This episode is the first story we get that shows the crew's real desperation to get home. Where the gang has so far been mostly content to bop around the galaxy on miscellaneous adventures, the opportunity to buy a map to their respective homes drives the crew to their most cruel, self-serving depths yet.
The previous episode ended with Zhaan's demons fully uncorked and now we see the results. Without hesitation she and D'Argo forcibly amputate one of Pilot's arms as compensation for a cruel scientist who promises to sell the crew a map to each of their respective homeworlds.
Where Zhaan, D'Argo, and Rigel instantly set upon each other when it is revealed that the scientist's map is mostly useless and can only show the road home for one of them, Crichton is excluded because Earth is unknown to anyone apparently and Sun is not lost, she is exiled. Where this realization instantly sinks Sun into a deep and desperate depression, Crichton is seemingly unaffected - as with the rest of the series, he seems to have no particular interest in going home at all.
The alien scientist, a creepy, lumbering cat-like being is masterfully constructed. The suit is angular and huge, intimidating even from a distance, and is well acted. The creature itself is unspeakably cruel. All along it has been trading scientific knowledge for lab rats to torment, and Sun falls victim next. Her desperation to find a safe place to escape to shows us that she has fallen so far from Peacekeeper society that she is even willing to submit to once unthinkable medical experiments for the opportunity to find somewhere to "fit in."
The lesson nobody aboard seems to learn that they already fit in with each other. Crichton, Pilot, and Sun work together to undo the damage and save the day, where the other three - Zhaan, D'Argo, and Rigel - have each become violent and selfish, spending most of the episode trying to open the map at the expense of the other two.
The creepy atmosphere, immaculate effects, and truly compelling villain aptly analogized to Joseph Mengele sell this episode. It is the strongest story in season 1 yet. The difficulty it poses for us is seeing how this crew ever gets its mojo back after spending most of this episode literally tearing each other to pieces.
The previous episode ended with Zhaan's demons fully uncorked and now we see the results. Without hesitation she and D'Argo forcibly amputate one of Pilot's arms as compensation for a cruel scientist who promises to sell the crew a map to each of their respective homeworlds.
Where Zhaan, D'Argo, and Rigel instantly set upon each other when it is revealed that the scientist's map is mostly useless and can only show the road home for one of them, Crichton is excluded because Earth is unknown to anyone apparently and Sun is not lost, she is exiled. Where this realization instantly sinks Sun into a deep and desperate depression, Crichton is seemingly unaffected - as with the rest of the series, he seems to have no particular interest in going home at all.
The alien scientist, a creepy, lumbering cat-like being is masterfully constructed. The suit is angular and huge, intimidating even from a distance, and is well acted. The creature itself is unspeakably cruel. All along it has been trading scientific knowledge for lab rats to torment, and Sun falls victim next. Her desperation to find a safe place to escape to shows us that she has fallen so far from Peacekeeper society that she is even willing to submit to once unthinkable medical experiments for the opportunity to find somewhere to "fit in."
The lesson nobody aboard seems to learn that they already fit in with each other. Crichton, Pilot, and Sun work together to undo the damage and save the day, where the other three - Zhaan, D'Argo, and Rigel - have each become violent and selfish, spending most of the episode trying to open the map at the expense of the other two.
The creepy atmosphere, immaculate effects, and truly compelling villain aptly analogized to Joseph Mengele sell this episode. It is the strongest story in season 1 yet. The difficulty it poses for us is seeing how this crew ever gets its mojo back after spending most of this episode literally tearing each other to pieces.