Right up there with the best, anyway. Certainly the most unusual, surreal and visually imaginative up to this point. Let me draw a parallel for "Lost" fans: what "Flashes Before Your Eyes" was for that show, "Conscious" is for this one - a break from the usual formula, something new. Sydney agrees to try an experimental, non-invasive memory-retrieval procedure, while Jack, Vaughn, Lauren and Sloane devise a plan to make it look as if the Covenant was responsible for breaking her out of the NSC facility. There is an extended dream/memory ("it's a shared reservoir") sequence in the middle which may actually be the best 10 minutes of the series so far, at least in terms of direction. But there are other strong scenes as well, particularly Lindsey's confrontations with Dixon (whose words are like holding a mirror in front of Lindsey's face, exposing him for the @$$hole he is) and Sloane. David Cronenberg's wonderfully eccentric scientist takes over the crown from Ethan Hawke's double(d) agent as the best guest star to appear on the show so far, while the dazzlingly gorgeous redhead Erica Leerhsen is adorably flaky as his sweet, possibly stoned (!) student. ***1/2 out of 4.
2 Reviews
Memories
Tweekums24 November 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Having been rescued from the NSC Sydney and the others can't return to the office, till they have convinced Director Lindsey that it was a Covenant operation. This entails making him believe that Lauren had been kidnapped by the Covenant and has been released in order to pass on their demands: Sydney is to be exchanged for the Rambaldi device. Lindsey agrees but has other plans for Sydney.
Having given Lindsey false coordinates in the previous episode Jack and Sydney go to the correct coordinates and are surprised to find a hand, they are even more surprised when they learn who it belongs to. Sloane suggests seeing a scientist who might be able to retrieve Sydney's memories without invasive surgery.
While there was less action than most episodes this still managed to be exciting and the surprising revelations which I won't spoil here helped keep things interesting and progress the season's main plot arc. As one would expect the main cast do a great job, David Cronenberg... yes that David Cronenberg... does well as the doctor trying to help Sydney and Erica Leerhsen was fun as his hippy student Kaya.
Having given Lindsey false coordinates in the previous episode Jack and Sydney go to the correct coordinates and are surprised to find a hand, they are even more surprised when they learn who it belongs to. Sloane suggests seeing a scientist who might be able to retrieve Sydney's memories without invasive surgery.
While there was less action than most episodes this still managed to be exciting and the surprising revelations which I won't spoil here helped keep things interesting and progress the season's main plot arc. As one would expect the main cast do a great job, David Cronenberg... yes that David Cronenberg... does well as the doctor trying to help Sydney and Erica Leerhsen was fun as his hippy student Kaya.
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