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S01.E01: Pilot


Whimsy

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Hey, it worked for Castle. (Sorry, I just have never thought that Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic have anything in the way of romantic chemistry, but it's going into Season 7, so...)

 

....

 

Other than that, this will never win awards, but there's nothing wrong with fluff TV. Time will tell if it'll be good fluff or forgotten fluff. But I'll (literally) tune in tomorrow to find out...

Heh; I still have yet to get into Castle, so thanks for the info.

 

Nope, nothin' wrong with fluff, but there wasn't any character I really liked enough for me to stick around for -- not good when I've already seen this before with more likeable people. But I'll give a couple more episodes.

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Heh; I still have yet to get into Castle, so thanks for the info.

 

Well, to be fair, Trini, chemistry is one of those mileage deals, so if you ever do tune into Castle, you may think the chemistry is fantastic.  :-P Still, yeah...I'm not sure where Jo and Henry fall in the chemistry category just yet. I will be honest and say I saw more with the doomed Russian cellist in the beginning of the episode, but again, time will tell the tale.

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Didn't watch New Amsterdam, never even heard of it. Have not seen much else like this. I rather liked it. I have read several books that I could see elements of in the pilot. "The Time Traveler's Wife", he just disappeared and turned up naked in a new place, in the "Riverworld" books, the characters died several times, awoke in new places along the river. I remember they all started off naked, but don't remember if they were naked again after they awoke, but somehow everyone in the books seemed to always find clothing of the time period when they lived the first time, (won't spoil that for anyone who wants to slough through that mess, never did read the final book). Ken Grimwood wrote a couple of books that I thought of "Replay", not as much as "Elise: A Terrifying Tale of Immortality" she knew why she was immortal and had aged normally until around age 30, she was injured a number of times in ways that would kill many people, suffered pain, suffered love and loss, had only a few people that she confided in along the way and tried to help her find a way to die. In "Replay" the main character kept dying and coming to life along his first time line, he did meet a few others that were going through similar.

 

I will be interested as long as the show lasts.

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Since I liked New Amsterdam, this show had enough to keep me interested to watch the next one. I did like the relationship between Henry and Abe the best and the mystery that another person is immortal. Plus I'm watching Shield so maybe this show will last a bit longer than last season shows since it doesn't have a comedy block breaking up Shield and whatever drama at 10. 

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How is Henry Morgan not on the sex offender registry, as often as he seems to show up nekkid on the banks of the Hudson?  Too bad he doesn't always show up in the same place, or he could stash some clothes nearby.  Instead, it's just always "in water".

 

I could have sworn I heard Judd Hirsch's character say he was 65 years old.  That would mean he was born in 1949 - four years after the war was over.  Maybe he said 69 and my ears were failing me.  That must have been an awkward conversation with a young Abe the first time he had to call him up to bring a change of clothes.

 

I guess one of the big mysteries will be how did he come to be immortal.  My first thought was that it had something to do with his being willing to risk his life for the slave on the ship, so it wouldn't necessarily be a curse.  But the "#1 Fan" caller claims to be in the same condition, so it's not necessarily a reward either.  Also, are there others out there?  Because that's not really good for population control.

 

I was totally confused about the caller/poisoner, too.  I thought they were the same guy, but the caller wouldn't have threatened Henry with a gun because he'd know it wouldn't kill him.  But then how did the caller set up the train crash by poisoning the conductor?

 

They're trying to make Henry like Sherlock, but how did Not-Sherlock miss the fact that the video cameras would have recorded him getting on the train.  Did he not think the cops would find it interesting that their medical examiner was an unreported victim?  Thus began our first "No Shit, Not-Sherlock"(NSNS) moment of the series.

He said he had been playing chess with Henry Morgan for 65 years, so suppose he was a child prodigy who played chess at 5, that puts him as 70, born in 1944, so that makes some sense.

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(Forever Knight in the '90s with vampire Nick Knight...anyone else remember that?)

