The second half of the fourth season of the Elysium was broadcast in October and November 2018, following the conclusion of Season 52 of Doctor Who. The broadcast of the Elysium, also coincided with not just 1, not just 2 but 3 other Doctor Who related projects. For most of its run, it ran continuously with Dokter Wie, although Dokter Wie aired on BBC Four, the night before on Saturdays, the sixth Doctor Who film, Until the World Ends, was released during the season’s run, as well as the 55th Anniversary Minisode, The Emerald Terror. So, for a fan of the Doctor Who franchise, the last three months of 2018, was sure an exciting time.
The two month gap between Episodes 6 and 7, allowed for the production team to not only shoot the last few episodes of the season, but also to have a much longer and paced post-production process, meaning that the second half could utilise much larger scale CGI effects, in comparison to the relatively low-key first half.
TO THE DEATH
Season 4, Episode 7
Written by TONI GRAPHIA
Directed by METIN HÜSEYIN
TX Date – 21 October 2018
This episode begins with a previously recap before going straight into where we left off with the three races of Taoter III ready to do battle with Captain Harvey and the Pirate Collective. The main bulk of the episode is an epic battle, with all three races fighting and defending Hortus – becoming known as the Battle of Hortus. However, obviously, we follow several other plot points throughout the narrative. Obviously, there’s a lot of focus on Julie, Richard, Raleigh, Calem and Lea, doing the same things as the last episode – but a lot of the focus also continues on Eddie, as he tries to get off the Pirate Collective ship. Once he does, coming down, hiding on a shuttle, he goes to see Claude where he returns his info. Claude is shocked to find out that someone on the planet sold them out to the Pirate Collective, but he says that it’d have to wait, as first they’ve got to defeat them. Claude then sends a full taskforce back on board the ship, to plant a bomb on board, and blow it up. Syd wants to go, but Claude doesn’t want her too, because he cares about her. We get a big argument scene, where Syd eventually agrees to stay on the ground. But then we see Syd sneak on board the taskforce, which obviously is being led by Eddie. However, the taskforce gets captured, all apart from Syd, who manages to hide. She rescues everyone, getting them to safety, while she carries the bomb, readying it for detonation. But Captain Harvey, finds Syd, and cuts her off from the rest of the taskforce, forcing her to detonate the bomb, herself, manually – blowing up the ship, and allowing the others to escape. However, Harvey manages to make his way to an escape shuttle, just as the ship blows up. Claude doesn’t know that Syd was even on the task force until the very end of the episode, when the event is over, and they check who’s alive, and he discovers that Syd is dead and that she was the one who saved everyone. Claude has to break the news to Richard, and he can’t cope – breaking down and saying that Claude better be watching his back.
Meanwhile, during all this, we also focus on the Rhaighrs (as they are a warrior race after all). At the height of the battle (and just as the taskforce was captured), Harvey comes face to face with Thrreodhrirr. She confronts Harvey, intending to punish him for threatening her people, but Harvey disarms her by playing dirty. She is saved by Tythoss, who asks who’s mighty now. This leads to the empress having vastly different view on Cizzaurans and Scallatti (and their might) by the end of the episode, but struggling to connect it to her Rhaighr moral code with its darwinism and stuff. Lea finds a solution, breaking the concept of symbiosis to her, which opens a way to negotiate a peace – and border – treaty between three races.
The episode ends on both that positive note, and the news of Syd’s death before passed around, coupled with the mass celebrations taking place due to defeating the Pirate Collective, which all feel bittersweet, in light of Syd’s death.
FROM TEARDROPS, WE SPEAK
Season 4, Episode 8
Written by SCOTT REYNOLDS
Directed by ANNA FOERSTER
TX Date – 28 October 2018
This episode is an aftermath episode – dealing just with the fallout of the last one. It begins with Syd’s state funeral, as not just her friends, family and other mourning Scallatti come to it, but also many Cizzaurans and Rhaighrs, as a sign of respect for the sacrifice she made. The scene is deeply moving, especially as Richard makes the eulogy – but at the end we see Ersiah at the back, chuckling to herself, meaningly.
