Recap / War Of The Worlds S 02 E 20 The Obelisk

Season 2, Episode 20:

The Obelisk

A titlecard reads "Almost Tomorrow".

In a fit of desperation, Malzor has an urgent meeting with the Eternal and tells it that things have gone From Bad to Worse — there are only 40 Morthren left, and the situation is growing more critical by the day. He asks for permission to use a device called the "Obelisk", but is knocked down in a bout of psychic pain, while the Eternal insinuates that he will be killed for his failures. Malzor begs for another chance and says that he won't let his people down.

Soon after, Malzor removes the Obelisk, a pyramid-shaped device, from a holding chamber and brings it to the rest of the group. Mana looks on in concern and asks if he was given permission to use such a device, and Malzor abruptly claims he had received the go-ahead. He opens the device, revealing a pair of crystals, one green and one blue. Claiming that one crystal imparts the history of their people and the other shows the future, Malzor holds the blue crystal in his hand, which glows. At the same time, Ceeto is also present, and hides behind a console while looking at the ceremony. Once the glow fades, Malzor tells the group that although it was originally not in their interests to eradicate life on Earth, the plan has changed and they will use spores to annihilate the population. Despite Mana and Ceeto's concern, Malzor tells the group to follow his orders and tells Ardix to conduct a test with a set of deadly spores.

Ardix and Bayda go outside and setup a device that will test the spores, while Ceeto tails them and watches. After they leave the area, Ceeto looks over the roof and sees every human in a one-block radius around the testing site, including children and teenagers, drop down on the ground. Realizing that Debi will be in danger if Malzor's plan comes to pass, he decides to take drastic action...

Police are wheeling out bodies when Blackwood, Kincaid and Suzanne arrive on-scene, and they surreptitiously take a saliva sample from one of the victims before leaving. Back at the hideout, they analyze the sample and learn that it attacks the mucus membranes and causes instant death, then hypothesize that the Morthren will be using multiple testing sites in anticipation of a cold front moving through the region the next morning. They work to formulate a plan to gather as much information and help, as quickly as possible, while Debi looks on.

At the Morthren base, Malzor declares the test a success and begins preparations to release all of the spores. Though Ceeto confronts Mana with his frustrations, she tells him that his time with humans has poisoned his judgement and says not to speak of the matter again. Soon after, Malzor uses the history crystal and has a flashback to his time on his home planet (and with his wife) before he is interrupted by Ceeto, who tells him what they're doing is wrong. Malzor grabs him by the neck and throws him away, pledging that the punishment will be death. In response to this, Ceeto pulls out one of the hand weapons and stuns Malzor, then steals the Obelisk and remaining crystal and flees from the base.

Ceeto runs through the city, only pausing to send a coded message to Debi to meet him at the old theatre. Debi gets the message and heads out of the base, with Suzanne seeing the message soon after and rallying Harrison to join her on a rescue mission. At the same time, Malzor orders search teams to comb the city, and Kincaid finds a note from Harrison telling him they've gone after Ceeto and heads out in pursuit.

Debi meets Ceeto at the theatre, followed by Harrison and Suzanne soon after, and he reveals that Malzor has gone mad and intends to wipe out the human race. He shows the Obelisk to the group and says it explains the Morthren's history, before going on to say that they're not all murders. The group leaves the theatre and takes up shelter in an abandoned warehouse. Ceeto tells them that the Morthren left Earth to colonize space, but their motives were twisted by Malzor. He asks the group to hold onto the crystal and explains that it will show them what life was like on Mor-tax in terms they can understand.

In a shared vision, Morthrai is seen as Ceeto explains that it's the Earth year 1945. Malzor meets with his wife, Tila, who tells him that she will soon complete the development of a hyperspace drive that will allow them to leave their planet. They are both summoned to a meeting by Lord Tallick, who tells them that their long-range scans have revealed a massive release of energy on Earth, which could mean that there is life on that planet. He orders an expeditionary force to travel to the planet, led by Tila, and use Morthrai's crystals as a power source. In private, Malzor attempts to dissuade Tallick from his plan, mentioning that he would be separated from his wife and the loss of crystals would destroy the planet, but Tallick is unmoved and orders him to follow his commands...

Back in the present, Harrison realizes the energy release Tallick mentioned was the Hiroshima bombing during World War II and tells Ceeto about the planet's conflicts. Kincaid, out searching for the group, is nearly ambushed by a pair of Morthren lying in wait at the old theatre and flees before contacting Harrison to rendezvous and discuss their next steps.

