S01.E03: 2 MG CU BID

[ohjoy]

A mysterious illness takes hold of Piper, while Jo and Benny investigate a powerful tech mogul, Richard Kindred. As Piper’s health deteriorates, Jo weighs accepting help from an unknown source. Meanwhile, Alex works to decipher a radio frequency code from Piper’s plane crash, and Ed has a follow-up oncology appointment.

Original air date: October 8, 2019

[SoMuchTV]

Wait, what? So Piper’s a robot? I think I need to read the comments and rewatch this one. 

[stealinghome]

So the C team wrote this episode, right? I thought it was meh on the whole--definitely the weakest of the series so far. It felt like it sacrificed one of the great strengths of the first two episodes--groundedness--in the service of DRAMA. Also it did that thing I hate where it makes a smart character (Jo in this case) do dumb things to further the plot. I can maybe...maybe...rationalize away Jo confronting Bad Dude and giving him the not-hotel-card-key thing, one of their few pieces of tangible evidence. Maybe. But then she and the reporter dude try to talk to Emily in broad daylight on the street? C'mon, writer, Jo is nowhere near that dumb. And the break-in to the secret research facility just felt OTT. Almost like someone from ABC watched the first two episodes, thought they were too low-key, and wanted more ACTION! and DRAMA!!

Things I did like: the reporter seems like less of a cliche now (though he still doesn't quite feel like a real person and certainly isn't as fully formed a character as the rest of the principals--not sure how much is the writing and how much is the acting). I continue to like Jo and Alex's relationship and REALLY want to know why they broke up, because it seems like they could still be good together--the actors have great, seriously great chemistry. Alex and Piper bonding is also a plus. I liked Walter and Abby getting fleshed out a bit more, the show continues to hit a home run with the bit characters. Loved Jo interrogating the dude in the hospital. I DO like that Jo seems suitable freaked out by all that is happening and is now looking at Piper like Piper is an alien. That's the normal human response!

Calling it now: Piper is a test tube baby that was implanted with cybernetics very early on; she looks like Jo so much because the egg used was Jo's long-lost mother's. We got answers on Piper a lot quicker than I was expecting--so much happened this episode! That's not necessarily a bad thing, but I do hope next week's episode is less all over the place. This one felt really disjointed. Allison Tolman sold the hell out of it--she's fantastic--but she can only do so much.

Edited October 9, 2019 by stealinghome

[KaveDweller]

I'm not sure what I think about Piper being a robot.  It's kind of freaky, but she's also a sweet kid and I don't want to be freaked out by her.

I liked Jo's handling of Terry O'Quinn. "Oh, is something missing from the weird key card? So now I know it's yours." It was pretty bold, but she didn't really have any other play. I couldn't believe she broke into that lab though.

Also, why could the people that designed Piper not be able to design robot dogs that looked more like real dogs?

[patty1h]

Now knowing that she's not protecting a human child, it should be easy for Jo to give her back and keep her family out of danger, right?  Or course not!

[ottoDbusdriver]

1 hour ago, KaveDweller said:

I'm not sure what I think about Piper being a robot. 

Maybe Piper was sick because she needed the upgrade from OSX Mojave to Catalina.  :)

Those security dog robots were reminiscent of the Black Mirror episode 'Metalhead'.

[tennisgurl]

So Piper is a robot...or something. Maybe she is some kind of cyborg, or an alien, or someone from the future where people have chips, and thats where the missing plane comes in? I do appreciate that we are getting some answers already, even if it will probably lead to even more questions. Even if Terry O'Quinn is some kind of evil tech genius, this seems like a lot for just some guy.

I didnt like this quite as much as last week, but I am still really loving this show. I love Jo's style of interrogation, she comes off as so chipper and sweet when she is actually going in for the kill and putting people off their guard. I prefer the more down to Earth stuff with the family dealing with everything, but the lab search was still pretty exciting, and the Black Mirror robot dogs were creepy. I also liked Jo's reaction to finding out that Piper is a robot/something, she is clearly super freaked out, like I think most people would be. Its really the biggest charm of the show, its good at showing how normal people would deal with something so bizarre. 

