| Review: |
By Lars Joreteg
Review:
Crusade episode 12 - "Visitors From Down the Street"
"The
truth is ... Out of fashion!" - Durkani / Kendarr
"Visitors
From Down the Street" is an episode based on a very
intriguing premise, but just like a joke told too many
times, the large amount of "X-Files" references eventually
become tedious.
While on a mission, the Excalibur runs across a life-pod
with two aliens onboard. To everyone's surprise, these
two aliens are fluent in English, even though there
is no record of any previous contact with this race.
Even more surprising, they claim that humans have visited
their homeworld long ago, and have since then been orchestrating
a massive conspiracy to change their society...
This episode was clearly constructed as an "X-Files"
parody, with a multitude of references and in-jokes
that even I, only a casual "X-Files" viewer, had no
trouble spotting. Unfortunately, this is my main problem
with this plot. The story was so single-minded as a
parody that it really doesn't stand on as a Crusade
episode very well. The conspiracy core of the story,
however, was well constructed with a clever and welcome
twist to the typical ho-hum conspiracy stories everywhere.
Yes, there is a conspiracy, but it is completely different
than what we initially thought. But once again I dislike
how the plot really feels the need to every now and
then bang you over the head with obvious the fact that
this episode is an "X-Files" parody. (examples: clothing
straight off "X-files", faces on the mountain, swamp
gas, weather balloons, "cellular phones", and the flashback
scenes in the office) I personally think that the plot
would have been much more intriguing had the hints been
more sublime, and not become clear until the end that
the whole episode really was a clever take on the "X-Files".
So the main story is a mixed bag, with both good and
mad. The side-plot with the smell in the transport tubes
was quite pointless and forgettable, in my opinion,
and should have been left out.
Gideon (Gary Cole) is pretty good in this episode, showing
off a lighter and more playful side of our captain.
But he also shows some darker and rash tendencies in
how he apparently, with very little time to consider
the consequences, decides to turn the alien civilization
upside with the information he sent away. Matheson (Daniel
Dae Kim) is the only other regular cast member to be
featured in this episode, and he is good as always.
The banter between Gideon and Matheson is becoming great
fun to watch.
The guest stars of this episode are adequate, but not
especially noteworthy.
The technical aspects of this episode are a mixed bag
too. There was some great set and FX work done on the
transport tubes, but otherwise nothing out of the ordinary.
Evan Chen's music was also rather absent. On another
note, I think the sets in this episode were lit dimly,
everything seemed darker, but I suppose that was done
on purpose to mimic the "X-Files" style.
Overall this is episode had some good moments and an
intriguing concept, but the excessive amount of "X-Files"
references is disappointing.
Rating:
7.5/10
- Lars Joreteg
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