Nefertiti, distraught over the death of her daughter, flees with her children on a ship to a tomb she has had created for herself. There she sees to the burial of her daughter in her own fashion as she doubts the religious road she and her husband have taken. Akhenaten is, of course, outraged at this and tracks them down. He takes possession of the body and performs a ceremony more suited to the message they are preaching. Nefertiti vows to reject entirely their previous work and refuses to acknowledge the god she and Akhenaten had praised before. She is taken into custody and imprisoned. Akhenaten has grown since the first episode and has grown into the power of his position and perhaps, even surpassed it.

If you look at the photo of bow-tied Russell Horton above, you might think he's more suitable to play a country bumpkin or the Trix Rabbit (and yes, he's played both). But in this, the last episode of the 5 part Nefertiti series he really shows us his acting chops. In my opinion, he gives one of the strongest emotional performances in any episode of RMT, playing Akhenatan as he goes insane. Bravo Mr. Horton - I get goose bumps on a couple of your lines :) And Tammy Grimes holds her own agaist him as Nefertiti. This is a great series that was produced during the Tutankaman art exhibit tour back in the late 70s, hence E.G. Marshall's comments on America's fascination with all things Egyptian.

I rate this episode ★★★★☆ for GOOD. The 5th and final chapter, written by G. Frederick Lewis, was adventurous and captivating. From drastic measures, to heated conflicts, to a stunning climax. However, the Resolution is unclear about the other characters in this story. We know what happens to Nefertiti after the demise of her Pharaoh Husband, but what happened to Marianni? Or Queen Tiye? Or General Horemheb? Or even the whereabouts of Nefertiti’s remaining daughters? It would’ve been awesome if G. Frederick Lewis wrote 1 more episode of this saga and the episode would be about the remaining years of Nefertiti’s life until her death and call that episode “Queen Of The Nile.” In our Host’s Prologue, E.G. Marshall starts off with a quote from a Persian Poet, in which it’s supposed to mean that we balance our decisions between surviving & living and that’s what Nefertiti does in the episode. In ACT-1, Nefertiti goes through hell to avoid her husband and set things right for her deceased daughter. In ACT-2, understand more of what Nefertiti’s going through from a losing a child. In ACT-3, Egypt falls apart. But after Nefertiti survives from the drama and lives on, the story is closed. In his Epilogue, E.G. Marshall concludes that the history of Ancient Egypt would’ve slumbered forever if it weren’t for the world tour of Egyptian artifacts. This story, plus our Host’s narrations, have awakened us all. The sound effects of water flowing by the shipping barge, howling wind, water splashes in the Nile, boat creaking, gongs, scarab necklace, footsteps, ritual tunes in the background, tools smeared on the walls, breaking statuettes, doors, the slap at the 36:42 mark, curtain drawn, and body falling down the stairs were helpful. And the music was epic. A variety of archaic tunes that pulls CBSRMT listeners in, as if they were standing in the land of Ancient Egypt. And best of all, our cast: Tammy Grimes (as Nefertiti), Russell Horton (as Akhenaton and Ta the Sailor), Evie Juster (as Marianni and Queen Tiye), and Earl Hammond (as General Horemheb and The Priest). SPECIAL NOTE: Himan Brown plays as the Night Watchman on the barge. I’d say that Earl Hammond did a wonderful performance again in his role as the General. Same with Evie Juster, particularly from going to a delicate tone to a confident tone in her 2 roles. Bravo to them. But a standing ovation to Russell Horton & Tammy Grimes! Our leading lady was amazing. She improved her performance and made Nefertiti courageous and a lovable person that no one will forget. And Russell Horton’s performance as the crazed Pharaoh was magnificent! In the 1st episode, his made his character sound fragile. Overtime, his performance improved and made his character sound ferocious. CBSRMT fans that enjoy stories about Ancient Egypt would definitely be entertained by this. Until next time…peasant dreams. =0)

thank goodness this is the last one, why would they do this