We finally start getting some answers about the nature of the dome, Angie and Big Jim seem to come to an understanding, the town panics over supplies, and Julia and Doody investigate a mysterious event....
The seizures that Joe and Norrie are having are sort of explained. Turns out that the two of them are somehow helping to power the dome. Why them? That is not answered yet, but when Julia and Doody were looking for a power source that was causing jamming and seemed to be linked to the dome, it led them to Joe and Norrie. It seems that last week, when they kissed, it somehow got the dome to strengthen itself to protect the town from the missile. And this week when they were running out of water, the dome became a self-contained biosphere complete with a precipitation cycle. Which leads me to wonder if somehow Norrie's not wanting to go to camp caused the dome to go up in the first place. If that is true, I don't know how Joe got dragged into it because the two of them hadn't met yet.
I am glad that Julia persuaded Doody (I so hope I am spelling her name properly!) to keep the connection between Joe, Norrie, and the dome a secret. Given the events of this week, the townspeople can't be trusted with the information. Chester's Mill is a powder keg and if word got out that these two were connected to the dome, they would be attacked very quickly out of fear or in the hope that doing so would cause the dome to come down. While I can sympathize with Doody wanting to tell the townspeople, doing so would be a horrible idea. I would trust only Barbie with the information since he seems to have the best grip on what is going on.
Unless, of course, you attack him because then his instincts and training take over and he becomes deadly. Barbie is a good man in a storm. He doesn't have the faith that Linda has in the townspeople, but he is also less willing to voluntarily do damage if he can avoid it. I think that if he were told about Joe and Norrie, he would do what he could to protect them, particularly since he is already fairly fond of Joe.
While I cannot wholly approve of what Norrie was doing, it was completely understandable. Her mom was dying because she needed insulin, so Norrie went out to help her mom. Breaking into people's homes was not the best idea, but it was not a horrible one either. I was particularly proud of the fact that she put most of the insulin back for the young boy while taking a vial to help her mom out. And she was freaked out by Julia's speculation about her and Joe's link to the dome.
It was nice to see Big Jim and Angie (seemingly) come to an agreement. Big Jim decided that he would keep Junior away from Angie and would ensure that Angie and Joe got what they need. While he didn't say so (or if he did I missed it!), I suspect that he would want Angie to keep quiet about Junior in return. I think this would be a good deal. My only hesitation is that Junior is not completely together and if people don't know how dangerous he could be, than it could be bad. But overall, I do think it is a good thing.
The townspeople lost themselves to fear and panic. Again, can't say I blame them, but I wish they hadn't. Between the missile attack, the water tower losing the water, and the lake being undrinkable, things were bound to get bad. Looting, however, is never the answer. The entire town went all Lord of the Flies and turned it into a free-for-all. The town does need to adapt to the new reality, but they need to do so in a somewhat orderly fashion. Is Big Jim the best leader? No, but he is not all bad. Corrupt? Yes, but he does seem to want what is best for the town, which is more than I can say for some, including that farmer. I understand that he needs the propane, but it is completely wrong to hold the entire town hostage the way he is.
Next week, more answers and revelations....
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
My Review of Teen Wolf 3.09- The Girl Who Knew Too Much
The identity of the Dark Druid (can never remember the word!) is revealed, Stiles has a long overdue conversation with his dad, we find out what Lydia is, we find out why Deucalion is after Scott so badly, and Alison fears the worst about her dad....
Ms. Blake is the Dark Druid. I shouldn't be surprised, but I was. Like last season with Matt, the new recurring character seems to be the bad guy of the season. She is sacrificing 5 sets of three people: Virgins, Guardians, Philosophers, Healers, and Leaders. Turns out that she was attacked about 5 years ago and rescued by Sheriff Stilinski at the time. Now she seems to be trying to protect herself from the Alpha pack because they were the ones who attacked her. She also kidnapped Lydia once she figured out that Lydia was able to get an idea about what was going on. After Scott attacked her, she escaped and kidnapped Sheriff Stilinski.
So Lydia is a banshee, or as Ms. Blake called her, the Wailing Woman. I am not sure how this relates to her knowing about the dead bodies, but somehow it does. Given the fact that she apparently became the Wailing Woman after Peter bit her, I have to wonder if the Wailing Woman is like the Kanima, in other words, reflective of the person inside. If so, will Lydia become a werewolf? Or did her body reject the bite and she became the Wailing Woman as a result? And when she wails, she wails! She was able to force every werewolf at the concert to cover their ears and even Derek heard her while he was at the hospital with Cora. I am so looking forward to an explanation about this soon.
Sheriff Stilinski knows the truth. He doesn't believe it, but he knows it all the same. I feel sorry for poor Stiles. He has been wanting to tell his dad for some time, if only for his dad's protection, but when he finally does tell his dad, his dad does not believe him. Fortunately, the Sheriff is smart enough to realize that weird things are going on and so he continues to investigate. He did a decent job protecting Lydia and he saw Scott fully wolfed out. I just hope he lives long enough to come to terms with what Stiles revealed to him.
Speaking of Scott, he had a nice talk with Deaton's sister. She told him that Deucalion is desperate to have a True Alpha in his pack, presumably because he thinks that a True Alpha will make the pack even stronger. If he can't get Scott to join his pack, he'll turn Scott into a killer, thus destroying the possibility of Scott fulfilling his potential as a True Alpha. Scott is determined to not allow either to happen, but (as was noted) he is playing Deucalion's game and Deucalion has thought out several moves ahead. Scott needs to do to Deucalion what he did to Gerard last year, come up with an unexpected move that will change the nature of the game. And Scott can do it if he puts his mind to it.
