beedub

I'm okay with how this wrapped up, as we got decent closure on all the really big themes and plot points: - The clones being made / owned / monitored by a shadowy organization, and their quest for liberty from it. - The need to find a cure to the disease shared by the clones. - The progress of Helena's pregnancy with twins and the question of their safe delivery. There was a shitload more than this, but these were the essentials, unless I've forgotten something! I know that exception has been taken to Alison's character changes (that wig!), but I felt it was a way of showing some growth for someone who had previously been very uptight and a little one-note. Her whole Soccer Mom persona served a very clear purpose early on, supporting the nurture / nature argument (in favour of the former) and providing sharp contrast to the personalities and types of the other sestras, not to mention giving Tatiana yet another acting challenge. The comic relief didn't hurt either! The business with the high-school equivalency test was useful to show that Sarah still wasn't quite past her old ways and her grief. But I had the distinct impression that without S around any more to take up the slack with Kira, Sarah will be forced to become more responsible in time, and that's a good thing. We didn't get Krystal in the finale, but at least she (and Tony!) put in an appearance on the evidence board. But they did manage to squeeze in one last new Colombian sestra, and Tatiana killed it with the Spanish. I think all of us have some specific threads we would have liked to have seen tied up, but having worked on a bunch of shows and seen first hand the challenges / limitations of the process, I don't fault OB for not getting into more of these. Practically speaking, scripts are constantly being revised and scenes changed or omitted so that, for instance, the writers can focus on some emotional beats, or streamline the story when it seems to be getting too busy. With a finite running time, it just isn't possible to include every little thing. Speaking of which, it might have been nice to see a momentary shot of a photo of Paul somewhere in Sarah's house, as he was such a big part of the early seasons. From a personal standpoint, it was satisfying to see one of my longtime pet peeves addressed over the course of the last few episodes, when it was confirmed that the story is based in Canada, and specifically (but less overtly stated) in Toronto – at one point Art mentioned that a Neolution board member's body was found in the Humber, which is one of Toronto's major waterways. Also enjoyed the callback at the very end to Shite Beach from Season 1. (Not its real name, but I know what Sarah and Felix are referring to.) Going to buy some Shitefish for dinner now...

Or morally grey characters. He was the original leader of the vampire hunters (under a ton of makeup) in The Strain. But if you want to see him at his best, check out the great, underrated Bruce McDonald psych/horror film Pontypool. (Yes, it's Canadian.) It's just behind Queen Street. Here it is on a map. Come visit! Yeah, in the scene at Dyad, I was saying how there was all kinds of daylight showing through the back of that wig. What up?? It's a classic case of casting a very young "actor" (required only to look cute and deliver a smattering of lines) who then has the audacity to get older and still be in the show. It's not like they were originally chosen for their thespian skills, but as time goes on their talent or lack thereof becomes more apparent. Kudos at least to OB for not committing the heinous crime of recasting the child between seasons (see The Strain above). I too found MK's manner of death repulsive and perhaps too much. But storywise, the rage makes sense, as the last time we saw these two characters together MK had Ferdinand tied to a chair that was about to explode while he was forced to transfer a large amount of funds to her account (if I'm not mistaken). So apart from the weirdness of including Rachel in his assault, there's a basis there for directing so much anger at MK. Still, unforgivable. Comeuppance, please. On a personal note, at least the bear logo I did for MK made one last appearance, on her shirt (apparently available at Hot Topic), but I kind of feel bad that it ended up functioning as a target for Ferdinand.