 

Yup. Also starring a Welsh actor (Geraint Wyn Davies). 

 

I suspect they might have aired the pilot tonight so people like me, who watch Dancing With the Stars and like their eye candy, would check it out. (Never heard of it before it started after DWTS ended; don't recall ever hearing of New Amsterdam.) Not so much of a TV watcher these days, but gonna give it a shot. 

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I forgot to mention the similarities this has to The Mentalist. When he was listing off the clues that led him to his speculations I thought "Patrick Jane".

 

They both ripped off Sherlock Holmes.

 

I wonder what happens to Henry's clothes when he dies.  Do they just stay behind?  Does he not carry ID that can identify that he was there, or at least his wallet was there?

Edited by Rick Kitchen
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It took me like five minutes reading this thread to figure out that guy isn't named Loan. Cursed I/l confusion.

 

I thought it was okay. Not great, but not bad either. I'll watch at least a couple of episodes

 

There were a couple of times when I thought the phone guy sounded like Judd Hirsch, but the rest of the time the voice was way too crisp to be someone that old.

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Ok, I'm one of the few that enjoyed it.  I didn't have time to read the whole thread so my apologies if this has been asked and answered:  My DVR cut off DWTS late and into Forever late so I missed the explanation of how he got to be immortal and why and whether there is actually anything that WILL kill him.  Can anyone enlighten me? 

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Ok, I'm one of the few that enjoyed it. I didn't have time to read the whole thread so my apologies if this has been asked and answered: My DVR cut off DWTS late and into Forever late so I missed the explanation of how he got to be immortal and why and whether there is actually anything that WILL kill him. Can anyone enlighten me?

Henry was on a slave ship and wouldn't let the captain throw a slave overboard, so the captain shot and threw him overboard instead.

I don't think he knows why he's immortal, but he feels it's more of a curse. Understandable, I guess.

At one point, I think Henry mentions that he's looking for a way to die. As in, die forever. But maybe I misheard him.

Edited by Surrealist
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I liked this show didn't love it but it was a fun little romp.

 

The first thing I thought of this show was that this was immortal Sherlock.  It doesn't help that the Morgan-detective meet up scene  was blatantly stolen from the UKK Sherlock show. I don't get how he intruded on a meeting that he wasn't invited to yet she's the one apologizing or how she'd want to team up with someone who's a lawsuit waiting to happen ( if the guy didn't attack the detective, the stuff they found wouldn't have been admissible).  Also, was there an explanation as to why she didn't know who he was? I probably missed it, but if I didn't that seemed weird given their occupations.

 

It was nice to see Joel David Moore pop up in this in the same role that he plays on Bones, hopefully he's given more to do as the series continues. And I also liked seeing Judd Hirsch. Hopefully they give the law and order lady more to do then to look shocked and play a love interest. Challenge her, writers.

 

Finally the mystery behind his immortality and how many people out there are like him is very intriguing. Hopefully they have a good enough reason for this to be happening.

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I enjoyed it. Yes, I've seen it before but I enjoy watching Ioan enough that it doesn't bother me.

 

 

Makes me wonder why no one ever hires an Asian actor to play an immortal. We can look the same age for about 10 years or so. I'm in my thirties and can finally pass for 21. 

 

Because TV writers don't know enough about Asian history to pull off the flashbacks?

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I liked the show. Judd Hirch is always a welcome sight and Ioan can bring the sex appeal with a bit of "tortured immortal"(but not too much). Yes there were a lot of "Sherlock Holmes" moments but I will give the show time to put a unique spin on things.

And yes I wanted to shed a little tear when I realized that Judd was the baby from the flash back. Awwwww.

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I never saw New Amsterdam and I've always liked Ioan Gruffudd, so I thought this pilot episode wasn't bad.  It did seem like a cross between Castle and Elementary with a touch of the supernatural.  Every time I saw that female detective (played by Alana DLG), I thought Kate Becket.  The chemistry between Alana and Ioan needs work, but Forever shows promise.

