Much better episode. In a colonization mission where survival could be at stake, this kind of situation was quite likely to happen, and perhaps the colonists should have been more prepared to face it, instead of reacting more like the regular middle-class audience would react, surprised someone would go that far too survive.
Oh, killing the Grendler was bad, I won't deny. Grendlers have shown they can make an use tools, make simple clothing items, understand language and even deliver messages. They're obviously more than irrational animals. But two things: if you enter a cave in search of food and encounter an angry bear, you'd probably shoot it, even though the bear had all the right to be angry. And probably the situation might go similarly even if we were talking about a hermit in a cabin instead of a bear in a cave, as long as the hermit looked crazy enough and couldn't be reasoned with.
And the colonists know how dangerous can be, after all they killed O'Neill savagely. Yeah, yeah, it was under Gaal's influence, but the bites and claw marks on O'Neil's body made it unmistakable as an act of collective Grendler rage. |In fact, I think the writers are not sure what to do with the Grendlers: they can kill in cold blood and drink human blood, but they are also loyal, civilized and understanding.
And as far as eating the remains goes, that's another thing to be expected. Baines asks, "what if it'd been one of us, would it be all right to eat us?" Of course! These are not ordinary circumstances; they are stranded on an alien planet and have to do whatever it takes to survive.
But of course that doesn't mean the experience would go without a trauma. By the way, the way Danzinger is getting trigger-happy, he seems to be getting into some PTSD mode. It was an event that shook the emotional basis of their little community, and with reason. Even though, as I said, they should have been more prepared. Watch out, Baines, you may be the next meal!
A few observations:
- The accident was an unforgivable amateur mistake. You don't lose your cool while driving, don't overspeed on strange terrain and don't take your eyes off the way you're going.
- Methinks they should have packed light closed vehicles. Dune rails are just too cold and unprotected for the winter.
- You think this episode had no shrieks? Think again. The subtitles clearly said "Bird shrieks" each time we could hear a bird at a distance.
I enjoyed this episode very much, with it's life-or-death theme. It gets 9 drops of acid.
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