The Caretaker (No. 78)

If you are a writer or a reviewer (pick one) you know that entire stories, films, TV shows, movies can be based on emotion (drama, romcom, love stories, personal triumphs) or action (Stallone, Arnold, etc) but the trick, the feat of magic, the difference between simple entertainment and brilliance, is combining the two.

Star Wars, the original, did this. If you were were young enough to watch it in the theatre then you will remember not only only the non-stop action but also the story of the Princess and the Evil Warlord and the Young Hero.

What is most remarkable about this episode in this already remarkable series is not only do we have non-stop action (kidnapping, terrorists) but that there is also a powerful undercurrent of emotion in this script that runs through it as neatly as a stitch in a pair of Reboks.

The apology during the last few seconds of a ticking bomb was brilliant. Better than sending roses or chocolates, makes a stronger statement.

The Caretaker is a guy who holds secrets from all over the world. He gets his information from pneumatic tubes that run under New York and other places. But he is keeping another big secret. His actions, however, bring repercussions. Things he couldn't have anticipated. Tom and Gina get together. Once again she tries to kill him. With this show's propensity for violence, it's amazing he doesn't just shoot her. He is now shacking up with Elizabeth, awaiting a wedding and the birth of their child. She once again goes underground to find out more about her mother. Something is revealed at the end. There is also a warning about the future.