The third and final part of this particular episode guide. Right now we are firmly entrenched in this post apocalyptic world. There were several interesting developments in the last group of episodes. We learned what is learned, and more importantly not learned when you are part of the Dread Youth. There was the debut of a new BioDread General in Blastarr. We saw the debut of a potential future Soldier of the Future and were introduced to a couple communities that had they’re own way of doing and saying things. And a couple of the ongoing story threads continued to take shape. And now we’re in the home stretch, and this is also the group where all the two parters take place. Just a note  will be handling them slightly different, treating them as one big story. But I will tell you which section is part one and part two as well as the episode number so we’re not totally lost.

Strap in, get comfy and get ready. Hit that jump and let’s go

 

Just for fun I thought you guys would like to see the promo they made to originally sell the show. 

Episode 13 – And Madness Shall Reign

Exploring some underground tunnels that held a resistant unit lead by a man named Cypher Power and company hear a scream As Power and Scout go on to investigate Tank finds a canteen and takes a drink. But there’s not enough in it to share with Hawk. Power and Scout find some dead bodies and hear some more screaming. Although because of TV standards they can’t say dead. Lackey, after witnessing Dread watch Power, ask if it wise to let him see this part of the Styx program and is then dismissed. Power and Scout find a man crying in the middle of the tunnel but are jumped by somebody else, taking him out with a neural charge. they find Cypher who explains what happened, and seems to be feeling whatever it is effecting his men as well. Tank and Hawk take care of the BioDreads who try to surprise them. Getting an opening they escape with the survivors. Until Soaron shows up and attacks the ship, they leave Hawk to power up and take care of the flying BioDread. Back at Base Tank looking less than well so the Captain sends him to get some shut eye. Test form the survivors reveal that the condition was caused by a compound in the water. Remembering Tank drank from a canteen he and Pilot go to check on him. Luckily Power told them to activate their power suits first because Tank already did and fires at them saying the monsters won’t get him. Mentor is able to discover the compound they already destroyed but enough of the compound had already left before hand. Using data previously collected Mentor speculates that they are going to load into into missiles and launch them at major water tables, contaminating the drinking supply. Power finds the recently awaken Pilot and Hawk who continue to the search. Scout intercepts a message that indicates Dread is going to fire the missiles ahead of schedule. Power is forced to leave Hawk to look for Tank as the rest of them try to stop Dread. He finds Tank but Tank attacks him. His suit powering down Hawk is able to get through to him and get’s him to power down. Power attacks the base and Dread orders the launch of the Styx program with Pilot taking out a chunk of the resistance with the XT-7. Power and Scout come at the front door on a sky bike and break in. Scout disguises himself as Dread in order to stop the launch but the surprise appearance of Blastarr foils the attempt. Power comes in to save him eventuality stopping him with a laser bazooka. Scout causes the missiles to explode and they escape. They put Tank under for a while in order for the chemicals to work their way out of his system.

 

Another story episode concentrating on the Styx part of Project New Order. And I’m pretty sure they were dead people earlier in the episodes because Power closed the eyes on one of them, how many kiddies playing with the jets got that reference. This episode also highlighted Hawk sense of humor a bit, with bits were he’s was psyching himself up to take down Tank and at the end were they asked how he was able to do it he answers, “By almost letting him kill me.” We also learn the price a major failure in the Dread empire. After Power is able to get away with some people under the influence of the Styx program we learn the Overunits of the troops, and let me remind you that the Overunits are human, were executed, not taken care of, not disposed of ex-e-cu-ted and the troops reassigned. You didn’t hear that all that much from the TV villains.