The team continues to use the crystal, showing a flashback to the Earth year 1953. They see Tila telling Malzor just before she leaves that he will one day be Tallick's successor, and says she will always love him. The events of the original film play out, and the entire invading force is wiped out. Back on Morthrai, Mana gives Malzor a crystal showing a memory of his wife's last moments — reaching her hand out to a crowd of soldiers before she melts from the bacteria. Angered and distraught, he confronts Tallick soon after and reveals that he is planning to go to Earth and wipe out humanity, and has ordered Mana to develop a serum that will counteract the bacteria that killed the first invasion. When Tallick protests and tells Malzor he's removing him from the chain of command, the latter vaporizes him and steals the Obelisk, saying that he is the leader now...

In the present, an increasingly-angered Malzor orders Mana to place the spore pods in the city immediately, despite her concerns. At the same time, Kincaid arrives at the abandoned warehouse and learns what's happening with the crystal, before deciding to cover the entrance as the team continues to view the visions. Ceeto explains that 35 Earth years later, the loss of the crystals resulted in Morthrai beginning to destabilize. In a flashback, they see Mana tell Malzor that their world is lost and they have nowhere to go, and he orders her to prepare a shuttle and bring as many of their people as they can to Earth, saying that their old traditions are dead and they will have to become a new race.

At the Morthren base, Malzor continues to become unhinged and tells Mana to release the spores, despite her complaints that the wind direction is wrong and the devices won't work in their optimal fashion. Enraged, he slaps her across the face and threatens to kill her for her insolence. Soon after, Ceeto (realizing that Malzor has betrayed all of the Morthren) tells Harrison, Kincaid and the others that the only way to stop hostilities is to go back to the base and stop the leader himself. Ceeto calls Mana and orders her to come to his location alone. Despite her reluctance, she agrees and sneaks out of the base.

Soon after, she arrives at the abandoned warehouse, where a Mexican Standoff ensues when she sees the rest of the group. Kincaid (having realized she's the same woman who turned his brother into a monster) attempts to fire on her before Harrison holds him back, while Ceeto convinces Mana to view the crystal for herself and realize how Malzor lied to her. When she does so, she is disgusted with the revelation and pledges to get revenge. The group is interrupted by a Morthren attack party led by Malzor, who took notice of her absence and tailed her. Two Morthren soldiers are killed in the ensuing firefight, and Morthren and his remaining soldier are forced to flee from the battle.

Mana tells the group outside the warehouse that Malzor has a remote control that can activate the spores, and that she must stop him. She agrees with Harrison's plan to infiltrate the base and attack as a group, and takes them to the power plant. Just outside the facility, Suzanne orders Debi to stay behind in case the situation worsens or they don't come back alive, and she reluctantly agrees. Mana also orders Ceeto to stay behind with Debi before they move inside.

Within the perimeter, Mana shoots down a Morthren soldier that tries to attack Kincaid in his blind spot. Inside the main control area, Malzor is rallying his troops when the group enters brandishing their weapons. Mana storms up to Malzor and tells him that he's going to pay for killing Tallick, who was her father. Malzor tries to rally the crowd to shoot her, but Mana silences everyone by pulling out the crystal and replaying the memory of Tallick's death.

Realizing that all of the Morthren know about his duplicity, Malzor takes Suzanne as a hostage and orders Ardix to release the spores, but he refuses to do so. The situation is thwarted by Ceeto, who runs into the room and yells for Malzor. The latter releases Suzanne before spinning around and firing, vaporizing Ceeto. Standing behind Ceeto is Debi, who instinctively raises her gun and fires several rounds into Malzor's chest, fatally wounding him.

As the Morthren soldiers and the heroes watch, Malzor falls to the ground and stares in shock before painfully melting away. Harrison pulls Kincaid's weapon down and tells him that the fight is finished, while Debi grieves over Ceeto's death. Mana walks up to Ardix and Bayla and orders them to destroy the spores and the research in the base. She then turns to Debi and reveals that Ceeto was her son. After contemplating the situation for a moment, she goes to Harrison and Kincaid and says that the Morthren will have to learn to adapt to normal life on Earth, and considers Harrison's request to share their knowledge and understanding so conditions will improve.

