Princess Lucky

Killjoys will be back for a 4th and 5th final season, and I couldn't be happier! That's the dream. Planning a series finale 2 seasons in advance. Amazing. I can't wait to see how this show ends (and we can all enjoy watching next season without constantly worrying about the show's renewal). But first, the S3 finale!

The promotional material I saw was "ASTEROID!!!!" and "Hot Dudes!!!" and "television's Jennifer Finnigan!" None of those tells me "political thriller". This promo here (the only one I saw) is pretty clearly (to me, at least) about a sci-fi show with the classic "ooh, the government is corrupt and wants to hide things!" trope that literally every sci-fi show and film have been utilizing since the dawn of time. I would not call, say, The X-Files a political thriller, you know? Or The Matrix. Not to mention, if I wanted to watch a political thriller, there are certainly better (and more fitting) options. I would not choose this show, or any show involving minor planetary objects. Or Designated Survivor, for that matter (which sadly I do watch, and which, just like Salvation, seems to have embraced its boring side instead of giving in to the fun). A political thriller requires good writing, which this show has literally never had. And good acting, which, eh. And interesting characters, which, hell no. Not with the way they change motivations and demeanor every other episode. Personally, I signed up for the TV version of The Core (a timeless classic and all-around terrible film). And for shirtless Ian Anthony Dale. I only got one of those things. Could have been worse, I suppose. Designated Survivor hasn't even given me shirtless Kiefer. (I kid, I kid) Needless to say, I tried to catch up with Salvation. I regret that decision. I also regret the fact I thought ep. 10 was the finale. Oh well. Now I know better.

That's such a Turin attitude, heh. I don't blame D'avin for that any more than I blame Fancy for anything he did before he was cleansed. In fact, I think that's the beauty of it, that's why D'avin is able to understand, and that's what gave us that lovely moment between those two. They've both come so far. Speaking of things D'avin shouldn't feel guilty about, this time his DNA gets used to create some sort of Hullen baby? Without his consent? D'avin is quite literally being used, and not for the first time. Physically used. And he keeps apologizing for it, as if he were actually responsible. That's interesting. And consistent with his backstory (I think he's used to feeling guilty because he abandoned Johnny and that still weighs on him). Oh and none of this is my ship, by the way. Except Aneela/Delle Seyah. I'm suddenly rooting for those crazy kids. And Pree/Gared, of course. I am absolutely certain (because of the great, almost exasperated way Luke said that line) that D'avin considers himself to be one of those wrong guys. If not the wrongest. That's what made the moment work.

What did I just watch? Until the very last minute, I was hoping the whole thing was somehow part of D'avin's plan. I was hoping they let the Hullen prisoner escape on purpose, and Pip was going to truly mess with her memories by implanting something else, which would have been the real plan. I guess I refused to accept they failed? I was shocked. But I did love seeing that Hullen woman get "spaced," that was ice cold. I still don't know when/where the switch was made (the last scene would be a safe bet, but I'm not willing to make that bet just yet), but I assume Delle Seyah was some sort of a distraction? I really have no idea. That said, I would be perfectly willing to believe Alvis was only injured, but he did get a little too much of the spotlight, and he made amends, so I guess he's probably gone(?). I can't say I'll really miss him, but I did like the actor. Yeah, as soon as they introduced a villain of a higher level, someone who "outranked" Aneela, that's what I've been assuming. It's not like Dutch is going to die (right?), but maybe there's hope for Aneela, too. The fact she's so attached to Delle Seyah bodes well, since it seems like the writers may want us to root for them (as a couple, at least, heh). D'avin broke my heart in this episode. I related to him, for the first time. The idea that you're expected to "handle" everything emotionally, while having to shield others around you, that's all too familiar for me. I'm not much of a shipper (though I do ship Zeph with everyone in the man trio, somehow, and I am in love with Pree and his boyfriend), but I appreciated that Dutch said she enjoyed working just with D'avin, among other things. We didn't see much of that, so I liked that reference. I wish we could have seen D'avin's talk with Johnny, but yet again the show made a fantastic writing choice with Johnny's reaction. D'avin's reaction is to openly try to save Dutch, while inwardly preparing for her death. Johnny's reaction is to openly accept Dutch's death, while inwardly scheming to prevent it. And the way Johnny basically said "I know you too well to argue with you" was a great contrast to D'avin, who kept trying to change her mind. Again, both D'avin and Johnny's individual personalities, as well as their individual (and very different) bonds with Dutch were perfectly showcased. Fancy and Turin need to make up, but only after Turin does something heroic to help/save Fancy. And, of course, they should both survive. I can lose Alvis, but I can't lose either of them. I can't wait to see how this all ends. Maybe with the reveal of "The Lady"? Who may or may not be a familiar face? Or with the birth of the Hullen/D'avin baby, who will signal humanity's doom?

