Angel 2.3: "First Impressions"
Written by Shawn Ryan
Directed by James Contner
In which Angel begins having dreams about Darla, which drive him to distraction, while Cordelia has a vision about Gunn in danger and she decides to do something about it…
Status Report
With the decision to focus on a more substantial arc in the second season, the writers had to turn their attention to the nuts and bolts of that brand of storytelling: a slow but steady introduction. The typical Mutant Enemy structure practically mandates a slow build for the arc, spread out over the first several episodes, and an emphasis on thematic elements. Of course, one minor problem emerges in the case of “Angel”: the entire series may have had a redemptive theme, but season to season, there was a less defined aspect.
The theme of the second season was, in loose terms, a match to the themes at play in “Buffy” at roughly the same time: self-realization. Most of the characters find strengths and weaknesses within themselves while dealing with Angel’s darker side. Of course, this theme is mostly explored in terms of Angel himself, demonstrating that Angel was capable of questionable moral choices even before Angelus emerged on the scene.
The re-introduction of Darla is critical to Angel’s arc, drawing out the darker elements of Angel’s personality. One theory about vampires in the Buffyverse is that they embody a heightened and demonized version of the worst aspects of the victim’s personality. Spike, for instance, takes his obsessive love for people to a completely insane level, threatening the world to keep Drusilla pleased. Angelus took Liam’s desire to punish and torture those who care about him and his dangerous sense of fun to that next level of evil and depravity.
The point is that Angelus draws on flaws within Angel; the same demon would express itself differently had it taken hold of someone else. And that brings up the key question at the heart of the series: how much is the demon, and how much is the person? Where is that line drawn, especially in comparison to the human monsters at Wolfram and Hart? Prior to the second season of “Angel”, there was little reason to believe that Angel himself could be seduced into amoral acts.
Delving into that kind of character study takes time, and Darla’s part in the story is provocative and, for those who love Julie Benz, more than worth it. Darla has always shown a seductive side, and it’s not hard to believe that she could be irresistible. After all, it was already firmly established that Angel was fascinated by Darla and her decadent ways, and with Buffy now at a certain remove, it’s not hard to imagine that she would get under/around/above his skin.
The writers make things interesting (and add some complexity to the question of the psychological aspects of the seduction) by framing it all as something within Angel’s subconscious. Until the very end, it’s not clear whether or not Darla is just in Angel’s head, which points to the idea of something within Angel, undermining his resolve and redemption. As it turns out, Darla is actively weaving this spell, thus initially demonstrating why Wolfram and Hart would go to such great lengths to bring her back.
This episode also introduces, in a very subtle way, further clarification on the curse regarding Angel and his soul. This was explored somewhat (and badly) in the first season, but this season gets into finer detail. Just what does it take to trigger the change: sex and its biochemical aspects, or some emotional component that coincides with those biochemical reactions? In the fourth season, for example, Angel believes that he has sex with Cordelia, and that triggers the release of Angelus. Why, then, does the same not happen when Angel and Darla are together?
While Darla’s concerted effort to pull Angel away from his allies and his redemptive journey is an important element of the episode, the main action focuses on Gunn and Cordelia. This is also the first episode focusing on Gunn that lacks an interesting hook. Much of what happens in this episode is designed to put Gunn and Cordy into a situation where they can play up assumptions about each other, which can then be shown as inaccurate and insulting. Unfortunately, that ground had already been covered, even if it had never been seen for Gunn and Cordy specifically.
The issue with Deevak does help to remind the audience of how desperate and dedicated Gunn has been, trying to keep his little section of the bad side of town alive and relatively well. What that requires is a nearly endless display of strength and will, and it takes its toll. In a nice twist, the writers manage to communicate one of the more interesting aspects of Gunn’s character. The more Gunn does to help himself, the less effective he is on the street.
In fact, as seen later in the series, Gunn’s association with Angel and the others is a major drawback. As much as Gunn helps Angel on his road to redemption, he’s seen as turning his back on his own people. It’s as much a class and social issue as anything else, and in the second season, that’s communicated rather well.
Cordy also displays more of her stubborn strength, especially as compared to her earliest appearances on “Buffy”. Cordy has always been willing to jump into the truth with both feet, regardless of the circumstances, but her evolution into a fairly capable fighter is a relatively new element. And leave it to Cordy to turn her attack-dog tendencies to protecting someone who doesn’t want protection!
That said, Deevak is not a particularly compelling enemy, and while Gunn is relatively small potatoes in the scheme of things, he has been around long enough to deal with threats with superior strength. Deevak doesn’t seem particularly problematic; he just serves the purpose of presenting Gunn with a challenge that can reveal his inner turmoil. That doesn’t leave a lot to work with, which is to the detriment of the episode as a whole.
Memorable Quotes
JAMEEL: “Man, I didn’t do anything!”
GUNN: “You think I care? Survival of the fittest, bro. And right now, you ain’t looking too fit.”
ANGEL: “Well, it’s just, you know…the whole visibility issue, not to mention the whole hat-head thing, and if you really think about it, how come I have to wear the ladies’ helmet?”
WESLEY: “Stop being such a wanker and put it on! Good. Hop on board, gorgeous…”
CORDELIA: “Who me? I’m not a friend. I mean I’m just here on business. I’m a working girl. That came out wrong. I mean, obviously I’m not a “working girl”. Not that I couldn’t be if I wanted to, of course I could. God, that sounded stuck up, didn’t it? I didn’t mean to imply that I could be a working girl and you couldn’t. Far from it. You’d make a great…could you just point me to the hors d’oeuvers?”
DARLA: “Mmmm…I could just eat you up…”
Final Analysis
Overall, this episode is an important step in the process of ramping up the season arc, but the central plot thread for Gunn and Cordy is not quite as substantial as it might have been. It’s never a bad thing to have a lot of scantily-clad Julie Benz, of course, and this does set the stage for exploration of Angel’s dark side. It’s not a horrible episode, but it’s fairly average for the second season.
Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/4
Final Rating: 7/10
Dead Zone 5.2: "Independence Day"
Written by Adam Targum
Directed by Chris Bruno
During the fourth season, I was rather critical of the stand-alone episodes. In particular, I was bothered by the apparent lack of originality. A lot of the stories were predictable, without the deep character study that can alleviate some of the effects. This episode seems to be an odd hybrid of the clever storytelling of the first couple of seasons and the predictable plotting of more recent years.
The predictable element, I thought, was the revelation that the cop was actually the escaped convict. That was telegraphed to the point of being annoying for the rest of the episode. The moment Johnny had the vision when speaking to the “cop”, it was obvious where things were going. That left me searching high and low for something worth watching, and thankfully, the rest of the episode was interesting enough to do the trick.
I liked the fact that all the elements that would come together in the end were introduced piece by piece, out of context, so that a good amount of time was spent working out how the threads would intersect. It wasn’t quite as interesting as episodes like “Precipitate” from the second season, but it was a lot more intricate than many of the fourth season stand-alone episodes.
The best elements of the episode were the smaller moments. The main characters have been the victim of poor characterization for a little while now, mainly as the writers have attempted to lighten up the tone of the show and make it more “viewer friendly”. But the solution (at least, for this episode) is coming up with a fun guest cast. Bruce gets to flirt with a hottie, the bikers were a complete hoot, and Johnny got to run into groupies of a very different sort. The bikers alone were worth the time!
There is, of course, the lingering question of “re-watchability”. An episode can be somewhat clever and entertaining, but that doesn’t mean that it’s something you would want to watch repeatedly (or, say, with commentary on a DVD set). This was a very pleasant episode, but it was also rather lightweight. There’s no long-term consequence, even from a character perspective.
Writing: 1/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/4
Final Rating: 6/10
4400 3.4: "Gone: Part I"
Written by Bruce Miller
Directed by Morgan Beggs
Thus far, the season is designed to prove out the claim by the producers that the third season will focus more on the mythology. The first two episodes were one big story, there was one connected stand-alone episode, and now we’re into another two-episode arc. That’s a huge chunk of the first half of the season, so they’re not playing games.
It’s notoriously hard to review the first part of any two-episode story without seeing the resolution ahead of time, so I won’t be dwelling on too many items of speculation. There’s every reason to think that “Gone: Part II” will answer the big questions raised in this episode, especially in terms of the true purpose of Maia’s abduction.
The abduction itself, and the reasons given for the “adjustment” to the plans of the “future humanity”, bring up an interesting point. As I’ve noted in the past, Dr. Burkhoff’s recent experiments with the modified promycin could begin a progression that leads to the catastrophe requiring the 4400 in the first place. Just based on the information provided before this episode, one is left to wonder if the “future humanity” missed the obvious. Could the 4400 themselves be the source of the catastrophe, in some kind of self-fulfilling time paradox? (As a minor point of speculation, one could wonder if this “adjustment” is, in fact, a trigger point.)
One of the interesting aspects of the episode is the long-range effect of this future technology. If the “future humanity” chooses to intercede in the complex conflicts of the “present”, it adds a wild card into the mix. One would imagine that the current crisis will resolve itself by the end of the second half of the story, but is that necessarily the case? Wouldn’t this be one way to alter the status quo? The question is whether or not anyone would be aware that the timeline had changed. It’s bad enough when everyone has to worry about the Nova Group and interpersonal politics; it’s a lot worse when agents from the future can act against all of them without interference.
The internal politics at the 4400 Center are getting painful, but it a good way. Richard has always been there to help Sean, especially at the end of the second season, so there’s reason to believe that his motives are sincere. Matthew, on the other hand, clearly has an agenda, even if it’s still not clear. I got the feeling from “The New World” that he was acting against Jordan Collier’s interests, but he also seems to be working against the Nova Group. Whatever the case, it’s clear that he has some goal in mind.
If we continue with the “X-Men” analogy, it seems as though Matthew is unleashing a hint of the “Dark Phoenix” within Isabelle. I like the fact that Isabelle continues to wear green as a signature color; it fits into the idea that she is the “Phoenix”-analogue. Watch for her to start wearing red and black as her personality shifts into a more violent mode. I fully expect that Sean and Richard power-sharing will be enormously complicated by Sean’s relationship with Isabelle, and that the relationship will also factor into her turn towards violence, if it does indeed happen. But the main point is this: Isabelle’s lack of proper maturation leaves her vulnerable to extreme shifts in mood, and also without a clearly defined sense of morality.
It’s always fun to see how Tom and Diana are caught between the demands of their position at NTAC and their relationship to the 4400. NTAC is always worried about the possibility that they will be compromised by their personal connections and allegiances, and some among the 4400 see them as snakes in the grass. I continue to think that extreme elements on both sides are losing sight of the utility of such natural diplomats.
(As a sidenote: I also have a podcast associated with my various reviews called “Dispatches from Tuzenor”. Recent episodes are related to “The 4400”, so it might be something of interest . Go to http://entil2001.libsyn.com if you want to listen!)
Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 2/4
Final Rating: 8/10
X-Files 6.5: "Dreamland: Part II"
Written by Vince Gilligan, John Shiban, and Frank Spotnitz
Directed by Kim Manners
In which Scully races to find a solution to Mulder’s current predicament, while Mulder comes under suspicion as the leak at Area 51 continues his attempt to hand over evidence…
Status Report
According to the writers, the mandate from Chris Carter for the sixth season was an emphasis on more comedy. Apparently the previous seasons had been too dark for someone with the kind of authority to ask Carter to lighten it up a bit. Considering where “Millennium” was going at this point, one could point to the network as this source of interference. Ultimately, however, it comes down to a simple reality: “Dreamland” was originally conceived as a body-switch caper with Garry Shandling.
