I'm a sci-fi nerd.  A space geek.  An alien junkie. It's true.  I need a sci-fi fix, and since my pickings were relatively slim, I figured, hey, let's try out Andromeda.

And I liked it.  I kind of expected it to be a bit cheesey. I mean, Deep Space Nine was kind of cheesey for the first season and a half. So was TNG.  That's ok.  So was Earth: Final Conflict, and I'm still around for that one.

Back to Andromeda.  First off, it's a very visually pleasing show. The sets are great, the clothes are good, and clean lines abound.  Ok, the plots are pretty good too, although some of the storylines capture my interest more than others.

Since I'm in a somewhat nationalisitic mood, I also have to admit that the fact that it's filmed in Canada and employs a lot of Canadian actors (and other film staff) is appealing too.  It's nice that our actors can get jobs that keep them in the country, and widen their exposure.  Excellent!

Mostly though, it's the characters.  Kevin Sorbo did little for me as Hercules, but as Dylan Hunt, I like him much more.  Although Hunt kind of annoys me sometimes, I do like how they've worked on personality complexities.  Sorbo's portrayal is convincing.

He's cocky, he's a genius, his clothes are questionable sometimes and he's got spikey blond hair.  Harper is my favourite character.  He fulfils my 'guy with skills' fetish. Plus, he's a hottie. Gordon Michael Woolvett has been one of my fave Canadian actors for a few years now (right up there with Callum Keith Rennie and Nicholas Campbell), and he's proof that Hamilton can actually make good things (no, the Canadian Football Hall of Fame does not count).

I never watched Ready or Not, but I liked Laura Bertram's part in the CBC movie Platinum (although it could have been bigger), and I saw her episode of Deepwater Black.  She's good.  At first, it's easy to want to write Trance off as the obligatory show ditz.  Watch her for a couple of eps, and it's clear there's way more to her, and Bertram does a great job of getting that across.  Innocent, happy Trace is a lot less innocent than she seems, is my bet.  She and Tyr and she and Harper have some great dynamics, and if I were inclined to write Het fic, I'd write some Trance/Harper stuff.  Het fic is not my thing though, and that's ok, because really, we all know that Harper belongs with --

Tyr.  Arrogant, built, smarter than he lets on sometimes, well-read (although I have some problems with some of his reading material), likes opera, overly-weaponed and the guy you want beside you in a fight.  The slashiness between Tyr and Harper is insane, but that's the subject for another ramble. Keith Hamilton Cobb does a very convicing job with Tyr.  It's obvious that there are more depths to the character than we always get to see, and I like how that has been developed over the season.

Lisa Ryder is another Canadian actress who pops up here and there in small parts (remember Boone's wife in E:FC?).  Her role in the fantastic and undervalued show The Newsroom was small but good.  It's great to see her in a major role, and one which does her credit.  She portrays a convincing action hero (heroine, whatever).  Beka isn't my favourite character, but I do like her.  Her movement from reluctant first officer to someone who refuses to slack on the job worked for me.  Her facets, the whole flash thing, her dad, her snarkiness but the affection she obviously holds for the crew, all of these work for me.

Rev.  Ok, I'll admit that I can't stand Rev Bem.  It's not the fur, it's not the face, it's not the held-close violent tendencies underneith the religious exterior.  All those things I can deal with.  He's not even a bad guy.  But the piety, the endless pious religious platitudes drive me up the wall.  Maybe I have some kind of religious backlash going here, but when he starts to spout stuff about The Way, I want to puke.   Now, that said, I think Brent Stait does a great job of portraying Rev.  Because, all that religious stuff could fall flat, it could be unconvincing as hell, it could leave me questioning how much he has to force the fervour.  But I never do that.  Rev's beliefs, the idea that he really believes all The Way stuff, I never question them.  And even though they annoy the hell out of me, I'm glad that they're convincing like that.

And finally, Andromeda.  The only other part I've ever seen Lexa Doig in was a one-ep role on Earth: Final Conflict.  It was too small.  I really like her portrayal of Andromeda.  I especially enjoy the tension that the show sets up between computer Andromeda, hologram Andromeda and body Rommie.  There is, I think, a lot more potential for the exploration of those differences.  The High Guard stiff, regulation Andromeda is a nice contrast to Rommie's attempts to understand more about things like emotions and to unbend a little.  Doig portrays these different facets without a hitch.