I liked seeing more of Alex with him bonding more with Piper, who you can tell has really grown on him. Their scenes were cute, and I continue to wonder why Jo and Alex split up. They seem to get along really well, so what actually happened? I guess not every marriage ends with tons of drama or anyone really doing anything wrong, sometimes people just fall out of love and stay amicable, but they seem to still be holding onto each other. 

Jo and her hospital friends eating the donuts the reporter gave her while digging up dirt up Jo and Alex was really good, the show does a good job at adding a lot of endearing bits with every character, even the minor ones, that keeps the show grounded, even in episodes like this that get pretty...weird. 

Reporter guy is growing on me, even if he is probably still my least favorite character. Like, lets just get this guys tragic backstory out and be done with it. Maybe this guy is actually a robot too?

I worry that Ed actually got bad news, and that he was lying to keep his family from being worried.

[laprin]

9 hours ago, stealinghome said:

Calling it now: Piper is a test tube baby that was implanted with cybernetics very early on; she looks like Jo so much because the egg used was Jo's long-lost mother's. We got answers on Piper a lot quicker than I was expecting--so much happened this episode! That's not necessarily a bad thing, but I do hope next week's episode is less all over the place. This one felt really disjointed. Allison Tolman sold the hell out of it--she's fantastic--but she can only do so much.

This makes a lot of sense.  Piper looks so much like she could be Jo's daughter, it's distracting to not have it addressed. How has no one in the family, especially Jo's dad, not noticed the family resemblance? 

[Tachi Rocinante]

7 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

I worry that Ed actually got bad news, and that he was lying to keep his family from being worried.

Pretty sure he is, considering the comment Piper made in the pilot (when he was taking his pills) and the "bitch, please" look she gave him in the hospital.

So she's a cyborg.  They promised an answer and gave us a pretty big one.

[sempervivum]

11 hours ago, KaveDweller said:

Also, why could the people that designed Piper not be able to design robot dogs that looked more like real dogs

Why would they go to the extra expense/effort for what are basically security devices? I have to say I screamed and laughed at the same time when those guys showed up- it seems like that was a viral video just a few months ago! (I understand these things are now capable of CLIMBING). 

I wondered why we had to sit though 3 episodes of 'Piper hallucinates that reality is dissolving/exploding', with no acknowledgement of what it meant. After thinking about it, I guess this was Piper's body (?) trying to tell her that she was in trouble, but the show never explains it. I guess they're giving the audience credit?

Also, she may be a cyborg, but where does the telekinesis, etc., come from? And did she cause the anti-gravity/magnetic stuff in the kidnappers' car, and if so, why did it continue even after she wasn't in the car anymore? 

1 hour ago, Tachi Rocinante said:

Pretty sure he is, considering the comment Piper made in the pilot (when he was taking his pills) and the "bitch, please" look she gave him in the hospital.

And is Piper just reading his mind (as in, he's been told he's terminal but is lying to protect his family) or do he and his doctors think he's cancer-free, and Piper knows better?

[AnimeMania]

How can a medical doctor not be able to tell that their patient is a robot? The girl has been in the hospital for half of TV show. What is her power source, pancakes? It is interesting that she doesn't weigh any more or less than a average little girl. Hook her up with some science and military knowledge upgrades so we can kick this show into high gear. She already knows where Jo hides her gun.

[izabella]

If she is robotic...or magnetically charged or something...I wonder if she would have exploded in the MRI machine if they hadn't had to pull her out because of her pixelated disintegration vision.

[bigmag]

If she is AI why did they build her with human organs?  What is the point of creating an artificial life form but then giving it human organs that would go into failure if she's not upgraded?  Maybe it's just so she could pass a human more readily, but she obviously has mechanical circuitry as well.

Yeah, I was wondering what they would have seen if they had been able to do the MRI.

[izabella]

My guess is she is a hybrid of some sort - born human but with added circuitry.  Not that it really makes sense to me in any way.  But she did bleed when she cut out the tracking device from her neck, so she isn't entirely android.

[Mrs peel]

I'm generally liking the show, but call garbage on the entire interaction with the high tech company.  It just so happens Jo has the time to travel to wherever this company is headquartered?  And get there exactly as Quinn's character arrives?  Sure.

