Rev. 12/99

I. About 7 Days

1. What's this show about?

"We have a device that can allow us to send one human being back in 
time...seven days." -- Olga Vukavitch, Pilot episode

7 Days is about the daring exploits of Operation Back Step, a team of scientists and military personnel who use a sophisticated but not-yet-perfected time-travel device to pull the world back from the brink of cataclysm by changing history.

When a crisis occurs, the team works from its secret base in Nevada (called Never Never Land or NNL) to gather as much information as possible about what caused the disaster. Then, before seven days pass, they send "chrononaut" Frank B. Parker back to a point in time before the crisis occurred. The time jump is called a Back Step. Parker's job when he arrives in the past is to warn the authorities of impending events in an effort to prevent the catastrophe before it happens. Sometimes he doesn't wait for the government agents to catch up but just takes action to solve the problem on his own.

The time-travel device, called the Sphere, was built using alien technology recovered from a UFO that crashed near Roswell, N.M., in 1947. However, the Back Step team's understanding of that technology is incomplete. Consequently, the team's ability to predict and control the Sphere's behavior isn't terribly reliable.

The Sphere has two serious limitations that the team must contend with. First, it can only go back a maximum of seven days into the past. That means the team has at most seven days to understand the nature of whatever crisis is at hand and figure out how to prevent it. Second, the fuel that powers the Sphere is limited and non-renewable. That means the team can justify going back and changing history only when the situation is truly devastating.

Some of the situations that have occasioned a Back Step include massive radiation leaks, an attempted military coup to overthrow the U.S. government, the release of a terrible virus, and the assassination of important American and Russian officials.

2. When is it on?

Generally 7 Days is aired on Wednesdays at 7 Central/8 Eastern. 
However, in some areas, that may vary. For example, K13VC-TV 
occasionally pushes it back to 9 p.m. Central to accommodate live 
broadcast of University of Texas basketball games. Watch your local 
listings, and hang in there.

If you don't know which of your local stations carries UPN, you can 
search a list of affiliates by city on UPN's Web site at http://
www.upn.com.

3. Where is 7 Days filmed?

In the second season, the production has moved to Vancouver, British 
Columbia (Canada). First season episodes were filmed primarily in and 
around Los Angeles, California, with parts of some episodes filmed in 
Washington, D.C. 

4. Does anybody watch this show? (Ratings and related issues)

Short answer: Yes.

Nielsen Media Research ranked 7 Days second among UPN's offerings (after Star Trek: Voyager) for the 1998-99 season. However, UPN is a newcomer in an intensely competitive industry and still is struggling to establish itself. There still are markets where UPN is not available (most current numbers indicate it has about 95 percent coverage), and the ratings for all the network's shows reflect that. Final rankings put ST:V at 128 out of 167, and 7 Days at 140 of 167 for the year.

The entire network's ratings have been reported up by about 40 percent from last season, but bear in mind that UPN *lost* about 30 percent in the ratings last year, so the network's progress in finding its audience has been slow. However, at least two weeks in December 1999, UPN has bested its nearest competing network, the WB, so things are looking up a little, ratings-wise.

Early in season 2, 7 Days' ratings have been averaging about 2.6, with each ratings point representing slightly more than 1 million viewers. It has been ranking in about the mid-90s. That's an improvement over last season, but the show's second ranking on UPN has fallen by the wayside. (Thursday night wrestling has blown away everything else on the network, and 7 Days now appears to be duking it out for third place with a sitcom titled (ironically enough) The Parkers.)

The good news is that the show has had considerable support from some critics like TV Guide's Matt Roush and is getting a sizeable jolt of publicity via regular coverage in some of the science fiction fan magazines like Cult Times and Cinescape. And Sci-Fi TV's December issue reports that viewers surveyed after the first season gave the show high marks, with special kudos going to what Christopher Crowe has called "the best cast since Bonanza."

What all this means is that it's important for fans to keep talking up the show and to let UPN know we support it and want to see it continue.

5. How can I contact UPN?

UPN's address is:

United Paramount Network
11800 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90025

Or you can send e-mail to: feedback@upn.com

6. How can I contact members of the cast?

You can send fan mail to:

Seven Days Office
Paramount Studios
5555 Melrose Ave.
Hollywood, CA 90038-3197

If you are asking for a photograph, remember to include a large 
envelope with sufficient return postage affixed to it.

7. Inconsistencies and unresolved issues

"Sometimes I get the feeling there's nobody in charge of the unit." - 
Frank B. Parker, The Gettysburg Virus

Like all television series, 7 Days has had its share of 
inconsistencies, flubs and little details left hanging or unanswered 
from one episode to another. Here are a few:

Ranks and military status: Donovan most often has been referred to as 
a (navy) captain, but Paramount's official Web site calls him a 
commander. As he's 32 years old in the first season, he seems awfully 
young to be a captain, and probably a little young for commander, as 
well. Likewise, early promos referred to  "Lieutenant Parker," but 
the invitation in Sleepers was addressed to "Captain Parker." And if 
Donovan's too young at 32, Parker's even more so at 29. Also there's 
a question about Parker's military status--in Last Breath he 
identifies himself as "Frank B. Parker, United States Navy." Of 
course, he's identified himself to outsiders as a lot of things, 
including "test pilot" and "Han Solo," but unlike Donovan, he's never 
been seen in a navy uniform. You have to wonder if he wouldn't have 
been discharged at the point when he was admitted to the hospital on 
Hansen Island, as nobody seems to have questioned that he'd never 
leave that facility.

Olga's age: Paramount's site says that Olga is 31 in season 1, but in 
There's Something About Olga her birthdate is given as October, 1969. 
Somebody didn't do the math.

The receptionist's name: She was Sergeant Myers in the Pilot episode 
but also has identified herself as Sergeant Walker in The Gettysburg 
Virus and Sergeant Bly in Doppelganger.

What happens to Parker when he Back Steps: There's a great deal of 
confusion about what happens when Parker Back Steps. (See Section II., 
2. "What happens when Frank Parker Back Steps?"). Viewers have never 
actually seen what happens on screen, and that has raised lots of 
questions and sparked lots of theories and debate.

The "healing" properties of the Sphere: In There's Something About 
Olga, Parker's injuries are mysteriously healed when he Back Steps, 
suggesting that his body reverted during the time-jump to its state 
seven days previously. So why didn't the Sphere take care of that 
nasty strain of ebola in The Gettysburg Virus? One possibility is 
that, because he was in the sealed suit, he wasn't exposed to the 
virus until he removed the suit and its breathing apparatus. Then he 
might've contracted the virus by breathing the air inside the Sphere, 
which could well have been carrying the airborne bug. However, if 
that's the case, he certainly came down with the disease a lot faster 
than most other people who were exposed to it. And you have to wonder 
why, if his body reverts, his consciousness doesn't revert, too.

Parker's microchip: Sometimes Parker carries a microchip designed to 
provide all the necessary information to avert the crisis that 
sparked the Back Step, just in case he's in no shape to tell the Back 
Step team what's about to happen. And sometimes he doesn't. (See 
Section II., 5. Hey, what about that microchip?) The omission of the 
chip sometimes doesn't seem logical.

Parker's bar-code tattoo: Now you see it; now you don't. 'Nuff said.

Donovan as Backup pilot: Numerous times during the first season it 
was made clear that Donovan is supposed to be the backup pilot for 
the Sphere and has been trained to take over if something should 
happen to Parker. But even when something *has* happened to Parker, 
as in There's Something About Olga, Donovan hasn't launched. In For 
the Children, when Parker's been suspended for misbehavior, Talmadge 
is looking right at Donovan when he says the project will have to 
look for another chrononaut to replace Parker--as if there *were* no 
backup pilot. What's up with that?

Parker's "serial number": Parker's referred a couple of times to his 
"serial number" as 923880305, in the Pilot episode and in 
Doppelganger, Part 2. However, at one point during the Pilot episode, 
he identifies himself by number as 378349081. We don't know why.

"Element 115": The Sphere's fuel has been seen as a solid, glassy 
blue substance in As Time Goes By and Lifeboat, but it was a liquid 
in EBEs. We're hoping there's some cool, rational explanation for 
this, like that it's rendered into a solid in order to make it safer 
to handle in the hangar, but we don't know that for sure.

II. About the Sphere and time travel in 7 Days

1. How does the Sphere work?

"Klaatu barada nikto, baby." - Frank B. Parker, As Time Goes By

Here is what the show has told us about how the Sphere works:

The Sphere was built using alien technology recovered from a UFO that crashed near Roswell, N.M., in 1947. However, the Back Step team's understanding of that technology is incomplete. Consequently, the team's ability to predict and control the Sphere's behavior isn't terribly reliable.

The Sphere is powered by a reactor that creates its own gravitational field. Within that gravity field, space and time become elastic and can be distorted. Operation Back Step's scientists have theorized that the aliens use this characteristic of gravity to navigate to other worlds, such as the Earth.

It's the size and power of the reactor that imposes the seven-day maximum limit on how far in time the device can travel. (Josef Vukavitch's craft, much larger and powered by a different kind of reactor, was able to make a much longer Back Step, but the NNL team wasn't able to salvage the technology aboard his craft. (As Time Goes By)) The Sphere's fuel is the lethally radioactive "Element 115," of which a limited amount was recovered from the Roswell UFO.

It's not clear whether the reactor is actually on board the Sphere or is located in the hangar at NNL. Ballard referred to the black box containing the fuel as the "core," a word generally used in connection with a reactor. However, in A Dish Best Served Cold, Ballard said the reactor (whether it's in the Sphere or out in the hangar) had melted after Rance blew up the Sphere, but then the team was able to launch the Sphere that had been lost in the Amazon jungle, suggesting that the reactor must have been on board the Sphere.

The Sphere itself doesn't move, but the Earth does--it rotates around its own axis and is constantly revolving around the Sun, which is also moving, revolving around the galaxy at the blistering pace of one revolution every 266 million years. That means the Earth is not in the same place today that it was seven days ago. In theory, that can be used to navigate the Sphere right to where the team wants it to go. In practice, the geographic navigation is the least reliable aspect of the Sphere's operation (see Section II, 4., Where has the Sphere landed?), and that caused the Sphere to be dangerous in its early trials. Seven chrononauts who went before Parker were killed when the Sphere ended up floating in space or buried underground; another one was lost for many years in the Amazon and presumed dead. And this same kind of malfunction could occur as Parker is piloting the Sphere, too.

To counteract this navigational problem, the Back Step team invented a kind of "fine-tuning knob," a joystick-like control that the pilot uses to line up with points on a computer graphic in a process called "flying the needles." But flying the needles is difficult, especially when hurtling through another dimension, and Parker can't always get it right.

Traveling in the Sphere is strenuous and painful. Because certain laws of "physics as we know it" are being violated, not all of the outer molecules of Parker's body actually accompany him all the way to his destination. Parker's ability to keep his head while enduring pain is one of the main reasons he was chosen as the team's chrononaut. He usually loses a micro-layer of skin and ends up sweaty, sooty and bleeding at the end of each time-jump. He's also had his suit catch fire, lost a filling and suffered miscellaneous other (mostly minor) injuries. The Sphere itself seems to suffer damage during a Back Step, spewing sparks and smoke whenever it lands.

The Sphere won't launch without a pilot on board, and in fact Dr. Mentnor has said that without a qualified pilot, it'll blow itself to bits on launch (A Dish Best Served Cold). He didn't specify what's meant by "qualified," nor did he explain why the Sphere couldn't be piloted by a robot, rather than a human being. As it powers up, a strong electrical field forms around the Sphere.

Equipment in the Back Step compound sends out a "temporal compensating wave" to stop the time displacement and finish the Back Step. If this wave is not generated, a "time-loop" is created, in which similar events repeat over and over again at a set interval. (Come Again?)

Other capabilities attributed to the Sphere (mostly as a result of  malfunctions, damage or other unexpected factors) include the healing of injuries inflicted shortly before the Back Step (but see Section I, 7., Inconsistencies and unresolved issues), the ability to cause the chrononaut temporarily to revert to the mental state of a child and the ability to split the chrononaut into two individuals who look identical but have different personalities.

The Sphere's operations depend to some extent on wider government systems, such as the HAARP communications system that's used as a navigational aid. On a couple of occasions, that dependence has proved a liability when the crisis motivating the Back Step has affected those systems (HAARP Attack, Parker.com), preventing or complicating the launch of the time jump.