I look over this ramble and realise I'm saying the same thing over and over again. Basically, it's easy to see how each of these characters could have become charicatures.  And that hasn't happened, which is a credit to both the actors and the writers.  I will now shut up. 

No.  No, I'm not.  Although, I will admit that it took me a while to figure out what it would take to get these two in bed.

Now, I figure Tyr is the 'want it, get it' kind of guy. Not greedy, not grabby, just practical.  And Harper, well, he's been around the block a few times, I doubt he would turn down a well executed offer by someone he found interesting.

"But Ana," you say, "Harper has Nietzschean *issues* (who doesn't?). And Tyr is kind of contemptuous of humans.  The snark at each other. They barely tolerate each other!"

Ah, yes.  Why *would* they appeal to each other?

The appeal. What's the appeal?  Well, first off, neither are blind. But looks aren't everything.  'Survival of the fittest guy' Tyr has to recognise that Harper is a survivor [in fact, he does in Its Hour Come Round At Last, with his growled out, "Where's your survivor's instinct, Harper?"].  Despite his rudeness and dismissal of Harper, Tyr probably at least registers this survival drive and more important, success, with vague approval.

Harper's also smart, an advantage that Tyr would well recognise.  He knows that Harper is crucial for ship's running, and he does what Harper says when it comes to those matters [Harper 2.0, Tyr listens to what Harper needs for repairs and superstructure support, and gets to work].

If Tyr's survival is linked to the Andromeda (which it is, as long as he maintains his links with Dylan and the crew), genius engineering guy is a definite advantage.

Harper's a survivor.  We he know he is [see Fear and Loathing in the Milky Way for the most obvious examples]. This means he's going to appreciate any advantage that helps him survive.  You think he signed on to the Andromeda for purely altruistic reasons?  No.  No way.  He recognised that the ship's technology, among other things, was an advantage in a harsh galaxy. He's not idealistic, he's realistic.  His chances for a better life increase with the Andromeda.

Having Tyr then, a fast, strong, genetically engineered, smart guy on his side is a good thing. An attractive thing.  Also, it's not so good to have said guy running around absorbed in his own agenda.

"But Ana!" Again, you have questions.  And that's ok.  "Didn't Tyr tell Beka that he wouldn't mate with someone outside his species?"[Forced Perspective]

Yes.  Yes, he did.  But he framed it in terms of procreation. Cross-species mating and breeding would, in his eyes, be pointless.

With Harper, there isn't a chance of this (and no, I will never write male pregnancy fic).  So, sex with a guy would be purely for fun, and therefore the species and mating issues do not come into play. Lianne Burwell has written the fun Recreational Activities dealing with this theme. Check it out.

More questions? Yes?  "What about the woman on the planet? [Yvaine, Music of a Distant Drum]  Weren't they getting cozy?"

Yes.  Yes, they were.  I don't have answers for everything.  It does suggest that he finds some humans appealing (there really is no doubt he was at least mildly flirting with Beka in Forced Perspective). And notice, the woman was a survivor.  She persevered in the face of physical and emotional adversity.  She hid Tyr at great personal potential cost.  She helped him when she could have walked away.

Like anyone else we know?  Who's done foolish things to protect the ship?  At great personal potential cost?  *ahem* Harper.  ie Harper 2.0, he takes off to protect the others.  He attempts to take the rap for the Castalian President's death.  That didn't directly protect Tyr, but it protected the ship, which is part of Tyr's survival.

One more question.  "Why not Dylan/Harper?  Or Dylan/Tyr?"

While I'll read both pairings, I have a much harder time buying them. Dylan doesn't have much in the way of slashy vibes (to me). He's got the UST with Rommie and Beka.  Does he have to get *all* the crew?

I'll admit that Harper and Dylan seems more plausible to me (although I wonder if Dylan would wonder if this was taking advantage of his crew).  And Viridian5 has written some good, convincing fic with this pairing.  Dylan and Tyr, though?  They'd always be competing.  That could make for some hot sex, but I think they might start to grate on each other's nerves. Fast.  Too much alike in some ways, and too different in others.   And anyway, it's just too obvious.

Now, Tyr and Harper compliment each other.  I'm not talking the small/big kind of shit either. They're both realistic.  They might not have the same philosophies in many ways, but they both live in the universe *now*, they know the way of things, and there's that whole survivor/realism thing I've already talked about.

