His search leads to a wooded area, where the pilot hangs limply from a tree branch.  Kyle cuts him down and is handed a pouch, with the dying man gasping, "Got to . . . No time . . . Take the pouch to the 'fireman'."  With that, the man's life comes to an end.

Kyle slings the pouch over his shoulder and mounts his motorcycle just as three Visitors on similar vehicles pursue him.  The chase goes on for several moments, but ends when Kyle leaps the distance of a chasm, a feat the aliens are unable to duplicate, and rides off to safety.
 
This scene has a couple of moments of excitement, but once again, we're seeing the episodic restraints of V.  Chases are replacing dramatic situations, and Visitor technology has been reduced to motorcycles.  Ah well . . .

Diana is furious that the pouch is missing from the dead pilot.  Lydia states that through monitoring the World Liberation Front's transmissions, it is the intention of the Resistance to move Elizabeth to New York, where the Visitors have been unable to attack due to the colder climate and the thriving red toxin bacteria.  Lydia adds that Kyle Bates had been spotted near the dead body.

Although Diana is intrigued by this, she goes on to explain that it's imperative they find the Starchild because she holds the secret of a defence against the toxin, as she remains unaffected by it.

Kyle arrives at Club Creole, where he is recognized by Ham and Donovan from their experience in the prison camp (a point not in the aired version due to the fact that "Breakout" was postponed until summer reruns because of violence).

"The guy who gave it to me," Kyle explains, "said to get it to the 'fireman'.  Had the address on the envelope."

Elias is put off by the fact that this is Nathan Bates' son, but Donovan defends him, stating that he's terrific in a fight and that they could use his help.  Kyle politely turns them down, but does accept a meal before he leaves.

Diana secretly places a bug in Nathan's office, and states that she has come for two reasons.  First of all to thank him for the use of the former Russian embassy, and secondly because it has come to her attention that his son is aiding the Resistance.

"I've told you before," he says matter of factly, "I can't be held responsible for my son's actions.  He has a mind of his own."

"Even in the . . . 'interest of peace'?"

Diana begins to leave, with Nathan adding, "Since you're so concerned with 'peace', one last thing -- don't bug my office.  I might misunderstand your intentions."

With Donovan looking on, Julie manages to break the coded information contained in the pouch, and announces that the Resistance is to rendezvous with a plane in the China Flats on Friday, which is just fourty-eight hours away.  This, they figure, shouldn't be a problem, although Julie is concerned that Elizabeth is going to be so lonely in New York.  Donovan points out that, yes, she might be lonely, but at least she'll be safe from Diana.  It's a point that she can't argue with.

At the new Visitor Embassy, Diana wants the special interrogation room, with holographic synthesizers, to be installed quickly so that she can put her newest plan of action into effect.  Smiling, she looks toward the corner of the room, where a blank-faced Sean Donovan sits.

As Donovan pulls up to his house (now this is a bit much -- if Donovan has a house, why don't the Visitors just send in a commando team?), he's amazed to see Sean.  He gets out of his Corvette and runs towards his son to embrace him passionately.  All at once four Visitors are on top of him, and he tries desperately to fight them off.  A stunner is used and Donovan is knocked unconscious.  Sean stares down at his body without showing any emotion whatsoever.

Awakening in what appears to be his bedroom, Donovan looks groggily around.  The door opens and Sean walks in, all smiles and actually delighted to see his father awake.  He's followed by Julie.  Donovan is confused as to what's going on.

"You don't remember, do you?" Julie asks.  "It's these blackouts . . . ever since the war ended, you just haven't been the same."

"Ended?  The war is over?  The Visitors have left?"  Confusion reigns.

She goes on to explain that the war has been over for a year, and that it ended as a result of their sending Elizabeth to New York.  Sean adds that with the Starchild's help, the New York Resistance was able to develop the neutron oscillator, the weapon that eventually drove the Visitors away.  Donovan's expression shows no memory of any of this, and Julie has Sean phone Dr. Harmon.

"Don't try to force it," she says with concern.  "It'll only make things worse.  Your memory will come back.  Just give it time."

Giving him time to rest, Julie and Sean leave the room.