 

Episode 14 – Judgement

Power and Pilot are being chased by Soaron. Power is able to shoot down Soaron but he gets a shot at them that forces them to crash. Dread sends Blastarr to take care Power and retrieve the data tape on another part of Project New Order he was able to steal. Both Power and Pilot are relatively alright but the Captain has a broken leg. He sends Pilot to a near by resistance friendly settlement for help. Before she does she sets his leg and gets him behind cover and leaves after sneaking a quick kiss on his cheek. At the settlement she asks for help but is recognized from her Dread Youth days as the one who brought the BioDreads to Sand Town years ago. Those who survived that incident want to kill her. The head of the settlement put her on trail. She agrees to do so only if they send some people to help Power. Meanwhile Blastarr comes across the regenerating Soaron and forces Power last known position from Power out of him. The trial begins as the witnersses start his story, starting with the surprise return of his uncle who said he escaped and that they had to hurry back to Sand Town but Pilot and the Dread forces were already there. Meanwhile Power sees the sandcrawler that was sent out to look for him as it is intercepted by Blastarr. They report only seeing the BioDread and Dread order that he follow the transmission in case Power is there. The Uncle has his turn, but he seems to try and defend her for some reason. Pilot admits she was there in Sand Town and tries to make them understand what it was like being in the Dread Youth but admits that night showed her the lie her life was. And that night started her on the path she was on now. The uncle defends her again from his nephew and we get a flashback where we find out teh Uncle was the one who told the Dread forces about the radio hidden there after being tortured. Word of Blastarr attack reaches the tribunal and all non fighters were to go into hiding immediately. The nephew demands the tribunal be finished do the man in charge gives a gun to the uncle saying judgment was his. The nephew begs him to do it but he doesn’t knowing his sins shouldn’t be forced on Pilot. Pilot helps with the defenses and the Uncle, trying to make up for his sins, attacks Blastarr and is killed. Power shows up in the sand crawler and uses the gun to disable Blastarr. the nephew is devastated about the truth about his uncle and Pilot tells them that they have to get everybody out of there before Dread shows up with more troops. When the man in charge tries to talk about the tribunal pilot stops him and says it’s a debt that been paid. Later Soaron comes across the fallen Blastarr and that night the bury the Uncle and the nephew comes to grip with the past.

 

Another Pilot episodes and a damn good one if I do say so myself. Not only does her actress, Jessica Steen, get something with a little meat on it we learn the event that set her on the path to eventually join up with Captain Power. We also get a bit more info in growing up in the Dread Youth. You don;t know who your parents are, you don’t learn anything about family and love. You just learn to be like the machine and of the machine. We also had the shocker of the Uncle character getting shot and dying on screen, something you don’t see on children’s television in any age. We also get a bit more into the relationship between Power and Pilot, with him joking that wasn’t her best landing and her saying any landing you can walk away from is a good one. Well up until she learns his leg is broken. And then there’s the bit were she kisses him on the cheek. He was a bit shocked after she left but he seemed to smile a little too. Then we got the trial, kinda similar to Powers trial in a way, except he didn’t have a character like the uncle in this one, who knew the massacre they were trying her for was his fault. And people did die during this siege for a radio. And there the first hint that’s there’s a bit of a rivalry between the two BioDreads. Like I said a damn good episode.

 