That seems to be the case, and the most likely candidate is Delphine. Perhaps a similar implant to Rachel's (put in while she was in surgery after being shot) with an "echo" that Rachel picks up? Could be Delphine is cut off from external communication, with the eye link an unintentional means of transmission, perhaps one way. Doesn't necessarily account for the random swan hallucinations that preceded these new images, though. So much material for speculation! Not sure who Delphine's current group is or what they're up to, but my guess is the bearded guy is a scientist, maybe a rogue Neolutionist with a grudge against his former employers. But his camp is giving off a definite "Others" vibe. Also really enjoying Rachel's presence this season, and appreciating more than ever the contrast of her character to the other clones. In particular, her calm, confident and authoritative air, especially now that she seems to be getting her groove back. She always seems to be thinking, wheels within wheels, and it was indeed a relief that her endgame (at least for now) meshed with Sarah and Art's. In spite of, you know, the whole kidnapping of Kendra and threatening harm to her son. No accident that she brought up Sarah putting a pencil in her brain, though. There's definitely some unfinished business there. Looking forward to next week, and while she hasn't been brought up so far, hoping to see an appearance by M.K. in the finale (if only because I have a personal connection to the character).

Yes, the six months thing was a bit of a surprise. That would make it a very eventful six months indeed – let's see, Sarah impersonating Beth, Katya getting killed, meeting the other sestras, discovering Neolution, rescuing Helena from the Prolethean cage, Cosima gets involved with Delphine, shooting Helena, Kira getting abducted, entertaining contracts with Leekie, discovering Rachel, killing and burying Leekie, rehabilitating Helena, infiltrating Dyad, Helena getting abducted, infiltrating the Proletheans, discovering Castor exists, Cosima breaks up with Delphine, burning down the Proletheans, Helena getting abducted again, traveling to Mexico, infiltrating Castor, Kira getting abducted again, infiltrating Dyad some more, finding out about Topside, Cosima gets involved with Shay, busting Helena (and Pupok) out of Castor, Alison running for Council, blowing Castor the hell up, Helena taking down the Portuguese Mafia, Cosima breaks up with Shay, traveling to London, seeing Mrs. S rock out, finding the original of Leda and Castor and bringing her back home, discovering Crystal, relieving Rachel of an eye, traveling to Iceland, hanging out in Iceland for awhile, discovering MK, traveling home from Iceland. More or less (probably less) in that order. How busy has your life been since last Halloween?

Christ on the cross! I think I would have put Kira at the bottom of the rankings this week. Poor kid has to share a cramped subterranean (and presumably poorly-ventilated) lair with two irresponsible blood relatives, one huffing weed from a hookah and the other chain-smoking f*** while mom Sarah is out doing whatever she does. Way to go, auntie and great-grandma! You know what they say, it takes a village full of second-hand smoke to raise a child... Speaking of up in smoke, I felt bad for that lovely cabin in Iceland. Whoever loaned it to the fugitives is going to be pissed! Nonetheless, I'm enjoying this new season and this episode was another good one, even if it seems like OB is taking a page from The Strain with the worms. But interesting that Neolution has bio-engineered these worms for some nefarious purpose, and unfortunate that they've seen fit to infest Sarah (and God knows who else) with them. Hopefully it wasn't delivered using the Dr. Nealon method, as surgical implantation would be horrific enough (though either way I take it that Sarah was out during the procedure). I had assumed that when Nealon tried to transfer it to Delphine that the result might be some kind of mind control, but that doesn't seem to be the case with Sarah, as far as we know. Also not sure why they've been cutting them out of certain hosts. And in other news, good to see Helena (and Donnie) still supplying the comic relief. Loved Alison's line about how she eats frozen bread. The Beth scenes were indeed sad, but who was she impersonating with that blonde wig? Lots to speculate about!

I enjoyed the premiere on several levels, as backstory for Beth and as an introduction for MK and her place in the conspiracy. Three seasons in, it seems reasonable to take a moment to look back to where it all started, see the events that triggered the story from a different perspective (Beth's), and fill in some previously missing details. It also set up that Evie was a subordinate and confidant of Leekie's and will carry on in place of both Delphine and Rachel, acting on behalf of Dyad and more specifically, Neolution. While I don't think anyone is being fooled that the writers aren't simply inserting MK into the earlier timeline after the fact, it does seem plausible that only Beth knew of her and that she, for reasons that may or may not eventually be revealed, has stayed underground until now. But to have her appear in the present, some form of flashback would have been necessary to establish her relationship to Beth, and it's both clever and satisfying that it took the form of the "prequel" episode that we got. It may seem that there isn't much going on there, but I think it's only in comparison to the more offbeat, even showy, characters of the other clones. What's interesting to me is how different Maslany as Beth is from Maslany as Sarah as Beth. There's a subtle but noticeable change, and I think that's what demonstrates that there's more going on than meets the eye (or ear). Small note that in addition to Raj, another performer from the Degrassi fold was added, with Allie MacDonald as Trina.

