Foster is our extra of the week going to check on an
isolated outpost – which he finds empty, except for the dinosaur that leaps on
him and eats him. Tasty extras are an essential part of a dinosaur’s diet.
Time for Malcolm, Jim and Taylor to check out the body –
a nykoraptor (yes have a Dino Geek Grumble for fictional dinos) which doesn’t
usually hunt in the area but since there are Ankylosaur nests nearby it’s not
unusual since they go for the eggs.
Jim has Elizabeth autopsy the dead extra anyway (and
brings along Zoe because she’s feigning illnesses to see her mother) and they
find blood on him that belongs to a gallusaur – the nykoraptor’s favourite
food. Jim declares it to be a murder and calls in Taylor. Someone used the
gallusaur to lure a nykoraptor into the shed and locked it in (covering the
back of the door in scratches) so it would kill Foster the minute he opened the
door. Taylor wants the murderer found and assigns Washington to Jim to
investigate.
To Boylan’s (the corrupt Sixer agent) bar where Foster’s
friends are drinking after his death who reveal he had an unknown girlfriend
(and that future dogtags double as Ipads). Checking Foster’s personal effects
they find no tags at all (also that future land not only still uses metal
currency but the coins are ridiculously huge). Since the tags have a locator on
them, they track it and find it’s probably been eaten by the nykoraptor.
It takes Taylor, Washington, Jim, 2 extras, 2 bikes and 2
rovers to track down and hunt the nykoraptor. Despite climbing a tree, Taylor
shoots it and Washington, being an awesome combat medic, cuts it’s open,
removes the tags then sews it back up. Uh…. Why? Since when is it good
procedure to leave vicious predators that have realised man is a tasty and
easily killed treat, alive? Are they
endangered or something?
From the tags they see the picture of a woman –
Washington recognises her as someone who works at the mess hall. Going to see
her, Rebecca Milner, she denies and relationships – she’s married (possibly to
get on the pilgrimage). Her husband arrives and he reveals he knows about the
affair – and confesses to the murder. We have a scene where he describes the
elaborate process of murdering Foster and how much he loved Rebecca but she was
using him.
Taylor is not amused – and not amused with Foster, his
men getting involved with a married Terra Novan is a big no-no, but not worth a
death sentence. He talks about their graveyard and how this would be the very
first murder they’ve had (despite the Sixers fighting and running from the
compound?) and the law says the
punishment for murder is banishment (which, on Terra Nova is like a delayed
death sentence) unless he commutes it to imprisonment.
Elizabeth and Jim discuss the funeral and the decision
tomorrow and Jim is pleased there won’t be a drawn out trial – Elizabeth disagrees,
not having a trial is “frontier justice”.
Jim has no time for it – frontier justice is fine with him, he has a
confession that’s the end of it – and being banished out in the forest is better
than being kept in prison (or pesky trials). Elizabeth leaves pointing out that
there have been false confessions before.
The next day people gather and Taylor pronounces his
sentence of banishment – even though it’s a death sentence in all but name. He
makes a big speech about being worthy of the world they’re in and there’s no
place for crimes like murder (dictatorship, draconian “justice” though are just
fine), he’s kicked out of the colony and the gates close behind him (hey, there’s
one way to recruit for the Sixers!)
Jim follows him out and questions him, basically mooting
the idea that Rebecca killed Foster and he’s taking the fall for her – and does
he really want to do that now he’s actually faced with the jungle. Jim sneaks
Milner back into the compound to see Rebecca and Milner says he knows Foster
broke it off with her. She says she didn’t and realises he confessed to save
her from a crime she hadn’t committed (you know what’s good for finding these
things out? Actual police investigations and trials). He had the details of the
crime because the information about it had already been spread around the
colony (hey, if useless policeman Jim actually investigated, this could have
been turned up). Rebecca also reveals that she was glad Foster broke it off because
he chose his friends, drinking and gambling over her – yes gambling, which is
apparently illegal.
Jim takes this to Taylor who doesn’t understand why a
recanted confession should change anything. Taylor is unhappy and givers Jim a
chance to prove Milner’s innocence or he’s going to get banished again (guilty
until proven innocent! Fun!).
First step, Jim and Washington check Foster’s financials
(yes, they have actually concluded a case without checking the deceased’s
financials. Why even pretend Jim was a policeman?) they go and arrest Boylan (and Jim finds out
Josh works for him). Taylor threatens to shut him down for allowing gambling.
And to prove Foster’s murder they search the bar looking for a paper ledger. But
while they’re searching it (and Jim is ordering Josh not to work there and
questioning him working there in the first place) Boylan escapes – someone helps
him.
Taylor, Jim and an extra, Curran go out hunting for him
while Washington says she’s checking the security tapes – except she isn’t, she’s
sat at a table with Boylan. Taylor reveals Boylan isn’t where they say – but he
turns and confronts Curran who also owes Boylan a lot of money from gambling
about Foster’s murder. Curran says he didn’t do it, Taylor says he’s lying,
Curran challenges him to prove it, Taylor says he doesn’t have to. Curran tries
to shoot Taylor but his gun doesn’t work. Taylor then proceeds to beat the man
and then take the ledger he stole. Taylor tells Curran he isn’t going back,
they hold him at gun point and tell him to start walking without a gun,
supplies or a thing. Ih yes and no trial of course.
Back at the camp, Jim thanks Boylan for his act – though Boylan
refuses to do any more free favours.
At the infirmary an Ankylosaur egg that Malcolm brought
back to study assuming it was dead turns out to be still viable and Zoe wants
Malcolm and Elizabeth to help it. Scanning it, they find it suffers from severe
birth defects but Elizabeth insists they save it for Zoe’s sake. Elizabeth
operates
Meanwhile Josh, working at the bar for Sixer-agent Boylan
who has a mission for Josh if he wants to bring his girlfriend to Terra Nova. He has to go outside the gate and meet – Mira!
At which point he, naturally, runs to his father to tell him all about it…
right? Course not! He’s Josh! Instead he goes to see Skye and tells her how bad
it is in 2149, how people his age are committing suicide because they don’t
believe they have a future. He insists he has to go for Kira’s sake and Skye
insists on coming along.
Back at home, Jim acknowledges that Josh has the right to
take a job if he wants and Jim shouldn’t have stopped him. That night, Josh and
Skye join Boylan at the fence and sneak across to go see Mira. She says she’s
the only one who can talk to 2149 – and in exchange she need him to agree to do
her a favour, no questions asked. He agrees. Oh please let something eat him.
And at the infirmary the ankylosaur hatches and Zoe wants
to keep him as a pet – Elizabeth pushes Jim to agree. Ahem, Dino Geek time, an
ankylosaurus grows to be about in 8 metres in length, weighs about 6 tonnes and
has a club on its tail that could demolish a house. This is not a good house
pet.
Uh, what has been resolved this episode? So they eventually got the right guy… maybe. Based
on Taylor looking him in the eye and being sure. Really.
They still have no criminal justice system to speak of.
Their police investigation can’t even be called amateurish because amateurs
TRY. They are living under a military dictatorship with no trials, no due
process and no rights. Anyone can be banished to the wilderness at gun point on
Taylor’s say so. This is the better future they’re building?
Suddenly the Sixers seem so much more reasonable. The good guys just crashed and burned in my eyes. And Josh needs to be eaten
