2023/07/22

I think the 3^rd season is my favorite 7 Days season. It has the most SCI-FI-ish stories, most episodes are a 7.5/10 or higher, only a few stinkers and one weaker episode. Sam Whipple’s character, Dr. John Ballard was, due to illness, written out the series. He was there for 3 episodes early in the season. He was replaced by Kevin Christy’s character Andrew ‘Hooter’ Owsley. Sam Whipple passed away on June 3^rd, 2002. Norman Lloyd’s character Isaac was also reduced to a recurring character, don’t know what the reason was for this. Justina Vail, who played Olga Vukavitch, wanted out before the end of the 3^rd season. She however did agree to film a few extra scenes to wrap up her character arc. Apparently there was tension among the cast. I’ve watched the last season with this knowledge and especially during the last 10 episodes I began to notice a change of the relationship between Parker and Olga. There even are a number of episodes where Parker is a regular Jim Kirk, every episode another love interest. For me, 7 days mostly worked because the Frank – Olga relationship, they really fit well together, the bickering, the flirting, it was a real joy when these two characters where in a scene. What did became a bit annoying was Parker’s adolescent behavior towards her. After two seasons, you would expect some growth of Parker’s character.

The show got cancelled after 3 seasons, no natural conclusion to it. The final episode is just a standard episode which was mediocre at best, where the BackStep only plays a minor role in the episode. Was a real pity that this was the farewell episode if you ask me. Still I am glad it didn’t end on a cliff-hanger and because it was mostly an episodic series, personal growth of characters was almost non-existent. I can’t say that there is a character who evolved over the course of 3 seasons, most obvious example is Frank Parker who mostly is the same character in the final episode as he was in the pilot. The show apparently had low ratings, and because there also was this tension among the cast, it was decided to cancel the show.

If you start to watch this show, you just have to realize that the SCI-FI in an episode is usually small, there is almost no story-arc whatsoever, no character growth. If you know this beforehand, I think you actually can enjoy this show a lot. Don’t get me wrong, I did enjoy most of it also, but I kept hoping for something that never happened: Story-arc, characters that evolve, there were too little real SCI-FI stories, although I believe that in the 3^rd season, the SCI-FI stories increased. As I said before in the first two season blogs, usually the SC-FI bit was in the sphere, 5 minutes, and after that the story began to undo what had happened. After the journey back to the past, the episodes usually because crime or police drama.

So only three weak episodes, episode two, Peacekeepers. A war story which I am not a fan of. Same for episode 7, also a war story. Gary Graham was a guest star in that episode. And the series finale is also one of the weakest episodes of the whole season. Where Parker needs to prove the innocence of a man with whom he served with. The BackStep storyline is almost non-existent and Olga is also absent from the entire episode. So, for me, 19 episodes have a 7.5 out of 10 or higher, so that is certainly not bad. Therefore I believe that this is the best season. Season three starts way better than season two, a real SCI-FI story about solar flares during the BackStep which results that a woman from 1979 does not die but returns with Parker to the present day. Episode 3, Rhino, is also a very funny episode, fun moments between Olga and Frank but also Ramsey and Frank. Frank manipulates Ramsey into doing the opposite of what he wants to happen.

Episode 5 is also a favorite of mine, an Olga episode! Olga’s Excellent Vacation. When she has an erotic dream about Frank Parker, she feels she has to go on vacation for a few weeks. Through circumstances, Frank Parker follows her to Alaska and she has a hard time to believe it is for a BackStep incident. Note - Got a bit tired of the will they or won’t they routine. Episode 6, Deloris Demands was also an entertaining episode. Dolores turns out to be a man, disgruntled ex-employer of the backstep program who thought he was going to become the chrononaut. Episodes 8, Tracker, and 9 “Top Dog” are two excellent episodes. In the 8^th episode a terrorist finds out about BackStep. In episode 9, Ramsey becomes the boss when Bradley appears to have a breakdown. Episode 10 “Adam & Eve & Adam” is one of the best episodes this season. A top secret project test gone awry seemingly kills all life on Earth except Parker, Olga, Major Gary Jones and Owsley who are deep underground in a secret government facility. Now they must make it back in time to Backstep. One of them is trying to kill the competition to become Olga’s Adam.

The following 3 episodes (Headcase, Raven & The First Freshman) are all entertaining, but here it looks to me that behind the scenes it became clear that Justina Vail wanted out because in these 3 stories Frank Parker becomes James T Kirk. In these episodes Olga is only there for a few scenes, there are almost no satisfying Parker / Olga moments. And as I said before, these two characters to me are the heart of the show. Episode 14, “Revelation” is perhaps the best episode of season 3. BackStep chrononaut McGrath (Robert Picardo), from 7 years into the future, comes to the backstep team and says a Nobel peace prize winner must be assassinated because he will become some sort of a Hitler within a few years. Because he has sufficient evidence they go along with it as does the panel. Episode 15 “Crystal Blue Persuasion” is also one of my favorites this season, a real SCI-FI story where Olga has a love interest. A shuttle docks with an alien vessel but when something on boards happens, the captain is the only survivor and he brings with him back to earth a virus. In “Empty Quiver” the Frank / Olga storyline seems not yet to have been dropped. In “Kansas” it is actually a mirror universe episode where Donovan is a real asshole. Note – fun to notice that when we got to see their TV or screens, we as a viewer saw it in a mirror writing.

Episode 18 “The Final Countdown”, another solid episode where Frank needs to try and stop a nuclear war. Note – Massively drinking, sending an email with his drunk butt, sometimes I truly don’t understand our beloved characters often are alcoholic in these TV shows. Donovan actually trying to backstep for the first time in almost 3 seasons! Why did he not get a chance earlier. Also a good episode “The Brink”, When Olga comes looking for Frank, she is captured as well, the plan is to give both Olga and Frank electrical therapy so they won’t remember what is happening there. Fortunately Frank is used to that stuff! Episode 21, “Back in the USSR”, Olga is being persuaded to help her former Russian lover and her former colleague which she really loves. But when she finds out that her help is being used for military purposes, Olga goes to Bradly. I talked earlier about the series finale, "Live: From Death Row" which was a bit of a letdown after a solid season!

Final World:

I am glad I was finally able to rewatch 7 Days again, after all these years. The DVD set, released by VEI, is very satisfactory, no errors or anything, PQ was more than okay for a show that is 25 years old this year. It is not a TV show I will rewatch every 3 years or so, like I do with other favorites but I will rewatch it again in the future, it was a nice show, good ensemble, and as I said before, Frank Parker and Olga were the heart of the show for me, so a 4^th season without Olga, would be unthinkable. Rewatch recommended, but be aware, it is episodic, no story-arcs and the SCI-FI bit is often put to the background.