Episode 102: Pride

Pride
Flash Gordon (Sci Fi Channel)
Air Date	August 17, 2007
Written by	Derick Martini and Steven Martini
Director	Paul Shapiro
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Next episode	Episode 103: Infestation

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Overview[]

Zarkov tries to fix the rift blaster so that Flash can send Baylin back to Mongo, but they have to find her first. Ming sends Tyrus, another hunter, to bring Baylin back. Baylin eats potato salad. Meanwhile, Aura sees a new side of her father when a Verden man is arrested for ice smuggling.

Synopsis[]

Opening[]

The episode opens with the bounty hunter Baylin sitting in a tree eating potato salad. As a park ranger approaches, she makes herself invisible. She jumps down from the tree and becomes visible to the park ranger, then runs away.

At Zarkov's laboratory, Flash Gordon asks if the rift blaster can be fixed. Zarkov says he's not sure and even if he could fix it, they would still have to wait until Ming created a rift from Mongo. Zarkov explains to Flash that it takes a massive highly-focused sub-atomic blast to create a dimensional rift and the rift blaster just opens up a rift that's already there. Zarkov says that it's like ice fishing. If the water is one dimension and the air is another, if you want to fish, you break a hole in the ice. But as soon as you do, it begins to freeze over again. So, the rift blaster "blasts" it open again.

Dale Arden informs Flash and Zarkov that the bounty hunter from Mongo had been spotted in the park. Flash assures Zarkov that they'll find her and send her back to Mongo.

On Mongo, Rankol glides down a hallway to one of the prisoner cells, the one occupied by Tyrus. Rankol gives him the opportunity for freedom, if he would go to Earth, track down Baylin, and bring her back to Mongo. Failure would mean a swift death.

Act 1[]

As Zarkov is fixing the rift blaster, a Rift alert goes off. He calls Flash (who's at the park, where the ranger spotted Baylin) and tells him that a rift has opened up in the ship graveyard in the north harbor. Flash tells him that he'll check it out. Invisible and in a tree just above Flash, Baylin overhears the conversation and follows Flash.

At the ship graveyard, a rift opens and Tyrus appears from it, before attacking and giving chase to a security guard.

On Mongo, a Verden man is stopped by a security checkpoint. The guards check his vehicle and discover that he is smuggling ice, which is a crime punishable by death.

Back on Earth, Flash and Zarkov use the rift blaster to find the rift. The tracking function of the device seems to be working, but it may not actually open a rift. As extra protection, Flash brings along a the weapon he took from Baylin, thinking that if they had to deal with an alien from Mongo, it would be a good idea to have a weapon from Mongo. They pinpoint the exact location of the rift, then they try out the rift blaster to see if it works. It does and the rift becomes visible. A few seconds later, however, the rift begins to collapse. Zarkov warns Flash not to go through, unless he wants to become trapped between dimensions for an eternity.

As they leave the ship graveyard, they discover a dead security guard laying in the grass.

Act 2[]

Flash calls Dale and informs her about the rift and the dead body they found. Dale and her fiance Detective Joe Wylee leave the news station to investigate the dead security man's body.

When Flash gets home, he notices that someone might be in his house. Thinking that it's an intruder, he grabs a baseball bat. Baylin walks up to him from behind, then drops her invisibility. He swings the bat at her, but misses. She grabs him and pushes him against the wall. Then they push each other around more until Baylin reveals why she is at Flash's house: She wants to live there.

Tyrus is shown tracking Baylin's scent through the park. The same park ranger from before threatens to cite him. Tyrus takes out his "laser whip" and attacks the ranger with it, causing an intensely painful injury to the ranger. Then the park ranger runs away. Tyrus smells a nearby tree and senses Baylin's scent on it.

Flash explains to the bounty hunter woman that she cannot stay in his house. She tells him that until he can return her to Mongo, that she is staying. At this point, she reveals to him that her name is Baylin, of the Verden.

At the ship graveyard, Dale reports on the murder investigation, saying that although there is no explanation for the mysterious death, police are not ruling out foul play. After her news report, Joe tells Dale that he's never seen a wound like that before. It was as if the man was electrocuted. Joe gets a phone call, informing him of another victim that's still alive.

On Mongo, Rankol informs Ming that Tyrus has been sent to Earth to retrieve Baylin, by his orders. Ming is pleased, saying that he doesn't want a bunch of Verden on Earth attracting attention. Until the time comes, the less humans know of Mongo, the better. Rankol the informs Ming of a Verden man that had been caught smuggling Frigian glacial ice, 99% pre-Sorrow, which is cleaner than source water. Ming tells Rankol that the penalty for smuggling is clear and tells him to prepare the execution. Rankol has reservations, but Ming makes it clear that ice smuggling is an act of defiance and will not be tolerated. He tells Rankol to schedule the execution at dawn.

Back on Earth, Dale and Joe question the park ranger who had been hurt by Tyrus. He tells him that the man that attacked him had a whip that lit up, like a light saber. He also tells them that he saw an invisible woman eating potato salad. He tells them that he thinks that the man and woman that he saw in the park were both aliens. Joe thinks that the guy was just crazy, and Dale agrees (although she really does know that the ranger was telling the truth).

