Check out our review of Tin Man part 1 right here.

Did you know you can survive a 20 story drop onto solid ice into freezing water? Yeah me neither, but that’s how this second chapter of the Sci-Fi mini-series begins. Not only did the Tin Man survive his tremendous fall, but he’s up and feeling better in a few hours – it must be something in the O.Z. air.

When we last left Glitch he was laying on a floor for dead, but apparently he was just playing. D.G. was captured by the Sorceress (who also happens to be her sister). When we pick up right after we left off with the Sorceress hoping to get the location of “The Emerald of the Eclipse” from her – when that doesn’t work, she tries placing D.G. in a cell next to The Mystic Man – when that doesn’t work she sucks the soul (I’m guessing) from Richard Dryfus (which is how I think he got trapped into being in this in the first place). Shortly after that she makes a deal with a man who was once her Tutor (or Toto) who agrees to help her trick our heroes. Disguised as a small dog he helps D.G., Raw (who had also been taken by the Sorceress) and Tin Man and Glitch (who had just made their way to the prison in an attempt to release D.G.).

This second chapter is definitely better than the first, although the same over acting problems that plagued last night’s chapter continue to show their heads here. Primarily I’m talking about The Sorceress, but it may just be that she is written so poorly, in such a one dimensional way, that it’s impossible to play it any other way.

Another lingering problem with this mini-series is how every single aspect of it feels like its been taken from somewhere else. Wyatt Cain, the Tin Man, is your classic western lawman (or Mal from “Firefly” – take your pick). The “prophecy” is just like 1,000 other prophecies in 1,000 other sci-fi/fantasy stories, and they treat magic in this story just like “The Force”.

It’s also amazing how quickly you can get around in The O.Z. – in the previous installment they made it all the way to the icy north in a day – and in this chapter they make all the way to the south of the O.Z. in the same amount of time. So apparently, The O.Z. is about 30 miles from end to the other.

Like all good serials, this episode has to end in a cliffhanger or big reveal. This one ends with the revelation that The Sorceress isn’t all bad – in fact, D.G.’s “sister” isn’t bad at all – she’s merely possessed by a Wicked Witch…in fact, the whole mess is D.G.’s fault for being afraid when she was a little girl. She caused the whole thing.

I have to say – that was a pretty good twist. I saw the possessed thing coming a mile away, but it all being firmly and clearly D.G.’s fault, was a surprise.

I’m going to stick it out for one more installment, but I doubt this thing is going to win me over.

Grade: C+