I so wanted to smack Cora around. First, attacking Aiden was an incredibly stupid idea. A Beta does not stand a chance against an Alpha, particularly an Alpha who is a member of the Alpha pack. Second, like her brother, she does with the first idea in her head without bothering to plan things out. She was just after revenge, which never ends well. While Scott's methods may not be perfect, they are the best shot there is. Derek's plans always go awry whereas Scott's only do so sometimes. Also, Scott and his pack are closer to figuring out what is going on, which is vital to winning. Once they understand the nature of the game, they can figure out how to change the rules to allow them a better chance.
Alison thought her dad was the Dark Druid. Not entirely unreasonable, but not the smartest idea either. She took the evidence and leapt to the wrong conclusion. I have no doubt that the fact that her dad was hiding Gerard played no small role in her thought process. Fortunately, her dad is not the Dark Druid so she doesn't have to do anything to him. I do have to say that I love her and Isaac together. Isaac is warily respectful of her and her abilities, not to mention Scott's feelings for her, which makes him a good bodyguard (not that she really needs it!). Poor guy seems to end up with her knife or arrow at his throat a lot though!
We also got some background on Aiden and Ethan. Turns out that they were Omegas in their own pack. Or as Stiles put it, they were the bitches of the pack. Deucalion found them, taught them how to use their ability to come together, and got them to kill their entire pack. I assume that they killed their Alpha in their merged form which made them both Alphas. Either that or the link between them that alerted Ethan to the fact that Aiden was hurt caused them both to become Alphas. Oh, and there is a definite hierarchy in the Alpha pack with Kali and Deucalion above the Twins.
Until next week!
Ms. Blake is the Dark Druid. I shouldn't be surprised, but I was. Like last season with Matt, the new recurring character seems to be the bad guy of the season. She is sacrificing 5 sets of three people: Virgins, Guardians, Philosophers, Healers, and Leaders. Turns out that she was attacked about 5 years ago and rescued by Sheriff Stilinski at the time. Now she seems to be trying to protect herself from the Alpha pack because they were the ones who attacked her. She also kidnapped Lydia once she figured out that Lydia was able to get an idea about what was going on. After Scott attacked her, she escaped and kidnapped Sheriff Stilinski.
So Lydia is a banshee, or as Ms. Blake called her, the Wailing Woman. I am not sure how this relates to her knowing about the dead bodies, but somehow it does. Given the fact that she apparently became the Wailing Woman after Peter bit her, I have to wonder if the Wailing Woman is like the Kanima, in other words, reflective of the person inside. If so, will Lydia become a werewolf? Or did her body reject the bite and she became the Wailing Woman as a result? And when she wails, she wails! She was able to force every werewolf at the concert to cover their ears and even Derek heard her while he was at the hospital with Cora. I am so looking forward to an explanation about this soon.
Sheriff Stilinski knows the truth. He doesn't believe it, but he knows it all the same. I feel sorry for poor Stiles. He has been wanting to tell his dad for some time, if only for his dad's protection, but when he finally does tell his dad, his dad does not believe him. Fortunately, the Sheriff is smart enough to realize that weird things are going on and so he continues to investigate. He did a decent job protecting Lydia and he saw Scott fully wolfed out. I just hope he lives long enough to come to terms with what Stiles revealed to him.
Speaking of Scott, he had a nice talk with Deaton's sister. She told him that Deucalion is desperate to have a True Alpha in his pack, presumably because he thinks that a True Alpha will make the pack even stronger. If he can't get Scott to join his pack, he'll turn Scott into a killer, thus destroying the possibility of Scott fulfilling his potential as a True Alpha. Scott is determined to not allow either to happen, but (as was noted) he is playing Deucalion's game and Deucalion has thought out several moves ahead. Scott needs to do to Deucalion what he did to Gerard last year, come up with an unexpected move that will change the nature of the game. And Scott can do it if he puts his mind to it.
I so wanted to smack Cora around. First, attacking Aiden was an incredibly stupid idea. A Beta does not stand a chance against an Alpha, particularly an Alpha who is a member of the Alpha pack. Second, like her brother, she does with the first idea in her head without bothering to plan things out. She was just after revenge, which never ends well. While Scott's methods may not be perfect, they are the best shot there is. Derek's plans always go awry whereas Scott's only do so sometimes. Also, Scott and his pack are closer to figuring out what is going on, which is vital to winning. Once they understand the nature of the game, they can figure out how to change the rules to allow them a better chance.
Alison thought her dad was the Dark Druid. Not entirely unreasonable, but not the smartest idea either. She took the evidence and leapt to the wrong conclusion. I have no doubt that the fact that her dad was hiding Gerard played no small role in her thought process. Fortunately, her dad is not the Dark Druid so she doesn't have to do anything to him. I do have to say that I love her and Isaac together. Isaac is warily respectful of her and her abilities, not to mention Scott's feelings for her, which makes him a good bodyguard (not that she really needs it!). Poor guy seems to end up with her knife or arrow at his throat a lot though!
We also got some background on Aiden and Ethan. Turns out that they were Omegas in their own pack. Or as Stiles put it, they were the bitches of the pack. Deucalion found them, taught them how to use their ability to come together, and got them to kill their entire pack. I assume that they killed their Alpha in their merged form which made them both Alphas. Either that or the link between them that alerted Ethan to the fact that Aiden was hurt caused them both to become Alphas. Oh, and there is a definite hierarchy in the Alpha pack with Kali and Deucalion above the Twins.