2. What happens when Frank Parker Back Steps?

"When you make even one tiny change to the past, everything that follows it is affected...ultimately, everything changes." - Olga Vukavitch, Pilot episode

This subject has sparked more debate than anything else about the series, and the episodes so far haven't given us much hard evidence to go on. Here is what the show has told us:

For starters, when Parker and the Sphere arrive in the past the rest of the team doesn't know what's happened to motivate the Back Step until he contacts them. When Parker arrives, only he knows about the events that are to come in the next seven days, because those events haven't happened yet for the others.

In the Pilot episode, we're told that Parker's mere arrival changes history to some extent, and the series has made that point repeatedly, sometimes in small things, sometimes in large differences. (Ex., in Daddy's Girl, one of the Serb captors is shown teasing the Americans with an apple in the original timeline. After the Back Step, the apple sequence doesn't happen.) In an interview on Paramount's official site, executive producer Christopher Crowe says this changed-past factor is part of the "bible" that was written to govern how the Sphere is used in episodes.

The big question, and the one for which there's no definitive answer, is exactly what happens to Parker and the Sphere. Obviously, the Sphere (with Parker in it) often lands somewhere other than the hangar at NNL. (See Section II., 4., Where has the Sphere landed?) But what would you see if you were standing in the hangar at the exact moment when Parker takes off? Or when he lands in, say, Bosnia? Does it vanish...even though it hasn't left yet?

If a tree fell in a forest, and there was no one there to hear, would it make the sound of one hand clapping? Like the kid said in Terminator 2, "it messes with your head."

The most common theories put forward are:

a. Multiple Parkers are created. The series has pretty much debunked this one. The one case where multiple Parkers were created was clearly an unusual and unexpected event, caused by a modification that resulted in a malfunction. And in the cases when the Sphere has landed in the hangar, we don't see two of them.

b. Parker disappears. There's no concrete evidence either to confirm or debunk this scenario, which suggests that the Parker of seven days ago vanishes when the Parker of today Back Steps. Nothing really suggests this isn't happening--in fact, Parker was reported missing from the hospital on Hansen Island in the Pilot episode, which seems to support it--but we've never seen it on screen. This scenario is problematic, too--it would create a security risk if Parker were to suddenly vanish out of a crowd. (Some fans have hypothesized that this could be an explanation of why he's kept so firmly under wraps at NNL--to prevent just such a security breach.) Note that people elsewhere can see the Sphere when it lands outside the hangar.

Some episodes have featured imagery indicating that time is running backward during the Sphere's flight, suggesting the "tape rewind" theory. The theory is that a Back Step is like time being rewound like a videotape, but one of the characters (Parker) isn't subject to the rewind and thus is capable of changing what's on the tape when he rejoins the action. Or as Osco eloquently put it: "You watch a show up to a certain point, when suddenly one of the characters blasts out of the TV set in a little sphere and floats in your living room as you rewind. That character isn't on the tape as you rewind, so he's not there...until you stop rewinding and he drops back onto the videotape. Thus begins the new 'timeline.'"

However, the series has been inconsistent about showing time "rewinding," making some fans skeptical that the intent of the writers and producers is anything more meaningful than to add a cool special effect for us to watch while Parker's flying around in the Sphere.

c. Parker wasn't there. The last possibility seems to be the business with the past being changed by the Sphere's arrival. In As Time Goes By, it appears that the past has been changed so that Parker simply isn't in the same place where he was. In that episode, in the original timeline, Parker, Ramsey and Ballard all go to sneak a look at Josef Vukavitch's time-craft. But after the Back Step, only Ballard and Ramsey are seen going to examine the craft--Parker's just not there, and his absence raises no comment, other than that other members of the team notice there's been a Back Step. (Exactly *how they know is not readily apparent, and has been a subject of much discussion.) It's not clear how this could work, but some dialogue suggests it's possible. Fans have theorized that the Sphere might be opening a conduit between time periods in a way that links it to the destination time period even before it lands, or that there might be a movement from one dimension to another, a la Sliders.

And in the second season, the Sphere is seen traveling through a very Sliders-esque tunnel special effect. Whether that's intended to mean anything or is just there because it looks cool is anybody's guess. (It does, however, look very cool.)

Anyway, it's fun to think about...if you don't mind having your head messed with a little. There's the tree, and the hand clapping, and... Well, you know.

3. But what happens at NNL?

"Hey, nice landing, Mr. Parker!" - Dr. John Ballard, Come Again?

This is a good question. Unfortunately, the series has never shown what happens at NNL (and you could argue that there's no way an episode could do that), so nobody really knows the answer. Here are some of the things we know and some common theories.

First, remember that only Parker knows what happened to motivate the Back Step. Thus it seems logical that the crew left behind at NNL never has remembered (and never will remember) the actual launch of the Sphere because, from their perspective, it hasn't happened yet. Only Parker is in a position to remember the launches.

But it's also clear that *something* happens at the Back Step complex in NNL to alert the team that a Back Step has occurred. There's an alarm that goes off (a klaxon that sounds like the last groan of a dying moose) at NNL when a Back Step occurs, but exactly what triggers it is unclear. And in As Time Goes By members of the team remark that there must have been a Back Step. (Exactly *how* they know is not readily apparent and has been a subject of much discussion.)

However, they have witnessed the Sphere landing in the cradle at NNL on several occasions. In particular, Ballard observed something when the Sphere lands in the hangar while he's there (Come Again?), although the audience doesn't see what he sees.

So the team does know that Back Steps have occurred. There's no reason they wouldn't remember what happens after Parker lands the Sphere, unless a second Back Step is launched within a few days. Likewise, what they learn from Parker in debriefing would be recorded, and unless another Back Step undid that record-keeping within a few days, it would remain in place.

It also appears that there are is some kind of automatic manual or electronic record kept of each launch. In Come Again?, Ballard offers to check "the error log," when Parker reports an unusual flash he observed on landing. Presumably, to keep this log from being subject to changing when the timeline changes, it would be kept on board the Sphere.

4. Where has the Sphere landed?

"Theoretically, we should be able to land that baby in space A-16 in the parking lot at Kennedy International." - Dr. John Ballard, Vows

(Most information for this section kindly provided by Jon Stipe.)

We know that the Sphere was launched at least seven times before Parker became its pilot, but we don't know where it landed on every one of those occasions. We have seen it floating in space after one failed mission; Donovan told Parker it had landed "deep underground" on at least one other attempt; and once it came down in the Amazon jungle. The Sphere's touchdown isn't shown in every episode, but since Parker became the chrononaut, here are the places where we know it has landed.

Pilot episode: Landed in the desert east of Las Vegas. No witnesses.

The Gettysburg Virus: A forest adjacent to the battlefield site in Gettysburg, Pa. No witnesses.

Come Again?: Safely back in its cradle at NNL (every time). Witnessed by Ballard and other NNL crew.

Vows: A park near the Washington monument in Washington, D.C. (both times). Witnessed by a bunch of picnickers - Parker covered each landing by telling them it was a publicity stunt for  movies titled Mars Needs a Tax Break and Mars Needs a Tax Break II.

Doppelganger, Parts 1 and 2: In a desert near a forest, apparently some distance from the NNL complex (both times). No witnesses.

Shadow Play: The desert outside Los Angeles. No witnesses.

As Time Goes By: A wilderness area where young couples go to make out; apparently not too far from NNL. Two teen-agers are in the area when Parker lands, but they're too pre-occupied to notice. However, they do notice when Parker takes their car. (Note: An Indian boy and his grandfather observe Josef Vukavitch's time craft as it lands. They believe they've been visited by the sun god.)

Sleepers: On a hill, can't tell where. No witnesses.

HAARP Attack: The playground at an elementary school in Branchville, Va. Witnessed by a lot of children on the playground, one of whom eventually walked off with Parker's suit. Ramsey covers by pinning the event on NASA.

Last Card Up: Happywood Duck Campground, somewhere in Idaho. No witnesses.

Last Breath: Deep in the Arctic Ocean, near the site of a downed Russian nuclear sub. No witnesses.

Parkergeist: The cradle at NNL. Witnessed by crew at NNL.

Daddy's Girl: Bosnia, at 42 degrees, 17 minutes north, 20 degrees, 35 minutes west. Witnessed by a group of soldiers on the ground nearby.

There's Something About Olga: The cradle at NNL. No witnesses were seen.

A Dish Best Served Cold: Next to a ravine somewhere near NNL. No witnesses.

Vegas Heist: Las Vegas. Unknown whether it was witnessed by anyone.

EBEs: Near the Mothership Diner, Payute Springs, Nev. No witnesses.

Walter: Somewhere in or near Los Angeles. Unknown whether it was witnessed by anyone.

Lifeboat: Unknown, but must've been somewhere at or near NNL. Unknown whether there were witnesses.

The Football: Unknown, but somewhere in or near Washington, D.C. Unknown whether there were witnesses.

Pinball Wizard: Landing site not shown.

Parker.com: Landing site not shown.

For the Children: Landing site not shown.

Two Weddings and a Funeral: Not shown, but probably at or near NNL. Shortly before the episode begins, Parker had landed the Sphere off the coast of Cabo San Lucas, almost deep-sixing a tuna boat. That one apparently was witnessed by the boat's crew.

Walk Away: The cradle at NNL. Witnessed by NNL crew.

Sister's Keeper: Just outside Henderson, Nev. Unknown whether there were any witnesses.

The Collector: Crashed through a wall at the Nebraska State Penitentiary. Witnessed by large crowds of people who had gathered for the execution of a notorious serial killer; it was probably broadcast on CZN. Fortunately, they just thought it was a meteor.

Love and Other Disasters: On the island of Avrial. Unknown whether there were any witnesses.

5. Hey, what about that microchip?

"Suddenly I'm Tommy Lee." - Frank B. Parker, Pilot episode

In the Pilot episode, Parker was provided with a microchip (implanted under the skin just below his left armpit) that contained all the information necessary to prevent the terrorist bombing, in case he didn't make it back in good enough condition to tell the Back Step team what was about to happen. Since then, he's sometimes had a chip with him and sometimes not, which has raised questions for fans.

During his first Back Step, the time jump expelled the implanted chip with such force that it burst through not only Parker's skin, but his suit, as well (you know that's gotta hurt) and ended up on the deck in the Sphere. The implanted chip hasn't reappeared, and we don't blame Parker a bit for preferring it that way.

However, on at least two other occasions, he has had a chip on a chain around his neck (Doppelganger and EBEs). Sometimes the situation is such that it wouldn't be practical to outfit him with a chip, as in The Gettysburg Virus, where most of the rest of the Back Step crew was dead. But there have been other times where it would seem perfectly logical to give him a chip, and he didn't get one (HAARP Attack and Parkergeist) -- episodes where exactly the sort of thing the chip is meant to address actually occurred.

Is this part of the series producers' plan, or is it inconsistent writing? We don't know.

6. How can the fuel supply be a problem?

"With each failure, we lose more of the element needed to fuel the reactor, so if we fail again, we may not have enough left for another attempt." - Dr. Isaac Mentnor, Pilot episode

"All we need is a pulse to launch. Once that gravity field is created, the Sphere just travels, without the need for more fuel." - Dr. John Ballard, As Time Goes By

Another perplexing paradox has to do with whether the Sphere's non-renewable fuel supply is a logical reason to limit the events for which a Back Step can be authorized, and whether launching the Sphere actually depletes the fuel supply.

The fuel recovered from the alien space ship apparently can't be duplicated on Earth. Thus, if that fuel should ever be used up, the Sphere would be dead in the water, so to speak. However, note that "Adam" the alien apparently was able to substitute power from a nuclear plant for his escape pod (Lifeboat), and on one occasion, a lightning bolt (generating 1.21 gigawatts, we presume) that struck the Sphere was able to launch it. (A Dish Best Served Cold)

In the Pilot episode, Dr. Mentnor said that each time a mission failed, the amount of the fuel available for future missions was reduced. He didn't say what would happen to the fuel supply in the case of a *successful* mission, and a persuasive argument has been put forward that the Sphere doesn't actually use up the supply of fuel that's already on hand. Here's how the theory goes:

There's a certain amount of fuel when the Sphere takes off. However, the Sphere lands at a point in the timeline when, as far as everything and everybody *except* Parker and the Sphere are concerned, the launch hasn't happened yet. And if the launch hasn't happened, no fuel has been used.

It all seems to hinge on whether there is any fuel on board the Sphere that gets expended during the Back Step (that's strongly implied by Mentnor's statement about losing fuel when Spheres are lost in failed missions). If that's the case, then that portion of the fuel really would be gone after the timeline is changed. But if all the fuel really is in the hangar (which has been indicated in episodes more than once), then it can be argued that the Sphere doesn't deplete its own supply.

III. About relationships in 7 Days

1. What's up with Parker and Olga?

"Adult women want romance, Mr. Parker, and you are not a romantic." - Olga Vukavitch, Come Again?

