Andromeda (TV Series) What Happens to a Rev Deferred? (2003) User Reviews

Return of Rev Bem

[Tweekums · 7/10 · 12 July 2018]

Andromeda has been helping with the evacuation of a doomed planet. It looks as though everybody has been saved, apart from a few looters who flew back, when it is established that one person is still on the planet; a signal identifies that person as their old friend Rev Bem. As they head back towards the planet Trance announces that a new star has been born in the area. Dylan, Beka and Tyr head to the planet's surface to rescue Rev Bem while he follows the new star and has a discussion about his faith and his worthiness.

This was a fairly mixed episode; I was pleased to see Rev Bem again but far less keen on the number of flashbacks to scenes from the first season. Equally his pleading his case to be considered worthy was impressive thanks to a fine performance from Brent Stait; the depiction of the star he conversed with was less good though... not terrible; just could have been better. The fight with the looters provided some decent action. Another highlight was Trance's reaction to the appearance of the new star; she was clearly pleased even though it was almost certainly the cause of the planet's destruction. The ending was satisfactory and nicely upbeat. Overall not a great episode but it had plenty of good moments and is worth watching just to see the return of Rev Bem.

Dreadful pun, heavy-handed theology

[flash-104 · 7/10 · 11 February 2024]

The series suffers badly from the defenestration of creator Robert Hewitt Wolfe in this episode. The Reverend Bug-Eyed Monster's theology was the most intellectually interesting creation in the original version of the series; among other things, it was one of the few religions, fictional or real, to tackle The Problem of Evil seriously.

To get actor Brent Stait back on the series, a Trivia item informs us, it was necessary to de-fur Rev Bem. (Future season spoiler: He only makes one more appearance, next season, also episode 15.) But those left after Wolfe's departure ruined the intellectual relevance of The Way by providing a miracle; this has been recognized as a mistake since at least classical Greek drama: "deus ex machina" is not a term of praise. It also reduces non-believers to cardboard characters, wilfully failing to believe merely to advance the plot. (Cp. Star Wars, medieval hagiographies, and Stranger in a Strange Land. Contrast The Bishop's Wife and Almost an Angel.)

There was no need for the heavy-handedness. If the actor could no longer wear yak hair, the character could have become bald for any number of reasons, ranging from hair-related religious inspiration (cp. More medieval hagiographies) to the mundane (cp. Sir Patrick). (Apologies for the miscapitalization; IMDb refuses to let me correct it.)