A Summoning of Thunder

Episode 15 – Part 1

We see flashback of previous conflict with a voice over by Dread, but then we see a young Johnathon Power, his dad an explosion as Power wakes up. He then leaves the Power Base alone and Pilot ask Hawk where does he go every year. His answer is “Back”. At apparently the only tree left standing Power arrives at the grave of his father. We then go to flashback were his father is listening to a man complaint from the men of all the secrecy at building the Power Base. Meanwhile Hawk is training young Johnathon Power in fighting the BioMechs. Needless to say we see the future fighter in the making. Stuart power ask Jon to go on the next supply run. A pre Dread Lyman Taggart goes into the Overmind chamber and ask if the room is enough for his needs as the one inside him is waiting as he needs much energy to be born. Stuart and Hawk are checking over the jump ship as well as the transit gate will allow them to jump to any of five point in the country. While Stuart thinks they will win eventual but he regrets his hand in the way things are going. He and Taggart had a plan to end all war but the Overmind incident eventually creates the Age of the Machine. Back in Volcania Soaron is born. He goes on his first raid and decimates the troopers there. Back at Power Base Hawk intercepts the mayday of one of them and he and Stuart witness Soaron digitize him. Stuart realizes who he is and realize it changes everything. He orders that Jon stay where he is and to seal up the Power Base. Taggart gets the report that Soaron is tearing through any resistance that he comes across as Overmind contacts him. After checking the files Overmind surmise that Stuart is a threat, knowing how Soaron works and is building a baase and must be stopped. Jon realizes it’s a trap when his Dad clearance was canceled over a old frequency broken by Overmind. Soaron attacks and Johnathon tries to fight him off as he sends somebody to warn his father. Soaron is ready to eliminate him but Taggart stops him recognizing him. Saoron does as ordered but somewhat reluctantly. Stuart goes over the Phoenix Project in a recording, talking about the Power suits when he gets a wide range tranmission from Taggart. He says he has Jon and asks Stuart comes to Volcania in an hour otherwise he can’t be responsible for Jon well being after that. Stuart activates the Mentor program and ques it activate to Hawk voice pattern before he leaves. Taggart apologizes to John but he promises that if he harms Stuart he will hunt him down. In the present Dread, knowing Power does this every year, under the guidance and Lackey and Overmind, decides to go there with Soaron to take him out one way or another.

 

Episode 16 – Part 2

After Lackey gives Dread an estimation fo arrival and comments that Power’s emotions had made him make a mistake Dread explains why and we go back (not to the future) into flashback mode. Stuart is escorted to Taggart and he asks him to sit down. At Power Base Hawk’s voice activates Mentor and he runs the Phoenix Program. A voice recording of Stuart starts to explain his project. Soaron goes to see Jon. He tries to figure out what Soaron is, asking questions like if he can think. Soaron admits since his birth he thinks all the time, and find something in his program he cannot not understand. He tell Jon to forget what he just said and takes him to Taggart. At Power Base Mentor finishes explaining about the power suits. Hawk realizes he can use this to go after Stuart and Jon. But the suits are untested, ain’t it always the way, with a fifty percent chance of death upon activation. That’s one hell of a coin toss. Taggart and Stuart talk, talking up the place he created. He wants Stuart to work with him, going so far as to open the music box he and Jon got him as a gift in better days. But of course the philosophical differences between the two come out full force. During it Stuart thinks there might be one speck of humanity in his old friend Overmind wasn’t able to erase. Hawk suits up and activates the power suit for the first time, but tell mentor that if something happens to him to contact the pentagon and hand over all details of the Power Base to them and have them Bomb Volcania to the ground, since Stuart and Jon might be dead if doesn’t get there in time. After asking Mentor if he’s programmed to say good luck he utters the first “Power on”. The suit is charged, and that initial charge is really painful, Hawk drops to the ground but he survived. So he flies off to save Stuart and Jon. Stuart refuses to let Overmind touch his mind like it did Tagggart’s. eventually Stuart asks if he agrees will he let Jon go, Taggart says it can be arranged as one of his men informs him that an unknown craft is heading his way. Stuart realizes it’s Hawk as Taggart sends Soaron after it. We go to have the first aerial dog fight between Hawk and Soaron. As that is going on Stuart agrees to go into Overmind for Jon’s freedom, but Taggart only agrees on the condition that he gives him the location of the Power Base. Jon tries to make his way toward the door but Taggart stops him. Deciding he must be digitize he wants Stuart to pay some so he decides to shot Jon. Stuart stops him and fights Taggart and orders John out as he tries to fight his way out. Outside John gets in contact with Hawk who’s able to get away from Soaron. Stuart and Taggarts fight damages the room they are in enough that it will explodes. Stuart stops Taggart from escaping vowing the fight end here. The explosion knocks Jon off the balcony leaving him hanging. Soaron goes for his master as Hawk rescues Jon. he tells him Stuart was inside. Later Taggart wakes up hurting, Overmind tells him he has been made one with the machine becoming half mechanized and takes the name Lord Dread. In the present, Lackey says they are close enough to listen to Power and gets him saying he misses his father. Dread looks at the music box, surprisingly surviving the explosion as well. He sends Soaron off saying he and Lackey will handle Power.  The last shot is of Stuart’s grave and the music box as Dread apparently let Power go.