"Damn, we're gonna have beautiful babies...if we ever get married." - Frank B. Parker, Doppelganger, Part 1

Bottom line: He's fallen for her like a lemming off a cliff; she's not so sure, though she's progressed to the point where she's at least willing to look at the cliff now and then.

It's no surprise that Parker found Olga instantly attractive--after being locked up for a couple of years with nothing but a lot of men and "Nurse Sunshine," hey, it was only natural. Still, he's out now, and there are other women working at Never Never Land, and his attention remains riveted on Olga. They seem to have understood each other in a fundamental way, right from the start--despite their numerous differences, there's an appealing sense of destiny in this relationship.

Olga, too, seems to like Parker right away, but her situation is considerably more complex, and her on-again, off-again reactions reflect that. First of all, when Parker arrives at Never Never Land, she's married. Granted, her husband, Josef, has been gone a long time, but it's Dr. Mentnor who says he's been presumed dead. Olga herself, after Josef is really dead, says, "I would've waited forever." And one must wonder, because Parker's doing for a living the same thing that got Josef lost in the future, whether part of her hesitancy to get involved has to do with the certain knowledge that Parker could end up lost the same way in the course of any mission. It doesn't take much for her to get very worried about him when he's on a Back Step, and it clearly seems more than professional concern for the fate of the mission.

But Olga seems reluctant to break too far out of her professional mode, and probably with some justification. Of all the team members, she's the one with the least job security, what with flag-waving Ramsey never entirely letting anyone forget she hails from "Red Paradise." While no one with the project seems to be discouraging her from becoming involved with Parker, there remains a certain stigma attached to intra-office romance. And both science and medicine demand some degree of objectivity, which would be difficult to maintain while engaging in an intimate relationship with the subject of her study. Olga appears to be paying lip service, if not much else, to that sort of professional standard.

Then there's the question of his approach to her, which is unsubtle at best, and downright juvenile at worst. (If you like your romantic characters politically correct, change the channel.) He's right in her face about it all the time, only backing off temporarily when Josef reappears. Parker has tried just about every ploy imaginable--from spiking her drinks to speeding up his Russian language tapes to getting her to perform mouth-to-mouth by pretending to be dead. His mating dance is all right out in the open, no effort to hide the agenda. He expends a lot of thought and energy on the pursuit. And the more she backs him off, the more he keeps at it. "The man's a pit bull," Donovan observes.

The problem is, as Olga points out, there's nothing especially romantic about this approach--it's more reminiscent of a cheetah trying to run a zebra to ground than a courtship. She complains that he comes off looking like he's in it just for the chase, and it does seem that he's enjoying the challenge. Olga's right up to speed with him mentally, and she handily defeats most of his tricks (although he did pull off the mouth-to-mouth ploy on her). But he keeps coming up with new ones, as if he likes the process, in and of itself, of figuring out the tricks and springing them on her. At one point he even tells her that he's impressed with her ability to "give it back to me as good I give it."

On the other hand, he's also occasionally frustrated that she's not turning around faster. He complains that she insists on retaining the right to define "romantic," and if you believe that Doppelganger's "evil Parker" reflects part of his personality, he has thoughts that she could be more accessible. He has better luck with her when he just talks to her like a person, and he seems to be applying that technique more as time goes on. But he can't seem to maintain it for long before he falls back on the same goofy let's-have-a-bath-in-champagne lines that turn her off.

It's attention-getting behavior, the kind of "look at me!" stuff an eight-year-old does for reassurance of his own importance in the mind of someone he cares for. Often such behavior intentionally tests the limits, as if daring the other person to reject it. And that's consistent with Parker having been raised outside a normal nuclear family. We don't know at what age he was orphaned or any details of the circumstances. But as he's brought up the issue himself repeatedly, it clearly still weighs on his mind. "Nobody wanted to hang out with the new orphan kid," he says, recounting a story of his youth.

Despite his outer cockiness, there are clear signs of insecurity and even low self-esteem in some of what he does. For example, he wonders out loud to Olga if a divorced former mental patient who drinks a lot is really quite the right the person to be undertaking missions as serious as those requiring a Back Step--"I'm an animal," he says darkly, in The Football--hardly evidence that he holds a positive self-image. That little Sally Jensen reached out to him (HAARP Attack) plainly left an impression--maybe he just needs more reassurance than the average man.

For her part, Olga seems to have discovered (or perhaps rediscovered) more of a sense of fun as a result of his influence. She's moved from wanting to make sure her hotel room has CNN to trying to drag an unwilling Parker to a magic show, from putting him on a treadmill in a lab to dancing with him at a nearby bar. She seems conscious that it's his nature to be something of a cut-up and to have adopted an attitude that she might as well have a good time, too...up to a point. She's plainly impressed with his ingenuity and courage, and she has learned to trust his instincts in the field. They work well together. And isn't it interesting that when "Adam" went to manipulate her mentally, it was Parker's image he found in her mind and used to influence her? (Lifeboat)

However, the first few episodes of Season 2 have signaled what appears to be a distinct change in the relationship as it's being portrayed. Olga seems to make an effort (consciously or unconsciously) to shift the balance of power in the sexual equation in The Football, railing against Parker for treating her as helpless and naive. The meaning (or lack thereof) of her avowed willingness to strip for members of the Penn State defensive line will never be clear, because it's impossible to know whether she actually did it or not--we just know she was unwilling to strip with Parker watching. Is that just because she thought it was easier to do it in front of strangers than friends, or because she knew she was going to wimp out and didn't want Parker to think her "prudish"? Parker, on the other hand, was ready to fight for her honor until it occurred to him he might get to see something, too--he seemed perfectly prepared to let her go for it...until she threw him out of the room. There are fans who'd like to forget this episode ever occurred, largely because of reservations about this sequence, and it's easy to see why.

Things get even murkier in Parker.com, which gives us a view of Parker at the height of his politically incorrect glory, indicating he thinks the best way to deal with an intractable woman is to lie to her--and then have meaningless sex with her. Olga, in the unenviable position of watching on the sidelines while Parker gets intimately involved with a woman who's not even real, responds by giving him an equally meaningless kiss to remind him what *is* real--and then walking away, as if to underscore what he can't have. There are still more fans who'd like to roll back time and undo this episode for the way it depicts Parker as  your basic Neanderthal and Olga as your basic tease.

Based on that, it's hard to guess where this relationship might be going. For it to work, they're both going to have to achieve a balance. He'll have to share more of his real inner self with her than he's readily inclined to and treat her more as an adult, and she'll have to overlook more psycho-sexual horseplay than she seems to find desirable--and get over whatever fears she may have of losing him on a mission. They're not there yet, but they have made some progress, and we can hope  through the process of trial and error with each other they may find the right balance.

2. What's up with Ramsey and Parker?

"Ramsey has...trust issues." - MIB #1, The Gettysburg Virus

The fact is, under normal conditions, Ramsey would have a point--it's not usual procedure to use former mental patients who drink, gamble compulsively and are determinedly anti-authoritarian to carry out super-secret missions on which the fate of the world hangs. But in the 7 Days universe, conditions are rarely normal, and Parker *never* is. However, that doesn't stop Ramsey from trying to impose normal standards on Parker. "You expect him to behave rationally?" Donovan asks in Come Again? "What a concept," Ramsey retorts.

Of course, what Ramsey would regard as normal is an interesting question, as he himself often seems a hidebound dinosaur whose thought patterns froze solid in about 1967. We're told that Ramsey's background is CIA, and he certainly seems to have been thoroughly indoctrinated in a "trust no one" mentality. But that has come in handy at times, like when he continued to pursue the truth about the NSA official in Shadow Play. Once persuaded to keep digging into the situation at the cult's headquarters in Last Card Up, he showed no hesitation in marching "Big Dog" to the prison bus at gunpoint.

You see, "Big Dog" broke the rules, and above all, Ramsey believes in rules, especially the kind you read in an old-style military book. Among his rules:

* Act rationally.
* Don't get drunk.
* Don't gamble and get in debt.
* Don't cheat in sports.
* Stay in your quarters when you're supposed to be there.
* Be careful what you do with women.
* Follow (his) orders.
* Get a haircut.

OK, that last one wasn't directed at Parker, but it's indicative of Ramsey's approach to things.

Now, Ramsey's problem is that he's working with a bunch of scientific types who think all those rules are needlessly constraining--the classic clash between scientists and the military personnel they sometimes work with. Members of the team break Ramsey's rules all the time and think little of it. There's all Ballard's girlfriends and his impulses to share information, Olga's Russian-ness and tendency to follow her scientific curiosity wherever it leads her, and Dr. Mentnor's occasional opting to forget about security and do what he regards as the moral thing.

And then there's Parker, who has an anti-authoritarian streak about a mile wide and flaunts Ramsey's rules partly just to prove he can, and because he enjoys it. Worse yet, it's Ramsey's job, as security chief for Back Step, to enforce the rules. He's supposed to know where everybody is and what they're doing at all times; it's his job to make sure they aren't getting themselves and the project in trouble. Parker can't work inside the rules, and Ramsey can't work without them--there'll never be peace in this house.

On top of Ramsey's initial distrust and disapproval of Parker, he's now got to contend with Parker continually needling him, both in word and in deed--sometimes even inspiring others to do the needling for him. ("Is dis de bonehead Ramsey?" Pyotr Federov asks, rephrasing Parker's description of his teammate. (Last Breath)) Parker appears to take great joy in circumventing Ramsey's security procedures--he just loves doing stuff like rewiring or outright stealing the cameras, and shorting out the lock on his door. He can't resist crawling through the air vents into areas of the Back Step compound that are supposed to be off-limits and going off-mission on crusades of his own, as in Walter and Shadow Play. When Parker does the former, it casts doubt on Ramsey's effectiveness internally, and when he does the latter, it sometimes forces Ramsey to stick his neck out, gambling that Parker is right. And gambling is something Ramsey doesn't like to do.

"Now do you understand why I want to plant a homing bug in his head?" he asks, in a moment of supreme exasperation. (HAARP Attack)

Not that Ramsey's job seems in danger--he's pretty good at it, for the most part, and smart enough to pull off things like unmasking "Big Dog" and figuring out Parker's telephone code in order to find him in the bomb shelter (There's Something About Olga).

Ramsey more than once has shown a willingness--if not enthusiasm--to bet on Parker, as in Walter, when he stuck his neck out to warn Parker that agents were on the way to capture the savant. And his reaction to the several occasions when Parker has been injured or "killed" while on missions have been downright caring.

For his part, Parker opted not to report to anybody officially about the incident in the Pilot episode when a drugged and deranged Ramsey tried to kill him. And three times now Parker's Back Steps have brought Ramsey (among others) back to life. But the progress toward anything resembling real trust has moved forward with a geologic slowness, and is continually retarded by Parker's aggravations. So get comfortable and enjoy while these mismatched teammates take two steps forward and one step back with each other.

IV. About the cast and characters of 7 Days

Part A: The characters

1. Frank B. Parker

"He's a drunk; he's a gambler. He's had problems with authority all 
his life--hell, he's got criminal eyes!" - Nathan Ramsey, Pilot 
episode

Frank B. Parker (Jonathan LaPaglia) is the intrepid--if slightly loony--first-line chrononaut who time travels to save the world. A highly skilled former naval intelligence operative with a photographic memory, he's a crack shot with a pistol and with his mouth, and has an astonishingly high pain threshold. Parker suffered a breakdown, exhibiting psychotic behavior, after being captured while on a mission and tortured by Somalian "technicals" who confined him in a metal "hot box" without food or water for a week. But he still didn't tell his captors what they wanted to know--the names and locations of other American agents in the area.

Parker's breakdown led to the breakup of his marriage and landed him in "a CIA nut house" on Hansen Island in South Carolina. But when a group of Chechen terrorists assassinated the U.S. and Russian presidents by bombing the White House, Parker's name came up as a candidate for Operation Back Step--a top-secret agency in possession of a time travel device. Rigorous testing revealed that Parker was the best candidate for the job of going back in time to "undo" the bombing, despite the obvious questions about his mental stability. Additionally, he was highly motivated to succeed, both because he wanted to be free of the "nut house" and because his son, Jimmy, was killed in the explosion of poison gas at the White House. His selection as the time traveler was sealed when an old friend and established member of the Back Step team, Craig Donovan, vouched for him, offering a personal guarantee that "if this gets real, (Parker) won't let you down."

And he hasn't. In fact, he has exhibited a great deal of ingenuity, courage, and the ability to size up a dangerous situation accurately in a heartbeat, leading many fans to believe he's a lot more intelligent and a lot less crazy than he likes to let on.

