Episode three of Space Precinct actually goes out of its way to focus on one of the characters for a change, and makes this the best episode of the series so far.
The episode opens on Skall Street, one of the most lawless parts of the city, and home to the Hydra Gang. An elderly Creon shopkeeper, Skeevan, is mugged by a member of the gang, but when a pair of aliens arrive on the scene to stop him the gang member suffers a heart attack and dies. These two aliens, a tarn called Trask, and an unidentified alien girl called Vala, begin to protect the citizens of Skall Street, taking on the members of the Hydra Gang. However, when they begin to demand money from the residents in exchange for this protection it becomes clear their motives are less than noble.
There's no great mystery to the plot in this episode, no killer to be found like in the last one, instead all the information is given to the viewer up front. That's because it seems like this episode isn't really about the crime at all, but instead it gives us an insight into the past of Captain Podly.
Over the course of the episode we learn that Podly grew up on Skall Street, and was even something of a crook himself when he was a kid. Having turned his life around and made something of himself he's angry that the people of his old home are being targeted, and wants to do something about it. The episode doesn't let this just sit in a clear black and white, however, as former friends of Podly call him out on the fact that he's essentially turned his back on his past. This raises some good moral questions on the issue, if Podly wasn't as concerned about Skall Street when it was being terrorised by the Hydra Gang, why should be suddenly care when someone is killing off the members of the gang now?
Honestly, this is the most thought that's been given to any of the characters in the show so far. Even Brogan, the hero of the series, hasn't really been given the spotlight in this way. We know he transferred from New York to Demeter City, but that's it. We don't know about his past, how he grew up, or really what drives him to be a good cop; yet we get that with Podly. It's a bold choice to have the first character focused episode be given over to a character who isn't even in the opening credits (as none of the alien actors are) but it's a very welcome one.
The 'surprise' reveal that Trask isn't the one killing people, but that he's using Vala to do it was pretty obvious, however, and I'm not sure if we were really supposed to suspect him or not. The episode doesn't seem to hide the fact that Trask can't be trusted, and the revelation that he's taking advantage of Vala seemed obvious before it happened. Despite this, Trask's a good character, and he's convincing as a villain taking advantage of the people around him. Towards the end of the episode he loses believably somewhat when he tries to send the police station crashing out of orbit as he becomes a bit more arch and transforms into a Saturday morning cartoon villain.
Overall 'Enforcer' is a very good episode, and probably the best of the series so far. Hopefully this is an indicator that the series will begin to look at their side characters more and put a bit of focus on the people rather than just the adventure of the week.
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