First Wave
"Prayer For The White Man"

Airdate: April 9, 2000

Following the lead of yet another of Nostradamus' quatrains, Cade investigates the Winchala reservation where an important vote on the status of gambling on tribal lands is due to be held the next day. Foster must find an ally and an aid to uncover the influence of the Gua.

The proponent of the measure which will open 90 casinos of varying sizes on the reservation is suave, smooth, (and Gua) and insists that the benefits far outweigh any chance of problems that might arise. Opposing him is Lonetree (Graham Greene), an educated lawyer and proponent of the old ways. He has been asking the spirits for help in finding a way to prevent this scourge from entering the tribal lands and has received an answer. Sort of.

The spirit of a long dead ancestor called "The Maiden of the Woods" has given him one clue, the word "Gua". Out of his hatred for the white man, he instinctively does not trust Cade. However, when Foster is not only saved from a beating by one of The Maiden's familiars, a wolf, but also utters the magic word, "Gua", they form an uneasy alliance and set out to uncover the secrets of those who would spread this vice all over the reservation.

The Gua are unmasked and defeated, of course, and the measure is defeated preserving the bond between the Winchala and the spirits of the land.

The moral of the story? It's two fold. The first is that part of our strength as humans comes from our spiritual sides, and when we lose contact with it are more vulnerable to attacks from the outside. The second has to do with the brotherhood of man. Hatred, like greed, makes you weak. Love and understanding for your fellow man takes inner strength.

This week's tale is very straightforward. While the Gua infiltrator lists many good reasons to support reservation gambling casinos, he cannot fully silence the wisdom of those who are leery of not only increasing the number of casinos, but also of allowing a large percentage of the ownership and administration to belong to those outside of the tribe. I'm surprised that the argument "Greed is good." didn't get bandied about. Ah well, it was understood I suppose.

Graham Greene is a treat in any project he lends his presence to, even the moralizing First Wave. Here he has taken what could have turned out to be a stereotypical guest shot and imbibed his character with some quirky personality. His Lonetree is no old fashioned, backwards, back woods, stick-in-the-mud as his opponent claims. In point of fact, not only is he a lawyer, but he's also a damn good golf player. However, Lonetree has not abandoned his roots, not forgotten the painful past of his people, and still practices some of the old ways. He is not against progress per se, but he is against the spiritual draining of his people. And he's not afraid to say so. He's not perfect though. Which is a good thing in a character. His natural distrust of white men leads him to doubt Cade even after that particular white man is aided by The Maiden of the Woods, a sure sign that he should trust Foster.

The small bit of co-operative time between Foster and Lonetree was fun. Not only did Cade find himself having to apologize for some of his more stereotypical (read: "sneaky, white man") behavior, but he also had to explain some of his stranger methods of doing things. The chemistry between the two actors was very good and the series could stand to have Lonetree show up a few more times in order to spice things up.

All in all, a mediocre story given a substantial lift by the acting.

-- Linda M. Najera

First Wave airs at 7pm EST, Sundays on The Sci Fi Channel.

We welcome your comments on The 11th Hour and this review. Please send letters to: letters@the11thhour.com

< Previous Review