Parker was raised in an orphanage in Philadelphia, where he still holds the record for most rulers broken in the process of disciplining any child (Walter); privately he refers to the Mother Superior there as "Sister Sledgehammer" (Sister's Keeper). He has never been exactly the shy, retiring, suit-and-tie type. He enjoys all sorts of games of chance--including staging a sort of lab-rat Kentucky Derby--and sucking down a few cold ones, even if they're not cold. He appears to compensate for the insecurity of his youth by seeking family-like connections in organizations like the military. More than once he has compared the Back Step team to a kind of family. He instensely dislikes being cooped up in the Back Step complex and plays pranks and practical jokes on the other members of the team to keep himself entertained. (Once he has been the victim of a retaliatory prank played on him by security chief Nathan Ramsey, who set him up to lose a lot of money on a boxing match.)

Right from the start, Parker has been attracted to Back Step scientist Dr. Olga Vukavitch and has pursued her affection with uneven results. He's not very subtle, which puts her off--and of course, there are times when he Back Steps, and "undoes" some of the progress he's made toward winning her over.

Although the official Paramount character sketch says Parker's background is CIA, most of what we've seen on the show suggests he was in naval intelligence. Despite what you read in Tom Clancy novels, they're not the same organization.

Parker is 29 years old in season 1. While on assignment, his code name is "Conundrum," and his National Security Agency serial number is 923880305. Frank is short for Francis, but *don't* call him Frankie. He sings a lot better in the shower than he does in a karaoke bar. We don't know why this is so.

2. Olga Vukavitch

"I haven't known a lot of women like you, who have it going on 
upstairs, and who look as good as you, and who can give it back to me 
as good as I give it." - Frank B. Parker, Come Again?

Dr. Olga Vukavitch (Justina Vail) and her husband, Josef, were working on the Soviet equivalent of Project Back Step. But Josef disappeared and was presumed dead while on a time-travel mission, and then came the fall of the communist government. Olga had already attracted the notice of the American team when she was credited with independently discovering the relationship between gravity and temporal displacement. When the Soviet project fell into neglect, she defected to the U.S. and has been employed by the Back Step team to work on fine-tuning controls in the Sphere.

In There's Something About Olga, we learned she's also a medical doctor. She has been assigned to watch over Parker's mental and physical health, and has been called on to perform various biological analyses.

That she's Russian and turned her back on her former country has occasionally brought her under suspicion from the team's ever-paranoid security chief, Nathan Ramsey. But when Josef returned from the future to sabotage Back Step, Olga killed him to save the Project, demonstrating her loyalty to the team and her adopted country, the United States.

Her response to Parker's interest in a more intimate relationship has run hot-and-cold. She clearly cares for him, but the situation's complicated by her professional ethics--and the fact that sometimes progress they've made in the relationship over the past seven days is lost when Parker Back Steps.

Her mother, too, was a scientist and her father was an aeronautical engineer. Olga was born in October 1969; she has a sister, Svetlana, who is three years her junior. Their parents commonly referred to Olga as "the smart one" and Svetlana as "the pretty one," appellations that left both sisters envious of each other. Even now, they don't get along well, though Olga, at least, appears to have a deep affection for her sibling.

Olga admits to occasionally smoking cigarettes when under intense stress and has an unusually strong fantasy about a lady being magically turned into a tiger. She says she's a "cat person." Go for it, Freudians.

3. Craig Donovan

"Do I ever get to Back Step?" - Craig Donovan, As Time Goes By

Craig Donovan (Don Franklin) is a former navy SEAL who has run 
several covert intelligence operations around the world. He serves as 
a military liaison for Operation Back Step. (Paramount's official 
character sketch lists his rank as commander, although he's been 
repeatedly referred to as "Captain Donovan" on the show. At 32, he's 
a touch young for either rank.) Donovan also serves as backup pilot 
for the Sphere, but he hasn't been called on to Back Step, yet.

Donovan and Parker served together in the navy and became close 
friends. Donovan's loyalty to Parker is intense, even though Parker 
now has a job Donovan would've liked to have for himself. But Parker 
saved his life on a mission in Honduras, and Donovan clearly feels he 
owes Parker. That motivated Donovan to vouch for him when he arrived 
at Back Step. Even when he doesn't approve of Parker's antics, he's 
willing to give his friend the benefit of the doubt. Parker has Back 
Stepped in an effort to prevent Donovan from committing suicide as a 
result of being brainwashed in Bangladesh by the evil and mysterious 
Dr. Lee. (Sleepers)

Donovan is a dedicated, courageous and competent officer. Like 
Parker, Donovan is divorced, but it's not known whether he and his ex-
wife have any children. He appears to have a close relationship with 
his parents, especially his father. In his off-duty hours he enjoys 
participating in triathlons, and he volunteers at the YMCA, teaching 
children to play basketball.

4. John Ballard

"I run the math around here." - Dr. John Ballard, Pilot episode

Dr. John Ballard (Sam Whipple) is one nuclear physicist who knows how 
to have a good time. Addicted to Tootsie Pops--especially when 
they've been dunked in a martini--Ballard has a great system for 
winning at roulette and a knack for attracting impressively endowed 
young women. And if you need somebody to hack into the electric power 
grid, he's your man.

Numerous sources have suggested that Ballard's character is loosely 
modeled after a real British physicist: Stephen Hawking, whose 
research dealt with black holes and other aspects of astronomy/
cosmology, and who has been confined to a wheelchair for many years 
as the result of a neurological disorder. (Hawking is the author of 
the best-selling book, A Brief History of Time.)

While working with a team at Area 51 to figure out the technology of 
the UFO that crashed near Roswell, N.M., in the 1940s, Ballard 
(independently of Olga's similar breakthrough) discovered the link 
between gravity and temporal displacement. He then began work to 
create the Sphere and take advantage of this new knowledge.

He continually strives to improve the Sphere by making modifications 
to it--sometimes with alarming consequences, such as the one that 
fortified the gravitational field and split Parker into good and evil 
"twins."

Ballard lost the use of his legs in an accident at age 15 when he 
dived off a cliff into a lake to impress some girls. He has been 
confined to a wheelchair ever since, but you can't keep a good 
scientist down--it hasn't slowed him up one bit.

Ballard's intelligence is accompanied by an alternately wry and goofy 
sense of humor, and admirable courage--he refuses to cooperate and 
then outsmarts General Starker and his troops in Doppelganger; he 
attacks Josef to defend the Sphere in As Time Goes By, crying, "Five 
years of Tae-Kwon Do, you snake!"

In season 1, Ballard is 42 years old. Little is known of his personal 
life, but given the number of scantily clad babes hovering around 
him, maybe it's better that way. After all, this is prime-time!

5. Nathan (Nate) Ramsey

"My hero was going to nuke Death Valley and blame it on the Chinese!" 
- Nathan Ramsey, Doppelganger, Part 2

Nathan (Nate) Ramsey (Nick Searcy) isn't one of those characters 
who's so bad you love to hate him, but on the other hand, you sort of 
hate to love him, except that he's a little irresistible. He's 
stubborn as a mule, admires nothing so much as an American patriot, 
and is about as paranoid as you can get without being locked up in a 
place like Hansen Island. A foaming-at-the-mouth American 
nationalist, he's suspicious of all foreigners. Getting a dose of 
Ramsey's politics is a little like opening a time capsule and having 
the acidic anxiety of the Cold War years come boiling out.

Ramsey has a temper like a nuclear bomb, even when it's not augmented 
by stimulant drugs, as it was in the pilot episode, when he tried to 
kill Parker to keep him from going back in time. He cast the one 
dissenting vote to Parker's selection as Back Step's chrononaut, and 
never has yielded in his outspoken, vehement distrust of Parker. He 
disapproves of Parker's drinking, gambling and flaunting of authority-
-and it doesn't help the situation that Parker constantly warts him 
by slipping his security precautions. Intensely dedicated to his job, 
Ramsey appears to feel Parker's antics make him look bad, on top of 
creating a security threat to the project, and that sends Ramsey 
ballistic on a regular basis.

Still, the two men exhibit a grudging respect for each other on 
occasion, and it's clear Ramsey would walk through fire--in the line 
of duty--to save Parker's butt. Ramsey's dedication to the safety of 
his own personnel and his duty, even when he doesn't agree or doesn't 
like what he's been asked to do, are endearing. He may bitch and 
complain about it, but in the end, he'll do the right thing.

Ramsey came to Back Step from the CIA, where he served in Germany and 
Korea before becoming the project's head of security. He is 45 in 
season 1. It's not known whether he is or ever has been married, but 
he must have at least one sibling, as he has mentioned having a 
nephew. He appears to enjoy boxing in his off-duty hours. In For the 
Children, we learned that he drinks Jack Daniels and came from a 
small town.

6. Dr. Isaac Mentnor

"It seems I've spent half a lifetime keeping others in the dark. " - 
Isaac Mentnor, EBEs

Dr. Isaac Mentnor (Norman Lloyd), 84, is credited with unraveling the 
meaning of the alien technology that led to the creation of the 
Sphere. Before moving to Area 51, he worked with the Manhattan 
Project, developing the atomic bombs that ended World War II. That 
experience has given him a special perspective on some of the moral 
questions raised by advances in science.

As well as being scientific head of the Back Step project, Mentnor 
functions somewhat as its conscience--his counsel is sought when 
missions pose moral dilemmas, and he sometimes has put his job aside 
to follow his ethics, as when he broke security to tell Parker about 
the spill of radioactive "Element 115." He also serves as something 
of a father-figure for Parker, who occasionally has sought his advice 
on personal matters.

Mentnor has been married to his wife, Claire, for more than 50 years. 
The couple has an unknown number of children and at least one 
granddaughter, Rebecca, 9, who has a crush on Parker.

Note: Reports indicate Dr. Mentnor is a recurring character in season 
2, not a regular.

7. Bradley Talmadge

"Son, without NSA authorization, you are not going to the john." - 
Bradley Talmadge, Vows

Bradley Talmadge (Alan Scarfe) serves as Back Step's liaison to the 
project's unseen NSA bosses. Aged 54 in season 1, he holds degrees in 
marketing and law. He served in the military in Vietnam, where he was 
awarded a Bronze Star for valor.

After becoming a deputy chief at the NSA, he learned about the 
experimental work at Area 51 and was assigned to form a team to 
implement Operation Back Step. His title is "NSA Special Projects 
Liaison to the Pentagon."

He is a tough but fair administrator, committed to keeping Back Step 
running smoothly and maintaining the secrecy of its existence. He 
likes Parker, but won't hesitate to crack the whip if and when Parker 
gets out of line. He once nearly threw Parker out of the project and 
sent him back to Hansen Island for making an error in judgment. (Vows)

Little is known about Talmadge's personal life, but he has one 
granchild--Amanda, 10-years-old and a talented artist.

8. Other recurring characters

"Holy cow!" - Sergeant Myers, Pilot episode

Sergeant Myers/Walker/Bly (Stacey Stone) is the receptionist who 
often takes the call when Parker checks in on a mission. For the 
first part of the season, her usual response was to gasp, "Holy cow!" 
when she realized the call was from "Conundrum." Fans were happy to 
see her get some more substantive lines in Doppelganger, Part 2, in 
which she coolly and cleverly gives Parker the information he needs, 
without revealing anything to General Starker's minion, who is 
hanging menacingly over her shoulder throughout the conversation. 
It's not known why her name keeps changing.

The other two recurring characters are MIB #1 (Charley Lang, the 
blond one) and MIB #2 (Jerome Butler, the black one), both members of 
Ramsey's security team.

The MIBs are the ones who were sent to pluck Parker out of the asylum 
on Hansen Island. Administering the shock test appears to have gotten 
Parker and MIB #1 off on the wrong foot. Parker swore to kick his ass 
when he got out of the "nut house," and he repeatedly has punched MIB 
#1 in the nose--sometimes mostly just for the hell of it. MIB #1 is 
rather the more hard-core of the two, when it comes to wanting to 
force Parker to behave. He even shot Parker in the arm in Walter.

MIB #2 is a bit less uptight, seeming to find Parker's antics more 
amusing than threatening or annoying. But then, he's not the one 
getting bopped in the face all the time!

Part B: The cast

1. Jonathan LaPaglia

If you thought Frank B. Parker looked like he knew what he was doing when he bound up Lieutenant Benson's sprained ankle in Daddy's Girl, it's because Jonathan LaPaglia really does. The 7 Days star holds a degree in medicine and surgery from the University of Adelaide, Australia, and before going into acting, he worked as an emergency room physician in Australia and the UK while studying drama part-time at night.

