Star-Crossed Review: Season One, Episode Eight – “An Old Accustom’d Feast”

First aired April 7th, 2014.

The Atrians are preparing to celebrate Dinaskyu, a holiday that is like Christmas and Thanksgiving combined. For the first time, humans will be allowed to celebrate, so Roman invites his new secret lover, Emery.

Emery and Julia celebrate with Roman and Sophia, but their mother, Maia (played by Susan Walters), is not thrilled. She’s pissed that she has to share her home with humans, especially the daughter of the man who killed her husband. Maia lashes out at Emery until Sophia tells her that Emery was the little girl who saved Roman years ago when the Atrians first arrived. Maia quickly changes her tune and starts to warm up toward Emery.

It’s great to get a deeper look into Atrian culture and how they have adapted it since their arrival on Earth. Instead of making full-length fishing nets, as is custom, children decorate tiny versions (since they can’t fish in government lockup). The more we learn about and see Atrian culture the easier it is to relate them and their struggles. The holiday season is dampened by the news that Drake is about to be sent out into the world as the newest undercover Trag.

Roman manages to convince Trag leader Vega to spare Drake as long as an Atrian prisoner is released. The woman, referred to as Prisoner 337, appears to be an old woman because of extreme heat conditions in her cell, but a quick swim reveals that she is a both young and beautiful. Once out, she runs to Roman’s home and leaves a bag on their door which is found by Emery. She finds a recording device that lets her relive the memories of an unknown Atrian who was flying their ship with 337. The unknown pilot and 337 survey Earth from space when Castor enters and shoots the pilot. When 337 shows up at the holiday feast, we find out she’s none other than Drake’s mother.

Drake being reunited with his mother is heartwarming, but it also shows that Vega is very smart and cunning. Since Vega was the reason Drake’s mother was released, she figures that’s the best way to keep him loyal to her. As for Castor, it was always hinted at that he wasn’t entirely good, despite his recent actions. I think he shot the pilot because they were not planning to land on Earth. The pilot seemed ready to leave when they found out Earth was inhabited and maybe Castor decided that didn’t matter and forced the crash landing.

Finally, Julia is approached by Ms. Benton, who wishes to learn how she was cured by Cyper and where to find it. After being nice doesn’t work, she threatens to kill Julia’s father and discovers where Atrians grow Cyper. When Ms. Benton sees that dead Atrians are used to grow it, she has her assistant bury several bodies they had in their lab. Ms. Benton not being an undercover spy and instead being a capitalist trying to cash in on Cyper is a fresh twist. I am really curious to know who she’s working for and how she managed to keep a lab full of Atrians as lab rats.

Quotes/Thoughts

Grayson joined the Red Hawks. I think it was because Emery dumped him not finding out he was abducted.

“If Zoe isn’t around to pay the price for her failure then Drake will have to pay it for her.”

I wonder how Atrians celebrate the New Year.

“What you’re doing sounds amazing, but I can’t help thinking it’s all so wrong.”

Possibly Related Posts:

• Friday Fiction: Snowfall In The Living Room
• “It Came From The Archives” Doctor Who Special Reviews: The Church on Ruby Road
• Review: Lucky Girl, How I Became A Horror Writer by M. Rickert
• Friday Fiction: Frozen Army
• Foundations: The 5 Best Artifact Cards