the devastating tragedy of the genocide is treated as standard television fare. Moreover, Edwin finds himself at the 4400 Centre, healing babies and dying, but why hasn't anyone thought of the possibility of healer Shawn healing healer Edwin so that more babies could be made healthy?

With the assumption that Edwin Mayuya is dead, that shrinks the 4400 hundred count down to 4395. Actor Hill Harper, best known for his role in CSI: NY, appeared in the Twilight Zone episode "Shades of Guilt," reviewed here.

Richard is back in episode eight but Lily is nowhere to be seen. It's as though the writers are implying that things are not grand in their world by keeping them apart on screen. What I find odd is what happened with Lily's first daughter Heidi? In episode five she was dying, potentially at the hands of baby daughter two, but we haven't seen hide nor hair of her since.

In this episode Richard is reunited with his war buddies at the death of one of their numbers. He cuts a striking image among the elderly veterans, but they accept his as he was, while Richard, being conscience-ridden and curious about the vast aspects of human nature, wants to meet with his old nemesis Lee Kendall (Luke Askew), the man we saw punching him in the pilot episode. This thread, though brief, is far more effective than the returnee-of-the-week feature, with fine acting by both Askew and Mahershala Ali. The writers do well to leave this unresolved, for it is a conflict with no possible closure.

A veteran character actor, appearing in Cool Hand Luke (1967), Pat Garret and Billy the Kid (1973), and a variety of television appearances, Mr. Askew passed away earlier this year at the age of eighty.

Meanwhile, in other neighbourhoods of the 4400: Matthew convinces Shawn to reunite with his family and repair bonds with brother Danny, while Diane tosses sister April out for having used Maia. I wonder what the purpose of April's character is, other than perhaps to give Maia something to keep her busy with while Diane is working her long hours. Lily and Alana do not appear in this episode, and we haven't seen Liv since The Godfather doors closed on her pretty face. And I miss Jordan Collier.

Saving the best ongoing thread for last. Kyle is continuing to recall the events of Collier's assassination. He visits the building from where the shot originated and the janitor who saw him at the shooting recognizes him. Tensions brew between him, Shawn and Danny, and the two concerned brothers convince cousin Kyle to take shelter at the 4400 Centre. Ironic since Kyle killed their cult leader. Instead of seeking shelter, Kyle altogether disappears.

The 4400: Carrier

Carrier (Episode 2.7)
Directed by Leslie Libman
Written by Douglas Petrie
Co-starring Sherilyn Fenn
First aired 24 July 2004
Rating: 5/10

Preceding episode: "Life Interrupted"
Following episode: "Rebirth"

[Spoilers.]

Following last week's divergent episode, we have returned to the returnee of the week formula. Jean DeLynn Baker (Sherilyn Fenn) is a manic depressive woman who has the power to wipe out countless people via a virus that is emitted like spores from nasty blisters in her hands. After wiping out her small town community in Oregon, Baker is on the run, leaving bodies in her path, while NTAC do-it-alls Diane and Tom are in hot pursuit. This sub-plot plays out like the X-Files episode "F. Emasculata," with its near-bursting blisters ending in a gunshot. Tom mumbles something about the ripple effect but I doubt we'll hear much of this incident in future episodes. With Baker's death the 4400 has fallen to 4396 (or 4397 once JC returns, which I still believe to be imminent).

Elsewhere in the lives of the 4400... Maia's Aunt is using the poor little predictor in order to win easy cash from sure thing bets, and Maia suspects that her aunt only likes her for her talent. Meanwhile, Diane delivers a fake Maia diary to the people at NTAC, which was forged by that goofy guy that likes her, Marco.

At the 4400 Centre, Shawn is lost. Without Collier the centre is struggling as is its young healer. Enter Matthew Ross (Garrett Dillahunt) to save the day. Yes, more Jesus references are brought in with a replacement named "Matthew," but this dude's more of a businessman than a cult leader, sporting striped shirts and colourful matching ties. Matthew steps in to advise Shawn, but really he appears to be taking control. The man is not unknown to Shawn since apparently Collier had mentioned him as a go-to guy. At first Shawn is grateful for the man's involvement, but soon feels Matthew is another Collier, and makes it clear that he is unwilling to be manipulated by him the way he was by Collier. First he is determined to leave, but later, with Lily's help, decides to set up a foundation to help needy people.

