The Volm's plan is revealed and it's a doozy, the mole is revealed, Pope is stirring up more trouble, and the Masons run into a spot of trouble....
The Volm's plan is problematic at best. Cochise revealed that the weapon will, in fact, take down the shield that the Espheni are putting up. The weapon needs to be used ASAP because the shield will put out a radiation that will kill all native life on Earth. The Espheni and their slaves will not be affected by the radiation thanks to some genetic tinkering. While this plan is nice (if time sensitive), there is a caveat. It is possible that the weapon will cause the shield to run on overdrive and wipe out all life on Earth even quicker. According to Cochise, Tom knew this and approved the plan anyway. So, we have a couple of questions. First, did Tom really know about the possible downside? I would suspect so. In war there is always an element of risk and this risk, while substantial, is not a sure thing. The question comes down whether or not the risk is worth it and I would think that it is. Basically the choices are either a guaranteed wiping out of all native life on Earth or a chance of it. Cochise did not quote the chance of the shield going into overdrive, but I think that it is probably less than (or at most around) 50%. Even if the risk its higher, I still think the risk is worth it. Tom is realistic enough to have gone through all of this himself and come up to the same conclusion. Second, was Tom right to not tell anyone else about the risk? Again, I answer in the affirmative. The alliance with the Volm is tenuous enough without revealing the risk. If the risk of the weapon had been revealed, there would have been an unreasoning panic and everything could have fallen apart.
Lourdes is Karen's mole. That was quite a surprise for me. I never really even had her as a possible suspect until someone mentioned her earlier today and even then I didn't seriously consider her as a suspect until I saw her face when she was alone with the President. At that point there was something about the look in her eyes and her general bearing that hinted that something was not quite right. I was wondering if she had put something into his IV bag, but that would have been entirely too obvious and would have pointed directly at her. So when she went into the room below and pulled out the gun, I was definitely surprised. But the more I think about it, the more it makes sense. Lourdes is close enough to the leaders of Charleston to be a good spy, but is not exactly on anyone's radar. Also, given that she was taking care of Anne and Alexis, she could have done something to tinker with Alexis' DNA. Assuming this is Karen's plan, it is brilliant because Lourdes could also have messed with Hal's recovery. I must admit to a certain grudging respect for Karen at this point. Not that I like her, but she is a good planner and knows what buttons to press. My one question is when exactly did Lourdes become the mole? Did Hal put things into her at Karen's behest or did Lourdes being the mole predate Hal's falling under Karen's influence?
Speaking of pressing buttons, Marina is pressing some of her own. She is moving things around to accommodate refugees, including Pope's bar. Pope retaliated by persuading people to stop working with the Volm and on other things. So, now we get the eternal question of the rights of people in a wartime situation. Was Pope doing the right thing? While I can understand why some might say yes, I am most definitively coming down on the side of no. In another situation, I might be inclined to say that such civil disobedience is understandable, but given the situation that the humans find themselves in, this sort of activity is a horribly bad idea. Also, the fact that Pope is leading it also makes me less than inclined to think it is a good thing. The man loves to rebel and stir up trouble.
All that being said, he does have something of a point. In a democracy, what Marina did would not be a good thing. The problem is that the New United States is not really a democracy. Sure, it has the veneer of a democracy, but it is more of a benevolent dictatorship. Sure, there is a civilian at the helm, but the civilian leader is acting mostly as a Commander-in-Chief and not so much as a chief executive of a democracy. There has always been a delicate line between military and civilian power in wartime. What rights can be sacrificed in the name of achieving a victory, particularly in a situation where a loss would mean the end of humanity? This was a problem that Tom and Weaver faced early in season 1 when Weaver was less inclined to be helpful to the civilians.
The Masons ran into a "there but for the Grace of God go I" scenario today. While on their way to rescue Anne and Alexis, the Masons run into a family who have been on their own since the invasion. This places Tom and the boys in an interesting conundrum. All of their equipment and horses are stolen, so they end up going to get it back. In the process, Hal fails to subdue the person he was sent after and as a result Matt shoots him. The interesting question is if this is what the Masons would have become if they had not fallen in with the 2nd Mass. While it is definitely possible, I would say it is unlikely given Tom's personality and temperament. Tom is moral enough to have been very careful about what he and his sons would do. That being said, desperation does change how people would act, so it is possible that Tom could have been sufficiently different from the Tom we know to make him do what the Picketts were doing if it meant survival.
I am not sure I agree with Tom's decision not to go back to Charleston. While I can understand it because of his desire to protect Alexis, Hal, and Ben from other people, I am not sure it is a good choice. I don't know if he intends to stick by the decision or not, so we'll just have to wait and see. And Tom is in quite the pickle at the end. He has a uberMech on one side and three Skitters on the other. Wonder how he plans to get out of this one....
Until next week!
Monday, July 15, 2013
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
My Review of Under the Dome Episode 3- Manhunt
Junior lies to Julia and Big Jim, Barbie lies to Julia, Norrie lies to Joe, Angie lies to Junior, and Ben tells everyone the truth (although Joe wishes he hadn't). Also, there's a manhunt (as if you couldn't have guessed that one!)....
Well, the deputy who went psycho last week is now dead courtesy of the new sheriff, Linda Esquivel. After she locked him up and (stupidly) fell for his (obviously) fake stomach pain, he locked her up and then ran. Fortunately for then-deputy Esquivel, Big Jim got her out and hunted the deputy down, only to have Esquivel shoot the deputy in order to save Big Jim's life. Congrats, Esquivel.
Lies were the theme of the evening, as noted above. In Barbie's case, it was not an outright lie, but rather a lie of omission (at first anyway). He didn't want to explain what happened with Junior for some reason, and in hiding that has raised Julia's suspicions when he said that he had no connection to anyone in the town. I think that Julia suspects some sort of connection with Junior which would (in her mind) explain why Barbie beat Junior. The only problem is that Junior outright lied to Julia about what happened. He claims that he did nothing, when he actually attacked Barbie previously and then pulled a gun on him. So now Junior has Big Jim keeping an eye on Barbie too.
Speaking of Junior, he is getting everyone (except Angie and Barbie) to underestimate him. Big Jim sees him as a weakling and Julia seems to see him only as Big Jim's son. This is going to be dangerous for people. Junior is obviously dangerous and unbalanced which will make him *VERY* unpredictable at some point. He is also so desperate to get his dad's approval and to get Angie that he was willing to be lost in the tunnels under the town in order to find a way out. Only problem? The dome extends down there too. Which make me wonder if this is a dome or more of a bubble or sphere.
