User Reviews

Education becomes a crime when Blanks begin pirating educational programming for poor children. Edison (the always excellent Matt Frewer) tries to break the story, but winds up running afoul of censors as well. The sharp and incisive script by Adrian Hein and Steve Roberts astutely addresses the meaty themes of education as yet another commodity to be bought and sold for profit (the educational shows broadcast on Network 23 are strictly pay cable affairs), the evil of censorship, the abuse of power, and the importance and necessity of education for everyone. Moreover, Hein and Roberts deserve extra credit for giving the episode a good degree of complexity (for example, the metro cops hate busting the Blanks, but still have to follow orders just the same). In a welcome departure from the show's usual format, both Thera (the lovely and beguiling Amanda Pays) and Murray (fabulous Jeffrey Tambor) get in the thick of the action as they help Edison out. Ainslie Currie contributes a sweet and charming performance as cute Blank kid Mink. Laura Carrington is likewise fine as Mink's scared on the run mother Francies. John Durbin makes for a marvelously odious villain as slimy and overzealous censor Drugal. And Max's sardonic quips are as wickedly funny as ever.