Episode 17 : "The Condemned"
Summary
Some thrills, great Bellamy performance
Review
A slightly above-average episode notable mainly for the performance of Ralph Bellamy as Tate, an over-the-hill communications magnate whose factory has been taken over by aliens.
The aliens, as powerful and as sinister as they are, ultimately are not very smart. After Tate steals a vitally-important alien file, they pull out their big guns to go after him, chase him down and try very hard to blast him into cinders, not caring that a little girl is a witness, and apparently not caring whether he has their precious file or not. Big mistake.
Veteran character actor Ralph Bellamy is a joy to watch as Tate. He could read the phone book and make it sound endearing. Here, he elicits your sympathy for a man who has made more than a few mistakes in his life and tries to atone for them, hopefully not too late.
The visual effects go off without a hitch -- people and vehicles being destroyed by death rays. The aliens' technology and their abuse of it are horrifying to behold, and after seeing this episode as a child, I had nightmares for days.Review by Gerald Fitzgerald, submitted 2002-09-19
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