 

Not exactly an origin episode but I think close enough to count. From everything I’ve read and seen this was the story head writer J. Micheal Straczynski was chomping at the bit to write. And he hit it out of the park in my personal opinion.  There’s a bunch of background bits here like how Stuart and Taggart had the goal of ending all war. How Taggart changed after he fused his mind with Overmind, in fact the incident apparently changed them both. We learn that once activatred the power suits are tagged to that person’s bio metric reading and can’t be used by anybody else. We also see the birth of Soaron and once again a seed was planted for the future with him saying there was a bit of data in his programming that he didn’t understand. A quick reminder that bit was to eliminate Dread once he went against the machine, seeing how Overmind had his own goal once everybody was digitized. The person they got to play Young Johnathon Power did a good job and it was good to see Stuart in action for a bit. We also get to see some of the humanity left in Dread, once when he says he knew Power makes this trip every year and at the end when he let’s Power go. Part 2 also has the first, and if memory serves, only appearance of Dread’s jet fighter outside of the ending credits. Seeing how long it took them to bring in the XT-7 I really shouldn’t be that surprised.

 

Episode 17 The Eden Road

Cypher, at his request, is being brought in to speak to Captain Power for he has news. it’s about Eden 2, there was secret underground railroad as Cypher group has a deal with the get people there. But one of the segments was unknowingly attacked by Dread’s forces and shut down. Eden 2 is willing to open a new segment but they want Power’s help. A War Dog insignia and a message from Hawk’s friend Vy helps convince them. The contact point is a place called “Dark Town” a place or bombarded during the war it’s unlivable, even with the Powe suits it’s a harsh environment. Yet Dread’s forces still patrol the area. Seeing a Dread information station Power asks Scout to hack in and find the closest route to the contact area. The acid fog affects Scout’s holo foeld and he’s discovered. At Volcania Dread discovers that power is some how doing the impossible by appearing at various points in the country in one day. A report of some missing Troops that the Overunit was going to ignore because it was in Dark Town but Dread tells him don’t be so sure. Beyond a laser gate they need to get through they see a rogue BioMech, a unit affected by the environment. Picking up the contact’s signal they’re attacked by a bunch of these rogue BioMechs. Detecting hundread of the rogue mechs in the area they hurry on to but they are detected by a Dread sky probe. Informed of this Dread sends in Blastarr. The acid is starting to eat through the Power Suits as they get closer tot he signal. Finding the source they find a man named John who set up a relative safe zone in the building from the fog. Blastarr arrives and orders the BioMech sweep the area, although the fog is starting to affect him as well. John gives power a data crystal that maps out the new route to Eden 2, Hawk asks about Vy and he says she spoke a lot about him and the others. While talking about Eden 2, apparently Power’s father helped somebody involved at some point, Dread forces attack. John gets away but tosses Power a parting gift before ninjaing out of there and saying they’ll met again real soon. Power and company take on Dread’s forces, with Power taking on Blastarr. the acid fog affecting him Blastarr refuses Dread’s ordert o get out of there and starts blasting his own troops while Power and company escape. Back at base the gift turns out to be a honest to goodness orange that can’t be grown in the current world and Power is finally convinced that Eden 2 is real.

