S01.E13: Killshot (2)

[ohjoy]

Quote

Jo and Brooks are in danger, and Piper's determined to help. With Helen's mysterious plan nearly realized, Piper recruits an unexpected team of allies to find them before it's too late.

 

[shapeshifter]

Benny’s not really dead, right? I mean, that was a pretty healthy looking robot corpse.

 I guess season 2 will be about The Possession of Piper, right?

[ottoDbusdriver]

So where did that beam of light with Piper and the glowing ball go ?  Was that "the upload" ?  If so, where did it upload to ?  Parallel dimension ?  Aliens ? Bees ? Aliens from a parallel dimension ?  Aliens from a parallel dimension with bees in their mouths ?

No big surprise, Loretta is just as evil as Helen.  And she has some sort of control over Piper.  That might make things interesting at Casa Evans.

How come Helen didn't float like Benny and Piper did ?

Totally agree that Benny isn't really dead.

Is this guy from the Justice Dept. really working for someone else ?  If so, who ?
 

[possibilities]

I was in the mood for a happy ending. I give them credit, though, for having everyone in the triangle be honest, at least.

[shapeshifter]

44 minutes ago, ottoDbusdriver said:

So where did that beam of light with Piper and the glowing ball go ?  Was that "the upload" ?  If so, where did it upload to ?  Parallel dimension ?  Aliens ? Bees ? Aliens from a parallel dimension ?  Aliens from a parallel dimension with bees in their mouths ?

Well, way back in 1999-2002 Roswell, when their orb's Bat Signal was triggered, it alerted the aliens in a galaxy far far away.

 

30 minutes ago, possibilities said:

I was in the mood for a happy ending. I give them credit, though, for having everyone in the triangle be honest, at least.

This is the first triangle that I didn't hate with the passion of a 1,000 fiery suns or nuns, -- just with the passion of about 25 DayGlo suns. 

[tennisgurl]

On the plus side, Piper is back! On the negative side, Benny is dead, the creepy government people are hacking Piper, and the love triangle is getting awkward. Oh, and other plus side, Jo punched the crap out of Helen, so that was pretty awesome. 

I am actually surprised that the love triangle is going pretty well, and I feel for everyone involved. It helps that everyone is being as honest as possible about their feelings, and while Alex got rather defensive and jealous at one point during the mission, it wasnt for long, and for the most part everyone is acting like adults and no one is the obvious "bad guy" in the triangle. I really want more backstory on Alex and Jo and how their marriage ended. 

I dont think that Benny is dad for real at all, he can probably re-upload his personality somewhere else at the very least. Benny is WAY more interesting as an angsty robot than as a journalist/possible love interest, so I hope that he can come back. 

The ending was sweet, with Jo and Piper and the family all together again, until the stupid evil people took over the drivers seat like a bunch of assholes. Poor Piper, at least she is with her family who can help her!

[AnimeMania]

Even though Piper can change her body into a billion tiny robotic fireflies, the doctors still can't find any difference in her body from a normal little girl.

Jo should let Piper change her appearance anytime she wants, it could help her evade capture.

Too bad Piper was too stupid to stand outside the bubble instead of inside.

I am not exactly sure why Helen "died", was it because she wore the bracelet or because Jo "Chuck Norrised" her. Pretty convenient either way.

[mertensia]

So weird to see a TV love triangle handled that well. Adults acting like adults!

So Helen was part of a long con to trap Piper?

 

 

[shapeshifter]

7 minutes ago, mertensia said:

So Helen was part of a long con to trap Piper?

I guess. But if Helen can now influence Piper’s behavior, the reverse should be true too. 

Edited January 29, 2020 by shapeshifter

[djsurrey]

With this episode giving the writers the benefit of the doubt comes to an end. As science fiction the show is a mess. It is partly character driven which is fine but it is also partly special effects driven without any reasonable science explanations. There is no alternative fantasy/supernatural explanation either.

