Episode 16 : ""
Summary
No greater love hath a man, than he lay down his life for his brother. Not for glory, not for country, not for a cause; for one person.
Review
In the series, no other mention is made of David Vincent's family. Here, we see how far the bonds of family ties go before being strained to breaking point. Bob has backed up David's stories "not because he believed them, but because you're my brother", but as a result, he has become the laughing stock of the neighbourhood, and naturally he is bitter. But then Bob has more to lose than David, he has a medical practice, a wife, a house, and soon to be a child. David probably had much to lose originally, but I think it's fair to assume that by this point, he's already lost it all. You really can't blame Bob for saying "there, but for the grace of God go I".
One moment I find hard to fully understand, is where Ted Booth says "whatever it is that's holding him back, we just can't disregard it", and then upon learning the situation, says "This brother of yours is just one man. Do you think his life is more important than the entire human race". One is left to wonder what type of impediment Booth WOULD have considered worth regarding. There's certainly some moral ambiguity when Booth says "I'm going to fight them the way you wanted me to fight them. I'm going to fight them the same way you once fought them, if you care to remember". Perhaps both parties are "right", and it was simply a moment for David to hand the torch over to someone else. But one wonders how many relatives Mr. Booth has that might be kidnapped by the aliens.
Edward Azner is brilliant in this episode, the moment when he's negotiating with David, and he says "I expected you to ask that", is one of the high points of this episode.
Review by Richard Fincher, submitted 2002-05-26
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