 

Another story line episode, this one dealing with the Eden 2 subplot they had going. We met our first citizen of this fabled area in John. We don’t know much about John or Eden 2 outside the fact it’s hidden really, really well and they can create clothing that can withstand the acid fog, heat and apparently small arms fire. As mention above John reveals Stuart Power helped out somebody there so that would have probably played into the story arc if the show had continued past it’s first season. We’re also introduced to a new area of this particular world, Dark Town. A place so saturated with proton radiation and acid fog it even affects Dread’s BioMechs, including Blastarr. Also the closest we’re ever going to get to zombie robots. Although Soaron is unaffected by the enviroment, a fact Dread theorizes is due to Power’s interference in Blastarr creation. This episode is also the one where Pilot get’s a proper helmet and she wears it for the rest of the series. All this time all she had was a visor, her head was totally unprotected. Makes you wonder why they waited so long. We also get the first hints the Dread thinks something off with the reports of Power appearing here he’s appearing when he’s appearing. Although it is a nice touch of continuity that they brought Cypher back in, and the fact they had to blindfold him before they took him to Power Base since it is a hidden location. There with also this weird bit with Blastarr practicing or something, shooting his laser and throwing kicks, yes I said throwing kicks, and testing out his various systems. Very strange.

 

Episode 18 – Freedom One

Freedom One, the voice of the east coast resistance give out a report of various resistance action, including Power and crew. Seeing how she missed her last broadcast Power is worried that she might have been caught until she starts broadcasting again. A resistance cell is attacked during the broadcast, the leader giving his life to save the radio and wants her voice to be the last thing she hears. A code phrase in the broadcast has Power check for a micro burst that gives Power location as he’s been in contact with her. They head to the location, all on sky bikes for some reason, and stop Dread’s forces from capturing Freedom One. Once saved Freedom One reveals she made contact with the five biggest rebels cells for a meeting and wants Power to help having figured out Power has some sort of teleportion device to get the places he’s been so fast. And that’s they’re willing to to accept Power as overall leader once they get together. The meeting place is an old abandon Dread Base, asking Power to keep an eye on the  Transmitter since she feels it’s more important than here, naturally Power disagrees. But it turns out Freedom One is working for Dread. There is a slight hitch in their plans, a man Freedom One interrogated years ago is now the leader coming to the meeting, see the attack from earlier in the episode. And seeing how that’s the one Pilot went after they can kill two birds with one stone by sending in Blastarr and giving her false coordinates. The two are quickly ambushed at the site, seemingly killed and Blastarr heads to the actual meeting. But they survived with the new leader getting her to cover after they leave. The other rebel leaders arrive but Power is worried since Pilot should have gotten there beore Tank. Freedom One says the rebel unit already contacted her and goes outside. She activates a device that Power quickly questions her on. She draws a gun on him but it’s shot out of her hand by Pilot. Realizing it’s a trap Power convinces the other leaders to get out of here while he holds them of and taking Freedom One into custody for information. Blastarr leads the charge with Power holding them off for as long as he can going so ar as heading for the roof to get away since he’s heavily outnumbered. Hawk comes in with a sky bike to save him. It turns out that the new rebel leader takes over the voice of the resistance as Freedom Two and promises that there will be more if anything happens to him.

 

A stand alone episode and it’s a pretty good one. You’re basic double agent type of story, but the agent being the voice of resistance was a nice twist. We see Cypher again, another continuity touch, I personally love things like that, as well as some other rebel leaders. Another bit of continuty was Pilot past as a Dread Youth with Freedom One mention she was the one who betrayed them long ago. And another mention of the teleportaion technology. This does become an important point later on so keep that in mind. We also see the BioMechs getting smarter with one playing dead and shooting Tank in the back. Well not that much smarter he tried it on the most heavily armored one of the bunch. And on a side note Freedom One’s hair still bugs me as being way too silly, as mention in my original Captain Power review. She’s wearing practically a skin tight cape on top of her head, with a point at the back. Under it she has at least two cubic feet of 80’s style big hair under it. How is she fitting it all under there???? Granted it’s just a “kid’s show” and you see it a lot in the comics and cartoons of the day. But she physically shouldn’t be able to fit all that hair under that helmet. Okay.. moving on sorry. On another note I find it interesting her code phrase, “I summon the thunder” is almost the same as the title of the previous two parter

 

