S02.E05: Keep Hope Alive

[formerlyfreedom]

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Layton and Miss Audrey make a risky play for Big Alice, but Wilford has his own plans.

Airing Monday, February 22, 2021.

 

[blackwing]

I guess I would be more interested in this season’s storylines if I actually cared about the characters.  This show has become what I call a “dishwashing show”.  I watch while washing dishes, and if I miss something (which I am sure I often have) I find myself not really caring.

Did Jennifer Connelly have to quarantine and couldn’t show up to work for two episodes?  Without her the show is dreadfully dull.  We got Audrey as lead actress... probably the character that I least care about.

The guy that was taking a dump last episode  killed the janitor.  Then shaved his head.  Not really sure what the reasons were for either, but at least the janitor is gone.

I learned this episode that there was a difference between a brakeman (a security guard I think) and a breachman (a firefighter I think).  Well whatever, all the breachmen are now dead, and unfortunately, I think the mysterious hooded person is Lilah Junior.

Still not caring about Frozie.  Or Zara.  Apparently Zara is now in hospitality, presumably because the writers couldn’t figure out what to do with her.

Wanted to see more of the Last Australians.  Emilia is great but I don’t think we even saw Murray.

[iMonrey]

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I guess I would be more interested in this season’s storylines if I actually cared about the characters.

That's a good point. I think Daveed Diggs has a strong following which brings eyeballs to the show but yeah, I really don't care about anyone at this point, not even him. 

I admit some of the external visuals are pretty impressive, like that shot of the train going under the decaying bridge, but then it just zaps me back to reality. Eventually that bridge is going to collapse right on top of the track. How will they clear that? It's Snowpiercer, not Bridgepiercer. 

Also, how are they growing pot on that train? I know they have indoor gardens and such but the drug trade appears to be illegal so I'm assuming it's not growing right next to the mangos on the fruit car. You need pretty specific conditions to grow viable pot. I've heard. 🙄

[AnimeMania]

3 hours ago, iMonrey said:

Also, how are they growing pot on that train? I know they have indoor gardens and such but the drug trade appears to be illegal so I'm assuming it's not growing right next to the mangos on the fruit car. You need pretty specific conditions to grow viable pot. I've heard. 

I thought the pot was grown on the Big Alice side and imported/traded to the janitor.

I can't believe the Alex wants to hangout with L J.

[iMonrey]

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I thought the pot was grown on the Big Alice side and imported/traded to the janitor.

If they can grow pot why are they starving for food? Grow some!

[Auntie Anxiety]

This show is a mess. I don’t even remember who killed who and I don’t really care. So my mind starts drifting to things like “Does Layton ever wash his clothes?” and “Why do some of those kids look too young to have been on the train for seven+ years?”

[Mr. Sparkle]

20 hours ago, blackwing said:

Not really sure what the reasons were for either, but at least the janitor is gone.

I would've lost that bet. I thought the janitor was going to be around for a while as a low-level plot device. I'm thinking LJ and her boyfriend will take on that role. 

[blackwing]

3 hours ago, Superclam said:

I would've lost that bet. I thought the janitor was going to be around for a while as a low-level plot device. I'm thinking LJ and her boyfriend will take on that role. 

“Low level plot device” is a great way to put it.  I’m finding this entire season to be a low level plot device.  I know this show already got renewed for a third season but for me at least this show is following the same pattern as “Quantico”.  I was very interested in the first season. Loved the newness and the writing and the plot.  Then second season came along and I found myself loathing it but invested too much time in it to just quit, so I think I suffered through the rest of the season.  Then I vowed not to return for Season 3, and I didn’t.  

[Quilt Fairy]

Wouldn't you think that if these are the last people on Earth they shouldn't be trying so hard to kill each other?

[Dminches]

6 hours ago, Quilt Fairy said:

Wouldn't you think that if these are the last people on Earth they shouldn't be trying so hard to kill each other?

That's the question Till posed to the pastor.  I guess it shows that people live in their own microcosm and changing their behavior is difficult to do.  There is always a struggle for power even when winning just means you hang out in a different enclosed space on a train.

 

[Tachi Rocinante]

16 hours ago, AnimeMania said:

I can't believe the Alex wants to hangout with L J.

From what I can see, there are no other teens on Big Alice, so she's reaching out to anyone near her age I guess.

Didn't Till pretty much figure out there was another "shadow group" in play and that it wasn't the Breachmen who were behind the maiming?

Whoever does the makeup for Frozie is doing a helluva job.

Edited February 24, 2021 by Tachi Rocinante

[Netfoot]

18 minutes ago, Tachi Rocinante said:

Whoever does the makeup for Frozie is doing a helluva job.