I had the privilege of getting to work on OB a little last fall (I'm a graphic designer), and it's exciting to finally see the sticker I designed appear on film. Can't wait to see the whole episode Thursday!

And, Frain also did a brief turn as (you guessed it) a villain on Agent Carter. The Gotham music department must have been bummed to find out that Fear The Walking Dead used "Perfect Day" one day before them.

Scott: It's all drama with those two. Donnie: We're not taking in Helena too, alright? We already hired the Amish girl. Alison: We need to play our part. Donnie: Alison, she's crazypants! Felix: Yeah, but she's good with kids. She just needs a bit of socializing, and to be taught a couple of life skills. Sarah: Looking good Rachel. Rachel: New... accessories. Felix: If we're going to go road tripping to steal some poor clone's identity, I've only got one demand: I get to choose the music! Shay: Dude, you rock Rune Wars? I play this game with my brothers all the time. Scott: Really? Cosima shreds at it! I've got a gaming group, bit of a sausage fest, but maybe you'd like to... Delphine: You know, my security concerns are not jealousy – I'm French. We enjoy lovers. Cosima: Wow, OK. Delphine: Can we just put our minds together, like we used to, and leave the crazy science out of it? Helena: You funny man, Donnie Hendrik. Felix: You're not the only hustler in the family. Crystal: My biggest fears are literally, twins, and clowns. Felix: Clones? Crystal: Clones? Clowns! Felix: Clowns! No, clones are worse - twins. Crystal: Twins? Way worse! Terrifying! Sarah: Hey, steady on, Fe! Felix: I'm pretty good with my tools. Crystal: I bet you are! Sarah: Wow, Fe, you don't have to shag her, just get her info! Rachel: Agricola, Scott! Scott (to Delphine): Uh, it's therapy? Rudy: You have a very extensive sci-fi collection Scott! Scott: Th-thank you. Rudy: You think I could, borrow a good book? You think I'd like Asimov? Scott: Probably, a classic. Rudy: Hmm, too heady, is that what you're telling me? Scott: Go ahead, take it. Take the Foundation Trilogy.

I stand corrected (by you and Puffaroo upthread). One of those cases where the music sounded familiar but I couldn't immediately nail it, then once it had passed I thought I had heard the Grieg piece (they are kind of similar). But I don't think there was much significance to using Romeo and Juliet to soundtrack the discovery of the Batcave, other than that it struck the right mood.

I believe it was Grieg's "The Hall of the Mountain King". Which, for a cavern, would be perfect!

...your wife comes home and tells you she looked for an OB T-shirt for you but all they had left was I♥︎Cosima, so she didn't bother. And you almost wish she had.

Alison as Sarah: Holy Doodle, Here we go!

That was clearly a case of Chekhov's Knitting Needles. If they make an appearance in the first act, you know they'll be used before it's all over.

beedub, on 25 Feb 2015 - 6:06 PM, said: and I really didn't intend to cause any offense, or be judgemental. Just that based on a number of comments, I was starting to envision a scenario with Peggy off to one side, holding a rose, while facing Daniel, Howard and Jarvis standing in a row with anxious expressions, and it struck me as comical. Seriously, though, I'm sure I'm not alone in thinking that Peggy no more needs a husband to have value than Daniel needs to have his leg "fixed". Not being well-versed in the comics, I have no idea who she eventually marries, save for the brief scene in The Winter Soldier which, if I recall, doesn't really tell us too much. All I know is I'd be grateful to see more of her adventures, and if that includes a soupçon of romance, bring it on!