Wow, it's like they're in my head! ... Not. So, the big S1 conspiracy will be mostly dealt with by episode 2x02? Sounds about right. The new showrunner clearly wants the show to distance itself from that wackiness. Unfortunately for me.

Aw, thanks guys. Your posts perfectly encapsulates my strange taste, by the way. Person of Interest and Designated Survivor. One might say there's a certain disparity in quality between those two shows (/understatement), and yet here I am, posting about them with the same enthusiasm, heh. Killjoys would be somewhere in the middle, but it's a full-on genre show which puts it near the top (in my heart, at least).

Quoting because it can't be said enough. The earlier instance of him not opening the door to let Fancy go, a few episodes ago, that was the perfect level of "asshole". And Turin even looked remorseful afterwards. But this? This is too far. He'll need to do a hell of a lot if he wants to be redeemed (and I kind of want him to be redeemed, because I used to like him, and even in this episode he made me laugh with "I feel hydrated as shit"). Wow, that actually didn't occur to me. Aneela doesn't know who or what Dutch is to her. That's (part of) why she's so fascinated (that, and perhaps a bond she feels with Dutch?). That'll be a fantastic reveal. Especially now that we have official proof that Aneela can still feel, unlike the rest of the Hullen. Aneela and Dutch have been trying to kill each other, but they are the same person. That's... intense.

Right? Not to mention, how does the FBI storyline (i.e. Hannah, Forstell and the new MI6 guy) fit in, if the workings inside the WH are the new focus? Exactly. They haven't asked her back, and they might not. This means nothing. Unfortunately for me.

I've been watching the show from the start, and I've been lurking here, but I just had to write something about this episode. Dutch and her identity was such a trip. Like all of us, I had considered all the theories. I was still kind of shocked when this episode implied Aneela was her mother. Then, when Zeph shot that down, I figured Aneela had used the green to clone herself. But the truth was much more shocking. Somehow, she was able to manifest a memory? To turn a memory, using the green, into an entire biological organism? Dutch is not exactly an Aneela clone, she's Aneela "herself" but with different experiences. What does that mean? Doesn't it mean that, in a way, Dutch isn't real? Isn't human? Isn't a real person? (I don't know how else to put this) Aneela created Dutch. Dutch is Aneela. Like... Dutch shouldn't exist. She's some sort of an aberration. The philosophical implications are staggering, should the show choose to dwell on them. Technically, Dutch is Aneela. Genetically, if you exclude whatever effect the green/Hullen shit had on her, she does have the same mother as Aneela. Because she is Aneela. Kind of. It's almost as if Aneela had time-travelled and plucked Little Aneela from the timeline and raised her (i.e. herself) in another timeline. Genetically they should be the same. Except for the green. That's why Aneela said Khlyen was the father. I don't know exactly how Aneela did it, and we do know she's into scientific experiments, but if she had used her own Hullen DNA, I don't see a) why she'd need Khlyen's DNA at all and b) how she would produce a human (assuming Dutch is human). I think she genuinely created Dutch out of a memory, somehow. Dutch is the younger, human, pre-Hullen version of Aneela. So Khlyen is the father and they do share a mother. I think, heh. Turin stabbed Fancy in the back, and he also stabbed me in the heart. I was rooting for you, Turin! This can't be forgiven. D'avin has turned into the most relatable character, somehow. The one you can root for. When he stood up for Fancy I cheered (somebody had to!). And when he asked for Fancy's loyalty, and immediately said "and you have mine"? Such a great moment for him and Fancy. Fancy deserved to hear that. And I liked how the episode showed us that D'avin really is a natural leader, when it comes to the military. Tit Whisperer or no, D'av can really be a charming son of a bitch. I thought that last scene was very smart, and necessary. Dutch can be a leader of a trio of people who worship her (Johnny, D'av and Zeph) but can she really command an army? Does she even want to? She's too much of a lone wolf, too much of a wild card for that. A leader doesn't take off, with no regard for her own life, just to get "answers", leaving everyone else behind. And she really is fighting a personal war, on a different level than everyone else. D'avin is the best choice for a day-to-day commander. Dutch is the special weapon. The one who'll tip the scales with her badassery. But she is not relatable (because she's too special) and, while she can inspire loyalty, she's kind of... better than you. You should look up to a leader, but you should also be able to relate to them. The other fighters (including Fancy) can see themselves in D'avin. There's a camaraderie Dutch can only achieve with those closest to her, and again, only with those who worship her (like Alvis). D'avin is a more traditional leader. Someone you can trust and someone you can listen to and someone you can question. He's more normal. Again, more relatable. I like the fact the show pointed out that difference, and demonstrated how D'avin won them all over by being loyal and keeping his word. Do I almost ship Johnny and Zeph? Yes, but not as much as I ship Johnny and Lucy. Although I still think Zeph should keep talking about D'avin nipples, because that's hilarious. It was great to finally see the Johnny/Dutch first meeting. I've never shipped Dutch with either brother (or Alvis, for that matter. Delle Seyah was my Dutch ship of choice before Aneela swooped in), but I think she does trust Johnny more on an emotional level, and D'avin more on a "mission" level. She and Johnny are too alike, in some ways, too emotional, while D'avin seems to be more of a soldier. I enjoyed the different way in which she treated them. It was consistent with the very different relationship she has with each of them, and also consistent with their individual strengths. I must admit, when I sat down to watch the episode, my first thought was "ooh, I can't wait to see what is happening to Delle Seyah!" I didn't even realize she wasn't shown at all until the episode ended. That's how good it was.

