The Raising of Lazarus
At the U.S.A.F Geological Site in Spirit Lake, Wisconsin, a helicopter arrives. The men inside the helicopter meet up with some men already at the site. They investigate a ditch below in the cold depths. A man claims that he has dug up a flying saucer. The men investigate the find and it is indeed an alien scout pod with what seems to be an alien inside. "I dug up a freakin' flying saucer!" the man exclaims. Later at the Experimental Nuclear Research Facility, Ironhorse, Harrison and Suzanne arrive. Lt. Colonel Manning introduces himself to the team and he shows them inside. Harrison is in awe of the alien spacecraft and Suzanne shows him the alien inside. Manning asks where the ship is from and Harrison says that it's from a place very, very far away. Manning tells Ironhorse not many people know about this discovery and it is being kept as a top priority issue. Harrison contacts Norton and tells him about the alien ship. Norton asks if it's "their" aliens. Harrison says that the ship is triangular in nature and mentions that it has many things in three- like their aliens. This ship is probably a scout ship since it is different than the War Machines they've seen. Apparently, there are locking devices on this ship, so he wants to get inside. Norton tells Harrison he's on it. Colonel Frederick Alexander arrives at the scene and says that he is from the United States Air Force and that he is now in charge. The Pentagon assigned this to Project 9- which Harrison has never heard of. Ironhorse tells Harrison they better cooperate. Alexander and Lt. Perry unsuccessfully try to drill inside the ship. Meanwhile, Ironhorse is irate at the fact that this mission has now been handed over to Alexander. He wonders who else is investigating the aliens. Ironhorse asks Harrison if he's angry and calmly Harrison says that he is furious. Norton contacts Harrison and informs him that in his files, Dr. Forrester was analyzing sonic frequencies to knock out the magnetic field on the alien ships. By reproducing these sounds, apparently the shield would be disabled. Ironhorse tells Harrison that General Wilson's hands are tied and they have to proceed under Alexander's leadership. Lt. Perry unsuccessfully tries to open the ship using a laser but it reflects back. Harrison suggests the use of sound waves to open the ship. They use the sound waves and the alien ship is opened. Ironhorse is worried about the fact that the alien could revive at any moment but a guard has been posted to watch over to dormant alien pilot. When they leave the room, the alien opens his eye and is revived. Alexander sneaks into the room with the alien and he swipes the alien's blood using a needle. Norton tells Harrison that Alexander's Project 9 reports to the Joint Chief's Mountain Project. It's a shadow government of the highest degree to the point where the president is need to know. They carry out tasks from training dolphins to carry underwater bombs to managing all alien artifacts for the government (like in Hangar 15 from "The Resurrection"). They adapt alien artifacts for military purposes. Suzanne complains that Alexander is a sponge- asking her for information and only telling her he works out of Houston. In his private lab, Alexander wonders if implanting alien cells in a human body would assist them in understanding the alien's thought process and logic system. A guard enters the room with the alien and notices the alien has escaped and is possibly somewhere roaming in the ventilation system. Ironhorse tells the soldiers that he wants the alien to be shot which Alexander questions Ironhorse about who has authority of this mission. The team and the others enter the supply room. The alien has gone through the vegetable food supplies. Harrison knows the alien is loose now. Alexander tells his Sargeant that he wants the alien alive. He confides to Lt. Perry that he will absorb alien cells into his body. Perry objects to this but he pushes for it. The alien watches their conversation from the ventilation system. Then the alien makes his way down to the team's room and watches their conversation. They are discussing the alien situation and Alexander enters the room and asks if everyone will be stay put while being confined to quarters. In his lab, Alexander states that in Blackwood's research it is stated that the aliens are faster, smarter and more evolved. The alien then watches this from the ventilation systems and pulls on nearby wires and telepathatically communicates with Alexander through messages on his computer screen. The alien states that Alexander is the only one of his species who understands the importance of species to species interfacing. In awe, Alexander reports that he has just made contact with an extraterrestrial. The alien leaves after leaving a final message. Ironhorse leaves the Alexander-imposed confinement and roams the area. The alien then watches Harrison talk to Norton and he interfaces with their conversation on the computer and Norton says that he sees a "green floating weirdness" on the screen (which Harrison sees too). In shock, Norton panics as he realizes the alien is quickly stealing all the information on the Blackwood Project. The alien finishes accessing the data on the entire Project and Norton stressed to Harrison that the alien must be destroyed because of what he now knows. Lt. Perry inserts the distilled alien compound into Alexander's tongue via a needle. The alien watches this and cuts out the power. Alexander ignores the energy shutdown and reports that he feels no effect. Blackwood and another soldier into and furiously, Alexander requests them to leave. A worker tries to get the power back on line but he's attacked by the alien. Alexander says that the alien is out there somewhere and he wants to make contact. The alien meanwhile steals a large amount of radioactive material. Noticing Alexander's reckless behavior, Perry wants to tell others of what is going on but Alexander tells her not to. Harrison tells Ironhorse they should have been smarter about this. The backup systems are online and Ironhorse looks for the alien in the ventilation systems. Harrison and Suzanne meanwhile discover that the radiation is being spread by the alien. Ironhorse instructs his soldiers about what to do in destroying the alien. Harrison tells Suzanne that Alexander has changed his priority all of a sudden. Perry videotapes the meeting between the alien and Alexander. Alexander goes in peace to meet the alien- and it possesses his body underneath the table where Perry is unable to see. "We can communicate" the possessed Alexander says. He thanks Perry for her work and suddenly strikes her, and disposes of her. Harrison knocks on Alexander's door at his lab but Alexander promptly closes the door on him. Using his tuning fork, Harrison recalls the things that wasn't right and he realizes that Alexander turned the radiation meter off in his lab because if it was on- he'd be lightening it like a Christmas tree. Meanwhile, Alexander kills one of his soldiers and he exits with the radioactive material. Suzanne and Harrison realize that the alien has sealed them off in a radioactive area and it is going to eventually close them in. Ironhorse asks Harrison if they can track where Alexander is headed and Harrison says yes. Ironhorse tells him that he has a plan. He sneaks into the room where the ship was and uses the laser. Thanks to coordinates from Harrison, Ironhorse is able to use the laser to blast the vehicle Alexander is escaping in outside of the facility. Leaving, Harrison tells everyone, "After we evacuate, this place will be like Chernobyl. Unfit for human habitation for ten centuries." Suzanne asks, "What about Alexander's research?" Harrison directly looks at her and answers, "Frankly Suzanne, I don't give a damn." COMMENTS: The second script written during the first season by Durnford King (who wrote my favorite episode- the wonderful "Choirs of Angels") is admittedly very reminiscent of "The Thing" in terms of setting and some other elements (a ship containing a killer alien lifeform). But the key to the episode is more in the performances than anything else. Nicholas Coster was wonderful as Alexander. And Durnford King created an intriguing new angle with the whole "Project 9" storyline. If the show had continued in the second season the way the first season went, perhaps, we could have discovered the mysteries behind this shadow government organization. I would loved to discover their research. I think Greg Strangis, Herbert Wright, Tom Lazarus and the other staff writers were heading in a certain direction the first year. The second year would have probably been where they would have expanded the show but of course, we all know the disaster that is season 2 of War of the Worlds. Nice tension in this episode and the scenery is quite beautiful. The show made most of it's Toronto locale in this outing.
|
Ironhorse celebrates after destroying the fleeing alien
An alien scout pod with a dormant alien