I so wanted to smack those two guys in the diner. Those comments to Carolyn were completely unnecessary, particularly under the circumstances. Thank goodness Rose (I think that is who she is!) was there to help Carolyn out. So I can't say I was entirely unhappy when the deputy shot the one in the leg. And speaking of Carolyn, I was a little surprised that Norrie lied to Joe about her moms. I suspect that she didn't want to reveal that she was going to the reform school and that she didn't want to risk having Joe dislike her or something. So, there was a slightly awkward moment when Carolyn came into Joe's house.
I am assuming that the fact that Joe and Norrie suffered the seizures after they touched hands is not a coincidence. I still want to know why they are having seizures. If it were just Joe, I would suspect that the electrical charge in the dome caused his brain to malfunction. But, unless I am remembering incorrectly, Norrie never touched the dome, so that is pretty much out. Also, other people have touched the dome and not suffered from seizures.
I can't believe the Ben told everyone that Joe had a generator. He had to know that people would crowd Joe's house. While he may have had good intentions, it was still a bad idea. And that Carter is a douche of epic proportions. First making obvious references to having slept with Angie, then trying to drag Norrie off, and then insisting that he was going up to Angie's room. Yeah, real nice guy there.
It looks like Angie is going to try and escape again. While helping patch Junior up, she took a pair of scissors out of the first aid kit, presumably to pick the lock of the handcuffs and escape. Will it work? Hopefully, but somehow I doubt it. I do wonder how she'll get out though.
Until next week!
Well, the deputy who went psycho last week is now dead courtesy of the new sheriff, Linda Esquivel. After she locked him up and (stupidly) fell for his (obviously) fake stomach pain, he locked her up and then ran. Fortunately for then-deputy Esquivel, Big Jim got her out and hunted the deputy down, only to have Esquivel shoot the deputy in order to save Big Jim's life. Congrats, Esquivel.
Lies were the theme of the evening, as noted above. In Barbie's case, it was not an outright lie, but rather a lie of omission (at first anyway). He didn't want to explain what happened with Junior for some reason, and in hiding that has raised Julia's suspicions when he said that he had no connection to anyone in the town. I think that Julia suspects some sort of connection with Junior which would (in her mind) explain why Barbie beat Junior. The only problem is that Junior outright lied to Julia about what happened. He claims that he did nothing, when he actually attacked Barbie previously and then pulled a gun on him. So now Junior has Big Jim keeping an eye on Barbie too.
Speaking of Junior, he is getting everyone (except Angie and Barbie) to underestimate him. Big Jim sees him as a weakling and Julia seems to see him only as Big Jim's son. This is going to be dangerous for people. Junior is obviously dangerous and unbalanced which will make him *VERY* unpredictable at some point. He is also so desperate to get his dad's approval and to get Angie that he was willing to be lost in the tunnels under the town in order to find a way out. Only problem? The dome extends down there too. Which make me wonder if this is a dome or more of a bubble or sphere.
I so wanted to smack those two guys in the diner. Those comments to Carolyn were completely unnecessary, particularly under the circumstances. Thank goodness Rose (I think that is who she is!) was there to help Carolyn out. So I can't say I was entirely unhappy when the deputy shot the one in the leg. And speaking of Carolyn, I was a little surprised that Norrie lied to Joe about her moms. I suspect that she didn't want to reveal that she was going to the reform school and that she didn't want to risk having Joe dislike her or something. So, there was a slightly awkward moment when Carolyn came into Joe's house.
I am assuming that the fact that Joe and Norrie suffered the seizures after they touched hands is not a coincidence. I still want to know why they are having seizures. If it were just Joe, I would suspect that the electrical charge in the dome caused his brain to malfunction. But, unless I am remembering incorrectly, Norrie never touched the dome, so that is pretty much out. Also, other people have touched the dome and not suffered from seizures.
I can't believe the Ben told everyone that Joe had a generator. He had to know that people would crowd Joe's house. While he may have had good intentions, it was still a bad idea. And that Carter is a douche of epic proportions. First making obvious references to having slept with Angie, then trying to drag Norrie off, and then insisting that he was going up to Angie's room. Yeah, real nice guy there.
It looks like Angie is going to try and escape again. While helping patch Junior up, she took a pair of scissors out of the first aid kit, presumably to pick the lock of the handcuffs and escape. Will it work? Hopefully, but somehow I doubt it. I do wonder how she'll get out though.
Until next week!
My Review of Teen Wolf 3.06- Motel California
The crew is trapped at a seriously creepy motel, Lydia is hearing dead people, the wolves are going crazy, Mr. Argent is investigating what happened, Derek recovers, and someone makes a rather startling reappearance....
Let's start with Gerard, who reappears at the very end of the episode. Unless I am very much mistaken, he is living in the same building as Alison and her dad. In fact, her dad seems to be visiting Gerard occasionally. Given my suspicions that Gerard is helping the Alpha pack, I don't think their living in the building is a coincidence. With only Alison and her dad living there, I could shrug it off as a possible coincidence, but given that Deucalion seemed to quote Gerard (or maybe it was vice versa) and that Gerard is in the building this cannot be just a coincidence. Maybe Gerard is hoping that the Alpha pack will be able to save him somehow.
Lydia is definitely a medium of some sort, presumably as a result of the bite from Peter. I am not sure why that bite would make her a medium, but given the fact that she has been drawn to or seen/heard several dead people, it's rather obvious that she is one. Having only seen Peter previously, I was unsure, but given the fact that she heard the couple in the other room, was vibing all over the place, saw that form in the fire, and having been drawn to the dead guy in the lifeguard chair, we have passed beyond the realm of coincidence with her. And her smarts saved Boyd when she remembered that road flares will stay lit even in water so that she and Stiles could save Boyd.
So, who exactly put wolfsbane in the Coach's whistle? And what exactly was the purpose? Were Stiles and Lydia correct that the next phase of the sacrifice was three werewolves? If so, it was unsuccessful. Also, I doubt that this was the dark druid because otherwise the druid would have been there to kill them him/herself. Unless, of course, the point was to have the wolfsbane act as some sort of preparation for the sacrifice, only to have the sacrifice itself be in Beacon Hills where the other sacrifices took place. Also, there were 4 wolves on the bus, not three. Of course, that could be in order to provide the druid with a choice of who to sacrifice.
