| Cleopatra 2525 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Science fiction |
| Created by | R.J. Stewart Robert G. Tapert |
| Starring |
|
| Opening theme | "In the Year 2525", performed by Gina Torres |
| Composer | Joseph LoDuca |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 28(list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Sam Raimi R.J. Stewart Robert G. Tapert |
| Production locations | Auckland, New Zealand |
| Camera setup | Single-camera |
| Running time | 22–24 minutes (2000) 45–48 minutes (2001) |
| Production company | Renaissance Pictures |
| Original release | |
| Network | Syndication |
| Release | January 17, 2000 (2000-01-17) – March 5, 2001 (2001-03-05) |
Cleopatra 2525 is an American science fiction television series that aired in syndication for two seasons, from January 2000 to March 2001. Produced by Renaissance Pictures and distributed by Studios USA, many stations aired it as part of the Back2Back Action Hour, along with Jack of All Trades.
Five hundred years into the future, she will enter a world where machines rule the earth. Mankind has been driven underground. And Cleopatra is about to discover - there's no place like home!
— opening narration
When complications arise during her breast augmentation surgery, 20th-century exotic dancer Cleo (Jennifer Sky) is put into suspended animation. Waking 525 years in the future, Cleo joins two women in their fight against the Baileys, armed flying machines that now control Earth's surface. Her team leader, Hel (Gina Torres), is commanded by a mysterious female entity called "Voice", who relays orders via a communications implant under Hel's right ear. Voice controls many other teams and gives them their orders in a similar fashion, in effect, forming a resistance to the Baileys, with their ultimate goal to retake the Earth's surface. Their final team member is Sarge (Victoria Pratt), whose sister belongs to a cult that regards the Baileys with reverence and willingly sacrifices themselves to them.
Humanity has moved underground and built a complex of elaborate shafts and tunnels, created by the "shaft builders" to survive the Bailey menace. Cleo wows the 26th-century denizens with her philosophical sayings, many of which come from 20th-century popular culture.
The series' theme song is based on Zager and Evans' 1969 hit "In the Year 2525 (Exordium and Terminus)", albeit with altered lyrics.
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Quest for Firepower" | Greg Yaitanes | Story by : Rob Tapert & R.J. Stewart Teleplay by : R.J. Stewart | January 17, 2000 (2000-01-17) | |
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Hel, Sarge, and Horst venture to the surface to test new shields against the Baileys. Upon their successful return, it is revealed that Horst is, in fact, a Betrayer. Although they escape, Sarge (Victoria Pratt) is injured, and thus they seek medical attention – and it is there that they meet Cleopatra, an exotic dancer from the 21st century who was cryogenically frozen after a cosmetic surgery operation went wrong. When the Betrayer catches up to them, Hel and Sarge flee the scene, bringing Cleo with them. Eventually, they face the Betrayer one last time, but with Cleo's help, and through the use of technology stolen from the Bailey at the beginning of the episode, it is defeated.
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| 2 | "Creegan" | Greg Yaitanes | Carl Ellsworth | January 24, 2000 (2000-01-24) | |
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Mauser is kidnapped (in pieces) by the villain Creegan, who was responsible for the death of Hel's family. It is up to the team to get Mauser back in one piece before Creegan learns all of their secrets.
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| 3 | "Flying Lessons" | Rick Jacobson | Hilary J. Bader | January 31, 2000 (2000-01-31) | |
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While teaching Cleo to fly in the shafts, Hel and Sarge reluctantly get dragooned into rescuing a kidnapped girl. The three go to a slave-trader bar and join a high-stakes game to win her back for her father, but to join the game, they have to ante up their own freedom!
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| 4 | "Mind Games" | Andrew Merrifield | Adam Armus & Nora Kay Foster | February 7, 2000 (2000-02-07) | |
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A telepathic criminal and former Voice team member named Raina escapes prison to wreak havoc by turning the team against each other.
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| 5 | "'Home'" (Part 1) | Rick Jacobson | R.J. Stewart | February 14, 2000 (2000-02-14) | |
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To discover the whereabouts of a Betrayer factory, the trio stakes out a village of humans who give themselves to the Baileys willingly. Unfortunately, the next human in line to be taken is Lily, Sarge's sister.
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| 6 | "'Rescue'" (Part 2) | Rick Jacobson | Chris Black | February 21, 2000 (2000-02-21) | |
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Cleo and Lily are taken to a Betrayer factory. It is up to Hel and Sarge to rescue them.
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| 7 | "Run Cleo Run" | T.J. Scott | T.J. Scott & Kevin Lund | February 28, 2000 (2000-02-28) | |
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It is up to Cleo to save Sarge from a certain death via an explosive collar locked around her neck.
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| 8 | "Choices" | Rick Jacobson | Carl Ellsworth | March 6, 2000 (2000-03-06) | |
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The trio is sent on a rescue mission to aid another of Voice's teams trapped in a Christmas-themed Underground level. Hel, Sarge, and Cleo must discover which of the innocent-seeming villagers is the Betrayer before it is too late.
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| 9 | "Perceptions" | Wayne Rose | Carl Ellsworth | April 10, 2000 (2000-04-10) | |
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Hel sees her father's ghost, but following him leads to a trap set by Creegan.
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| 10 | "Trial and Error" | Andrew Merrifield | Tom O'Neill & George Strayton | April 17, 2000 (2000-04-17) | |
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When it is discovered that Raina can control Betrayers, it is decided to try Raina on the Baileys. While Hel and Sarge take Raina to the surface, Cleo remains behind, in case Raina attempts to betray them.
