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S01.E05: El Toro


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With Rachel close to a breakthrough on her vaccine, she, Chandler and XO Slattery lead a small team into the jungles of Nicaragua on a mission to find monkeys for her vaccine trials. While there, they find much more than they bargained for when they run across a former drug kingpin who will stop at nothing to maintain his stranglehold on his oppressed society. Chandler and his men find themselves in a huge moral dilemma over whether to eliminate this menace or take what they need and continue on with their mission.
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Sounds like an episode of Last Resort.

 

It sure does -- I wonder if Chandler's dilemma will result in the drug lord joining the crew. or something else ridiculous like that.  Or maybe the drug lord is a mole for the Russians too.

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Veni, vidi, vici 

"I came, I saw, I conquered." 

Veni, vidi, venat

"I came, I saw, I hunted 

"We came to hunt..." dumbest line of the series. Save the girls, sacrifice the world... I'm tired of the peril of the week. 

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The resident pedophile druglord is a one-dimensional cartoon character like there was on the island from Last Resort.  That I could deal with.

 

But, turning the RIB around with a wounded man and a crate full of monkeys -- with no weapons -- and jeopardizing the entire mission in the process and risking the lives of the captain and XO. That's just ridiculously stupid.  At least go dump off the monkeys first, re-arm and then go back -- anything else other than the course of action they choose here.

 

How did this get renewed if it's this stupid ?

 

Did they at least get their CBR gear back and the heavy machine gun from the front of the RIB ?

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I know a show on TNT is never gonna go too dark, but damn I wanted them to make the hard choice and leave those people. They have limited resources and time and they can't save everybody.

I see they also watched Star Trek to see who to pick for away missions.

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Once again the Captain goes Star Trek on us and takes most of his command staff (and one potential redshirt) out on the risky mission.  I presume they had extra air bottles in case they had to spend more than 30 minutes under mask.  No?  Handwave.  And the Master Chief was absolutely right.  Complete the mission, then freelance, if you must.  Consider what might have happened if things went wrong. 

So stinky ol' Contractor is hitting hard on brooding Scientist now.  And she's picking up on it.

Something I don't quite understand here:  Either the Nathan James is quite the well stocked destroyer with a supply of tranquilizer guns (and serum), or they came on board with the science gear and  it was the plan all along to take the ship from the Arctic to the Caribbean to pick up monkeys.  The latter case leaves a lot, a whole lot, to chance, which, if you're saving the world, is not exactly good planning.

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Either the Nathan James is quite the well stocked destroyer with a supply of tranquilizer guns (and serum), or they came on board with the science gear and  it was the plan all along to take the ship from the Arctic to the Caribbean to pick up monkeys.  The latter case leaves a lot, a whole lot, to chance, which, if you're saving the world, is not exactly good planning.

 

Because there aren't a lot of monkeys in the Arctic.  The tranq guns were surprising, but where did the crates come from ?  Did they build them from all the wood they have on board from leftover pallets, because they seemed to be well-finished and exact copies of each other (not something you would expect from something that was whipped up) ?

 

And shouldn't everyone that set foot on land be in a 3-5 day quarantine once they got back to the Nathan James (since that's the incubation time before the virus causes symptoms to start showing).  Just because people aren't showing symptoms doesn't mean they aren't carriers (like the guy in the bubble on the Russian cruiser).

 

What was the point of the long drawn out cruise by all the infected people along the river at the end of the episode ?  They are already infected, there was absolutely nothing they could do for them.

Edited by ottoDbusdriver
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I know she's vital and everything, but she's so damn arrogant that's she's irritating.

You know, she just needs the right man to... open her up.. and uncover her softer side...

 

And that along with 1,000 other ridiculous aspects of this show, including the endless questions about "how do they have that there" seem to be keeping me engaged and I keep coming back!

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Yeah, nonsensical to turn around instead of returning later considering the presumed importance of the mission.

 

But more important, who was that drug lord (e.g. I Know That Guy)?  He's pretty familiar - Burn Notice, maybe?  I seem to hear him saying "Michael"....

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It's official for me:  I hate the doctor lady.

 

I know she's vital and everything, but she's so damn arrogant that's she's irritating.

She has a right to be arrogant. Even if the US just thought her mission was only worthy of a destroyer as transport and one assistant the Russians saw something in her and took one of their nuclear vessels to stalk her. And kidnapped her assistant's family to be an agent against her all before the rest of the world fell apart from the spreading infection. After all naval captains didn't even know of a virus outbreak outside of Egypt when all this happened. And now with all her colleagues presumed dead she is the prize that armies fight over.