Others have said how stupid meeting the woman in public was.  But they meet at the super-secret company facility, which is so super-secret but doesn't have any security that notices a random car sitting outside for an hour?  Sure.  And why would the woman think 5 minutes was enough for 2 randos to get into a building, run around and find one specific door?  I might be willing to believe she could only hide shutting off the security for a maximum 5 minutes, but why would she think they could find the item in that time?

I appreciate receiving some answers quickly on who/what Piper is.  But, as others have mentioned, saying she's a robot doesn't explain much of what has happened.  It is odd the doctor hasn't noticed anything, and her being a robot doesn't automatically mean she can sniff out cancer.

Why has JO not contacted any actual government agency?  I get the fake agency was probably from this tech company.  But real NTSB would have been notified of the crash.

[Guest]

4 hours ago, Mrs peel said:

I'm generally liking the show, but call garbage on the entire interaction with the high tech company.  It just so happens Jo has the time to travel to wherever this company is headquartered?  And get there exactly as Quinn's character arrives?  Sure.

 Jo asked the reporter to get her Kindred’s schedule which is how she is was waiting for him when he arrived. 

4 hours ago, Mrs peel said:

Why has JO not contacted any actual government agency?  I get the fake agency was probably from this tech company.  But real NTSB would have been notified of the crash.

The real NTSB did show up after the plane crash. They are the ones the cleared the crash site and covered up what really happened. 

Edited October 9, 2019 by Guest

[meira.hand]

18 hours ago, KaveDweller said:

Also, why could the people that designed Piper not be able to design robot dogs that looked more like real dogs?

Maybe because than the production would have to do a lot of CGI instead of probably using the Boston Dynamics real robots :).

Edited October 9, 2019 by meira.hand

[stealinghome]

3 hours ago, izabella said:

My guess is she is a hybrid of some sort - born human but with added circuitry.  Not that it really makes sense to me in any way.  But she did bleed when she cut out the tracking device from her neck, so she isn't entirely android.

Agreed. I don’t think Piper is a straight up robot—the show has made a point of showing that she bleeds, etc. They seem clearly to be implying that she is human but “upgraded” in some way. (The new Terminator movie is calling!)

5 hours ago, sempervivum said:

And is Piper just reading his mind (as in, he's been told he's terminal but is lying to protect his family) or do he and his doctors think he's cancer-free, and Piper knows better?

I think it’s the latter. He seemed genuine in the pilot when he told her that the pills were making him better. 

[Anela]

17 hours ago, ottoDbusdriver said:

Those security dog robots were reminiscent of the Black Mirror episode 'Metalhead'.

I thought of that, too.

[Josh371982]

16 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

So Piper is a robot...or something. Maybe she is some kind of cyborg, or an alien, or someone from the future where people have chips, and thats where the missing plane comes in? I do appreciate that we are getting some answers already, even if it will probably lead to even more questions. Even if Terry O'Quinn is some kind of evil tech genius, this seems like a lot for just some guy.

I didnt like this quite as much as last week, but I am still really loving this show. I love Jo's style of interrogation, she comes off as so chipper and sweet when she is actually going in for the kill and putting people off their guard. I prefer the more down to Earth stuff with the family dealing with everything, but the lab search was still pretty exciting, and the Black Mirror robot dogs were creepy. I also liked Jo's reaction to finding out that Piper is a robot/something, she is clearly super freaked out, like I think most people would be. Its really the biggest charm of the show, its good at showing how normal people would deal with something so bizarre. 

I liked seeing more of Alex with him bonding more with Piper, who you can tell has really grown on him. Their scenes were cute, and I continue to wonder why Jo and Alex split up. They seem to get along really well, so what actually happened? I guess not every marriage ends with tons of drama or anyone really doing anything wrong, sometimes people just fall out of love and stay amicable, but they seem to still be holding onto each other. 

Jo and her hospital friends eating the donuts the reporter gave her while digging up dirt up Jo and Alex was really good, the show does a good job at adding a lot of endearing bits with every character, even the minor ones, that keeps the show grounded, even in episodes like this that get pretty...weird. 