Yep. And you can take it from me that wearing a full-body suit made of RadialNet isn't exactly comfortable, so hats off to the actress whose name I can't remember (and can't look up on IMDb because there is no character actually named 'Frozie').

[Melina22]

On 2/23/2021 at 12:17 AM, blackwing said:

I guess I would be more interested in this season’s storylines if I actually cared about the characters.  This show has become what I call a “dishwashing show”.  I watch while washing dishes, and if I miss something (which I am sure I often have) I find myself not really caring

I cared about the show so little that I completely missed this episode altogether. The characters are all so unpleasant that I found myself putting off watching the new episode and then thinking, "This isn't my job. I don't HAVE to watch this." I'll just read here to see if things improve enough for me to actually want to hop back on the train. 

[blackwing]

13 hours ago, Dminches said:

That's the question Till posed to the pastor.  I guess it shows that people live in their own microcosm and changing their behavior is difficult to do.  There is always a struggle for power even when winning just means you hang out in a different enclosed space on a train.

 

I'm wondering where this pastor was last season while the class warfare was going on and there was mass killing.  I guess nobody felt like they needed to consult a boxing pastor back then, or maybe he just stayed confined in his cabin the entire time.  But now, he is everywhere.

11 hours ago, Melina22 said:

I cared about the show so little that I completely missed this episode altogether. The characters are all so unpleasant that I found myself putting off watching the new episode and then thinking, "This isn't my job. I don't HAVE to watch this." I'll just read here to see if things improve enough for me to actually want to hop back on the train. 

Good for you, I admire your ability to just quit mid-season.  I agree that this show has become a complete chore to watch.  TV is supposed to be for entertainment.  It's not supposed to be a task that I have to force myself to do.

Has the budget for this show been slashed?  Last season we saw the incredible ocean car (not sure if CGI or a combination or what) but we haven't seen it again this season.  Why not?  If they showed us the ocean car at least once per episode, I would be a little happier.  Why go through the trouble of creating that set and then only using it twice?  We also had a lot more action and special effects.  That lady that got her arm shoved outside and broken off.  Frozie getting frozied.  The set that included The Drawers.  Why bother to have created all these sets and never use them again?  

And what happened to all the people in the Drawers?  Are they all still there?  If there are no more classes and everyone is equal, who is making the decision as to who stays frozen?  What happened to that Asian girl that was picked from the Tail along with Miles to move up?  Didn't we see her in a Drawer?  Her parents were so happy that she was chosen.  After the class war resolved in favour of the Tailees, how come the parents haven't wondered where their daughter is or why they can't see her?

[Netfoot]

17 minutes ago, blackwing said:

TV is supposed to be for entertainment.  It's not supposed to be a task that I have to force myself to do.

I grab episodes and save them until I feel like watching. When I find myself grabbing the next episode before I watch the last, I know there is a problem. When I am grabbing the next episode and have not watched the last two, I start thinking that show is ripe for "personal cancellation".

[tennisgurl]

I think my favorite part was Bob the ice giant reading Rebecca. Just because your a monstrosity of science doesn't mean you cant be a part of book club too. 

The whole speech the preacher guy gave about how the sheep needed a new shepherd makes me wonder if he could be involved with the Wilford cult. It was obvious that it wasn't the Breachmen, not only because no way would they give away the mystery so quickly, but they just don't seem subtle enough for these kind of dramatic terrorist cult antics. If they wanted a fight, they would just start a fight. 

As much as this show is ridiculous and this season is stalling in a lot of ways, I am still enjoying it. 

[Melina22]

24 minutes ago, tennisgurl said:

my favorite part was Bob the ice giant reading Rebecca. Just because your a monstrosity of science doesn't mean you cant be a part of book club too. 

No! I wish I'd seen this one part. Rebecca is my all time favourite novel (this week I'm listening to it again on Audible) so this would have cracked me up. 

[Netfoot]

28 minutes ago, Melina22 said:

Rebecca is my all time favourite novel (this week I'm listening to it again on Audible) so this would have cracked me up.

I just watched the 2020 film interpretation of this book, starring Lily James and Armie Hammer. I thought it was quite good. (I've previously watched the 1940s Hitchcock version (in which subtle changes were made to the story) as well as two TV adaptations made in the UK.)

[Melina22]

I've watched every version known to man. 🤣 I more or less enjoyed them all. It wasn't until listening on audiobook this week that I was suddenly reminded how incredibly well written the actual book was, and why I loved it so much. Nothing can compare to it. 

Say what you like about Bob the ice giant, he has impeccable taste in literature. 

