By Jennifer Larson

In this episode, Tom (Joel Gretsch) and Diana (Jacqueline McKenzie) go on a search for a missing 4400, and Jordan (Bill Campbell) tries to convince Shawn (Patrick Flueger) to rejoin his messianic mission.

The power to know the truth behind some of the world’s most perplexing conspiracies is probably more of a curse than a gift; when the 4400 with this ability goes missing, it is up to Tom and Diana to hunt him down. But, is this more for his protection, or the government’s? Considering that most conspiracy theorists believe the government is behind some of the world’s worst tragedies, it leaves one to believe that the future sent him back with this ability to blow the lid off of some major cover-ups.Tom and Diana have grappled with moral dilemmas before, and tonight is no different.

This installment of THE 4400 showcases complex and realistic character development as well as anything else. The juxtaposition of Tom and Diana’s loyalty to job and country against their moral and ethical standards is both believable and entertaining to watch. After all, nothing in life is ever cut and dry, there are always shades of gray, and tonight’s episode proves that in spades.

The show opens with a homemade movie produced, written and directed by — as some at NTAC (National Threat Assessment Command) call him — “an original recipe 4400,” Curtis Peck. The movie itself is even worse than that hideous monstrosity from the early ‘90s, SHOWGIRLS, but that’s beside the point. This particular 4400 has become a cult favorite of some on Tom and Diana’s team, and as such, they are quite concerned when he fails to show up for his scheduled NTAC medical checkup. What starts off as a search to keep the team happy, turns into a much more serious matter when Tom and Diana discover the missing 4400’s latest movie creation.

In his latest movie, Curtis advises his fans that there is a much bigger threat to the world than Jordan Collier and his followers. We learn about this threat through yet another of his fifth-grade attempts at moviemaking, which painfully describes the evil plan of a group of people from the future, “The Marked,” who do not want the 4400 to succeed in changing the catastrophe that will eventually alter the course and shape of the world.

Once Curtis explains it all, it actually starts to put some past events into perspective. Remember that assistant of Jordan’s that Isabelle (Megalyn Echikunwoke) killed? Apparently, he is one of these agents from the future (which explains his freaky, alien-like looks). The Marked came from the future and inhabit the bodies of present-day people; the only way to identify these people is by the “x” marks behind their ears. Most of them have been put in positions of extreme power, so they can impact a large number of people; positions like CEOs of major corporations, Popes and maybe even people running for city council.

I don’t think it’s any coincidence that Maia’s (Conchita Campbell) vision showed Shawn’s rival for political office herding up the 4400 and locking them away. And, in a conspiracy theorist’s dream, Tom is accused of delusional behavior by the government for simply writing up his report on this case, and carted off to an institution — or is he? When Tom is branded with the Mark, it appears these evil agents from the future have infiltrated some of the highest levels of Washington DC, which begins to explain so much.

Meanwhile, Kyle (Chad Faust) has approached Shawn — yet again — about joining him and Jordan on their mission to save the world. But, after finding out about Maia’s vision, Shawn feels he has no choice but to ensure his rival never rise up the political ladder. Besides, the power struggle brewing between Shawn and Jordan is just too delicious to throw away.

In the end, the lure of Hollywood beat out Curtis’s desire to unmask the marked. Curtis leaves Tom and Diana — who have come to fully believe this conspiracy theory — high and dry, when he claims that everything he told them was just an attempt to make it big in the movie industry. Something tells me that isn’t how Spielberg did it. However, Tom is not convinced. After his government-enforced stay at a mental institution, he is sure something fishy is going on, a fact that is reinforced by a visit from the shifty CEO in Curtis’s movie.

Now, we are all left to wonder which is more evil: people from the future who want to ensure disaster, or bad moviemaking?