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Makes me wonder why no one ever hires an Asian actor to play an immortal. We can look the same age for about 10 years or so. I'm in my thirties and can finally pass for 21. 

 

Both Extant and Helix had immortal Asian characters this year.

 

In a weirdly specific piece of typecasting, they were both played by Hiroyuki Sanada.

 

I can't recall if Sanada's Lost character was immortal too, but it's possible.

Edited by ApathyMonger
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OT, and I know we're about to be told to stop bragging about how young we look vs. how old we are...but the last time I was carded was a few years ago.  I put my beer on the counter and the clerk looked at me and said, "I'm sorry, but I have to ask for your ID."  I was stunned, so the clerk nods to the person standing next to me and says "It's OK, just let your friend here buy it for you", thus risking her own job and the store's liquor license.  As I fished my driver's license out of my purse I told her, "No, that's OK.  I'm just surprised and flattered.  The beer is for me and my 'friend' is my daughter who won't be old enough to buy beer for over a year.  As my daughter silently fumed, the clerk checked my license and then called the manager to verify it.  "Barb, could you come over here and check a license for me?  I just carded a 42 year old."

 

Back to the show.  I wondered what happens to the body when Dr. Henry Morgan dies, and why his watch stayed behind but not his wallet.  I wondered what the purpose of emerging from the water after dying was about, signifying rebirth, I suppose. 

 

I thought that when Henry was shot and thrown in the ocean, we'd see the slave being tossed overboard and Henry saving the slave.  Then they'd cling to some piece of rigging hanging off the ship outside of sight from above until nightfall.  Then they'd sneak back onboard, kill the captain and take over the ship.  This could work if the ship was becalmed and tensions were high, thus using any excuse to get rid of people so there would be more water and food for the rest of them.  Otherwise did Henry just keep drowning or dying of thirst until he finally washed up on shore somewhere?

 

I wondered if the mysterious 'other can't-die' man was the slave.  Maybe there was a downed alien ship under them and somehow the radiation from that ship is what changed Henry.  It could be that the slave didn't realize until later that he couldn't die because Henry saved him before he actually drowned.  Now that former slave is pissed at what he went through and has been searching for Henry ever since, finally figuring out why a man who was shot in the chest and thrown overboard was able to survive.

 

I think that the mysterious man on the phone is a lurker, and knew what that guy was up to, but did nothing to stop it.  It reminded me of the movie 'Unbreakable', where 'Mr. Glass' has been setting up catastrophic accidents in search of someone who would live when no one else could.

 

As for Abe, I also noticed that the tattoo should have been very faded by now, but brushed it off.  As for finding such a seemingly healthy baby in a death camp, I had to fanwank it a bit.  I remember the horrific studies that Josef Mengele did on twins at Auschwitz.  He had a fascination for identical twins, and preformed experiments on them.  Sometimes he'd keep one healthy and use the other to experiment on.  Once one twin was dead, he'd kill the other one to 'compare notes'.  Abe could have been one of those children.  When the Allies were marching on the camps, some of the soldiers ran and others did their level best to kill as many prisoners before they could be saved.  Abe might have been one of those twins and had a nurse hide him to prevent him from being killed.

 

And I don't understand how Henry could just leave the war and go home to raise a child that wasn't his.

 

All in all, an interesting show, but I'm not sure it'll last long.

Edited by Zahdii
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I tried to watch but only made it to the first commercial break before I turned the television off. I really wanted to like it because I have something of a soft spot for Ioan Gruffudd, especially since his one off guest appearance on Castle, but nothing about it worked for me. The voiceover was grating and the Sherlocky-ness of Henry was over the top and kinda made me want to punch him. The female lead, as it were, was practically a two by four she was so wooden. Judd Hirsch was pretty much the only bright spot and even him I was iffy about. I might try watching again on Hulu or something at a later date but right now I just don't see this one working out for me which is a shame because this was literally the only pilot I was looking forward to trying this season. 