Armed with this information, it’s easy to see how the story was developed. Little or no thought was given to how this would make sense within the context of the mythology as a whole. The two-parter was written to allow for as many gags as could fit into two hours. Place this into perspective for a moment. Two hours out of a season boiled down to an excuse for funny gags about David Duchovny and Garry Shandling switching bodies. The fact that Shandling couldn’t schedule the filming, forcing the casting of McKean instead, is a minor consideration.
The end result has its moments. Scully in particular gets to show some of her previous edge, and there’s more than one hint that Scully is still wondering if it would be better to pursue a new and more normal life. Yet there’s also a depth of emotion between the two agents, especially when it looks like all is lost. Scully is very reluctant to let go of Mulder, and he clearly doesn’t want to let go of her. It’s in keeping with the progression of their relationship in the wake of “Fight the Future”; they know how they feel about each other, but there’s still the unspoken psychological issues keeping them apart.
That’s why the opening monologue by “Mulder” is important, both for the seasoned viewers and the new initiates. It’s a good reminder that Mulder’s world is still defined by questions about Samantha and her disappearance. It also makes it very clear that Mulder is a psychologically damaged individual. Mulder often ends up heroic or insightful, but sometimes that’s a matter of perspective. From a different point of view, Mulder has let his life slip away while tilting at windmills. (Leaving aside, for the moment, the fact that he was all but maneuvered into his little crusade.)
Morris probably already knew about Mulder, since it seems that his department was mainly focused on disinformation and Mulder was a high-profile facilitator of such efforts, especially in previous years. But it’s still interesting to see Mulder’s life through another person’s eyes, even someone with as many personal issues as Morris. He quickly points out all the aspects of Mulder’s life that could and should have been different.
For all that, it’s still all a bit overdone. It’s funny to think of Mulder using his bedroom as a massive storage closet, but one has to wonder how much information was really lost when Morris cleared out the space. After all, it takes time for that much information and assorted crap to accumulate, and Mulder must have been hoarding everything possible since the destruction of his office and many of the X-Files. So where did all of that go, in such a short period of time?
One also has to wonder how long he kept that furniture. It probably plays into a few of his personal fantasies, but it’s also clear that things have changed before the end of the season. That’s probably too bad for him, because if he knew Scully and her own dark side, he might have gotten somewhere with the kinky. (And Scully’s little ruse with the handcuffs? Totally in keeping with what was shown in “Never Again”!)
It’s a bit too convenient for the massive space-time anomaly to reverse itself, which is one of the most obvious flaws of the story. Mulder and Scully are completely divorced from the resolution, and when that happens, the story suffers terribly. It’s also somewhat convenient for the reversal to be conditional and partial, allowing some changes to remain and others to be corrected. Logically, if time snaps back to the moment when everything originally changed, then everything should snap back to the original state. Otherwise, how could Howard just let everyone walk away, if there was evidence that something happened?
The idea that someone in charge of the Men in Black would want to contact Mulder to discover the truth is certainly ironic, but it presents a minor problem. If Morris and others were aware of Mulder and the Lone Gunmen because they were falling for the disinformation, then why would Wegman think that Mulder knew the truth? The implication is that they are being used by the conspiracy, setting things up and organizing resources to be used for nefarious schemes by even more secretive groups. An interesting idea, but it’s annoying that it’s mostly played for laughs and developed to explain a tired and unnecessary comedy gag.
More serious implications of the overall situation are hinted, but the writers fall into the “tell, don’t show” trap. Scully mentions that Morris is turning Mulder into Kersh’s golden boy, but there’s precious little evidence of it. Similarly, Scully is suspended and then expelled, but the actual confrontations occur off-screen. In other words, these far-reaching effects of the body-swap are so remote as to have little or no impact. All this insight regarding Kersh and the conspiracy is effectively lost.
Scully is a lot more intelligent in this episode, though she still suffers from the “act stupid until necessary” characterization that plagued the first half. Scully catches on when Morris stages his “seduction”, but the fact that Morris keeps calling her “Dana” doesn’t trip off any alarms. Scully is well aware that nearly everyone else on the planet calls her “Dana”, but Mulder resolutely calls her “Scully”. Why that alone wouldn’t have been enough is therefore hard to fathom.
For all that, it doesn’t take nearly as much time for Scully to come around to the “extreme possibility” of a body-switch as it would have in the earlier seasons. She accepts the fact that Mulder and Morris have made a switch and she acts accordingly. However, taking Morris into the Lone Gunmen’s lair is a bit questionable, even if it led to some funny moments. Wouldn’t they feel like they had been exposed to the enemy by someone they trusted?
Like the first half of the story, this episode exemplifies everything that didn’t quite work during the sixth season. Instead of using the more serious aspects of the story as the foundation, the episodes originated as a flight of comic fancy. Earlier seasons made the case for a dark and psychologically complex series, and that’s what was the draw for a lot of people. Comedy can evolve out of that, but when “X-Files” is treated as a comedy show with serious undertones, it doesn’t work nearly as well.
Memorable Quotes
LANA CHEE: “You’re my bitch now, pencil-neck!”
MORRIS: “This guy hasn’t been laid in ten years…”
JOANNE: “I’ve heard enough from you for one lifetime, Morris. Go tell it to that tramp of yours, that Scully whatshername.”
MULDER: “Dana Scully…Special Agent Dana Scully.”
JOANNE: “Special Tramp Dana Scully!”
SCULLY: “’Baby’ me and you’ll be peeing through a catheter!”
MULDER: “If I shoot him, is that murder or suicide?”
SCULLY: “Neither, if I do it first.”
Final Analysis
Overall, this episode continues the odd and somewhat disappointing foray into tired comedy that began in the first part of the story. The issues with the comedy gags are made worse by a massive plot convenience that resets the clock, but in very selective fashion. Scully’s characterization is less problematic, but in the end, this was not a good addition to the mythology.