1. Floating during upload. Reminds me of the Shrek non transformation, Beauty and the Beast transformation and the cursing of Katie Bell in Harry Potter (and the Half-Blood Prince). It is happening here because why? Is it just because someone know how to do the stunt?
2. Why the reveal only now in this episode that Helen is made up of  nano-scale robots. Science fiction fantasy is more palatable if stuff is established before it is important to the plot. Now Helen reminds me of the Human Form Replicators from later seasons of Stargate SG-1.
3. Pipers energy bubble. Reminds me of S1E9 of Travelers series where a stasis field is used to save a Congressman during a plane crash. Unfortunately this was not explained in episode one where it was first used. This time it is used to protect everyone on the outside from an extraordinarily high energy event. Piper has/had unlimited power it seems.

Edited January 29, 2020 by djsurrey
correction

[blixie]

I'm sorry I liked this show overall but the more it leaned into the AI being robots v. robot aliens the dumber it got. Their AI in 100% normal human organic shell that can then dissemble and reassemble because now it's made of nanobots. Just tell me they are alien robots and I'll accept that shit. 

Otherwise this was fairly solid attempt to tie the story off as a series finale (still rooting for Alex over Agent Brooks), while also leaving things open ended so they can continue if need be.  I was so happy Alex figured out how to get Piper back, Don Faison has always been a joy and continues to be.

 

Quote

Why the reveal only now in this episode that Helen is made up of  nano-scale robots. 

I don't think she was always made of nanobots it's just a "power" she acquired after getting Piper's code uploaded to hers. Still it's really fucking dumb to say the AI are loaded into a human organic shell and then pretend they can alter they're physical form between organic and inorganic at will, I also hated that shit on BSG. LIke I think it's fine to say they are fusion of organic and inorganic, but not shifting between the two.

Edited January 29, 2020 by blixie

[Paloma]

I was disappointed because there was too much focus on the romantic triangle, which has always seemed forced, instead of giving us more information about the conspiracy (including, but not limited to, what groups are behind the uploading and for what purpose). I also don't like the cliffhanger of Piper waking up with Helen's consciousness, especially if the show is not renewed. And Loretta and the government guy were getting a bit too mustache-twirly at the end (especially with the implied threat to Jo's father's health).

I will watch the show if it comes back because most of it was still better and more interesting than other shows of this genre.

[sempervivum]

I assumed Benny/Owen Y. was only signed to one season, thus his death, But if he comes back/if the show comes back, yay!

The magic ball of energy was busted by Helen falling into it, right? You'd think something powerful enough to blow up the entire north end of NY state would have been enough to damage or 'kill' Helen by contact, but whatevs.

5 hours ago, mertensia said:

So Helen was part of a long con to trap Piper?

Mmm, I don't know. I think there were too many random events that could have derailed a 'trap'.

 

[saber5055]

Last week I was all, "This is my favorite show of all time." This week I was all "I don't care if it gets a second season."

Alex has been nothing but in the Friend Zone all season, yet this episode, while everyone is in danger of being killed, he starts a "How dare you talk about my ex wife" p*ssing contest with Brooks. WTH was that about. Thank you writers for letting Brooks just ignore it.

I've never seen any attraction between Jo and Alex, so good riddance, let the dude shuffle off to D.C. or wherever. He'll be back on weekends so can still go on escapades with his ex next season. If there is one.

I got a laugh that Jo and Brooks are trapped in that building, can't get out, then here comes Alex, Piper, Benny et. al. running in. Then, instead of leaving, they're all "trapped" with no way out.

So Helen broke the upload ball's case, or whatever that thing was. Where is that duct tape when you need it.

What was that nano-bot going to do under Jo's skin? But props to the show for keeping Jo's neck cut visible and blood around through the rest of the episode. I watched another show this weekend where the hero's gunshot through his shoulder was completely healed and vanished by end of episode.

I didn't get the big light beam to the heavens either. What, so now the AIs don't exist? Did they all beam up too? Oh well. *hand wave*

I knew Jo turning Helen into Piper wasn't going to end well. You should have left well enough alone, Jo. If there's a next season, you will see what I mean.