In an adjoining room, Diana joins Lydia as they stare through a two-way mirror upon the resting form of Donovan.  Two pulsating generators, we learn, are creating holographic images which, combined with drugs, are making Donovan believe that he is actually in his bedroom, and that he was talking to Juliet Parrish.  In reality, Diana's image had been altered to that of Julie when she entered the room, and Sean was used to dupe his father.

At Club Creole, Julie is trying desperately to convince Elizabeth that her being sent to New York is for her own good.  The Starchild doesn't want to hear this, as all that comes to mind is the loneliness that awaits her.  Why, she wonders, can't Julie and the others accompany her?  Julie responds that she must remain in L.A. so that they can fight for peace.

"Fight for peace?" Elizabeth asks quizzically.  "Isn't that a contradiction?"

Several moments later, Kyle Bates rides up on his motorcycle, asking Ham about a woman he had seen at the club earlier (Elizabeth).  Tyler won't answer his question, but does ask if it would be at all possible for Kyle to get several more motorcycles.  After some hesitation, he agrees to try, and rides off.  Elias looks questioningly at Tyler, and is told "in this business, there's only one rule to live by: never go anywhere without 'Plan B'."

Concerned (though he'd never admit it) with the fact that Donovan hasn't shown up yet, Tyler goes to his house where he finds a Visitor searching for personal items to be used in Diana's deception.  The two face each other, and silently take combat stances; instinctively knowing that one of them will not leave the room alive.

During their savage fight, half of the Visitor's human "face" is ripped off, and he attempts to return the favour to Tyler.  The fight continues with Ham using a fire poker to pin the captain's throat to the floor.  When the creature is dead, he withdraws the poker slowly, wiping the green blood from it.

If you're wondering where this sequence was, suffice to say that it was deemed too violent to be aired during the 8 PM time slot.  Unfortunate, as it sounded like a genuinely exciting one, with Ham doing what he does best.

Returning to his house, Kyle is startled to find Robin Maxwell there.  She explains that she can't find her daughter anywhere, and that she has nowhere else to turn.

"I tried to go back to the ranch, but I couldn't get through," she cries.  "I don't even know what happened to the Resistance."

Kyle says that he's seen them, but there's no sign of a child there.  Anyway, he explains, he's got work to do, but she's welcome to stay at the house.  Robin kisses him on the cheek, grateful for this act of kindness and the fact that he had rescued her from the Visitors in "Breakout".  As he departs, she stares after him forlornly.

Ever notice how easily Robin falls in love?  Seems like she did so every other episode.

Once more in Donovan's "bedroom", he is discussing the end of the war, finding it hard to believe that it's over because it all seems so sudden to him.  Julie tells Mike that that's the same thing he said the last time he had this kind of memory lapse.

Julie begins to shift the focus of the conversation to the Resistance's plan to get Elizabeth to New York.  In mid conversation, Donovan notices a wedding ring on her hand, and is told that they've been married since the end of the war.

Julie leaves the room, and a little later Sean enters.  He, too, beginning to press Donovan for information on the Resistance plan.

"There's an article on the front page of the newspaper about Elizabeth," Sean says with sympathy.  "It makes it sound like she won the war single-handedly . . . If it hadn't been for you getting her to the plane that day, she never could've done a thing."

"In war," replies Donovan, getting completely swept up in the conversation, "everybody has to do his part."

Sean goes on to ask, with child-like innocence, how the Liberation Front had let him know where they would pick Elizabeth up without Diana finding out.  His father explains that it was all done through code:  "Rendezvous plane China Flats -- 1300 hours Friday."

"Funny," Donovan says more to himself.  "I still remember it after all this time, but I can't remember what happened yesterday."

They talk for a couple of more minutes, and then Sean excuses himself to run an errand for Julie.

At his Malibu beach house, Kyle is tying on a pair of motorcycles in the back of a longbed pickup, when a limousine drives up and emits his father.

As usual, a confrontation immediately erupts between them, with Kyle unable to accept the fact that his father is in collaboration with the Visitors.  Nathan says that everything he's done was done for the sake of Kyle.

"Nope," Kyle negates this.  "You did what you did for a lot of reasons -- the same reasons you've always done things 'your way' -- business, brinkmanship, and bucks.  The three 'B's'.  Kyle begins with a 'K', remember, Dad?  So don't go laying this one on me."