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| 11 | "Double" | Wayne Rose | Chris Black | April 24, 2000 (2000-04-24) | |
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A second Cleo arrives and claims to have escaped from the Baileys. One of the two Cleos must be a Betrayer – but which one?
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| 12 | "The Last Stand" | T.J. Scott | Jessica Scott & Mike Wollaeger | May 1, 2000 (2000-05-01) | |
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One of Sarge's heroes, Jake Lawson, calls for help, and Sarge, Hel, and Cleo are dispatched to assist. He is discovered protecting a batch of plutonium from the mutants.
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| 13 | "Hel and High Water (Part 1)" | Andrew Merrifield | Chris Black | May 8, 2000 (2000-05-08) | |
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Following a distress signal, the team journey underwater and find a hidden society.
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| 14 | "Hel and High Water (Part 2)" | Andrew Merrifield | Carl Ellsworth | May 15, 2000 (2000-05-15) | |
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Sarge's life is threatened, and the team discover a captured Bailey. Cleo performs CPR on Sarge, compressing her chest and gives mouth-to mouth-resuscitation.
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| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | "The Watch" | Rick Jacobson | Story by : Zoe I. Finkel & Rich Fox Teleplay by : Carl Ellsworth & Chris Black | October 2, 2000 (2000-10-02) | |
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Sarge is forced to choose between the life of her little sister Lily and that of a reformed petty criminal who is now a leader of the Underground.
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| 16 | "Baby Boom" | John Laing | Melissa Blake | October 9, 2000 (2000-10-09) | |
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Hel, Sarge, and Cleopatra race against time to save an infant who has been programmed by the Baileys to detonate in the Underworld.
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| 17 | "Brain Drain" | T.J. Scott | T.J. Scott & Kevin Lund | October 16, 2000 (2000-10-16) | |
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The team must deal with a parasitic bio-mech device sent by the Baileys, which steals information from the host's mind and then kills its host.
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| 18 | "Mauser's Day Out" | Rick Jacobson | Chris Black | October 30, 2000 (2000-10-30) | |
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Mauser goes ballistic and reverts to his old Betrayer form when Sarge attempts to reprogram him to meet her needs.
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| 19 | "Reality Check" | John Laing | Carl Ellsworth | November 6, 2000 (2000-11-06) | |
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Cleo is back in the year 2001 with her boyfriend Johnny, who tells her that her futuristic life with Hel and Sarge was all a dream.
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| 20 | "The Pod Whisperer" | T.J. Scott | Chris Black | November 13, 2000 (2000-11-13) | |
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The team tries to negotiate peace with the Baileys, with predictable results. They escape from danger, however, using an unexpected new twist - a hovercraft powered by the Bailey pod that Cleo bonded with in the underwater city.
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| 21 | "Out of Body" | Chris Graves | Joel Metzger | November 20, 2000 (2000-11-20) | |
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Raina returns without her telepathic powers, but she wants them back. Cleo, however, has bigger problems - she is a ghost and she wants her body back!
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| 22 | "Juggernaut Down" | Mark Beesley | Keith Damron | November 27, 2000 (2000-11-27) | |
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The team tests a device to capture Baileys. When it fails, the Bailey follows the Team into the Underground!
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| 23 | "Truth be Told" | Chris Graves | Part One: Carl Ellsworth Part Two: Melissa Blake | January 29, 2001 (2001-01-29) | |
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Hel goes AWOL in order to find her father, but can she trust Creegan to help her?
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| 24 | "In Your Boots" | Mark Beesley | Jeff Vlaming & Chris Black | February 5, 2001 (2001-02-05) | |
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Creegan is on trial for his crimes, but he pulls a fast one on Hel by switching bodies with her.
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| 25 | "The Soldier Who Fell From Grace" | T.J. Scott | Chris Black | February 12, 2001 (2001-02-12) | |
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The team does not know how to react when Voice sends a new team leader to take over, especially when Hel leaves.
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| 26 | "No Thanks for the Memories" | Chris Graves | Carl Ellsworth | February 19, 2001 (2001-02-19) | |
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Sarge is accused of murdering several of Marla's guards on her way to killing an important informer from the Black Watch, but she just does not remember what happened.
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| 27 | "Noir or Never" | Garth Maxwell | Jeff Vlaming | February 26, 2001 (2001-02-26) | |
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An agent from the sinister Bureau of Health is assigned to track down a "thaw" named Cleopatra.
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| 28 | "The Voice" | Chris Graves | Carl Ellsworth | March 5, 2001 (2001-03-05) | |
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Hel's Team is sent by Voice to take out another Team gone rogue - unfortunately, the other Team has the same instructions about them! They discover that they have been tricked by Creegan, and recapture him. Creegan is slated to die for his crimes, so a Confessor asks him to confess his sins, which he does with astonishing results. Voice orders an all-out attack on the Baileys in a final effort to retake the surface. As this was the last episode, the series ended on a permanent cliffhanger.
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Don Houston of DVD Talk describes the show as fun, with interesting elements and themes, and a kind of sly sense of camp so often missing in syndicated television shows. He said the DVD release gave good value for money, and that the show was, despite its limitations, "a worthwhile bit of entertainment".[1][2]
The series was released on Region 1 DVDbyUniversal Pictures Home Entertainment in the United States on July 19, 2005.[3]
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