Edited by airbefore
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And yes I wanted to shed a little tear when I realized that Judd was the baby from the flash back. Awwwww.

I thought it was cute, but also ... familiar.  Nazi Germany is where Conner McCloud found Rachel (in the extended version of Highlander), the only normal human who knew of his immortality, who stayed with him and helped guard his secret.  In New York.  Where she ran an antiques store where they both lived.  Which was full of shit gathered during Conner's long life.  Where she worried that, despite his protestations that he still found life full and rewarding, his was an empty existence because he 'wouldn't let anyone love him'.  Not since he lost the love of his life in the past and pinned for her to this day.  

 

Boy, this is familiar.  If Coroner McCloud picks up a sword, I expect Gregory Widen to be getting a royalty check in the mail.

Edited by henripootel
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I loved this! It's a little bit of Sherlock, a little Castle, a little Mentalist/Psych.  And Joel David Moore!! Yay!

The cast has a nice chemistry, and they give off a vibe that they are having fun working together. I'll stick with this. 

 

My allergies acted up when I saw that the baby was the old guy. 

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too much Sherlock Holmes (and any rip of Sherlock)

 

That's what irritated me the most. I'm really tired of people able to sum up a person with one quick glance.

 

 

 

Heh; I still have yet to get into Castle, so thanks for the info.

 

I bailed on Castle about four seasons in and have never looked back. I hated Beckett's backstory. I really hope AdlG's character doesn't get bogged down in hers.

 

 

 

If Coroner McCloud picks up a sword, I expect Gregory Widen to be getting a royalty check in the mail.

 

That just might happen, as the very end of the show had the detective asking Henry to go with her to a crime scene because someone had a valuable sword sticking out of him.

 

 

My allergies acted up when I saw that the baby was the old guy.

 

Same here. I thought that was a clever way to explain that relationship.

Edited by dubbel zout
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That just might happen, as the very end of the show had the detective asking Henry to go with her to a crime scene because someone had a valuable sword sticking out of him.

Ah yes, forgot that.  And not just any sword but the Honjo Masamune itself, worth far more than 'about a million bucks'.  I wonder if Clancy Brown will be the investigating officer.

 

For you non-sword types that is indeed a sword of legend, and it'd be world news were it to be found.  We'll leave off how they positively identified it while it's still sticking out of a guy, but it's just the kinda exposure an immortal trying to keep a low profile would want to stay away from.

Edited by henripootel
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 ... the moment when Henry kissed Abe on the head in a fatherly way, ...

 

Have to admit this was my favourite moment in the show.  It came across as very natural and a nice father/son moment.  The lady in the office next to mine said she teared up when this happened and she realized the what the relationship was between the two of them.

 

I'm very curious about what happens to his watch each time he dies and resurfaces.  How does he get it back? 

 

I'm in the group that watched "New Amsterdam" and I really liked it and was disappointed when it was canceled.  Not sure how long this series will last, but I'm a sucker for eye candy and accents, so I think I'll hold on for now.

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This didn't blow my mind or anything but it still held my attention longer than Gotham. I see this show settling into a light, formulaic procedural which sounds insulting but isn't the worst thing. The characters are engaging. I'd watch it again.

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IMO, the watch being lost is not an integral part of his death experience.  He lost in when he drowned the first time, and he lost it when he couldn't reach it before he died in the subway.  It flew out of his hands when the train hit.    I assume if he holds it during the death experience, he still has it when he surfaces in the water.  I'm guessing because his first resurrection experience was in water, that must be the explanation as to why he always resurrects in water?

 

I can do without the four death experiences each episode. Hope that was just a pilot device.  I missed the tattoo on the baby and on Abe, so thanks for pointing that out. Must have been listening instead of watching on those scenes.  

 

Do we know how the phone caller knows what he knows?  Was he on the train also?  Since our star has been alive 200 years,  this must be the first time their paths have crossed?  