Medicine's loss has been fans' gain, as LaPaglia's delightfully athletic performances and fine sense of comedic timing have brought Frank B. Parker to life in a highly appealing way.

According to a recent TV Guide interview, his father owned an automobile dealership, and his mother worked as a secretary. He said he became interested in the fine arts at an early age, and studied painting and sculpture in high school. But he said he had doubts about his talent as an artist, and ultimately decided to study medicine, instead.

But once he actually became a doctor, he felt dissatisfied. In a 1996 interview with the New York Daily News, LaPaglia said medicine only satisfied his scientific interests, while leaving a creative side of his personality unfulfilled. Encouraged by his brother, actor Anthony LaPaglia, he eventually gave up practicing medicine full-time and moved to New York to study at Circle in the Square theater school, returning on long breaks to the UK to keep his medical skills sharp.

He made his big break into television in '96 as a regular cast member (Det. Tom McNamara) in New York Undercover. Shortly after the premiere of 7 Days he was seen in a UPN movie of the week, Inferno. He also has had a guest-starring appearance in Law & Order. His theatrical movie credits include Woody Allen's film Deconstructing Harry, as well as Origin of the Species, The Cure, Poison Berries, and Rain, and independent films Astoria Fix, Screening Frogs and Dog Tail.

LaPaglia, 31, lives in Los Angeles with actress Ursula Brooks.

2. Justina Vail

Justina Vail (Olga Vukavitch) never planned on becoming an actress. 
Following in her mother's footsteps, she trained as a painter at 
Canterbury Art College in the UK. Then one day, while visiting her 
sister in Hong Kong, she indulged a whim and auditioned for a part in 
an English television show being produced there, a crime drama called 
Yellow Thread Street.

No one was more surprised than she was to find that she'd gotten the 
part--and that she enjoyed it enough to want to make it a career. For 
a time she performed in theatrical productions in England, then moved 
to Los Angeles to pursue her new vocation.

She seems almost destined to have ended up doing science fiction or 
fantasy: Shortly after arriving in L.A., she landed a part as a 
computer in the pilot for Journey to the Center of the Earth, then 
came close to landing the role of Seven of Nine in Star Trek: Voyager 
(which ultimately went to Jeri Ryan) and the lead role in Highlander: 
The Raven, after a guest appearance as an immortal named Katya in a 
Highlander episode titled "Justice." (Ultimately the part in Raven 
went to Elizabeth Gracen, who had played the recurring role of Amanda 
in the original Highlander series). But in a recent interview on 
UltimateTV Vail said she's happy to have ended up where she did--less 
makeup and no swordfights.

She also said she's pleased with the extent to which she's been able 
to make Olga a rounded, three-dimensional character. "She's not the 
kind of superwoman that doesn't exist in real life, the kind of 
character who can juggle babies and cooking and be a kickboxer and 
save the world at the same time," Vail said in the UltimateTV 
interview. "I don't know anybody like that."

Vail was born in Malaysia and has lived in Hong Kong and the UK. 
Previous to starring in 7 Days, she had a guest appearance on 
Seinfeld, and her film credits include Kiss the Girls and a role as 
one of Tom Cruise's ex-girlfriends in Jerry Maguire. She is single.

3. Don Franklin

Don Franklin (Craig Donovan) is already familiar to many TV fans from 
his previous roles in SeaQuest DSV, The Young Riders and other series.

A Chicago native, he was born December 15, 1960, and began performing 
while still in grade school. Accomplished as a singer, musician and 
dancer as well as an actor, he has had a wide of variety of roles in 
films, television and on the stage. He started in musical theater, 
and then went to California for the first time when he was cast as a 
dancer in the Sidney Poitier film, Fast Forward. Later he returned to 
Chicago and starred on stage in A Chorus Line.

He credits The Cosby Show with giving him his first big television 
break (he played Lisa Bonet's boyfriend) in 1986, which he says gave 
his career a real boost. He has been working steadily ever since, 
mostly in television, including regular cast roles in Knightwatch and 
Nasty Boys, a recurring role in Living Single, and guest-starring 
roles in Outer Limits and Chicago Hope.

His other feature films include The Big Picture, Moving, and 
Somewhere in Time; he has had appearances in the TV movies Fighting 
for Justice and Asteroid. He lives in Los Angeles.

4. Sam Whipple

Sam Whipple (Dr. John Ballard) learned to be funny as a defense 
mechanism while growing up in Venice, California. Eventually he 
realized he enjoyed performing and began pursuing a career in show 
business. He started out doing commercials and minor television 
roles, then was cast in a short-lived sitcom called Open All Night.

After that, his career picked up steam rapidly, and he has had myriad 
appearances in films, made-for-TV movies and television series, 
including Newhart, NYPD Blue, Seinfeld, Home Improvement and The 
Pretender. He has been a series regular in Birthmarks, Weldon Pond, 
Bagdad Cafe, Archie and Man About Town. His film credits include The 
Rock, Airheads, True Romance and Spinal Tap.

In real life, he's not wheelchair-bound, and he doesn't wear glasses. 
In an interview from Sci-Fi TV's September/October 1999 issue, he 
recounts that he bought the glasses (they're a real prescription 
pair) almost on a whim, stopping in a thrift store on his way to the 
audition for 7 Days. But since he doesn't actually need glasses, he 
can't see when he's wearing them, which has made him something of a 
hazardous driver in that wheelchair. But he says he doesn't want to 
substitute plain glass just to suit his own convenience: "When you 
watch the show, you can see how thick those lenses are, and that's 
part of the character. ... If I just wore prop glasses, you would be 
able to tell."

Whipple lives in Los Angeles and is single.

5. Nick Searcy

That southern twang is real. Nick Searcy (Nathan "Nate" Ramsey) was 
born in Collowhee, North Carolina, and still maintains a home in his 
native state with his wife, Leslie, and daughter, Chloe.

In the June 1999 issue of Sci-Fi TV, he hints that an upcoming 
episode of 7 Days may feature Ramsey taking the Sphere for a spin. In 
the meantime, Searcy is focusing on trying to keep his ultra-paranoid 
character on the right side of believable--keeping Nate Ramsey from 
becoming a stereotype.

Unlike his character, he's not above an occasional wager. UltimateTV 
reports that he had a pool going during the first season on which 
character would get killed (and Back-Stepped back to life again) most.

Like several other 7 Days cast members, he has been active in 
directing and producing, as well as acting, and his independent film, 
Paradise Falls, has won several awards.

He began his performing career while still in grade school, then 
continued acting in college while he obtained a degree in English at 
the University of North Carolina. From there, he moved to an array of 
film and television roles, including what he calls his favorite part, 
playing astronaut Deke Slayton in Tom Hanks' acclaimed production for 
HBO, From the Earth to the Moon.

His other feature film credits include Fried Green Tomatoes, The 
Fugitive, Nell and Days of Thunder, with Tom Cruise. An upcoming role 
in the movie, Cast Away, will have him co-starring with Tom Hanks. He 
has had a recurring role in the television series Thunder Alley, and 
was a series regular as Sheriff Ben Healy in American Gothic. Guest-
starring roles include spots in Murder One and Nash Bridges.

6. Norman Lloyd

If you don't recognize Norman Lloyd (Dr. Isaac Mentnor), you haven't 
been watching TV in America--he has made regular or guest appearances 
in more than a dozen series dating back to the 1950s.

Regrettably, reports indicate that he'll be a recurring character in 
7 Days in Season 2, not a regular. There's no word yet on why.

He was born in New Jersey in 1914 and began his career in the 
theater, eventually garnering Broadway roles and working with the 
original company of Orson Welles' and John Houseman's Mercury 
Theater. He moved to California and on to a career in films and 
television, working with such greats as Charlie Chaplin and Martin 
Scorsese.

Lloyd's appearances in television series have ranged from a regular 
cast role as Dr. Daniel Auschlander in St. Elsewhere to guest spots 
in Star Trek: The Next Generation, Wings, The Practice, Wiseguy, and 
nearly the whole lineup in the classic TV horror/suspense genre: 
Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Night Gallery, and The Twilight Zone.

He worked quite a bit with Hitchcock and cites the famous director as 
a major influence. "What I owe to Hitch and his influence, I could 
never state as fully as I'd like," he said in a recent interview with 
Starburst magazine.

He also has produced and/or directed telefilms and television series, 
including Columbo and Tales of the Unexpected.

Lloyd has film credits beginning in 1942, when he played Fry, the man 
who fell off the Statue of Liberty in Hitchcock's film, Saboteur. His 
other feature film credits include The Age of Innocence, The Battle 
Over Citizen Kane, Dead Poets Society, The Nude Bomb, FM, The 
Southerner, and Spellbound. He is married and lives in Los Angeles.

7. Alan Scarfe

Alan Scarfe (Bradley Talmadge) adds a touch of Shakespearean class to 
the 7 Days mix. Born in London and raised in the U.S., he returned to 
the UK to pursue a career in the theater beginning in 1962. At first 
he  worked mostly in Canada and Britain, but since then he has 
amassed a long list of credits in American television and films, as 
well.

His theater roles (more than 150 of them) have included many of 
Shakespeare's plays, including Julius Caesar, Hamlet, Othello and 
King Lear, and a Broadway production of MacBeth. He served as 
associate director of Canada's Stratford Festival and of Liverpool, 
England's, Everyman Theater. He has directed numerous stage 
productions, including The Crucible, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, 
and Romeo and Juliet.

Scarfe's feature film roles have included Lethal Weapon 3, Double 
Impact and Iron Eagle II, and he has appeared in such telefilms as 
Gunsmoke, Gridlock and Jericho Fever.

His American television appearances have run the gamut from soap 
opera (One Life to Live) to sitcoms (Cybill) to crime drama (NYPD 
Blue, Hunter) to science fiction and fantasy (Highlander, Star Trek: 
Voyager, SeaQuest DSV, Quantum Leap). He also has appeared in more 
than 50 Canadian television shows.

He is married to actress Barbara March, who also is his writing 
partner. He and March hope to pen one or more episodes of 7 Days 
incoming seasons. They also have been working on screenplays for 
several films.

Scarfe has two children, and now lives in Los Angeles.

8. Christopher Crowe/Crowe Entertainment

Christopher Crowe and his son, Zachary, are the creators of 7 Days, 
which is a joint venture of Crowe Entertainment and Paramount Network 
Television. 

Executive producer Christopher Crowe, a veteran writer and producer 
for television, says he conceived the idea for 7 Days after an 
executive at Paramount wondered out loud what it would be like to 
have a machine that could go back in time--but no more than seven 
days back--to undo past events. Crowe had been working on a film 
about the story of a UFO that reportedly crashed in New Mexico in the 
late 1940s, and the two ideas melded together to yield 7 Days as fans 
now know it.

Like some of the cast members, Crowe didn't plan on a life in show 
business. Born in Wisconsin, he spent the first part of his adulthood 
as a race-car driver, only following his writing muse into films and 
television somewhat later in life.

He went to California to take a job as a writer at Universal 
Television in 1973, moving up through the ranks to story editor and 
then producer. Some of the series he has worked on are Miami Vice, 
Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Streets of Justice and Darkroom. He also 
was creator and executive producer for a UPN series titled The 
Watcher, and executive producer of the syndicated series The 
Untouchables.

Also a writer and producer of theatrical films, Crowe has tried to 
maintain feature-film quality in 7 Days while bearing in mind the 
different requirements of a weekly television series. That has led 
him to emphasize quality special effects, even if doing so means the 
show runs right on the razor's edge, budgetwise. "It's a very 
ambitious show," he told Washington Post reporter Harriet Winslow in 
March 1999. "It's big by its nature."

Fans have Crowe's vision of an action show's need for humor and 
humanity to thank for the intriguing characters and lighter moments 
that are a hallmark of 7 Days. "I think that action-adventure shows 
that ignore humor really become Grade B," he said in the Washington 
Post interview. He also said that the romantic tension behind Parker 
and Olga's relationship is an element he uses to try to keep the 
characters from becoming cartoonlike action figures.

His feature film credits include The Last of the Mohicans, Fear, 
Whispers in the Dark (with Jonathan LaPaglia's brother, Anthony) and 
Bone Collector.

Crowe's poetry can be heard on a recently released CD, titled Crowe, 
with accompanying music by Joel Goldsmith.

V. Episode Guide

"This already happened." - Frank B. Parker, Come Again?

Season 1

Pilot episode - 10/7/98
Story: Christopher and Zachary Crowe 
Teleplay: Christopher Crowe 
Director: John McPherson 
Chechen terrorists bomb the White House, killing the Russian president, and the U.S. president and vice president, and incidentally, children attending a nearby school. In the aftermath of this calamity, a secret government operation is called on to use a dangerous and highly experimental time-travel device to prevent the bombing. That's the good news. The bad news is, the best man to pilot the device is a nut case named Frank B. Parker. Using the Sphere to go back in time seven days, Parker must try to "undo that event"--if he can survive the jump through another dimension.

