Thy Kingdom Come
A group of aliens have possessed the bodies of hunters, and are instructed by the Advocacy to revive more of their sleeping brethren. After sending out a transmission, Sylvia Van Buren- a survivor of the 1953 invasion and a colleague of Dr. Clayton Forrester- frantically reacts to the presence of the aliens- which she can sense. Sylvia is restrained and sedated heavily, all the while begging for someone to call "Harry"- in other words, Harrison. Later on, Harrison and Ironhorse drive to meet Sylvia. Harrison informs Ironhorse that following the war Sylvia worked with Clayton on the Ezekiel Project, but she paid a price for her research into the aliens. She has been institutionalized because her exposure to irradiated alien tissue which has caused her to be psychic. Not just for aliens but for major events- such as the Mount St. Helens. Sylvia tells Harrison that "They're back" and she tells them that the aliens are running loose in northern Montana. Meanwhile, the aliens report to the Advocacy that their vehicle is disabled and the Advocates tell them that they must find another way and use more bodies if necessary to reach the destination in Canada where the sleeping aliens are stored. The aliens board a bus that contain a team of prison hockey players. Then the aliens possess the bodies of some prison players in the bathroom. However, they are stalled temporarily because they are required to play hockey. In the violent game, the alien goalie rips off an opposing player's arm while the guards shoot the goalie. As his body dissolves, the other alien players escape. A vacationing family- a mother, father, grandmother, and son (named Bobby)- make a stop at a gas station where the alien hockey players are. The aliens possess the family, and with the young son in tow, continue on their mission. A manic Sylvia tells Harrison that an image on a taped TV show is indeed an alien map. Norton later confirms this. The team investigate the alien hockey player incident, while the aliens continue on their journey. Bobby tries to get help- even holding up a "Help Me" sign to a travelling car of nuns. The nuns laugh and are oblivious to his pleas. Using a jerryrigged blender, the aliens send more transmissions which the team follow. The aliens make their way to the Army installation where their people are, kill the guards, and break in. The team members are arrested in the process but Harrison- using a form of hypnosis on a guard with a smoking problem- helps free them. The aliens locate their other sleeping brethren in a lake, and revive them. The team arrive and witness the aliens possessing many soldiers. The team are noticed and they get away but use explosives that drops a power line into the lake, electrocuting many aliens. However, a good number of aliens also escape. Harrison concluded that this was a tie- with both sides gaining some margin of victory. COMMENTS: Creative consultant Herbert Wright's (who came over to WOTW from the early days of Star Trek: The Next Generation) first script for the series is memorable on several levels. First, it featured the return of Ann Robinson who reprises her role as Sylvia Van Buren from the 1953 film. Although Ann voiced some displeasure at the direction the series took with her character- I liked the direction. Her character was completely unpredictable and given the circumstances, it's understandable why. We also get some insight into the background of her research with Clayton. The hockey game is also another highlight of the episode, as is the very memorable scene of Bobby begging for help with his sign. I think this episode contained a lot of the show's trademark dark humor. Whether it was Bobby playing with his Star Trek the Next Generation toys (an in-joke by Wright?), the scene where the alien family tell Bobby to eat his vegetables so he can be one of them, or Norton's wise-cracks after the news on the hockey game- this was a very funny, suspenseful, and entertaining hour.
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Sylvia reacts to a nearby alien presence
Ironhorse and Harrison at Whitewood Sanitarium
A hockey game gone awry