Eddie and Claude team up in this episode to try and work out who sold them out to the Pirate Collective. They include everyone in a senior position within the government or large business, who could have a possible motive, as a suspect. Over the course of the episode, with the help of Calem, they manage to get the list down to just Ersiah, whom they confront. Ersiah manages to dodge answering their questions, but tells them that they should stay far away, if they know what’s good for them.
Julie visits downtown Hortus, with the emergency services, as it’s still devastated after the battle, with a whole street of houses destroyed, and nearly 100 people displaced. It’s through the scaffolding of this scenario, that Julie meets again with her sister, Jayne, who is also doing much the same thing. The two of them work together, and manage to help a lot of the people there, and after an intense argument with Administrator Lieonotis, Julie manages to get all the people temporarily rehoused.
Raleigh meets with Ajacos and asks him about the upcoming election. Ajacos says there isn’t going to be one, as the constitution of the Scallatti fleet was ripped up the moment that they landed on the Elysium. Raleigh looks at Ajacos and says that winning an election now will consolidate his power, and it’s in his best interest to do so. Ajacos tells Raleigh that the Battle of Hortus has consolidated his power and he is now seen as a war hero, before Raleigh says that he is also seen as the murderer of his former Chief of Staff – then Raleigh holds out her hand and tells Ajacos she can help him. We also see Ajacos meet with Roddy again, as the two seem to get on well, after putting a lot of the past behind them, surprising both of them. In an unexpected turn, Ajacos apologies for sacking Roddy in S1, and says that it was wrong of him.
Lea decides that right now her brother needs her the most and informs her team that they need to manage things with Keratherions and Janissaries without her for some time. Dien on the other side of the call is not too happy with this, as they are flooded by Keratherions, commanded by the other two Janissaries – Paghoss, Cizzauran in turtle shell armed with chains, whips and metal ropes, and Rharrtisrr, a Rhaighr fighting with… balloons, which is far scarier than it sounds. The Janissaries mock Team Lea saying that apparently their leader had contracted cowardice, but that won’t save her, because The Great Inventor labeled her an item that he’s particularly interested in. However, after few minutes their insults are cut short, when Ghavett successfully upgrades their weapons and Keratherions get decimated. Very unhappy that their main melee force was rendered completely useless, The Janissaries retreat, chased by Ambhrr. Rharrtisrr says to her that her race’s annoying interferences in their assaults are to end soon, as once “The Elite” gets completed, no Rhaighr would call himself mighty anymore. He then escapes, preventing Ambhrr from following him by putting a balloon Macra in her way.
Richard spends the episode, going a bit stark raving mad again – but he spends it with Lea, as she comforts him as he speaks about his feelings for Syd. Their scenes are like a two-hander between them, as Richard talks about everything he’s been going through since the landing. Lea then says that they should do something, and she takes Richard to see Ersiah (shortly after Claude and Eddie’s visit), where Richard asks her about the time he and Syd spent with her. Eventually, the topic of conversation moves onto the past again, and just why the Scallatti’s history is such forbidden knowledge. Richard says that it’s what got him into this mess, and he wants to know why him knowing the two words ‘convalesce gone’ made the Three want him dead. Ersiah widely smiles and says that she’ll tell the two of them because she’s tired of all of this and just wants it to be over. She says that she tried to destroy everything by inviting the Pirate Collective in, but maybe she can end it by just telling the truth.
OUR BRAVE SACRIFICE
Season 4, Episode 9
Written by JANE ESPENSON
Directed by ANNA FOERSTER
TX Date – 4 November 2018
This episode is a very special one, as, apart from a framing device featuring Erisah, Lea and Richard, none of the other main characters appear, at all (and aren’t credited on the titles either), as instead, the vast majority of the episode flashes back to the past, and tells the story of the 200 years of the fleet’s journey between the very end of the Panopticon series finale, and Remnants.
