Ham Tyler

OK, some more intriguing stuff here...and more questions. Some things that got my attention: 1. Snyder causally quips to Will that "the drones zapped my Congressman, but left [broussard] alive." Does this mean the entire "Host" attack the day of the Arrival was entirely carried out by millions of drones which targeted elected officials for execution? 2. I always wondered what effect the Arrival would have on organized religion and their respective followers and now we got a look at what appears to be a devoted group of believers in "The Greatest Day," which appears to have recruited as its most zealous missionaries, the private tutors who serve the elite of the new political order. The stylized logo on banners in the sanctuary and on the cover of the book, "The Greatest Day" depicts a scene resembling the "launch" that periodically happens off the California coast and Lindsey, Gracie's tutor already is proselytizing her. Could these "launches" involve the "Hosts" vacuuming up children and transporting them to an unknown, extraterrestrial location to, as the spiritual leader said, "become something greater"? 3. The spiritual leader then lauds "brother" Nolan Burgess "in the political ministry" for realizing "the importance of our work." That statement invites investigation as to whether the term "political ministry" here has a double meaning, unlike the parliamentary term "ministry." It also invites questions as to whether those left alive by the "Hosts" — especially those in the new political elite, such as Burgess and Proxy Snyder — all are involved in drinking the proverbial Kool-Aid, in thinking the "Hosts" came to Earth to benefit humans, despite apparently wiping most out. Is a sexually adventurous man who looks the other way as his wife rips off million dollar art pieces genuinely interested in advancing an evangelical cause, or is he involved purely for some political gain — perhaps angling for Proxy Snyder's position? 4. Speaking of "sexually adventurous," the bedroom arrangement of Burgess and his wife Charlotte to include a third party (only in her presence) is eerily reminiscent of a scenario in Maragaret Atwood's chilling sci-fi novel, "The Handmaid's Tale," in which an infertile woman was left with no choice but to allow her husband to attempt to procreate with a concubine-like "handmaid"strictly for the purpose of procreation. Knowing the "critical role"of children in "the Greatest Day" the spiritual leader spoke of, does being a voyeur float Charlotte's boat, or is there some kind of procreation mandate going on, among the devotees of this new (and I'm resisting calling it a "cult") spiritual philosophy? 5. In her subliminal proselytizing of Gracie, Lindsey shows her a paper cutout of a purple "man" she says was "very misunderstood" and came to Earth thousands of years ago to teach humans about themselves and the universe, before dying. Beyond the obvious references to messiahs and prophets, from Yahweh and Muhammad to Jesus and countless other figures, how did the "Greatest Day" messenger die and how do the devotees in the shows rationalize the "Arrival" as the man's resurrection? 6. Knowing he is the most wanted man in the Los Angeles Bloc, Eric Broussard still makes no effort to disguise his face in public and even returns to his mother's house to do home repairs. Katie literally turns her back on Broussard while walking back home, knowing full well he likely drove her to a place near the Griffith Park Observatory to execute her, reaffirms her loyalty to the resistance, yet willingly spills the details to Will on where he might be found. Why would Katie so willingly give the information, only to warn him by phone that he was in danger? 7. Viewers learned this week that Broussard is an assassin extraordinaire who assumed multiple identities while doing shadowy contract hits for the U.S. government and afterwards, any high bidders. Why would a man so familiar with clandestine operations make absolutely no attempt — ever — to alter even in the slightest way, his physical appearance in public, against an enemy with unheard of — bordering on incomprehensible — surveillance abilities? 8. Beau and Will question two redhats who worked in the same team with Broussard, who they knew as "D." While the questioning goes on, viewers see a wall of photographs of the missing or dead — next to an undisturbed American flag. With the Transitional Authority cracking down on every last remnant of the "old order," how would such a prominent symbol be allowed to be displayed? 9. Viewers had to be very attentively listening to hear an announcement in the background inside the resistance safe house to hear a voice in a public service announcement say that people who worked in the Green Zone would be eligible for "bonus rations." What could these "bonus" items possibly include? 10. Viewers got more information about Snyder, who tells Will he has a daughter — somewhere. Then he gives Will a picture of his and Katie's son, Charlie, ostensibly alive, post-"Arrival" in the Santa Monica bloc. A skeptical Katie asks Will, "if [the Transitional Authority] was close enough to have taken a picture of Charlie, why isn't he home with us?" Is Charlie really alive, or was this perhaps the last visible image of Charlie before he met his death?