Patrick is apparently travelling, leaving Lily to commit terrible atrocities. It turns out that she is in collusion with Matthew in keeping Shawn at the centre, since the foundation idea was actually Matthew's. Turns out neither Lily nor Matthew believe in the 4400 cause, and Lily only wants daycare for her daughter (which is odd since Lily, prior to this episode, isn't working). Lily's worst atrocity, however, is her poor English, as she delivers  a laugh-out-loud phrase, and I'm surprised no one on the set caught this. Referring to the letters Shawn receives daily, begging for him to cure them, Lily says: "Each one is sadder than the next." It should be "...sadder than the last," in that each new letter gets sadder and sadder. But what Lily is actually saying is that while the first letter is very sad, tragic even, the next one is still sad but not as much, and the next even less so, and so forth until the letters eventually start becoming quite happy and eventually ecstatic.

Meanwhile, in the land of Kyle, there is much bonding between him and Alana. He is troubled by the alternate self that existed in Tom and Alana's eight years together, feeling as though he can never accomplish what the other Kyle has. The episode ends with him experiencing partial recall of his involvement in Collier's murder, and it turns out a building janitor actually got a good look at his face.

Overall the episode lacks originality, and despite that one surprise concerning Lily, falls quite flat. While I like Kyle and find his thread the most interesting at this stage, the bonding was awkward and the insecurities fabricated. I put this down to weak writing. The episode suffers not only from weak writing, but also from a sub-plot that is just not very good, with artificial tensions that are never truly achieved.

The 4400: Life Interrupted

Life Interrupted (Episode 2.6)
Directed by Michael W. Watkins
Written by Ira Steven Behr
Co-starring Karina Lombard, Maureen Thomas
First aired 17 July 2005
Rating 8/10

Previous episode: "As Fate Would Have It"
Following episode: "Carrier"

Tom Baldwin awakens one grey morning to discover that his life is suddenly and unexpectedly altered. His son Kyle is strangely affectionate, cultist Jordan Collier is Washington governor, and the 4400 phenomenon doesn't exist. While Kyle is preparing for med school, Shawn is a rising musician and his younger brother Danny is engaged to Nikki (you know, that chick who inexplicably disappeared after season one). The clincher occurs when Tom discovers he remarried two years ago to hottie Alana Mareva (Karina Lombard).

The back story in this new reality is that Tom suffered three weeks imprisonment by some bad people, would have died had he not managed to escape, and has spent the last two months rehabilitating. Those around him, including Diana, believe he is not ready to return, and that these stories of four thousand four hundred missing people is a concoction resulting from physical and mental stress. Yet Tom knows this reality isn't his, and helping spur that belief is a mysterious black door only he can see at the former 4400 Centre, which, in this reality, is the Jordan Collier Museum of Contemporary Art.

It turns out that this reality is also new for Alana. She is a member of the 4400 whose previous life has been completely washed away. She was an art buyer and gallery owner, disappeared fours years ago, and lost her husband and son in a car accident a few years back. At first neither Tom nor the audience knows if Alana is telling the truth, and though we grow to trust her it is obvious she is somehow linked to the mystery. Yet time goes by, eight years and counting, during which Tom and Alana get married, or in this reality renew their vows. Meanwhile Kyle becomes a resident aiming to be a surgeon, Shawn is on tour with some band, and Diana gets a really nice new hairdo with some colouring as though she's discovered Dana Scully's hairdresser.

But Tom keeps seeing that door.