Until next week!
Monday, July 29, 2013
My Review of Falling Skies 3.09- Journey to Xibalba
The mole's identity is revealed to everyone, Tom returns, Lourdes does some serious damage, and plans go seriously awry....
As I said last week, I do not think that Anne and Alexis are really dead. Given the recent history of TV shows convincing the characters that someone is dead only to have them revealed to be alive, I won't believe they are dead until their cold, dead bodies are examined by a human doctor. This is not a case of denial, but rather an acknowledgment of the fact that we never saw them unequivocally dead. Instead we saw two vaguely human shaped figures in a casing of some sort and Karen claimed that she had Anne and Alexis killed. Given Karen's history of mind games, I think she just wanted to destabilize Tom. By throwing him into emotional chaos, she would undermine him personally as well as his authority among the humans. This leads to another question, namely can we trust the intelligence that Tom brought back? One part of me suspects that Karen let him escape in order to pass on bad information. Another part wants to believe that what Tom said is entirely true, but it seems so good that it is hard to believe.
Lourdes did a nice job sabotaging everything this week. She managed to bury the Volm weapon and then set off another bomb to collapse large sections of the underground area where the humans have been living. In fact, I suspect that she would have gotten away if everything had she not messed up. I am a little surprised that Tom didn't realize Lourdes was the mole sooner. As soon as Lourdes said that it was sad that Anne died where things started, Tom flinched and I was sure he had put the pieces together at that point. However, it took Anthony saying the same phrase before it really sunk in and he realized that Lourdes was the mole.
Hal is right, people are going to seriously distrust Lourdes. By extension, I suspect that there are going to be more issues between the 2nd Mass and the rest of Charleston. So far, Karen has been targeting members of the 2nd Mass to use as her spies: Tom, Hal, and now Lourdes. The 2nd Mass has proved remarkably resilient and able to strike hard blows against the Espheni. Also, it was members of the 2nd Mass who brought the Volm into the war on the humans side and thereby turned the tide of the war somewhat. Finally, Karen knows the members of the 2nd Mass, so she knows how to hurt them the most. If the preview is any indication, things with the Volm will take a turn for the worst and I suspect that the 2nd Mass will be turned on by the other humans.
It was definitely nice to see Hal and Maggie bond again. While I understand why Maggie was so upset with Hal, I do think he had a good idea to get away. People needed a chance to cool down after what happened with him. Should he have taken Maggie with him? Probably, yes. However, it was a family outing and they decided not to take anyone else, so I do not think it was intended as an intentional slight. I will grant that Maggie is not just anyone, but it is not like she and Hal are married. I suspect that Hal also needed to be away from Maggie in order to sort through everything himself.
Matt continues to show just how damaged he is by the war. This boy is going to have serious mother and abandonment issues. Actually, I think he sort of does already if his conversation with Ben is any indication. He was being extremely fatalistic in asserting that Ben alone would survive what was coming. Can't exactly say I blame him, but he does need stability in a serious way.
Speaking of Ben, I liked the new use they found for his abilities. His senses have been strengthened so much that he can hear people through 40 feet of rubble. That was truly impressive. He couldn't determine anything else, but that alone was impressive. I do wonder why they didn't have him hauling rubble as well. Granted, they did need his hearing ability, but his strength and stamina would have been very helpful when it came to saving people.
Next week, the season finale. The great thing is that there is a fourth season and it will be 12 (rather than 10) episodes.
As I said last week, I do not think that Anne and Alexis are really dead. Given the recent history of TV shows convincing the characters that someone is dead only to have them revealed to be alive, I won't believe they are dead until their cold, dead bodies are examined by a human doctor. This is not a case of denial, but rather an acknowledgment of the fact that we never saw them unequivocally dead. Instead we saw two vaguely human shaped figures in a casing of some sort and Karen claimed that she had Anne and Alexis killed. Given Karen's history of mind games, I think she just wanted to destabilize Tom. By throwing him into emotional chaos, she would undermine him personally as well as his authority among the humans. This leads to another question, namely can we trust the intelligence that Tom brought back? One part of me suspects that Karen let him escape in order to pass on bad information. Another part wants to believe that what Tom said is entirely true, but it seems so good that it is hard to believe.
Lourdes did a nice job sabotaging everything this week. She managed to bury the Volm weapon and then set off another bomb to collapse large sections of the underground area where the humans have been living. In fact, I suspect that she would have gotten away if everything had she not messed up. I am a little surprised that Tom didn't realize Lourdes was the mole sooner. As soon as Lourdes said that it was sad that Anne died where things started, Tom flinched and I was sure he had put the pieces together at that point. However, it took Anthony saying the same phrase before it really sunk in and he realized that Lourdes was the mole.
Hal is right, people are going to seriously distrust Lourdes. By extension, I suspect that there are going to be more issues between the 2nd Mass and the rest of Charleston. So far, Karen has been targeting members of the 2nd Mass to use as her spies: Tom, Hal, and now Lourdes. The 2nd Mass has proved remarkably resilient and able to strike hard blows against the Espheni. Also, it was members of the 2nd Mass who brought the Volm into the war on the humans side and thereby turned the tide of the war somewhat. Finally, Karen knows the members of the 2nd Mass, so she knows how to hurt them the most. If the preview is any indication, things with the Volm will take a turn for the worst and I suspect that the 2nd Mass will be turned on by the other humans.
