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4.10 He Came From Four Walter: "Well, I've seen just about everything now." Was this episode bad, or was it just off base? The whole Midwich Cuckoo thing with Jerome was disjointed and strange instead of creepy, which was too bad because I think they were actually going for creepy. And the command clone subplot was confusing. (Well, it confused me.) This show walks a fine line with science fiction elements; they may have just gone over the line with this one. The child who played Jerome was a good actor and held his own with all of those intimidating Section adults, and that's saying a lot. I think he actually came close to projecting the requisite creepiness, too. It was more the story that was the problem, not the acting. Having him show a couple of normal kid tendencies was a nice touch. I particularly liked him rolling the office chair from the briefing table across the room over and over, just like a normal child would. It was such a bizarre thing to see in Section. Operations and Madeline treated Jerome like a car that wouldn't start, and their harsh, authoritarian approach absolutely did not work. I noticed that Michael and Nikita acted more parental, and managed him better. Nikita treated Jerome with her trademark compassion, i.e., pretty much like the child that he was. My favorite Michael moment was when Jerome refused to leave the playground and Michael, an experienced father, solved the problem by calmly picking him up and carrying him to the van. Birkoff's strong reaction to Jerome was interesting ("first class freak," "raised like a veal"), and I would have liked seeing that explored a bit further. Birkoff, as a child, was deprived of a normal life and imprisoned by Section, just like Jerome. Was Birkoff identifying with Jerome? Or was he feeling threatened by an even more super superkid? It was hard to tell. Come to think of it, Mick in the strip club literally shooting himself in the foot was pretty much the highlight of this episode. Although I did really enjoy watching Jerome telekinetically throw Operations across the room. Bits and pieces: -- Things with George appear to be back to normal, making the clip show an anomaly. -- There was yet another discussion about Michael being Operations' successor. -- There was more blood than we usually see in an LFN episode. -- Mick took his turn in The Chair, and was wearing a huge cast on his leg that seemed a bit extensive for shooting himself in the foot. -- The score was similar to the one I absolutely hated in "Imitation of Death." At least it was less intrusive and more toned down. -- Nikita's Section look has been different this season, with a lot more black and leather. Here, she was finally back in (hospital) white. Jerome's outfit was horrible. I guess he wouldn't have seemed as intimidating if he'd been wearing jeans, tennis shoes, and a Star Wars tee shirt, though. -- Jerome, to Michael: "Is this the way you treated your son?" Two out of four stars, Billie |
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