More in-depth spoilers:
As you may remember, Max was captured by Manticore last season after they destroyed the DNA bank – no more superkids. Max had been shot through the heart and was about to die but Zack killed himself to save her. Logan, Lydecker and the other X-5’s believed Max dead.
It’s now some time later, probably several months. Max is going along with the Manticore program, but she has not yet been successfully brainwashed as Brin had been when she was captured last season. Renfro (aka Nana Visitor aka Madame X aka Major Kira) knows it. On the outside, Logan has decided to take Manticore down, even though he’s burning bridges to do it. Also, we’re introduced to an underground freedom group led by a hot little blonde number that appears to have a thing for Logan.
Back at Manticore, Renfro shows Max an X-7 (read: younger) version of herself suferring from pregeria, a wasting disease. Renfro asks if Max had anything similar in her past. Max says no. (This apparently is separate from the seizures Max used to have.) Renfro also shows Max Zack’s body, which has been harvested for lots of organs. It’s unclear (he’s got a mask on), but Zack appears to be conscious. Later, Max is ordered to begin having regular intercourse with another X-5 who she names Alec. (You see, since Max’s group destoyed the DNA bank, Manticore is forced to start over.) Alec’s played by the same actor who played psycho X-5 escapee Ben last season and is from the same DNA batch as he. (When Manticore found out about Ben’s mental condition, they examined Alec and pronounced him fit.) Max refuses. Although Alec is something of a prick, he’s happy to let Max keep her honor. He’s also happily doesn’t tell anyone about her attempts to break out. He’s pretty easy-going. Meanwhile, Renfro has gotten some tests back they took on Max. We don’t get to see exactly what they say, but Renfro is very happy. She kills the doctor who performed the tests and then calls someone and tells him – in French – that Max is the one they’ve been looking for.
On one of her escape attempts Max meets Joshua, the dog-man from the trailers. He’s actually a nice guy, although he and his siblings (other deformed near-humans, probably the nomblies mentioned in a few eps. last season) don’t seem to get much attention from the Manticore staff. Joshua was given his name by his father, “Sandman.” Max and Joshua become friendly and he and Alec eventually help Max escape after Alec revelas that Manticore has sent an X-5 assassin to kill Logan.
Again on the outside, Renfro has set up a hit on Logan. She and the Manticore security guy who’s name I don’t remember (bald black guy, eyepatch) offer to bring Lydecker back in from the cold if he’ll help them kill Logan. Lydecker sets up the meet, the security guy and a few of his goons get the drop on Logan, but Lydecker kills all of them instead. He’s pretty upset that Renfro killed Max, Tinga and Zack. He’s a user and he’s not averse to killing them himself if he feels it’s necessary (as we saw last season), but he loves the X-5’s. Logan goes home and is preparing to break into the satfeed to reveal Manticore’s location when Max arrives. They kiss passionately, and then Logan becomes ill and starts to faint. Alec appears and explains that Max was treated with a genetic virus; if she gets close to Logan, he dies. Renfro calls and tells them she has the antidote – Max just has to come home. In response, Max flips the switch and Manticore’s location is revealed.
Knowing that the cops and reporters will be there any minute, Renfro locks all the Manticore kids in their cells and sets the place on fire; after its destruction, no one will ever be able to tell what Manticore really was. Max breaks back in to get the antidote for Logan, but when she sees all the kids about to die, she opens all the cells. (This includes the cells of all the soldiers that Manticore had been sending on missions – while some of them are probably happy to be free, I’m sure others will be causing Max a headache in the future.) Max then manages to track down Renfro and get the antidote to Logan’s sickness, but Max is still a carrier. As she’s about to leave, a security guy comes in, sees Max, and fires. Renfro jumps in front of Max and takes the bullet. When Max asks why, Renfro just tells Max to find Sandman. Then she dies. Max returns to Logan’s with the antidote. The blonde freedom fighter administers it, and Logan is cured, but they’re all out of antidote, so he can never approach Max again. Later, Max sits on the space needle feeling sorry for herself as usual and we close on the sight of one of the Manticore mutants, wandering the streets of Seattle.
–Cliffy
(whew!)