With the Morthren threat finally dealt with for good, the team goes back to the base and contemplates what's just happened. After a few moments, Harrison tells them that they should leave the base and get some air. On their way out, the still-reeling Debi sees that the tree has now become healthy again thanks to its exposure to the sunlight, and takes it on their way out.

The team exits the base at sunrise. Harrison points out that it's a nice morning, and the team walks into a new day...

Tropes:

• Arc Welding: It's revealed that the original 1953 invasion was caused by Tallick discovering an energy signature on Earth (a theory speculated by Harrison in the first season) and sending a science team, headed by Malzor's wife, to the planet to investigate. Malzor subsequently kills Tallick in revenge, orders Mana to develop a cure to overcome the Earth's bacteria, and subsequently sets a plot in motion to flee Mor-Tax and invade Earth.
• Aside Glance: Harrison and Kincaid exchange this after learning that Ceeto was Mana's son.
• Bad Boss: By the time the final confrontation rolls around, Malzor has threatened to execute several Morthren working for him, including Mana and Ceeto, just because they expressed doubts about his plan. After the truth is revealed that Malzor killed Tallick and Debi shoots Malzor, no one mourns his death.
• Bittersweet Ending: Malzor gets his comeuppance and the team walks out into a brand new day, full of hope. Yet, the remaining 36 Morthren are left to figure out how to survive on Earth, and Ceeto is dead by Malzor's hand.
• Book Ends:
  • Both the finale and the season premiere with a title card that reads "Almost Tomorrow". Likewise, the climax of both episodes has a female character from the same family (Debi/Suzanne) being taken hostage by a villain and forcing a Mexican Standoff.
  • The phonebooth Ceeto uses to stash the Morthren communication equipment he contacts Debi with is the same booth that was used by Harrison to call Suzanne in the season premiere, just before he's rescued by Kincaid.
  • The ending of the season premiere and season (and series) finale end with a scene set at daybreak, as the team walks into the world uncertain of what's going to happen.
• Celebrity Star: Noted Canadian actress Cynthia Dale gets a guest-star credit as Tila, Malzor's wife. It's revealed that she is the dying alien who was affected by common bacteria and tried to climb out of the War Machine as a crowd of soldiers watched in the 1953 film.
• Continuity Nod:
  • The episode has a Flashback showing how the Morthren were attracted to Earth after witnessing the Hiroshima bombing, which is what Harrison had speculated back in the first season. (However, it also creates a Continuity Snarl with the 1953 movie, which depicted the aliens as violent from the get-go and initiating hostilities, even after multiple attempts at peace.)
  • When Mana pulls a Heel–Face Turn and decides to ally with the group, Kincaid initially refuses to believe her, citing that she killed his brother and brought him back as a monster.
• Crusading Widow: In the flashbacks to life on Morthrai, Malzor becomes this after witnessing the Morthren invasion force (including his wife) die at the hands of humans on Earth, and pledges to wipe them out as a result.
• Dwindling Party: Of a villainous variation. Malzor tells the Eternal at the beginning of the episode that there are only 40 Morthren left. By the time the episode ends, the number is down to 36, and Mana tells the remaining Morthren that they'll have to integrate with society somehow.
• Easily Forgiven: At the end of this episode, everyone is just tired of fighting and killing and has no energy to be upset at anyone. For the Blackwood team, it was Heroic Fatigue. For the Morthren, they reached a Despair Event Horizon due to the fact that everything they were doing was based on a big fat lie by their late leader Malzor. Mana, depsite all she had been through, was willing to accept if the humans felt that she and her people were not deserving of forgiveness. And Blackwoood, whose team is responsible for killing countless Morthren, isn't above letting the few surviving Morthren decide if they just want to be left alone. The ending suggests an optimistic future relationship.
  Mana: You should understand that your world is destined to suffer the same fate as ours.
  Blackwood: Can you help us avoid that fate?
  Mana (after a brief thoughtful pause): That is up to you.
• Freeze-Frame Bonus: A pair of Morthren soldiers can be seen slowly climbing down a ladder a few feet behind Mana as she reacts in anger to the crystal's revelations, several seconds before she realizes the soldiers' presence and opens fire on them.
• Harmful to Minors:
  • Seeto witnesses the effects of the spore test against the populace, and promptly freaks out upon realizing that Debi will die if Malzor is allowed to complete his plan.
  • In turn, Seeto's death causes Debi to snap, and she shoots down Malzor in retaliation.
• Heel–Face Turn: Mana decides to help the heroes stop Malzor after it becomes clear that the latter has betrayed his people and intends to wipe out as many humans as possible.
