Death and despair; dinos and discovery.
I was really surprised how muchTerra Novahad improved for its closer.
Sure, a few skeptics of the show will say it wasnt enough.
Credit: Fox
Sound like a plan?
Were back to 2149, bitches!
We zoom into a dome.
In the process, hes hoping to kill his dad, Taylor.
We learn theyve commandeered the best army money can buy.
Terra Nova: Taylor gets the colonists organized for battle.
Sadly, Taylor isnt trying my set-the-portal-on-the-edge-of-a-cliff idea from last weeks recap.
Instead, he places troops around the unit, ready to blast any hostiles who come through.
In the camp: Elisabeth makes a pre-war salad.
These home life scenes always feel a bit cheerfully forced.
Weve been through a lot together and well get through this too, Jim says.
The portal is activated.
Taylor, Jim and the troops get ready.
And in comes … colonists.
At least, we assume theyre colonists.
They all kind of have that Peace Corps-backpacker hey wheres the Farmers Market?
Here comes Joshs girlfriend long-awaited Kara she made it!
Then a scared-looking guy walks through, opens his shirt and HolyHomeland!
Hes wearing a suicide vest!
hey, help me, he says, and explodes!
Jim on the ground.
Didnt expectSaving Private Shannon.
NEXT: Terra Nova hostile takeover; What happened to Kara?
Infirmary: Jim wakes three days later.
Hes really messed up in the awful way that anybody whos had an inner ear problem can appreciate.
Yes, the Big Battle happened while he was unconscious.
I know, its a bummer not to see it.
Plus, the suicide bomber was a shocking twist that played fair within the storys own logic.
(Whyd the Phoenix Group sendanycolonists through?
Jim now has a groovy cult robe and wanders around the war-torn colony.
All voices sound like Charlie Browns teacher.
The Farmers Market, god damn them, they blew it all to hell.
We see smug Lucas and ever-serious Mira are in charge, and nobody knows what happened to Taylor.
Thankfully Elisabeth heals him up.
Later, Jim finds Josh and asks about Kara.
Now, this is almost, but not quite, comical.
But the moment really works.
Man,Terra Nova, youre getting to my little Grinch recapper heart here!
Where have you been all season?
We know Washingtons not OK because shes actually let her hair down.
Jim wants to organize a resistance.
We hurt them and we keep on hurting them until theyre gone, he says.
Malcolm promises to delay the construction process.
Mira and Lucas interrupt them.
Jim plays shell-shocked and gimpy to avoid questioning.
Jim sneaks onto an outgoing transport to to find Taylor.
NEXT: Go rebel insurgents!
Lucas gets incest-y
Command Hut: Lucas gets to have a moment with Bucket Skye.
He says he forgives her for betraying him.
He also says that since they both loved Taylor theyre sort of like brother and sister.
They he proceeds to touch her face and get all creepy.
Jungle: Phoenix Group leader Weaver isnt adapting well to the new environment.
He says he was bitten by something resembling a winged spider snake that growled at him.
I totally want to see winged spider snake.
But I grudgingly accept that its more effective to let our imaginations do the work on that one.
The bad guys roll out.
Weaver takes aim at a distant brachiosaurus with a rifle and … and … and he… he does.
Weaver shoots and kills a dinosaur.
Just for the hell of it.
A murdered dino onTerra Nova, for certain, at last, it really happened.
Jim sneaks away to find Taylor at the coordinates etched on the bullet.
Now, I had a bad moment here.
We hadnt seen Taylor since the battle.
We dont know what happened to him.
Suddenly it seemed very possible Taylor might step out of that rover wearing an eyepatch.
And that would have ruined the entire point of the photo contest.
Thankfully, Taylor is intact.
When that fails, he fires a nifty air-burst rocket missile.
This kicks off the organized rebel campaign.
Jim and others covertly help Taylors rebels from inside Terra Nova.
Lucas convoys get taken out left and right.
The Bar: And then, things fall apart.
Lucas starts lecherously hitting on Skye, all the while insisting on calling her sister.
Josh loses his temper and starts beating the crap out of Lucas.
But Phoenix Group thugs quickly get Josh under control.
Skye runs off and gets Jim, who storms in and beats on Lucas.
Great, now everybodys in trouble!
Its like the Shannon Men version of Original Sin.
Lucas says Josh can go free.
He notes he wanted to kill Josh but, I was persuaded otherwise.
Then see see Skye lurking in the corner.
Now: Was I the only one who wondered what Skye did to convince Lucas to let Josh go?
Are we supposed to assume she simply talked him out of it?
Or did she grant some pervvy wishes from his Bucket list?
Then Lucas reveals why he hates his dad so much.
