Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Intelligence - Size Matters


After five of the world's leading scientists around the world all turn up dead, Cyber Command uncovers a plot targeting several more scientists including Dr. Shenendoah Cassidy (John Billingsley) and a former star pupil Bryce Tyler (Tommy Dewey), by someone capable of creating advanced killer nanites. After his rescue it doesn't take Bryce long to recognize Gabriel's (Josh Holloway) unique skills and quickly deduce what his old teacher has achieved.

While trying to limit Bryce's interaction with Gabriel, the evidence leads Gabriel and Riley (Meghan Ory) to a formerly great scientist turned anti-technology nutbag (David Marciano) but the suspect turns out to be just another victim and not the mastermind of the plot (who is relatively easy to guess considering how "Size Matters" tips its hand with Bryce's dialogue early and often well before the reveal). The team quickly takes the real killer, whose selfish motives had nothing to do with a specific anti-technology manifesto, into custody, but not before Cassidy is infected with the nanites causing Gabriel work with with Nelson (P.J. Byrne) to race and save him.

Continuing the inconsistencies when protecting the government's greatest asset, despite the discovery of killer nanites, Cyber Command takes no action to protect their billion dollar man from becoming infected (as they actually put him in position to be infected at least three times by my count). Nor is the fate of Cassidy in any real doubt (despite how much the episode attempts to milk his life-threatening condition). As has become the trademark of the show's first season, the episode succeeds when highlighting on Gabriel and Riley's dynamic and the use of the cyber-render (the version with the nanites is a little perplexing but looks cool), but Intelligence continues to struggle when moving outside this comfort zone.

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