“The Awakening,” the second episode of ABC’s limited run Masters of Science Fiction, aired last night at 10PM. Like the first episode, “A Clean Escape,” it involved the President of the United States, potential war, and some confusion as to what, exactly is going on.
But unlike the first episode, last night’s was somewhat disappointing. Oh, the build-up was interesting, it held together, and it presented enough possibilities and questions to keep the audience engaged. But the final five minutes were an example of the worst deus ex machina, almost literally. A downed helicopter pilot in Iraq is trying to recover his co-pilot’s body when an Iraqi with a gun comes upon him. Before either one pulls the trigger on the other, they discover they can understand each other (even though neither speaks the other’s language). Then they discover something that isn’t human, and the next thing we know, they’re in “waking comas,” and the alienish thing is in Washington being tested.
What is it? Is it an alien, or simply a hoax? And why are the two (plus a local aide) in comas now writing, and then speaking cryptic messages that seem to demand disarmament? Can the retired skeptical Air Force major (Terry O’Quinn) and the much more open Air Force lieutenant (Elisabeth Rohm) combine their expertise and world views to make sense of everything? And if they can make sense of it, will the warmongering President and his advisors listen?
I thought the set-up was very good, and the execution of the story was excellent, right up until the end. It almost felt as if they’d run out of time and needed to come up with a resolution fast, except that they didn’t, and the resolution was part of the heavy-handed story-telling designed to remind the viewership that “we don’t like the current Administration.”
They’re making good television (as evidenced by these first two episodes), and next week is Robert Heinlein’s “Jerry Was a Man,” so I’ll definitely tune in. I’m just a little disappointed in “The Awakening.”