By Kenn Gold
The 3rd installment of the new SCI FI series opens with a very different wardrobe for bounty hunter Baylin (Karen Cliche). Apparently, she has had a recent run in with the mail man, and can not be trusted to be left alone while Flash and Dale attend the wedding of Nick's brother. In route to the wedding, Zarkov calls with news that another rift has opened. The gang goes to investigate, and it turns out that a dangerous insect, the joy bug, has come thru the rift, and ends up biting Nick- and the bite is fatal.
Flash and Baylin head to Mongo to find a cure, while Dale is left to keep Nick miserable to save his life. Zarkov works in the lab, conducting tests on a rabbit to see the effects of stress on the joy bug infection. On Mongo, Flash and Baylin encounter a new tribe, the Omadrian's who castrate their men to keep them docile. Flash makes a deal though, for the antidote, which involves stealing an ancient artifact which Ming had Baylin steal in the past.
Flash and Baylin head to Ming's stronghold, and Flash co-opts Aura into helping recover the artifact. Baylin has a run in with Rankol, which leads to a meeting with Ming, in which she lies about Flash, but is found out. Flash rescues Baylin, and they return the artifact to the Omadrian's and get the cure. Meanwhile, back on Earth, Dale continues to torture Nick making him miserable enough that he can survive.
Flash and Baylin return with the cure, in the nick of time. Baylin compliments Dale on being able to keep Nick miserable, and tells her it must have been hard.
This episode of Flash has several major factors in it's favor. First, the series finally has an opening sequence, and a theme. Given the 10 sec themes that most sci fi shows have gone back to over the last couple of years, this is welcome. The scenes between Flash and Baylin are establishing the closeness that the two will share throughout the rest of the series. Flash offers to sacrifice himself for her without thinking, because it is the right thing to do, and only asks that she take care of his friend. This is a major event for Baylin, who can not believe that Flash would do this for her. This is the start of cementing their relationship.
Nick, who was only marginally in the pilot as Flash's friend gets a bigger role, and we see the guy can do comedy. Gina Holden, as Dale Arden, is again outstanding in the episode, and stretches the character of Dale going between comedy and a very darkly serious counterplot.
All of the major characters continue to develop in this installment, and the show would seem to be developing a strong footing in the mythos of the source material. Flash Gordon is here for the long haul, at least for a full season, and this installment is a step towards developing a firm footing as a strong show.