Spoiler. The idea is that the people of the future, in their seemingly limitless wisdom, planned all this in advance, and sent Alana back with the ability to create false realities. Being good and truly in love with Tom, Alana is unaware that she is the architect of this reality, having been pre-programmed to unleash the structure. The reason behind this plot is to give Tom strength in the form of Alana and their eight years of bliss together so that he can manage to successfully get through a period of serious crisis that is looming ahead. The viewer suspects that this crisis has to do with Kyle's assassination of Jordan Collier.

This idea is not a new one. The various Star Trek series have produced their own variations, yet the show that comes prominently to mind is that excellent Odyssey 5 episode, "The Choices We Make" (episode 1.6), which first aired July 27th, 2002, almost exactly three years prior to "Life Interrupted" and likely an inspiration. The idea itself is a great one to explore character, and while in Odyssey 5 we were offered the opportunity to observe different sides of five characters, here we get a variation of Tom Baldwin, an introspection of his character outside of the immediate 4400 scenario. We see him struggling with his duties toward family and career, his love of family and dedication to truth that threatens to tear apart the ideal family Alana has constructed in this world. We even get to see him cry.

Yet there is another important purpose to this episode, and that is the introduction to a new major player. Alana is now among the 4400 that we will be following during our search for the truth. She is not a replacement for Collier since the cult leader will surely return, yet I wouldn't be surprised to see another character untethered from the show's moors, namely Lily Moore Tyler who is, unlike hubby Richard, not even referenced in this episode. I say this because her character has lost her edge since giving birth to Isabelle, though I can't imagine her being sent off while Richard, still a strong character due his powerful conscience, is still around.

But I digress.

"Life Interrupted" was written by notable science fiction television writer Ira Steven Behr (oddly not credited on IMDb, so I had to fix that). Behr has written for a number of different series and faithfully for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and The 4400. It is well made in several respects, and not just in a strong plot. The point of view is almost consistently with Tom, the audience following along as though by his side, and never is information withheld from the viewer; Tom learns just as we learn. Of course we are not in his shoes, but somewhat removed, and watch as he makes his own decisions, struggling to accept this new wonderful life with Alana, or to walk through that dark door and go back to the complications of a world that is on the verge of collapse. Notice I write "almost consistently." There are a few brief moments when we glimpse Tom through the eyes of others, most notably through Diana's eyes earlier on in the episode. When Tom first tells her of the returnees she is making faces, her back to him, so that her concerned scepticism is clear to the viewer but kept from Tom. This might have been the director's decision in order to confound the viewer, or to let us know that Diana is truly unaware of the 4400.

The only thing I am left to wonder at is that the people of the future have taken a great risk here. Sure Tom has a hot new wife by his side with a remarkable ability that essentially gives Tom his own personal holodeck, but spending eight years watching loving son Kyle grow and develop, along with the other people around him, and every aspect of that life, would lead to quite a bit of confusion. Though it all played out in only minutes, Tom did experience eight years, which is a helluva long time. This was not addressed in the episode and I doubt it will come up later, which is unfortunate, since not acknowledging this reality somewhat weakens the concept.

The 4400: As Fate Would Have It

As Fate Would Have It (Episode 2.5)

Directed by Nick Gomez
Written by Craig Sweeny
Co-starring Robert Clarke
First aired 10 July 2005

Rating: 8/10

Preceding episode: "Suffer the Children"
Following episode: "Life Interrupted"

[Spoilers.]

As fate would have it, this is the first truly impressive episode of The 4400. Plot points converge, shocking details are revealed, and we're knocked over by a surprising cliffhanger. A few questions are answered, yet additional mysteries are generated. More surprising is that the episode is not a season closer, but only number five in a set of twelve. Also notable is that there is no episode subplot; the entire forty-five or so minutes are devoted to our returnee regulars. This helps to focus the episode as we don't need to waste minutes getting to know new characters or establishing new scenarios.