The Gettysburg Virus - 10/14/98
Story by: Harry Cason and Stephen 
Beck 
Teleplay: Harry Cason 
Director: Vern Gillum 
A religious fanatic unleashes a genetically engineered strain of the ebola virus, killing 98 percent of the world's population--and most of the Back Step team. Near death herself, Olga manages to send Parker back in time in a desperate attempt to prevent global catastrophe. The question is, can he avoid taking the disease back with him, thus defeating the purpose of the Back Step?

Come Again? - 10/21/98
Written by: Evan Katz 
Director: Aaron Lipstadt 
Parker is sent back one day to prevent the death of a scientist who may have discovered the secret to cold fusion. But the Sphere goes haywire, forcing Parker to repeat his mission over and over again in a five-hour time loop with the world's most annoying man, and in which his efforts to impress Olga are repeatedly foiled--one way or another.

Vows - 10/28/98 
Written by: Thomas Ropelewski 
Director: John McPherson 
Parker's mission to head off a robbery that causes an international incident has tragic consequences for his ex-wife's fiance, Mike Clary. Believing he could've done something to save Mike, Parker clashes with Talmadge about whether to Back Step again to prevent Mike's death and make things right.

Doppelganger (2 parts) - 11/11/98
Written by: James Crocker 
Director: John McPherson 
A renegade American general uses a Chinese invasion of Taiwan as an opportunity to stage a coup by setting off a nuclear bomb in Death Valley and blaming the blast on the Chinese. When Parker Back Steps to warn U.S. authorities of the disaster, changes Ballard has made to the Sphere split Parker into good and evil components of himself. The evil "twin" thinks the new regime is a good idea, and buys his way into the general's good graces by revealing the secrets of Operation Back Step, leaving Parker battling himself in an effort to save the country and the project.

Shadow Play - 11/18/98 
Written by: B.B. Smickers 
Director: David Livingston 
Parker's sent back to capture a woman suspected of conspiring to bomb an NSA facility. But when he finds her, he's not so sure she's guilty, and, to Talmadge's dismay, goes on the run with her to find the real culprit.

As Time Goes By - 11/25/98
Written by: Tim Finch and Tamara Shaw 
Director: John McPherson 
Olga's husband, Josef, who was lost and presumed dead on a Russian time-travel mission, suddenly reappears in a Russian-built counterpart to the Sphere. He claims to have come back from thirty-some years in the future out of love for his wife, but Parker and Ramsey are immediately suspicious of his motives--and for good reason.

Sleepers - 12/16/98 
Written by: Gannon Kenney 
Director: Charles Picerni, Sr. 
An old navy buddy of Parker's and Donovan's kills a research scientist and then himself. The mystery deepens when Donovan does the same. When Parker Back Steps in an effort to save his friend, he uncovers long-lost memories revealing that both he and Donovan were brainwashed years ago in Bangladesh--but soon Parker finds he, too, has been conditioned to kill at the command of the mysterious, evil Dr. Lee.

HAARP Attack - 1/27/99 
Written by: Paulette Polinski 
Director: John McPherson 
Islamic rebels attack a communications center and fool U.S. aircraft into bombing an American base. Parker's effort to prevent the tragedy goes awry when the Sphere malfunctions. When he lands, he's 10 years old psychologically and has no memory of his mission--or anything else, except his "field-trip buddy" Olga, who must try to unlock his adult mind before it's too late.

Last Card Up - 2/3/99 
Written by: Lyn Freeman 
Director: Charles Picerni, Sr. 
A government standoff at a religious cult's compound ends catastrophically, and so does the Back Step team's investigation of the disaster--a reporter goes public with damaging details about the project after spending a night talking and drinking with Parker. He denies having told her anything, but Talmadge is furious and orders a Back Step to seal the security breach, save the cult members and preserve an important human rights conference. Once in the past, Parker and Olga pose as a married couple inside the compound in an effort to save the cult members, and the real story of how Back Step wound up on the nightly news unfolds.

Last Breath - 2/10/99 
Story by: John McPherson and Howard Salus 
Teleplay: Peter Farriday 
Director: John McPherson 
Parker tries to learn Russian to impress Olga. Meanwhile, a Russian submarine's damaged nuclear reactor spreads radioactive contamination over a wide area. To avert the disaster, Parker must learn to use a fluid breathing system, land the Sphere deep underwater and try to prevent a fanatical Russian political officer from surfacing the boat and releasing the radiation. Worried that Parker won't be able to overcome his claustrophobia while breathing liquid, Olga fears he won't come back from this one, and her tender feelings for him momentarily surface.

Parkergeist - 2/24/99
Written by: Peter Farriday 
Director: David Livingston 
Parker's killed (sort of) when the Sphere is sabotaged. With the help of a blind man who is the only one who can hear him, Parker's "ghost" must try to prevent the further sabotage of a satellite designed to spy on drug traffickers...and get back into his corporeal body, if he can.

Daddy's Girl - 3/3/99 
Written by: Harry Cason 
Director: Don Kurt 
The vice president's unacknowledged, illegitimate daughter is shot down 
over Yugoslavia, and the team of soldiers sent in to rescue her are killed. Guilt- and grief-stricken, the veep shoots himself. Parker Back Steps to try to prevent the tragedy.

There's Something About Olga - 3/31/99
Written by: Tim Finch and Tamara Shaw 
Director: Jeannot Szwarc 
A Russian scientist, trying to get hold of Back Step's secrets, kidnaps Olga and replaces her with an impostor he has created. But the impostor, Galina, is even more mentally unstable than Parker. Hallucinating that Parker is her ex-husband, Galina demonstrates to him all too clearly that "love hurts." By the time it becomes known that she's a fake, Parker, Ramsey, the real Olga and the project all are in mortal danger.

A Dish Best Served Cold - 4/21/99
Written by: Stephen Beck 
Director: John McPherson 
A former chrononaut, James Rance, lost in the Amazon rainforest back when a ride in the Sphere was pretty much a death sentence, returns to exact revenge for his lost years and make sure the Sphere is never used again. He gives Mentnor's granddaughter a slow poison to force his way into the compound so he can destroy the Sphere. To save the little girl and restore the program, Parker must Back Step using an older (and considerably the worse for wear) version of the Sphere--the one that didn't work and left Rance wandering in the jungle with the mind of a child.

Vegas Heist - 5/5/99 
Written by: Dan York 
Director: Kenneth Johnson 
An African-American freedom fighter who once saved Parker's life stages a robbery to get money for his people's independence. But the crime results in a terrible explosion. Parker has to try to help his
friend get the money to save his countrymen while preventing the blast and its massive loss of life--all the while dodging Ramsey and the other members of the team, whose vacation in Vegas puts them in his way.

EBEs - 5/12/99 
Written by: Michael Cassutt 
Director: John McPherson 
A spill of radioactive "Element 115" that fuels the Sphere draws unwelcome attention to legends about aliens visiting Never Never Land. But are they really only legends? Mentnor and Talmadge act suspiciously like they're covering something up, and it's up to Parker and Olga to find out what.

Walter - 5/19/99 
Written by: Harry Cason and Stephen Beck 
Director: Charles Correll 
Somebody's killing CIA agents right and left after their names are revealed when an allegedly impenetrable code is broken. Parker launches the Sphere to capture the code-breaker, but he balks at his orders to terminate the culprit when he learns the code-breaker is a savant who had no way of knowing the damage he was doing. To save Walter's life, Parker finds himself battling evil Chinese agents, NSA agents following the orders he rejected, and Walter's tendency to get distracted by pigeons, buses and a comic-book superhero named the Blue Avenger.

Lifeboat - 5/26/99 
Written by: Thomas Ropelewski 
Director: John McPherson 
An alien survivor from the Roswell crash, in a coma since 1947, suddenly wakes up and breaks free of the Back Step compound in a small craft left behind in the debris of the crashed UFO. Attaching the craft to a nuclear power plant, he appears to be siphoning power off so that he can get back to his own people. Dubbed "Adam," the alien seems to be communicating with Parker, Olga and Ballard, pleading with them to let him return home to die. But is "Adam" telling the truth about his intentions?

NOTE: One episode planned for season 1 was postponed to Season 2 (see 
For the Children, below): Originally it was thought there were two 
missing episodes in Season 1. As it turns out, however, there was 
only one, for which the setting and the title had changed a time or 
two, thus causing some confusion. The episode was listed as Act of 
God on the official 7 Days Web site and has been referred to as Save 
the Children in a couple of other sources, with the show ultimately 
airing as For the Children. On top of that, Cinescape Magazine had 
quoted executive producer Christopher Crowe describing the episode as 
having to do with an airliner that blew up--the final version was set 
on a subway train instead of a jet. Originally scheduled for late 
April 1999, shortly after the Littleton, Colo., school shootings, 
this episode was pulled because Crowe felt it would've been in poor 
taste to air it so soon after a similar real-life tragedy.

Season 2

The Football - 9/29/99 
Story by: Thomas Ropelewski 
Teleplay by: Julie Ann Park 
Director: John McPherson 
The President's mobile nuclear command center, a metal briefcase called "the football," is lost and by some mysterious means is triggered, resulting in worldwide nuclear holocaust. By the time Parker can Back Step, it's almost too late to prevent inconceivable destruction...and Olga's death. On the other side of the timeline, he and Olga must desperately search for the missing case through the urban jungle of Washington, D.C., as the clock to the end of the world ticks down. 

Pinball Wizard - 10/6/99 
Written by: Dan York 
Director: Charles Correll 
Using disaffected young video game aces to fly a sophisticated missile system, a disgruntled defense contractor turns his weapons technology against the government that refused to buy it. The attack reduces the Pentagon to a quadrangle and kills dozens of federal employees. After the Back Step, Parker's investigation leads him to one of the gamers: Nancy, an angry young woman with a past of abuse and abandonment. He must try to help her overcome her feelings of guilt and inadequacy in hopes she can beat the weapons system and its hotshot pilot at their own game.

Parker.com - 10/13/99 
Written by: Peter Farriday 
Director: Mike Vejar 
An artificial intelligence resolves the Y2K computer bug, then transforms itself into the persona of a young girl named Claire. Then she meets Parker. Instantly lovestruck, she interprets his musings on 
worldwide nuclear stalemate as a moral imperative to solve all the 
world's problems overnight--no matter how many people it kills. 
Unable to Back Step because of Claire's interference with the 
Sphere's systems, Parker agrees to join Claire in her virtual 
environment, hoping to distract her while Olga, Ballard and Claire's 
creator try to shut down the system.

For the Children - 10/19/99
Written by: Ann Lewis Hamilton 
Director: Don Kurt 
Veterans suffering from Gulf War Syndrome take 33 people--12 of them children--hostage in a subway train in an effort to force the
government to apologize and pay restitution to other victims of the 
ailment. When the terrorists' demands are not met, they blow up the 
train, killing the hostages. At first it's thought that an important 
diplomat was on board, and a Back Step is authorized. But it turns 
out the official wasn't among the hostages, and the time jump is 
called off. Unable to sleep nights knowing the children won't be 
saved, Parker quits the program.

Two Weddings and a Funeral - 11/3/99 
Written by: Tim Finch and Tamara Shaw 
Director: David Livingston 
After sitting up for three days with a comatose Parker, Olga has a weak moment and confesses that she has feelings for him. Parker's angry when she tries to explain she didn't mean it quite the way he took it, and he proposes marriage to prove his own feelings are serious. Equally annoyed, she agrees, sure he won't go through with it. But after much hemming, hawing and horsing around, the deed is done. Only afterward does Parker discover that Galina Komanov, Olga's evil double (There's Something About Olga), has escaped from the maximum-security mental hospital. Is his bizarre wedding a dream come true? Or is it a living nightmare?

Walk Away - 11/10/99 
Story by: Brad Markowitz and Thomas Ropelewski 
Written by: Tim Finch and Tamara Shaw 
Director: David Livingston 
An autopsy of Adam, the alien with bad teeth who came to life briefly in 
Lifeboat, reveals that the evil survivor of the Roswell crash was a paraplegic who used a high-tech microchip to enable the use of his legs. The chip is removed from Adam and implanted in Dr. Ballard, who soon is able to walk, dance and play basketball again, for the first time since he was 15 and lost the use of his legs in a diving accident. But there's more of Adam in the chip than just his prancing gait, and the psychopathic alien still wants to take out the Earth...with Ballard's unwitting help.