I am assuming that the dead girl Boyd was hallucinating about was his sister. Don't remember them ever saying, but the conversation seemed to indicate that he was supposed to be watching over her and he failed in that task somehow. And poor Isaac once again is haunted by memories of his dad, the evil rat bastard. I assume Ethan was hallucinating about Aidan being joined to him, so he would have to cut him out. Talk about bad timing for that hallucination. Just getting frisky with Danny only to have that happen. Talk about a major mood spoiler!
In a way, Scott had it worst of all. The guy is so haunted by guilt for supposedly being responsible for Derek's death as well as the deaths of others around him and then he hallucinates Deucalion killing his mom. That would seriously suck. Love the mini-speech Stiles gave him. Those two are such brothers and they really need each other. Scott helps give Stiles a sense of focus and meaning and Stiles helps to ground Scott and helps to keep him sane. Glad to see that between Stiles, Lydia, and Alison they were able to keep Scott from harm.
And what is up with the motel and the almost 200 suicides? Completely freaky. I wonder if the motel is some sort of supernatural hot spot, or if maybe people just heard about the suicides and so come there in order to kill themselves. We also found out that an Argent (Alison's great-uncle apparently), killed himself in room 217 of the motel after being scratched by Deucalion (if Gerard can be believed).
Well, Derek is obviously feeling better. Well enough to have sex with Ms. Blake. And as they make love, he heals. I wonder if that was a coincidence (most likely not) or if somehow making a connection with someone helped the healing to occur (or maybe something else entirely!).
Next week, Dr. Deaton is kidnapped...
Let's start with Gerard, who reappears at the very end of the episode. Unless I am very much mistaken, he is living in the same building as Alison and her dad. In fact, her dad seems to be visiting Gerard occasionally. Given my suspicions that Gerard is helping the Alpha pack, I don't think their living in the building is a coincidence. With only Alison and her dad living there, I could shrug it off as a possible coincidence, but given that Deucalion seemed to quote Gerard (or maybe it was vice versa) and that Gerard is in the building this cannot be just a coincidence. Maybe Gerard is hoping that the Alpha pack will be able to save him somehow.
Lydia is definitely a medium of some sort, presumably as a result of the bite from Peter. I am not sure why that bite would make her a medium, but given the fact that she has been drawn to or seen/heard several dead people, it's rather obvious that she is one. Having only seen Peter previously, I was unsure, but given the fact that she heard the couple in the other room, was vibing all over the place, saw that form in the fire, and having been drawn to the dead guy in the lifeguard chair, we have passed beyond the realm of coincidence with her. And her smarts saved Boyd when she remembered that road flares will stay lit even in water so that she and Stiles could save Boyd.
So, who exactly put wolfsbane in the Coach's whistle? And what exactly was the purpose? Were Stiles and Lydia correct that the next phase of the sacrifice was three werewolves? If so, it was unsuccessful. Also, I doubt that this was the dark druid because otherwise the druid would have been there to kill them him/herself. Unless, of course, the point was to have the wolfsbane act as some sort of preparation for the sacrifice, only to have the sacrifice itself be in Beacon Hills where the other sacrifices took place. Also, there were 4 wolves on the bus, not three. Of course, that could be in order to provide the druid with a choice of who to sacrifice.
I am assuming that the dead girl Boyd was hallucinating about was his sister. Don't remember them ever saying, but the conversation seemed to indicate that he was supposed to be watching over her and he failed in that task somehow. And poor Isaac once again is haunted by memories of his dad, the evil rat bastard. I assume Ethan was hallucinating about Aidan being joined to him, so he would have to cut him out. Talk about bad timing for that hallucination. Just getting frisky with Danny only to have that happen. Talk about a major mood spoiler!
In a way, Scott had it worst of all. The guy is so haunted by guilt for supposedly being responsible for Derek's death as well as the deaths of others around him and then he hallucinates Deucalion killing his mom. That would seriously suck. Love the mini-speech Stiles gave him. Those two are such brothers and they really need each other. Scott helps give Stiles a sense of focus and meaning and Stiles helps to ground Scott and helps to keep him sane. Glad to see that between Stiles, Lydia, and Alison they were able to keep Scott from harm.
And what is up with the motel and the almost 200 suicides? Completely freaky. I wonder if the motel is some sort of supernatural hot spot, or if maybe people just heard about the suicides and so come there in order to kill themselves. We also found out that an Argent (Alison's great-uncle apparently), killed himself in room 217 of the motel after being scratched by Deucalion (if Gerard can be believed).
Well, Derek is obviously feeling better. Well enough to have sex with Ms. Blake. And as they make love, he heals. I wonder if that was a coincidence (most likely not) or if somehow making a connection with someone helped the healing to occur (or maybe something else entirely!).
Next week, Dr. Deaton is kidnapped...
Monday, July 8, 2013
My Review of Falling Skies 3.06- Be Silent and Come Out
EvilHal comes out to play in a major way, Tom makes some critical choices, Pope pisses Ben off, and there's a new leader for the new United States....
Well, so long EvilHal, it was nice knowing ya (ok, so it wasn't), but now yer gone thanks to the Rebel Skitters. But before being destroyed, EvilHal took Tom hostage and created a nice little standoff which was only resolved when Maggie, Ben, and Matt got into the building undetected (and against orders) and, with Tom, managed to disarm Hal. That was fairly impressive. I was also impressed that Tom had enough presence of mind to figure out that if he could keep Hal conflicted, he would fight EvilHal for possession of his body. I also think that Hal was affecting EvilHal even when Tom wasn't provoking conflict. I suspect that Hal (or his influence) was a part of the reason why EvilHal did not just shoot Weaver out of hand. I also suspect that EvilHal knew that if he shot Weaver he would never get away, so there is that.
Removing the bug was pretty nasty. Whatever it was that the Rebel Skitters came up with, they said that it was meant for Skitter biology, so there was a chance that Hal would die, particularly if the bug was already gone. So glad that Tom chose to take the risk, because Hal would have wanted him to do so. If Hal had a choice between his life and protecting the people of Charleston, he would choose the people without hesitation.