Hah, that's what I assumed (though I secretly hoped Harris had said it, finally displaying a sense of humor). I might binge the episodes when the season is over. I like the actors enough.

That quote almost makes me want to watch these episodes. Almost. (who said that, by the way?)

Thinking about it, Hawaii Five-0, Elementary and Criminal Minds are the only CBS shows I watch (but I am on the younger side. No NCIS for me just yet, heh). I do want to check out SWAT and the new Jeremy Piven show (which, by the way, co-stars Richard T. Jones, who is awesome and briefly played the Governor on H50), but that's it. I surprisingly watch a lot of Fox shows, which I never realized (and Fox does pretty well with "diversity", for which I applaud them).

Just dropping by to say that, after this episode, I'm dropping this show. I'll still be reading the episode threads, but I was looking for a dumb, fun summer show and I got a dumb, boring show, instead. I don't care about any of these people, none of the performances are wowing me (through no fault of the actors), and I only "like" some of the characters because of my affection for the actors portraying them. Watching episode 3 was a chore. It's the same thing every week. Harris appears shady but his heart is ultimately in the right place (or is it?), Jennifer Finnigan is preachy and self-righteous and sneaking around to help Tanz while feeling guilty she's compromising her relationship with Harris, Tanz is a brilliant douche who might have an agenda of his own, the Liam kid is annoying but very smart, Intrepid Teen Reporter gets a major break, Girlfriend, like, exists... And? No forward momentum, no smart way to keep our interest week after week. Just "it's coming". There's not enough story for 10-ish episodes, not if we're 3 episodes in and they've all been the same repetitive crap. Oh, as for the science/accuracy debate, I'll be the first to say I don't mind even glaring inaccuracies when the end product is entertaining (I do love Armageddon and The Core almost equally, if that tells you anything about me). This show, however, is not entertaining in the least. It has nothing fun to offer (except for Ian Anthony Dale's shirtlessness. A true highlight, and the only thing I will miss. At least I can count on more of his shirtlessness on Hawaii Five-0 next season). Too bad. I guess I'll get my dose of summer fun just from Killjoys and Claws.