Awfully clinical, huh?  All that's well and good, but how does it lead to the fucking?

Have I mentioned that neither are blind?

I'm not saying they're going to get all cute and sweet and loving with a *relationship*.   And Tyr's certainly not going to start bringing Harper *flowers* (or flowered shirts), but good sex for fun (not profit!)?  Why not?

Harper is not weak.  He's certainly not helpless.  He *is* smart, cunning, willing to be self-sacrificing if it's worth it, capable, and most of all, Harper's a survivor.  We see this over and over again on the show.

From day one, Harper has shown how cunning he can be.  He gets taken by Gerentex, off Andromeda, but does he quietly sit and do what he's told?  No.  He thinks of a plan, and he executes it.

Fear and Loathing, possibly the most blatant of the survivorcunning!Harper episodes, also shows how he doesn't take shit.  He never backs down and lets Gerentex play with him.  He bides his time, comes up with a plan, and makes his move.

Maybe that's it.  Unlike (sometimes) Dylan or (especially) Tyr, Harper's first move is rarely physical.  He plays for time, because he's working on a plan. Those snarky comments, the sarcasm, that's Harper's way of letting people know how he feels about a situation, and distracting them.  It makes him look weak, and possibly fearful, to 'the bad guys', like he's trying to talk his way out of trouble.  But think about it:  by doing this, he's playing up a more harmless (all bark, no bite) version of himself, while buying time to work out how to get out of this.  Sure, he may be at a physical disadvantage with some people, but whoever said that the only way of displaying strength was through physicality?

But I suppose those tactics can be misread as displays of essential helplessness, followed by incredible good luck.

So why?  Why do people want to write him as weak?  As Harper-who-needs-saving?  There are lots of possible reasons.

1)  It's easy.  Harper, out of the guys, is the easiest to write as weak.  He's smaller.  He's less proficient with weaponry.
2)  He's been set up, at least early on, as the comic relief.  This status changes, later in season one, when he gets more fleshed out.  But he's still the one who get snarky, who wears the more colourful clothes, who is constantly on the make with women, who is in some ways more 'frivolous' than Dylan or Tyr (or Beka).
3)  Playing with dichotomies is something some writers do. Therefore, if Tyr is strong and impassive (or if Dylan is strong and infallible -- which he certainly isn't), then Harper needs to be weak and animated, or weak and incapable.  It's an easy dynamic to work with, even if it doesn't take into account the characterisations we see on the show.

I'm sure there are more reasons (and if you've got some, let me know), but that's all I can think of at the moment.

Now, I'm not going to say that at some point in his life, Harper *wasn't* helpless.  It makes sense that he was.   As a child, as a young adult, we have no idea what he was doing, other than a few snippets here and there.   But the point is, he grew up.  He survived, and some of it was probably luck, but survival takes more than luck.  It takes skill and strength.

I'm also not going to say that Harper is perfect, Harper is without fear, or that Harper always handles himself in the best way possible.  If he did, he'd be boring.  One of the appeals of the character is that he's multi-faceted. He can be ruthless [Angel Dark, Demon Bright]; self-centred and greedy [Fear and Loathing in the Milky Way]; and scared out of his mind [Harper 2.0 and Its Hour Come Round at Last].  He can also be selfless and self-sacrificing [All Great Neptune's Ocean; Harper 2.0]; cunning [leaving overrides in Rommie, as demonstrated in It Makes a Lovely Light]; loyal [too many examples, including keeping quiet about Beka on Flash]; and generous [making the body for Rommie].

Sure, he freaked out during the Magog attack.  Anyone would freak like that in the face a huge childhood terror.  But he pulled it together.  And he could have backed down, let Tyr kill him, and just ended it.  He didn't though.  He chose to go down fighting rather than taking the easy way out.  And if that's not a sign that Harper isn't weak and helpless, then I don't know what is.

(Btw, Cassiopeia has a story that shows a more vulnerable Harper, but one who is not helpless or shrinking.  Check it out).

Tyr isn't a guy who lends himself to sap.  I can maybe, *maybe* buy some sap-light Dylan/Harper stuff.   You know, aspartame-sap, not the full sugar-sap.  I think I could probably buy Beka/Trance sap.  But Tyr/Harper sap?  I'm talking sweet, sickly 'I'll love you forever, baby' stuff.  The wild declarations and the cuddly-softness.  Nope.  No, thank you.

