Jeremiah's reunion with his father is tarnished by the wishes of those who control Valhalla Sector. Meanwhile, Kurdy meets a man who claims to receive messages from God.

Valhalla Sector considers itself the legitimate US government - the "lawfully established seat of power". The "President" says that the structure of governance is intact, and elections are held every four years as before. Jeremiah estimates there are a couple of thousand people in Valhalla Sector, and the President doesn't contradict him. The President also confirms that Jeremiah's father is the only person that understands the Big Death. This makes it highly likely he was the research assistant Wily alluded to in the previous episode. It is also confirmed that once they have a vaccine, they plan to use it to subjugate the population by inoculating their own people and threatening to release the virus.

Kurdy meets a man who claims he is given messages by God, and was instructed to wait for Kurdy. He doesn't give his name, though the opening credits label him "Mister Smith". He says he has attempted to resist God's messages; "don't ask - it wasn't pretty", he says to Kurdy.

Jeremiah is introduced to a man called William Emerson who claims to be the "forty-eighth President of these United States."

Libby is assistant to Devon, Jeremiah's father. Her full name is Liberty Kaufman. She says she was found and brought in by Valhalla Sector. There are hints that she may have a reputation as a loose cannon.

Lee tells Kurdy that although he was spying on Thunder Mountain for Valhalla Sector, his true loyalty was to Devon - he gave Valhalla Sector only enough information to stop them getting suspicious. He also knows about Meaghan, where she is and that she is carrying the Big Death.

Jeremiah's new opening narration: "It's been fifteen years since a strange disease wiped out all of the adults and left us kids to fend for ourselves. Now we're moving ahead - through the past."

…And the lyrics to the opening theme:

I can't let go - I'm holding hope so tight
It's hard to breathe when the whole world falls.
I'm gonna put the stars back, back up in the sky,
Let them all just shine down, I'm gonna try.

I believe we'll find a world together
Through your eyes, that's all I can see.
I believe we're looking at forever
In a world where we can be free.
I believe.

A few good Markus lines, including "They hit us with guns, bazookas, tear gas, tanks, APVs, helicopters, rockets… I'm pretty sure at least one of them used really harsh language" and of the meeting in St Louis: "It was just supposed to be a little family get-together: later we were going to go on one of those eggs hunts, but Erin wouldn't wear the bunny suit and I couldn't find one that fit me."

Erin: "Anyone got any spare toilet paper they can roll down here?" Markus and Jeremiah (in unison): "No."

The first thing Mister Smith says to Kurdy: "God says you're late."

…and God's first message for Kurdy: "Stop running… you're not going to help your friend by running to him. If you want to help, you have to allow yourself to be given over to those who are chasing you." He's right, as it turns out.

Lee and Kurdy: "There's only two ways this can end: the first way I shoot you in the head and walk away." "Yeah? What's the second?" "You have to trust me." "I'll take the bullet."

Meaghan, to Lee: "You call me Lady Death? Well damn straight. What touches me, dies. And if Markus is gone, and there's nothing you can do to bring him back, understand that I will claw my way through this glass, and where I walk death will follow, until everyone in this whole fucking world is dead; because nothing matters to me anymore. Do you understand that? Nothing."

Libby, after Jeremiah apologises for his brusque behaviour: "I thought you were going to apologise for staring at my tits."

Markus's George Orwell quotation is from Nineteen Eighty-Four. In the novel, O'Brien says to Winston Smith, "If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face - for ever."

The opening title sequence has undergone a number of changes since last season. Firstly, Jeremiah's less poetic new narration (see Quotations) reflects the more dynamic and forward-looking format. The evocative title music has been replaced by a pop song first used over the end credits of the pilot in its feature-length version. This song is written by Tim Truman, who wrote the original theme (including the end-sequence, which remains unchanged) and has scored many episodes. The lyrics reflect the ongoing theme of hope but also foreground belief as a key theme. The nature of belief popped up occasionally during the first season, in such episodes as "The Red Kiss" and "Journeys End in Lovers Meeting" : from that episode comes the final shot of the word "believe" daubed on the shore by the departed pilgrims. Other first season episodes that contribute distinctive shots to the opening sequence include "Firewall" (Markus and his gun) and "Out of the Ashes" (the disused mining rig).