Writing: 1/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/4
Final Rating: 6/10
Buffy 5.3: "The Replacement"
Written by Jane Espenson
Directed by James A. Contner
In which an encounter with a demon bent on destroying the Slayer leaves Xander split into two different people, each with opposing personality traits, and hilarity ensues…
Status Report
Much like the previous seasons, after introducing the thematic elements for the season, nearly all of the characters get in on the action. In this particular case, the theme continues to be self-discovery. The fourth season was about stripping away one’s illusions and self-recognition. The fifth season is a little more complicated: it’s as much about the perception of others in light of self-recognition. So the characters are wondering, once the demands and expectations of others are removed, who they are in the world.
This episode continues to expand on the theme and reveal it in interesting ways. Unfortunately, the pacing is off just enough to keep it from being a knock out of the park. Part of the problem is that the plot arc is still nowhere to be found, so most of the events take place out of a larger context. One could point to the theme, but it’s such a subtle animal that it’s hard to pin an entire episode on it.
Xander was always a character in drastic need for exploration and growth, and he seldom received that kind of attention. This is largely because Xander needed to retain some of the awkward sense of inferiority that made him the perfect character to toss out the funny. A lack of self-confidence often exhibits itself through inappropriate humor, especially in tense or unnerving situations.
One thing the writers did well was establish Xander’s lack of family support. In a lot of ways, Willow is in the same situation, since her choices don’t particularly mesh with her parents’ expectations. But Willow has the benefit of being away at college, making decisions on her own and discovering her own strengths. Xander is still at home, and it’s crushing to his psyche and confidence. (Something firmly established in “Restless”.)
Of course, there’s a reason why Xander isn’t out of the basement, and it’s all about fear. Xander has never been given a reason to believe in his own potential, and so he doesn’t recognize his own strengths. He’s always in fear of being left behind, yet the others recognize and value his loyalty and insight, when he’s willing to provide it. Similarly, it’s hard for him to realize that he’s doing well at his job, since he lacks the ability to recognize how others see him outside of his own internal doubts.
While it seems a bit overwrought, the idea of “two Xanders” is not particularly wrong. There’s one side of Xander that is quite competent and capable, as seen in earlier seasons. But there’s also the part that lacks confidence and self-sabotages. Xander is the synthesis of those two elements, but in the past, the incapable Xander was the one running the show. The capable Xander sees how to deal with a situation and simply does what needs to be done. For Xander to grow, the more capable side needs to come out.
This is communicated by the writers when they focus almost entirely upon the incapable side of Xander, which for most of the episode seems an awful lot like the normal, everyday Xander. In fact, it’s so difficult to believe in the capable Xander that it’s easy to believe he’s some demonic creation of Toth or Toth himself. It’s not until later that the truth becomes clear.
At the same time, the fact that the writers switch from the initial presentation of two Xanders to Buffy and Dawn fighting each other is an indirect reminder that Dawn is, in fact, a representation of Buffy as she might have been. Dawn is all the non-Slayer elements of Buffy rolled into one package and given a distinct existence. In essence, Buffy struggles with her own humanity ever time she fights with Dawn.
Toth’s original intention was to separate Human!Buffy from Slayer!Buffy, which resonates with what would later be revealed about Buffy and Dawn. Buffy is trying to understand the depths of her Chosen legacy, which requires a better understand of who she is when she’s not the Slayer. Buffy’s entire journey from the end of the third season to the end of the series is a matter of realizing what Xander effectively comes to understand by the end of this episode: Buffy is who she is, and she cannot try to be fully human or fully Slayer.
As a student of psychology, Riley understands that all too well. He knows that on some level, there’s an incompatibility. When he was more than human himself, thanks to the Initiative, they were dealing with the same issues. Riley’s moved past that now, and he’s just himself. If Buffy were completely human, he might be enough for her. But the part of her that is the Chosen line feels discontent, despite all his efforts. Buffy’s lack of self-awareness is a large part of why she can’t see the growing disparity between Riley’s feelings and her own.
Several elements are introduced in this episode: some in passing, some in more substantial fashion. Robots in the likeness of major characters would become important by the end of the season, so it’s interesting that Xander tosses that out as a possibility to his current predicament. Similarly, Spike’s obsession with the Slayer is turning into a perverse kind of attraction, a process which began in “Becoming” and has progressed quite nicely over time. There’s also Anya’s concerns over her mortality, which factors into the eventual degradation of the relationship later in the series.
Unlike many other episodes that deal with “doubles”, the producers had an opportunity to take advantage of Kelly Donovan, Nicholas Brendon’s twin brother. The plot serves to smooth over any particular physical differences based on weight, since the split doesn’t necessarily have to be perfect. But it must have been a lot cheaper and less demanding from a production point of view to have two actors in scenes that normally would require the same scene to be filmed twice.
Memorable Quotes
XANDER: “Yeah, maybe it’s definitely time to start looking for a new place. Something a little nicer. Buffy, you’ve been to Hell. They have one-bedrooms, right?”
XANDER: “Guys, you can’t save it for the bedroom? OK, good point…”
GILES: “Well, I’m not dead or unconscious, so I say bravo for me!”
XANDER: “It’s a robot. It’s an evil robot constructed from evil parts that look like me designed to do evil!”
WILLOW: “Uh huh. Or it’s Toth.”
XANDER: “Or it’s Toth!”
WILLOW: “Xander, you sound a little…you have to help me figure this out, you know.”
XANDER: “But I never help. I get in trouble and Buffy saves me.”
WILLOW: “That’s not true! Sometimes we all helped save you!”
BUFFY: “You’ve been split in two. But you’re both Xander. And you can’t kill each other. Um, well…you could…but it would be really bad!”
