"The Decision"
Air Date: October 8, 1999

Proving yet again that the ball can indeed be dropped, First Wave's season one finale, "The Decision", was a stellar example of a show ripping off its faithful flock. In what amounted to about 12 minutes of new footage wrapped around a clips show, this episode gave Gua acolyte Joshua (Roger C. Cross) center stage from which to deter his alien species from launching the Second Wave on Earth.

His centerpiece argument against the invasion was none other than a series of vignettes featuring the series' fearless Cade Foster (Sebastian Spence) as he evolved from a wrongly accused widower to potential savior of the human race.

Episodes highlighted included the pilot, "Subject 117", which saw Foster's wife Hannah taken away from him and replaced with a hideous tentacle-sprouting clone who he later killed, setting off the chain reaction that led him to uncovering proof that they are indeed here.

"Speaking in Tongues", involving the Gua's Koresh-inspired revivalist, was used to highlight the aliens' weakness in adapting to the human species. Another, "The Undesirables", showed how the Gua are susceptible to salt addiction, which affects them as heroin does humans. Both were part of Joshua's argument that the Gua are simply unprepared to invade.

"The Blue Agave", where wormlike creatures invaded the brains of a select group of elite Earthlings, was displayed to highlight the ease with which Foster is able to detect and dispatch Gua operatives, as he did when presented with his late wife's best friend denying her love for him and her clone declaring it.

"The Box", the episode where Cade comes face to face with Hannah's killer and avenges her death was another example of Foster's ability to defeat them while "Blind Witness" hit on Foster being able to evade his own dissection at the hands of the Gua in an LA hospital.

"Crazy Eddie" set forth the example of how Foster is able to convince people that the Gua exist and is a force who can corral followers, including the heretofore unconvincable Crazy Eddie (Rob LaBelle). Joshua used clips from that same episode to show how Foster annihilated a warehouse of would-be Gua clones in the same facility where Joshua was hatched.

"Marker 262" showed how Foster is able to detect and destroy Gua technology such as the ep's namesake highway markers that opened up wormholes into deserted portals.

In the end, no actual decision was made. Joshua's testimony regarding Foster convinced some of the Gua upper echelon that they aren't yet ready when humans such as Cade can and do defeat their plans, while others insisted Cade's bravado is the exception and not the rule of human behavior. A vote was taken, and of course, the deciding vote was left as the cliffhanger as the show ended with another past clip of Cade looking into a surveillance camera and telling the Gua on the other end "I know you're here."

All in all this was a waste for faithful viewers who have already traveled these journeys. I mean really, when you have a three-year pick-up what would it hurt to spring for a real season finale? I doubt they've damaged any of the fanbase with this stunt but I for one was incredibly disappointed.

First Wave airs at 10 pm EST and 2 am EST on Fridays on the Sci-Fi Channel. It moves to Sundays at 7 pm and 10 pm EST when season two starts in January.

-- Heather McLatchie

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