His mom was killed, but not before some really bad things happened to her.
We assume Lucas simply blames his father for saving his life as nutty as that is.
But, no: He blamed me, Lucas explains.
I could see it in his eyes.
Every time I disappointed him.
Every time I didnt live up to his expectations.
Then Lucas starts torturing Jim with a Tazer-like shock probe.
Did a cadre ofTerra Novarebels sneak OTG and make this episode with nobody looking?
The Shannons reunite, then plot to escape from Terra Nova.
Washington offers to distract the guards to let the Shannons escape.
We know where this is going.
The Shannons run out while Washington wrecks havoc.
Shes caught and forced to kneel before Lucas.
He asks where the Shannons went.
You know, you have your fathers eyes, Washington says.
Its a well-executed moment, so to speak.
Rebel camp: Taylor is upset about Washington and trying not to show it.
Zoe gives Taylor a hug.
Our TV-sized version of Taylor Lautner is stripped to his tank top, giving his bicep some screen time.
These two are not very good kissers; theyre pecking at each other like horny chickens.
The bottom line is that Washington is suggesting they blow up the time fracture.
Not the portal, but the time fracture gateway itself in 2149.
This is, of course, huge.
The colony will be permanently cut off from the future.
No more new Plexes, or Crate & Barrel furnished condo cabins.
Just 1,000 colonists trying to re-start the human race and survive.
Well survive, Taylor says, but first lets kick some ass.
The Phoenix Group loads up the trucks full of valuable meteoric ore samples.
Skye hijacks one of the trucks and kidnaps Lucas by convincing him that shes ready to betray Taylor.
The rebels send their truck toward the portal instead with Jim and some mysterious cargo in the back.
Only problem is, she needs a code.
We wonder how she knows that Lucas would like that and again remember that whole she convinced me line.
Then she adds: Guess Ill just jack the starter which sounds dirty, but isnt.
2149: Hidden in the back of the truck, Jim returns to the future.
Jim pulls out a big needle and injects something in the back of the truck.
The bad guys kick off the door and surprise!
Youve got a carno!
He drops it down the port shaft.
Youre all clear kid, now lets blow this thing and go home.
We only just met Weaver, yet this is very satisfying.
Hope Plaza begins to explode and Jim runs for the portal with the carno right behind him.
Normally, Im not a fan of characters outrunning explosions, which travel at the speed of sound.
But here Jim is outrunning explosionsand a dinosaur at the same time, which makes it kinda awesome.
OTG: Lucas finds his father and they fight.
Taylor wins and pins him.
Lucas begins to cry pitifully and says he only ever wanted his dads forgiveness.
My God, is that what you think?
Taylor helps up his son, they embrace and Lucas stabs his father in the side.
Yes, its likeReturn of the Jediin reverse.
Just as we think Taylor is goners, Skye rescues him by shooting dear brother Luke Lucas.
Lucas started out a tad goofy, but I ended up enjoying him as a villain.
As soon as word gets out that the portal is destroyed, the Phoenix Group mysteriously abandons Terra Nova.
From the 18th century.
Which presumably means … another portal?
But one going to a different time.
And are you ready for the results of ourGive Taylor an Eyepatch Photo Contest?
I woke up the next morning and found … zero entries.
Perhaps trying to enlist readers to create silly photo illustrations wasnt the wisest idea.
But then a reader entry came in.
Then another, and another.
I was pretty thrilled with what we got and posted all that I could get cleared.
And here they are…
NEXT: Terra Nova Give Taylor an Eyepatch contest photos!
Bit of a Taylor goes Pirates of the Caribbean…
This one uses one of Taylors finest moments.
The Commander vs. the Komodo Dragon:
Heres my entry, with help from EW photo guru Jef Castro.
Theres Commander Taylor with eyepatch.
And Taylor is keeping one good eye out for any threats like that crazy prehistoric Marlin.
But I think youll agree that these two are the best of the bunch.
Heres the first winner:
Love this one, from reader Martin.
It shows us the tender side of Taylor that we always suspected was there.
Taylor is either hugging, or riding, a brachiosaurus.
Perhaps a little of both?
I could have asked Martin, but I didnt want to know.
Like all great art, I think the interpretation is best left to the viewer.
Extra points for adding Maddy and Zoe watching from the sidelines.
Finally, my favorite.
This deserves a medal made from Terra Novas priceless meteoritic ore and even has its own title.
Introducing, The Most Interesting Time Traveler in the World…
This is from Chris at whitehautephotography.com.
Yes, a spoof of Dos Equis Most Interesting Man in the World ads.
UPDATE: Just posted an update onTerra Novasrenewal status, plus my six ways to save the show.