Two newcomers to the show, Joanne Kelly and Sean Astin, are given credits in the opening title sequence. None of the semi-regulars is given this promotion (e.g. Peter Stebbings or Ingrid Kavelaars). Astin is familiar from his role in the recent film adaptations of Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Other personnel changes include the departure of Sam Egan: Executive Producer and writer of several episodes of the previous season.

Near the beginning there is a brief flashback to Elizabeth's final scene from the previous episode .

The President knows that Jeremiah's brother is dead. Perhaps he got this information from Lee or Ezekiel.

Lee's pragmatic approach is contrasted with Jeremiah's stubborn sense of nobility. Although we don't know exactly what Lee's planning (or even for certain what side he's on), it's a fair bet that it won't involve "going out clean", as Jeremiah puts it.

Robert Foxworth, who plays the President, appeared in the Babylon 5 episode "All Alone in the Night" as General Hague. The character was due to reappear in the following season, but Foxworth pulled out, forcing the script to be rewritten at a late stage. This resulted in an infamous outtake where a character responded to being asked where he was by saying he was "doing Deep Space Nine - it seems he was double-booked by his agent". On casting Foxworth in Jeremiah, Straczynski has said: "We needed someone for an important part in Jeremiah this season, and his name surfaced as one prospect. I'll be honest: when that happened, I kind of got my back up over the Hague situation. But then, at the end of the day, you have to say, 'Okay, he pissed you off, but does that mean you don't hire the right guy for the job?' So we hired him for that episode, 'Letters from the Other Side'… Because you can't sensibly run a show in any other way." Read the full post.

The President says he is the 48th President of the United States. At the time of writing, the current President, George W. Bush, is the 43rd. This helps us to date Jeremiah in the not-too distant future, but doesn't help us pin it down to a specific year, as each President could serve one or two terms (or possibly more if that restriction has been relaxed since the Big Death), and of course some Presidents may not have served a full term for whatever reason. A reasonable upper estimate would be:

• 2009 - election of 44th President
• 2017 - 45th
• 2025 - 46th
• 2033 - 47th
• 2041 - 48th

making the "current" date no later than 2049, in which case the year of the Big Death would be around 2034. A lowest estimate, assuming one full term served by each President (including Bush), would put the current date no earlier than 2021, and the Big Death therefore no earlier than 2005.

Additional - added 4 March 2006: Since writing the above, Bush has secured a second term, making the lowest estimate seem less likely (though if the Big Death did happen in 2005, then Jeremiah's fictional universe must diverge from our own; perhaps in the history of the show Bush only served one term).

Valhalla Sector personnel do not appear to countenance the idea that Meaghan might be naturally immune as the Brothers of the Apocalypse claimed to be (see "Things Left Unsaid" ). This suggests they're not aware of the Brothers (or at least, not aware that they're old).

It doesn't look too hard to get into Thunder Mountain the back way. Does no-one at Valhalla Sector get suspicious when Lee decides to take Kurdy to Thunder Mountain? Perhaps he didn't tell anyone, and the helicopter pilot is personally loyal to him.

A fine start to the season: the major characters are reintroduced neatly, and there are some tense, dramatic scenes, along with some thought-provoking and witty dialogue. Best of all are the hints that the conclusion is going to be pretty spectacular. Of the new characters, Robert Foxworth's President comes across best, wisely hiding the menace in his words behind a false geniality. We don't really see enough of Libby to form an opinion, and Mister Smith suffers from having too many parallels to the recently departed Ezekiel; but both have considerable potential.