Coby Bell

Two alien races have crash-landed on Earth and set out in search of the obelisk that monitors all life on the planet, and now the future fate of mankind lies in the efforts of one benevolent extraterrestrial to deactivate the device before his nemesis reaches it first. Sixty years ago, the Omega race left several ether-rods on the plane before blasting back into outer space. Now it's up to an Omegan named Jude to find those rods and deactivate the obelisk. Should he fail in his mission, malevolent Omega-cinterion Cronin will no doubt activate the device - effectively erasing all traces of mankind. As the race between the two aliens heats up and the threat of ultimate apocalypse grows, mankind remains blissfully unaware just how close to the brink they truly are. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Race, class and honesty become issues for a handful of disparate characters in this independent drama. Nate (Josh Stamberg) and Jen (Jennifer Mudge) are a pair of recently married thirty-somethings living in San Francisco; Nate is a journalist, while Jen’s inherited wealth frees her from having to work a steady job. Jen wants to do something positive with her money, and her longtime friend Renny (Coby Bell) asks her to invest in a housing project he wants to develop – a secure gated community for middle-class African-Americans. Meanwhile, Nate has been visiting Elizabeth (Lenore Thomas), a fellow reporter who was assigned to Nairobi at the same time as Nate; he became deeply infatuated with her while they worked together, and now she’s seriously ill and has only a short time to live. Elizabeth tells Nate that Victor (Donnie Keshawarz), a mutual friend, once sexually assaulted her, and Nate toys with the idea of getting revenge by writing a news story about him. Unknown to Nate, Victor, who is now homeless, has appeared at his door, and Jen, against her better judgment, has told Victor he can stay with them for a few days. Nate’s anger towards Victor and resentment of Renny comes to a head that evening, though he learns not everything he’s been told so far is actually true. Drifting Elegant was the first feature film for director Amy Glazer; the film was adapted from the play by Stephen Belber, which Glazer directed for San Francisco’s Magic Theater Company. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Paul McCrane makes his first appearance as the redoubtable Dr. Robert Romano, who in this episode has just returned from a European vacation, his head full of new information about robotics. Elsewhere, Carol (Julianna Margulies) wants to start up a free clinic in the ER. Del Amico (Maria Bello) is in for a surprise when she examines a male patient. After the deposition with the Law family, Greene (Anthony Edwards) demands to know if Chris Law (Joe Torry) had anything to do with beating him up. Jeanie (Gloria Reuben) and Al (Michael Beach) "mix it up" in a bar. And John Carter (Noah Wyle) wonders if he should have stayed in surgery after another doctor steals credit for one of Carter's ER procedures. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide