Colony S1Ep9 Zero Day Review

Colony S1Ep9 Zero Day Review

For the last few weeks I have been binging on Colony, the new Sci-fi mystery show on USA Network starring Josh Holloway and Sarah Wayne Callies. Colony is created by Carlton Cuse, who was also joint showrunner with David Lindelof for Lost. Recently he has also developed Bates Motel and is working on Jack Ryan, a series based on the character from the Tom Clancy novels. So, Colony is hardly lacking in quality, but somehow it took me more than two months to even entertain the notion of looking at the pilot episode. I suppose the fact the show didn’t get canceled was my biggest incentive to watch. Reviewing this weeks episode, Zero Day, is as good an opportunity as any to convince you to watch Colony if you haven’t done so already.

So with just a 10 episode season where does episode 9, Zero Day, leave us? Steadily the situation in the LA bloc is reaching a boiling point with resistance members and CTA killing each other in an ever quickening pace. Will and Beau intend to make use of the situation by claiming to Alan Snyder (Peter Jacobson), the Proxy Governor, that the resistance has had outside help, from beyond the wall. Alan grants them permission to travel outside to check on any leads. Meanwhile Katie embeds herself deeper into the resistance. After the blood-letting of the last few weeks Eric is keen to take the fight back to the Hosts and the Redhats. From their small UAV they learn that a Host VIP is set to visit the LA bloc. So far nobody has even seen what a Host looks like and Alan is unwilling to overlook the opportunity to take one captive. Katie is willing to take part in the attack and trains hard. Meanwhile Alan as governor is involved in various plots against his rule. His foremost problem is Nolan Burgess wife, Charlotte Burgess. Maddie also has a dislike for Charlotte and successfully manages to frame Charlotte. After Will and Beau fake evidence that the resistance did have outside help Alan reveals they have discovered a tunnel that may have been used. Will convinces Alan not to blow up the tunnel but instead use to bait the resistance. Will’s true motive is to use the tunnel to go out of the bloc and look for his son Charlie. At the home of the Bowman’s Katie flips out when she sees indoctrination material for her daughter. She argues to Will that he is not doing enough against the Hosts. The episode ends with the resistance attacking the train terminal where the Host VIP is to arrive. After blowing up the train the resistance find an humanoid robot in the wreckage, their first glimpse of the enemy.

Zero Day was a very solid episode. Yes it was sometimes melodramatic and yes not all of the subplots can match the main storyline, bit the fact that everything is interconnected means you have to watch carefully so as to not miss anything. Colony has to jump through a lot of hoops to be a good show. It can’t rely on drama too much without becoming too melodramatic. It lacks the budget for extensive use of special effects and it can’t reveal too much of the mystery without burning away the story. One big mystery on Colony is the question why the Hosts do the things they do. Why have they invaded Earth and why haven’t they simply killed everyone. As much as I would like an answer this question I know the show shouldn’t answer it. At least not yet. Colony, and many shows before it have to deal with the balancing act of advancing the plot and thus keeping the viewers entertained or burn out of story plot points and become another of the many one or two season flings such as The Event, Revolution and the V Reboot. So far Colony has managed well. the show focuses on a small set of characters yet is not afraid to move the personal drama forward at the cost of life and limb. This was my Colony S1Ep9 Zero Day Review. See you back next week for the review of the season 1 finale.