The episode centres primarily around Jordan Collier and exploits the Jesus Christ analogies. It opens with Maia's tearful claim that JC will die at the upcoming 4400 reunion. Though NTAC is willing to give Collier ample security, he shrugs it off, claiming he must continue with his purpose, and besides, he has his own security. The episode features a couple of red herrings, such as Miles Quinlan (Robert Clarke, who had a bit part in episode two of Harper's Island), a disgruntled former recipient of the 4400 centre key. We learn through Quinlan that the centre operated kind of like the Church of Scientology, which also sells different levels of information, making big bucks by telling members of their extraterrestrial roots. Another red herring is a professional assassin who has just flown into town, but unlike Quinlan this plot line reveals nothing of interest and is a mere distraction. This assassin herring does, however, contribute to plot in that it makes HC aware that the threat is real, and allows Tom and Diane to be in the climactic scene.

Meanwhile Lily, Richard and Isabelle are doing well at the centre. Their story line finally became interesting in the previous episode, and here becomes even more so with the drama of Lily's daughter Heidi (Genevieve Buechner) figuring out that Lily is her true biological mother. (Perhaps I'm just a soap opera lover at heart.) Heidi gets to meet Richard as well as Isabelle, who seems not to like the competition, bawling at the site of daughter number one. We later learn that Heidi is deathly ill, and Lily and the viewers wonder if demon baby Isabelle is up to no good.

Kyle is still losing time, yet now has hazy images of digging and getting his hands dirty. Is he burying a body? Digging one up? He is zapped at a concert (some band called The Killers) and awakens after at professor Wendy Paulson's apartment, on the carpeted hallway outside her door. Paulson is understandably freaked out. Who is Kyle's secret sharer? What is the purpose of Paulson's role? Surely she must play into the main plot somewhere down the line.

Finally, in the episode's least interesting scenario, Shawn and cute homeless girl Liv are still a potential item, as Shawn "saves" her by taking her into the fold of the 4400 centre. Though she's certainly nice to look at, Liv is preachy and can be annoying, and it'll be interesting to see if this new life within the centre will change her. Does she have a larger part in the main plot? Are she and Paulson merely requisite love interests to bring in female viewers?

Despite the presence of Tom and Diane, Collier is assassinated. Baby Isabelle is no help; consulting her by touch, Collier earlier receives a vision that he must go on with the reunion. Even Shawn can't bring him back to life him. Briefly reviving Collier, Shawn has revealed his healing powers to the public, and Collier gives a great death line, speaking of Isabelle he says: "She lies." It's not Quinlan (who is at the reunion) nor the assassin (who has already been caught); it's a shady figure all in black who manages to get away from Tom's pursuit. At his funeral Collier's body goes missing, just as Christ's body went missing after his death. Will there be a second coming? Probably. Collier is too interesting a character to drop from the show. Finally, in a shocking finish, the assassin is revealed as Kyle, which I must admit I did not see coming. What a fantastic twist. So the people of the future sent Kyle back to kill Collier so the latter can have that second coming. One reason the writers managed to keep this from me (and possibly others) is that of all the characters in season two, Kyle does not mix with the others, so we don't immediately thing of him when thinking of Collier.

The episode finishes on a clear rip-off/homage to the ending of The Godfather, with Shawn in the role of Al Pacino and Liv in the role of Diane Keaton, the door shutting in her face. Like Michael Corleone, Shawn must take over from the family head to ensure the success of the business.

"As Fate Would Have It" is by far not a perfect episode; there are a few weak points. Aside from the less-than-interesting Liv scenes, the out-of-town assassin subplot was pointless and not very exciting. He can't be a very good assassin if everyone immediately knows he's just flown in and within minutes break into his motel. He could have flown into another city and taken a train or bus over. When Tom and Diane break into his motel room Diane discovers his identity too quickly by simply tossing an armchair over and finding some fake passports strapped underneath. Now we have a face. Moreover, when they first barge in a painting is knocked onto one nail so that it acts like a pendulum, but a minute later the painting is back on two nails, acting as a painting. (A small detail, I know, but sometimes these details are distracting.)

