Episode Report Card Strega: B | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Virtual Insanity
By Strega | Season 2 | Episode 15 | Aired on 08.17.2000
After the nonexistent ads, Ma Crichton is still holding her broken son. She says that he's changed, and Crichton, his eyes still firmly closed, explains, "People change to survive." She pushes him back and tries to look at his face as she sighs, "You were so innocent. So full of wonder. It's all gone. You've become callous. You've killed." Crichton finally opens his eyes and looks at her. "You can't know that," he says sharply. Ma says that it's true, though. "That's why you can't sleep nights." Crichton stares at her for a long moment and finally says, "I sleep fine," and jumps off the table and away from her. She asks where he's going, and Crichton backs toward the doorway as he thickly says, "Away from something that isn't my mother." She asks if he's going to leave without saying goodbye, and Crichton responds by doing just that.
Lynch Tribute Bar. Scorpius sits at the bar, which is almost empty. He's also wearing that blue pleather vest. I have to think this sucked for Wayne Pygram. "Wow, Virginia Hey and Gigi Edgley get to wear different clothes for a change. How nice for them! And I...get to wear a vest over my usual costume in a couple of scenes. Whee." Crichton sits down nearby and says that he wants to talk about what's going on. Scorpius says, "Well, I'm on my break, my man." Crichton gets exasperated, but Scorpius insists that he doesn't know who Crichton is. Crichton wearily realizes that he's got the wrong Scorpius, and rests his head on his hands. Behind him, we see someone enter wheeling an IV stand. A woman faintly calls, "John?" Crichton looks up to see that the new visitor is his mother, this time looking older and ill. She slowly moves toward him, saying, "Help me." Crichton stares for a second and then insists, "You're not real," and walks away. She slowly follows, calling for him. Crichton gasps, "They pulled you out of my mind. You died five years ago!" Then he runs for the door, but trips and falls. Ma sobs, "I'm scared!" Crichton stays on the floor, not looking at his mother, and gasps, "I just want out of this." Ma kneels next to him as he helplessly waves her away, and begs, "Stay with me this time. Be with me when I go." Crichton is forced to look at her, and gasps, "No, please...please." Crying now, he puts one hand on her head and moans, "This is cruel. This is cruel, please don't." It really is horrifying, and not knowing exactly what happened makes it even more so, since we just experience Crichton's guilt without knowing the specific reasons for it. Ma says she needs him as he goes on begging for this to stop. Finally he screams, "Don't do this to me!" and scrambles away as she bursts into tears.