Thunder Mountain's first attempt to help rebuild a town is the setting for an assassination attempt - could the group from Valhalla Sector be closer to Thunder Mountain than they thought?

Markus claims that Thunder Mountain can detect activity in US nuclear installations. Three months ago they detected that a base on the east coast near southern Virginia became active. It was surmised that Valhalla Sector had made their first move, likely positioning their original location somewhere in Virginia. They moved west fast for two months, activating more bases, until the destruction of Cranston air base made them pause; Markus thinks they believed the destruction was caused by the base's nuclear arsenal, rather that the Daisy Cutters.

Danbury, a small town about seventy miles south-east of Thunder Mountain, is to be the first beneficiary of Thunder Mountain's newfound desire to rebuild the world. Markus and the council selected it because it is positioned close to the nearest nuclear silo to Thunder Mountain - although Markus says there are three nuclear installations between Thunder Mountain and the last to come online, an alliance with Danbury will help warn them if the Valhalla Sector group get too close. Markus tours the silo and satisfies himself that no one else has been there yet.

A sniper bullet hits Markus, but Lee intimates that it may have been meant for Jeremiah. Ezekiel kills the sniper and leaves; they discover the sniper wore clean underwear, a clear indication, according to Kurdy, that he's from a powerful group. When they return to Danbury a few days later, the leaders of the town refuse their further help. It is implied that some outsiders are forcing this decision on them. A figure is seen using a walkie-talkie. Back at Thunder Mountain, Markus watches as the nuclear installation near Danbury comes online.

Markus hints that Jeremiah's obsessional desire to find Valhalla Sector may hinder Thunder Mountain. Lee is more explicit, saying, "your priorities may not be in sync with everyone else." Later Markus confides to them that, if Jeremiah's father is still at Valhalla Sector of his own free will, then he is their de facto enemy.

Ezekiel says he is sworn to protect Jeremiah and "they can't know [he's] alive". He says "their" father's name is Devon. He implies that Jeremiah's father fostered him and sent him out, first to find out if Jeremiah was still alive, then to try to make sure he didn't get hurt. He thinks if the others (presumably the military gang from Thunder Mountain, people like-minded to Quantrell) found out Jeremiah was still alive they'd use him to manipulate his father. This gives a good reason why Ezekiel killed both Major Quantrell and the sniper: so that neither could tell Valhalla Sector that Jeremiah was still alive. Either way, Lee's contact with Ezekiel suggests that his real loyalties may be to Jeremiah's father, rather than to Valhalla Sector as a whole. Rather creepily, Ezekiel carries around a photograph of Jeremiah with what must be a photograph of himself as a boy cut out and stuck over the top of, we must assume, Jeremiah's real brother (see below)

Lee has trained as a field medic.

Ezekiel says Jeremiah's mother is dead.

Erin and Kurdy, on Jeremiah: "Is he always like this?" "Only when he's awake."

Lee: "Someday down the road, remember that I was the one to tell you this first: if this place ever falls, it will be because of Jeremiah."

Damien's opinion of Lee: "You have a shadow on your heart."

Ezekiel's chilling outburst: "My father killed the world."

Ezekiel's parting advice to Jeremiah. "Do not come looking for him. Do not approach Valhalla Sector. Ever." The phrase "red rag to a bull" springs to mind.

Anyone wondering about how accurate the set design of Thunder Mountain is compared to the real Cheyenne Mountain Complex might be interested in comparing the still shown below of the "war room" with this photo, taken from the Federation of American Scientists web site. Obviously the multiple screens have been replaced with a "big board" for dramatic purposes, but otherwise it's pretty close.

In Jeremiah's dream, Ezekiel repeats his warning / blessing from the pilot episode. Also during the dream, Jeremiah's dad says "you've forgotten something". In Babylon 5, Ambassador Kosh also tells Commander Sinclair this at a pivotal moment in the first season finale "Chrysalis". Interestingly, Kosh had a tendency to appear in people's dreams pretending to be their fathers.

Erin says this is the first time all available reconnaissance teams have been in the same place, implying there have always been some out on the road at any time.

Markus' description of their plan for Danbury has many parallels with Michelle's group's activities from the last episode.

There are flashbacks in this episode to Major Quantrell's speech about "coming out" from "Firewall", the fiery showdown with Michael from "…And the Ground, Sown with Salt", and Jeremiah's memory of the last time he saw his parents, first seen in the pilot.

Markus says the events of "…And the Ground, Sown with Salt" took place about a month ago. Assuming the events of each episode happen in sequence, that means on average about one episode every three days.

Is Lee the only traitor at Thunder Mountain? It was Ezekiel he contacted when Major Quantrell was captured, and he then let Ezekiel into Thunder Mountain to kill Quantrell. Given this behaviour, it seems unlikely that he is really on the side of the military wing of Valhalla Sector. It's possible instead that he warned Ezekiel about Danbury and the military wing got hold of the information. We don't yet know the division at Valhalla Sector between the military and civilian populations, but it's a fair assumption that the military currently have the upper hand.

According to J. Michael Straczynski, the "Excerpts written by…" credits are required by the Writers Guild of Canada (where Jeremiah is filmed) to ensure that the scripting of the flashback sequences are acknowledged.

A jam-packed episode, full of answers and questions. Although there's no let up pace-wise, there's still room for a lot of black humour, and the unfolding plot reveals much about the characters' positions in the conflict that will shortly come.