Another good episode. I've checked the writers on the Wikipedia List of K9 Episodes, and I've found that I consistently like the episodes written by Jim Noble, and consistently dislike the episodes written by Graeme Farmer. This is one of Jim Noble's.
While the gang are visiting the last oak tree in a museum (one has to wonder if they paid a dollar and a half to see it), the tree itself is stolen by aliens. The gang investigate the disappearance, and discover the tree was stolen by an alien Centurapede -- kind of a cross between a giant caterpillar and a giant centipede -- who needs it for its own purposes. Things aren't quite what they seem however, as it turns out the Centurapedes have been using Earth's oak trees as a hatchery for centuries, and transform into beautiful, shining butterfly people, who leave Starkey with a gift-- acorns, so the oak trees can be brought back again. It's a very beautiful, uplifting, Star-Trek-y ending, which makes me happy.
We also get some good reminders in this episode about London being a totalitarian state, with a brief line about how the government controls all communications, and a closing shot of the floating propaganda billboards. It's an element I'd really love to see explored in more detail, but I doubt will be, for reasons I'll get to in a minute.
On the downside, Darius is back to being a selfish jerk who only thinks of ways to line his pockets. After last episode's scene between him and Jorjie I was hoping we were going to get a little more development on the romance side of these characters; but no, apparently Jorjie still hasn't asked Starkey out like she planned to, and Darius hasn't tried to win Jorjie over. What's most disappointing about that isn't so much the way the characters are handled in this episode, but rather that it's become evident these are interchangeable stories, and we aren't getting any kind of story arc. Which, considering the kind of story arcs I see on the kids show my daughter watches (such as, say, Wizards of Waverly Place), it's a shame that K9 has chosen to take the easier way out.
K9's score to date: 9 wins, 5 losses.
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