Yeah, I think it'll likely be a joke, similar to the joke about Nate's mom's sandwiches. Plus, I assume Ray's mom will be played by someone 80s hot, which would be right up Nate's alley (given his age and the movies he must have grown up watching, as seen above, haha). I could see Nate teasing Ray about it, or hitting on her just to get on Ray's nerves. But I'm sure we'll also get a McFly scenario out of it but with Ray himself. That sounds like a fun episode. And I have to assume Arthur's look is because of that play he is/was doing? Hair-wise, at least? But I'm liking the suit. It's different (to match his new role, I suppose).

Seconding that sigh. No Julian and no Harry? Pass. And Iris leading the team for 3/4 of an episode before Barry inevitably returns and usurps her? Double pass. Unless the writers do her (and me) a solid and have her still lead the team for a while after Barry's return, until he gets his bearings. That I will (grudgingly) accept. I kind of like that Caitlin will likely be a "merged" version of Caitlin and KF, and the Cisco/Cynthia stuff sounds fun, same for the Joe/Cecile stuff. But another Wells? Can he at least be actually funny and not annoying? And maybe a little sexy, too? Oh wait, we already have a Wells like that, and his name is Harry. Sigh indeed. Hell, I'm worried we won't even get that, and he'll just disappear without a single mention. There is a time jump, after all. And Caitlin's been gone the entire time, so maybe Julian just got bored of waiting and left the team and we won't even hear about it. The fact they're not mentioning Felton at all does not bode well.

Haha, yeah, thanks to you! Honestly, with drastically lowered expectations, it wasn't even that bad, it was just (hilariously, at times) underwhelming. The worst part is, I think it's only downhill from here.

Wow. CBS was shook. Of course all 3 of these people are probably paid in peanuts, but it's gotta be nice for them to have a steady (if minute) paycheck as opposed to waiting for the phone to ring. And all that because CBS wouldn't show the appropriate respect to DDK and GP.

I was honestly watching those scenes and asking myself, "why????" So pointless and dumb. And all for that borefest of a final scene? Since there was no twist, I would have written the reverse. Kirkman gets the "terrible" news that everything's been compromised and the country is not safe, he freaks out, but then he has to deliver this huge speech. So he pulls himself together, he gets some strength from his kids (LOL), and then he goes out there and crushes it, delivering this grandiose and inspiring speech, while he's internally panicking. And the season ends on his face, as he hear the applause, and we see his expression shift from jubilation to concern. The opposite didn't work for me. "Yay everything's great" to "omg no it's not". We didn't have time to enjoy the victory and we also didn't have time to ponder the potential disaster. A switch would have been better, if you ask me.

Perfectly put. I finally watched the finale, and it was better than I expected (only because I expected it to be terrible). I didn't like the actual ending, I found it totally underwhelming, especially since I was waiting for some last minute twist, but overall it wasn't a bad episode for this show's standards. Some scattered thoughts: It's not as fun to watch the hunt for a mole when a) you already know who the mole is and b) you don't actually know who the mole is, because he's one old white guy in a sea of old white guys and what does he even do? That was a good fight scene, between Hannah and Lozano. A somewhat decent ending for him. Reed Diamond is only getting hotter with age. Chuck! And Hannah! Together again! Not gonna lie, "Can I get you a... hospital?" was a great line. I loved those two. That Jason Atwood/Hannah flashback got me. I shed an actual tear. I hated losing him, but at least the show didn't gloss over his loss and what he meant to her. Rob Morrow took a chance with his portrayal of Abe and, at least for me, it paid off. It was especially evident in his scene with Kirkman, how he was setting the tone, and not letting Kiefer's chill and understated vibe dictate the overall vibe of the scene. He took charge (and, of course, Kiefer played off of him wonderfully). Morrow was one of the few actors who were able to do that (along with Virginia Madsen, of course). Kal Penn, Italia Ricci and Adan Canto are very charming and compelling performers who deserve better material. I'm glad they'll be back as a trio in S2, they do their best work together. The jokes between them and those few nice moments between Aaron and Kirkman were the hightlight of the White House storyline. Nice to see the Kirkman kids one last tim... yeah no. I laughed when they randomly popped up after like 8 episodes. And that speech did not affect me. Whatever. Kiefer can only do so much. I am not particularly excited for season 2, especially after three totally underwhelming cast additions. I don't understand why the show insists on getting rid of all its best actors and replacing them with nobodies. On that note, I'd love to see Rob Morrow and Reid Diamond back, but I'm not holding my breath. They'll probably be replaced too. This show had so much potential, and it wasted almost all of it. Other shows would thrive with a cast like this. I would hope for an improvement in season 2, but I'm not that optimistic.