We begin with old Irene’s physiological examination, again, as she replies ‘trap’ – and then, she jumps high into the air and knocks out everyone in the room, making her escape – as a caption reads: “228 years Before the Invitation of Destination”, as then it transforms into simply “228BDE”, as we cut to the Flagship, flying through space, looking so clean (comparatively to what we know), and with a large ‘V’ simple on the hull.
The episode mainly follows the character of the Serretti Rogue, played by Derek Jacobi, who even by this point is going by the name Ersiah. We see the events leading to the formation of the Three, Frances, who moves between several senior positions of power, over the years, creates it, to essentially assinsate Irene, to whom Frances sees as a threat to the security of the fleet – and as extremely unstable. The Three succeed in this, as Ersiah, Frances and Cordale come together and develop a virus, which they inject into Irene’s bloodstream, causing the ascension cells in her body to mutate and turn into a tumour, killing her. We then get a scene whereby Ersiah says that they can’t let anything like that happen again – as the fleet have to make a new start when they get to the destination, and the past can’t be trudged up. More years go by, and we see the formation of the Scallatti Federation, after a civil-war occurs within the fleet. The Three are, from the very beginning of the Scallatti Federation, placed at the very top of it’s hierarchy. More years pass, and we see scenes of the Three, and especially Ersiah, continually injecting this virus into more and more people, all of whom were former Vex, who are being murdered. And then – Frances approaches Ersiah and Cordale (who is now going by Utnapishtim) and tells them they have to stop – and what they are doing is wrong. The Three of them spiral into a big argument, whereby Frances orders the disbandment of the Three. And then – Ersiah tells Richard and Lea that she did the only thing she could do, the only thing to do what she felt was right. We see Ersiah meet with a woman, whose face is obscured, and asks for pryex-682, before she is given a small test-tube. And then – we get a montage of everyone falling sick, a mass pandemic thunders it’s way through the fleet, ship by ship. Ersiah tells Richard and Lea that it was the only way to get the Scallatti to abandon the past – to force them to – and then Ersiah laughs as she says that then – she arrived. And we see a montage of the events of Remnants, as the Invitation of Destination occurs, the Doctor says the look forward and forget the past – Ersiah smiles, as we see a montage of history being destroyed, literally books being thrown out of a airlock – Erisah then looks to Richard and Lea and says the rest, as she chuckles, is history.
However, after a moment, Ersiah says that there was one loose end that had to be tied up – Frances – as she was a liability. Richard asks what happened to her, and Ersiah laughs and says that a brilliant young man dealt with her, and let her live an eternal life at the heart of Scallatti society – before we then see, Ersiah, in the past, just after the Invitation of Destination, talking to – a young Ajacos (nearly 600 years earlier), as we then see him kidnap Frances. Lea asks what happened to her then, as Ersiah smiles and asks her computer to tell her the time. The two of them look confused, as Ersiah just chuckles and says that Frances’ consciousness formed the Scallatti’s central computer, as she was far too important to kill, and far too dangerous to keep alive.
And then – Richard asks one final question: Who’s Shamash then, if it wasn’t Frances? Ersiah says that while Shamash wasn’t actually a founding member of the Three, Frances was, Shamash ensured the survival of the Scallatti race, as she was the one who provided the Three with pryex-682, the deadly virus which caused the Invitation. We then flashback to the scene where the mysterious figure gives Ersiah the test-tube, and they pull off the hood to reveal they are Rodan, played by Miranda Raison – Shamash.
WHEREVER YOU ARE
Season 4, Episode 10
Written by ANNE KENNEY
Directed by JESSICA HOBBS
TX Date – 11 November 2018
This episode sees us go back to normal as all the main characters return, and while a good proportion of the plot focuses on the fallout of the last episode, most of this episode focuses on Julie – as such, for dramatic reasons, I will look at Julie’s plot last.