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(edited)
Raja, on 20 Jul 2014 - 11:43 PM, said:Raja, on 20 Jul 2014 - 11:43 PM, said:

She has a right to be arrogant. Even if the US just thought her mission was only worthy of a destroyer as transport and one assistant the Russians saw something in her and took one of their nuclear vessels to stalk her. And kidnapped her assistant's family to be an agent against her all before the rest of the world fell apart from the spreading infection. After all naval captains didn't even know of a virus outbreak outside of Egypt when all this happened. And now with all her colleagues presumed dead she is the prize that armies fight over.

 

Point taken.  I still don't like her, though.

 

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You know, she just needs the right man to... open her up.. and uncover her softer side... 

 

This is a Michael Bay produced show, though.  We've no time for emotions and shit.

Edited by bmoore4026
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Our intrepid captain just sentenced the village to death.  Sure, El Toro was a dick.  Yet, he was absolutely correct about the way of things.

 

So, if the river peeps at the end had more than enough contact with the virus, and they were not dead, they had the same chance at life as the ones they had just left.   We now know the virus does not have a 100% mortality.    Where was the awareness?  Why wouldn't they be thrilled to have a survivor's blood with which to see anti-bodies which work?  Wow.

 

Next week, I am certain we will see the uber-secret new Tachyon weapon.  Jean-Lu.....er Chandler can probably expect a visit from Q any time now.  

 

In what universe can Chandler tolerate officers who open their yaps and create issues when a given good outcome is all but assured?  In reality, a captain on a "lost" ship who allows such intemperance can kiss his leadership role buh bye.  Crap like that has GOT to be quashed instantly and severely - as El Toro rightly explained in a different context.

 

The hunting party avoided all the traps, on a dark night, that they could not avoid during daylight.  

 

We got the new math now.  A few dozen villagers, who are actually in a decent spot, or the entire world.   Kill me now.  

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So, the Doctor lady is the only one that can save the world. 

 

Hey, lets take her on a mission to an island that we have no idea who is on it and what dangers await.

 

Put her on the ship, leave her there and quit putting her in danger's way. 

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Not only that, but let's take the all of the top command on this same mission putting them all in danger.  And not only that, but let's put the CO, XO and COB on the same raft so that we further increase the possibility of the Nathan James experiencing the problems faced with elevating new and untested leadership.  Eye.Roll.  

 

The musical score this episode made me feel like I was either in an elevator or watching soft porn.  It was really strange.  

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Yeah, I'm no military expert, but I just could not get past the fact that the Captain, the XO, and the Master Chief, would all go out on a potentially dangerous mission.  I know they had a throwaway line from Chandler about needing his "best men", but would they really risk that?  They had no idea what could have been there.  Or, hell, since they were on the same boat, one freak accident, and suddenly the ship is down three of their leaders.  I could hand-wave the XO, since they probably wanted Adam Baldwin to finally kill some fools, but they really should have left the Master Chief on the ship.

 

Oh, Jose Zuniga.  On one hand, I like him.  On the other hand, he might have been one of the most one-dimensional "bad guys of the week", I've seen.  It was almost hilarious.  Between him and the Russian Captain, subtly is not their thing.  Maybe next season, we'll get new stereotypical baddies for them to mess with.  I'm sure the gang will have to face off against North Korea or another Middle Eastern country, right?

 

Dr. Scott claim about finally getting some free time to work-out: judging from Rhona Mirta's arms, all the science stuff must have still given her time to stay in tip-top physical shape, at least.  Must be some heavy lifting involved!

 

The music choices for this episode were kind of strange.  Of course, since this is a Michael Bay production, it just be that I was expecting either Linkin Park or Aerosmith.

Edited by thuganomics85
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Yes, it's all unbelievable and ridiculous, but it's all in good summer TV fun. I Just laugh at the craziness (like turning the boat around and attacking unarmed) and enjoy the fun. The commercial breaks show me what I could be suffering through instead.. cough, cough.. Falling Skies. Just check your brain at the door before watching.

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Logically, the village would have been located right on the riverbank, or within sight.  Now, logic is not their strongpoint, but from a tactcal standpoint, why not motor upriver until you see a village and negotiate from strength in the boats?  The drug king said, and yeah, he may have just been huffing and puffing, that all they had to do was ask for the monkees (intentional), and the boat crew could have easily negotiated a trade, say, food for critters.  No interaction necessary, no need for pointless heroics, or even more pointless meddling that resulting in said heroics. As has been said, that's the way of things, now.  How do they know the next village upriver isn't even more tyrannical, the only problem with it being a less photogenic gang leader?

