EXCELLENTRECOMMENDED GOOD POOR DIABOLICAL
Warning! Season Finale details below! Possible spoilers for readers outside the USA or Canada

First Wave – Season Three
13 • Shadowland Reviewed by Paul Spragg

Cade is having terrifying nightmares, so he seeks the aid of a Raven Nation doctor to find out why. Under hypnosis, he discovers that he first encountered the Gua when he was a child, and the memories are resurfacing...

This is a tricky concept to pull off, if only because you have to provide a coherent explanation as to why Cade can't remember what happened to him. Thankfully that's what we have here, with a series of mysteries gradually being unlocked to give the viewer an insight into the nightmarish childhood of Cade Foster, and also moving along his current battle with the Gua by introducing a new player into the game. This isn't so bad in and of itself, but while we viewers can accept that Cade follows prophecies and is the Twice-Blessed Man, throwing in a new level of mysticism is perhaps over-egging things a little, especially with talk of his 'special power' and being 'the One'.

The journey into Cade's mind starts off well, but becomes more confusing when he meets up with himself (well, someone that looks like him), although it does give hope for some interesting twists to come. The images of what happened to Cade are pretty scary, and the kid playing the 12-year-old Foster is excellent, as are former Highlander regulars Jim Byrnes and Peter Wingfield as Cade's past and present torturers.

Earth: Final Conflict - Season Four
22 • Point of No Return Reviewed by Steven Eramo

Also in this issue: • cover feature with Roswell

A month has passed since Dark Horizons. Liam and Renee have managed to get the Taelon mothership back to Earth, but the aliens have less than a day to live. The head of the ANA, Hubble Urick, proves what a single-minded bureaucrat he is when he orders the destruction of the Taelon ship. This leaves Liam and Renee - who now believe that human and Taelon destinies are, in fact, one - in a race against time to save the aliens. At first, Street refuses to help them. However, she eventually realizes that, like Liam, she is a key to human as well as Taelon survival. By the end of act one, our heroes, including Augur, have found the regeneration chamber built by Ma'el. All they need are for the Taelons and Jaridians to join them and merge using the residual life force their ancestors, the Atavus, left for them.

This episode serves not only as a season finale but also a finale for E:FC as we've come to know it. Four seasons of history and mythology are successfully woven together to provide a closure of sorts for the fans. While the ending is such that almost anything can happen, it's obvious that at least two of the show's regulars along with the entire Taelon race will not be back. Have the writers painted themselves into a corner by doing this? We'll find out this fall.

Order this issue of Xposé from us – or subscribe – here!