It was definitely nice to see Hal and Maggie bond again. While I understand why Maggie was so upset with Hal, I do think he had a good idea to get away. People needed a chance to cool down after what happened with him. Should he have taken Maggie with him? Probably, yes. However, it was a family outing and they decided not to take anyone else, so I do not think it was intended as an intentional slight. I will grant that Maggie is not just anyone, but it is not like she and Hal are married. I suspect that Hal also needed to be away from Maggie in order to sort through everything himself.
Matt continues to show just how damaged he is by the war. This boy is going to have serious mother and abandonment issues. Actually, I think he sort of does already if his conversation with Ben is any indication. He was being extremely fatalistic in asserting that Ben alone would survive what was coming. Can't exactly say I blame him, but he does need stability in a serious way.
Speaking of Ben, I liked the new use they found for his abilities. His senses have been strengthened so much that he can hear people through 40 feet of rubble. That was truly impressive. He couldn't determine anything else, but that alone was impressive. I do wonder why they didn't have him hauling rubble as well. Granted, they did need his hearing ability, but his strength and stamina would have been very helpful when it came to saving people.
Next week, the season finale. The great thing is that there is a fourth season and it will be 12 (rather than 10) episodes.
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
My Review of Under the Dome Episode 5- Blue on Blue
The government takes extreme action in the face of a new discovery about the dome, Reverend Crazy goes even further off the rails, the townspeople get visitors, and Joe and Norrie are a cute couple....
Let's start with the last comment. Joe and Norrie aren't an official couple (I don't think they are anyway!) but they are definitely taking strides in that direction. They are relying on each other for advice and shoulders to lean on, and they actually kissed. Not the most passionate kiss ever, but still. Loved the line from Joe about having an underage girl and a lesbian couple as roommates and how his parents might react. That was giggle worthy. I do want to know why there were no seizures this week when they kissed and touched on several occasions.
Continuing on the Norrie track, we got the obligatory drama filled revelation for her. Turns out that her mom (Alice) knew her biological father (exact relationship unclear) and he was not (as she had been told) an anonymous sperm donor. I have to say that this felt like a totally unnecessary storyline meant solely to increase the drama level. It may prove to be important, but I am not quite seeing how yet.
The main story tonight was the fact that the government decided to drop a MOAB bomb [it is a bomb, not a missile!(see here)] on the dome. Turns out that the dome is screwing with the magnetic fields and so the government decided to shred the shield. Although they didn't say it, I think it is safe to assume that this would mess with aircraft navigation, compasses (which rely on magnetic fields to work), boat navigation, and possibly GPS (depending on the extent of the effects). The step was extreme, but I do think it was understandable. I do wonder how far reaching the effects are. I also suspect that China's thinking that the dome was a weapon of some sort was a definite factor in the decision to drop the bomb, by pressure if nothing else.
Allowing family and friends to visit the dome was a smart move akin to the last meal/visit for a condemned visitor, which is what the resident's of Chester's Mill are (more or less). It also gave Barbie the chance to figure out what was going on thanks to some help from Dodee and thereby get back into Julia's good graces. It also gave Linda the opportunity Rusty what happened to Freddy, so it was not all bad. Unfortunately, it also gave us the aforementioned visit from Norrie's biological father, of which we shall speak no more.
Seeing Big Jim wrestle with what to do with Angie was interesting. He wants to be proud of Junior, but at the same time he doesn't want to continue to hold Angie. Don't think that was out of any particular sense of guilt, but more because of what it could do to him and his image (I could be wrong though). I cannot say that I was surprised that Junior went to Joe's house to find Angie. While I get why she ran there, it was not a smart move. It would have been better for her to find someone to help her find Joe first. And cradling Junior in her lap was pretty stupid because it will probably serve to cement the "romance" in his mind. Sigh....
So long to Reverend Crazy. After thinking that God was talking to him, he insisted that the people of Chester's Mill had to repent in order to be saved. He then proceeded to bug the bejeesus out of Big Jim and insist that Big Jim confess to the drug dealings, or else the Reverend would expose him. So, Big Jim holds his head (the side with the hearing aid) up to the dome which kills him. Not entirely sure if I'll miss him.
Until next week!
Understanding is a three-edged sword, your side, my side, and the Truth.
-Ambassador Kosh Naranek, Babylon 5
Let's start with the last comment. Joe and Norrie aren't an official couple (I don't think they are anyway!) but they are definitely taking strides in that direction. They are relying on each other for advice and shoulders to lean on, and they actually kissed. Not the most passionate kiss ever, but still. Loved the line from Joe about having an underage girl and a lesbian couple as roommates and how his parents might react. That was giggle worthy. I do want to know why there were no seizures this week when they kissed and touched on several occasions.
Continuing on the Norrie track, we got the obligatory drama filled revelation for her. Turns out that her mom (Alice) knew her biological father (exact relationship unclear) and he was not (as she had been told) an anonymous sperm donor. I have to say that this felt like a totally unnecessary storyline meant solely to increase the drama level. It may prove to be important, but I am not quite seeing how yet.
The main story tonight was the fact that the government decided to drop a MOAB bomb [it is a bomb, not a missile!(see here)] on the dome. Turns out that the dome is screwing with the magnetic fields and so the government decided to shred the shield. Although they didn't say it, I think it is safe to assume that this would mess with aircraft navigation, compasses (which rely on magnetic fields to work), boat navigation, and possibly GPS (depending on the extent of the effects). The step was extreme, but I do think it was understandable. I do wonder how far reaching the effects are. I also suspect that China's thinking that the dome was a weapon of some sort was a definite factor in the decision to drop the bomb, by pressure if nothing else.
Allowing family and friends to visit the dome was a smart move akin to the last meal/visit for a condemned visitor, which is what the resident's of Chester's Mill are (more or less). It also gave Barbie the chance to figure out what was going on thanks to some help from Dodee and thereby get back into Julia's good graces. It also gave Linda the opportunity Rusty what happened to Freddy, so it was not all bad. Unfortunately, it also gave us the aforementioned visit from Norrie's biological father, of which we shall speak no more.
Seeing Big Jim wrestle with what to do with Angie was interesting. He wants to be proud of Junior, but at the same time he doesn't want to continue to hold Angie. Don't think that was out of any particular sense of guilt, but more because of what it could do to him and his image (I could be wrong though). I cannot say that I was surprised that Junior went to Joe's house to find Angie. While I get why she ran there, it was not a smart move. It would have been better for her to find someone to help her find Joe first. And cradling Junior in her lap was pretty stupid because it will probably serve to cement the "romance" in his mind. Sigh....
So long to Reverend Crazy. After thinking that God was talking to him, he insisted that the people of Chester's Mill had to repent in order to be saved. He then proceeded to bug the bejeesus out of Big Jim and insist that Big Jim confess to the drug dealings, or else the Reverend would expose him. So, Big Jim holds his head (the side with the hearing aid) up to the dome which kills him. Not entirely sure if I'll miss him.
Until next week!
Understanding is a three-edged sword, your side, my side, and the Truth.
-Ambassador Kosh Naranek, Babylon 5
My Review of Falling Skies 3.08- Strange Brew
Tom experiences an alternate reality, Pope and Weaver contemplate direct action, and the mole hunt continues....
Seeing Tom in that alternate/dream reality was quite interesting. It was fun to see what our favorite characters may have been like had the invasion never happened. Both Hal and Matt were pretty much the same. Hal was the quintessential jock with a popular girlfriend and Matt was an average preteen. Ben was changed fairly dramatically, but not unsurprisingly so. In season 1, Hal mentioned that Ben was a nerd and that pretty much described him. He wore glasses and had his nose stuck in a book. The two biggest changes were to Weaver and Pope. Weaver as a beggar was just flat out weird. It is plausible because without the invasion, Weaver wouldn't have had anything else to focus on. In that sense, the invasion was a boon to him. Seeing Pope as a philosophy professor was almost too weird. Granted, Pope is quite smart, but I so do not see him as a professor. I want to know where that came from. Anthony as the dean was a little odd, but fun. Maggie and Lourdes as students was quite interesting. Not sure I see Maggie as a student because she does not seem like the bookish type. But it was not completely out there.
It was fascinating to see Tom interact with Rebecca. We've heard about his life with her, but we've never witnessed it, so this was quite the interesting revelation. Tom was very much the professor, concerned with his classes and teaching to the extent of promising to make Hal's games but never being able to do so. Rebecca provided a nice counterpoint and showed why Tom and Hal had trouble establishing their relationship in the first season. She was the balance between the two of them whereas Matt seemed much closer to Tom. We didn't get to see enough of Ben to figure which one he was closest to, but I would guess that it was Tom by a whisker.
It was also interesting to see how Anne entered the picture as the woman who Tom was supposedly carrying on an affair with. That definitely stretched the bounds of believability. Tom was so devoted to Rebecca that I cannot fathom him having an affair with Anne or anyone else. I think that is where Karen really messed up. She was so desperate to get the information about where the humans and Volm would strike that she got sloppy. I guess that is what happens when someone is pressed as hard as she obviously was. And I think that it is fairly obvious that neither Anne nor Alexis are dead. I am not sure if that was a fake made to pressure Tom or if they were actually put into stasis of some sort, but I assume we'll get an answer before the end of the season.
Pope and Weaver contemplating a coup was a little odd. Definitely believable given the frame job that is occurring, but still a little odd. Well, odd for Weaver anyway, not so much for Pope. I was definitely surprised that Pope backed down as easily as he did. Granted, Weaver did agree to cut the President out of the loop, but Pope still gave up much more quickly than I would have expected. I do think Pope is starting to mellow out a bit and change for the better, so that is not entirely a bad thing.
I was impressed that the President would practically go on her hands and knees to Weaver to get him to support her. She rightly pointed out that there are very good reasons to suspect that she is the mole given the fact that the events are benefitting her directly. However, that very fact also gives people a good reason to discount her as the mole because, generally speaking, a mole would try and point suspicions to another person. Unless, of course, the mole takes that into consideration and so throws suspicion onto him/herself in order to make him/herself into a less plausible suspect.
Well, the field is on and the clock is ticking. Until next week!