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I swear, if I rolled my eyes any more during this episode, I would now be permanently staring at my own brain (not that there's much to see...).  So, take the scientist because she's the only one who can identify the right type of monkey....just capture a bunch of different types of monkeys and let her choose from among them from the safety of the ship.  As for the top three of the command to go on the trip?  Ridiculous.  "I need my best men with me"-yes, yes you do...on the bridge of the ship that is apparently the last hope for humanity.  Let's talk back to the drug lord whose men have all these weapons?  No, no, no.  It is so much better to not incite the situation.  And, when they were busy taking down the drug lord, all I could think of was that he had kept them all safe from the virus and there was a semblance of law and order.  Just look at recent 'real' events, the U.S. has supported the overthrow of various leaders and then we are shocked, shocked I say, when a worst regime sets itself up.  I agree with Lonesome Rhodes-the Captain has condemned the survivors.  What's to stop the infected from the other side of the river from now crossing over to benefit from the better supplies and camp?  

 

This episode by far showed lack of thought in the writing and plot points.  I know, I know, I shouldn't expect a logical plot line, but sometimes it's just too much.

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I think the freed people can defend themselves from the infected.  They can set up traps and perimeter and so on.  Just the same way the drug lord/rapist/molester did.  And with the added benefit of being free, and not slaves, and sleeping in tents rather than outside, etc.

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And not only that, but let's put the CO, XO and COB on the same raft so that we further increase the possibility of the Nathan James experiencing the problems faced with elevating new and untested leadership.

How could any new leadership be worse than what they have?

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How could any new leadership be worse than what they have?

Well Red just stared at maps and asked about flares the entire time they were on land.  I guess that's all she was supposed to do but it made it completely unnecessary to check back in with the boat since they weren't doing anything.  And then she didn't use her command to require that those returning to the boat be placed in quarantine.  Though admittedly, that wasn't her fault as the doctor didn't seem to suggest it was a necessity.  

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A virus that is killing off humans, and humans hunting monkeys – I think I saw something like this in Dawn of Planet of the Apes – only Caesar is way cooler than any of these people.

 

I understand looking for a cure.  However, shouldn’t the biggest priority be not only making sure nothing happens to the doctor who is close to a cure, but also making sure all the people on the ship who have not been infected or exposed, who will have to repopulate and civilize the planet, do not become infected or exposed.  Find an uninhabited island, stay there until the cure is perfected (finding monkeys be damned, there are other ways to test) and everyone has been immunized, then consider traveling all over the infected planet.

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And not only that, but let's put the CO, XO and COB on the same raft

 

And the lieutenant in charge of the marine (SEAL?) detachment. 

 

I liked the scenes of them heading up river, but other than that. . .

 

It's disappointing that the writing is so sub par because I think the directing and acting range form solid to good. 

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I liked the scenes of them heading up river, but other than that. . .

 

That's one of my biggest issues of this show -- it looks great, and the actors are pretty solid (on average), but the writing and story they are given is really sub-par.

Give them some better writers and this show could be awesome.  The current writers didn't really develop a decent show bible to work with and didn't think things through properly over at least a full season (let alone two now that it has been renewed) -- look at the fact that the initial location of the Nathan James went from the Antarctic (in the promo in early 2014) to the Arctic (in the season 1 premiere).  

 

That's a major change and would have completely changed Season 1 since they wouldn't have been running into any Italian Ocean liners and would have run out of fuel well before reaching Gitmo -- they would have been prowling the coasts of either Africa, South America, or even Australia (depending on where they were in Antarctica) foraging for supplies.  And I really doubt any Russian cruisers would have been pursuing them.

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I guess I'm just easy because I find myself on the edge of my seat most of the time while watching. Sure the notion that the captain, the XO and the COB would all Be on an away mission was preposterous. And I also as shaking my head at them antagonizing the war lord. But I'm still enjoying it. And kicking myself for getting involve in yet another new show! I really did promise myself I wouldn't do that this summer lol!

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I realize that not all carrier species would be contagious, but do they really know that much about this virus?

I mean, if the monkeys are good enough to test the vaccine, wouldn't they likely be good enough to have picked up the virus from the infected folks on the other side of the river?

And if the monkeys have already been exposed, how would they "test" the virus on them?

As soon as they saw the infected people, they should have rejected all monkeys in that area as being viable candidates for testing.

And if they're planning on repopulating the world, they should have offered berth to some of the uninfected people on the island.