Firstly, Eddie and Raleigh’s plots converge this episode as Raleigh tells him about her vice presidential bid, with Ajacos. Eddie asks if that’s such a good idea, but Raleigh says that it’ll be Ajacos’ fifth term, so she’ll really be the one running things. Eddie is also offered a job at the Wave by Claude, impressed by his actions during the Battle of Hortus, but Eddie declines, saying that all he truly wants is for Dani to sell her shares of DE Investigators to him – Claude smiles and says he’ll do what he can. However, when Eddie and Raleigh discuss this later, Raleigh flips out at him and leaves him, as they argue, and Raleigh tells him that he should’ve taken the job, as it would help her get the VP bid. The two argue, before Raleigh calms down and apologises to Eddie and just says that she’s a bit worked up at the moment.
Calem’s plot in this episode links in with Richard’s, as she is getting ready for the first episode of Richard’s SWN children’s show: “Blackboard”. Richard, obviously, is still reeling from the events of the last episode, as he tries to comprehend what’s going on. When he arrives at the SWN studios, Calem notices that something is wrong, but she just assumes it’s to do with Syd’s death. The show begins (broadcast live) as Richard starts off, completely confident, snapping out of his mood and really thriving as he’s teaching the audience about lots of different topics, and interacting with some of the kids that are appearing on the show – however, one of the children asks about what caused the Invitation of Destination and Richard freezes, and then gulps. There’s an awkward silence as Calem looks around, not sure whether to cut. And then Richard calmly gets out a bank note and shows it to the camera, as on the back there’s a picture of Ersiah. Richard says that she caused the Invitation and the mass pandemic which butchered the majority of their fleet – yet she is celebrated as a founder of their society, before he storms off and leaves the building, leaving Calem speechless.
Lea’s plot sees her travelling (again still reeling from the events of last episode) to Rhaighr territory to meet with Thrreodhrirr. There, she presents her with a plan, a proposed treaty, drawn up by the Scallati – Lea describes it as a plan to draw some lines and borders across the planet, but also create a hub where they can all live together, peacefully. Thrreodhrirr says that she has a lot of problems with the proposals, but with work, in principal, she’d be happy to agree. Lea then does the same (but we see both scenes intercut) with the Cizzaurans, who have a similar reaction.
Finally, Julie’s plot sees her and Jayne revisit the Kheqren mines in the Montvite region. They visit it to find it much the same as how it was in Season 1, all that changed was that she and Jan were allowed to leave. Julie is angered to see that her work was meaningless, and that the same suffering is still going on. However, everything is thrown completely sideways as someone in the mines speaks to Jayne, and addresses her as Carmen. Julie is confused, but Jayne shrugs it off as saying that they were mad and confused, and they have her mixed up with someone else. But, despite moving on, this plays on Julie’s mind. Eventually later, as Julie confronts Jayne, it’s revealed that Jayne is not who she says she is, and is in fact an imposter – sent by the Three themselves.
THE TIDES OF CHANGE, PART I
Season 4, Episode 11
Written by TONI GRAPHIA
Directed by DOUGLAS MACKINNON
TX Date – 18 November 2018
This episode is the first part of the two-part finale. It begins with Ajacos, in front of a lectern, addressing a crowd of reporters and cameras. He reads a speech, ending by saying that in 2 months, the Scallatti people will go to the polls and will choose whether he will serve for a fifth term as president or the Scallatti will choose a new president. We then cut to the reactions of all of our main characters (apart from Julie) watching events, and they are all in a state of shock.
Starting with Raleigh’s plot, she meets with Ajacos, shortly after his announcement, concerning whether she’ll be selected as his VP candidate. Ajaocs laughs and swiftly says that he can’t risk having someone as controversial and simply unelectable as her. Raleigh is enraged as she storms out and immediately makes her way to DE Investigations, whereby she rants to Eddie about it. Eventually, she decides that she’s too good for Ajacos and she’ll, instead, be launching her own Presidential Bid, with Eddie as her VP.
Lea spends the episode renegotiating the Treaty of Taoter (as it’s being dubbed) and the three sides manage to agree on a lot of it, on the condition that Hortus, the planet’s most advanced city, is surrendered by the Scallatti and becomes a neutral zone between the three races, shared by them all and acts as all three race’s capitals. In addition, the treaty outlines the plan for a supervisional governmental union between the three races, to have greater authority of worldwide matters, with a president (later agreed to be called Chairman, in a compromise) of the Elysium, elected.