Seeing Tom in that alternate/dream reality was quite interesting. It was fun to see what our favorite characters may have been like had the invasion never happened. Both Hal and Matt were pretty much the same. Hal was the quintessential jock with a popular girlfriend and Matt was an average preteen. Ben was changed fairly dramatically, but not unsurprisingly so. In season 1, Hal mentioned that Ben was a nerd and that pretty much described him. He wore glasses and had his nose stuck in a book. The two biggest changes were to Weaver and Pope. Weaver as a beggar was just flat out weird. It is plausible because without the invasion, Weaver wouldn't have had anything else to focus on. In that sense, the invasion was a boon to him. Seeing Pope as a philosophy professor was almost too weird. Granted, Pope is quite smart, but I so do not see him as a professor. I want to know where that came from. Anthony as the dean was a little odd, but fun. Maggie and Lourdes as students was quite interesting. Not sure I see Maggie as a student because she does not seem like the bookish type. But it was not completely out there.
It was fascinating to see Tom interact with Rebecca. We've heard about his life with her, but we've never witnessed it, so this was quite the interesting revelation. Tom was very much the professor, concerned with his classes and teaching to the extent of promising to make Hal's games but never being able to do so. Rebecca provided a nice counterpoint and showed why Tom and Hal had trouble establishing their relationship in the first season. She was the balance between the two of them whereas Matt seemed much closer to Tom. We didn't get to see enough of Ben to figure which one he was closest to, but I would guess that it was Tom by a whisker.
It was also interesting to see how Anne entered the picture as the woman who Tom was supposedly carrying on an affair with. That definitely stretched the bounds of believability. Tom was so devoted to Rebecca that I cannot fathom him having an affair with Anne or anyone else. I think that is where Karen really messed up. She was so desperate to get the information about where the humans and Volm would strike that she got sloppy. I guess that is what happens when someone is pressed as hard as she obviously was. And I think that it is fairly obvious that neither Anne nor Alexis are dead. I am not sure if that was a fake made to pressure Tom or if they were actually put into stasis of some sort, but I assume we'll get an answer before the end of the season.
Pope and Weaver contemplating a coup was a little odd. Definitely believable given the frame job that is occurring, but still a little odd. Well, odd for Weaver anyway, not so much for Pope. I was definitely surprised that Pope backed down as easily as he did. Granted, Weaver did agree to cut the President out of the loop, but Pope still gave up much more quickly than I would have expected. I do think Pope is starting to mellow out a bit and change for the better, so that is not entirely a bad thing.
I was impressed that the President would practically go on her hands and knees to Weaver to get him to support her. She rightly pointed out that there are very good reasons to suspect that she is the mole given the fact that the events are benefitting her directly. However, that very fact also gives people a good reason to discount her as the mole because, generally speaking, a mole would try and point suspicions to another person. Unless, of course, the mole takes that into consideration and so throws suspicion onto him/herself in order to make him/herself into a less plausible suspect.
Well, the field is on and the clock is ticking. Until next week!
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
My Review of Teen Wolf 3.08- Visionary
An episode of flashbacks that fills in a lot of blanks about Derek, Deucalion, the Alpha pack, Gerard, and the druids' relationship to what is going on....
This episode was a series of flashbacks told by two of the series' most untrustworthy characters: Gerard and Peter. Peter told Stiles and Cora about Derek's path and why he is the way he is and Gerard told Scott and Alison about how Deucalion came to be the way he is. Given the fact that both Peter and Gerard can be *VERY* untrustworthy, I think we should take what they say with a grain of salt, unless it is verified elsewhere. This is particularly true of Gerard, which makes me very grateful that Scott threatened him in the most unsubtle and un-Scottlike way possible.
Let's start with Derek, who was the focus of most of the story this week. Derek's mother was not only a werewolf, but a shapeshifter. That is, she not only transformed the way most werewolves do, but she could also transform into a full wolf. Given the recounting of the story of Lycaon (go here for more info), I have some thoughts about the different types of werewolves. We know that there are families where werewolves are naturally occurring (i.e. the Hales). We also know that (in the Teen Wolf universe) Lycaon and his family learned how to shift between their wolf and human forms thanks to the druids. This would imply that the families where werewolves occur naturally are descended from Lycaon. So would that make the Hales a royal family of sorts? The other interesting thing is that Derek's eyes did (briefly) glow yellow. Given the fact that Peter described him as being very much like Scott, does this mean that Derek should have been a True Alpha?
Derek fell in love with a girl who was bitten by Ennis at the behest of Peter, hoping to transform her into a werewolf and because Peter persuaded Derek that this was the only way that the two of them could stay together. Unfortunately, the bite did not take and Derek killed (according to Peter) the girl presumably to prevent more pain. I think that we can trust this because we have seen Derek's eyes and because there was the flashback with his mom. However, that flashback was ambiguous. Derek merely said that he had done something awful, which could mean that he allowed Peter to kill her or he was regretting the choice to allow her to be bitten. Or it could be something else entirely (see below). I'm with Stiles here, we need to get Derek's side of the story. This story does explain Derek's drive to save everyone regardless of cost. He is still haunted by this girl who he loved and he is looking to assuage his guilt in any way possible.
Turns out that Deaton and his sister are druids. In the Teen Wolf universe (maybe elsewhere, but I think not), the druids not only showed Lycaon how to shift, but they also act as advisers to wolfpacks. This would explain why Deaton and his sister know so much. Deaton was the adviser to the Hales and his sister is the adviser to the Alpha pack. What this doesn't explain is how Gerard knows Deaton so well. I would assume that they crossed paths as Gerard was hunting wolves, but it would be nice to know for sure.