The 4400: Suffer the Children

Suffer the Children (Episode 2.4)

Directed by Vincent Misiano
Written by Frederick Rappaport
Co-starring Kathryn Gordon and Genevieve Buechner
First aired 26 June 2005

Rating: 6/10

The preceding episode: "Weight of the World"
The following episode: "As Fate Would Have It"

In an unusual and effective opening sequence, Jordan Collier is having one of those fits generated by Lily's bulging belly at the end of season one. This particular fit is occurring over an energetic violin solo, in the lobby of the 4400 centre with healer Shawn zapping Collier with life. The scene is effective partly because of the great music, but mostly because it's a distinctive contrast with the series conventions. More violin music accompanies the next scene, and I'm actually wondering if the music is coming from outside (you hear anything at all hours where I live) or if the dvd busted. It turns out that the music is (obviously) intentional, and it comes from this episode's subplot, featuring all manner of something I enjoy: art.

Junior high school teacher Heather Tobey (Kathryn Gordon) disappeared in 1973, and was lucky to get her job back at Van Buren Junior High School in Fairview, Washington, in 2005. In return she is bringing gifts to her new class, as she's able to channel the "light" in their eyes and bring out the inner artist. She's helped create violinists, painters and sculptors in a matter of weeks, and not the barrel bottom kind, but those potentially striking stardom. In fact I'd like to meet Ms. Tobey so she can help me bekome a gooder writter. In the meantime... The problem with this method of creating beauty is that, with all this 4400 hating, parents want Tobey removed from the school, and have gone as far as claiming she has abused their children. Exciting certainly, but unfortunately late in the episode the subplot moves away from the potentially interesting to the conventionally dramatic, dropping ideas for weapons as one boy who did not gain any special talents pulls a gun on Tobey and demands that she change him so he doesn't end up like his deadbeat dad. Sentimental, predictable, and not that touching.

To balance this weaker subplot, the Richard/Lily scenario just got interesting with Richard's arrest at a gas station. Who comes to the rescue? None other than Jordan Collier. It appears that JC has changed for the good, and is even willing to have a little reunion with baby Isabelle, risking death to prove himself worthy. These moments are genuinely tense as JC's intentions are nonetheless ambiguous, and Billy Campbell shows that he can do well in portraying the fearful and anxious just as well as he does with the stolid and arrogant.

Meanwhile, Collier's right hand Shawn falls for pretty homeless girl Liv (Lindy Booth, below, who you just might recognize from the 2004 remake of Mall of the Dead). Unfortunately this provides us with a less than interesting scenario. The overarching idea is that healer Shawn, as Collier warned earlier, cannot expect to help everyone. Shawn is being naive, boyish, yet necessarily secretive of his powers. He tries to "save" Liv, helping her and by association her homeless homies, buying them food, jackets and a guitar for Liv. Things are getting nice and cozy but soon become complicated when his power is revealed. It appears that Shawn is not just Collier's successor, but also taking over the allegorical role of Jesus Christ. How far will the series take the analogy? I only hope they improve Shawn's story lines.

Finally, someone seems to be sharing Kyle's body, and I suppose that is the earlier reference to Joseph Conrad's novella The Secret Sharer. Kyle/Sharer is obviously doing something sinister during his lost time episodes. I do wonder if the writers are keeping in mind that Kyle was supposed to be Shawn, in that cousin Shawn was accidentally abducted in place of Kyle, so that the lost time kid was the one supposed to be healing others. Would he have joined up with Collier and saved him from Isabella's fits? Possibly, since Tom is less than a responsible father.

This final shot of Diana and Tom at the high school watching the violinist is reminiscent of American Idol. While Diana looks utterly impressed, Tom is looking at someone behind the camera, perhaps at us, wondering when those strings will break.

The 4400: Weight of the World

Weight of the World (Episode 2.4)

Directed by Oz Scott
Written by series co-creator Scott Peters
Co-starring Robert Picardo, Rhonda Dent and Michael Rogers
First aired 19 June 2005

Rating: 6/10

The preceding episode: "Voices Carry"
The following episode: "Suffer the Children"

"I am the product."