About halfway through the episode, we see that, much to everyone’s shock, Ajacos announces that Roddy will once again stand as his Vice Presidential candidate. Claude finds out live on the Wave and begins ranting to viewers, saying that both of them are complete scum and it’s time for some real change – he then, impulsively and seemingly on the spot, announces his own candidacy for President.
We also see Calem running her coverage on SWN, as she has to decide who to back now, Ajacos, Claude or Raleigh. She chooses to make SWN impartial, for the reason that she doesn’t feel enthused by any of the three candidates personally. She does speak with Dani, whereby she finds out that Claude asked her to be his VP candidate. Calem almost bursts out laughing, to which Dani gets deeply offended.
Finally, Julie’s plot sees her being kidnapped by Jayne (or rather Carmen), and taken to Shamash. The following scenes become extremely uncomfortable as it’s revealed that Carmen has also kidnapped Jan, and Shamash sadistically threatens to inject Jan with pryex-682. Julie breaks down in tears, asking what they want from here – what is it all for? Shamash and Carmen laugh, telling Julie that’s a secret – but to save Jan’s life, there is one thing she can do for them. Shamash then injects the virus into Jan, as Julie is horrified, throwing up and completely breaking down. Carmen then comes close to Julie and tells her that she has 22 hours until Jan dies, if she can make sure the Treaty of Taoter is unsuccessful before then, he’ll get to live. Julie looks into Carmen’s eyes, and tells her that she’s sick – as we cut to the end credits.
THE TIDES OF CHANGE, PART II
Season 4, Episode 12
Written by TONI GRAPHIA
Directed by DOUGLAS MACKINNON
TX Date – 25 November 2018
Julie’s plot sees her crossover over with Lea’s as she arrives in Harrdebhr where negotiations are taking place with the Cizzauans, Rhaighrs and Scallatti. Julie says she’s come to supervise the events (but in actuality is working for Shamash and Carmen). She butts heads with Lea, as Julie desperately tries to filibuster events, causing arguments with the Cizzaurans and Rhaighrs, as she points out that the Scallati have far more territory than either of the other two. Eventually, this culminates as Lea erratically, but weirdly instinctively hits Julie – before a flash of memory appears before her, as suddenly something returns to her head, something that had been missing ever since she was a little girl – then Lea simply says “Julie?”, to which Julie smiles and hugs Lea, and says that she’s finally found her sister. We then leave the treaty plot for a bit (more on that later) as the show provides some explanation, through Lea narrating some flashbacks, as it turns out that the Three kidnapped her on the Valkyrie and locked away her memories, engineering her as a spy to put at the heart of the Scallatti society – the Three then employed two of their agents, David and Suzi Gesky Rathon, to adopt Jayne (now renamed to Lea Rea Navvyl). Lea is only discovering everything as she recounts it, from her suppressed memory, and is shocked to discover it. Julie then tells her what Shamash is doing to Jan, but is too much for Lea, who falls on her knees and covers her face in hands. Julie begs Lea for help, but she shakes her head – there’s no Lea, there’s Jayne, Lea never existed. As she weeps, Addaho, who tries to comfort stressed Julie, suggests that maybe Kalagisah will help, and asks Seganseh to bring her. When Cizzauran girl sees Lea in tears, she runs to her and takes by the hands, trying to calm and repeating the word “Unalii” again and again. Unexpectedly, this turns out to work, as Lea raises her head. Kalagisah says to surprised Julie that it will take time before she finds the truth, and Lea, with shaking voice, says that she has a plan and asks Team Lea for help.