RILEY: “Psychologically, this is fascinating. Doesn’t it make everyone wanna lock them in separate rooms and do experiments on them? Just me, then…”
ANYA: “Yes, I’m feeling better. And I anticipate many years before my death. Excepting disease or airbag failure.”
BUFFY: “That sounds nice…”
Final Analysis
Overall, this episode is a solid enough episode for the early fifth season, focusing on the main theme of self-realization. While the plot of the episode itself is a bit thin and some elements quickly get tiresome, there are some interesting examples of foreshadowing and some nice hints of character advancement. Still, this is not one of the more memorable episodes of the series.
Writing: 1/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/4
Final Rating: 6/10
Dead Zone 5.1: "Forbidden Fruit"
Written by Christina Lynch and Loren Segan
Directed by Shawn Piller
A funny thing happens when you take a 22-episode season, split it in half, and try to refer to the mid-season two-parter as a season finale and season premiere. It’s not always as powerful as one would like it to be. One could debate the differences of opinion and interpretation regarding the 22-episode order and how it was supposed to hash out, but the bottom line is that the fourth season ended in a weird place and the fifth season starts in a decidedly muddled fashion.
Let me put it this way. My wife, who usually has no problem picking up details from a couple seasons earlier, couldn’t remember what the heck was going on and who everyone was. She got up and left halfway through the show. I stuck it out, and while I’m glad that I did (since I like where the story is going), I have to acknowledge that this wasn’t as good a premiere as it could have been.
I’m a little off-put by the lack of actual promotion for this season. Sure, there’s been the occasional clever commercial and a good amount of press, but “The 4400” was given a spotlight and a recap special to get the audience back in the swing of things. Granted, this entire season of “Dead Zone” has been in the can for over a year, but couldn’t someone spring a little extra time and effort, especially if the rumors of another season are valid?
Even looking back at my comments for the fourth season finale (re-watching wasn’t an option, since the fourth season box set was nowhere to be found in my usual haunts), it took me forever to remember Janus and his place in the DZ universe. At this rate, it’s pretty clear. Janus is like the Devil behind Stillson’s Antichrist, right down to the near-limitless ability to maneuver. And like the Devil, Janus offered Johnny a throne of his own, should he choose to stay out of the way.
The interesting thing here is that Johnny has been operating more or less alone in his fight against Stillson, at least when it comes to having solid local allies. The emergence of Janus as a recognized evil behind Stillson’s bid for power could swing the odds in Johnny’s favor. Purdy is in a compromised position, but he has to believe Johnny now, in the wake of Miranda’s death. Who knows what could come of that?
It’s a difficult thing, because on the one hand, the series has been stumbling with the more episodic fare over the past couple seasons. It’s almost as if the clever twists for visions and mysteries have been covered and the writers aren’t sure where to go for that next creative element. (Though, granted, each “twist” will either click with a viewer or won’t, making it very subjective.) Usually I would point to serialized elements as the cure, since they provide the writers with a larger context and something of a creative safety net. (It looks to help “The 4400” quite a bit this season.)
In fact, I’ve often said that a stronger focus on the series mythology is needed to give the series a proper send-off this season, if it is indeed the final stretch. The political and moral questions behind Stillson and Johnny’s continual efforts to derail the man’s aspirations can be very involving. But it can also get hopelessly tangled without the proper context. I feel like this episode was missing that context. Let me put it this way: if someone happened to be a new viewer, would they have any clue what was going on?
Another thing that was a little disappointing was the focus away from the usual supporting cast. Bruce was there to support Johnny in his fight against Stillson and Janus, and Miranda was prominent enough. But where was everyone else? Perhaps that was addressed in the first part of the story, but that’s where the lack of clear context kicks in. If this had aired immediately after the fourth season finale, then it might have seemed less detached and disjointed.
(As a sidenote: I also have a podcast associated with my various reviews called “Dispatches from Tuzenor”. An episode later in the week will be related to this episode of “The Dead Zone”, so it might be something of interest . Go to http://entil2001.libsyn.com if you want to listen!)
Writing: 1/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/4
Final Rating: 6/10
4400 3.3: "Being Tom Baldwin"
Written by Shintaro Shimosawa and James Morris
Directed by Colin Bucksey
In a sense, this episode is a melding of the “4400 of the Week” format of the first and second seasons and the renewed focus on the series mythology that stands to define the third season. By connecting the new 4400 in this episode to the Nova Group, the writers manage to keep the overall narrative flowing while exploring the specific difficulties in dealing with a meta-human able to change appearance at will.
I’ll be honest: I think that the execution of this particular idea didn’t go far enough. It was a solid enough concept, and the episode didn’t necessarily have much wrong with it, but it seemed less involved than I would have anticipated. For one thing, the manhunt for Tom seemed rather thin, and it was a little too easy for Diana to run around without oversight. Just the fact that she could help Tom, deal with the boss, and still have time to work with Burkhoff is a bit of a cheat.
The central plot is fairly simple: the Nova Group decides to eliminate a member in custody and implicate one of the more prominent members of the NTAC team in the process. Oddly, they choose to frame Tom, despite the fact that he is one of the NTAC agents with clear sympathies for the 4400. Why eliminate a potential resource like that? But that’s part of what Alana points out in the episode: the Nova Group continues to use methods that undermine their own philosophy. If they seek to place the needs and purpose of the 4400 over all else, using their own people as expendable soldiers makes little sense.
At the heart of Boyd’s ability is the hint of something more than shape-shifting. In essence, Boyd projects a mental image that convinces the “victim” that he is who he says he is. This seems to include a mental connection deep enough to establish something of a telepathic link. Boyd is able to pull details and information from the “victim”, which speaks to an enormous untapped potential.
