Terra Nova has shown that it’s at its best when things are happening, and in its seventh episode, “Nightfall,” things are definitely happening.
When a meteor explodes in the atmosphere, an EMP pulse wipes out all the futuristic gadgets that rely on electronics, including weapons, defenses, surgical rooms and, unfortunately for Jim, door locks. Jim is trapped with his youngest daughter, the adorable Zoe, who must crawl through a vent to unlock the door, allowing daddy to catch up on all the happenings throughout the rest of the camp.
Those happenings involve a 30-foot parasite in a young man’s stomach, a frontal attack by a 50-foot long Spinosaurus and a stealth invasion by Sixers, the colony’s break-away militia. With no guns available, knives, fists and feet have to do, as Jim and Commander Taylor kick some ass but come up short.
The dinosaur at the front gate has caused the diversion the Sixers needed to secure the mysterious box that no one in Terra Nova has managed to open. It responds only to DNA, and in the final scene, we learn that the required DNA is that of Commander Tyler’s missing son. Even Mira, the leader of the Sixers, is unclear about its purpose, as powerful people back in the future try to somehow manipulate the past.
What Jim won’t notice is his other daughter’s disappearance—she’s sneaked off with her new boyfriend on a first date gone awry. They’re forced to spend the night in a tree, covered in odorous mud, when his vehicle shuts down. The manage to make it back to camp amidst the chaos undetected.
It’s the best balance the show has struck between the family concerns of the Shannons and the larger plot unfolding, between teen romance and great, big dinosaurs. And after leaning mostly towards the former in the last few episodes, it’s nice to return the unresolved mysteries hinted at since the premiere.