Outcasts (Episode 8)

It took a while but I finally got around to watching the last episode of
Outcasts. Knowing that another series was not on the cards and that the end
did not wrap everything up, I was in no great rush to see this final
episode. Still, I have to say that, now I have watched it, it was actually
very good and probably one of the best of the 8 episodes.After confirming the existence of Carpathia's "host force" last week, the
invisible aliens decided (for reasons we'll never find out) to infect a few
of the inhabitants of Forthaven with another 'halo' virus, which the medical
team unimaginatively dubbed CT24. DJ Tipper Malone was the first to be
infected - thankfully this time the writers didn't bring in some new
character for just one episode.Meanwhile, using the emergence of the new virus to stir up trouble against
the ACs, Berger made his move against Tate, determined to take control
before the arrival of the next transport ship. And, just to add to their
troubles, Berger also got an message from the arriving ship about Fleur and
Project Omega - a new breed of AC. Seems Fleur was a new type of clone, one
with an enhanced brain, though I'm not sure what extra abilities she was
supposed to have (and, I guess, we'll never find out). Later, it's also
hinted that some of Tate's DNA might have been used to create her.Eventually, the Forthaven crew realised the four letter sequence they
detected earlier related to human DNA (took them long enough!) and was
causing the virus and so they set up some sort of ultrasonic shield
thingymabob. But not before Tate relinquished control over to Jack, of all
people! not to worry though as Tate was a good chess player (loved that bit
about Tate using individuals as pieces to ensure the best for everyone) and
Jack actually came to his senses and joined the Good Guys. The shield went
up, the virus was stopped and this also prevented the transport ship
communicating with Berger. Instead, it landed just outside Forthaven... ...and that was pretty much it (well, kind of).In a way, it's a pity we won't see the story of Outcasts continuing,
especially after a decent, engaging, reasonably thrilling last episode.
We'll never know what that "host force" or the transport ship were all
about. Nor get the dozens of other questions answered. Though we did get a
sort of answer as to why the people of Forthaven never ventured much beyond
their city walls. This was due to Tate's overprotective, slightly
suffocating rule, something that Berger wanted to address. That was nice. But, it was too little too late. If Outcasts had been this good from the
first episode, and not so depressingly dull, perhaps it wouldn't have lost
as many viewers and been shifted to a late night Sunday slot. It had a
decent cast and impressive vistas, but it really needed to hit the ground
running and not build up our involvement in the story over 8 long hours.Other than Doctor Who (and its spin-offs) one wonders whether the BBC has
been put off and will not bother to commission another sci-fi series in the
near future. Let's hope this isn't the case and that we'll still see more
space adventures soon!