Revelation
Nitcentral's Bulletin Brash Reflections:
Seven Days:
Season Three:
Revelation
The Backstep gang is at Never Never Land when they receive a call from Conundrum, but everyone is there. It is Major Mark McGrath, an American pilot who claims to be from seven years in the future. He was backstepped in order to assassinate a major likeable player in the Mideast peace talks who apparently will show his true face soon.
McGrath, Donovan and Frank go to perform the deed; Donovan gives Frank an old family heirloom, a lighter with a Bible quote on it, for luck. While having reservations about shooting a currently innocent man, Frank doesn't pull the trigger, but someone else does, and takes out the target's whole entourage, too. Frank finds Donovan, shot dead, and McGrath is missing. Frank gets caught by the DC police, but ends up escaping.
McGrath makes it back to the base and is put in charge of the Backstep program by the NSA. Olga notices he does not appear to be what he though, and when Frank arrives, the team all go in to get him to the sphere, as armageddeon seems to have started.
Frank backsteps and takes on McGrath after McGrath arrives, and as Frank is taking major punches from McGrath, they enter a highly flammable area of a rooftop, and Frank uses the lighter, destroying McGrath. As it looks bad for Frank, who will burn, too, the sky starts pouring rain. Frank goe back to Never Never Land and asks Olga about her feelings on God and the Devil. Olga tells Frank he needs to take time off.
By Lee Jamilkowski (Ljamilkowski) on Wednesday, January 31, 2001 - 1:07 pm: This episode was originally scheduled to air on February 14, 2001, but was pushed back for reasons unknown.
By Bob Brehm on Thursday, February 08, 2001 - 4:08 pm: Holdoc plays a Chrononaut? Wow!!! He is the 2nd person from Voyager to be on here.
By Lee Jamilkowski (Ljamilkowski) on Wednesday, February 21, 2001 - 6:17 pm: I just read an interview with Robert Picardo. He said that he has been friends for a few years with Thomas Ropeleweski, one of the show's producers, and they thought the part was right for Robert, so the Voyager producers gave him five days off with which to go film this episode.
I'm glad that Talmedge offered to talk with Frank about his mission, knowing it would be difficult to shoot a seemingly innocent man.
It looks like Frank was having trouble synchronizing his watch.... he was fooling with it for quite a few seconds after Donovan and the major has been finished.
Donovan's question was quite valid. I've been wondering the same thing. When WILL he backstep?
A nice reference to Jimmy. Haven't heard about the little guy in a while.
By Lee Jamilkowski (Ljamilkowski) on Wednesday, February 21, 2001 - 6:33 pm: Jimmy doesn't look remotely the same as the one we last saw two years ago. I didn't think two years would make THAT much of a difference for a young kid like that.
Those rat *$!#@$s from Top Dog are back. Ugh. Along with the showdy uppers at the Pentagon. It's nice to know they're keeping continuity, especially since Nate and Bradley do not remember the events from Top Dog, ahving been erased in the Backstep.
By TomM on Wednesday, February 21, 2001 - 9:38 pm:Donovan's question was quite valid. I've been wondering the same thing. When WILL he backstep? Lee
Craig Donovan, the Ensign Kim of Project Back-Step.
Didn't Donovan lose that lighter in Dunwych during the madness? Or were the eps aired out of order?
We've seen before that sometimes it seems like someone "upstairs" looks after Frank, but that cloudburst was just a little too coincidental. That, and the fact that the "real" major turns up dead at the end...Just what has PB-S gotten itself mixed up in?
I enjoyed seeing the field reps of the NSA panel again, too. Seems like they are still looking for any excuse to replace Talmadge with someone easier to "control."
Where were Isaac and Hooter this time out?
By Scott McClenny on Thursday, February 22, 2001 - 10:07 am: "McGrath" qoutes from Revelation 13:18 when
he shows Frank the Mark.
It's Revelation not Revelations.
What Frank saw during his fight with "McGrath"
was only a representation of Evil,it wasn't what
the Devil actually would look like since as a
spirit the Devil doesn't possess any actual
corporeal form.
Interesting that we don't get a close up look
of the bar code until the end!
Also interesting that there was an actual
Major McGrath.
If you read Rev.13:18 and then the following
verse Rev.14:1 you will see that it is a
contrast.That is the AntiChrist and his followers are contrasted with Jesus Christ and His followers.(Both verses refer to a Mark or Seal
on the forehead).
"McGrath" killed Donovan knowing full well that
he'd be sent back to rectify everything if Frank
were caught.
One of these days I hope we find out more about
Olga's religious background.
By Lee Jamilkowski (Ljamilkowski) on Saturday, February 24, 2001 - 12:18 pm: In retrospect, we should have guessed there was a 666 in McGrath's barcode. One of those things you hit yourself over the head for not guessing earlier. 
By Len on Monday, February 26, 2001 - 10:04 am: This episode really missed a chance to be a great one. The whole idea of a villain from Frank's future who has tangled with him several times and yet is unknown to Frank would have been an excellent idea. And it could have lead to a great recurring role by Bob Pichardo. There were so many cool questions: How did McGrath backstep? What was his relation to the Backstep Project? Where was he while MIA? etc.
But they had to go and make it a silly Devil vs. God story. A disturbing recurrence of the trend seen in the season premiere. I'm really hoping that this show doesn't degenerate into "Touched by a Backstepper."
By Lee Jamilkowski (Ljamilkowski) on Monday, February 26, 2001 - 3:49 pm: I would guess, Len, that this story will only creep up on occassion.