The Return
Original Air Date: March 22, 1985
Written By: David Abramowitz and Donald R. Boyle
Directed By: John Florea
Produced By: Skip Ward
Guest Appearances: Marilyn Jones as Thelma. Also starring Judson Scott as Judson Scott as Lt. James; Frank Ashmore.
The Resistance — Mike Donovan, Julie Parrish, Kyle Bates, Elizabeth, and Willie — is on the run, and a Visitor patrol commanded by Lt. James is in hot pursuit. Trapped in a dead-end alley, they're out of explosives and literally up against a brick wall. Elizabeth tries to use her powers, but nothing happens. In fact, Elizabeth feels like she's changing and thinks her powers are gone as a result.
James demands the group's surrender. But the rebels would rather go out fighting, so both they and James's troops prepare for a shooting match. Just then, Philip's voice echoes throughout the sky: "Cease all hostilities. Return to the Mother Ship immediately. All Visitor troops are to return to the Mother Ship immediately." The rebels can't believe their luck, and indeed James stands down, albeit reluctantly.
On the Mother Ship, Diana demands to know why Lydia has ordered the sudden troop withdrawal. But Lydia is simply following orders from Philip, and Philip says they come directly from the Leader. Apparently, the Leader has declared an end to the war and is on his way to Earth to take personal charge of the peace negotiations. Diana is livid at the idea, and she insists it must be a trick engineered by Philip. However, Philip reports that Diana is no longer in the Leader's favor, so her finger-pointing will not have any weight.
Nevertheless, Diana can't believe what she's seeing. She proposes that if the Visitors were to attack now, they'd achieve total victory by nightfall. But Lydia isn't concerned with that thought; her sole function is to serve the Leader and follow orders. Diana doesn't agree — she plans to tell the Leader that Philip is a traitor and the Humans are not worthy of peace.
Back on Earth in a makeshift Resistance headquarters, Julie receives radio confirmation from London and Paris that Visitor hostilities have ceased around the world. Everyone watches as Elizabeth, who appears to be in a trance, suddenly starts speaking Visitorese in a low, male voice. Kyle thinks the Visitors are messing with her mind, but Willie explains that the Star Child is receiving a message from the Leader. Apparently it is his manner to contact anyone at anytime from any distance. Willie makes it sound as if the Leader can communicate that way with any Visitor, including Elizabeth. In her own voice Elizabeth says she must go to the Mother Ship, because that's where the Leader wants her to go.
Philip arrives to speak with the Resistance. Julie and the rest are suspicious about the sudden peace declaration, especially after years of war. Philip's only explanation is that it is the Leader's will. He also explains that, because Elizabeth is the blending of human and Visitor cultures, she is the source of the Leader's "truth" and their only chance for lasting peace. He reveals that since his arrival to Earth, he's been in constant contact with the Leader in an attempt to convince him that Humans and Visitors can live together without war. Philip is convinced that Elizabeth will enable the Leader to see that conclusion. The Resistance team decides that if Elizabeth goes to the Mother Ship, they will all accompany her. Philip makes the arrangements.
Later, the Resistance group — unarmed — is escorted by Philip and arrives in the Mother Ship landing bay. They are treated to a lukewarm but diplomatic reception by Diana, Lydia, and Lt. James. Lydia provides Elizabeth with a ceremonial garment representing the unification of all living things, and makes herself available for anything Elizabeth needs. Expectedly, Diana is disgusted by Lydia's ingratiating behavior. She and James realize that when the war is over, there will be little need for warriors. And that is precisely why Diana intends to make sure the war does not end!
When Diana learns that Mike and Philip have agreed to a friendly fencing exhibition, she orders James to make sure the swords are deadly — instead of unarmed exhibition weapons, Mike and Philip will use swords charged with nuclear disintegrators. One of them will kill the other, and the Leader's peace will be ended. As the event begins, Mike and Philip seem to be equally matched. In the middle of their fight, James produces a device that remotely activates the deadly energy of the swords. Just then, Mike knocks Philip's sword out of his hands, and the weapon skids to a wall and explodes! Diana feigns surprise and promises to get to the bottom of things.