Edited by shapeshifter
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Loved this episode because Adam Baldwin totally stole it! (I was waiting for this as I knew he'd do it)  His mannerisms, delivery, gestures and looks just screamed Jayne Cobb and John Casey kind of morphed into one BAMF silver fox!  Eric Dane did an okay job playing it straight and the whole episode totally screamed Star Trek (which is good.)   The weirdest thing for me, though, was a random Paul Walker moment (Sniff..miss him so much,) seeing the creepy El Toro actor and remembering that he was the bad guy on "Into the Blue."  It made me expect to see Paul Walker show up and do some free-diving. Sniff makes me sad that he's gone. 

Last, the music on this episode was weird.  I think it was Mark Knophler or the guy from Men at Work...odd and out of place.  

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(edited)

 

Last, the music on this episode was weird.  I think it was Mark Knophler or the guy from Men at Work...odd and out of place.  

Dire Straits, "Ride Across the River" from Brothers in Arms.

Watching with captions on reveals interesting tidbits sometimes.

Sounds like an episode of Last Resort.

I confess, I can't always tell them apart.

Mrs. Torqy and I refer to this as "ship show", and Last Resort as "sub show"

Edited by torqy
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Sorry, but I don't know (or care all that much to know) the name of the character (or actor) that they brought back from Gitmo, the private security guy.  Him.  Long hair.

 

I pegged him the first time I saw him as being this show's "Sawyer" (from Lost).  I thought he'd be the smart-ass, the ladies-man (which seems to be coming true but in bad ways), and the reluctant hero.  But last night he just sat on his ass.  The doctor was worried, and he kept saying, "They're okay . . . we saw the flare . . . etc."  I expected him, and wanted him, to drop a raft over the side and head up river to save the day.  Maybe it's me, maybe the writers have other planes for him, but right now he's just a boring character who threatens to become a sexual deviant.

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That's a major change and would have completely changed Season 1 since they wouldn't have been running into any Italian Ocean liners and would have run out of fuel well before reaching Gitmo -- they would have been prowling the coasts of either Africa, South America, or even Australia (depending on where they were in Antarctica) foraging for supplies.  And I really doubt any Russian cruisers would have been pursuing them.

So they decided they'd rather do cliched stories than be original? That explains much of the faults in this episode. They were copying stories that aren't set against a similar backdrop.

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This may be a really stupid question, but why doesn't Danny (the guy who has the dog partner and secret girlfriend) wear blue like the rest of the crew?  He always has a khaki shirt and khaki camo pants on.  Speaking of Danny, I thought it was funny when he was giving the guy the choke hold and he said, "Go to sleep."  So that's the secret to performing a successful choke hold.  I also liked Adam Baldwin's reaction to discovering that they had been eating monkey meat.

 

I'm probably terrible, but I wouldn't have been opposed to them using sick people to test the cure on.  The sick likely have a death sentence anyway, so they might even be willing to take a test cure.  What if the monkeys are immune to the virus just like the dog is?  You would have thought we would have encountered some dead or sick monkeys along the way, but nope.    

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I realize that not all carrier species would be contagious, but do they really know that much about this virus?

I mean, if the monkeys are good enough to test the vaccine, wouldn't they likely be good enough to have picked up the virus from the infected folks on the other side of the river?

And if the monkeys have already been exposed, how would they "test" the virus on them?

As soon as they saw the infected people, they should have rejected all monkeys in that area as being viable candidates for testing.

And if they're planning on repopulating the world, they should have offered berth to some of the uninfected people on the island.

It's not a perfect world, and there are few easily accessible places that have absolutely no people at all living nearby. A navigable river is sure to have humans around it. If it is transmissible to monkeys, they could serve as a vector to get the disease across the river. The village of the uninfected might want to stop hunting and eating monkeys for that reason.

 

As for repopulating the world, while that was the major goal of the original novel, in this version they are still focusing on saving as many people as they can with the vaccine.

 

.

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The resident pedophile druglord is a one-dimensional cartoon character like there was on the island from Last Resort.  That I could deal with.

 

I couldn't. This is exactly the kind of episode that's going to kill the show for me, the same way it did for Last Resort. If they're going to slip into these tired action movie cliches this quickly, I'm out. What really struck me was the gratuitous violence and their nonchalant attitude. Sure, they had to take out the evil pedophile dictator, but the way they slashed, stabbed, shot and neck-twisted their way through his guards really caught me off guard. It was a great episode for letting our heroes look all bad-ass but they're supposed to be Navy officers, not trained assassins. Just because these men were posted as guards for this little enclave didn't make them sub-human, disposable villains. I don't think they did enough to establish that anyone there holding a gun was worthy of killing.