Speaking of untapped potential, Isabelle and Dr. Burkhoff are on two different sides of the 4400 coin. Dr. Burkhoff has been taking serious liberties with the ideals of research science, and frankly, Diana is nuts to be letting this happen on her watch. She has to know she’s compromised morally, even if Burkhoff is rather insistent. Burkhoff’s ideas about changing the world aren’t so far removed from Nova Group rhetoric, and that could be a problem if he succeeds. (Again, hints that this will lead to the catastrophic events that require the 4400 in the first place.) But the ongoing implication is that the promycin is unlocking the latent abilities within every human being.
If so, Isabelle seems to have the potential to demonstrate all possible 4400 abilities, which is disturbing on many levels. To continue the “X-Men” analogy, Isabelle is not unlike the Phoenix (right down to the signature sexy green outfit). She has enormous potential, but emotionally and psychologically, she’s on thin ice. She’s using her abilities for questionable but trivial things right now, but I can’t help but wonder how quickly that will change. Matthew seems to think that Isabelle could become the standard-bearer for the Nova Group philosophy, basically putting her at odds with Sean. By pushing her into Sean’s arms, Matthew may be trying to facilitate that.
I have no doubt that the writers are still working out the process of incorporating the episodic elements into this more serialized format, so it’s easy to forgive some of the stumbling in the plotting of this episode. While Tom’s decisions are questionable, Diana seems to have far more latitude than the circumstances should allow.
(As a sidenote: I also have a podcast associated with my various reviews called “Dispatches from Tuzenor”. The most recent episodes are related to “The 4400”, so it might be something of interest . Go to entil2001.libsyn.com if you want to listen!)
Writing: 1/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 2/4
Final Rating: 7/10
4400 3.1/3.2: "The New World"
Written by Ira Steven Behr and Frederick Rappaport,
Directed by Vincent Misiano
It’s been quite a few months since “The 4400” was airing new episodes, and in the meantime, it feels like the writing staff actually listened to some of the fan response from the second season. In particular, it’s almost as though they listened to everything I was saying and changed things accordingly. Granted, the plot threads all pointed in the right direction, but I can still crow a little bit, right?
Perhaps the most obvious and well-timed change is this shift towards a more familiar dynamic. Those who remember the classic “X-Men” or more recent “Rising Stars” comic books probably recognize and appreciate the current themes at play. In particular, with nothing to inhibit the natural escalation of their powers, the surviving 4400s are discovering that they are more powerful than humanity ever imagined. Some of them are using that power to help, but others are going full-out Brotherhood of Evil Mutants on the world.
To some, this may seem simple, but it places the characters into some rather complex conflict scenarios. From an external point of view, there are four camps, all more or less vying for control of the 4400 and their future. There’s the division within NTAC, which is representative of the division within the human population: some want to help the 4400 integrate and make their promised impact, while others want to eliminate or control the 4400. Among the 4400, there’s Jordan Collier’s foundation and Sean’s attempt to keep its ideals afloat, and then there’s the Nova Group, which has taken a more proactive approach to ensuring that the 4400 control their own destinies. All the characters are caught in this larger chess game, which allows for fascinating character arcs.
Internally, Tom and Diana continue to struggle with the reality that they are, in a certain sense, compromised. Alana is portrayed as someone helping Tom cope with his emotional stress, but one could easily interpret that as a means of control in and of itself. Diana cannot deal with the larger issues posed by the 4400 without considering the effect on Maia. It continues to place them in the center of the storm.
The 4400 themselves struggle with the loss of the promycin inhibitor. Some find it remarkably liberating, since they now have more power and better control. Others (like Richard) have discovered that their abilities are a lot harder to control, especially when emotions run high. It could be interesting for a future episode to explore the ramifications of a powerful 4400 losing control over his or her abilities, thus becoming a potential threat. Imagine how each faction would choose to respond. (And that’s right out of the “X-Men” playbook, I admit, but I think it would be fascinating on this more “human” level.)
Sean is in a particularly troublesome place, and his emerging relationship with Isabelle could go in any number of troubling directions. Isabelle herself is probably going to be fairly unstable, and if she’s as powerful as she seems to be, the growing conflict could center on control over her future. Isabelle’s development has already been deadly (Lily’s death was a shocking but logical progression of the story), and it could bring up a lot more questions about the methods and choices of the “future humanity” that created the 4400 in the first place.
Similarly, Dr. Burkhoff’s experiments with the modified promycin will no doubt lead to his future success as the father of the 4400 (in the usual temporal paradox fashion), but it may also lead to the circumstances that required the creation of the 4400 in the first place. What if an early version of the promycin booster turns out to have long-term side effects, but they don’t show up until a significant percent of the human population has already tried to alter their DNA to become one of the special ones?
Despite the two-hour length and the massive amount of plot and character material to cover, this was a strong and well-paced premiere. It actually felt like it should have been a bit longer, which speaks to the depth of the narrative. There’s enough happening that the remaining 11 episodes of the summer season could be jam-packed with plot and character arcs. The producers did indicate that the series mythology was going to be the focus, but time will tell. If it does center on the rich array of conflicts, it should be more than worth the long wait.
Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 2/4
Final Rating: 8/10
7 Day Forecase: 04 Jun 2006
Now reading:Magician: Apprentice by Raymond Feist338/485 - I thought I would make more progress, but the long weekend in Rhode Island made it imposssible. Frankly, I was happy to make the tradeoff! I love the book, but hanging out with Paula and Steve wins any day!Now playing:Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King - about 50%...I'm at a leveling-up point...Final Fantasy V - about 35%...splitting between this and DQVIII now...Kingdom Hearts - about 8% done...kinda on hold for nowPrince of Persia: Warrior Within - about 1%...can't play this around Brenna!Not much playing this past week...7 Day Forecast (through 11 Jun 2006):Unless I add some "Buffy" or "XF" episodes this week, I'll be focusing on the podcast and writing up my experience over the past weekend.
