First Wave
"The Purge"

Airdate: April 16, 2000

The Guahead's second hand man, known only as The Minister, arrives on Earth, ready to kick some human sympathizer butt and take names. His only problem? He chooses Joshua to carry out his dirty work.

"The Purge" is an interesting, completely Cade-less episode that gives the viewers greater insight into the Gua. Up until now, acolyte Joshua was perhaps the only Gua presented who felt that the coming invasion was a mistake. His reasons however dealt more with The Powers That Be's underestimating the enemy -- that would be us -- than a sense of... er... humanity. His interactions with our hero Cade Foster stood as proof that we would not be the easy target that Gua command expected us to be.

His discussions with childhood friend Trent, now the head of the empiricists on Earth, in "The Purge" add an extra layer to his already complex character showing that the acolyte was -- and still is -- an idealist. And in an even more surprising turn of events, we find that he is not alone. For you see, the Gua were not always heartless conquerors. Once they embraced an ethic which called upon them to listen to a higher authority, to live a moral life and even sacrifice the niceties of existence in order to eliminate an evil from the universe.

Trent is used to both spur on Joshua's sluggish conscience and to illustrate that not all Gua are created equal. Perhaps what I liked best about Trent and this episode was the idea that he presented to the acolyte regarding the idea that by preventing the decimation of humans on Earth, they would actually save themselves and possibly their own planet. The party line that their homeland is dying moves Trent to decide that instead of subjugating Earth, the Gua should instead focus all that energy on the Gua planet.

In the end Joshua must make a decision as to what constitutes true patriotism; blind loyalty to a corrupt and evil command, or cooperation with a resistance movement which could lead to death and dishonor. As before, Joshua's choice bodes well for the future of Earth.

I had always felt that the first Season of First Wave did not live up to the potential of its premise. Except in the case of Joshua, the Gua were stereotypical villains. While that situation lends itself to lots of melodrama, it gets old very fast. "The Purge" takes First Wave a step forward by humanizing the Gua. No longer is Joshua the only sensible, completely not-evil one. And while their actions may in the end save humanity, it is interesting to see that the Gua are also dedicated to saving their moral centers, even to the point of betraying their own leadership.

The enemy -- and therefore the show -- has just gotten a lot more intriguing.

-- Linda M. Najera

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

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