Reporter guy is growing on me, even if he is probably still my least favorite character. Like, lets just get this guys tragic backstory out and be done with it. Maybe this guy is actually a robot too?

I worry that Ed actually got bad news, and that he was lying to keep his family from being worried.

I think Ed did get bad news. Especially when Piper grabbed and held his hand 

[KaveDweller]

4 hours ago, Dani said:

 Jo asked the reporter to get her Kindred’s schedule which is how she is was waiting for him when he arrived. 

The real NTSB did show up after the plane crash. They are the ones the cleared up the crash site and covered up what really happened. 

I thought the fake NTSB was the one that cleared up the crash site and covered things up. Then the real NTSB showed up and that is how they knew the first NTSB was fake.

4 hours ago, meira.hand said:

Maybe because than the production would have to do a lot of CGI instead of probably using the Boston Dynamics real robots :).

Ah, yes, that explains it.

[possibilities]

37 minutes ago, Josh371982 said:

I think Ed did get bad news. Especially when Piper grabbed and held his hand 

Also, it will give them another dramatic story if Grandpa is dying and Piper somehow not only knows, but has a way to access a cure.

[Guest]

22 minutes ago, KaveDweller said:

I thought the fake NTSB was the one that cleared up the crash site and covered things up. Then the real NTSB showed up and that is how they knew the first NTSB was fake.

When the cop at the crash site calls to tell Jo that the real NTSB was there you can see the crash in the background. Then later they talk about the official NTSB report claiming that is was a unmanned drone. Fake NTSB just searched the crash site and then went to the hospital for Piper. 

[Rickster]

On the minor continuity glitch front, there’s an establishing shot of skyscrapers prior to Jo appearing in Kindred’s lobby, meant to imply the building is in New York City. However when she leaves, it’s clear from the trees outside that the building is in a suburban location (or the middle of Central Park).

[foxfreakinmulder]

4 hours ago, stealinghome said:

Agreed. I don’t think Piper is a straight up robot—the show has made a point of showing that she bleeds, etc. They seem clearly to be implying that she is human but “upgraded” in some way.

I agree too. If this show runs for a few years the actress that plays Piper is going to grow so she can't be a robot but like you've implied "upgraded" in some way.

I want Jo and Alex to get back together.

I hope Jo's dad lives.

I hope Terry O'Quinn remains on the show as a recurring guest star. He's such a good actor and the character he played on Lost John Locke is one of my all time favorites.

For those of you not familiar with Allison/Jo check out Fargo the tv series she's in it and plays a cop.

[MisterGlass]

I feel like at least three episodes were smushed into a blender to make this one.  I agree it was less grounded, and there were some bizarrely dumb moments.  The reporter always felt like he was from a different show, and now I understand why.  And he asks why he isn't trustworthy?

The broad reveal that Piper is a cyborg is okay to me.  I expected something alien, though she seems to be less Cylon and more science project.  I think the reveals could have been handled better and more slowly.

Presumably most of her implants are non-metallic since they weren't ripped out in the MRI.  Maybe it caused some kind of interference in her system and triggered the seizure.  They could be primarily ceramic.  They may draw power from her body heat or motion.

The robot dogs looked like CG to me, but done well.  I went down a YouTube hole looking at horrifying robot dogs.  Spot, from Boston Dynamics, does seem like the inspiration for these models.  And now it can moonwalk, which is not less disturbing.  There's also LaikaGo, and ANYmal C.  Here they are together, with Spot and ANYmal C trying to out do each other.

[Zoe]

The Boston Dynamics robots made me laugh. Didn't think I'd see something like them in a tv show.

I kind of suspected she might be a robot/cyborg during the first episode, but I can't remember why I thought that.

[Melina22]

8 hours ago, foxfreakinmulder said:

I want Jo and Alex to get back together.

I really enjoyed many aspects of this episode. 

-Piper is adorable. 

-I'm beyond thrilled that for once we don't have the tired old trope of the rude, obnoxious teenaged daughter. Instead Jo's daughter is kind and unselfish. 

-I cracked up at the coworker who said he was in ketosis but ate the donut anyway. (Maybe because I watched the scene eating a piece of bread despite supposedly being in ketosis.) 