This episode's subplot is, as implied by its title, quite weighty. Salesman Trent Appelbaum (Robert Picardo, best known as the holographic doctor in Star Trek: Voyager) isn't performing well as a telemarketer. This is problematic because before his abduction he borrowed money from some tough guys. Being tough guys, they want their money back, and are applying pressure on Appelbaum. Chief thug Dmitri Kazar downs Appelbaum's beer (this, I suppose, is a threatening tactic), and before you know it he's lost a tonne of weight. Knowing something of the returnees, tough guy proves to be smart guy and through deductive reasoning figures he picked up some calorie-burning magic from Appelbaum's saliva. ("I lost lots of weight, before which I had some of your beer. Hey! You must have magical saliva! Ahhh, TV logic.) Moreover, being a guy, he wants Appelbaum to work the magic on his wife (but rather than having him smooch her they bring along a bottle of water). It's a neat little touch that this dieting comes about when we are introduced to Appelbaum while his face is in a plate of food (see top screen shot). If only they named him something more fatty, like Porcbaum or Butterbaum or Cookiebaum.

A variety of companies vie for the magic saliva, and the once deadbeat salesman sells his juices for a comfortable forty million bucks. Stupid company doesn't even bother doing tests first. ("Magic spit! It must be true; let's offer 40 big ones!") Unfortunately, television life is not so easy, and it turns out that the protein in Appelbaum's saliva hyper-accelerates one's metabolism, destroying fat, yada yada yada. In other words, the saliva consumers are essentially starving to death, and tough guy Kazar is now dead skinny corpse. Additional complications are thrown in, as the purchasing company has already fed the product on a hundred test subjects, and because this is television, those hundred people's lives aren't worth as much as one, since the race for a cure is elevated when it turns out Appelbaum's daughter Elise also tasted some of the toxic spit.

The subplot, though innovative, well cast and generally interesting, finishes a little too easily. Moreover, the ripple effect we're discussing is that perhaps we can harness this toxin, ameliorate it and eventually use it for the good of humanity's future. A truly lame tie-in. I'd be impressed if the spit comes back later on in the series, but highly doubt it.

Picardo does well as morally burdened Appelbaum. Weight-loss victim Dmitri Kazar is played by actor Michael Rogers, who has a bit part as shot-in-the-back deputy Darryl Riggens in the Harper's Island episode "Snap," as well as some bit parts in The X-Files and other shows filmed in Canada.

Elsewhere in the episode...

Pop star Chloe Granger (Noa Tishby), unsubtly modelled after Madonna, gives lot of money to earn a key to the 4400 Centre (meanwhile boffing its founder JC); JC and Sean are at odds; Richard and Lily are in Montana visiting/hiding out with another returnee; Maia is becoming friends with her aunt April and making premonitions along the way; and Kyle is losing time.

So far this season I'm bored to tears with the Richard/Lily/Isabelle storyline. The demon baby isn't working for me, and while I really like Richard, there is something about Lily, some indifference or ambivalence. Perhaps actress Laura Allen is as bored as I am, and like me can't decide whether to laugh at killer baby Isabelle. Also, the writers can't seem to develop interesting situations for them. I like the idea of having them face challenges that involve the prospect of new home, settling down and no longer running, but this episode's tensions with that bickering couple is just too contrived and bland. In fact, while I have taken a couple of screen shots of their scenarios, they always end up on the Casual Debris cutting room floor. Kyle, on the other hand, is the most interesting thing going for the series.

I've admitted already to liking the Diana and Maia drama. The actors have great chemistry, fine facial acting, and their circumstances, despite premonitions, are realistic and hence inherently taught. I like a little girl learning about people and the broken world we live in, realizing that her gift is best kept from them. I also like the addition of April to the mix. Moreover, the way the premonitions are playing out, infrequently and quite simply, like warning someone to wear a helmet while on his motorcycle, are nice additions, and well done because they're not being overplayed. The creepiness and suspense factors, meanwhile, have been usurped by Kyle, and Victoria native Chad Faust is doing a fine job with the character. At the start of the season I wondered at the purpose of the character, but with these time loss sequences he's certainly going to play an important role in the game. Or at least I hope.