Sister's Keeper - 11/17/99 
Written by: Brad Markowitz 
Director: Kenneth Johnson
Olga's younger sister Svetlana is murdered after stealing half a million dollars from her former boss, Ivan, a member of the Chechen mafia. Parker's scheduled to Back Step to undo a plane crash, so Olga gives him a note warning of Svetlana's death and asks him to give it to her on the other side of the timeline. Parker, of course, can't resist opening the envelope and reading the note. After the Back Step, he and Olga hit the Vegas strip to find Svetlana before Ivan catches up to her. But Svetlana turns out to be nearly as treacherous, in her own way, as the Chechens.

The Collector - 11/24/99 
Written by: Alfonse Ruggiero Jr. 
Director: John McPherson 
Parker makes a big score on a horse race and celebrates by indulging in too much champagne, not knowing he's about to be called on to Back Step. Giving a whole new meaning to "DWI," he loses control of the Sphere on re-entry and crashes into a prison, inadvertently allowing a psychotic serial killer to escape the electric chair. When the freed murderer promptly goes on another killing spree, Parker feels responsible for the mayhem. With Olga's help, he goes after the killer himself.

Love and Other Disasters - 12/15/99
Written by: Paulette Polinski
Director: David Livingston
The attention of the world is fixed on the apparently storybook wedding of Princess Lisette and Prince Hamal--even Ramsey's a little teary-eyed at how "colorful" the story is. Dignitaries and celebrities, including Ballard and Olga, gather for the occasion. The first hint that things are not quite as warm and fuzzy as they seem is Lisette's death shortly before the nuptials in an "accidental" propane explosion. Ballard and Olga are pulled from the rubble by the ever-so-gallant Kassim, Hamal's best man, with whom Olga is slightly smitten. Parker Back Steps to save the princess, then decides to hang around for the wedding and see if he can attract Olga away from Kassim. But then Parker discovers Kassim has a different ending in mind for Lisette's fairy tale...which turns out not to have been such a happy yarn anyway.

VI. About alt.tv.sevendays

"I've seen what you guys consider a vacation--I'd rather just spend a 
night somewhere around here, if that's all right with you." - Frank 
B. Parker, The Gettysburg Virus

1. What's the purpose of alt.tv.sevendays?

This news group was created to provide a place on Usenet for 
discussion of the television series 7 Days.

2. What can I post to alt.tv.sevendays?

Any discussion, commentary, analysis or news related to the show, its 
cast, production or broadcast is welcome. For example, reviews or 
comments about what you like or don't like about an episode; your 
theory about how the Sphere and/or the process of Back Step works; 
analysis of the characters' personalities and relationships; 
announcements of cast appearances and any books or magazines or fan 
activities (such as conventions) related to the show; schedule 
information; time travel theories and speculation; and anything else 
that has to do with the series.

Remember that news items you find on the Internet are not always true-
-you can save yourself embarrassment by verifying rumors before 
distributing them.

3. What should not be posted to alt.tv.sevendays?

Alt.tv.sevendays is an unmoderated alt.* news group - the kind your 
mother warned you about. Technically, no one can stop you from 
posting anything you please to the news group...but that doesn't mean 
there won't be consequences for inappropriate behavior. A good rule 
of thumb is: Never do anything on the Internet that you wouldn't want 
your mother, your high school principal, your boss, your priest or 
the cops to find out about.

In particular, the alt.tv.sevendays charter prohibits:

a. Off-topic posts. Messages that have nothing to do with the show 
should not be posted to alt.tv.sevendays.

b. Cross-posting. This involves posting the same message to more than 
one news group. Cross-posting puts a strain on the systems that send 
messages over the Internet, and because it does, many Internet 
providers ban or limit cross-posting. You can lose your access to the 
'net if you get caught at it.

c. Binary files. Reduced to its simplest terms, a binary file is any 
computer file that isn't plain text. This includes images (Ex., GIFs 
and JPGs), audio clips (Ex., WAVs, MP3s) and video clips (Ex., AVIs). 
It also includes files formatted by a word processor, such as MS Word 
or WordPerfect, and program files such as screen-savers and (eek!) 
viruses. HTML files are plain text by definition, but there's not 
much point in sending HTML-coded documents to a news group--they 
belong on the Web, not in Usenet.

Binary files are a problem in part because they're large; like cross-
posting, sending binaries to a discussion group puts a strain on the 
servers that make Usenet news groups possible. Remember, too, that 
people access news groups with all kinds of systems and software. You 
may have sophisticated equipment and applications, but others don't. 
News groups use plain text because it's the one thing *everybody's* 
system can read.

If you have great images or other binaries, please share them with 
the many alt.binaries.* groups that are designed for exactly that 
purpose. Or better yet, put them on a Web page.

Note that copying and distributing copyrighted images, audio clips 
and video clips is illegal, even if you're not making any money from 
it.

d. Advertising/spam. Do not post advertising or promotional 
announcements for commercial products or services to 
alt.tv.sevendays. Commercial, in this context, means anything from 
which you hope to make money--if you stand to profit in any way by 
posting the message, don't post it to the news group. Unsolicited e-
mail advertising is also called spam, and it is one of the few things 
that's considered a no-no almost everywhere on the 'net, including in 
the alt.tv.sevendays news group.

Some other types of posts can get you in trouble, even though they're 
not specifically prohibited by the charter:

e. Trolls. A troll is any message sent to the news group purely for 
the purpose of causing an uproar, or any person who sends such a 
message, especially if he/she uses a false e-mail address to send the 
message. An example would be a message with a subject header that 
reads, "Seven Days sucks!"--which would motivate fans in the news 
group to clog up bandwidth with a lot of messages saying, in effect, 
"It does not!" You can also get electronically yelled at for 
responding to a troll in the news group. (Nobody cares if you respond 
in private e-mail--that's between you and the troll.) While we 
understand the temptation to respond may be strong, remember that 
trolls thrive on drawing attention to themselves. The fastest way to 
get rid of them is to ignore them entirely.

f. Virus warnings. Viruses are a real threat, but many e-mail virus warnings are hoaxes distributed by people who think it's funny to watch others scurry around in a panic for no reason. You'll look smarter if you don't play their game. If you're worried about viruses, invest in good antivirus software, use it and keep it updated.

For your own benefit and that of others, please do make an effort to 
keep your own system clean of viruses, so that you're not spreading 
them to the rest of us. One easy and completely cost-free way to head 
off e-mail viruses before they infect your system is to turn off the 
function that automatically opens any files attached to e-mail 
messages. (In Netscape, the function is called "View attachment 
inline.") With that turned off, you will have an opportunity to see 
what files are attached to a post, and often you can determine 
whether the file is a virus and delete it before it does any damage. 
You should be very wary of any attachment with a filename that ends 
in ".exe"--that's how most virus names end. Filenames that end in 
".txt" or ".html" or ".htm" are text files that usually are safe to 
open. If in doubt, don't open it, even if it comes from someone you 
know--many viruses use the address books of your friends and 
relatives to make themselves look harmless and distribute themselves 
across the 'net.

So let's be careful out there, okay?

g. Pyramid schemes/chain letters. This includes messages asking 
people to send stuff to an allegedly dying/chronically ill/disabled 
child, most of which are hoaxes. Chain letters and pyramid schemes 
are illegal in most U.S. states.

h. Messages that don't add to the discussion. This includes responses 
that just say "LOL" ("Laughing Out Loud") or "Ditto" (meaning you 
agree with the person who posted a message). These are just plain 
annoying, especially if you post a lot of them, and if people get 
annoyed enough, you may get flamed. If you haven't got anything to 
say, please consider  not posting at all.

4. What happens if I post the wrong thing?

Despite what you may have heard, most people on Usenet are generally 
polite, friendly and understanding. Almost all of us, at one time or 
another, have posted something we wish we hadn't, so we know how it 
feels. But your odds are good that *somebody* will be having a bad 
day and will take offense at a post that doesn't belong in the news 
group. You'll be better off if you engage your brain before engaging 
the "send" button.

However, accidents do happen. Assuming your message isn't actually 
illegal (such as a chain letter), at best, you may get a polite 
request (or two or six or twenty) not to do it again. At worst, 
someone may report you to your Internet provider, which may or may 
not take action against you. Most news readers have a utility 
allowing you to cancel a message you send in error--if you act 
quickly. Find out how yours works, just in case you ever need it. 
Failing that, a prompt apology may inspire people to just forget 
about it. 

5. What is a "spoiler," and why should I care?

A "spoiler" is any message that reveals an important plot or 
character point, thus "spoiling" the suspense for people who haven't 
seen the episode yet. People don't always see an episode immediately 
when it airs, for any number of reasons. Complicating the matter is 
that the Internet is globally instantaneous, but television schedules 
are not--7 Days is also telecast in countries beyond the U.S., but 
not necessarily at the same time it's aired in the States. There 
could be a lag of months before some overseas news group participants 
see a new episode.

Obviously, if we waited for everyone to see all new eps, we couldn't 
discuss the show at all. So somebody somewhere came up with the idea 
of posting the word "spoiler" in the subject header or high up in a 
post that discusses a recently aired episode, to warn people not to 
read on if they don't want to have the episode "spoiled" for them. 
Some people think "spoiler" warnings are stupid and unnecessary; 
others will become very annoyed if you don't use them and will let 
you know in no uncertain terms how annoyed they are. Use your best 
judgment.

6. What's a "flame"/"flame war"?

A "flame" is any post that takes another participant to task for 
something, especially if the "flame" message is strongly worded and/
or  personal in nature. A "flame war" is a series of such messages 
zapping back and forth among two or more posters, particularly if the 
exchange goes on for more than a day. 

Disagreement and debate are healthy for a news group - they lead to 
lively discussions - but flame wars are always unpleasant for 
everybody in the forum and should be avoided or taken to private e-
mail. People who aren't involved in the initial exchange should 
resist the temptation to involve themselves, as that generally just 
fans the flames, so to speak.

7. What should I do about abuse?

First, take a deep breath and count to 10.

Where one person sees abuse, another sees his/her inalienable right 
to freedom of expression. Before you do anything, think hard about 
how serious the situation really is and whether the punishment you 
have in mind really fits the offense.

The mildest thing you can do is privately e-mail the offender and 
attempt to reason with him/her. The strongest thing you can do is 
forward the entire message, including complete headers, to the 
offender's ISP. Most ISPs have an abuse department that can be 
reached by sending e-mail to abuse@[domain name]. Describe in your 
message what you found offensive about the post, but do not suggest a 
course of action - that can get you in trouble for attempting a 
"denial of service" attack. Note that reporting someone to his/her 
ISP is a serious matter that should only be pursued in cases of truly 
gross abuse. Don't do it just because you're having a bad day or you 
don't like the other person. You can make a lot of enemies in a hurry 
by using this tactic indiscriminately.

For more information about what constitutes 'net abuse and what can 
be done about it, see the news.admin.net-abuse.misc news group.

VII. I just can't get enough 7 Days! (Or, where to find more)

Inevitably, this section will be constantly growing and changing. If 
you know of a site or list or other source that you feel should be 
mentioned, or if you find a dead link here, please e-mail 
lochness@texas.net (aka, the FAQ Monster), and she will endeavor to 
update as soon and as accurately as possible. (These links were last 
tested Dec. 30, 1999.)

Soundtrack album:

Available from CDNow (http://www.cdnow.com). Search under "album 
title" for "Seven Days" -- it's the one labeled "television 
soundtrack."

In print:

The fan magazines have discovered the show, and it now seems there's 
at least one article in at least one of them every month. Sci-Fi TV 
has provided the most regular coverage, offering up news tidbits and 
interview features with Alan Scarfe, Nick Searcy, Sam Whipple and 
Christopher Crowe in recent months. But also providing occasional 
features are Starburst, Cult Times, Cinescape, Sci Fi Entertainment 
and XPose (despite its title, this last is *not* a skin mag). If you 
can't find them at your local bookstore or newsstand, most of them 
have Web sites where you can order them online. Note that many of 
these magazines are published in the UK--allow a good eight weeks for 
delivery to the States.

Also a new book by Rolling Stone TV writer David Wild, The 
Showrunners: A Season Inside the Billion-Dollar, Death-Defying, 
Madcap World of Television's Real Stars, provides an inside look at 
the making of the first season of 7 Days. Wild spent the 1998-99 
season following around a slew of executive producers, including 
Christopher Crowe. Available in hardback at bookstores and through 
Amazon.com.