Can I buy fun?  Yes.  Good sex?  For sure -- as a friend said, it's obvious that Tyr is great in the sack [that scene in Double Helix is a pretty big hint]; and I bet Harper is flexible as hell.  Post-battle energy rushes?  Oh yeah.  A little half-(or more) antagonistic sex?  Why not.  But sap?  No.

So what the hell is my problem?  I don't like it, so what?

Ok.  Here's the problem:  I keep wanting to write it.  Not wanting really. It just kind of starts to happen.  I don't like it, but the fact is:  sap tries to creep into the stories.

Not the 150%, five-alarm sap stuff, no.  But some sweetness?  Yes.  I have to keep beating the stuff down with a very big spoon (which then makes me think of The Tick comic book, which makes me laugh and thus distracts me from the serious business of the beat down). 

Some of the fic I've written comes dangerously close -- or even crosses -- the sap line I've arbitrarily drawn for myself.  And those pieces make me cringe.  I leave them up because I'm a masochist.  I've done this before, in another fandom, and thinking about that makes me cringe too.

So, why the urge?  Is it summer and the happy little birds that wake me up every day?  Have they stolen my brain for their evil-happy-bird purposes?  Am I actually a hopeless romantic who wants to completely disregard character traits?

I don't know.  It's just scary.  This ramble actually has nothing to do with the show.  I could have pointed out reasons why I don't like the sap, or why it doesn't work for Tyr/Harper (or why it might work for Beka/Trance), but instead I whined about my own writing inadequacies.  I feel shame.

Now I'm going to try and write this Harper POV post-Angel Dark, Demon Bright (possibly bdsm) thing that's torturing me.  Thankfully, it's not sap.  I hope.  I'm going to search out any possible sap bits and destroy them.

I was sitting on a rock.  I'd slogged through kilometres of sand, water and mud to get to a secluded area.  I was watching rarely seen birds play in the water.  And suddenly, there it was:

I know, I thought.  I'll write an Andromeda/Highlander crossover. What a great idea!

And with that, I churned out 14 pages in what seemed like 20 minutes. Thank god I'd brought pen and a paper with me. The birds chirped away.

Now I'm back from camping.  I  typed out those 14 pages.  And I have to ask: What the hell was I thinking?  I mean, seriously.  Am I on crack?

It's not that a crossover in itself is a bad thing.  Nor is the idea of a Highlander/Andromeda crossover.  In fact, a couple already exist. They're here. Big Tyr/Methos/MacLeod smut fests.  So anyway, the concept in itself is not necessarily bad.  It's more like my execution of it.  Crossovers, I've discovered, are not my thing. Neither are long stories.

My fic tends to be short, around 25k at the most.  Sometimes it's longer, but I'm a very short story kind of girl.  I love reading the longer stuff, but I just can't write it.    When I try to write longer things, they just trail off and die.  It sucks.

When I try to write crossovers (I've done this once before), they end up becoming these long things that go nowhere.  I lose it.

So enough about my writing inadequacies.  Now I will try to talk about the show in relation to the crossover idea.

I admit, I do have some questions I wanted answered in a crossover.  I prefer to think that it's possible that MacLeod and Methos are still around when humanity gets to space.  I like them living long lives.  It's selfish of me.  And then I started thinking: what would happen to Immortals caught by the Magog?  Think about it. If they were implanted, would they die when the Magog was born?  Or would they get partially eaten and then regenerate?  Or would they reject the Magog spawn?

What if the Magog figured out that they had a constantly regenerating source of food?  How horrible would *that* be?

And then there're the Nietzscheans.  The inability to breed would be the ultimate off-put for them, but what if they did research (on live Immortal subjects) to try and figure out if they could genetically manipulate for those enhanced healing abilities (without the whole sterility thing)?  Wouldn't that be a great advantage?

If you were Immortal, living in the Andromeda universe, wouldn't you worry about this?

I think I need to get a grip on reality. What the hell am I thinking about this stuff for anyway?