[djsurrey]

10 hours ago, blixie said:

I don't think she was always made of nanobots it's just a "power" she acquired after getting Piper's code uploaded to hers.

Code can't change the physical reality of what Helen is made of. Unless this is not reality at all but some virtual reality. If that were the case it ought to have been revealed by now.

[MisterGlass]

This was a little messy if it ends up as THE finale, but I enjoyed it on the whole.  I agree the nanobot cloud takes a lot of hand waving.  Helen as a biological AI did use nanobots to heal after Emily cut her, but converting over entirely to tiny robots is a leap.

I have to say I do like Alex and Brooks.  I'll forgive the testy exchange because Alex was stressed and because Piper was bothering him.  As others have said, at least the adults in the triangle are being adults.

10 hours ago, sempervivum said:

You'd think something powerful enough to blow up the entire north end of NY state would have been enough to damage or 'kill' Helen by contact, but whatevs.

Maybe it did.  That would make more sense than the bracelet hurting her.  Maybe it wiped her main program, and they went to slo-mo to emphasize that.

The upload stopped because Piper wasn't wiped, but maybe Helen's consciousness got zapped into the ball and sent out to the aliens.

 

[Dowel Jones]

On 1/28/2020 at 8:51 PM, ottoDbusdriver said:

So where did that beam of light with Piper and the glowing ball go ? 

To (ahem)  the cloud, of course.  Where it will always be available. Just remember the password.

How is it that Brooks can slice Jo's throat a quarter inch deep and 1)she doesn't faint dead away, and 2) there's hardly any blood?  A little bruise is not gonna get it.

[Johnny Dollar]

If Piper didn’t have her orange disk thingy in her wrist then how did she have powers?

It seems like Helen/Not Helen had much cooler powers than Piper after Emily reprogrammed her. I’d take being able to dissolve into a billion nanobots and shape shift over making picture frames fall off the wall any day.

Since Emily seems to be able to reprogram these AI’s to do literally anything with just a few keystrokes, if I was the shadowy government guy I’d be much more worried about her than Piper.

Well, goodbye show. It’s unlikely you’re coming back. You started off somewhat interesting until someone brought vodka into the writers’ room. Maybe Alison Tolman needs to change agents and get on a show that lasts more than one season. 

[blixie]

Quote

Unless this is not reality 

Correct that's where the fiction of science fiction comes in. I don't  think the writers know their AI from their nanobots from their organic androids. Which is why I'd prefer to hear this is all ALIEN technology that doesn't exist in our reality. If the show is renewed I hope that's where it goes and the box the blob was in had some strange writing on it so I hope it really really doesn't try to pretend that this is all part of the scientific technology logic of our current world.

[Paloma]

54 minutes ago, Johnny Dollar said:

If Piper didn’t have her orange disk thingy in her wrist then how did she have powers?

I think she did have that disk. IIRC, Jo had given it to Chris for safekeeping (leaving a decoy envelope and container with her dad, who put it in the gun safe at home). At some point when the rescue group was gathering (Piper, Alex, Benny, and Chris), Chris must have given the disk back to Piper so she could regain her powers. But I need to go find a recap to be sure this is what happened.

Totally agree with the rest of your post.

[blixie]

Quote

Helen as a biological AI did use nanobots to heal after Emily cut her, but converting over entirely to tiny robots is a leap.

Ah I didn't realize that was supposed to be nanonbot driven healing and just Helen is super powered and can heal herself. In that case I'm not sure how Helen was improved by Emily? If she could already do the nanobot disassemble?  But I think we all agree dissolving your biological body into nanobots is absurd. I think we're beyond mere Vodka in the writers room.

[peachmangosteen]

I don't have any problem whatsoever with nothing being realistic or making sense because I don't care if sci-fi/fantasy shows are realistic but honestly I am just not super interested in seeing Helen controlling Piper or whatever so I am not as sad now about the fact that this is almost certainly not coming back. That being said though, I would definitely still watch season 2 because I really love these characters.