[rmontro]

4 hours ago, Netfoot said:

hats off to the actress whose name I can't remember (and can't look up on IMDb because there is no character actually named 'Frozie').

Here character's name is Josie, if that helps.  Hence the "Frozie" joke.

[Biggie B]

I am just about at the point where I am watching the show primarily to see Wilford be defeated and/or killed. I am so not sold on this epic love affair between him and Audrey - the guy is a disgusting psychopath who is aroused by sitting in a tub where people are killing themselves. What in hell are we to believe Audrey EVER saw in him, and how on earth did she live to get away from him? I hope that whatever she's doing now, it's successful in bringing an end to loathsome Wilford. Worst character on the show.

I thought Ruth did a good job broadcasting the "lie" about Melanie. Last season I couldn't stand her character and this season, she's become my favorite. Or maybe it's the actress' portrayal that I really like, but either way, I find Ruth compelling, much more so than just about any of the other characters. 

The book club was bizarre! I thought for sure Wilford was going to kill someone at some point, either for not having read the book or for saying something he disagreed with.

[Melina22]

3 hours ago, Biggie B said:

thought Ruth did a good job broadcasting the "lie" about Melanie. Last season I couldn't stand her character and this season, she's become my favorite. 

Same! She's literally the only character I care about at this point, maybe because she so desperately wants Wilford to be the person she idolizes, and is so hopeful her loyalty and devotion will be rewarded. (I don't really want to see how this works out for her.) 

[Dowel Jones]

I find that I start to lose a lot of attention when there are just too many characters in the mix.  It's always who did what to who, and were they important, and so on.  Plus, the camera editing doesn't help.  So, I find myself musing about the more technical aspects of the world. Growing pot has already been mentioned, but I see bottles of branded liquors in the bar and people still dressing in formal attire after seven years, and I begin to think, what???  Then there's the capper this episode.  Who the hell would build a railroad of any type up into the Tibetan Plateau, especially since there are existing routes through India?

I do notice that the map at the beginning of the show is changing slightly, showing different parts of the world with the routes in red.  I wonder if they're trying to hint at something.

The reason Melanie hasn't pinged back is that she's got the weather station all cozied up nice and warm, and is kicking back with a bottle of California red and a steak, part of the stash she put in place 7 years ago.  Crank up the tele and watch an old movie, maybe "Once Upon a Time in America", or "A Beautiful Mind".

[rmontro]

2 hours ago, Melina22 said:

Same! She's literally the only character I care about at this point, maybe because she so desperately wants Wilford to be the person she idolizes, and is so hopeful her loyalty and devotion will be rewarded. (I don't really want to see how this works out for her.) 

I also like Ruth's character, maybe it's her loyalty that makes her one of the few likable characters.  She was loyal to Wilford, then she was loyal to Melanie (who betrayed her).  Now she's loyal to Layton.  In any case, she's a key part of the operation.

[Quilt Fairy]

12 hours ago, Melina22 said:

Say what you like about Bob the ice giant, he has impeccable taste in literature. 

But it's Wilford that's in charge of the "book club" and makes the choices.  I find it interesting that 7 years ago he decided he needed half a dozen copies of Rebecca on Big Alice.  It makes you wonder what other books are on his reading list.

A million years ago when I was in high school we read Rebecca.  One of the questions we discussed was what was the new Mrs. De Winter's name?  It's never mentioned, other than Max telling her she has a beautiful, unusual name when they're introduced.

ETA:  Is there any explanation why most of the kids look like they're in a Connecticut prep school but there are still some that look like they're in the cast of Oliver! ?

Edited February 25, 2021 by Quilt Fairy

[FoundTime]

On 2/24/2021 at 10:46 PM, Quilt Fairy said:

A million years ago when I was in high school we read Rebecca.  One of the questions we discussed was what was the new Mrs. De Winter's name?  It's never mentioned, other than Max telling her she has a beautiful, unusual name when they're introduced.

I've read Rebecca twice for discussion groups and this is a deliberate part of the storytelling, that the narrator is so much a cipher, perceived by herself to be so unimportant to her own story, that she's not even given a name. Look for this in contemporary works too, like My Lovely Wife.

That has to be the Worst Book Club Ever, with everyone quaking in their boots that they would say the wrong thing and wind up in the Tub of Death.

I have been waiting for Alison Wright to come into her Alison Wright-ness in her portrayal of Ruth. I wasn't feeling it in the first season but it's starting to come through. I knew it was in there somewhere. My yardstick is her absolutely phenomenal work on The Americans. Check it out if you haven't already.

I will say I have this show as a series recording but I've kind of been letting it pile up on the DVR. It's less of a "must-watch" show than in S1.