Earth Final Conflict - Face the Horizon

Rating:
Summary: Please read this before judging review "not helpful"
Review: I watched every single episode of EFC, and I followed all the plot lines carefully, so believe me when I tell you that season 5 is an insulting slap in the face. Season 4 ended with the Taelons and Jaridians merging in some volcanic chamber, and then bang.

Ok, so now we have season 5. Augur is mysteriously gone for good after barely making an appearance in season 4. Instead we have Street, who just wasn't given the right material. But whatever. Here's the kicker.

THE ENTIRE STORYLINE set up in the first 4 seasons is tossed aside without a thought. All the work done with the Taelons and the Jaridians, gone without any meaning. Done, gone, the end. No more Taelons (except the one guy who got away somehow), no more Jaridians. No more Liam till the last episode where he just shows up without explanation.

What happened to the Jaridians that got away? From the website "When the Jaridians board the Mothership, they find themselves trapped in a force field set by Ronald Sandoval (Von Flores). He strikes a deal, promising to lead them to the Taelons if they spare Earth and elect him ruler of the planet. Sandoval and the Jardians make their way to a portal, just as Hubble opens fire on the ship. As Sandoval collapses, badly wounded, Vorjak and the others escape." If they escaped, where are they??

Instead they go on with this ridiculous plotline about the Atavus, who look NOTHING like the way they did when Da'an turned into one, instead they come across as leather freaks into S&M and vampirism. Yes we get to see Zo'or in a catsuit. Wow. And then she dies stupidly. Yes Boone comes back. But he dies. Stupidly. Off screen. He gets a one liner about how he died heroically, blah blah blah.

Every other story set up over the 4 years, gone. This season attempts to create a whole new story arc and fails miserably. Go ahead and buy it, its cheap. But don't expect to be happy.

Rating:
Summary: A word of warning about season five
Review: Most reviews I've scanned for this product take fire at the storylines like the writers just woke up one day and decided to change everything. Whereas in fact, business got in the way.

E:FC suffered over the years due to budgetary constraints, but season five had very, very tight constraints. Hence most of the cast are removed to make way for cheaper alternatives, and even some of those don't see the whole season through.

And the writers tried, they really did, to keep this show going in terms of quality. Against very tough conditions, they created a season that isn't too bad. It has some interesting aliens in form of the Atavus, and has some great guest appearances (of particular note is Margot Kidder). It also has some nice continuity with the preceeding four seasons.

But the writers weren't miracle workers, and as a fifth season of E:FC it is hard to stomach; it feels very much like a new show. Plus the reinvention of Rene, and supposedly old-time friends of hers coming out of nowhere soon grows tired.

In the US, 100 episodes is key. This way the show can be sold into syndication. Is is blatantly obvious that season five is there just to get to that figure. I think the writers tried their best, and I would recommend this box set to any E:FC fan so that they see how the show ends (and the end episode is very good, and fitting of E:FC). But please, don't just attack the fifth season. Go in open minded, but go in bearing in mind there were so many limitations, the writers did the best they could and as a season of entertaining sci-fi you could do worse.