To me, Jo has never seemed like she was still carrying a torch for Alex at all so the triangle stuff in this ep didn't really work for me. Sure, Alex obviously still loves/wants her but for her to suddenly seem like she maybe still wants him too didn't work for me.

[Scout Finch]

2 hours ago, Johnny Dollar said:

Maybe Alison Tolman needs to change agents and get on a show that lasts more than one season. 

I'm in the midst of watching my saved episodes of Downward Dog for the third time!

[hookedontv]

Confession: Agent Brooks completely does it for me. There's something about him that makes me swoon. Sigh. 

I'll show myself out now. 

[shapeshifter]

55 minutes ago, hookedontv said:

Confession: Agent Brooks completely does it for me. There's something about him that makes me swoon. Sigh. 

I'll show myself out now. 

Yes, Enver Gjokaj seems to be in his prime right now. 😉 

[MisterGlass]

10 hours ago, blixie said:

Ah I didn't realize that was supposed to be nanonbot driven healing and just Helen is super powered and can heal herself. In that case I'm not sure how Helen was improved by Emily? If she could already do the nanobot disassemble?  But I think we all agree dissolving your biological body into nanobots is absurd

At the end Piper hinted that Helen planned to heal Ed using nanobots, so between that and healing herself Helen did seem to have them.  I think the disassemble part is supposed to be new.

[djsurrey]

10 hours ago, peachmangosteen said:

I don't have any problem whatsoever with nothing being realistic or making sense because I don't care if sci-fi/fantasy shows are realistic but honestly...

I think establishing where one sits on the sci-fi -- fantasy spectrum is better storytelling. I mean are we supposed to expect aliens, pixies or find out we are in a Matrix style virtual reality? Or do we have sci-fi writers that don't have a clue about science and technology. It looks to me like they had a bag of special effects and just tossed them in.

[shapeshifter]

2 minutes ago, djsurrey said:

It looks to me like they had a bag of special effects and just tossed them in.

This. I imagine TPTB who are -ahem- uninformed about art, design, video editing, and definitely special effects, gave the order to use this, this, and that.

[endure]

14 hours ago, peachmangosteen said:

I don't have any problem whatsoever with nothing being realistic or making sense because I don't care if sci-fi/fantasy shows are realistic but honestly I am just not super interested in seeing Helen controlling Piper or whatever so I am not as sad now about the fact that this is almost certainly not coming back. That being said though, I would definitely still watch season 2 because I really love these characters.

To me, Jo has never seemed like she was still carrying a torch for Alex at all so the triangle stuff in this ep didn't really work for me. Sure, Alex obviously still loves/wants her but for her to suddenly seem like she maybe still wants him too didn't work for me.

In some ways it’s like she is still married to Alex - he seems to be there every day so I could see her suddenly being concerned about him moving away, she relies on him for a lot.

[shapeshifter]

7 hours ago, endure said:

21 hours ago, peachmangosteen said:

To me, Jo has never seemed like she was still carrying a torch for Alex at all so the triangle stuff in this ep didn't really work for me. Sure, Alex obviously still loves/wants her but for her to suddenly seem like she maybe still wants him too didn't work for me.

In some ways it’s like she is still married to Alex - he seems to be there every day so I could see her suddenly being concerned about him moving away, she relies on him for a lot

The only thing that I can think would explain this behavior/living situation is that he cheated on her. But her Dad probably wouldn’t let him in the door if that happened, so the writers are stuck with not mentioning “it.”

[endure]

2 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

The only thing that I can think would explain this behavior/living situation is that he cheated on her. But her Dad probably wouldn’t let him in the door if that happened, so the writers are stuck with not mentioning “it.”

At some point I’m sure it will be explained they are just building up to it.

[Mondrianyone]

2 hours ago, endure said:

At some point I’m sure it will be explained they are just building up to it.

Except they built up to it all the way to the end of the season.  And there probably won't be another season, from the looks of things.  So they may have to come to each of our houses individually and explain it to us.