Flash informs Dale that Baylin is staying at his house. After arriving at the house, Dale and Flash tell Baylin about the man with the "laser whip". She immediately knows who it is and realizes that the man with the whip is on Earth to find her, and not Flash. Then she shoots and stuns Flash and Dale.

Act 3[]

Baylin ties them up and prepares to leave. But Tyrus breaks into the house before she can leave. He sniffs Flash and Dale, then asks Baylin who they are. She tells him that they're no one, that they're weak lifeforms. Then Tyrus grabs Baylin and pulls her outside, leaving Flash and Dale still tied up in the hall.

On Mongo, Aura complains to her servant that her father is treating her unfairly, saying that it wasn't really her fault that the Imex was destroyed. Afterwards, her servant says that her sister is in trouble and asks if she can have a moment of Aura's time.

Back at Flash's house, Dale and Flash attempt to get out of their bindings.

On Mongo, the servant's sister tells Aura that her Verden husband is set to be executed. But she says that he's not a smuggler. They needed the ice for their sick daughter. Aura tells her that her husband had broken the law, but then begins to feel sorry for the woman's daughter, who may die if she doesn't get clean water.

Back at the house, Dale and Flash are still tied up. Zarkov keeps calling Flash, but since he's tied up, he can't answer his phone. Zarkov leaves a message on Flash's phone saying that he thinks that he's finally fixed the rift blaster and is going back to the ship graveyard to test it out. He tells Flash to meet him there. About a minute later, Dale and Flash get out of their bindings and Flash hears Zarkov's message.

Zarkov is shown walking through the abandoned ship containing the rift and is about to open it, but then he hears a noise and hides. He sees a large hairy man carrying a woman over his shoulder. The woman demands that he put her down and he does. Tyrus tells Baylin that he spent the last five cycles underground, caged like an animal. He says that the only thing that kept him alive was Baylin. She tells him that she does not love him. He reminds her that she is his bond mate and property. He pulls her and prepares to open the rift. But Baylin struggles away and takes his weapon. He tells her that when her own people gave her up, he took her in and took care of her. He says that she owes him her life. She says that she owes no one and then she attacks him with the "laser whip" and runs away. He gets up and chases after her. After they're gone, Zarkov comes out of hiding and grabs the rift blaster that Tyrus dropped.

Act 4[]

Ming is shown looking at a holographic representation of their solar system, showing Mongo being the third planet from the sun, out of five planets altogether. Aura tells her father that her going after the Imex was a mistake and a crime, but that she only did it because she loves him. She asks him why he is executing the Verden man that stole the ice. He tells her that smuggling ice is treason. No one can dispense ice but Ming himself.

Back on Earth, outside the ship graveyard, Zarkov is seen frantically running towards Flash's car. He tells Flash and Dale that he saw Tyrus and Baylin, but says that they didn't enter the rift. Zarkov holds up two rift blasters, saying that he took the one that Tyrus had. Dale says it was a bad idea to take it, since they want the aliens gone more than they want a working rift blaster, and he decides to put it back where he found it.

On Mongo, the execution goes ahead as scheduled, although because he feels sorry for the man's sick daughter, Ming orders that the family receive 25 rations of source water and that the daughter get the best possible care.

On Earth, inside the ship with the rift, Flash puts Tyrus' rift blaster back where Zarkov found it. Then, Tyrus grabs Dale and tells Flash to deliver Baylin or he'll keep Dale for himself.

Act 5[]

Flash tries to talk Tyrus out of keeping Dale, but it's no use. Eventually, Baylin shows up and says that she'll go with Tyrus of her free will. Flash makes Tyrus think that Baylin is his property, which makes Tyrus angry, and even kisses her. Tyrus tries to ram Flash, but misses. Zarkov opens the rift, using the rift blaster and after a short fight, Flash pushes Tyrus through the open rift. After the rift collapses, Flash decides to open another one, so he can go to Mongo to search for his father. But when he activates the rift blaster, nothing happens, because the rift had permanently collapsed. He would have to search for his father another day.

On Mongo, Aura asks her father why he killed the Verden ice smuggler. He tells her that the drinking of Grey water creates deviates. Aura tells him that he knows that the smuggled water was not gray, but instead was clean. Ming says that that's irrelevant, that he will not allow distribution of any water outside of his control. She tells him that the Verden was just one man trying to save his daughter. But then Ming reminds her that he is one man trying to save a planet. Aura calls Ming a tyrant, in which he then says that the execution will send a message to all. He says that she may think him cruel, but his actions will save thousands of lives, whereas Aura's compassion would only save one.

The episode ends with Baylin oiling her naked body in Flash's backyard. Flash explains to Dale that that is how the people on Mongo bathe, so that they do not waste water. Dale catches Flash staring at Baylin and pulls him away, also telling him that Baylin needs to learn about the shower.

Cast[]

Regulars[]

Guest starring[]

Featuring[]

Michael Chase: Shipyard Guard

External links[]

"Flash Gordon vs. the Caveman Bounty Hunter", Zap2it blog review.
"Flash Gordon: "Pride" Advance Review", IGN review.