I have to say that, to my surprise, this isn’t a bad way to end the series, but it’s only saved in the last few minutes.  If readers recall my bemoaning the way these shows end last week, I was convinced the actual final episode would have been a poor finale where the penultimate would have made a much better one.  It’s a weird thing that seemed to plague a number of genre series from back in the day.

Also weird is the fact that I’ve been comparing this to its UK predecessor Space: 1999 and there’s an odd coincidence in the fine episode titles.  Space: 1999 features The Dorcons and this is the Dorian Secret.  I’m reading a lot out of nothing, I’m sure, but I find that peculiar.  I hope none of my favorite series decide to have a season finale with “dor” in the title.  I fear what would happen before the next season premieres.

This episode was mostly a slog.  It opens with a masked woman, Asteria, being attacked by masked men.  Her mask is removed during a fight but she flees and runs right into Buck’s arms as he’s loading a ship full of refugees.  As the attackers come to get her, he knocks one down, then boards the shuttle and they escape.  Moments later, their ship is caught by the enemy ship who has a real good cop, bad cop approach, applying both hot and cold treatments to break the humans into handing over Asteria.  We are then subjected to interminable back and forth as one man wants to turn her over for execution while some of the people feel that’s inhumane.  

Yawn.  I must have looked at the clock 15 times.  What a downer than the bulk of the episode was so tedious.  The man offering to hand Asteria over should have been sent out an airlock, but instead he not only makes it to the end, but even retains his belief that handing her over was the right thing to do.  Deplorable.  While the writing does a decent job with paranoia, the audience knows who the escapee is, so it’s only good if you like the tension created by a witch hunt.  It’s not poorly written, it’s just not my thing.  In fact, I want to magically appear on the ship and grab the guy by the scruff of his neck.  What was interesting is that no one even tells him that, as a refugee himself, he should appreciate her plight.  I feel like a plot point was forgotten or a scene was lost to the cutting room floor!

On the other hand, I do love when friends have each other’s backs even against the odds.  When Buck explains to Admiral Asimov why he let Asteria on board, Hawk says he agreed with Buck’s decision, but he never actually said it at the time.  It’s more to do with backing his friend, knowing he can trust Buck.  (Again, this would have further improved the previous episode if this came first!)  The other win for the episode is that there seem to be a few different “take-aways” that can be found if we pay attention.

For one, there’s the blind subservience to custom is equal to slavery.  Like all good science fiction, we’re reminded to question things.  Dig into the reality of the world in which you live.  Why do the people wear masks and does no one question it?  It turns out that all males are identical to one another (which cinematically ends up being laughable as the camera doesn’t quite leave the last guy before the overlay of the next scene, resulting in a moment where you see the previous guy change back to someone else.  Also their masks are comical from the side, giving them a massively bad underbite.)  Now, the other message that I liked a lot is the idea that people should not live with a mask on all their lives.  It’s a subject near and dear to my heart.  I know this takes it literally and from another race’s perspective, but people should be allowed to be who they are and not live in fear of being persecuted for it.  A good message indeed.

The episode ends with Buck saving Asteria by trying to have her executed in front of others, assuming they’d be too squeamish to allow it to happen.  It works, but the humans on The Searcher don’t know it right away.  When Buck comes back onto the ship, the aforementioned jerk says he stands behind his actions.  Buck reminds him to learn from the past, look to the future.  He says that people in his time never seemed to get that.  “I hope you have better luck!”  And with that, the scene freezes as all episodes do, but there’s no pleasant exchange, no fun banter.  This episode ends with Buck wishing the audience luck in the future and the show ends. 

It’s not the ending I would have liked for the show, but it does make a better finale than I would have expected.  I still say the previous one serves as a better goodbye to Gil Gerard as Buck Rogers.  I’ll miss him and Twiki most of all.  Erin Gray never made a great character because she was always kept in the background.  Hawk is never quite Spock, but he’s not terrible.  The show was carried by Buck and Twiki, and even that was lost for a portion of season 2.  I’m glad the final moments of our time in the 25th Century ended with a message, at least.   ML