So glad that Ben is growing up and able to contribute to decisions. I think that without his input, Tom may very well have chosen to ignore Weaver and go after Anne without giving the Rebel Skitters time to figure out what was going on. But having one of his sons argue for the delay (particularly Ben who communicates with the Rebel Skitters) seemed to be the turning point in that conversation. I was also so happy when Ben decked Pope, who was completely out of line with his comments (more on that in a bit). I would so dearly love to see Ben just turned loose on Pope because I suspect that in a one-on-one confrontation, Ben would wipe the floor with him.
While I can understand why Pope jumped to the conclusion about Hal being the mole, it was a leap without much foundation. All Maggie said is that Hal was *dreaming* of meeting Karen, not that he actually was. Methinks that Pope's dislike of the Masons was drastically affecting his conclusion. And then the rest of his comments were completely out of line and false. Let's start with the comments about Ben. As I noted a few weeks ago, having Ben and Deni keep the spikes is an incredibly good strategic move because it gives the humans a method of direct communication with the Rebel Skitters and because it gives them soldiers who have enhanced physical attributes. And Ben knew that people would turn on him if he kept the spikes, but he chose to do so anyway. As for the comment that if it were anyone but Hal they would have been instantly shot, it is also false. Tom has always preferred trying to settle things with words if possible. Weaver is a little quicker to pull the trigger, but even he has come around to the idea that it is better to talk.
I was a little confused by Pope's actions in the bar. He is not above insulting the Masons (as demonstrated several times in this episode), but he also seems willing to watch out for and protect them if necessary. So I have to wonder if his insulting of the Masons is him showing his real feelings or if it is more reflexive. There is also the possibility that the truth lies in between.
The other thing I have to say about Pope's comments is that he hasn't seemed to notice that all of these bad things seem to happen to the Masons. The question he should be asking is "Why?" The answer (as I have mentioned before) seems to be that Karen and the Espheni are deliberately targeting the Masons. While Ben was just another kid being harnessed, taking Tom and putting the bugs in both Tom and Hal has Karen's influence written all over them. Tom is a good, charismatic leader and by planting doubts about him and his family, Karen is managing to cause dissension among the humans and drive a wedge between them and the Rebel Skitters.
Tom has resigned the presidency and has gone off with his sons to find Anne and Alexis. I will say that I am not entirely sure that leaving Marina in charge was the right thing. While it is not horrible that she wants to know what the Volm technology does, breaking into Tom's desk to get the information seems to be a bad way to go about it. Marina is also very practical, which while not a bad thing, could be a problem. For example, I get why she wanted Tector to be ready to shoot Hal if necessary, but something about it rubbed me the wrong way. While she is not as bad as Pope, she comes off as a little oily to me. I know a lot of people are speculating that she is the mole, and maybe that it all it is, but something about her just seems off.
Next week, the President of the United States appears in Charleston...
Well, so long EvilHal, it was nice knowing ya (ok, so it wasn't), but now yer gone thanks to the Rebel Skitters. But before being destroyed, EvilHal took Tom hostage and created a nice little standoff which was only resolved when Maggie, Ben, and Matt got into the building undetected (and against orders) and, with Tom, managed to disarm Hal. That was fairly impressive. I was also impressed that Tom had enough presence of mind to figure out that if he could keep Hal conflicted, he would fight EvilHal for possession of his body. I also think that Hal was affecting EvilHal even when Tom wasn't provoking conflict. I suspect that Hal (or his influence) was a part of the reason why EvilHal did not just shoot Weaver out of hand. I also suspect that EvilHal knew that if he shot Weaver he would never get away, so there is that.
Removing the bug was pretty nasty. Whatever it was that the Rebel Skitters came up with, they said that it was meant for Skitter biology, so there was a chance that Hal would die, particularly if the bug was already gone. So glad that Tom chose to take the risk, because Hal would have wanted him to do so. If Hal had a choice between his life and protecting the people of Charleston, he would choose the people without hesitation.
So glad that Ben is growing up and able to contribute to decisions. I think that without his input, Tom may very well have chosen to ignore Weaver and go after Anne without giving the Rebel Skitters time to figure out what was going on. But having one of his sons argue for the delay (particularly Ben who communicates with the Rebel Skitters) seemed to be the turning point in that conversation. I was also so happy when Ben decked Pope, who was completely out of line with his comments (more on that in a bit). I would so dearly love to see Ben just turned loose on Pope because I suspect that in a one-on-one confrontation, Ben would wipe the floor with him.
While I can understand why Pope jumped to the conclusion about Hal being the mole, it was a leap without much foundation. All Maggie said is that Hal was *dreaming* of meeting Karen, not that he actually was. Methinks that Pope's dislike of the Masons was drastically affecting his conclusion. And then the rest of his comments were completely out of line and false. Let's start with the comments about Ben. As I noted a few weeks ago, having Ben and Deni keep the spikes is an incredibly good strategic move because it gives the humans a method of direct communication with the Rebel Skitters and because it gives them soldiers who have enhanced physical attributes. And Ben knew that people would turn on him if he kept the spikes, but he chose to do so anyway. As for the comment that if it were anyone but Hal they would have been instantly shot, it is also false. Tom has always preferred trying to settle things with words if possible. Weaver is a little quicker to pull the trigger, but even he has come around to the idea that it is better to talk.
I was a little confused by Pope's actions in the bar. He is not above insulting the Masons (as demonstrated several times in this episode), but he also seems willing to watch out for and protect them if necessary. So I have to wonder if his insulting of the Masons is him showing his real feelings or if it is more reflexive. There is also the possibility that the truth lies in between.
The other thing I have to say about Pope's comments is that he hasn't seemed to notice that all of these bad things seem to happen to the Masons. The question he should be asking is "Why?" The answer (as I have mentioned before) seems to be that Karen and the Espheni are deliberately targeting the Masons. While Ben was just another kid being harnessed, taking Tom and putting the bugs in both Tom and Hal has Karen's influence written all over them. Tom is a good, charismatic leader and by planting doubts about him and his family, Karen is managing to cause dissension among the humans and drive a wedge between them and the Rebel Skitters.
Tom has resigned the presidency and has gone off with his sons to find Anne and Alexis. I will say that I am not entirely sure that leaving Marina in charge was the right thing. While it is not horrible that she wants to know what the Volm technology does, breaking into Tom's desk to get the information seems to be a bad way to go about it. Marina is also very practical, which while not a bad thing, could be a problem. For example, I get why she wanted Tector to be ready to shoot Hal if necessary, but something about it rubbed me the wrong way. While she is not as bad as Pope, she comes off as a little oily to me. I know a lot of people are speculating that she is the mole, and maybe that it all it is, but something about her just seems off.
