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Synopsis
Brennan and Emma go to meet Brennan’s old friend and partner in past crimes, Maddy Conlon. Unfortunately for them, Maddy is now working for the GSA. Maddy and Brennan hurl lightning bolts at one another, and the collision of the bolts finds focus on Emma, splitting her into a pair of Emmas. (The science is nonsensical. Ignore it.)
Brennan takes one Emma back to Sanctuary, and Maddy takes the other to Genomex. Both believe they have the one and only Emma. Brennan in fact has the “Good” Emma, a sweet, passive, cautious Emma. Maddy has the “Evil” Emma, flamboyant, calculating, and unafraid of risk-taking.
While the Good Emma presses safety equipment into the hands of Jesse and Shalimar, the Evil Emma talks her way into being given a chance of being part of the GSA. As part of proving her sincerity to Eckhart, Evil Emma goes out into the world to capture Maddy Conlon, who has run away from Genomex. By bringing Maddy back to Genomex, Evil Emma earns the trust of Eckhart, but along the way the pair of Emmas see one another as does Brennan.
Adam turns the data over in his mind and makes an intuitive leap to explain what happened to Emma. (More nonsensical science. Ignore it.) He also proclaims that the two Emmas must be brought together and fused back into one, or they will both die, while Good Emma protests that she is the true Emma.
Evil Emma contacts Good Emma via the commlink rings, arranging a meeting with Adam. At the meeting, Evil Emma tells Adam that she has Eckhart’s trust and hence, the opportunity to destroy Genomex and the GSA. Adam ineffectually tries to lure her back to Sanctuary for fusion. Evil Emma temporarily blinds him.
Good Emma is not without ploys of her own. To prevent Adam and Brennan from risking themselves removing the Evil Emma from Genomex, Good Emma locks them into a lab. Once they break out, she is sent to her room for being a very bad girl.
Meanwhile, Evil Emma has busied herself with freeing Maddy, who is in pre-stasis prep. Exiting the lab, they run into Eckhart, who makes Evil Emma swear she won’t use her telempathic talents on him. She promises, and instead punches him out cold.
Evil Emma shares her scheme with Maddy: they will disable the main stasis control and turn the entire facility into a “giant stasis pod”. Maddy is dubious, wanting to first rescue anyone already podded, but Evil Emma insists. Evil Emma persuades her to hurl a lightning bolt at the control unit, immediately sending a stasis effect wafting through the facility, felling employees wherever they are, including Dr Harrison and Eckhart. The pair return to the bar where Maddy lives in a back room.
Jesse and Shalimar, hovering near Genomex, magically detect the Giant Stasis Pod effect, and during an exchange of (meaningless) technobabble, Adam tells Jesse to microwave the whole place to bring everyone back from the long cold sleep before their metabolisms slow down past the point of possible revival.
Shalimar and Jesse divert themselves with bar brawl to find out where Maddy is, and then haul her and Evil Emma back to Sanctuary. Evil Emma requires a knockout punch from Shalimar for persuasion to join them.
The two Emmas are strapped down into a pair of examination beds (they get to keep their clothes on for this) and Evil and Good Emma are successfully fused.
At Genomex, Eckhart broods over the way he was taken in by what he perceives as a Mutant X ploy (he has no way of knowing there were two Emmas) but assures Dr Harrison he still supports his work. They agree that future test subjects must be expendable individuals. Harrison then asks if he has anyone n mind for this experimentation; Eckhart says nothing but turns and glares at Harrison.
Back at Sanctuary, Maddy is shipped off to the Underground (from which no one ever returns) and Emma discusses her split selves with Adam, since she has no memory of being either.
Themes
The nature and balance of the different (and conflicting) aspects of oneself.
The nature of trust.
Plot Holes
When we first met Dr Ken Harrison in “Dark Star Rising”, he was without question a PhD botanist. In his second appearance in “Double Vision”, he has been transformed into a medical doctor!
Perhaps the people in charge don’t know the difference.
Creepy Moments of the Episode
Nothing creepy happens.
Touching Moments
Good, safety-conscious Emma pressing personal protective gear into the hands of Shalimar and Jesse.
Was it Centric?
Very much so, focused strongly upon Emma (or the two Emmas, since they are so different from one another).
Cut loose from the pack of pretty faces, Lauren Lee Smith’s talent is obvious in scenes with Andrew Gillies and Tom McCamus.
Best Character Award
Evil Emma is a delight, a rascally soul compared to the cloyingly sweet Good Emma. Evil Emma never hesitates, but plunges straight into whatever pleases her. It is unfortunate Evil and Good Emma required fusing; the disappearance of Evil Emma was a loss.
Best Lines
The best lines aren’t lines at all, but visual moments:
~The disapproving Dr Harrison catching the eye of the amused, smiling Eckhart, chasing the smile from his face
~Evil Emma promising not to use her powers against Eckhart, and then punching him (this is the favorite moment in the entire series for many fans)
~Dr Harrison asking Eckhart if he has any test subjects in mind, and Eckhart’s fraught-with-meaning glare at him, followed by Harrison’s look of horror
Unexplained Events
None. The script makes good sense and flows rationally.
Things We Notice
The dog in the bar scene is the same dog who later appears in “Dancing on the Razor”, and in both scenes has NO essential meaning to the story. He’s just there (and cute).
Purist Reaction
Widely admired among fans as the best episode of Season 1 (and hence, of the entire series), “Double Vision” well-deserves five full wadjets:
Wittily, smoothly, even intelligently written, “Double Vision” presents everyone in character, with no glaring, distressful why-did-they-do-this moments, and even has some funny moments.
One such funny moment is Emma punching Eckhart. The move is completely unexpected, and perfectly done. Interestingly, the other episode in which Eckhart is punched, “Presumed Guilty”, was also written by Darrell Fetty, but that moment is sadistic, cruel, diminishing the hero of record, Adam, striking a completely wrong, jarring note.
It is hard to pick a flaw in “Double Vision”; it is that skillfully done.
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