New Order

Episode 19 – Part 1 The Sky Shall Swallow Them

Power and Scout are meeting up with a “Springer”, I assuming a hacker in modern lingo, named Locke who has information on the next phase on Project New Order. Soaron comes in and Power and Scout power’s up to drive him away but Locke disappears. He encounters Blastarr and he’s saved by Scout on a sky bike. A short fight and they get out of there, although Locke still wants to make a deal or the information. Mentor states that a suborbital station with a built in digitizer is in position to mass digitize the eastern seaboard and go from there. Unfortunately they have less than two hours to do anything about it. Maybe Locke should have been a little faster with giving them then info. But wait there’s more, there’s also devices that will cause a massive plasma storm in the sky that would burn everything. Dread puts everything on high alert being so close to to seeing his New order coming to fruition. LAckey points out Power still has the plans but Dread is unconcerned despite Lackey pointing out he he disrupted the first two part of the plans. Power comes with a two part plan, take out the station by taking out the control station in a Death Star-esque raid. Then head on to Volcania in’s what’s basically a suicide run to stop the last part of Dread’s plan. Pilot is having issues with a simulation of the first part of the run while everybody else arms up. With things so close an outpost detects Power’s jump ship and Dread sends Soaron to intercept. Power sends Hawk out to deal with him as they continue on. Heading toward the trench, Pilot basically lies about her time in the simulator and Power kisses her on the cheek for luck, to the amusement of Tank and Scout. They lead the jumpship on the sky bikes into the trench, in a scene very reminiscent to the ending credits. Pilot gets to the end of the trench and hits the control port, with no magic voice telling her to use the force. Meanwhile Hawk gets shot down but is able to disable Soaron enough to meet up with Pilot. Power, Tank and Scout head for the control station, a heavily guarded control station. Use your imagination. Pinned down Power is able to flank them and gain control of a gun turret to take out the BioMechs. Making it to the control room Scout is able to stop the digitize beam just in time, sets up new coordinates and blows the engines on the platform, and as a result of those coordinates it’s headed straight for Volcania and will it hit in a little over twenty minutes. Dread orders the plasma storm part of the plan be initiated. Power orders everybody on tol Volcania.

 

Episode 20 – Part 2 And the Land Burn

Overmind Activates the shields and orders all damage team into position. Dread orders shield priority to be place on the plasma storm control and has a just recovered Soaron back to protect Volcania. his orders to stop the falling platform and is nearly destroyed in the process and the platform hits Volcania. But the plasma storm is still in effect so Power and crew have to invade Volcania anyway. Dread and Overmind survived with the computer saying he hurts after giving a status report. Landing on a landing pad, which looks more like an underground scene they power up, although Power overhear how low hawk power suit is. Okay, in a mistake from the previous report they use the holocam twice this episode being the second time. The BioMechs are heavily disoriented by the platformcrash. After a brief respite n which Pilot locate the plasma storm control  but are come upon by another Overunit and his troops. On hearing this Dread, who’s naturally angry Power came into his house uninvited, sends Blastarr to eliminate him. Hawk, who thinks he got the jump on a Overunit but gets jumped on himself, takes enough hits to deactivate his power suit. Tank saves him and Power orders him to get Hawk back tot he ship over Hawk objections that they’re going to need his firepower. Scout seems a little worried about the lack of resistance so far and they run into a hallway with laser cannons and get out of range and into a interrogation room and run into Blastarr. They’re force to fall back after using some explosive failed to stop him. They quickly set up a trap using some wall circuits that fry him with nice explosion. They fight their way to the command room, although Power does say if you get a shot or Dread take it. Dread traps them in his chamber, with surprise fire taking out Scout and Pilot and the Dread they see being a holo image. Thus leaving the real Dread and Power alone. Power is able to locate Dread and shot the rifle out of his hands, while Power takes aim at Dread Lackey shot the gun. Then Dread and Power go at it mano e mano. While they fight Scout is able to recover long enough to take control of the device. Dread over Power, enough to deactivate hsi power suit, and runs off. Scout makes the plasma storm devices explode. Overmind tries to get out of Scout override and power takes that as the cue to leave. Mentor says they were able to fully stop Project New Order as they leave Volcania.