-Jo continues to be excellent. 

My only complaint, an unpopular one perhaps, is about Jo and her ex. First, I don't like how undefined and confusing their relationship is. Second, to my eyes they have zero chemistry, good or bad. I just can't see them as a couple at all. 

I thought the robodogs were great, although weirdly easy to defeat. 

Anyway, looking forward to the next episode, although I don't want a long arc about her Dad being terminally ill then revived by Piper. I like both characters, but... bleh. Boring. 

[TheRabbi]

I rolled my eyes through the entire facility scene. Robot dogs? I appreciate that the show is already answering questions and moving along. I was worried that every week would just be someone else trying to kidnap her. And I love Terry O'Quinn in the mix. But there's still something that isn't quite gelling for me here. Can't put my finger on it.

[peachmangosteen]

I love this show to pieces. I do agree that this ep was a bit more jumbled and un-grounded (I doubt that's a word!) but I still found it super entertaining.

Jo is kind of super condescending to pretty much everyone and I've grown very fond of it lol. I still have a hard time with the actress though because she moves her face so fucking much. I find it distracting and annoying. Also, my sister mentioned that her lips looked like they're upside down and now that's all I can see when I look of her.

I'm kinda with you on Alex/Jo, @Melina22. I don't really think they have any chem. I do like their scenes together though. This ep made it seem obvious to me that Jo was the one that initiated their separation. (Divorce? Are they divorced?) It seems like Alex still wants something between them and with Jo and the doctor talking about how him staying with her could be confusing for him it's just obvious imo that Jo was the one breaking up with him and that it wasn't a mutual decision.

The actress playing Emily was so familiar to me but I can't place why. It's driving me nuts!

Terry O'Quinn, yay! And he's looking fine as hell. I hope he's a recurring character.

[Guest]

1 hour ago, peachmangosteen said:

The actress playing Emily was so familiar to me but I can't place why. It's driving me nuts!

Emily was played by Maria Dizzia

[Melina22]

2 hours ago, peachmangosteen said:

I still have a hard time with the actress though because she moves her face so fucking much. I find it distracting and annoying. Also, my sister mentioned that her lips looked like they're upside down and now that's all I can see when I look of her.

This cracks me up because nowadays my constant complaint about actresses is that their faces are frozen and nothing moves. I never thought of someone moving their face TOO much! 😁😁

As for her lips being upside down, I have to wipe this comment from my memory bank because I know how I am. If I remember it, I'll never be able to unsee it. I get distracted by the silliest details of people's appearances. 😁

[singsong]

Well, I was wondering how they would address and switch up the overused story of the child with special powers being controlled/searched for by shadowy government figures.  So - Piper is a bio-bot?  That does help hold my interest.  I like Jo - and the kids are cute, so I'll see where this all goes.   

[Mecca]

Will this show turn out to be the Small Wonder reboot that none of us asked for?

This episode moved a little slow for me.  I kept waiting for Jo to figure things out and for the "big" reveal to happen.  It felt like nothing was happening in between.  Now that the truth is out there, hopefully, the show can continue to focus on building the characters/relationships without feeling the need to up the ante in regards to Piper's past.

It kind of bugged me that Jo was so unwilling at first to use the cure the woman gave her.  It was literally her only option!  

[MisterGlass]

12 minutes ago, Mecca said:

Will this show turn out to be the Small Wonder reboot that none of us asked for?

Ha!  I've heard of but haven't seen Small Wonder.  I was thinking about another 80s property, the B-movie D.A.R.Y.L.

[Enigma X]

For some reason the possible robotic/cyborg angle bothers me.

[peachmangosteen]

1 hour ago, Enigma X said:

For some reason the possible robotic/cyborg angle bothers me.

It really bothered my mom for unknown reasons as well. She hated it.

[Enigma X]

10 hours ago, Mecca said:

Will this show turn out to be the Small Wonder reboot that none of us asked for?

😀

[Clanstarling]

On 10/8/2019 at 8:43 PM, KaveDweller said:

I'm not sure what I think about Piper being a robot.  It's kind of freaky, but she's also a sweet kid and I don't want to be freaked out by her.

