4400 2.6: "As Fate Would Have It"

Written by Craig Sweeney
Directed by Nick Gomez

In which Maia has a vision in which Jordan’s life is threatened, Kyle’s blackouts culminate in a deadly manner, and Diana is forced to choose between loyalty to Maia and the NTAC…


I’ve had some frustrations with this series, especially when certain episodes take an interesting concept and find a way to make it utterly predictable. A couple of the episodes earlier in the season fell into that category, but thankfully, this episode breaks the mold a bit. While it’s easy enough to figure out where the story is going, the characterization is strong enough to keep things engaging.

One thing I really like is the “shades of grey” motif running through the entire concept. Isabelle is one freaky little kid. Was her vision a lie, or did she only tell Jordan what he needed to know, so that his “death” could become the impetus for his change for the better? Or was it all just a lie, Isabelle’s way of eliminating a threat by gaining Jordan’s confidence and knowingly plotting his demise?

Whatever the case, I love the religious imagery throughout the episode. Jordan fits rather well into an “Antichrist” role at this point, right down to the apparent assassination and foreshadowed resurrection. Is the role of the 4400 to be the engine of change that brings about human awareness through acts of equal good and evil? Is Jordan Collier (note the initials!) supposed to create a movement that, in the end, will force humanity to react with something more genuine?

Sean’s role is interesting because he was supposed to be Jordan’s conscience, but he’s being tempted by the same trappings of power and control, if the end of the episode is to be believed. That would be too bad, because Liv, played by Lindy Booth, is incredibly attractive and could be one hell of a good influence on him. Then again, this escalates the tension between Tom and Sean, setting them on opposite sides even as they appear to be finding common ground.

Am I the only one happy about the fact that Lily and Richard are finally done with the Incredibly Redundant Road Trip from Hell? Things are so much more interesting now that Isabelle is in a central location, where she can become a personal concern for her parents and the goals they have in life. Heidi might have had a condition independent of Isabelle, though, so it’s still possible that Isabelle and her true nature are still misunderstood.

Going back to the “predictability” thing…it was still easy enough to see where things were going with Kyle and Jordan, but the difference is that it carries the story forward. The two previous episodes didn’t do that; the main plots were incredibly predictable, and therefore didn’t meet the promise of the premise.

I will say, though, that I hope that this is all going somewhere. The writers and producers have openly admitted that they like to keep their options open, and so there’s only a general concept of where the story is going. There’s a lot that deserves explanation, and this episode is filled with examples. It’s one thing to have so many “shades of grey” to explore, but given the fact that there’s only an assurance of several more episodes, I hope the pacing picks up a bit. This isn’t “Lost”, where the producers knew rather quickly that the story could take its time.

Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 2/4

Final Rating: 8/10