 

And with this the season one story arc comes to an end. In these episodes we learn Dread has compounds all over the world they don’t know about to explain how he was able to launch the platform without it being noticed. And we learn the last two parts of Project New Order the digitizing platform and the plasma storm to finish off what was left of the resistance. And what would be a finale for most shows, we still have two more episodes to go, we still get some character bits. Most notably the the good Captain returning the kiss Pilot gave him back in Judgement continuing that storyline. Also the bit where once face to face with Dread Power calls him Taggart a couple of times. And we don’t forget about Tank and Hawk after Powers orders them back to the ship either as we get a couple fo scenes of Tank still getting in on the “fun”, his words, as he escorts Hawk back to the jumpship. And they manage to sneak in a Star Trek reference and joke in part one too. Over all I would say a satisfying conclusion to the season long story arc.

 

Retribution

Episode 21 – Part 1

Hawk and company celebrate over their recent major victory over Dread, although they basically force the Captain to relax and join in. Rebuild Volcania Dread orders the schedule be increased by six hours and to run the defense simulation again. With Soaron ans Blastarr he say he realizes his error with dealing with Power, realizing his perect world can’t come into exsistance as long as the resistance is still in their way. Their new plan is to hurt Power deeply and in any way possible until he is no more. Attacks on resistance cell increase with an attack not seen since Dread initial attack at the start o the war, except this time he’s not taking prisoners. This takes a heavy toll on the captain knowing this is the result of his stopping Project New Order. He falls asleep at the main controls as Pilot walks in and smiles at him. Sometime later Power and crew are trying to save a bunch a resistance fighter in an attack lead by Blastarr, in which Hawk get’s hit in the helmet and then goes all Rambo on the Mechs. Note to self, shoot Hawk anywhere but the helmet. Power in the crew is able to get the best of them but Blastarr, by the power od Dread’s will, gets up in time to see Power jump ship fly through a transit gate. With Blastarr sending the feed to Dread he now knows how Power is able to get where he goes as fast as he does. Later Hawk is able to make a Christmas tree, with some parts they blasted of Soaron over the years. But Scout isn’t exactly thrilled with it, revealing he made one before when he was younger, upsetting his mother and before a Dread attack. So he sees it as bad luck and understands why his mother was upset. At Volcania Lackey finds Dread still working on the repairs. Seeing that it’s late at night Lackey suggest regular sleep cycles is needed as Overmind suggested. Dread impies he knows Lackey is spying on him as he’s been watching Lackey as much as it had been watching him. Asking point blank who does he serve Lackey responds the BioDread Empire. Dread say so does we both then asks him to retrieve  a device and into an “Accident” dread ha arranged ahead of time. More or less destroying him, at least frying his circuits enough to damage him premantly. Dread has Soaron integrate a new piece of hardware that will analyze the teleportaion gate frequency in order to use it against Power. Dread asks about the cerebral transfer as his body is taxed beyond it’s current capabilities. Having to enter cryo sleep in 24 hours so he has plenty of time to accomplish his task. Activating the mind link Dread takes control of the troops and orders all activity be halted and orders for the search of Power’s ship. Seeing it Dread sends Soaron, who activates a nifty cloaking device which I assume comes from the analyzer, and follows the jump ship before it hit’s the portal and attacks. Despite not seeing anything they open the transit gate and Saoron flies into it but can’t enter. Later he returns the analyzer to Dread and he now knows how to locate Power’s base.

