I just watched the episode G-Force Defector and was raised to outrage on Jason's behalf. Zark certainly left him twisting in the wind - and I'm rather astonished Jason didn't go after the tin can with a shuriken!! This was one time when the scriptwriters really completely lost the plot! Zark knew Jason had been involved in an accident that had injured a member of the public, and yet didn't advise Anderson. Now, you think that if a member of the team was involved in an accident that Anderson should have been the first to be contacted. But no - Zark preferred to say nothing and just let Jason get all the shit from both Anderson and Mark. No wonder Jason's a little surly about the whole thing - apart from his own injuries (and let's not beat about the bush here - he got injuries regardless of how little we are informed about them and how little Zark thought of them) he would reasonably have expected their "guardian" robot to tell the boss what was up - and then finds out that didn't happen. I would have snitched on the robot myself! Zark really does seem to have it in for Jason! OK - Condor protection rant over!

Too often the scriptwriters dropped the ball when they rewrote the episodes. Realistically, Zark should have reported the accident, and we all know that there wasn't anything in the original to allow that. Heck, they even made defecting to the enemy seem like a mere lapse in judgement. Not to mention that Spectra should be very interested in Don's cerebonic implants and what he could reveal about G-Force and the other members' identities. And nothing in the episode to tell us if Don gave out that information.

I had always assumed, probably incorrectly that Jason had ASKED Zark not to report on him. As for Don and the implants, it has been a while since I have watched this BOTP version, but is it possible that Spectra did not KNOW that Don was implanted? That is what I used in my AU to explain the situation.

Cathrl really got into the character of Don Wade and she goes into some detail in her AU about what Spectra did to Don (and IIRC they knew about his implant) and what happened to him after his 'recapture' by G-Force. As for Zark... there are many instances where he does seem to 'have it in' for Jason. He often insults Jason and calls him hot-headed, and implies that he's not fit to be leader of the Team. I think the writers were trying to show that being surly and a loner wasn't a good thing, but they went about it entirely the wrong way. As for Zark not reporting the accident. I wrote a fic that exploited that issue and explained why....

I think I read that fic. 'The Complainer is Always Wrong' is the trope invoked for the character of Jason. We're supposed to be good little followers, trusting the people in charge and never asking questions. (And then we see in the news just why this is not always a good idea....) I did watch that episode, and I don't recall any hint that Jason asked Zark not to report the accident. Since that's the only episode (as far as I know) with Don Wade, there's a lot left unsaid. Why he left G-Force, and how he came to hate the team, is never explained. Nor how he managed to disappear completely (given the way Zark watches everyone). And if he told the Spectrans everything he knew about G-Force (real names, addresses, and so forth).

Originally posted by UnpublishedWriter Realistically, Zark should have reported the accident, and we all know that there wasn't anything in the original to allow that.

I agree. In the Gatch version, the plot drama largely hinges on the fact that Joe isn't physically well but he's determined to hide it from his teammates, and then he's selected to go retrieve Mekkal... Will he succeed? Dunh, dunh, dunh... It's been a while since I watched the BOTP version, but it seems like the BOTP writers tried to use that same plot structure, but were so much in the habit of having Zark observing and commenting on the action as it occurred, that they let Zark "see" what had happened to Jason (whereas no one at all knew about Joe's accident), but then, to keep the main plot intact, no one else could have knowledge of it. Yeah, a bit of ball-dropping. That said, it's my impression, like TJ said, that Jason was often used as the example for kids of "what not to do" -as explained by Zark- and Mark was, in turn, praised to the skies.

Originally posted by lborgia88

Originally posted by UnpublishedWriter Realistically, Zark should have reported the accident, and we all know that there wasn't anything in the original to allow that.

I agree. In the Gatch version, the plot drama largely hinges on the fact that Joe isn't physically well but he's determined to hide it from his teammates, and then he's selected to go retrieve Mekkal... Will he succeed? Dunh, dunh, dunh... It's been a while since I watched the BOTP version, but it seems like the BOTP writers tried to use that same plot structure, but were so much in the habit of having Zark observing and commenting on the action as it occurred, that they let Zark "see" what had happened to Jason (whereas no one at all knew about Joe's accident), but then, to keep the main plot intact, no one else could have knowledge of it. Yeah, a bit of ball-dropping. That said, it's my impression, like TJ said, that Jason was often used as the example for kids of "what not to do" -as explained by Zark- and Mark was, in turn, praised to the skies.

Mark was supposed to be the one the kids were to admire and want to emulate. But Jason was the one they wanted to be. No wonder there are so many fans of the Condor out there.

Of course as a kid I idolized Princess and wanted to be her, but in my mind she always ended up with Mark. I remember feeling sorry for Jason, as if he got handed a raw deal. Certainly I never bought what Zark was saying about his being 'wrong' so often.

Originally posted by Transmute Jun I remember feeling sorry for Jason, as if he got handed a raw deal. Certainly I never bought what Zark was saying about his being 'wrong' so often.

He was never wrong - just missunderstood!

I've got to go rewatch the episode.