The title of this episode implies a more foreboding chapter than what we actually get. Considering the ending of "Memory is the First Thing to Go", one would expect steady developments of Kurata making further use of his bureaucratic advantages, all pointing to a time of desperation for the Data Squad. However, this episode doesn't deliver much in that vein, and the drop in urgency between the first couple of scenes defuses the situation, much like in "Beelzemon's Big Day". Aside from the final few minutes, it's just a matter of getting back to the Digital World, and as a result we get a predominant "A to B" feeling. For the record, the original title of this episode is also misleading, since we don't actually see the "extermination scheme" make any headway.
Then, there's more Crier family melodrama thrown in for good measure. I've always maintained that Keenan's overall subplot epitomizes how "Data Squad" tries too hard to be dark and bold, rarely overcoming the shallowness that hinders it. The darkness in "Tamers", on the other hand, generally felt natural. He has spent a great deal of time grappling with confusion over his place in the two worlds, but this subplot has only feigned importance because of the amount of time devoted to it, mostly just being dragged alongside the real story. Even this point, when the Data Squad needs the Criers to open a portal to the Digital World, could have easily been re-written to exclude Keenan.
The Criers themselves, once more, fail to distinguish themselves as more than the typical crying/worrying/accepting parents. Of course they don't want to risk losing their child none of the parents in this franchise want that! This parent/child relationship wants to be the most poignant of the lot, but fails because it lacks substance. Sure, there's the whole "long-lost son" aspect, but any depth that could have been mined from this doesn't show because Keenan never gets to know his parents beyond the obligatory acceptance step. In sharp contrast, the story of the Izumi's in the first season worked because there was an established, disparate and heartening familial tie with a sobering undercurrent. The Izumis actually are a family, while the Criers merely want to be one. Even so, there is something touching about how Keenan finally communicates recognition of the good things that both sides of his dual identity have brought to him.
The only other part worth mentioning is the introduction to the bio- hybrid trio, of which I am not a fan for reasons that will be outlined later. The fight with them robs the ultimate digimon of any respect they regained in the last episode (this time they won't regain it) and is a clear attempt to save on the animation budget, considering that cyclical background. Commander Sampson gets in on the action, which is kind of neat, albeit brief.
Then, there's more Crier family melodrama thrown in for good measure. I've always maintained that Keenan's overall subplot epitomizes how "Data Squad" tries too hard to be dark and bold, rarely overcoming the shallowness that hinders it. The darkness in "Tamers", on the other hand, generally felt natural. He has spent a great deal of time grappling with confusion over his place in the two worlds, but this subplot has only feigned importance because of the amount of time devoted to it, mostly just being dragged alongside the real story. Even this point, when the Data Squad needs the Criers to open a portal to the Digital World, could have easily been re-written to exclude Keenan.
The Criers themselves, once more, fail to distinguish themselves as more than the typical crying/worrying/accepting parents. Of course they don't want to risk losing their child none of the parents in this franchise want that! This parent/child relationship wants to be the most poignant of the lot, but fails because it lacks substance. Sure, there's the whole "long-lost son" aspect, but any depth that could have been mined from this doesn't show because Keenan never gets to know his parents beyond the obligatory acceptance step. In sharp contrast, the story of the Izumi's in the first season worked because there was an established, disparate and heartening familial tie with a sobering undercurrent. The Izumis actually are a family, while the Criers merely want to be one. Even so, there is something touching about how Keenan finally communicates recognition of the good things that both sides of his dual identity have brought to him.
The only other part worth mentioning is the introduction to the bio- hybrid trio, of which I am not a fan for reasons that will be outlined later. The fight with them robs the ultimate digimon of any respect they regained in the last episode (this time they won't regain it) and is a clear attempt to save on the animation budget, considering that cyclical background. Commander Sampson gets in on the action, which is kind of neat, albeit brief.