Katie does seem well read to me and more importantly, if she grew up in the south and attended high school or college there, there's a good chance Faulkner would've been required reading, hence the literary reference to naming the pub.

Cool! I didn't know this thread existed. Now that I do, what is going on with Helena living in the Santa Monica bloc and how did whoever the Hosts are, build a wall that extends out into the Pacific and for what reason? It's apparent that satellite phones are the only form of communication between humans in one colony and another, so who was Helena talking to? When Helena said she had "talked with New York," does that mean New York is free, or occupied? Could Helena secretly be part of the resistance? Who is the governor general and what is the scope of his or her powers in the new order?

I beg to differ on "Lost." Pretty much all my questions were answered...unless of course I missed something. :) Meanwhile, a few other "Colony" questions... 1. As evidence by the Transitional Authority propagandist reporting on the Geronimo show trial, TV broadcasts are allowed — but are LA Bloc residents now living in a one-channel universe of all TA propaganda all the time? (That in itself would lead Americans to take up arms in rebellion!) 2. How were TA people, such as Helena, Snyder and others "selected" by the "Hosts"? 3. How was the wall built and how long did that job take? (Unless the "Hosts" merely dropped it into place from above.) 4. Why are residents of the LA Bloc mistakenly called "Colonists," when that descriptor is reserved for people affiliated with the party that has invaded and colonized a territory (aka the Mayflower people and immediate descendants?) 5. With the apparent physical devastation (at least to parts of downtown LA), how does the Transitional Authority have the resources and labor (assumed forced?) to trick out all the vehicles (including converted city buses) and mass produce new flags, lapel pins, patches, redhat uniforms, etc. in less than a year? (All this suggests that perhaps this was all planned by the invading party long before the actual invasion and was ready to roll out, which leads to my next question...) 6. Was "The Arrival" a clandestine, long-planned and incredibly well-kept secret conspiracy that certain people were in on for years? (Until we as viewers actually see any evidence of an extraterrestrial involvement, I ain't buyin' that it is. The occupation seems way too well organized and mapped out, even if the events we're seeing are just under a year into the process....or...) 7. Was "The Arrival" itself a peaceful encounter between our species and extraterrestrial visitors, until we or they did something to provoke a war we quickly lost (as Phyllis told Will before Broussard busted a cap in her dome, "they dismantled all our defenses in eight hours)?

Like any good sci-fi show — especially a Carlton Cuse one, as he did with "Lost" — "Colony" keeps leaving viewers with more questions after each episode. Here are 10 of mine, for your consideration and comments: 10. When Snyder tells the crowd at the Yonk that the bar is in the Transitional Authority's "long-term plans" and raises a glass to toast "10 more years of beer and bourbon," does this mean humanity have only 10 more years left — in existence, or on Earth? 9. Does Snyder have any family members who survived The Arrival? 8. If food is scarce and is rationed, then why are there occasional scenes of people eating and drinking at cafes and restaurants? 7. If there's no mobile phone service, how are people like Katie able to make phone calls — remember the pay phone-looking device in the Pilot, in which she calls Broussard and speaks in code? 6. Have all the telescopes in the LA Bloc been confiscated, preventing residents from simply gazing into a clear night sky to detect the Hosts' presence somewhere? 5. What if the Factory ISN'T a slave labor facility at all and instead is a place where human prisoners are "recalled," then "manufactured," "modified," "repaired" or forcibly interbred with the Hosts to suit their needs? 4. Speaking of "needs," Snyder certainly looked gobsmacked and terrified while brushing aside Will's questioning him in the Pilot about what needs he was referring to, when he told Will that "everything will go back to normal" after humanity satisfied the Hosts' needs — what ARE they? 3. How could the Hosts simply "arrive" on Earth from space without any warning, given all the detection technology humanity has, to pick up signals and objects traveling through space? 2. What happens to any LA Bloc residents who dare to attempt to fly the American flag or sing patriotic songs or say the Pledge of Allegiance — and would the redhats be so quick as to turn their backs on their own country? 1. What if this is all is a ruse and the Hosts aren't extraterrestrial at all, but an Earth-bound power which has managed an unprecedented and unfathomable technological breakthrough rendering them powerful enough to bring the developed world to its knees?