Terra Nova – Within review!

This weeks episode of Terra Nova is called ‘Within’ and is the last stopover until the two-part finale scheduled for next week (see preview of Occupation/Resistance). As such ‘Within’ is intended to lay the ground work for events that will unfold during the finale. Though it has a number of revelations of itself I can’t but help feeling that the writers of this episode were holding back, in some places the show feels a little slow.

As for the story…

Jim and Taylor are laying the finishing touches to securing the portal for the arrival of the 11th pilgrimage. We hadn’t seen the portal itself yet because the writers only thought of it half way through the show. Jim tells Taylor that he has almost got the spy and that he has a few more interviews to do. Skye is one of the interviewees and despite answering the questions correctly we see Jim Shannon have doubts. Skye has asked Josh Shannon to cover for her by saying they were playing chess during the night of the break-in at the infirmary.

Lieutenant Washington and Jim meanwhile strengthen the perimeter with camera’s and quickly they discover Skye sneaking out of the colony. Taylor is heart-broken at the discovery of Skye being the spy though Jim somewhat improbably deduces that the Sixers might have a hold over her. They discover that she has using access to a maintenance shack outside the colony and they set of to investigate.

Skye’s need to sneak out of the colony was because she had to return calculations back to Lucas. Lucas is now living with the Sixers after his five-year long sojourn alone in the jungle. Finally he has finished his calculations to make the portal go both ways and quickly intends to overpower the soldiers guarding it. Before that however are several creepy scenes between Lucas and Skye, he shares with her the reason for his loathing of his father.

Skye gets captured by Shannon and Taylor at the afore-mentioned shack and she reveals her mother is still alive, Skye also reveals that Lucas is on his way to the portal. When Shannon and Taylor get there Lucas has already overpowered the soldiers by ejecting the wormhole straight into their face (after which the solders disappear only to reappear in the last scene). Lucas taunts his father one more before he steps into the portal and supposedly travels back to 2149.

In the last scene of the episode we Taylor warn all the colonists about the impending threat of the 11th pilgrimage.

Conclusion…

The episode dealt with minor revelations and as such was perhaps a little bit predictable. nonetheless the story focused on all the principal characters and each got screen time that saw them develop further.

The episode also tries to give us more insight into Terra Nova’s inhabitants. The two bickering marines from ‘The Runaway’ were back and so was the hustler P.C, these scenes did add one more dimension to Terra Nova that was lacking.

The episode sets the expectations for the next episode very high and on the internet comment boards it is said that the finale’s performance will decide if this show gets a second season.

See you next week for a detailed analysis on that subject.

Score; 8 / 10.