4400 3.8: "Blink"
Written by Amy Berg
Directed by Colin Bucksey
This is probably the first truly transitional episode of the season. Even so, there are some long-term effects. Three subplots dominate, but I would only call two of them successful. The most disturbing plot thread, of course, pertained to Isabelle. The other two were directly connected to the “4400 of the Week”, sending Tom and Diana on a personal journey towards resolution of lingering emotional issues.
Isabelle has long since slipped over to the dark side. For a lot of people, it could be taken as overly repetitive, but I think this is all leading to one hell of a confrontation. In particular, this episode demonstrates how far Isabelle can take her particular point of view without meaningful interference. Isabelle definitely acts like a spoiled child in this episode, not unlike that omnipotent child from “The Twilight Zone”, and she deals with resistance in an almost playful manner. Shawn, perhaps the only 4400 with the power to deal with Isabelle, can’t stop her.
I believe that my earlier prediction will be verified: Tom will turn out to be the only one with the power to kill her, but that moment might have passed. How could Tom get to her now? I suspect it could end in that most predictable of ways, taking another page from the “Dark Phoenix Saga”. Isabelle could realize how far she’s gone, and beg Tom to kill her before it’s too late.
The “4400 of the Week” was a nice enough plot device, though there are certain elements that are best ignored, as they would not stand up to closer inspection. The point was to force Diana and Tom to face personal demons. And frankly, the writers didn’t really bother to hide it. It was a risky move, because it puts the burden on the power of each emotional journey. They both really needed to succeed for the plot device to be justified.
Diana’s hallucinatory journey hit all the right notes. Past history was revealed, but in the process, a strong connection was made to troubles in her present day. I’ve noted the somewhat lacking nature of her relationship with Marco since the season premiere, and this was a logical (if unfortunate) direction for her character to take. Taken in context with Alana’s removal from the equation, it does bring up disturbing possibilities, but it makes sense.
Tom’s side of the story, on the other hand, didn’t quite work for me. I struggled to determine what the present-day relevance of his hallucination might be. I suppose there is some degree of synergy with his loss of Alana (and previously, Kyle), but it’s not a perfect fit by any means. That left his plot thread wanting.
As far as transitional episodes go, this took a rather obvious plot device and made it work on certain levels, if not as effectively as it could have. This is where the Isabelle subplot comes into play. While it could have been more of the same, it took that thread one step closer to a huge confrontation at the end of the season, and distracted from the less successful elements of the main plot. This is a good example of a subplot propping up an episode.
(As a sidenote: I also have a podcast associated with my various reviews called “Dispatches from Tuzenor”. Recent episodes cover the “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: 1/4
Final Rating: 7/10
Directed by Colin Bucksey
This is probably the first truly transitional episode of the season. Even so, there are some long-term effects. Three subplots dominate, but I would only call two of them successful. The most disturbing plot thread, of course, pertained to Isabelle. The other two were directly connected to the “4400 of the Week”, sending Tom and Diana on a personal journey towards resolution of lingering emotional issues.
Isabelle has long since slipped over to the dark side. For a lot of people, it could be taken as overly repetitive, but I think this is all leading to one hell of a confrontation. In particular, this episode demonstrates how far Isabelle can take her particular point of view without meaningful interference. Isabelle definitely acts like a spoiled child in this episode, not unlike that omnipotent child from “The Twilight Zone”, and she deals with resistance in an almost playful manner. Shawn, perhaps the only 4400 with the power to deal with Isabelle, can’t stop her.
I believe that my earlier prediction will be verified: Tom will turn out to be the only one with the power to kill her, but that moment might have passed. How could Tom get to her now? I suspect it could end in that most predictable of ways, taking another page from the “Dark Phoenix Saga”. Isabelle could realize how far she’s gone, and beg Tom to kill her before it’s too late.
The “4400 of the Week” was a nice enough plot device, though there are certain elements that are best ignored, as they would not stand up to closer inspection. The point was to force Diana and Tom to face personal demons. And frankly, the writers didn’t really bother to hide it. It was a risky move, because it puts the burden on the power of each emotional journey. They both really needed to succeed for the plot device to be justified.
Diana’s hallucinatory journey hit all the right notes. Past history was revealed, but in the process, a strong connection was made to troubles in her present day. I’ve noted the somewhat lacking nature of her relationship with Marco since the season premiere, and this was a logical (if unfortunate) direction for her character to take. Taken in context with Alana’s removal from the equation, it does bring up disturbing possibilities, but it makes sense.
Tom’s side of the story, on the other hand, didn’t quite work for me. I struggled to determine what the present-day relevance of his hallucination might be. I suppose there is some degree of synergy with his loss of Alana (and previously, Kyle), but it’s not a perfect fit by any means. That left his plot thread wanting.
As far as transitional episodes go, this took a rather obvious plot device and made it work on certain levels, if not as effectively as it could have. This is where the Isabelle subplot comes into play. While it could have been more of the same, it took that thread one step closer to a huge confrontation at the end of the season, and distracted from the less successful elements of the main plot. This is a good example of a subplot propping up an episode.
(As a sidenote: I also have a podcast associated with my various reviews called “Dispatches from Tuzenor”. Recent episodes cover the “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: 1/4
Final Rating: 7/10
posted by John Keegan | 15:37
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