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OVERALL IMPRESSIONS: At the risk of coming across as a curmudgeon of many more years of age than I can actually claim, this is a good example of an episode which would have been better if the bad guys had won. Still, having seen three of the four Outer Limits episodes in which Gabrielle appears (to the best of my knowledge, anyway), as well as a fair number of her appearances in other productions, this is one of the more fun credits you can watch if you're a fan of Gabrielle's. Not only is she superb from start to finish, but she has much more screen time than average, gets plenty of chances to excel and doesn't waste any of them.
As this episode shows in its final scene, aside from her many other acting talents, Gabrielle can even gloat well (as a holographic projection, no less) on camera. That made me smile even as I watched in disappointment as an ending that I saw coming a mile away wasn't topped off by an evil plot twist that would have had Dr. Normandy win this battle. I have nothing at all against happy endings, but they do tend to dull an episode's impact when you're watching a brilliant bad guy who clearly has no chance of coming out on top. Garber, who is the brightest spot in Alias by far (a show that would be far better with Gabrielle in the lead instead of Jennifer Garner), did a better job of playing the bad guy than anyone else I've seen in the Outer Limits series (I've seen about two thirds of the episodes).
This is the first of Gabrielle's credits which I was able to take off of The Milk Carton since launching this site, thanks to a recent release of Outer Limits theme discs (one is contains nothing but time travel episodes, another contains nothing but alien-related episodes, and the one that contains "Glitch" contains nothing but android-related episodes). If you're not familiar with Gabrielle's work, this is your best chance to become familiar with her at minimal expense - the Outer Limits "Fantasic Androids and Robots" collection can be bought new for about ten or twelve bucks. The entire theme set runs about $50-55, and if you're a fan of Gabrielle's the android collection will likely become your favorite, although if you're not taking her into account you might find (as I did) that from a more objective point of view the best of the six discs is the "Time Travel & Infinity" collection.
KUDOS TO GABRIELLE: Although there was no one scene that matched the impact that a particular scene of hers in Outer Limits episode "From Within" had on me, there were a couple that were close. First, there was one scene in which she argues with Dr. Normandy, in which Garber was practically indistinguishable from his role in Alias. Another, which was arguably more impressive (partly because unlike the scene with Garber, there was nobody in the scene capable of sharing the limelight - but mostly because Gabrielle does the scene amazingly well) was when she speaks to the widow of her mentor, Joe Walker (played by Jack Klugman), and learns something about herself that she never knew.
TRIVIA: The "Fantastic Androids and Robots" disc also contains an episode Tobias Mehler, Gabrielle's boyfriend at the time Robson Arms was shot, appears. In this episode, called "The Hunt," hunting of animals is forbidden and hunting androids is the only option left for those who like to take rifles into the woods. Mehler plays the son of a completely bloodthirsty jerkoff and doesn't have the lack of conscience required to shoot the androids. This episode is a good example of an episode in which a decent character played by a decent actor is eliminated in the corniest way possible. Mehler's character gets captured by the androids and is eventually let go, but he's dumb enough to wear the androids' vest as he walks back through the woods to try to find his party. You don't need me to tell you that this is the equivalent of going out on a hunting excursion, leaving your fellow hunters, dressing in camouflage and prancing up and down the paths in the area with a set of antlers tied to your head. As such, the poor sap is predictably blown away - even more predictably, by his own father. Apologies for the spoiler, but given that the kid was stupid enough to wear target rings on his back you'd have seen it coming whether I blew it for you or not. If you enjoy the sort of episode in which the bad guys get theirs, you'll like this one with or without me ruining it for you.
At any rate, the disc is worth the price just for Gabrielle's episode alone. My advice: go out and buy it. Get to know her work and you'll understand why I launched this site. Then go to amazon.ca and order Corner Gas.
APPEARING HERE AND ELSEWHERE WITH GABRIELLE: Stephen E. Miller, who plays a neurotic Army officer, also played a bartender in "Inspectors 2: A Shred of Evidence," Mr. Anderson in "Due East," Magnum Potter in "Floating Away," and also appeared in Neon Rider episode "Where the Buffalo Roam" and "Outer Limits" episode "Glitch." Garvin Cross, who played the R&R leader, also played Ralph Sutton in Outer Limits episode "First Anniversary."
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