Next week, the President of the United States appears in Charleston...
Thursday, July 4, 2013
Some Thoughts on Roswell Season 2
Recently, I have been watching Roswell on DVD. I finished Season 2 a couple of days ago and I had some thoughts about some things that have bugged me since I first watched it years ago.
I never saw the show when it was originally on the air, rather, I started watching it after the show went off the air and the SciFi channel (now Syfy) was showing reruns. I absolutely fell in love with the show because it featured several things that love. First, there were my two favorite love story archetypes: the Romeo and Juliet romance (Max and Liz) and the bad boy becomes a better person for the sake of love (Michael and Maria). Second, there is the whole enhanced powers thing (see the second point in my blog post re Ben from Falling Skies) which I have always liked.
The first season sucked me in as few shows have ever done. Then there was the second season. While I love the first part of the season (the Skins/Dupes storylines), I was less than thrilled with the last two storylines (Gandarium and Alex's death). The Gandarium storyline was just stupid, but the storyline revolving around Alex's death has always infuriated me because of the way Liz treats Max and everyone else.
Quick recap:
In the first part of the season, Max comes back from the future to warn Liz that the world is coming to an end because Max and Liz grew closer and froze Tess out. So (future) Max comes back to get Liz to help (present) Max to fall out of love with her. After a couple of failed attempts, Liz finally comes up with the idea for (present) Max to find her in bed with Kyle, thereby causing him to feel betrayed and disrupt their romance. Fast forward to after the prom. Alex dies in a car accident and Liz is convinced that an alien killed Alex. All the evidence points to a suicide, but Liz refuses to believe it and says that Alex's death was Max, Michael, Isabel, and Tess' fault. This (obviously) causes a massive rift to form in the group and Max, who has been getting closer to Tess as she helps him recover memories from his life on Antar, ends up sleeping with Tess. Meanwhile, Liz is obsessed with uncovering the truth and ends up alienating everyone. Ultimately, she convinces Michael and Maria to help her and it comes out that Tess accidentally killed Alex because she tried to mindwarp him one too many times in an effort to get the other hybrids to return with her to Antar. Tess ends up going back to Antar while she is pregnant with Max's baby while the other hybrids stay behind.
Sounds like a nifty idea, and it was. My problem with it lies in the fact that Liz ends up more or less getting a free pass on being absolutely horrible to everyone else while Max ends up being the bad guy. Max only grew closer to Tess because Liz kept on pushing him towards her. Then, Liz has the gall to be upset that Max and Tess actually slept together! I get that she never slept with Kyle, but the thing is that she did everything she could to push Max away and then is surprised and upset when he does what she has been pushing him to do! Add to that the fact that she says outright that Alex's death is Max's fault and then later claims that she never blamed him and he just takes it. Also, she tore the group apart for no good reason with her investigation. Was she right? Sure. But the problem is that she never really tried to get the group to work together to find the truth. Instead, she was so singularly focused on proving that she was right and Max was wrong that she ripped the group dynamics to shreds.
Now, I will admit that Max was not a saint during this whole thing. He did feud with Liz, although he did also try and heal the rift (which she rebuffed soundly), and he did force Isabel to stay in Roswell. However, unlike Liz, he paid for his mistakes. He was (as always) focused to trying to hold the group together and keep them safe. After Alex's death, he was hit with several blows ranging from Isabel's sudden (to him) desire to leave Roswell, Liz's accusations, and Tess' convincing him that his son was dying. So, he reacted to the situation he thought he could control (Isabel) very, very badly.
Liz, on the other hand, never paid for her actions. Even into the third season, she blamed Max for things and caused him a lot of emotional hardship. She voluntarily decided to help him search for his son, but eventually even used that as an excuse to leave him for a while.
While I have no objections to Max paying for the bad things he ended up doing, I really wish that Liz had been forced to face what she did and had paid a price like Max did. Instead, she ends up being the "aggrieved" party merely because she happened to be right about what happened to Alex, as if being right excused everything that she did.
Now, don't get me wrong, I do love the show. In fact, I would say that along with Babylon 5 and One Tree Hill, it is one of my three favorite shows. Regardless, this particular storyline always irritates me and I just needed to get it off my chest.
I never saw the show when it was originally on the air, rather, I started watching it after the show went off the air and the SciFi channel (now Syfy) was showing reruns. I absolutely fell in love with the show because it featured several things that love. First, there were my two favorite love story archetypes: the Romeo and Juliet romance (Max and Liz) and the bad boy becomes a better person for the sake of love (Michael and Maria). Second, there is the whole enhanced powers thing (see the second point in my blog post re Ben from Falling Skies) which I have always liked.
The first season sucked me in as few shows have ever done. Then there was the second season. While I love the first part of the season (the Skins/Dupes storylines), I was less than thrilled with the last two storylines (Gandarium and Alex's death). The Gandarium storyline was just stupid, but the storyline revolving around Alex's death has always infuriated me because of the way Liz treats Max and everyone else.
Quick recap:
In the first part of the season, Max comes back from the future to warn Liz that the world is coming to an end because Max and Liz grew closer and froze Tess out. So (future) Max comes back to get Liz to help (present) Max to fall out of love with her. After a couple of failed attempts, Liz finally comes up with the idea for (present) Max to find her in bed with Kyle, thereby causing him to feel betrayed and disrupt their romance. Fast forward to after the prom. Alex dies in a car accident and Liz is convinced that an alien killed Alex. All the evidence points to a suicide, but Liz refuses to believe it and says that Alex's death was Max, Michael, Isabel, and Tess' fault. This (obviously) causes a massive rift to form in the group and Max, who has been getting closer to Tess as she helps him recover memories from his life on Antar, ends up sleeping with Tess. Meanwhile, Liz is obsessed with uncovering the truth and ends up alienating everyone. Ultimately, she convinces Michael and Maria to help her and it comes out that Tess accidentally killed Alex because she tried to mindwarp him one too many times in an effort to get the other hybrids to return with her to Antar. Tess ends up going back to Antar while she is pregnant with Max's baby while the other hybrids stay behind.