Also, why could the people that designed Piper not be able to design robot dogs that looked more like real dogs?

I like the reveal that she's a cyborg, I like the tension between her being sweet and scary (after all the flashback she had certainly implied she has been dangerous before).

I also like the fact that the robot dogs were pretty much grounded in current technology (or at least not too far from it), and I think they are way scarier than real dogs and have extra gadgets that make them even more scary.

I thought he scene where they hid under the table was reminiscent of the Jurassic Park kitchen scene - so robots are as scary as the dinosaurs in that scene.

As I recall, there was recently a story about medical equipment being able to be hacked because of Bluetooth features. So another nod to current technology.

On 10/8/2019 at 11:03 PM, tennisgurl said:

I worry that Ed actually got bad news, and that he was lying to keep his family from being worried.

I think he did.

On 10/9/2019 at 10:20 AM, AnimeMania said:

How can a medical doctor not be able to tell that their patient is a robot? The girl has been in the hospital for half of TV show. What is her power source, pancakes? It is interesting that she doesn't weigh any more or less than a average little girl. Hook her up with some science and military knowledge upgrades so we can kick this show into high gear. She already knows where Jo hides her gun.

She's clearly got the basic human "wet works" (sorry) - so there was nothing suspicious until she was in the MRI. I think that tracks for a cyborg.

On 10/9/2019 at 11:21 AM, Mrs peel said:

Others have said how stupid meeting the woman in public was.  But they meet at the super-secret company facility, which is so super-secret but doesn't have any security that notices a random car sitting outside for an hour?  Sure.  And why would the woman think 5 minutes was enough for 2 randos to get into a building, run around and find one specific door?  I might be willing to believe she could only hide shutting off the security for a maximum 5 minutes, but why would she think they could find the item in that time?

I appreciate receiving some answers quickly on who/what Piper is.  But, as others have mentioned, saying she's a robot doesn't explain much of what has happened.  It is odd the doctor hasn't noticed anything, and her being a robot doesn't automatically mean she can sniff out cancer.

Yeah, I've always found the ticking clock in most series to be stupidly short, and also since the lockers were clearly arranged alphabetically, there was no reason for them to separate. That was the weakest scene for me. Even if I did like the dogs.

Since Piper is genetically altered in some way, maybe they've given her enhanced smelling abilities - they say dogs and cats can smell cancer. And if you're going to the trouble of making a cyborg, you'd want to enhance a lot of stuff. 

Edited October 11, 2019 by Clanstarling

[possibilities]

I think of her as The Bionic Child.

[shapeshifter]

16 hours ago, possibilities said:

I think of her as The Bionic Child.

I added an LOL reaction to this post, but if there was a *cringe* option, I probably would have chosen that one, because, anyone else old enough to remember the original V series Star Child? 

[Clanstarling]

1 hour ago, shapeshifter said:

I added an LOL reaction to this post, but if there was a *cringe* option, I probably would have chosen that one, because, anyone else old enough to remember the original V series Star Child? 

I vaguely remember the original V series, but I don't remember Star Child. Even after looking it up. 😞 

[Anela]

5 hours ago, Clanstarling said:

I vaguely remember the original V series, but I don't remember Star Child. Even after looking it up. 😞 

The blonde little girl who was born to the teenage girl Robin. In the TV series, she went into a cocoon and emerged a young woman (the usual age of 18-21, so that she could fall in love, and the guy she fell in love with was a man her mother was interested in, I think). I can't believe I remember that, but I was obsessed in my early teens. 

[Clanstarling]

3 hours ago, Anela said:

The blonde little girl who was born to the teenage girl Robin. In the TV series, she went into a cocoon and emerged a young woman (the usual age of 18-21, so that she could fall in love, and the guy she fell in love with was a man her mother was interested in, I think). I can't believe I remember that, but I was obsessed in my early teens. 

Yeah, I still don't remember it. But I do remember a similar plot in the 4400.

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, Clanstarling said:

Yeah, I still don't remember it. But I do remember a similar plot in the 4400.

Yes, the 4400 had that same rapid-aging trope. 
It was so bad in original V that you probably had to block out all memory of those episodes to preserve your sanity. LOL.
Seriously, though, it seems the Starchild was part of the 1984-85 continuation of the V franchise (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V_(franchise)#Television), so you may not have watched that part.

