ndromeda's fourth season ends with a two-parter, which puts every member of the crew in jeopardy. In Part 1 of "The Dissonant Interval," the crew of the Andromeda saved the unarmed ship of a beautiful Nietzschean pilot named Louisa Messereau (Marjorie Monaghan) and Ambassador Galdamez (Michael St. John Smith). They soon discover that that two are from the space habitat Arkology, a society that believes in peace and goodwill.
The crew is shocked to learn that Galdamez has negotiated a treaty with the Magog. However, no sooner does the peaceful ambassador declare this than three Magog babies burst out of his stomach, killing him. Dylan (Sorbo) and Rhade (Bacic) destroy the unwelcome guests. Louisa discovers that the Magog worldship is closing in on Arkology, and the crew rush to save the unsuspecting inhabitants.
Dylan and the crew are welcomed by Marlowe (Blu Mankuma), who tells them that he understands the threat, but that they will not fight. Harper and Rommie check out Arkology's ancient engines to see if the enormous vehicle is still capable of slipstream. However, the Magog grow closer and the crew begin to realize they may not be able to save the people of Arkology. Trance tells Dylan there is escape for him alone through the Route of Ages.
Marlowe informs Dylan that he, Marlowe, is one of two survivors of the Paradine, an all-present unseen people who have influence over the fate of the galaxy. Dylan is the other survivor. As Beka decides to leave, the others decide to stay and fight for these people who can't fight for themselves. Meanwhile, Rhade has fallen in love with Louisa and decides to fight by her side with her people.
In Part 2 of "The Dissonant Interval," Dylan and Trance watch as the Magog fleet swarms over both the Andromeda and the crippled Arkology, while Beka makes her escape. Harper and Rommie make a last-ditch effort to move the space habitat, while Rhade and Louisa attempt to hold off the invading Magog. With the Magog worldship bearing down, Dylan and the others realize this just might be their last stand.
Peace, love and war
The big two-part finale is the mother of all cliffhangers for Andromeda. "The Dissonant Interval" hits our quick-fighting Andromedans with the idea of peace and love, and the characters look at the concept like it's a foreign object. Accepting the idea is more of a challenge for them than figuring out how to win against the Magog. Because of this alien idea, the episode provides reactions within the characters that gives each actor a moment to shine.
"The Dissonant Interval" starts out the way many episodes start out. The Andromeda crew run across a situation and find themselves sucked into it. Standard stuff, that is, until things start to go badly for the good guys. Having them face an unstoppable force that is actually unstoppable is a good dilemma for the heroes. While the animalistic Magog are appealing bad guys, it's hard to imagine they actually have achieved space travel, let alone any kind of science at all. Still, it provides an effective tension-filled attack for the big cliffhanger, as an overwhelming force where attacking ships swarm their enemy in impossible numbers and, later, Magog soldier after Magog soldier streams in to invade the ships.
As Andromeda cliffhangers go, this is a good one that takes its time to tell the story. While, as usual, there is far too much nonsense with riddles serving as answers, there's also plenty of good action in the mix. Fans will discover the normal amount of foggily explained phenomena and mystic gobbledygook (the Route of Ages, the Gateway Constellation, the Abyss, the Paradine—and that's just in this episode). For those who embrace the series, none of that matters, and "The Dissonant Interval" will be great ride.
The cliffhanger leaves all the characters in desperate places, and when season five premieres, things will certainly have changed for Dylan and the crew of the Andromeda. In what may prove to be another big change of direction for the series, one thing's for sure—the characters' lives will never be the same.
