K9: Sirens Of Ceres

If I haven't made enough comparisons with The Sarah Jane Adventures yet, this week people are getting turned into zombies.


Aided by some parallel editing, and a TV that displays what he's talking about, K9 reads Mr Smith's lines pretty well, though he might shoot me for saying so, especially since Mr Smith spent all five seasons of that show reading K9's lines.

Anyway:

K9: "Poor Starkey. He's in an induced state of empathetic bliss."

Whatsisname: "Meaning…?"

Gryffen: "He thinks he's in love."

K9: "Long term exposure to cerilium destroys free will. It was absence of free will that caused the destruction of the planet Ceres. Ceres had a two-class society - the master and the scribe."

Malena (at school): "Hi Jorjie."

K9: "The scribe class was controlled by the application of cirilium bracelets."

Malena (at school): "I've got something for you."

[Malena offers Jorjie a cirilium bracelet]

K9: "Over time, a symbiotic relationship between scribe and master developed. The master was enchanted by the scribe, and the scribe had no thought but to complement and assist the master."

[Jorjie takes the bracelet and considers putting it on]

"They were so entranced with each other, they never noticed they were on a collision course with a giant asteroid."

Whatsisname: "Ooouch."

K9: "Chunks of cirilium formed meteorites - still hurtling throughout the galaxy."

Gryffen: "But - why did it blow up Drake's weapon?"

K9: "Cirilium explodes if it's forced on an unwilling subject. The mind control only works if you accept it voluntarily."

Jorjie (at school): "Thank you."

Malena (at school): "Aren't you going to put it on?"

Jorjie (at school): "I…"

Vibeka (at school): "Starkey adored mine. He said it made my skin shine."

Gryffen: "So - if the Department were able trick people into wearing cirilium, they'd have the perfectly obedient unthinking population they've always dreamed of."

Or repeatedly read about in the history books.

In fairness though, one of the refreshing things about this series is the way the characters take everything under their belt. Alien tech doesn't phase any of them one bit, and no-one keeps on talking about how cool they or their lives are. Granted, the show misses some of the wonder as a result, but that's a trade-off I'm willing to take.

Also, at the end, K9 solves the problem by shooting-out all the bracelets, rather than switching them into reverse or just getting everyone to chant their own name or something similarly lame.

Afterwards, everyone still forgets about their possession though. Not that they really need to in this series. While the whole thing is still awkwardly unpolished, it's clear that the writers are really a lot more interested in this future society that they've created, than in the humans who populate it.

However, this is improving, as some of the emerging characterisation is actually developing into banter…

[Gryffen is repairing K9]

Gryffen: "Stop wriggling! I know you're dying to get out of here."

Starkey: "Gryffen, how can you tell if a girl likes you?"

Gryffen: "That, my dear boy, is a mystery beyond all realms of science."

K9: "Incorrect. By analysing the level of canulating defac 2, the Heurons are able to calibrate the degree of attraction between two beings within one milojoul."

Gryffen: "No wonder you're single."

[Enter whatsisname]

Whatsisname: "Ah aye, Fido, ya're still grounded are ya?"

K9: "GRRRRR."

Aim for perfection - nothing less.