Nathan goes on to defend himself, explaining that all he's trying to do is keep the Visitors at bay until the red toxin can be refined in such a way so as not to be harmful to any other form of life.  But in doing so, he can't have the Resistance screwing up his efforts.

While denying his involvement with the Resistance, Kyle adds, "You buy time your way; I'll buy time mine."

Diana stands on the bridge of the Mothership, listening to Sean's report on what Donovan had to say, and realizing that they have less than two hours before Elizabeth is on her way.  In return for all he's done to aid the Visitors, Sean is told that he will have a commission in the Young Guards and get an official uniform.  Delighted, the child is led away by one of Diana's aides.

Lydia wants to know if her superior actually believes the youth.  Diana does, for as long as he receives a regular dosage of procorb, his mind is theirs.

Since Diana wants to oversee the capture of Elizabeth herself, Lydia wants to know if she can have the privilege of killing Donovan, to which she is granted an affirmative response.

Donovan stirs restlessly in bed, and finally picks up the newspaper that Sean had given him and the story about Elizabeth.  He's shocked at what he finds: the headline reads "STARCHILD TO BE HONOURED AT UPCOMING CEREMONY," and immediately below it is a photo of Elizabeth as an eight year old; before she went through her metamorphosis.

As realization slowly crosses his face, he manages to get to the door of the room, only to find that it is locked.  Moving next to the window he finds that it, too, is locked.  In frustration he picks up a chair and smashes it through the window, effectively destroying the hologram and leaving him in a room with four blank walls.

"Elizabeth . . .," he whispers in horror.

The door opens a moment later, and "Julie" walks in holding a laser, but, without another word, Donovan knocks her out and removes a strange looking medallion from around her neck, revealing that she is, in actuality, Lydia.  Smashing the medallion, Donovan exits.

The Resistance, electing to put Tyler's "Plan B" into effect, meets with Kyle.  They board the motorcycles, and are off, through a short cut, to China Flats.

As they're travelling, four Visitors on motorcycles begin pursuing them.  Kyle reaches into his pocket, removes a handful of roofing nails and throws them behind him.  The Visitors go down, one after the other.

"Kid's got style," Ham says to Julie with a slight trace of admiration.

They arrive at China Flats a short time later, only to find a dozen alien troopers waiting to make their attack.  Kyle leads some of them on a motorcycle chase, while Julie, Ham and Elizabeth run towards the open door of the waiting plane.  Just as they're about to step inside, Diana looks down, holding a laser in her hand.  "I'm afraid this flight's been cancelled," she sneers.

Diana's thrown off guard for a moment by the fact that there is no child with them, but then realizes that Elizabeth has grown to adulthood.  From the look in her eyes (and the fact that the impression has been given that Diana has bisexual tendencies), we can tell that Elizabeth arouses her sexually.

"You're more beautiful than I expected," Diana says gently as she runs a finger down Elizabeth's chin.  Other guards surround them at that point.  "But then, your father was quite handsome . . . before he was killed."

A staff car approaches from the Visitor Embassy, quickly closing the distance.  It rapidly becomes apparent that the vehicle has no intention of stopping, and everybody but Diana scatters.  Then she recognizes Mike Donovan behind the steering wheel and she, too, runs.

Donovan lowers the window and blasts two Visitors with his laser.  Julie, Ham, and Elizabeth quickly get into the car.  Diana refuses to renege her hold on the Starchild until Kyle rides up and Elizabeth manages to break free.  At that moment, he throws a hand grenade, which Diana shields herself from by throwing a guard in front of her.  During the distraction, the entire Resistance makes their way to safety.

Later that evening at Resistance headquarters, Elizabeth pleads her case for staying in Los Angeles, and she manages to sway everybody.

Donovan looks at Kyle and says, "Like I said earlier, we could use a little help."

"I've never been a joiner," Kyle responds, but then he glances at Elizabeth, who, it would seem, has captured his heart.  "But I'll be around."
 
 

To be honest, I wasn't very enamoured by this whole plot idea when I originally saw the episode, but it actually is quite sound, bringing in a strong science fiction element and combining it with the intrigue of a Mission Impossible type set-up on the part of Diana.  The duping of Donovan is handled realistically, and the idea that he has been having memory lapses is an inspired and believable one.
 

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