Where is my Stargate Universe and what have you done with it? Two legitimately good episodes in a row!?! This must be one of those parallel universe where Stargate Universe is somehow good. Real stakes, real consequences, real action, real emotion, no reset!
As mindboggling as this sounds, Stargate Universe may have turned a corner. Simeon kills both Ginn and Amanda. Yeah, people who actually matter a lot to two main characters died! And Simeon has information about the attack on Earth!
The two characters in question, Rush and Eli, are the focus of the episode and both have no time to grieve. Rush chases Simeon to a desert planet while Eli tries to figure out how to stall the FTL. Rush's feelings, though, extend beyond Eli's, which is why Eli is shoved off to the side. Rush knows he's personally responsible for Amanda's death since she wouldn't have been in that position without Rush, and being crazy already, he goes after Simeon with a vengeance, refusing to let anyone stop him from getting revenge. In the end, he kills Simeon in cold blood without anyone else knowing and allows the information about the Earth attack to fade away. Eli acts very touchy the entire episode, diverting pain into anger. To top the episode off, Chloe's transformation has a direct effect as she diverts the ship to come back for Rush and the others.
Because we've been burned before by cool episodes followed by more duds, here's where things could go wrong. Since Rush killed Simeon, there isn't really a central villain to fight with anymore and the show could go back to the manufactured threats which are easily dissipated. I wouldn't be surprised if that happens, but the past two episodes caught me off guard. Maybe things have changed for the better.
Score: 9.0/10