But can't you just imagine Dylan and MacLeod together in a room?  Think about how well they'd get on.  And how Methos might get snarky about being in a room with too many hopeful idealist types.  I can see Methos getting into a literature discussion with Tyr (although also tearing apart his philosophical outlooks).  And they could talk about their perspectives on survival.  And be all impassive together or something.  Tyr would probably surreptitiously laugh at Methos' snark factor.  Oh, and Harper and Methos could snark together. And Methos could be disturbed and put off-balance by Trance, while Duncan was slightly entranced with her.

Yeah.  I'm getting amusing images in my head.  If I could write them into something, I'd be pretty pleased.

By the way, the quote up there, the 'subtitle' or whatever, it isn't from the story I started writing.  I just made it up for up there.  I would never slash MacLeod with Harper.   Up there?  That's kind of a parody or something.   Would MacLeod really start waxing poetic about some guy's hair? I doubt it.  And that Immortal I mentioned? That was Tyler King, played by Callum Keith Rennie in the [awful] ep The Innocent, who kinda sorta a bit reminds me of Harper.  It's the hair. The hair gets me everytime. I'm a sucker for it. 

And also, Methos' nose really isn't that big.  It's a nice nose.

Oh yeah, and in case you're wondering, the crossover is on indefinite hold.  I'll probably never finish it.  Although I did write another page just now.    It's the best part of this disaster.  Here it is (MacLeod POV):
 

* * *

Anasazi had agreed to go into the bar, but hadn't joined them at the table.  Instead he leaned against one wall, ignoring the patrons who tried to speak to him.  He watched the door, drank something slowly, and generally exuded disinterest and power.  Harper was a different story.  He enthusiastically ordered drinks, commenting on the fine ale, and making wry remarks about the other patrons.

"See those humans over there?  In the corner?  The dark haired one is checking out Tyr."  Duncan raised an eyebrow in slight disbelief, causing Harper to laugh.  "Seriously.  Look, he glances around, lingers on Tyr, shifts a little, does it again.  Why do you think Tyr's glowering like that?  He doesn't want to give out the wrong idea."

"I would have thought the humans here would be hostile towards Nietzscheans."

Harper shrugged.  "Maybe he's not from around here.  Maybe he got a taste for Nietzscheans when they were holding the planet.  Who knows, who cares.  I'm just enjoying Tyr's annoyance."  His attention shifted.  "Those Perseids behind me?  They're eyeing the humans.  And they keep looking at my data port.  Tyr's sending them glares that are keeping them away from us."

Duncan was impressed.  He wondered if Harper knew the bartender was also watching them.  Duncan knew he worked for Amanda, and had been told to watch their backs.  He was fairly certain that two of the patrons, both sitting alone and appearing to drink steadily, were also Amanda's.

That reminded him of his promise that he'd get information out of Harper and Anasazi for her.  "Does he always do that?"

"What?  Glare?"  Harper's expression was comical.

"Not quite.  Act so stoic."

Harper shrugged again, a habitual movement.  "He's Tyr. He's not exactly Mr. Fun, you know? Good in a fight, good with the planning, always making his own contingency plans, and waiting with the surprises.  He's a Nietzschean in a crew of non-Nietzscheans.  Who knows what he's thinking."

Indeed.  He drank deeply, watching one of the Perseids detach from his group and approach slowly. Apparently the strength of Anasazi's glare was waning.  "You have a visitor on his way."

Harper didn't bother turning.  "Perseid?  Great."  He ignored the approach, waiting until the Perseid was at his elbow.  Then he tilted his head slightly.  "I'm not available."

The blunt comment surprised Duncan.  The Perseid smiled, ingratiating.  "My colleagues and I are willing to offer a considerable sum for your services, both today and on an ongoing basis.  You will have the best we have."

The offer didn't impress Harper.  "The best you have pales in comparison to what I have at my disposal now, guy.  I'm not available."

"Even for a day?"

"No. Leave."  Harper's voice was flat.  The Perseid nodded carefully , and slid back to his group.  Harper drank, apparently unperturbed.  Eventually, he tapped the port on his neck, explaing to Duncan,   "They wanted me to work for them, using this.  I've done it before, it's not the life I want to lead."  He grinned. "Besides, who'd want to give up adventure and mayhem with a misfit crew and a slightly deranged captain?"

There was something hidden behind the nonchalance and levity.  It wasn't his place to ask, so he simply jerked his head towards the group of humans, now being approached by the same Perseid.  "Maybe they have what the Perseids are looking for."