Quick Update - 04 Jun 2006
Well, I was anticipating getting this week's podcast locked down tonight (and I wanted to do a final pass on the audio evidence), but once I was home and ate something, my brain turned to goo. I'm not long for this evening, so I'll have to postpone any other comments on this past weekend for a little while. Needless to say, meeting the TAPS team was a blast. I also must mention that they were all incredibly gracious and kind, and while I know they were on their best behavior, the team members that were there for the weekend (Steve and Paula) were very genuine and spent a lot of time with us. I'll have more to say when the exhaustion wears off and I get the chance to catch-up on the audio files.
X-Files 6.4: "Dreamland: Part I"
Written by Vince Gilligan, John Shiban, and Frank Spotnitz
Directed by Kim Manners
In which Mulder is contacted by someone claiming to work at Area 51, but when he arrives at the rendezvous, an odd occurrence with an apparent UFO adds a few complications…
Status Report
Starting with the fifth season, the FOX network was more than happy to begin the season for “X-Files” late in the fall, thus shortening the time between the premiere and the episodes coinciding with the November sweeps period. The effect during the fifth season was minimal; however, the effect for the sixth season forced a two-part “mythology” story very early in the season (about two episodes earlier than usual).
While this threw the structure of the season into a bit of turmoil, it also gave the audience an early look at how the sixth season would progress, primarily in terms of how the mythology would be treated after “Fight the Future”. The result was an odd amalgam of the “XF-lite” mentality that would plague the series for the next two seasons and core concepts at the heart of the mythology itself.
Oddly, this is one of the few mythology episodes that doesn’t hinge on an intricate knowledge of the conspiracy. In fact, only the most general knowledge of the conspiracy is required for the story to work. No doubt, this was by design, since new viewers drawn to the series after the film and media frenzy would be looking for a relatively simple introduction to the world inhabited by Mulder and Scully.
This particular concept is useful because it forces the writers to demonstrate why Mulder and Scully are distinct. Once Mulder and Morris Fletcher switch bodies (in a moment that seems awfully convenient but fits within the mythology remarkably well), Morris quickly demonstrates who Mulder is by acting completely different from Mulder. Scully’s expectations teach the audience what to expect, and in turn, her reactions to drastically different situations teach the audience about her personality.
One might be sorely tempted to ask why this story didn’t come right after the premiere, given the utility of the concept. While “Drive” was a neatly generic yet revealing tale that helped long-time fans appreciate how Mulder and Scully were dealing with their post-“X-Files” world, “Triangle” was more about the iconic versions of Mulder and Scully as known to the popular culture of 1998. By using the iconic versions of the main characters and the time-slip plot device, “Triangle” gave the savvy new audience a complex look at how Mulder perceives those around him, friend and enemy alike.
So the theme early in the sixth season was re-introduction to the characters of Mulder and Scully. It was about showing the new viewers who these people were without committing a blatant rehash. This fed into the idea of Mulder and Scully as mythic individuals, legendary to the point of having outlandish adventures that proved their unique bond. All well and good, but at the same time, the writers struggled with the challenge of doing so without letting the stories themselves slip in the process.
The opening scene is directly related to that mission statement. Scully points out (quite logically) that they have been letting life pass them by while grasping at the vague hope of answers and proof. In that moment, Scully once again reaffirms that she is fully invested in Mulder’s quest; note how she is equally sure that Top Secret flights are being conducted. At the same time, she’s wondering if they would be better served by abandoning the search and finding a new way to live. (And for those looking for hints of romance, there is the unspoken assumption that this “normal life” would be together.)
The series had long since embraced self-parody, though the earliest examples were quite clever and even literary in scope. The sixth season was the beginning of a general slide towards forced humor. In this case, the more serious implications of a switch between Mulder and a “man in black” are mated with gags and jokes that are perhaps more appropriate to “Freaky Friday”. While some moments are amusing, some are downright silly and poorly executed. (The infamous “mirror scene”, for instance, is horribly done and far too long, with the two actors out of step on several occasions.)
One obvious problem with the gag was Scully’s reaction to Morris. (For simplicity’s sake, the controlling “personality” will be referenced, regardless of the body in use at the time!). It simply took too long for Scully to come around to the idea that something unusual was taking place (he called her “Dana”!). Given how often these two have been the victim of such a switch, thanks to shapeshifters, one would think that they have a simple protocol for ensuring identity. At the very least, Scully might wonder if Mulder has been adversely affected by something, especially when he started making passes at other women and treating her like a piece of meat (Mulder’s use/misuse of authority with Scully has always shown itself in a very different way).
Also over the top was Mrs. Fletcher and the rest of the Fletcher household. She comes across as a completely unreasonable harridan, and the kids are stereotypically out of control. Duchovny plays these “family” scenes very broadly, which is clearly meant to be amusing and a showcase of his comedic talents. While there are some truly funny scenes throughout (Mulder mumbling Scully’s name after falling asleep watching porn is particularly priceless), they don’t mesh particularly well with the idea of a mythology episode.
From the standpoint of the mythology, this episode actually touches on some core concepts, most notably the distinction between the body and the soul/spirit/intelligence. Apply a strong enough EM field, out of control as per the unbalanced propulsion methods under test by the conspiracy for their UFOs, and it has an unexpected effect. Why only certain people find themselves thus affected by the unusual properties of the damaged hyperspace propulsion engine is unknown; one might suppose that it is tied to the unique genetic properties of those more likely to survive separation of mind and body. (Mulder, of course, known to have the latent abilities of the “sentinels”, as William’s father.)
By showing what happens when the engines for the “UFOs” don’t work correctly, the writers essentially bring to mind the power and technology necessary to make it in the first place. Long-time fans might remember “Synchrony” and how it meshes hyperspace wormhole travel with manipulation of space-time, but this brings the question down to the quantum level. In essence, the malfunctioning hyperspace drive has resulted in a wave of improbability; events that normally are impossible (two objects occupying the same space and time and surviving) are now made possible. The comment about gravity being incorporated in the propulsion system speaks to a depth of knowledge in advanced physics akin to the “Grand Unified Theory”, merging electro-magnetism, quantum mechanics, and gravity as one single type of force expression.