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I thought the pilot was intriguing, but clumsy and kind of hokey. That's often the problem with pilots, though, because they have a lot of premise to set up. So, I'll give it a chance because there are worse ways to spend 40 minutes than looking at Ioan Gruffud. 

 

And since this seems like as good a place as any to ask this, how exactly do you pronounce Ioan Gruffud?

 

 

That's what irritated me the most. I'm really tired of people able to sum up a person with one quick glance.

 

Agreed. That was really the hokiest part of the show. Sitting down next to some random woman on the subway and being able to tell she's a musician, what instrument she plays, where she's going, that she has a concert that night . . . that was just silly. Same with the way he sized up Detective Martinez just by the ring she was wearing on a chain. We don't need another Sherlock Holmes rip-off, so they need to stop that. 

 

If they do that, and show us what happens to Henry's body when he dies, it would be a better show.

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Do we know how the phone caller knows what he knows?  Was he on the train also?  Since our star has been alive 200 years,  this must be the first time their paths have crossed?

 

Lee Tergesen's character is also immortal. He wasn't on the train, but he saw Henry get off alive. This does seem to be the first time their paths have crossed. (We don't know how many other immortals are out there.)

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Lee Tergesen's character is also immortal. He wasn't on the train, but he saw Henry get off alive. This does seem to be the first time their paths have crossed. (We don't know how many other immortals are out there.)

So Highlander without the swords. That's less cool.

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I didn't get that Lee Tergesen's character was the immortal who was calling Henry. I thought he turned out to be a red herring who was on a vengeance run against the transportation authority for the death of his wife. Henry thought he was the guy who called him at first, but in the end I thought he was mistaken. Otherwise, what happened to his body? Surely the police would have said something if he had disappeared too.

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It was Tergesen's character. The stuff with the MTA was real—he did hold a grudge for his wife being killed. I don't think he expected to discover Henry, though.

 

By going off the roof with Henry, he has proof they both are immortal. There was no follow-up on them falling on the cab—Henry shouldn't have survived, either, and the police should have wondered about that.

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It was Tergesen's character. The stuff with the MTA was real—he did hold a grudge for his wife being killed. I don't think he expected to discover Henry, though.

 

By going off the roof with Henry, he has proof they both are immortal. There was no follow-up on them falling on the cab—Henry shouldn't have survived, either, and the police should have wondered about that.

 

I don't think it was Lee Tergesen's character, either. If that was the case, why point the gun at all at Henry? If he knows what Henry is, there'd be no point to it.

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I'm relatively certain the subway killer was not immortal or the one calling Henry. The only witness to what happened was lady cop, and no one knows that Henry even when off the roof. The official version is that subway killer guy took his own life by jumping off the roof. Unless I misheard, there was no mention of him still being alive or his body missing. The whole thing was wrapped up very neatly. If he had been the other immortal, then there would have been a lot of loose ends.

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I assumed the subway killer was not the other immortal.  Ioan states that SK jumped off the building, which would imply there was a body to find.  If he was the immortal, there would be no body and Ioan would have stated he ran off.  My feeling is they are two separate characters.

Edited by Aliconehead
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I really think any show where we are supposed to believe someone is ageless should only last four years or less.

Is he ageless or does he reset each time he dies? Like he dies and goes back to the age he was when he was thrown off that ship? He seems to die a lot, so that could explain him looking similar for years and years.

I wonder what happened that first time.  They seemed to be in the middle of the ocean so did he resurrect in water that was somewhere closer to land? I wish they had explained more about that incident, even if they don't want to explain exactly how/why he is immortal.

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I wonder if there's a divide between those who saw (and presumably liked) New Amsterdam and those who didn't. I did not see NA and found Forever charming and fun. It suffered the usual expositional bumps one finds in a pilot but I try to make a point of getting past those to see if there's anything else I enjoyed and there was more than enough: Ioan Gruffudd, Judd Hirsch, Alana De La Garza (my crush since L&O), and the promise of Lorraine Troussaint (Vee!) to come. 

