In Review: Project Blue Book: Season 2 – Area 51

Synopsis: Hynek and Quinn investigate reports of a soldier who was allegedly taken inside a flying saucer at a remote military base in Nevada, where they subsequently learn about the several reasons why the secrets contained in Area 51 should not be released.

Review: Unfortunately. I wasn’t able to see episodes one and two of Blue Book in time to review them but may do so at a later date. A lot has changed in the world of Hynek and Quinn since we last saw them. Quinn has become more of a believer but still puts the breaks on Hynek going too far over the ledge. Hynek’s wife Mimi has joined a UFO group, which is indirectly helping with her husband’s work and Susie Miller has made Quinn her new mark and is trying to work information out of him for the KGB.

The Story

This week’s episode sees Hynek and Quinn called in to investigate the disappearance of an airforce soldier who has been supposedly taken by a flying saucer close to a remote military base at Groom Lake in Nevada. Of course, we know this base as the legendary Area 51. Upon arrival, the two learn that the base is run by the CIA and meet up with Agent Daniel Banks who believes the soldier that witnessed the UFO abduction and seems to be trying to get Hynek and Quinn onside. He even goes as far as to bend some rules and show them a few of the top-secret aircraft that are being developed for surveillance operations on behalf of the CIA. Hynek notices that the lights on the rear wings of one of the aircraft are very similar to the Lubbock Lights, which they investigated on a previous case.

Back in Ohio. Mimi has shared the little she knows about Groom Lake with her contact in her UFO group, which leads to a conversation about Roswell and the whereabouts of the flying saucer that the Airforce covered up with the story of it being a weather balloon. Mimi’s friend believes that the UFO Craft is in one of the aircraft hangers at the airforce base in Ohio and sends her on a mission to try and find it.

Elsewhere, General Harding is in confession with his church priest and apparently somewhat ridden with guilt about how much he and the airforce are covering up about UFOs and alien life. When he gets out of the confessional General Valentine is waiting for him and says that he is not completely trusting of the CIA and thinks that they are trying to outflank the airforce. To that end, Valentine pulls Hynek and Quinn out of the investigation and frames the soldier that witnessed the abduction of his colleague for murder. Hynek is all gung ho about getting to the truth and takes off with Quinn in a jeep where they find another secret airforce hanger, which we learn belongs to the airforce.

By the close of the episode, the conspiracy has gotten a whole lot bigger as we learn that the Airforce is the one that is hiding the truth and is on a footing of preparing for war with Russia whereas the CIA operative Daniel Banks is just looking to get at the truth and seems to be on the side of Hynek and Quinn, but can he be trusted?

The Acting

There were quite a few good performances in this episode. First off. I like how the dynamic between Hynek and Quinn has changed slightly and has become a little less adversarial given that they seem to be on the same page. Aidan Gillen and Michael Malarkey continue to do a great job of portraying what you could term as an odd couple sort of relationship between a geeky scientist and a career airforce officer who is becoming more and more of a believer in the things that Hynek is discovering.

I was also really impressed with the scene where General Harding confesses to a priest about the cover-ups and things that he has been involved with during his time with Blue Book. Neal McDonough does an outstanding job of portraying the general in a more vulnerable and fragile state than we usually see him in. The scene that immediately follows between him and General Valentine is a perfect counterweight, but also sort of revealing about Harding’s past.

Overall

This episode builds on the events of the previous two episodes and does a brilliant job of expanding the mythology of the show. I liked Jerod Haynes performance as the CIA contact and hope that he becomes a recurring figure on the series. I also loved the intrigue of the final scene where we see Susie Miller being given her orders by her new KGB handler.

I also loved the visual effects that were used to reveal the secret airforce hanger where we see the mountainside open up to reveal what is inside.