 

Episode 22 – Part 2(Series finale)

Dread’s forces are getting prepared, all under Dread;s direct control. At Power Base, Power walks into Pilot quarters and he remembers when they found her. She was so filled with rage they weren’t sure if she would make it and he was glad she did. She tells him she couldn’t have done it without him and wants to tell him something she wanted to tell him for a long time. Before they can go any further Scout calls in to remind him that they have a meeting with Locke. Pilot tells that they can finish their talk later. Meeting with him he has information on troop movement and number, and that they have Cypher and they have an hour before he gets to a transfer point. they’re attack by Dread’a troops. Taking care of them they split with Locke and head off to save Cypher. But Locke is upset with himself as he sold out Power to Dread sending them on a trap, although he punched an Overunit who congratulated him. In a transport ship Blastarr is waiting with a bunch of troopers or Power’s jump ship to appear. Power sends Pilot off with the data, but before she goes he tells her he would really like to finish their conversation from earlier as they both have a lot to talk about. Blastarr’s ship shoots the jump ship and heads into the gate as the jump ship goes down. Scout says they can repair the ship after they land but it’ll take a while and Hawk can’t get through to the Power base to warn Pilot. Mentor analyzes the data chip only to find that it’s empty as Blastarr attacks the base. Pilot seals off the base to by time as Power is finally able to get through. Power orders her to blow the base and get out of there. Pilot wants to back up Mentor and get the extra suits but Power won’t have any of it and tells her to get out of there. Pilot backs up Mentor and gets the suits any way before activating the self destruct. Over the comm link Dread hears the countdown and orders Blastarr to the control room to stop it. Pilot fights her way to the hanger while he is doing so. Seeing how things are going exactly as planned Overmind say it is time for the final commitment and Dread walks off with a BioMech. TAnk and Power fight off some BioMech as the ship is ready to launch. Balstarr blasts his way into the control room and destroy’s the room and Mentor’s console and stops the destruct sequence. Pilot, who had attached the bag with Mentor’s back up and extra suits set a sky bike on it’s way and heads back into base. Fighting off a hoard of BioMech she’s injured badly by Blastarr as she makes her way into the power core of the base. The jump ship arrives but it’s too late. While Power tells her not to do it when she says she has to blow up the base manually she finally admits that she loves him. Blastarr breaks into the Power Core, Pilot tells him to go to hell then blows up the base. Power and the rest are devastated as Scout receives a signal from the sky bike. They discover the back up and the extra suits. devastated beyond belief Power tells Scout and Tank to get the sky bike on the ship and walks away with Hawk right behind him. There’s a montage of various scenes with Pilot ending with the dance between her and Power.

 

And with this the season, and ultimately the series, comes to an end. And boy what an ending it was, one that nobody watching saw coming. J. Micheal Straczynski, who wrote this two parters, has said he can’t watch the ending to this without thinking of an old friend he lost, having gone through a similar experience with her. Character wise it the culmination of the love arc between Power and Pilot, although it ended in, again, a way nobody expected. As I said in my original review this came about because the actress didn’t want to sign on for a second season as she felt the show’s setting was too depressing.  Cypher is mentioned again, and Volcania is shown to be still damaged. And they actually damaged the model which was a very nice touch. And we see Dread’s still human enough to be sneaky when it came to getting ride of Lackey for spying on him. With the talk of cerebral transfer, cryo sleep and “Final commentment” were foreshadowing that Dread was going  to become totally mechanized in the second season. Although Locke’s betrayal makes no real sense when you watch the episode. In the original review I said there was a TV movie shown in Europe, also on the DVD set, and said a couple of scenes were different from the original airing. In the movie Locke asks if his son is safe now, meaning Dread had him. Now it’s possible they were going to use this in season 2, as Power was hunting Locke for revenge in his part of Pilot’s death according to the script summaries. But now we’ll never know for sure since the show was canceled.

 

At that my friends is the end of our episode guide. Hopefully this piqued your interest in the show enough to check the episodes out for yourself. The show is easily avaiable on DVD, please support it. Thank you for your time in reading this. And for the Captain Power fans, old and new alike, spread the word of these series. And hopefully, one day soon, that Phoenix Rising show based on this concept, in fact being headed by the same guy who got this show going, will gain enough traction to air and give Captain Power and company a proper journey and ending. Next time we’re back to you’re regular Retro Reviews.