• Karma Houdini: While Malzor is killed right after he murders Seeto, the heroes let Mana and the rest of the Morthren off scot-free at the end of the episode. This is despite the fact that Mana, Bayda and Ardix, among others, committed many atrocities in the name of their race. Subverted in the sense that Mana feels genuine remorse and Ardix is demoralized and resigned to his fate.
• Mirroring Factions: It's implied that humanity is facing similar geological weather shifts that eventually resulted in the destruction of Morthrai, and that mankind and the Morthren will need to work together to solve the crisis.
• Not So Stoic: Once it becomes clear that the Eternal isn't going to aid him, Malzor begins to suffer from Sanity Slippage and starts snapping at his soldiers, eventually culminating in him screaming at his troops to do something once Mana and the team enter the base armed during the episode's climax.
• Rule of Symbolism:
  • Debi attempts to help a dying tree grow by placing it in direct sunlight near a skylight at the top of the team's underground base, only to be told by Kincaid that she should stop wasting her time with it. Come the end of the episode, she's pleasantly surprised to learn that the tree looks healthier, and brings it along as the team exits the base at the end of the episode.
  • The sun rises as the team exits their base at the end of the episode.
• Sanity Slippage: Malzor continues to become more and more unhinged as things go From Bad to Worse for the Morthren, eventually culminating in him incoherently screaming at his soldiers to do something when the Blackwood team breaches the base.
• Series Continuity Error:
  • At one point, Mana comes to realize that using the spores would be harmful to humanity and the Morthren, claiming that the spores are responsible for the destruction of their home planet. As is revealed later in the episode, the actual reason for Morthrai's collapse was due to Tallick (and later Malzor) authorizing construction of a group of ships using the planet's energy and resources, which bled the planet dry.
  • It's claimed that humanity is the first species that the Morthren have discovered in the galaxy, and it's this discovery and subsequent pursuit (with no other species listed) that leads them to Earth. However, Seft of Emun revealed that the Morthren had already encountered (and enslaved) members of Seft's race prior to coming to Earth.
  • Malzor claims at the beginning of the episode that it wasn't in the Morthren's interests to "eradicate all human life"... even though they spend a not-so-insignificant amount of time trying to do exactly that in earlier episodes, and their predecessors were obsessed with doing the exact same thing (to the point that they nearly detonated a nuclear warhead in the first season).
  • It's claimed that the Mor-Taxians/Morthren were the only beings in their own galaxy... which is incorrect, as the first-season finale revealed that there was a group of synthetic lifeforms in their galaxy who saw them destroying worlds and were doing something to stop them.
  • The finale reframes the entire focus of the original 50's-era conflict as that of being a peaceful expedition that was unfairly attacked by humans and wiped out nearly instantly. Except that the aliens in 1953 are shown stating hostilities immediately, and rejecting multiple offers of peace by humanity. This may fall under Unreliable Narrator status, as it's conveyed by an obelisk that may have had its visions altered in some fashion.
• Team Killer:
  • While Seeto does use the stun function on his weapon to incapacitate other Morthren, Mana does not and executes two guards who try to stop her after her Heel–Face Turn.
  • Mana vaporizes a Morthen soldier trying to shoot Kincaid in the power plant, and tells him not to hesitate if he sees any other soldiers.
  • Malzor also executes Seeto before Debi guns him down.
• Trauma Conga Line: In the span of a single night, Mana is assaulted by Malzor upon questioning his motives, learns that Malzor killed her father several years before they were forced to flee Mor-Tax, and sees her own son (Ceeto) vaporized by Malzor. That she's able to hold herself together despite what's happened is surprising.
• Villainous Breakdown: Malzor goes through an episode-long breakdown after being questioned and threatened by the Eternal, culminating in a last-ditch attempt to activate the spores.
• Walking Into The Sunrise: The finale ends with the team walking down a street at sunrise and commenting on how nice the weather is after Malzor is defeated and the Morthren agree to lay down arms.
• What Happened to the Mouse?: It's never disclosed if the Eternal reacted to Malzor's death, or if any of the Morthren will attempt to contact it. It simply disappears for good after Malzor contacts it at the beginning of the episode, and is never brought up again.
• Would Hit a Girl: Malzor backhands Mana across the face after she questions his judgement.

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