Choirs of Angels
At the aliens cavern, the Advocacy are recording something along with three alien soldiers. The Advocacy and the alien soldiers are saying that they are the travelers and that they need our help to save this world. And they chant, "Believe in us". Rock superstar Billy Carlos is recording an original composition. However, he is unaware that aliens are the ones who have hired him to record this composition. He tells the soldiers that the album isn't finished and they tell him that, "The album IS finished." Carlos is killed by one of the aliens and the female alien leaves a message on Carlos' answering machine: "Hello this is Billy Carlos' answering machine. He's on tour...and you're not." The aliens then drop subliminal embeds into the music and when it is heard by the right human their people will be immune to Earth's bacteria. Suzanne and Harrison arrive to meet Dr. Eric Von Deer- a scientist who is a good friend of Suzanne's. She is spending the weekend with Von Deer- trying to block the cell-phase matching. And Von Deer admits he's been doing some work into cell-phase matching recently. He is listening to the new Billy Carlos composition non-stop, and Harrison notices that since he's an avid Carlos fan himself. Von Deer gives Blackwood an extra cassette of the composition and Harrison leaves. As he leaves, we see a limo park outside. At the Cottage, Harrison begins to listen to the music and he then asks Norton to find all the data on the original invasion and what we could have done to instigate the war. At Von Deer Research, Suzanne is trying to enter the computer but her access is blocked, and Von Deer tells her it's high-level research. Suddenly, the alien soldiers arrive and they talk to Von Deer in private. They refer to Von Deer as a "fellow traveler" and assure him to "believe in us". Von Deer tells them he believes and Suzanne is just an old student here for the weekend- nothing more. He says that he's taken every precaution to protect the secrecy of this work. The female alien says that is good and holds a bottle of the essence that Von Deer requested. It is derived from the brain stem and the female alien says that many travelers died to provide that. And she then adds, "Gave their lives willingly". Then she tells Von Deer that "You will help us bring a new age to this planet". Von Deer assures them within 48 hours they'll have their vaccine. The aliens say that is good news and once they have been immunized against the bacteria they will finish what they have started. And one of the soldiers adds, "We will live as friends." The female alien tries to teach Von Deer how to speak their native language while the other two aliens mock him and say how the embeds are working better than expected. Not to mention the theatrics. They then remark that humans are such fools. In the limo, Advocate Horek tells the soldiers that their decision not to take over Von Deer's body troubles them. The female soldier says that since Von Deer is so fragile now, sacrificing him prematurely would be a serious loss. Horek counters that failing to get the serum they need would be an even greater loss. The female soldier says that the human is theirs in both the mind and the heart, and that the serum will be ready within a few days. Horek says that they have two days to complete the mission. And that they can offer no excuses for failure. Suzanne notices Von Deer passed out in his lab. She lays him down to get some rest and she notices alien tissue he has. Ironhorse and Norton tell Harrison about this discovery but Harrison is too intent discussing how the use of nuclear weapons could have caused the aliens to go on the defensive. Ironhorse and Norton shrug it off, believing that Harrison is kidding. Meanwhile, Suzanne enters the back of the lab and notices the alien essence. Von Deer startles her from behind and asks her what the hell she is doing with that. He explains to her that the travelers are "spiritual guides" that will help humanity and after trying to reason with him, Suzanne manipulates and tricks Von Deer. She lures him to the back of the lab and locks him in there. Suzanne then turns off the music. Harrison tries to burn Norton's data on the aliens, but Ironhorse and Norton stop him. They try to figure out what's going on and then discover it's the music. Norton swipes the tape and flees with it. Ironhorse keeps Harrison in the room and doesn't allow him to escape. After pleading desperately for a taste of the music, Harrison breaks down emotionally- deprived of this addictive music. Suzanne tells Norton to keep Harrison away from the music because the longer the exposure, the worse the side-effects. Von Deer is exhausted and pleading that he wants out to listen to his Billy Carlos tape. Harrison awakens back to normal and he shakes hands with Ironhorse in unity and friendship. Norton breaks down the chords in the music and pinpoints the spot where the embed was dropped into the music. The aliens call Von Deer only to get Suzanne. They tell her they'll call back. Suzanne then notices the alien serum which can immunize thousands. The aliens call again, and hang up after getting an answer from Suzanne. They know the two-day deadline is at hand, and they prepare to enter the facility. Suzanne tells Norton to drop the virus into Von Deer's computers because if the aliens get their hands on it, the aliens can immunize their brethren. The aliens make their way inside and into the lab. Suzanne is playing the Billy Carlos composition and telling the aliens that she's glad to see them. She acts as if she's addicted to the music as well. She hands them the vaccine and tells them that she's so happy to be a part of this great work. The aliens want to see Von Deer and she points to him on the couch- passed out. The female alien wants to kill Suzanne and the aliens discuss if they should kill her or possess her body. Harrison and Ironhorse arrive immediately after and Suzanne switches off the music. She takes out the earplugs she had in and she says that the aliens are gone with the vaccine. Ironhorse wants to go after them, but Suzanne tells him to wait. She came across a report of a lab accident Von Deer had. The smallest trace of ammonia causes an allergic reaction in the aliens. Suzanne hints that the aliens might not be pleased with their vaccine. Back at the cavern, the Advocacy honor the three alien soldiers' achievement by granting them the privilege of being the first to be innoculated against Earth's bacteria. The three are immunized but suddenly cough and then drop to the ground, reacting horribly to the vaccine. The Advocacy are in amazement. "How can this be?" Horek asks. Xana says that the human scientist was the most brilliant of his race and Oshar believes that a task like this is beyond the scope of human intellect. The Advocates walk away as the three soldiers vomit and slowly die into an unrecognizable mess. COMMENTS: Not only the best episode of the first season, but the best episode of the show in my opinion. This was my personal favorite because it encompassed everything. It was more of a cerebral episode than an action-packed episode and I liked the slower pace. The alien soldiers were highly entertaining with a dark sense of humor. And their sleek look still sets them apart from the other nameless alien soldiers who follow the Advocacy. The actors who portray them- Heidi Von Palleske, Alex Carter and John Novak are truly frightening because they seem to take a pleasure in their malevolence. I loved how Ironhorse reacted to Harrison especially how he was unable to embrace Harrison like he wanted to. Both Richard Chaves and Jared Martin were in fine form in this outing. The in-jokes abound in this episode too. Billy Carlos is played by Billy Thorpe who does the music for the series. And the limo driver in the trunk was funny in a weird way- although originally I thought the dead body was Billy Carlos. Durnford King's first script for the show is a knock-out and he deserves special credit as does show writer and producer Herbert Wright who directed this outing. Top-notch work.
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Dr. Von Deer introduces himself
The "fellow travelers"
Harrison reveals to Norton and Ironhorse the "truth" behind the invasion
