S04.E19: Formation

[AnimeMania]

All signs point to the end of the Earth, spurring the Stone family and the passengers to work together and decipher cryptic clues before time runs out.

Premiere Date: June 2, 2023     Netflix   

[ottoDbusdriver]

We get flashback to when Ben and Michaela were kids collecting firewood in the woods with Grandpa/Grandma Stone.

The Major gets a reference.  #Season1callback

Cal's new power this episode -- he can connect sapphires with Angelina during a calling.

Ben, Vance, Cal/Gabriel, Michael, Drea, Jared, Olive and Saanvi (and Eden tags along) try to dig up the volcanic fissure where Saanvi tossed the Noah's Ark fragment in the magma.  On the chance that Cal/Gabriel can connect with the sapphire in that fragment.  And despite just driving up for the day they somehow were proactive to bring camping equipment along (tents, sleeping bags, food, etc).  Sure, whatever.  They all sit around talking about what they are going to do the day after the Death Date.

Eagen has 2nd thoughts about his support for Angelina, and bails on her.

Ben and Saanvi profess their mad love for each other, but both admit that it can never be.

Sitting around the campfire they try to figure out why Flight 828 was chosen.  And it turns into a big hugfest.
Except when Michaela breaks up with Jared afterwards.  Seems like there is a lot of melodramatic filler in this episode.

Cal/Gabriel finally gets the nod from the divine consciousness and he goes to the fissure where his arm sapphire connects with the sapphire in the fissure -- and Cal/Gabriel disappears turning in a beam of sapphire blue light that is projected straight up in the air.  Angelina, Eagen and Adrian, and the ALNI patients all see it.

[SoMuchTV]

@ottoDbusdriver thank you for your recaps.  I'm watching because I'm a completionist/hate-watcher/snark-watcher/fortunate enough to have some spare time, but I come off of each episode saying "wait why are they what the who was that where the what happened with that?" and you've at least helped fill in some gaps.

Only one to go.  Not sure if I'm in a hurry to find out if there's a chance I'll be relatively pleasantly surprised with how they pull it together or it's just the normal okay I watched that...

[alvajon]

@ottoDbusdriver  You ARE THE BEST.  I’ve not watched any of the last two season but got the gist from your posts (kinda glad I didn’t) -- Carry on.   

[shapeshifter]

On 6/4/2023 at 12:17 PM, ottoDbusdriver said:

Sitting around the campfire they try to figure out why Flight 828 was chosen.  And it turns into a big hugfest.
Except when Michaela breaks up with Jared afterwards.  Seems like there is a lot of melodramatic filler in this episode.

Spoiler

Seriously did not add to the finale, IMO.

 

 

On 6/4/2023 at 12:17 PM, ottoDbusdriver said:

Cal/Gabriel finally gets the nod from the divine consciousness

I pretty much hate all the vague "Divine Consciousness" BS, but they've consistently included mysticism from the beginning. I signed up for scifi. *sigh*

 

 

On 6/4/2023 at 6:13 PM, SoMuchTV said:

@ottoDbusdriver thank you for your recaps.  I'm watching because I'm a completionist/hate-watcher/snark-watcher/fortunate enough to have some spare time, but I come off of each episode saying "wait why are they what the who was that where the what happened with that?" and you've at least helped fill in some gaps.

Ditto!👏💓

[Daltrey]

Of all the non realistic things in this entire series, the most unbelievable is the flashback conversation between kids Ben and Michaela.🤣

[shapeshifter]

22 hours ago, Daltrey said:

Of all the non realistic things in this entire series, the most unbelievable is the flashback conversation between kids Ben and Michaela.🤣

“Most unbelievable”? Kidding, right?

But it might win “Most unnecessary expense.”
They hired 2 child actors when a distinctive rock formation in the background could have accomplished the same thing.

[mythoughtis]

There has been a lot of unneeded filler this entire season. Why did Grandpa Stone need to have a stroke?  Why did Jared and Michaela get back together at all?  Why did Drea become pregnant?  What did any of that have to do with the the death dates?  
 

I do understand why Cal had to age 5 years- because they needed an adult actor for the subject matter written for Cal. 

Edited June 7, 2023 by mythoughtis

[CCTC]

2 hours ago, mythoughtis said:

There has been a lot of unneeded filler this entire season. Why did Grandpa Stone need to have a stroke?  Why did Jared and Michaela get back together at all?  Why did Drea become pregnant?  What did any of that have to do with the the death dates?  
 

I do understand why Cal had to age 5 years- because they needed an adult actor for the subject matter written for Cal. 

I did not mind that filler, although, if they were limited to a two or hour block, they really could have done it and finished the story with the ending they wanted.

I do think the first handful of 4B episodes of calling of the week could have been eliminated or condensed.

They really lucked out with the actor who played Cal who seemed like he was child Cal grown up and able do some of the heavy scenes.

[Camera One]

They skipped through 9 months over the last two episodes, but we got to watch this never-ending camping trip in real time.  

Thank goodness Cal didn't need to combine with Psycholina.  I had forgotten all about that piece of driftwood.  It seems like everyone else did too, until the convoluted Dragon King of Storms = Storm King Mountain light bulb moment Saanvi got.  Oh yes, and coma patient reminding everyone of that horrible Noah's Ark plot from a few seasons ago.

It's hard to appreciate the call-backs when I don't remember the mumbo jumbo from previous seasons.  

I'm surprised Angelina didn't kill Eagan on the spot.  Why, because the plot needs him next episode?

I have actually grown to like most of these characters, but most of the heart-to-heart conversations left me cold.  Ben and Saanvi had to sleep together because???  They really wanted to force the actress to deliver that horrible "You may not be my endgame but I will always have mad love for you" line?  

The whole Drea/Jared/Michaela triangle was just cringe to watch.  So all along Jared only pursued Michaela for loyalty.  Riiiiight.   

Yet they couldn't give some dialogue to Olive and TJ?

I was annoyed Eagan overheard the conversation between Saanvi and Olive about the driftwood (because of course he did... was that scene newly filmed, or was that from an old clip?), but he and Adrian would have gone to the blue beacon of zombie passengers walking, anyway.

This was a rather weak penultimate episode.  It didn't feel like the first half of a 2-hour movie that I couldn't stop.  But I think I will finish it off tonight and see if the next episode will bring a satisfying close.  I'm not holding my breath.  I would really to see Danny and Lourdes in the finale for old time sake.

Edited June 24, 2023 by Camera One

[Babalu06]

Since that Bulgarian word means both coffin and ark, why the hell did Marco draw a coffin when he meant ark?????

[KaveDweller]

20 hours ago, Babalu06 said:

Since that Bulgarian word means both coffin and ark, why the hell did Marco draw a coffin when he meant ark?????

I think he didn't remember which he meant. They told him the word he was saying and his first thought was coffin. But then I guess he remembered it had another meaning that made more sense?

[Paloma]

On 6/24/2023 at 1:31 AM, Camera One said:

I would really to see Danny and Lourdes in the finale for old time sake.

Agree with everything you said except that I've totally forgotten who Danny was. I think Lourdes was Mick's best friend and the one Jared was married to when Mick came back? If so, and if Lourdes shows up in the finale with pregnant Drea, that will be awkward.

[Camera One]

31 minutes ago, Paloma said:

Agree with everything you said except that I've totally forgotten who Danny was.

I was just joking.  Danny was that guy Grace was with when the plane landed.  This show has always been full of annoying triangles.