I only saw original V as reruns in the 21st century -- I think they aired them to drum up excitement for the new V, which I think TPTB hoped would be as big as the reimagined Battlestar Galactica.
The 80s version of V was oddly addictive for a mediocre show.

Emergence now seems more X-Files to me than 4400, but I'm not sure why my impression has changed. I also find it less compelling, but I'll give it at least one more watch.

We're probably safe from having Piper rapidly aged since the young actor is capable in her role. But Alexa Swinton is just 10 years old, so things will change in her life, including interests and priorities -- which could result in having her character replaced.

[Paloma]

On 10/8/2019 at 11:43 PM, KaveDweller said:

Also, why could the people that designed Piper not be able to design robot dogs that looked more like real dogs?

The robot dogs are scarier to me. The scene was very reminiscent (probably intentionally) of the Jurassic Park velociraptor scene with the kids hiding in the kitchen cabinets.

[Paloma]

On 10/11/2019 at 9:51 AM, Clanstarling said:

I thought he scene where they hid under the table was reminiscent of the Jurassic Park kitchen scene - so robots are as scary as the dinosaurs in that scene.

Sorry, I didn't read all the comments before posting an almost identical comment. Great minds and all that...or maybe it's just minds of similar age and/or entertainment tastes.

[Kelda Feegle]

Wow - I'm old LOL I remember StarChild, V, and the 4400, not to mention the original Battlestar Galactica in which Cylons were actually Cylons and not in human skin (yep still salty about the remake).

I kinda wish they had gone with enhanced abilities instead of biomechanic but I'm willing to watch it play out.

[Paloma]

I'm intrigued by the revelation about Piper and hope we will soon find out more about how and why she was "made" and how she escaped. Although I'm interested in the sci-fi aspects, I'm even more interested in the human aspects of the story--for example, aside from her memory loss and nightmares or hallucinations, she mostly behaves as a normal child would. She is sweet and affectionate with those she trusts, she knows how to write and draw, she seems to "get" humor in conversation, etc. That suggests that she was raised at least to some extent as a normal child, even if testing was a regular part of her life. But who knows--maybe all of her knowledge and behavior were implanted using memories of another child? Either way, this is reminding me of A.I., which for me was one of the saddest movies ever. I hope Piper has a happier ending. 

[Clanstarling]

2 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Yes, the 4400 had that same rapid-aging trope. 
It was so bad in original V that you probably had to block out all memory of those episodes to preserve your sanity. LOL.
Seriously, though, it seems the Starchild was part of the 1984-85 continuation of the V franchise (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V_(franchise)#Television), so you may not have watched that part.

I only saw original V as reruns in the 21st century -- I think they aired them to drum up excitement for the new V, which I think TPTB hoped would be as big as the reimagined Battlestar Galactica.
The 80s version of V was oddly addictive for a mediocre show.

Emergence now seems more X-Files to me than 4400, but I'm not sure why my impression has changed. I also find it less compelling, but I'll give it at least one more watch.

We're probably safe from having Piper rapidly aged since the young actor is capable in her role. But Alexa Swinton is just 10 years old, so things will change in her life, including interests and priorities -- which could result in having her character replaced.

The rapid aging storylines are really creepy to me, because they don't seem to lay the groundwork establishing that the mind and emotions have also aged. Which is completely icky to me.

1 hour ago, Paloma said:

Sorry, I didn't read all the comments before posting an almost identical comment. Great minds and all that...or maybe it's just minds of similar age and/or entertainment tastes.

No worries, it's fun, besides I had forgotten they were veloceraptors. 😀

1 hour ago, Kelda Feegle said:

Wow - I'm old LOL I remember StarChild, V, and the 4400, not to mention the original Battlestar Galactica in which Cylons were actually Cylons and not in human skin (yep still salty about the remake).

I kinda wish they had gone with enhanced abilities instead of biomechanic but I'm willing to watch it play out.

Watched the 80s shows too, but loved the BSG reboot. I liked the tension of knowing there were human like models. Different strokes, as they say.