Sounds like a nifty idea, and it was. My problem with it lies in the fact that Liz ends up more or less getting a free pass on being absolutely horrible to everyone else while Max ends up being the bad guy. Max only grew closer to Tess because Liz kept on pushing him towards her. Then, Liz has the gall to be upset that Max and Tess actually slept together! I get that she never slept with Kyle, but the thing is that she did everything she could to push Max away and then is surprised and upset when he does what she has been pushing him to do! Add to that the fact that she says outright that Alex's death is Max's fault and then later claims that she never blamed him and he just takes it. Also, she tore the group apart for no good reason with her investigation. Was she right? Sure. But the problem is that she never really tried to get the group to work together to find the truth. Instead, she was so singularly focused on proving that she was right and Max was wrong that she ripped the group dynamics to shreds.
Now, I will admit that Max was not a saint during this whole thing. He did feud with Liz, although he did also try and heal the rift (which she rebuffed soundly), and he did force Isabel to stay in Roswell. However, unlike Liz, he paid for his mistakes. He was (as always) focused to trying to hold the group together and keep them safe. After Alex's death, he was hit with several blows ranging from Isabel's sudden (to him) desire to leave Roswell, Liz's accusations, and Tess' convincing him that his son was dying. So, he reacted to the situation he thought he could control (Isabel) very, very badly.
Liz, on the other hand, never paid for her actions. Even into the third season, she blamed Max for things and caused him a lot of emotional hardship. She voluntarily decided to help him search for his son, but eventually even used that as an excuse to leave him for a while.
While I have no objections to Max paying for the bad things he ended up doing, I really wish that Liz had been forced to face what she did and had paid a price like Max did. Instead, she ends up being the "aggrieved" party merely because she happened to be right about what happened to Alex, as if being right excused everything that she did.
Now, don't get me wrong, I do love the show. In fact, I would say that along with Babylon 5 and One Tree Hill, it is one of my three favorite shows. Regardless, this particular storyline always irritates me and I just needed to get it off my chest.
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
My Review of Under the Dome Episode 2- The Fire
Panic really starts to set in, we learn why Barbie is in Chester's Mill and what happened to Peter, Joe investigates the dome, Julia finds out some startling information, Junior continues to be crazy, Big Jim and the local pastor talk, and there's a minor fire....
So, Barbie's real name is Dale Barbara and he was in Chester's Mill to collect money from Peter. He threatened Peter, who then pulled out a gun. Barbie pulled out his gun and in the struggle, Peter was shot and killed. So, Barbie buried him and then went to hightail it out of town. All in all, not a bad plan. Only problem is that the barrier arose at that point. So, now Barbie has to worry about Julia finding out his secret and whether or not Junior will attack him. I liked that Barbie is a natural leader and keeps cool in a crisis. Granted, his idea about putting out the fire didn't work, but it wasn't a bad one. Problem is that the amount of water in the town is limited and all the firefighters are outside the dome, so they need to rely on buckets to control the fires. Unless, of course, you happen to have a loader handy like Big Jim did. Then, it is best to just knock down the house and smother the fire.
Speaking of Junior, that dude is seriously slipping off the rails. He is obsessed with Angie and is convinced that the dome scrambled her brain and made her breakup with him. Never mind that she broke up with him *BEFORE* the dome went up (from what I remember). This guy is extremely dangerous and unbalanced. Someone really needs to take care of him before he completely cracks.
Joe has a good idea. He is investigating to dome to try and figure out what it is and if it can be shut off. He has already figured out that it is about 10 mile across and that it is semi-permeable. Also, he apparently cannot remember the seizure that he had last week. Loved the look that he and Norrie exchanged. Is that a romance a-brewing?
So, what exactly is up with Big Jim and the pastor? They were bringing in propane to produce something that makes people high and was supposed to save the town. My initial thought was that they are growing marijuana, but if the pastor had been smoking weed, Deputy Esquivel probably would have noticed. So, it is probably something else. May I just also note that sending someone who is high to ransack a house is not the brightest idea in the world? Then again, given the fact that Big Jim needed to be out and about and that someone needed to get the documents out of Duke's house before Esquivel got there, Big Jim didn't have much choice in the matter.
Julia got to the radio station and managed to find out that it is a dome over Chester's Mill. She then promptly shared this information with everyone. Was it the best idea? I am not sure. Withholding the information to avoid a panic was a smart move. I am not sure how knowing that it is a dome is supposed to be helpful, but whatever. What was more pertinent is that Julia discovered that the Army did not raise the barrier, or at least not to the knowledge of the soldiers outside the dome. Hope that is very accurate.
That deputy needed to seriously take a chill pill. First he panics and starts hording assault weapons. Then, he announces to everyone that they are doomed, and then he shoots the dome and manages to kill another deputy with a ricochet. This is why we withhold information from people. Idiots like him panic all too easily and do incredibly stupid things.
Next week, a threat arises from within...
So, Barbie's real name is Dale Barbara and he was in Chester's Mill to collect money from Peter. He threatened Peter, who then pulled out a gun. Barbie pulled out his gun and in the struggle, Peter was shot and killed. So, Barbie buried him and then went to hightail it out of town. All in all, not a bad plan. Only problem is that the barrier arose at that point. So, now Barbie has to worry about Julia finding out his secret and whether or not Junior will attack him. I liked that Barbie is a natural leader and keeps cool in a crisis. Granted, his idea about putting out the fire didn't work, but it wasn't a bad one. Problem is that the amount of water in the town is limited and all the firefighters are outside the dome, so they need to rely on buckets to control the fires. Unless, of course, you happen to have a loader handy like Big Jim did. Then, it is best to just knock down the house and smother the fire.
Speaking of Junior, that dude is seriously slipping off the rails. He is obsessed with Angie and is convinced that the dome scrambled her brain and made her breakup with him. Never mind that she broke up with him *BEFORE* the dome went up (from what I remember). This guy is extremely dangerous and unbalanced. Someone really needs to take care of him before he completely cracks.
Joe has a good idea. He is investigating to dome to try and figure out what it is and if it can be shut off. He has already figured out that it is about 10 mile across and that it is semi-permeable. Also, he apparently cannot remember the seizure that he had last week. Loved the look that he and Norrie exchanged. Is that a romance a-brewing?
