(1.12) E.T. - New Girl in Town

1.12 E.T. - New Girl in Town by Vincent Gil

Summary: Tom and Gibbo are out in the plane when they're struck with bad weather and have to make an emergency landing. They land in a place where there's no homestead, according to the maps, but there is a shack occupied by a hostile man, Brian, and a sick, old woman on her deathbed. The old woman asks Tom to take her granddaughter Amanda back with them. The man says the woman has been making things up for weeks. Tom and Gibbo end up having to spend the night because of bad weather. As it turns out, Amanda is a young teenager. They get her back to the Crossing (being chased by the man wielding an axe all the way to the plane), but it's difficult for her to fit in, having lived so remote and sheltered all her life. Then Brian shows up in town, with a shotgun, and ends up killing himself when Amanda doesn't want to go back with him.

Recurring characters: Tom, Gibbo, Joe, Ron, Emma, Sharon, Nancy, Kate, Vic, Jack, Chris, Old Codgers.

In the previous episode (1.11), they were using a different plane to the Nomad, although it looks to be the same make and model. The Nomad appeared to have work done to it.

Anyway, Brian is clearly cray-cray - they're saying he was supposed to have burned in a mission station fire years earlier, but instead, he's been hiding out in the middle of nowhere eating raw vegetables.

Tom seems to be weathering any kid of storm. Amanda freaks out at the Majestic? Tom takes her to stay with him and Gibbo. Madman wants to shoot people, Tom comes out to confront him (scaring the crap out of Chris).

It's difficult to imagine someone growing up in such a remote location without any kind of ameneties whatsoever. They hardly even seemed to have glass in the windows. Even stairs are a starling new experience for Amanda, but she's quick to learn and starts to enjoy things like music and school. In the end, she's going to social services. I think her story would be really interesting, but this is all we get of it.

For a lighter topic, Emma and Ron get drunk together and play poker. Emma wins. Repeatedly. Could it be that for all his wanting to get out of Coopers Crossing, Ron actually wants to stay after all? He gets his old job back, at any rate.

This episode is a really strange story, but it's engaging none the less, even though it doesn't have more than minor medical events happening.