We also discovered that Gerard has always been a monster with a thing for cutting wolves in half. I had assumed (based on the events of last season) that he was changed by Kate's death, but boy was I wrong. After Gerard and his hunters killed a member of Ennis' pack in retaliation for the death of a hunter, Deucalion tried to negotiate a truce, only to have Gerard betray the wolves, slaughter most of them, and then blind Deucalion. I would assume that this is the reason (or one of the primary reasons anyway) for the formation of the Alpha pack. By gathering together the most dangerous and powerful Alphas, Deucalion would have a force capable of stopping the hunters or worse.
I must say that I was surprised to see the softer and more diplomatic Deucalion. After everything we have seen about him, I was very surprised that he was once that way. I also have to admit to being fairly sympathetic to him now. Not that I approve of what he is doing, but his reasons are eminently clear. Gerard showed Deucalion that hunters could not be trusted, so the wolves have to band together in order to survive. That was a heavy price to pay for that revelation.
Above, I mentioned that there was another possibility for why Derek felt guilty. Peter claims that the girl died in Derek's arms. Now, we know that the werewolf bite is supposed to kill you or transform you into a wolf. However, we also know that there is a third possibility- becoming a seer like Lydia. I wonder if it is possible that Derek told Peter that the girl died, but that she actually survived and is the dark druid. If he saw something weird about her after she survived, maybe he feels guilty about not reporting it or something. Maybe that is a bit farfetched, but it is possible.
Until next week!
This episode was a series of flashbacks told by two of the series' most untrustworthy characters: Gerard and Peter. Peter told Stiles and Cora about Derek's path and why he is the way he is and Gerard told Scott and Alison about how Deucalion came to be the way he is. Given the fact that both Peter and Gerard can be *VERY* untrustworthy, I think we should take what they say with a grain of salt, unless it is verified elsewhere. This is particularly true of Gerard, which makes me very grateful that Scott threatened him in the most unsubtle and un-Scottlike way possible.
Let's start with Derek, who was the focus of most of the story this week. Derek's mother was not only a werewolf, but a shapeshifter. That is, she not only transformed the way most werewolves do, but she could also transform into a full wolf. Given the recounting of the story of Lycaon (go here for more info), I have some thoughts about the different types of werewolves. We know that there are families where werewolves are naturally occurring (i.e. the Hales). We also know that (in the Teen Wolf universe) Lycaon and his family learned how to shift between their wolf and human forms thanks to the druids. This would imply that the families where werewolves occur naturally are descended from Lycaon. So would that make the Hales a royal family of sorts? The other interesting thing is that Derek's eyes did (briefly) glow yellow. Given the fact that Peter described him as being very much like Scott, does this mean that Derek should have been a True Alpha?
Derek fell in love with a girl who was bitten by Ennis at the behest of Peter, hoping to transform her into a werewolf and because Peter persuaded Derek that this was the only way that the two of them could stay together. Unfortunately, the bite did not take and Derek killed (according to Peter) the girl presumably to prevent more pain. I think that we can trust this because we have seen Derek's eyes and because there was the flashback with his mom. However, that flashback was ambiguous. Derek merely said that he had done something awful, which could mean that he allowed Peter to kill her or he was regretting the choice to allow her to be bitten. Or it could be something else entirely (see below). I'm with Stiles here, we need to get Derek's side of the story. This story does explain Derek's drive to save everyone regardless of cost. He is still haunted by this girl who he loved and he is looking to assuage his guilt in any way possible.
Turns out that Deaton and his sister are druids. In the Teen Wolf universe (maybe elsewhere, but I think not), the druids not only showed Lycaon how to shift, but they also act as advisers to wolfpacks. This would explain why Deaton and his sister know so much. Deaton was the adviser to the Hales and his sister is the adviser to the Alpha pack. What this doesn't explain is how Gerard knows Deaton so well. I would assume that they crossed paths as Gerard was hunting wolves, but it would be nice to know for sure.
We also discovered that Gerard has always been a monster with a thing for cutting wolves in half. I had assumed (based on the events of last season) that he was changed by Kate's death, but boy was I wrong. After Gerard and his hunters killed a member of Ennis' pack in retaliation for the death of a hunter, Deucalion tried to negotiate a truce, only to have Gerard betray the wolves, slaughter most of them, and then blind Deucalion. I would assume that this is the reason (or one of the primary reasons anyway) for the formation of the Alpha pack. By gathering together the most dangerous and powerful Alphas, Deucalion would have a force capable of stopping the hunters or worse.
I must say that I was surprised to see the softer and more diplomatic Deucalion. After everything we have seen about him, I was very surprised that he was once that way. I also have to admit to being fairly sympathetic to him now. Not that I approve of what he is doing, but his reasons are eminently clear. Gerard showed Deucalion that hunters could not be trusted, so the wolves have to band together in order to survive. That was a heavy price to pay for that revelation.
Above, I mentioned that there was another possibility for why Derek felt guilty. Peter claims that the girl died in Derek's arms. Now, we know that the werewolf bite is supposed to kill you or transform you into a wolf. However, we also know that there is a third possibility- becoming a seer like Lydia. I wonder if it is possible that Derek told Peter that the girl died, but that she actually survived and is the dark druid. If he saw something weird about her after she survived, maybe he feels guilty about not reporting it or something. Maybe that is a bit farfetched, but it is possible.
Until next week!
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
My Review of Under the Dome Episode 4- Outbreak
The town is hit by an outbreak, Julia gets some truth out of Barbie, Junior manages to pull the wool over people's eyes, Big Jim finds Angie, and Joe gets some new roommates...
