More Permanent Hell

Plot Summary

When the head of a team of astronomers commits suicide, their predictions of a meteor's collision become public. As panic sweeps the world both mortal and vampire populations face their personal fears. Some of those fears lead to unusual actions.

Critique

It was a very shocking opening scene, but something about their lack of secrecy wasn't right -- they told the police, who told other police, and scientists, and... all with an oath of secrecy, but if the two scientists had just kept it to themselves it would never have gotten out. And the one who did tell Nick and Schanke wasn't the one who stood to profit from the hoax (Marybeth Ellis, played by Sharon Bernbaum).

If the vampires are suddenly "stocking up" and killing dozens of humans in Toronto, wouldn't they be doing so in other cities? How is Nat's attempt at covering up the deaths going to help much?

For the first time, we finally get to see a flashback to LaCroix's human form. And it seemed to me that Selene shares many features with Janette, his (first?) convert. But it wasn't quite as good as I had expected. If LaCroix was human at the time Pompeii was destroyed, then he isn't all *that* ancient. Could the extra millenium really make him so much stronger that he would last on and on in the projected living hell after the meteor strikes? Or make him that much moe knowledgable?

Of course, there were numerous scenes where we see people reacting to the bad news. Not much to say about most of them. But if LaCroix is so shaken by the event that he begins to ponder religious issues that have never disturbed him before, how is it that Nick and Schanke are so stable? They're the only two who don't change much.

In fact, it's almost ironic that Nick keeps looking for someone to help him keep order (asking Schanke to gather information about the "suicide" victim, asking Janette to help keep the vampires in line), but yet he doesn't follow the captain's wishes to go out onto the streets and maintain the order. Well, near the very end, he does, but that doesn't last for long as he finds (and follows) clues to indicate that the disaster is a fake. He's always taking his own path.

The most important subplot was probably between Nat and Nick. She's trying to convince him to bring her over, but as always he's completely against the idea. In the end, as it turned out, she admitted that he was correct in saving her from becoming a vampire, but she still wasn't terribly happy with him. His steadfast refusal to make her a vampire, the only way they could truly resolve their love, seems to stem not from some moral guidelines (look at all the other people he's brought over), but from an inability to firmly commit himself.

"An eternity of darkness is not living; you know that."
"But how can I, unless I experience it myself; am I just supposed to take your word for it?"
"You mean you don't?"

Episode rating (0 to 10): 6

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