Online resources:

Paramount's Official 7 Days site: http://www.sevendaystv.com or http://www.7daystv.com

UPN's home page: http://www.upn.com

Schedule information:

A site for schedule info for science fiction shows: http://tv.acmecity.com/scifi/4/sftv/sftvschd

Many UPN affiliates have Web sites, and most of them provide schedule information. Some even offer brief synopses of episodes that haven't aired yet. You can find links to UPN affiliates' Web sites on the UPN home page.

TV Guide Online and Ultimate TV also provide TV listings on the Web. Punch in your ZIP code or the name of your cable provider for schedules that are localized to your area.

Fan sites:

TK Baltimore's site
http://sevendays.tktv.net

Amanda Blakesley's site
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Nova/9114

Relationships Oasis (contains a section on the Parker/Olga relationship)
http://jump.to/relationships_oasis

TV Land O'Rama
http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Hills/3893

Jeannette Myers' site
http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Launchpad/9329/SevenDays

Sandra's site:
http://sj.simplenet.com/7days

Harrison Inefuku's Unofficial UPN site:
http://www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/Set/2043/index.htm

Trekkieb's Seven Days Page:
http://www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/Station/4913/7days.html

Seven Days Online:
http://www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/Lot/1179/index.html

daarksun's Seven Days Page:
http://members.xoom.com/daarksun/seven.html

UltimateTV's Seven Days page:
http://www.ultimatetv.com/UTVL/show.html?2937

Internet Movie Data Base Seven Days page:
http://www.imdb.com/Title?0167720

Mailing lists:

Seven Days mailing list home page: http://tempest.virtualave.net

See http://www.egroups.com to sign up for a general, public mailing list. Or, send a blank e-mail to seven-days-subscribe@egroups.com if you can't get through via the Web page.

Several mailing lists are available at http://www.onelist.com--check the fine print before subscribing, as some include adult content and are only available for individuals 18 or older. Onelist's search engine is *very* particular, so search for the following keywords:

sevendays
seven-days
Seven_Days
7-days-disc
7daysfic (this is a fan fiction list)
Backstep-7days (this is a fan fiction list)

Fan fiction sites:

Several of the general sites listed above also have fan fiction sections; these are specifically devoted to fan fiction.

Wonderful World of Make-Believe:
http://internetdump.com/users/daltonavon

Fan Fiction by Loch Ness:
http://lonestar.texas.net/~lochness

Seven Days Fic Archive:
http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Study/6511/index.html

Appendix A: The FAQ Monster's 7 Days Relationship Guide

Here is the FAQ Monster's 7 Days Relationship Guide, in which we 
forget about all the boring plot and technical junk, and focus 
instead on every subtle nuance of love, romance, jealousy, 
forgiveness, and the other really *good* stuff. Because it's 7 Days, 
and some of the progress the romantic leads make is "undone" by a 
Back Step in some episodes, a code has been attached that tells 
whether some romantic things have been erased or not. If the Back 
Step erases everything, the reactor goes to 100 percent; if it 
doesn't erase anything, the reactor's at 0 percent. Get it? Good.

(With everlasting thanks to Kipler (kipler@aol.com) for getting the 
whole relationship guide thing started back in something like 1994, 
and whose X Files Relationship Guide the FAQ Monster could never hope 
to equal, much less surpass. I'm not worthy!)

Pilot episode - It's no surprise Parker's attracted to Olga - he's 
spent the last couple years locked up in a place where the only woman 
in sight is a mean nurse with a face sharp enough to fell trees. Olga 
picks up on his signals (think flashing neon billboards) right away 
and proceeds to use his interest in her to keep him interested in 
Back Step. She holds his hand while he's sitting in the Sphere, 
expresses concern for his pain while he's getting his "team tattoo," 
tells him how brave he is and tucks him into bed at night. But she's 
honest enough to admit what she's up to when he calls her on it (one 
more look at that nurse, and he'd probably forgive Olga damn near 
anything). And before long she's moved to tears by his tender 
feelings for his son. He gets a sweet little kiss just before flying 
off into time. On the other side of the timeline, however, she backs 
him off quite smartly. Undone: Reactor to 100 percent.

The Gettysburg Virus - Parker's thrilled to find Olga alive, and only 
the realization that he has to Back Step to save her tears him away 
from her. Later, Olga feigns disinterest in spending the evening with 
him. (Lemme think... Wolf Blitzer, Frank Parker. Wolf Blitzer, Frank 
Parker... Geez, this requires thought?!?) She soon regains her 
senses, joins him in the bar and agrees to have a look at his 
honeymoon suite, stocked with caviar and Stoli just for her. But then 
the nosebleed from hell intervenes, and the tryst is off...for now. 
Undone: Reactor to 0 percent.

Come Again? - Ah, a veritable fountain of relationship tidbits! Olga 
admits that, outside of work, she might find Parker "entertaining." 
He buys her favorite flowers, but she tosses them in the back seat of 
the car, correctly deducing that he's manipulating her. He beats up a 
sheriff for her, and she pretends not to be impressed, but check the 
adoring look she gives him when he doesn't see! They discuss what it 
means to be romantic, and he finally meets her standards of romance, 
just for a minute. But of course, she gets shot before Parker can 
take advantage of the moment. He comes *very* close to telling her he 
loves her - then wimps and reverts to champagne-and-bathtub jokes. 
Undone: Reactor to 95 percent - she knows *something* happened.

Vows - Olga wants Parker to do something "exerting," but it's not 
what you think, unfortunately. She tries desperately to stop him from 
making the Back Step while in an emotionally overwrought condition, 
then is understanding when he ignores her advice. Undone: Reactor to 
0 percent, but there wasn't really anything to undo.

Doppelganger - Olga doesn't seem terribly enthusiastic about getting 
it on with the evil Parker "twin," even just to get information from 
him, but she doesn't say no, either. She and the good "twin" look 
*very* cute together when he's half-undressed and she's all rumpled. 
She sticks up for him when the evil "twin" challenges him--and what 
grief she exhibits when the good "twin" is killed! Undone: Reactor to 
100 percent.

Shadow Play - Olga appears to go along with Ramsey's boxing match gag-
-maybe she thinks it's for Parker's own good. She defends his 
judgment when he goes renegade with Teddy Bear. Too enlightened for 
jealousy? Maybe this time, but things change... Undone: Reactor to 0 
percent, but there's not much to undo.

As Time Goes By - Oh, no! She's married! And just when she finally 
admits he's a good kisser! Not to worry - seven years in the future 
have turned hubby into one rotten dude, and Olga kills him to save 
Parker. (Well, all right, and Ballard and the project, too.) Parker 
consoles her on her loss with a very sweet conversation about the 
importance of love, and they go off to have a drink together. Undone: 
Reactor to 100 percent, but he makes up for the loss on the other 
side of the timeline.

Sleepers - Dr. Mentnor embarrasses the bejabbers out of Parker by 
putting him in a position where he has to say publicly who he wants 
for his date to the reception--then Olga jumps on the bandwagon, 
plainly eager to walk into the White House on Parker's arm. They 
dance, but this romantic interlude is interrupted by a scientist who 
croaks right in the middle of the song. Geez, how rude, right? If you 
don't think love is a miracle, check the way Olga's magically 
transported into Parker's bedroom at the end of the episode! She 
comforts him after a horrific nightmare. They hug! And the crowd goes 
wild! Undone: Reactor to 0 percent.

HAARP Attack - Parker wants Olga to be his "field-trip buddy," thus 
reliving with her an event from his childhood. On the Back Step he 
mentally reverts to the age of 10--there's not much difference from 
his normal behavior, except that he drinks less and is temporarily 
content with simpler toys, like Ballard's wheelchair. But despite 
having lost 99.8 percent of his memory, he remembers *her.* She 
comforts him after a nightmare (again) and fills up the briefing room 
with the kind of stuff 10-year-old boys love in order to get her 
grown-up Parker back where he belongs. Undone: Reactor to 5 percent; 
she loses the Sally Jensen story.

Last Card Up - Now Olga's jealous, all right--Parker spends the night 
"just talking" (we're romantics, so we believe this) with a shapely 
blonde TV reporter. Olga's steamed, and she gets even angrier when it 
appears that Parker's betrayed the rest of the team by sharing Back 
Step secrets with the blonde. Fortunately, after he Back Steps, 
that's all forgotten. (Raise your hand if you think he told Olga 
about that night in the hotel room...hmm, I don't see any hands. 
Imagine that.) After the Back Step, he cleverly contrives for he and 
Olga to pose as a married couple. He gets stabbed in the leg for her 
while beating up a cult member who tries to get fresh while she's 
tied to a chair. Then it turns out he's not the one who spilled the 
beans to the reporter. Uh, does that mean they weren't "just 
talking"...? No, no, nevermind. Undone: Reactor to 50 percent - only 
the stuff Parker doesn't *want* her to know about goes away.

Last Breath - Parker's learning Russian to impress Olga, and he 
speeds up the tape to learn it *fast*, before a Back Step anniversary 
party. But he doesn't quite get it down in time, and resorts to 
spiking her drinks with vodka, which the FAQ Monster considers *very* 
naughty. Olga outwits him by dancing with another guy. Olga's very 
worried about him managing to use the fluid breathing system, and he 
gets another one of those sweet little kisses before launching the 
Sphere. But she tells him his Russian is awful. On the other side of 
the timeline, she worries for his safety on the mission and goes to 
Russia to meet him when the submarine arrives, claiming she's there 
as Talmadge's translator. But we know better. Undone: Reactor to 100 
percent, but it's best she forgets.

Parkergeist - Olga bets against Parker in a bar game and wins, and 
he's mildly hurt. She's devastated when Parker "dies." She can't 
sleep, and when she goes to gather up personal items to send to his 
ex-wife, she gets all teary-eyed and keeps the photo of herself with 
Parker at NORAD. When she gets the call from Barney telling her 
Parker is alive (sort of), she wants to believe and tries to check 
out whether it might be true despite mean, nasty, rotten, murdering 
Nolan warning her not to. When it turns out it's true (impossible, 
but true), she cranks up the Sphere so he can return to his body by 
Back Stepping. They team up to help Barney get his sight back, and 
then cap off a great evening's work with a dance. Undone: Reactor to 
100 percent, but apparently he's told her everything, and she 
believes him.

Daddy's Girl - Olga sweats bullets about the danger Parker faces in 
Bosnia, before and after he arrives. After the mission's completed, 
Parker compares her to the girl next door that he keeps trying 
to...well, you know. She says she's glad he's still around to keep 
trying. Reactor to 0 percent.

There's Something About Olga - The real Olga is very understanding 
about Parker's secret hiding place in the bomb shelter. The impostor 
thinks it's a great idea, but Parker's taken aback and shies away 
real quick when he finds out what she wants to use it for. He's 
awfully dense about it all--it takes him a *long* time to figure out 
she's not really Olga, but after all, he did get hit in the head with 
a baseball bat, which could've scrambled some of his circuits (which 
are generally not plugged in too tight anyway). Once he does figure 
it out, he makes sure which one he's dealing with by kissing her--but 
she turns out to be the fake. All he can do is save the real Olga's 
life. Undone: Reactor to 100 percent, but she doesn't need to know 
about all that.

A Dish Best Served Cold - Olga lures Parker to a little kid's 
birthday party by promising to wear her brand-new, hot pink thong 
bikini. Ha, ha - she lied. But he deserves it for that trick where he 
pretended to be dead. He confides in her about his doubts that he is 
the right person to be handling the kind of monumental issues that 
result in a Back Step; she says she sleeps better knowing he's the 
one who will handle them. She kisses him *on* *the* *mouth* right 
before launch! Undone: Reactor to 50 percent. Losing that kiss is a 
dang shame.

Vegas Heist - Olga pointedly refers to her interest in a lady 
magically turning into a tiger, and Parker foolishly fails to pick up 
on this obvious bit of psycho-sexual innuendo--both times. But he 
does sling her over his shoulder, caveman-style, at one point. 
Undone: Reactor to 0 percent, but only because he misses it 
completely.

EBEs - Olga teams up to work with Parker to figure out what the story 
is with the spill of "Element 115." She risks Dr. Mentnor's wrath and 
possibly even losing her job to get the answers Parker is seeking. 
Undone: Reactor to 0 percent.

Walter - Parker goes out to dinner with Olga and an old "friend" 
(female) who works for the CIA, and after some table-side 
shenanigans, Olga becomes understandably exasperated. Undone: Reactor 
to 100 percent, but it's a good thing for him that it is.

Lifeboat - Parker and Olga team up again, this time to help set 
"Adam" free. This means they both end up looking like idiots 
together. He kisses her! And she's in bed at the time! But--dad-blast 
it, it's all a dream. However, it's not undone! Hurray! Undone: 
Reactor to 0 percent.

Tune in next season for more on-again, off-again romantic good stuff.