Well, this week the town had to deal with an outbreak of meningitis. Not a good thing to deal with, particularly with the town's doctors gone and the medicine supply dwindling. Luckily, Alice (who was in to get her daughter and Joe looked at) is a psychiatrist and could help out. We also discovered that Alice is running low on insulin, but that she refuses to allow her wife to steal insulin from the hospital. High minded, sure, but is that really the best way to go?
Joe and Norrie had another seizure tonight when they touched hands. Luckily, they taped it and we got a somewhat creepy sight. During the seizures, they said the lines about pink stars falling in lines; but in the middle of the seizure, Joe sat up, faced the camera, put his finger to his lips, and said "Sssshhh..." Yeah, that was definitely creepy. What was weirder was the Joe immediately chalked this up to the dome wanting him to keep quiet about the seizures, so he and Norrie did so. I want to know why people are anthropomorphizing the dome. I can think of a couple of options here. First, the dome is somehow allowing someone to communicate with people. Second, people are simply panicked and looking to rationalize things that are happening somehow. Third, people are slowly going insane and losing touch with reality. None of these are particularly pleasant thoughts.
I cannot believe that Linda made Junior a cop. Granted, he was somewhat useful at the hospital, but he did have a hand in creating the panic. Rather than subtly locking the door and telling people that they couldn't leave because they risked infecting the town, he went in and announced (shotgun in hand) that no one could leave. This guy is seriously unbalanced, and giving him power is probably going to be like throwing gasoline onto a fire. Not good.
Thank goodness Big Jim found out about Angie. I just wonder if he is planning on freeing her now or if he'll keep her locked up in order to protect Junior. I honestly think that both possibilities are equally likely. I am sincerely hoping that he'll find a way to free Angie, but I am afraid that if he does, Junior will do something precipitous as a result. But, if he continues to hold Angie, then he will be breaking the law himself. Nope, neither option is particularly good.
Julia has kicked Barbie out of her house because he was connected with the disappearance of her husband. Granted, she doesn't know that her husband is dead, but she was mad enough at Barbie to tell him to leave. Was it the right thing to do? That is a hard call. Granted, Barbie lied and is connected with her missing husband, but having him around could not hurt, particularly since he can protect her if things turn ugly. Heck, maybe she can protect herself, but thus far we have seen no evidence that she knows self-defense.
So, Alice, Carolyn, and Norrie are moving in with Joe. It'll be nice for him to have the company. Also, he and Norrie appear to be hitting it off splendidly, so that should be interesting.
Then there is the crazy preacher who thinks that the meningitis is a punishment from God and that the people who got sick were supposed to die. Because Big Jim stopped him from destroying the medicine, he has chosen to give Big Jim his money from the propane and washed his hands of the situation. I still want to know what is up with the propane....
Until next week....
Well, this week the town had to deal with an outbreak of meningitis. Not a good thing to deal with, particularly with the town's doctors gone and the medicine supply dwindling. Luckily, Alice (who was in to get her daughter and Joe looked at) is a psychiatrist and could help out. We also discovered that Alice is running low on insulin, but that she refuses to allow her wife to steal insulin from the hospital. High minded, sure, but is that really the best way to go?
Joe and Norrie had another seizure tonight when they touched hands. Luckily, they taped it and we got a somewhat creepy sight. During the seizures, they said the lines about pink stars falling in lines; but in the middle of the seizure, Joe sat up, faced the camera, put his finger to his lips, and said "Sssshhh..." Yeah, that was definitely creepy. What was weirder was the Joe immediately chalked this up to the dome wanting him to keep quiet about the seizures, so he and Norrie did so. I want to know why people are anthropomorphizing the dome. I can think of a couple of options here. First, the dome is somehow allowing someone to communicate with people. Second, people are simply panicked and looking to rationalize things that are happening somehow. Third, people are slowly going insane and losing touch with reality. None of these are particularly pleasant thoughts.
I cannot believe that Linda made Junior a cop. Granted, he was somewhat useful at the hospital, but he did have a hand in creating the panic. Rather than subtly locking the door and telling people that they couldn't leave because they risked infecting the town, he went in and announced (shotgun in hand) that no one could leave. This guy is seriously unbalanced, and giving him power is probably going to be like throwing gasoline onto a fire. Not good.
Thank goodness Big Jim found out about Angie. I just wonder if he is planning on freeing her now or if he'll keep her locked up in order to protect Junior. I honestly think that both possibilities are equally likely. I am sincerely hoping that he'll find a way to free Angie, but I am afraid that if he does, Junior will do something precipitous as a result. But, if he continues to hold Angie, then he will be breaking the law himself. Nope, neither option is particularly good.
Julia has kicked Barbie out of her house because he was connected with the disappearance of her husband. Granted, she doesn't know that her husband is dead, but she was mad enough at Barbie to tell him to leave. Was it the right thing to do? That is a hard call. Granted, Barbie lied and is connected with her missing husband, but having him around could not hurt, particularly since he can protect her if things turn ugly. Heck, maybe she can protect herself, but thus far we have seen no evidence that she knows self-defense.
So, Alice, Carolyn, and Norrie are moving in with Joe. It'll be nice for him to have the company. Also, he and Norrie appear to be hitting it off splendidly, so that should be interesting.
Then there is the crazy preacher who thinks that the meningitis is a punishment from God and that the people who got sick were supposed to die. Because Big Jim stopped him from destroying the medicine, he has chosen to give Big Jim his money from the propane and washed his hands of the situation. I still want to know what is up with the propane....
Until next week....
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