So, what exactly is up with Big Jim and the pastor? They were bringing in propane to produce something that makes people high and was supposed to save the town. My initial thought was that they are growing marijuana, but if the pastor had been smoking weed, Deputy Esquivel probably would have noticed. So, it is probably something else. May I just also note that sending someone who is high to ransack a house is not the brightest idea in the world? Then again, given the fact that Big Jim needed to be out and about and that someone needed to get the documents out of Duke's house before Esquivel got there, Big Jim didn't have much choice in the matter.
Julia got to the radio station and managed to find out that it is a dome over Chester's Mill. She then promptly shared this information with everyone. Was it the best idea? I am not sure. Withholding the information to avoid a panic was a smart move. I am not sure how knowing that it is a dome is supposed to be helpful, but whatever. What was more pertinent is that Julia discovered that the Army did not raise the barrier, or at least not to the knowledge of the soldiers outside the dome. Hope that is very accurate.
That deputy needed to seriously take a chill pill. First he panics and starts hording assault weapons. Then, he announces to everyone that they are doomed, and then he shoots the dome and manages to kill another deputy with a ricochet. This is why we withhold information from people. Idiots like him panic all too easily and do incredibly stupid things.
Next week, a threat arises from within...
My Review of Teen Wolf 3.05- Frayed
An hour filled with flashbacks of a battle, the death of an Alpha, and Scott being very neurotic...
So, before I look at the characters, I want to try and put the events of the hour into some semblance of order so that we can truly understand what was going on. At some point, Scott went to the school and found one of Alison's arrows from the incident with Boyd and Cora a couple of weeks ago. So, he goes to talk with her about it and tells her to be very scared. She tries to take him on hand-to-hand, but he easily beats her without even coming anywhere in the ballpark of breaking a sweat. He leaves her apartment and runs into Deucalion in the elevator. Deucalion reveals that the Alphas live in the penthouse above where Alison lives, so Scott goes to tell Derek this. Derek already knows because Boyd and Cora followed the Alphas back there. Derek is convinced that if Deucalion is killed, the Alpha pack will fall apart. Sidenote: How many times do Derek's plans have to fall apart before he realizes that he completely *SUCKS* at planning things? Damn dude, get a fricking clue!
Ok, I'm back now. Anyhow, both Peter and Scott are worried about the plan for different reasons. Scott wants to see if the whole issue can be settled without resorting to the default of killing. Scott, while I do love you, that chance has as much chance of working as does a snowball in hell. Peter, on the other hand, is worried that by killing Deucalion, something worse will appear in his place and he refers to the myth of Hercules and the Hydra to prove his point. The Hydra was a mythical creature in Ancient Greece. It had several heads, and every time one head was chopped off, two more grew in its place. Love that Scott actually knew this one! So, despite the qualms of Scott and Peter, Derek went ahead.
At some point, Scott (accompanied by Isaac) decided to go talk with Deucalion to put his plan into action. Unbeknownest to him, Derek, Boyd, and Cora followed him. Deucalion was with the Alpha pack and a battle ensued. The Twins took on Scott and Isaac, Kali took on Cora and (with the big male Alpha [bmA]) Derek. The bmA (missed his name) also took on Boyd. The gang looked defeated until Alison appeared (against her dad's wishes) and shot her flash bang arrows which turned the tide. The arrows knocked out the Twins and Scott then took on the bmA. After they hit each other and both went flying back, Scott's eyes actually glowed red (!?!?!?) for a second. Then Derek attacked the bmA and Scott gouged out part of his calf. Both Derek and the bmA toppled over the edge and it appeared the both died.
Later, Scott, Stiles, Boyd, Isaac, and the cross-country team were on the way to a meet. Scott's injury was not healing, and Stiles was seriously worried. Boyd was getting ready to attack the Twin on the bus (I can never tell them apart, but I think they said it was Aiden), but Scott stopped him. Stiles managed to get the bus stopped (more on the later) and after a great deal of stressing, Alison managed to stitch Scott up just in time to see Isaac whaling away on the Twin. Scott stopped him (when no one else could) and the trip continued.
Meanwhile, the Alphas took bmA to Dr. Deaton, who patched him up only to have Deucalion crush his head. So not nice. Derek ended up outside Ms. Blake's car, still seriously bloody.
Ok, that is a recap of an episode which did some major league jumping around. Now, for the character stuff.
First, Scott. I think that Lydia may have been right and Scott's biggest problem was psychosomatic. Basically, he felt so guilty about Derek "dying" that his body wouldn't heal itself properly. But the biggest news is that Scott most definitely has Alpha status. Between his ability to stop Isaac cold both last week and this week, his stopping Boyd from doing something stupid, and his red eyes, he is definitely an Alpha. What I really want to know is how on earth he managed to achieve that particular status? The only route we know of to become an Alpha is to kill one. But, it is apparently also possible to become an Alpha via another path. Maybe this is what makes Scott so dangerous to the Alpha pack. He is an Omega who has become an Alpha. Not only is he an Alpha, but he exerts a certain amount of control over Betas from a completely different pack. That is true power, my friends. Then there was that look that Deucalion shot at Scott after the collision with the bmA. That was a look of someone who is worried and does not like what is happening. Not only is Scott an Alpha, but he has managed to align himself with both humans and hunters and incorporate both into his pack. Add all this up and you are probably talking major-league danger to Deucalion and the other Alphas.
Derek really, really needs to stop with the plans. They *NEVER* work and *ALWAYS* end up getting him into trouble that other people have to rescue him from. Granted, Scott's plans aren't always the best, but at least *SOME* of his work. I know that Scott's moral principles may be annoying (love the line from Peter about Scott and his "bland moral[s]"!) but at least he does more than just automatically go kill, crush, destroy!! Scott warned him that Deucalion was expecting them, but Derek went anyways. Sheesh!!!
So, Ms. Morell is Dr. Deaton's sister. I thought they said that she was his daughter. Or did I misremember that? I found that particular tidbit interesting. I still want to know why she has aligned herself with the Alpha pack. I suspect that they are both some sort of keepers of supernatural knowledge and so they work with both sides in order to gain access to more information. We also know that Dr. Deaton knows the hunters, so this idea is somewhat plausible.
Stiles was such welcome comic relief tonight. Between constantly texting Danny to find out what the Twin was waiting for (so fricking amusing!) to bugging the coach to stop the bus (thought one of them was going to have a heart attack or something) to getting the poor guy to throw up (that was an evil smile on Stiles' face!), Stiles just kept the laughs coming. Love that he and Lydia are working the whole dark Druid thing. So are they right? Is there a war coming between the dark Druid and the Alpha pack? Is that why Deucalion is trying to recruit Derek and Scott?