In switching Mulder with Morris (and vice versa), smaller but interesting aspects of the conspiracy and the mythology reveal themselves. The conspiracy has been working on building the hyperspace drives since before 1953, which fits neatly into the established timelines. One of the more interesting toss-away jokes has been the idea of Saddam Hussein as stooge of the conspiracy, an actor playing a role. While this is a nice enough joke, it actually fits into the idea of a conspiracy using manufactured wars to test emerging “super-soldier” technology. In fact, the Persian Gulf Conflict has been revealed as the testing ground for everything from the nanotech-driven super-soldiers to vaccines against Purity.
There’s also the small matter of Kersh and his role within the conspiracy. He has leveled several threats at Mulder and Scully, and they have proven ineffectual at best. While it helps play up the big differences between Mulder and Morris, it also begs the question: why doesn’t Kersh follow through? The answer is relatively simple. Cancer Man contrived the situation where Mulder and Scully are on a short leash, but he also wants them to keep acting in accordance with their agenda to further his own. It is, at this point, critical that he have the ability to push the agents where he needs them to guide and control the Syndicate.
Without the comic relief scenes, however, the concept adds little to the overall mythology. It’s been established for some time that the conspiracy has agents assigned to keeping the effects of their experiments under wraps and out of the public eye. In fact, Mulder and Scully have been used to cover any slips with disinformation (something that goes back to the first season). With such a thin story, the plot could have been covered in a single episode without the cute scenes with Mulder and Morris each dealing with the lifestyle quirks of the other. In the end, the whole idea of Mulder getting framed by Morris (in a more complicated version of his original intent, as seen in the next episode) is a poor excuse for the “body switch” story.
On the other hand, as fun as Morris can be, despite the forced comedy, there’s the sense that the two-part format could have played well if the plot and character work had taken a darker turn. As threatened as Mulder becomes by the end, the sense of threat is relatively low-key. Mulder should feel a lot more threatened, and for that matter, Morris could be played with a more sinister flare. It’s something that would be missing from the series until its creative resurgence in the eighth season: that dark and oppressive atmosphere.
Memorable Quotes
SCULLY: “Don’t you ever just want to stop? Get out of the damn car? Settle down and live something approaching a normal life?”
MULDER: “This is a normal life!”
CHRIS: “You said you’d give me an answer today.”
JOANNE: “Her nose. You said you’d give her an answer about her nose!”
MULDER: “Um…I think…I think she’s a little young for plastic surgery, don’t you think?”
JOANNE: “Oh, for God’s sake, Morris…a nose ring! She said she wants a nose ring!”
CHRIS: “I hate you! I wish you were dead!”
MULDER: “Well, my work here is done. Have a nice day…”
SCULLY: “You don’t think that we should follow up on this?”
MORRIS: “Are you out of your pretty little mind?”
Final Analysis
Overall, this episode seems to be designed for the newer members of the audience, since it focuses on the less serious aspects of the series at the expense of the overall mythology. In many respects, this begins a trend of lightening up the series to the point of losing sight of its distinctive darkness. Despite some interesting ideas related to the mythology, the episode is held back by tired comic gags.
Writing: 1/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/4
Final Rating: 6/10
Ghost Hunters 2.23: "31 May 2006"
Case #1: Stanley Hotel, CO
Well, here we are, the final episode of the second season. In technical terms, this series has aired more material in its second season than “Battlestar: Galactica” or any other original SFC series. Sure, it’s a lot less expensive, but it’s nice to know that the show has gained that much support and public awareness. (Though, honestly, can’t we hear about a third season already?)
This time around, it’s even a super-sized finale. I had no idea going in that it was 90 minutes, so it was like getting bonus footage! So I was a little surprised when the episode turned out to be relatively slim on the strong evidence. Even Jason had been talking it up just before the episode! (Then again, from his perspective, he was right there for the best stuff, so why wouldn’t he say it was great?)
That said, I could watch unfiltered evidence for hours and still be happy, so I’m not going to complain very much! I found it cute that the season actually managed to have a dramatic arc! Brian’s life issues over the second season made for a somewhat tortured and poorly conceived story. I’ll give it to the editors for trying to put together a pseudo-storyline, but it’s really not necessary. (Like the weird music, or the weird overdubbed noises, and everything else they add in post.)
So, onto the evidence:
I love the fact that the majority of the evidence was debunked: the banging, the reflections in the thermal footage, the shaking bed. That’s the sort of thing they do very well, and it does make it a lot easier to accept items like the jumping table at face value. For me, that’s still a hard sell, but only because of the camera angle. I’m not claiming fakery here (everyone knows me better than that by now), but what was shown will play right into the hands of those who believe Grant does fake things. (I also wonder if the editing wasn’t done to make it seem questionable.)
The best evidence, of course, was the first night in Jason’s room: the closet door and the broken glass. I’m sure the skeptics will find ways to explain the closet door, even though you can clearly see Jason is alone in the room and still on the bed when the door closes. But the glass is a more interesting situation. I really don’t see how that could have broken as it did, and it actually sounds like the piece of glass fell off before the sound of the glass breaking was heard. Very strange!
This is the part where I would usually launch into a discussion about the season as a whole, but I’m doing things a little differently moving forward. The “Ghost Hunters” post-mortem (so to speak) will be the main focus of an upcoming episode of “Dispatches from Tuzenor”, a new podcast started as an expansion to the written reviews conducted every season. That episode should be up relatively soon, and it will include some comments from the weekend I’m spending in Warwick with some TAPS members and fellow fans! So I invite anyone interested to drop by the archive site (www.entil2001.com) and click on the link. (It’s also available on iTunes.)
Chill Factor: 8/10
(Season 2 Final Chill Factor: 6.4)