Her sabotage thwarted, Diana prepares to deal directly with the Leader — by staging a coup d'état. James isn't so sure he wants to join Diana's conspiracy, but she blackmails him into cooperating. James makes preparations for an assassination of the Leader. The plan is for two Visitors, disguised as Resistance fighters, to kill the Leader using a conventional human weapon so it will look like an act of Resistance terrorism.
Elizabeth meets with Philip to discuss her changing awareness and her resulting confusion. Her mind is full of strange images: galaxies she's never seen, ancient battles, mystic rites, and other things she can't explain. Philip says that she is the Star Child — the bringer of peace and the unifier of cultures — and so she is experiencing the racial memory of her Visitor ancestry. Philip then teaches her the history of the Visitor people.
Everybody gathers in the landing bay for the arrival of the Leader's Skyfighter. But just as the door opens, from the catwalk above the assassins fire a rocket launcher and destroy the shuttle in a ball of fire! Diana quickly points out the "Resistance" terrorists, and they are immediately shot and disintegrated — thus their true identities will never be known, a fact that the real Resistance members are quick to note. Diana doesn't care and orders the Resistance to be taken away. But Philip belays her order and informs Diana of his little secret: The destroyed shuttle was a precautionary measure — a decoy — and the Leader was not aboard. Her plan foiled and exposed, Diana makes a run for the bridge. Julie, Mike, and Kyle are in hot pursuit, but James seals the corridor and blocks them.
Diana takes control of the bridge and orders the "infusion" reactors to reach critical mass. The resulting nuclear explosion will not only destroy the Mother Ship, but the entire planet as well. Although she seals the bridge, her pursuers are able to gain access after Elizabeth channels the Leader and opens a side door for them. Philip, Mike, and Kyle then enter the bridge, and before being noticed, Mike and Kyle rush James and the guards while Philip holds a gun aimed at Diana. When the commotion is over, Elizabeth strolls in and says in the Leader's deep voice, "Good, very good." Apparently the self-destruct is deactivated.
Back in the landing bay, Diana and James are closely guarded as the rest prepare for the Leader's arrival. A squad ship lands, opens its door, and reveals a glowing light emanating from inside. The Leader's voice is heard saying, "It is time. Come to me, Elizabeth." Elizabeth obediently walks into the shuttle, and Kyle slips away from the awestruck group. Just as quickly as it arrived, the shuttle door closes and the craft departs. It isn't until then that Julie realizes Kyle is gone and must have stowed away on the shuttle.
As the shuttle leaves, Diana confides in James that once the Leader reaches the "dark zone," the planet will be theirs — she's left a bomb on the Leader's shuttle!
Notes
- A Freedom Network report (but not by Howard K. Smith) shows the San Francisco Mother Ship departing over the Golden Gate Bridge (showing footage from the miniseries in reverse). The ships are also reported to be leaving Paris, Rome, London, and St. Louis. People are shown celebrating in the streets once again.
- On the Mother Ship, Willie is reunited with Thelma. She wants to marry him; their union had been arranged even before they were hatched in the same incubator. Thelma tells Willie her father has contacts who can remove mention of Willie's Resistance allegiance from his permanent record. Willie isn't interested in marriage at first, but later agrees if they stay on Earth.
- Diana tells James that she is the one who taught Elizabeth her supernatural powers during the short time Elizabeth was her pupil.
- It takes four minutes for the infusion reactors to reach critical mass.
- Willie used to work in the Mother Ship ventilation systems.
- While the others wait to see if Elizabeth is able to contact the Leader and gain access to the control room and Diana, Willie and Julie set off to use the ventilation systems to access the control room. However, they never show up in the control room and evidently miss out on the action.