Harper looked doubtful.

* * * 

But anyway, I've also been thinking about Andromeda, for a number of reasons.  And I started wondering about Nietzschean environmental beliefs.  You know, because I'm deranged.

We have no real evidence of the state of Nietzschean homeworlds.  But if they're so obsessed with survival, being genetically fittest, and optimising their reproductive capacity, they're probably also up on not destroying their environments.  After all, pollutants can result in genetic mutations and lowered life spans, the creation and insertion of xenoestrogens into the environment messes with sperm counts, and things like poor air quality contribute to problems like asthma.  I can't imagine Nietzscheans working towards perfection without recognising the role the environment plays in this.

However, we have some indication that Nietzscheans plunder their conquered and adminstered worlds.  After all, they would need raw resources, and probably have zero problems forcing humans, lower in their eyes, to work in abyssmal environmental conditions.   They probably aren't too worried about environmental pollution or depletion on the human planets they've conquered.  Humans are disposable and there to work for Nietzscheans needs.  Their planets would probably be seen the same way.

Actually, it would probably kind of be like the history of the ways the developed [so-called 'First World'] nations have treated the underdeveloped [so-called 'Third World'] nations, particularly during the colonial era [and not all that different now, if you think about it.  Some positive changes, but not enough].   Not a parallel without problems, but you know what I mean.  Right?

Really.

Partly I think it's because I was expecting more Harper-time.  Instead, he was relegated to a third plot and some poor characterisation.   I thought his waffling was particularly unHarper, at least from what we see usually.  Perhaps this could be explained by his ongoing upheaval re: his impending Magog-spawn fate.  However, any mention of Harper's own health issues was bizarrly absent.  What the hell?  I'm increasingly annoyed with the way this is NOT being dealt with in the episodes.  It sets us up for 1) a really bad plot where things are suddenly and miraculously resolved or 2) Harper's death (no!). 

Dylan.  Dylan.  He and his culturally-imperialistic ways.  I increasingly dislike the new Dylan.  First he's willing to let people die because helping them is inefficient.  Then he harrasses a woman until she agrees to come back with him -- completely overlooking any meaning she has to people where she is.  And now, he's taking away Tyr's access to the centre of his beliefs.

Sure, I see why he's doing it.  But Tyr's relationship to the Progenitor is not just a power thing, it's a belief system.  It links him to his family, the Kodiak, the cultural history of the Nietzscheans, and like any religion, I imagine it gives him a grounding (hope?) and a sense of purpose in a chaotic universe.  Restricting access to even looking at the material centre of this belief system is tantamount to religious oppression and suppression.   I could understand if Dylan had chosen to enact security measures preventing Tyr from taking the Progenitor out of the ship (don't tell me it would be too complicated, Harper and Rommie could rig something up -- that is, if Rommie could take a minute to stop being so snippy to Harper).  However, I think that denying even visual access is going too far.

Asserting ownership of Tyr and everything on the ship shows how close Dylan is to megalomania.  It's disturbing to watch, and while it does make for interesting plot twists, I wonder what the long term repercussions for fighting off the Magog (and for the creation of a workable coalition) will be.  (I also think it's funny -- Commonwealth implies some kind of shared ownership/use of resources.  Dylan is effectively undermining the power of the idea he's trying to sell when he asserts his sole ownership of people, religious artefacts and crucial technology).

The insights into Nietzschean culture were both interesting and disturbing.  The eugenics thing I'd already dealt with.  Not happy about it, but dealt with.  I certainly would never agree with any philosophy that is fundamentally linked to killing the imperfect (how do they decide what is imperfect and closer to perfection?  how do they determine whether infertility is linked to genetics or to environmental conditions?  I could go on and on).  I hadn't really thought about the sexist implications of their culture (and I should have).  The idea of co-wives and brood mares is disturbing, and I wonder why the women accept it.  Nietzschean women seem to be strong-willed -- why do they buy into the idea of their roles as so fixed?  Someone should send them some feminist texts.

Huh, that said, I'm remembering Elssbett Mossadim, and she certainly didn't seem to be the settle-back-and-have-many-babies individual.  I suppose there are probably pretty significant cultural and gender-relations differences in different prides.  That would certainly make sense.

By the way, I did enjoy the little clues to Harper's past, as well as his total love for Beka.  Their interaction at the end of the episode was lovely.