 

I don't think the ratings were particularly stellar last night but perhaps tonight - it's regular night - will be good enough to keep it going because, as we all know, there's nothing worse than liking a show only to have it canceled before it even gets a chance. 

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There are a lot of questions that need to be answered.  Like exactly WHY Henry was chosen to become immortal.  Lots of people do kind acts daily.  Why was Henry chosen?  Obviously this "Adam" is not a good person so how did he become immortal and why?  How many others are there?  Is there anything that actually CAN kill him?  I'm enjoying the show so far but wish they'd fill in some holes.

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I didn't watch New Amsterdam. Does anyone recall what was on opposite?

I could have done without the 2,000-year-old crank caller, but then then there haven't been any simple procedural+gimmick shows since the 60s. Even Monk had the series-long murdered wife arc.

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I didn't watch New Amsterdam. Does anyone recall what was on opposite?

Scroll down to mid season schedule for Mondays. Against Heroes and Two and a Half Men. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007–08_United_States_network_television_schedule According to the show's wiki http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Amsterdam_(TV_series) it premiered on a Tuesday, then 2nd ep was 2 days later while the rest of the eps were aired in the Monday night slot in the following weeks.

Edited by turnitwayup
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If the show doesn't address what happens to Morgan's dead body (and his clothes) each time he dies, I will be mad. Magical disappearance? Dissolve? Eaten by rats? Come on, gimme something. It seems like an experiment he and Judd could do: shoot him and record what happens next.

 

This kind of show is mos def not my cup of tea, but IG is so very pretty, and the pilot at least had a bit of humor about it. We'll see.

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I only made it a few minutes in.  When the phone call came in and the nemesis said "How did you survive the crash?", I realized they were following the plot of "Unbreakable" - the villian staged accidents killing huge numbers of people searching for someone who survived due to their special nature.

 

If they're going to crib that heavily for the basis for the entire series, it has nothing to offer.  (OK, it has Ioan Gruffudd and Judd Hirsch, both excellent actors, but...)

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I'm not 100% sure now that I think about it that nazis tattood babies... Thought they just killed them... But I'll go with that because the connection was moving and demonstrated what it's like to stay young while your children age, too.

 

This is just an assumption, but I imagine that Nazis would have kept and tattooed some babies rather than kill them if they planned to use the infants for scientific experimentation.

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If the show doesn't address what happens to Morgan's dead body (and his clothes) each time he dies, I will be mad. Magical disappearance? Dissolve? Eaten by rats? Come on, gimme something. It seems like an experiment he and Judd could do: shoot him and record what happens next.

 

This kind of show is mos def not my cup of tea, but IG is so very pretty, and the pilot at least had a bit of humor about it. We'll see.

Eaten by (presumably magical) rats would be hilarious!

 

Earlier I think I posted something on this too--there's no way Henry himself doesn't know what happens to his body, even if not why, precisely because he HAS Abe (or you know... a $50 video camera). So his opening statement about not knowing any more about it than us is patently false.  He's ignorant of why, and if the actual disappearance seems as magical as his revival also the how, but certainly knows far more of the details than we've been shown.  

 

And what if someone is touching him when he dies?  Besides what they see, what do they feel? And did we see blood left behind in the train (I dunno, I forget).  If so, when does blood stop being treated as a "part" of him (and would that apply to something being cut off him)?  Speaking of that... hair.  If he gets a haircut, where's the severed hair go?  Does he actually have to die for something cut off to come back?  If he shaves, where's that hair go?  If he donates blood to someone else, what happens to THAT person?  Maybe the blood remains in their arteries and veins while he's alive, and then just disappears the next time he DOES die.  Which could be mighty inconvenient and dangerous to that person if a pint or two of blood just instantly leaves their body (the problem wouldn't even be blood loss per se but the sudden change in blood pressure).  

Edited by Kromm
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