I totally agree with the first part. I was mostly being sarcastic with "CBS wins", just because they'll pay far less for 3 actors than they would have paid for just the 2. Business-wise, that's a win, but at what cost? PR-wise? And I also absolutely agree that the real issue here is the fact CBS chose to replace the Asian actors with "cheaper models" while catering to every whim of the white actors (Scott Caan especially, with his particular demands and that mysterious renegotiation, but also AOL who received an oversized salary from the start, while his more famous co-stars like DDK got much less).

This is pretty much the only current CBS show for which that is not true. When I found out Santiago Cabrera and Ian Anthony Dale would both be on Salvation, my only question was "and who's gonna be the talentless white guy who'll be the star of the show?" To my surprise, this is more of an ensemble, So, Jennifer Finnigan is friends with the ambassador of "Africa" huh? Great. Wait, Ian Anthony Dale lied about the test because she didn't have clearance? And then he got her the appropriate clearance, and then he told her (almost) everything? Aw. I knew I liked him. Also, she's the one keeping most of the (treasonous) secrets now. And using his (sexy) body to cover up her failed spy tricks. Rude. Meanwhile, she's using his specific clearance codes to steal uranium, plus she's dropping his name to soldiers, but she doesn't want to "implicate" him? Like... Nice to see Dennis Boutsikaris wasn't just hired for that one-off role in the pilot. But I do agree, why not include a female genius? The show has too many dudes right now. Darius is charismatic, but he's getting on my nerves. And I still don't care about the white guy, I skipped all his scenes. Speaking of me not caring, that teen reporter is gonna have a whole storyline to herself? And so will the random girl the white guy hooked up with, whom I assumed we'd never see again (read: until the finale)? Yeah, I'm not so sure I'll keep watching this show. Not if that's their idea of filling airtime. That said, "Atlas" is "Destiny" right? From The Core? Which, like I said last week, is clearly the inspiration for this show? Namely, it's the military program which somehow caused the upcoming disaster? I gotta say, Ian Anthony Dale is much better looking than Richard Jenkins. And he looks way better shirtless. Santiago Cabrera is Stanley Tucci, I guess, which is a slight downgrade. And the MIT guy is Aaron Eckhart? That's a total downgrade.

Wow. Well that's one way to do it. While paying a lot less, of course. CBS wins, I suppose, while saving face(-ish). So, Ian Anthony Dale, huh? I l'm not sure how Adam will stay on when his wife is gone (might they kill off Kono?), but I do love him, and he's enough to keep me watching. I mean, I'm even watching Salvation partly because of him. Interesting how he was tweeting in support of DDK. I'm glad CBS didn't hold that against him (then again, he is currently on another CBS show). I just wish we could have kept DDK (and GP, too, though it seems she wanted to leave sooner rather than later).

You said it. That's certainly not enough to get me excited, even if I really liked this actress on Dirty Sexy Money. To me, this is 0 for 3 on the new actors. Which is sad. No, not yet! I'm gonna watch it on Thursday. Tonight I'll be watching Salvation, because I don't love myself. In their dreams. That is a great example to follow, but can these writers do that? And it's one thing to combine (compelling) family drama with politics and international crises, but to combine it with rogue agents and bombings and other wild stuff? I suppose the show will continue with that offputting shift between two totally different halves, tonally speaking.

'Fascinating' is not a word I would use to describe anything ever shown on Designated Survivor. Except maybe Hannah's hair flips, or Aaron's hair but without all the hair gel, or maybe Rob Morrow's hokey yet somehow captivating performance. Yeah. I just don't understand how someone (*cough*Kiefer*cough*) could ever watch S1 and think, "I know what would improve this show! More Kirkman kids and less Virginia Madsen!"

Oh God. That actually intrigues me. I'll try to watch it by the end of the week, if only to satisfy my (now increased) curiosity. Thanks for lowering my already totally low expectations, by the way, and I mean that in all sincerity. This show had so much potential. Much more than your usual network show. It's wild how they lost their way.