1.02 : An Affirming Flame

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Information from http://www.andromedatv.com

Dylan and the crew of the Eureka Maru agree to join forces and become one team aboard the Andromeda Ascendant as they set forth on his mission to restore the Systems Commonwealth.

WRITTEN BY ROBERT HEWITT WOLFE
DIRECTED BY ALLAN KROEKER

Cheers,

[MythingLink]

It's been almost two hours since watching and things have had time to settle. It's definitely taking shape.

The characters had a better feel to them with this episode - like the actors are finally starting to fit into the skin of the characters. I think the one to watch is going to be Harper. There is a lot of potential there as he interacts with all the other people.

I found myself really beginning to like all of them, too. I think the one I was drawn to more was Rev Bem ... possibly because he's got, in my mind, the hardest row to hoe. His character's outward appearance is not attractive and I wondered about having a weekly character who was so obviously 'alien'. However in this episode he is certainly well worth watching and listening to. I think he's going to be the conscience of the group ... the one that everyone is going to have to watch for when it comes to anything that is violent or hurtful to others. His philosophy seems to be well laid out and he doesn't cross the line easily ... even when attacked by someone else. His defense is not to maim or kill, but to render unconscious.

The episode starts out with a bang, really, a lot of action and it keeps it up almost all the way through with a few scenes thrown into the mix to let the heartbeat slow a bit before you're once again running and fighting with the rest. One kind of hokey moment at the beginning though had me smiling. A kind of 'old west' type of take off when Dylan puts on his armor and arms himself with another one of the baton things. When he twirls that baton it made me think of all the old west gunslingers who would twirl their six shooter around their finger before holstering it. The putting on of the armor, well I kind of saw that scene from Batman when he's putting on his costume. The only thing missing was the 'bun' shot.

Now yes and no, I did see Herc during some of the fight scenes, but it was only momentary and probably can't be totally avoided. After awhile I imagine that I'll stop seeing Herc and start seeing Dylan more and more because Kevin is convincing as Dylan.

There were a few things I wondered about that would go under the 'nit' section. However the more I think about it, I think I'll put them under the sections of the forum they fit into.

Well worth watching again, and I will because I know that I've probably missed things or now, two hours later, forgotten them.

Cheers,

[padders]

Yup the series is definietly taking shape. It really should have been done as a two hour first episode i think.

The characters looking a lot lot better. They made is show how they could actually work as a team though of course Tyr is going to be a problem at times.

What is nice is that all of the characters have already laid out motivations nicely and you can see where the problems are going to come. Beka no longer being captain (reference to her last line, no saluting and no calling you captain).

Dylan sort of adjusted to what has happened pretty quickly i must say. Wastn't he about to get married (i already need to watch the first episode) i am sure his past and what has been destroyed in something that is going to come up.

But yes overall a far better episode with something happening and true characters forming. I liked it a look and am really looking forward to the next one.

[MythingLink]

Glad you finally got to see it.

I'm rationalizing here on Hunt and his ability to shrug off what has happened so fast because I think you're right in that most people would still be moping around. Here's my rationalization on it.

Hunt is an extremely capable, well trained captain. A person doesn't get to the point in his career without being able to put personal issues aside in favor of 'the mission'. He's also a survivor. Tyr keeps mentioning that. He's probably a realist, if only a bit. He knows that there isn't anything that can be done about his predicament, he can't go back in time and change things or save people, he can only go forward. His trying to rebuild the Commonwealth - well the ideal of the Commonwealth - is his attempt to go forward. He's still thinking military and 'the mission' in this. His training is taking over to a certain extent. Emotionally he's probably a wreak, but he knows that he has to keep his emotions under control or he'll probably die and then where would everything be. He's got to survive to make the last battle and all those people that died mean something positive.

So how does my rationalization sound?

Cheers,

[padders]

Makes sense but still...

you are fighting witha friend just turned enemy. Thirty seconds after killing him you are told.. ahhh. 300 years has passed. What you were fighting for 30 seconds later does not exist, everyone you know does not exist and your wife you were about to marry is dead. So.. thought process leads you to think.. arrgghh.. lets rebuild the confederation.

Nice but i don't buy it. Still i see what you mean, if anyone was going to do what he is doing it is him. Thinking of a star trek captain who found them self in the same precedent. If Picard got frozen in time and the borg had beaten the federation then i guess his first thought would be about rebuilding it so perahaps yes it would work. We don't know enough about him yet to tell i guess.

[MythingLink]

I had this same type of argument with people about the Stargat episode 'Rules of Engagement'. Someone who was raised as a child to believe that Apophis was a god and now you're told he isn't and suddenly you believe them.

I think it's just TV ...

Cheers,

[padders]

hehe guess who that was with

[Chilly]

i just saw this episode and i was impressed
i mean i thought it wouldnt be as good as it was
oh can i ask? wast with theat woman? the weird coloured one? how dd sjhe die but then be alive again?i dont get it....

[Lonewolf89]

Well, if you don't mind spoilers, I'd tell you, but for now let's just say she does that kind of thing a lot.

[Chilly]

icve heard that already!
plase tell me!

[Lonewolf89]

Okay, you asked of it:

Under the Night Spoilers:

In Under the Night, she's shot but comes back to life.

Pitiless As The Sun spoilers:

In Pitiless As The Sun Trance's experimented on by a professor, and he finds a 'malfunction' the way his computer read her life signs, in that she doesn't have any!

Dance of the Mayflies spoilers:

In Dance of the Mayflies, Trance's body in taken over by a species that infects it host, kills it, and then takes over their dead bodies. In order to get rid of the parasite in her body, Dylan kills her, and she comes back to life.

In the end of the episode Dylan asks her, "Trance are you dead or alive?"
She responds, "Yes."
So apparently she's neither dead nor alive.

So far that's all we know, but I'm sure we'll find out more soon.

[Chilly]

very freaky........lol
wow.....i hope they develop her chracter more! i mean ive only seen 2 epis but i get the ffeling shes like the krycek of andromeda-all dark and......secret.....lol

[Lonewolf89]

Well, things are kind of slow now that we're in reruns. I got the Androm DVDs recently, so I thought I'd post some opinions on these first season eps.

I'm a huge fan of any episode that has Rahde in it, and this was no exception. Steve Bacic always gives great performances. I don't think this pilot would have been as good without him.

While the show is just starting here, Beka and Harper already have that big sister/little brother relationship down. Laura was great as purple Trance, and watching these eps makes me miss the Pixie girl even more. And Brent did an awesome job as Rev, despite the bad make up.

I had forgotten that Rommie wasn't an Avatar until later in the season. It's strange to only see her only in the computers.

Kevin was pretty good. Making Dylan a guerrilla commando was a nice touch.

Even through all the great performances, aside from Steve, I think Keith did the best job. Even from the beginning he embodied Tyr. He had the stance, the voice, and the personality all down. He set the bar for all of our encounters with future Nechs.

On a side note, I loved the voice over for this first season. I miss hearing 'the greatest civilization in the known worlds fell' during the intro.

I really wish the show had stuck to it's season one premies a little longer. More and more the writers turned away from the solid character developing episodes for more political, action focused ones. I can honestly say, while I've had problems with the eps. of S3, I loved every one of the S1 episodes.