Life was a deeper look at the day to day life of the crew, looking particularly at Camile (Ming-Na), who seemed fairly stable until she visited home and revealed her vulnerability. Scott (Brian J. Smith) discovered he had a son, whom he assumed had been aborted before birth. Young (Louis Ferreira) had a lot of stress as he had to cope with Rush’s (Robert Carlyle) deceit, the day to day running of the ship and the knowledge that Telford (Lou Diamond Philips) was paying friendly visits to his wife. Spencer (Josh Blacker), who has always been a negative presence in the background, was focused on more in Life, which links into Justice.
Justice begins with the death of Spencer; the most abrasive member of the crew is found dead in his quarters with a bullet in his head when he doesn’t turn up for duty. Suicide was discussed, however the absence of a gun lead to the conclusion that there was a murderer on board.
Rush is less than surprised due to Spencer’s confrontational behaviour and the fact that he hoarded supplies, and those present agree that he had no friends to speak of. Young launches an investigated, using a group including Eli (David Blue) and Scott as they were playing cards and couldn’t have committed the murder. They begin a room by room search, which causes friction with some of the crew. Eli and Scott are shocked when they find the missing gun hidden in Young’s room, neither one wanting to believe he had anything to do with it.
Despite Scott’s objections, Young orders the younger officer to take the gun to Camile and tell her where he found it. He insists on the investigation going ahead with him as the main suspect until he is proven innocent. Camile contacts the IOA through the communication stones and it is decided that a hearing should be called. Young asks Chloe (Elyse Levesque) to be his defence.
Many people are called to the stand, including Franklin (Mark Burgess), who admitted that Young defended him from Spencer. Rush is also put on the stand, where he admits Young had spoken to him about Spencer’s disruptive behaviour, and agreed that Spencer had been lowering morale. It is revealed by TJ (Alaina Huffman) that Spencer was taking pills, suggesting he had withdrawals, which could have led to suicide. Only the absence of the gun suggests murder, but they do not have the facilities to really find out what really happened.
Whether Young is guilty or not is almost put to the vote, until Camile and Young agree that if Young steps down and puts Camile in charge then they will close the case as unsolved. Once in charge Camile gives Rush control of his science team, meaning he can study the chair at his leisure. Rush tempts his team into work by suggesting that the chair may be able to help them control the ship, and possibly return to Earth. Tragedy strikes, as Young knew it would, when Franklin sits in the chair without authorisation, hoping to further Rush’s work. Franklin is left in a coma.
In the meantime, Scott and Eli continue going over Kino footage, hoping to prove Young’s innocence so that he can re-take command of the ship. Eli discovers that some footage has been deleted, which shows Spencer talking to the Kino before shooting himself. Young accompanies Rush to the planet, where the scientist sets to work studying what he can of the ship. Young stays with Rush for an extra few minutes, where Rush admits that he discovered Spencer’s suicide and planted the gun in Young’s quarters. After a heated confrontation only one returns to the ship.
Review
This episode gives viewer a closer look at Rush’s dark side as he sets Young up for Spencer’s murder in order to gain control of his science team, intending to study the chair without Young’s limitations. The situation is cleverly handled as Rush never leaves any clear evidence of his intentions; he never ordered Franklin to sit in that chair, though Young suggest that he knew Franklin was so close to breaking point that he would, just so that they could get home.
Robert Carlyle plays his part as both unassuming scientist and villain very well; until it is revealed, viewers can only guess that Rush was the guilty party as it is never made clear, and Rush speaks on Young’s behalf at various points. Ming-Na shows Camile’s ability to manipulate proceedings during the trial, as well as her limited leadership skills, making it clear that she is not as secure in the role as Young. She easily bends to Rush’s will. David Blue shows Eli as he grapples with his own feelings about Young, beginning to have doubts about the man for the first time.
Louis Ferreira shows Young’s integrity as he handles his own situation as prime suspect for a murder, refusing to remain in command while his innocence is in question. We also see that without command Young is of little use, seen idle in his quarters for the first time as the work has been handed over to Camile. We also see a darker side of him during his confrontation with Rush at the end of the episode.
In this episode we are shown a new planet, where the gate has been deposited in a deep canyon on a desert world. In the canyon an alien ship is also found, a small craft that seems abandoned, though the inside is not revealed as Rush has trouble with the door and remains with Young to open it.
This episode signals the first sign intelligent life, something many fans were impatient for since the series has so far focused on the characters and their situation. Personally, I believe that this focus on characters was an important factor since without knowing the characters it is difficult to relate to them, and without seeing them dealing with their new situation the emotional impact would have been lost. In my opinion this was the right time to introduce new life, since we have gotten to know the characters and future episodes would begin to stagnate without a new outside influence
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