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Brief summary:
The horrors of Millennium Group biogentics fall
upon a dying Japanese scientist who seeks redemption
at a Buddhist monastery and answers from Frank...
who is unable to provide them.
Rogue's Review:
Goodness, this was a strange episode!!
Perhaps it's my lack of familiarity with the
complexities of Buddhist philosophy that left
me muddling helplessly through the symbolism
and significance of "Bardo Thodol."
Whether it was the purpose of the red lacquer
bowl (other than its obvious MM-related sign
of circularity) or the importance of the holy
box (relic?) the elder monk brought out to oversee
the deathbed rite of passage of Steven Takahashi,
much of the rituals left me shaking my head
in puzzlement... even as the overall episode
chilled and pleased me to a large extent.
Don't get me wrong -- after the brilliant Chinese
puzzle box that was "Darwin's Eye,"
this one is a bit of a letdown (sort of like
"Siren" after "Owls/Roosters")
but "Bardo Thodol" is still a fairly
exciting outing, especially as its convoluted
twists and turns at last lead Frank Black into
a showdown with mysterious Group assassin Mabius.
A showdown that goes surprisingly differently
from what we'd been led to expect.
(Am I wrong in thinking this episode was supposed
to precede "Darwin's Eye"? At the
close of "Bardo Thodol," Emma seems
to be spinning toward that leave or vacation
time McLaren mentioned at the start of last
week's episode. Seems to make a bit more sense
in that order, from that perspective. Otherwise,
no big problem with the current lineup.)
Easily the high point of "Bardo Thodol"
is the performances of Tzi Ma and James Hong
as Takahashi and the Elder Monk, respectively.
These are two really, really talented actors,
and it's unfortunate we don't often get to see
more of them (lately, Hong has been relegated
to fun but mildly embarrassing bit roles in
things like WAYNE'S WORLD 2 and the Chinese
restaurant episode of "Seinfeld").
The hour also benefits from intensely moody,
rich storytelling (which suffered, as is often
the case, from that damned 44-minute time limit)
and the latest in an end-of-season avalanche
of apocalyptic portents. It seems wholly evident
now that, as the episode's weird computer virus
warns, "we're racing toward an apocalypse
of our own creation." Whether they're plotting
Armageddon or meddling with human genetics,
the Group seems intent on leading us toward
a turning point in human history... one it absolutely
intends to dominate and control.
But dammit, even in a Group-driven ep, Peter
Watts remains little more than a cipher. So
much of what has unfolded this season has fallen
directly upon his shoulders, and it's time to
see the effects of that, not just the occasional
CSM-like visit that springs more plot twists
upon us and this time around gives Emma a chance
to scream "Hey, bald man!" (Admittedly,
that was a surprise -- and a hoot!)
The central enigma of "Bardo Thodol"
-- the nature of the research undertaken by
Takahashi -- remains a mystery at the close
of the hour (unfortunate shades of XF again,
but what the hell -- even some of the music
was reminiscent of XF; it didn't distract too
much). In the end, it's the personal growth
of Frank Black as he helps to shepherd a fellow
Group renegade through the final traumatic moments
of his life that really strikes home... and
Takahashi's weird death is rendered even more
mysterious by the reverential treatment he's
afforded by Mabius when the killer finally arrives.
Emma gets to shine a bit more this time around,
despite some unlikely contrivances -- she sure
waltzes into that secret facility easily, doesn't
she? Or did Peter and the Group arrange for
that ease of access? Are they still setting
her up to take a great leap of faith with them?
Overall, "Bardo Thodol" dwells a
bit too much on the "ick" factor for
my tastes, and it doesn't satisfy as well as
"Darwin's Eye," another standalone
that seems likely to be setting up the season's
final episodes, but it gets big points for mood
and mystique, not to mention Takahashi's emotional
journey out of this world and into the next.
We even got another welcome scene with spunky
Brittany T., who continues to be the big delight
of the season.
So where the heck can I get a copy of Nina,
Samurai Princess? [RATING: 7/10] |