I really like it that Alison is back and fighting. I know she has lost a lot, but she is right, Scott and the crew are her friends and she should help if she can. But, her father is also right. This is *VERY* dangerous and she needs to be careful. I so cannot blame him for wanting to stay out of this.
Oh, and Lydia, why oh why are you making out with the other Twin (Ethan?)? Granted, uber hot, but still!
Until next week when there is chaos at the motel where the team is staying!
So, before I look at the characters, I want to try and put the events of the hour into some semblance of order so that we can truly understand what was going on. At some point, Scott went to the school and found one of Alison's arrows from the incident with Boyd and Cora a couple of weeks ago. So, he goes to talk with her about it and tells her to be very scared. She tries to take him on hand-to-hand, but he easily beats her without even coming anywhere in the ballpark of breaking a sweat. He leaves her apartment and runs into Deucalion in the elevator. Deucalion reveals that the Alphas live in the penthouse above where Alison lives, so Scott goes to tell Derek this. Derek already knows because Boyd and Cora followed the Alphas back there. Derek is convinced that if Deucalion is killed, the Alpha pack will fall apart. Sidenote: How many times do Derek's plans have to fall apart before he realizes that he completely *SUCKS* at planning things? Damn dude, get a fricking clue!
Ok, I'm back now. Anyhow, both Peter and Scott are worried about the plan for different reasons. Scott wants to see if the whole issue can be settled without resorting to the default of killing. Scott, while I do love you, that chance has as much chance of working as does a snowball in hell. Peter, on the other hand, is worried that by killing Deucalion, something worse will appear in his place and he refers to the myth of Hercules and the Hydra to prove his point. The Hydra was a mythical creature in Ancient Greece. It had several heads, and every time one head was chopped off, two more grew in its place. Love that Scott actually knew this one! So, despite the qualms of Scott and Peter, Derek went ahead.
At some point, Scott (accompanied by Isaac) decided to go talk with Deucalion to put his plan into action. Unbeknownest to him, Derek, Boyd, and Cora followed him. Deucalion was with the Alpha pack and a battle ensued. The Twins took on Scott and Isaac, Kali took on Cora and (with the big male Alpha [bmA]) Derek. The bmA (missed his name) also took on Boyd. The gang looked defeated until Alison appeared (against her dad's wishes) and shot her flash bang arrows which turned the tide. The arrows knocked out the Twins and Scott then took on the bmA. After they hit each other and both went flying back, Scott's eyes actually glowed red (!?!?!?) for a second. Then Derek attacked the bmA and Scott gouged out part of his calf. Both Derek and the bmA toppled over the edge and it appeared the both died.
Later, Scott, Stiles, Boyd, Isaac, and the cross-country team were on the way to a meet. Scott's injury was not healing, and Stiles was seriously worried. Boyd was getting ready to attack the Twin on the bus (I can never tell them apart, but I think they said it was Aiden), but Scott stopped him. Stiles managed to get the bus stopped (more on the later) and after a great deal of stressing, Alison managed to stitch Scott up just in time to see Isaac whaling away on the Twin. Scott stopped him (when no one else could) and the trip continued.
Meanwhile, the Alphas took bmA to Dr. Deaton, who patched him up only to have Deucalion crush his head. So not nice. Derek ended up outside Ms. Blake's car, still seriously bloody.
Ok, that is a recap of an episode which did some major league jumping around. Now, for the character stuff.
First, Scott. I think that Lydia may have been right and Scott's biggest problem was psychosomatic. Basically, he felt so guilty about Derek "dying" that his body wouldn't heal itself properly. But the biggest news is that Scott most definitely has Alpha status. Between his ability to stop Isaac cold both last week and this week, his stopping Boyd from doing something stupid, and his red eyes, he is definitely an Alpha. What I really want to know is how on earth he managed to achieve that particular status? The only route we know of to become an Alpha is to kill one. But, it is apparently also possible to become an Alpha via another path. Maybe this is what makes Scott so dangerous to the Alpha pack. He is an Omega who has become an Alpha. Not only is he an Alpha, but he exerts a certain amount of control over Betas from a completely different pack. That is true power, my friends. Then there was that look that Deucalion shot at Scott after the collision with the bmA. That was a look of someone who is worried and does not like what is happening. Not only is Scott an Alpha, but he has managed to align himself with both humans and hunters and incorporate both into his pack. Add all this up and you are probably talking major-league danger to Deucalion and the other Alphas.
Derek really, really needs to stop with the plans. They *NEVER* work and *ALWAYS* end up getting him into trouble that other people have to rescue him from. Granted, Scott's plans aren't always the best, but at least *SOME* of his work. I know that Scott's moral principles may be annoying (love the line from Peter about Scott and his "bland moral[s]"!) but at least he does more than just automatically go kill, crush, destroy!! Scott warned him that Deucalion was expecting them, but Derek went anyways. Sheesh!!!
So, Ms. Morell is Dr. Deaton's sister. I thought they said that she was his daughter. Or did I misremember that? I found that particular tidbit interesting. I still want to know why she has aligned herself with the Alpha pack. I suspect that they are both some sort of keepers of supernatural knowledge and so they work with both sides in order to gain access to more information. We also know that Dr. Deaton knows the hunters, so this idea is somewhat plausible.
Stiles was such welcome comic relief tonight. Between constantly texting Danny to find out what the Twin was waiting for (so fricking amusing!) to bugging the coach to stop the bus (thought one of them was going to have a heart attack or something) to getting the poor guy to throw up (that was an evil smile on Stiles' face!), Stiles just kept the laughs coming. Love that he and Lydia are working the whole dark Druid thing. So are they right? Is there a war coming between the dark Druid and the Alpha pack? Is that why Deucalion is trying to recruit Derek and Scott?
I really like it that Alison is back and fighting. I know she has lost a lot, but she is right, Scott and the crew are her friends and she should help if she can. But, her father is also right. This is *VERY* dangerous and she needs to be careful. I so cannot blame him for wanting to stay out of this.
Oh, and Lydia, why oh why are you making out with the other Twin (Ethan?)? Granted, uber hot, but still!
Until next week when there is chaos at the motel where the team is staying!
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