Control Freak

"Control Freak" is the tenth episode of VR.5 that aired on April 28, 1995. This episode guide is from the VR.5 FAQ and was originally written by the authors of the FAQ.

Synopsis
Given the assignment of determining the motives and background of a man holding an airport's control tower hostage, Sydney uncovers a past attempt by the Committee to assassinate Oliver Sampson.

Main Cast

 * Lori Singer (Sydney Bloom)
 * Michael Easton (Duncan)
 * Anthony Head (Oliver Sampson)

Guest Stars

 * Markus Flanagan (Kyle Jarvis)
 * Tom Mardirosian (Ed Paterson)
 * Stephen Root (F.A.A. Negotiator)
 * Richard Penn (Unknown)
 * Carol Kiernan (Unknown)
 * Frank Whiteman (Unknown)
 * Johnny Moran (Unknown)
 * Cynthia Avila (Matilda)

Crew
Written by: Naomi Janzen

Directed by: Michael Katleman

VR.5 was created by: Adam Cherry, Geoffrey Hemwall, Michael Katleman, Jeannine Renshaw, and Thania St. John

Executive Producer: John Sacret Young

Co-executive Producer: Thania St. John

Co-executive Producer: Eric Blakeney (2,3,5,6,8)

Supervising Producer: Michael Katleman

Producer: Naomi Janzen (2-10)

Producer: Jack Clements (2-10)

Producer: Mel Efros (1)

Co-producer: Geoffrey Hemwall

Observations

 * Duncan, despite his philosophies, appears to be extremely cynical.
 * Sydney's VR software seems to be some kind of database--she can custom design settings that don't already exist.
 * The Other CAN lie in VR.5, or can at least avoid telling the truth.
 * Committee members don't always know each other (not really a surprise).
 * The Committee uses their seal on a ring (such as the one Joseph Bloom had) as an identification.

Spoilers

 * Oliver lied to the Committee to buy time for his own investigation and, upon confirming that a bomb had been planted to kill him, leaked some version of the truth about Kyle Jarvis to a newspaper-- together these indicate a shift in Oliver's loyalty.

Questions/Answers/Speculation
The following contains SPOILERS.


 * 1) Who tried to kill Oliver? Why did they use such an indiscriminate method when they have been known to employ professionals who work "up close and personal" (like Jackson Boothe)? Why did they only try once?
 * 2) * (Speculation by Lisa Cunningham): The bomb may have been used to disguise the fact that Oliver was the target; there may also have been other attempts on his life that we don't know about.
 * 3) Does Oliver have a cover? How does he wield authority without one?