While her teammates do their best, Lea stays behind, unsure if she can be any help. Eventually, as time runs out, Julie tells Lea that she is the only one who can help Jan, because she is her sister and she is the smartest person of this planet, who resolved impossible problems and gathered a team of exceptional people that now counts on her guidance, and that they all believe in her, she believes in her, there’s nothing her little sister can do. Hearing these words as spoken both by Julie and Richard simultaneously, deep inside her consciousness the true Lea wakes up. Lea takes a breath and retreats to her void…
Calem continues to interact with Dani and Claude as she tells them that the Wave should become impartial too, to make it a free and fair election. The two of them just laugh in her face, though, as Claude says that he literally owns the Wave, everyone knows they’re going to be biased, and they want that. Calem then says that maybe if Dani is going to be running for VP, then she should sell her shares of DE Investigators back to Eddie, to which we then see Dani go over to see Eddie and agree to his terms. However, Raleigh tells Dani that Claude better watch his back.
Soon after, we see Richard approach Raleigh, saying that he thinks she should become president, as he’s found out some very disturbing information about Ajacos and that Claude is a literal fasict. Raleigh says that’s all very nice and good, but can he help? Richard obliges and tells Raleigh of what he has learnt.
Later that day, a debate takes place between the three candidates (simulcast on SWN and the Wave) and in it, Raleigh confronts Ajacos with the fact that he has lied to the Scallati as he was not in fact born in 499DE, but instead in 17BDE, and that he has been for all that time a prominent member of a secret cult, intent on controlling the Scallatti and evening causing a mass pandemic whenever suited to them. The room is silent, for at least 30 seconds, as Ajacos is deadly still. He then simply leaves his podium, and exits the studio – in shock. The media goes crazy. Claude and Raleigh can’t quite believe what’s just happened – nobody can.
We then see Lea, Julie and her team storm Shamash’s lair, where a battle takes place, but it doesn’t last for long, as, while she puts up a fight, Shamash is killed. There’s then a tense scene where they try to save Jan’s life and find the antidote. Eventually, as time runs out, Lea retreats into her void, pieces all the information she has together, and in a moment of brilliance, laced with the emotion of what the three did to her, she works out what to do, and manages to save Jan’s life. Thrreodhrirr and Addaho then learn over Lea’s shoulder and tell her that they will sign the treaty.
Just before the end, we get a scene with Ajacos and Utnapishtim in his office. Ajacos in a rage, breaks down and smashes all his things, saying that he has ruined everything. Utnapishtim says that Raleigh can very easily be discredited and disposed of. Ajacos smiles and says that she needs to go. He needs to win the election, and then his power will be absolute. Utnapishtim says that he is in no doubt he can win the election – but what about the next one? He is growing weaker and weaker. Utnaphistim says that ideally they would have a nice stable monarchy, ruled by Ajacos and his dynasty and controlled by the Three. Ajacos says that’s impossible, not under the Scallatti constitution. Utnpishtim smiles and says that first they need to undermine faith in democracy. Utnapishtim reasons that between Ajacos and Claude, they cover about 90% of all support – so what if the Three rigged the election so Raleigh won. They’d be outrage, and chaos – and Ajacos could make the case to do away with democracy, and appoint himself as King Emperor, with complete public support.
We then get a montage of the next two months as the election campaign goes on, Raleigh remains ever unpopular, but Ajacos fails as well (somewhat intentionally), while Claude revels in his rhetoric gaining a lot of support. Then, we see Calem on SWN, announcing that from their exit polls, the winner is projected to be Raleigh Baker-Mitchell, much to great confusion amongst everyone – and then we see Ajacos, watching his screen, cheering – before he turns directly into the camera, looks down the lens and says ‘Democracy Shall Fall’ – as we cut to end credits, and the season ends.
So there we have it, Season 4 of the Elysium – and what an ending that was. The biggest thing to be announced after the end of the season, is that Season 5 would be the Elysium’s fifth and final season, although it would have an extended episode count of 16 episodes. While Season 4 was successful, viewership, in line with the decline of live viewers of all tv, declined during this season, making it the worst rated season of the Elysium (despite the fact critically it was the most well received).
Anyway, next time it’s Doctor Who: Until the World Ends. Until then, goodbye.
WIDWWA 