[djsurrey]

3 hours ago, Mondrianyone said:

Except they built up to it all the way to the end of the season.  And there probably won't be another season, from the looks of things.  So they may have to come to each of our houses individually and explain it to us.

they can skip my house. I don't care (and don't believe).

At the beginning I thought she was just too busy with her job as police chief and he walked out.

[peachmangosteen]

17 hours ago, endure said:

In some ways it’s like she is still married to Alex - he seems to be there every day so I could see her suddenly being concerned about him moving away, she relies on him for a lot.

That I would get, but it felt like they were suddenly implying that Jo might still want him romantically/sexually and that was just never there with her before imo.

10 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

The only thing that I can think would explain this behavior/living situation is that he cheated on her. 

I always figured Jo just simply fell out of love with him to be honest. She just never seemed like she was into him to me lol.

[KaveDweller]

7 hours ago, Mondrianyone said:

Except they built up to it all the way to the end of the season.  And there probably won't be another season, from the looks of things.  So they may have to come to each of our houses individually and explain it to us.

Explaining unanswered questions after cancellation is what Twitter is for.

I actually think the show did a really good job of wrapping things up while still leaving room for a possible next season. My only question is what happened between Alex and Jo.

[djsurrey]

7 minutes ago, KaveDweller said:

Explaining unanswered questions after cancellation is what Twitter is for..

I was wondering what it was for. 😀

Edited February 1, 2020 by djsurrey

[endure]

11 hours ago, Mondrianyone said:

Except they built up to it all the way to the end of the season.  And there probably won't be another season, from the looks of things.  So they may have to come to each of our houses individually and explain it to us.

Ha ha if that’s the case then they have a whole lotta explaining to do!!!  🙃😉🤔

[BetyBee]

When Piper was uploading or whatever, everyone had to shield their eyes from the bright light except Jo, who was able to look right at it. Of course she does have some pretty blue eyes, so why cover those up? Also if I had taken a drink every time they said "We have to get out of here," I'd still be passed out. That's about all I've got. I will not be upset if it doesn't come back.

[Johnny Dollar]

2 hours ago, BetyBee said:

When Piper was uploading or whatever, everyone had to shield their eyes from the bright light except Jo, who was able to look right at it. Of course she does have some pretty blue eyes, so why cover those up? Also if I had taken a drink every time they said "We have to get out of here," I'd still be passed out. That's about all I've got. I will not be upset if it doesn't come back.

Just don’t add “when Jo brushes her hair behind her ear” to your drinking game or a coma may be in your future. 

[saber5055]

20 hours ago, djsurrey said:

they can skip my house. I don't care (and don't believe).

Anything Alex related can skip my house as well, but feel free Show, to send Agent Brooks as often as possible. Yowza. Him I'll miss if this show doesn't renew.

[Tyro49]

I think Piper will be able to overcome anything Helen tries to do to her.

I also think this tech is definitely alien. What we've seen would require fantastic leaps in so many fields that having them occur all at once, and not only mastering them but figuring out how to use them that it is beyond belief that some human government not only did it but kept it secret.

[atlantaloves]

So gang, is this show renewed or what? I lost my Woody Allen orb and don't know. 

[hookedontv]

On 2/1/2020 at 1:07 PM, saber5055 said:

Anything Alex related can skip my house as well, but feel free Show, to send Agent Brooks as often as possible. Yowza. Him I'll miss if this show doesn't renew.

Meeeee toooooo. Agent Brooks is quite a snack. 

[saber5055]

19 hours ago, atlantaloves said:

So gang, is this show renewed or what?

Here's what If found: "As of February 6, 2020, Emergence has not been cancelled or renewed for a second season."

I hope that clears it up for you.

[aemom]

I just watched this on Disney+ and really enjoyed it. The sci-fi stuff got very messy, but I really enjoyed the characters a lot. Excellent character development and it avoided many of the clichés. 

I really enjoyed AT as the lead in S2 of Why Women Kill - which I know was filmed since this aired. I highly recommend that anthology series.