Three stories to go? Somehow we’re rushing towards the end of the series, and it seems to be gearing up to go out on a high note. Fathers and Sons is a wonderful episode, even if it still subscribes to the formula that moves us from week to week.

Written by Syrie James this episode was first broadcast on 28 March, 1987.

Paul (Robert Hays) and Scott (Christopher Daniel Barnes) are in Santa Barbara (I really don’t understand their travel path or their search pattern for Jenny Hayden) and are there to take a photo assignment from one of Paul’s old friends, Bill (David Haskell).

Bill wants Paul to do a retrospective on a paramount event in the town, one that involved a number of their friends, who Bill insists have changed through the years and are no longer socially active in the community. Course he’s wrong, and it’s Bill who has changed.

But that’s not the main story, the real plot follows a budding photographer, Eric (Rodney Eastman – who, for so many of us horror fans, will forever be Joey from the Nightmare on Elm Street series). Eric is watching Scott and Paul, and begins to insinuate himself into their lives.

Scott is receptive at first, but doesn’t like how much Eric pushes into their lives. But Eric isn’t happy at home, or at least thinks he isn’t. He’s learned some truths about his parents, Joanna (Julie Cobb) and Tom (Barry Jenner) and wants to be with his actual father, Paul.

Paul sees a way to unite the family, and make Eric realize what he has in his family. It’s nice to see a strong episode like this, and it was a surprise not to see Michael Cavanaugh’s George Fox at all in this story. It’s just a strongly written drama and everyone plays it just right.

Starscape is the penultimate story, and is a two-parter that has a lot happening.

Jenny Hayden finally comes into the story, brought to life by the iconic Erin Gray, in one looks like an epis story for Paul and Scott.

Written by James S. Henerson and James G. Hirsch, the series showrunners, this episode debuted on 4 April, 1987.

A government project has recovered material from the original landing site featured in the end of the film, and they remind us that was fifteen years ago (which means the series should be taking place in the 90s, but hey it’s a television sequel).

Meanwhile, Paul and Scott have come across a unique painting in an art gallery that shows Paul’s home star. This sets them on a path to track down the artist, who may be in New Mexico, but there are people protecting her.

Jenny is in New Mexico, trying to investigate the secret military installation, specifically building 11. She’s convinced that there’s evidence of alien vehicles and life inside.

Scott has gone off to get answers of his own, and ends up looking after Wayne Geffner (Joshua Bryant) following a car accident. Geffner knows where Jenny may be, he’s her brother, and while Paul is following his own leads, he learns that Scott is missing.

But there’s some nice stuff seeing Paul and Jenny interacting. She doesn’t know who he is, but you can tell he wants to reveal himself to her. But will she believe him? She definitely feels a connection with him, and the episode concludes with the pair locked in a kiss.

The episode includes some clips from the movie with Gray edited into the sequences which is fun, though obvious.

Next week, I finish off Starman: The Complete Series, a very enjoyable extra included on the 4K release of John Carpenter’s Starman included as part of Sony’s Columbia Classics 4K Ultra HD Collection, Volume 4, available now.