The 4400: Wake-Up Call

Wake-Up Call (Episode 2.1)

Directed by Leslie Libman
Written by Ira Steven Behr and Craig Sweeny
Co-starring Jeffrey Combs, Summer Glau and Rob Labelle
First aired 5 June 2005
Rating: 7/10

The next episode: Voices Carry.
Season One begins here: The Pilot.

"Maybe crazy is catching."

Season two begins six months after the end of season one. We're told this in a clear subtitled narrative, even though at some point Shaun, and at another point Jordan Collier, seem to think it all happened a year ago. Perhaps the writers thought the show would be airing in the fall? Perhaps that little baby is warping our reality.

Much has happened this past year/six months/season and the effect is a slow-paced, extended length season opener in order to establish the present. Tom Baldwin has been taken off the 4400 investigation for putting a gun to another agent's head, but he's re-instated this episode thanks to Diana Skouris, though with conditions that he now screw up again. These conditions are put in place by Dennis Ryland's replacement Nina Jarvis (Samantha Ferris), who doesn't seem to get along with anyone. Meanwhile Diana has adopted Maia; Kyle has moved in with irresponsible dad Tom; Shawn has moved in with Jordan Collier, who has set up a cult building to house the returnees; and Lily, Richard and six month-old demon baby Isabelle are on the run.

The relationship and building trust between Diana and Tom has its consequences in that Diana helps her former partner become her new partner by having him re-instated. There is a sparring sequence between Fiana and new section head Jarvis which is a little awkward as it's quite forced (the writing I mean, not the acting). There's a nice contrast generating some fine irony as we learn that Tom is a bit of a negligent father to his biological son, while Diana is a terrific mom to her adopted girl Maia. In fact, I genuinely enjoy their relationship and actor dynamics, and there's some fine drama with Maia's wanting to fit in, so much so that she's lied about no longer having premonitions.

Shawn continues to be gullible, enjoying the high life at Jordan Collier's 4400 cult centre while healing people of their terminal illnesses, but only those willing to donate big bucks to JC's centre. Kyle is tossed out while trying to visit, as JC is keeping close watch on his prize returnee. Meanwhile, JC has written and published a book on the 4400, revealing all the truths about how the returnees have been burped up from the future to yada yada yada, and the unfortunate 4400 are still being persecuted, as some view this book as heresy.

What saves this episode is the subplot. Schizophrenic patient Tess Doerner (Summer Glau, River Tam of Firefly) is compulsively sketching out some kind of tower, while the other asylum patients, and even the staff, are beginning to build it. Reminded me of Close Encounters of the Third Kind (you know, with the product placement for mashed potatoes). The purpose of the tower is a mystery, and there's some humour thrown in when a couple of agents are touched by the strange compulsive fever and join in the building. What I don't get is why Homeland Security is trying to prevent the erection of this tower since we've learned that the 4400 have been returned in order to help save humanity. Perhaps Homeland Security have other things in mind for us.

The episode features the nice addition of Jeffrey Combs, the Re-Animator himself, as patient Kevin Burkhoff who is taking good care of returnee Tess Doerner.

Meanwhile, back in the middle of nowhere, Lily and Richard along with devil spawn Isabelle are wreaking havoc across somewhere USA. Baby Isabelle can generate storms, open cash tills and get people to shoot each other and even themselves (a scene which recalls that disturbing sequence in John Carpenter's Village of the Damned). Tensions are generated as Lily is in tune with Isabelle while Richard seems to be getting a little creeped out, not to mention that his conscience is being affected while Lily's okay with all the baby weirdness. Moreover, Lily might be pregnant again, leaving us with the impression that if this continues she could end up mothering a brood of powerful and creepy baby soldiers for the future cause of mankind.

There's also a brief appearance by actor Hiro Kanagawa, who after appearing so effectively in Best in Show I'd recognize anywhere.