TV episode review
US airdate 8 February 2008 (Sci Fi Channel)

Ming's reign is brought to an end – but he still has a few tricks left...

Okay, the episode ends on something of a cliffhanger as, to no-one's surprise, Flash, Dale and Zarkov find themselves trapped on Mongo, seemingly forever. Otherwise this does tie up the majority of the loose ends from the series so far as, after a brutal fight with Flash, Ming is deposed and sent to his fate, although in the best tradition of such things, he clearly lives to fight another day.

There have been worse incarnations of Alex Raymond's hero, and Eric Johnson has often proved better than the material. Once John Ralston found his inner Ming, the despotic ruler became a far more watchable character, insisting on purity all around him even though he knew that he wasn't genetically pure himself. Jody Racicott's Zarkov calms down, and there's even a hint of romance with Karen Cliche's Baylin, although that presents some mental pictures that are quite hard to get rid of!

The finale lets itself down with some poorly applied make-up effects and rudimentary CGI, both things that the series had shied away from in recent times. But like most of the second part of the season, at least it was watchable. Paul Simpson

VERDICT: 7/10