 

 

How did this get renewed if it's this stupid ?

 

Was it renewed? That's disappointing. I was hoping for a one-off miniseries. I'll probably stick with it for the rest of this season (hell I stuck with Helix to the bitter end), but I won't be back next summer. The premise just doesn't lend itself to a regular series.

 

 

It's disappointing that the writing is so sub par because I think the directing and acting range form solid to good.

 

Agreed. They have some pretty strong leads in Eric Dane and Adam Baldwin. They pretty much make the show watchable for me, but not much else.

 

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Okay, this is petty and not a highly constructive criticism, but: El Toro?  That's the best they could come up with.  I've eaten in Mexican restaurants with spookier names (and less-cliche) than that.  I kept expecting to see Pee-Wee Herman.  (Wait . . . that's pretty spooky!)

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This may be a really stupid question, but why doesn't Danny (the guy who has the dog partner and secret girlfriend) wear blue like the rest of the crew?  He always has a khaki shirt and khaki camo pants on.

 

I'm unclear whether he is supposed to be a Marine or not. If he's a Marine, then he would have a different uniform (although the khaki stuff still seems off). If he is Navy, then maybe he dresses according to job? I know that on carriers, people have different uniforms for different jobs... but I could be wrong.

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I'm unclear whether he is supposed to be a Marine or not. If he's a Marine, then he would have a different uniform (although the khaki stuff still seems off). If he is Navy, then maybe he dresses according to job? I know that on carriers, people have different uniforms for different jobs... but I could be wrong.

It's not a USMC squad, they are either SEALS or one of the other Navy teams that normally fight and work on land like the explosive ordnance disposal LT in the Godzilla movie or the NatGeo documentary series on Afghanistan. my vote is that the Mountain Warfare unit are not SEALS.
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So, i didn't get while the one daughter was "sent across the river", why she couldn't just hang out on the river bank (or near enough to it and away from the infected people) and then be reunited with her family after the navy guys got rid of El Toro and his goons?

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(edited)

It's not a USMC squad, they are either SEALS or one of the other Navy teams that normally fight and work on land like the explosive ordnance disposal LT in the Godzilla movie or the NatGeo documentary series on Afghanistan. my vote is that the Mountain Warfare unit are not SEALS.

Quoting myself, however I just saw a promo scene with LT Green in his white uniform and a surface warfare insignia and not the SEAL trident insignia. Even in time of war how does a LT earn five rows of service ribbons and commendations? The top awards looked like a Bronze Star for valor and Purple Heart.

Edited by Raja
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There are so many stupid, awful decisions and baffling behaviors on this show. But the thing that confused me the most was that side of bright, green, deliciously crisp haricots verts on Contractor Creeper's dinner plate.

 

Did they miraculously find fresh green beans growing in Waterfall Island?

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I'm probably terrible, but I wouldn't have been opposed to them using sick people to test the cure on.  The sick likely have a death sentence anyway, so they might even be willing to take a test cure.  What if the monkeys are immune to the virus just like the dog is?  You would have thought we would have encountered some dead or sick monkeys along the way, but nope.    

 

I think they are going for a vaccine to prevent people from contracting the disease. Vaccines don't do anything for people already infected. Hopefully there is a secret undercover PETA agent on board who will attempt to rescue the monkeys because that would be a hilarious plot twist.

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It's hilarious how the bad guys on this show can't hit the broad side of a barn. Also, as a bad guy, one wants to avoid Adam Baldwin in a fight. I can't help but notice while both Eric Dane and the other guy put their captives in chokeholds, Adam Baldwin's character snapped his guy's neck like that.

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LOL, Baldwin's so ripped, tall and well muscled that he made the Navy Seal guy look like Simon from firefly.  When he is in a scene, he steals everything.   I am just glad he gets to have some little quips.  I keep expecting him to say "I just wanted me an ear..."  Love him so much and am glad he's on this show to bring it some levity.

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So, i didn't get while the one daughter was "sent across the river", why she couldn't just hang out on the river bank (or near enough to it and away from the infected people) and then be reunited with her family after the navy guys got rid of El Toro and his goons?

 

Not only that, if this disease is air born, a river isn't going to keep El Toro's people safe from it. Nor is a bamboo fence. Eventually the air born germs are going to make their way into camp.

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But more important, who was that drug lord (e.g. I Know That Guy)?  He's pretty familiar - Burn Notice, maybe?  I seem to hear him saying "Michael"....

 

Jose Zuniga.  he was on CSI, I think.

 

I always get him confused with Tony Shalhoub from "Monk" and "Wings.'

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