This is the story of a type of concentration camp, where humans are interred by overlords who abuse them and withhold basic human needs. The commandant comes out every so often to announce the latest punitive changes. One woman who seems to be a master engineer, has taken the leadership as the representative of the people. She negotiates for them, but they are ungrateful and believe she is selling her body and looking only out for herself. They elect an elderly man as their new leader. He is pretty autocratic and unwilling to work with the oppressors. One can understand this because he at least gives them hope. When the commandant gets wind of the woman's ability to repair electronics, he takes her into his council. It turns out that the oppressors are really machines. They have been given a human appearance to help engage their prisoners. She uses her little bit of power to get information to gain some food and privileges for her people. Two things happen. The population is so alienated from her they refuse her help. She also realizes that the machines are wearing out; their days are numbered. This is a really cleverly constructed episode with a masterful conclusion.
2 Reviews
How little we learn from our past
Incredulous112 November 2019
Warning: Spoilers
While watching this episode, 22 years after its release, many thoughts crossed my mind. Most important was, how little we learn from our past. In this day and age, history has become passe - almost irrelevant.
We have devolved into a "feelings oriented" society. Learning from history has become tedious and, in our ever-shortening attention spans, almost extinct. It was once said, "If we fail to learn lessons from the past, we most assuredly are doomed to repeat the mistakes of our predecessors."
In this episode, a diasmal prison camp houses human slaves who are descendants of generations of Earthlings long ago conquered by vastly superior aliens. The walls of their penitentiary completely hide their surroundings. Hopelessness is only broken by whispered legends of ancient escapes, the results of which are sadly unknown.
This episode, like so many in this TV series, is incredibly dreary - until the end. The beauty of the episode is the moral of the story - the inestimable value of freedom and liberty. A rare lesson in the last century - even more so today.
We have devolved into a "feelings oriented" society. Learning from history has become tedious and, in our ever-shortening attention spans, almost extinct. It was once said, "If we fail to learn lessons from the past, we most assuredly are doomed to repeat the mistakes of our predecessors."
In this episode, a diasmal prison camp houses human slaves who are descendants of generations of Earthlings long ago conquered by vastly superior aliens. The walls of their penitentiary completely hide their surroundings. Hopelessness is only broken by whispered legends of ancient escapes, the results of which are sadly unknown.
This episode, like so many in this TV series, is incredibly dreary - until the end. The beauty of the episode is the moral of the story - the inestimable value of freedom and liberty. A rare lesson in the last century - even more so today.
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