S01.E07: The Crossing Place

[ottoDbusdriver]

Episode Description:

 

A gruesome discovery buried in Jack’s backyard incites him to make one last attempt to bring Amy home. Rose remains haunted by a tragedy from her distant past and abducts a lowly waiter whom she’s certain will have answers. Tired from running, Richard confesses to Rose the truth about Marcus’ return while Marcus gets ever closer in exacting his revenge against Rose. Gary has finally realized how to expose the corruption behind Qui Reverti, but it demands an unthinkable sacrifice.

 

[editorgrrl]

Jack hallucinated the guy in the holding cell—and Gary?

Rose told Richard, "You didn't trigger me because you were in love with Amy, and I lost nine years of my life."

Richard's brother, Jim, is comatose. (I liked that he was curled up, unlike the kid on Red Band Society.)

Yay, Robert Forster! (Just a scene we'd already seen, but I'll take it.)

[ottoDbusdriver]

Even with Glen Morgan's 'Guide to Intruders' interview, this show still doesn't make any sense.

 

Gary, having already gone over the edge, kills himself in front of the Qui Reverti building.  I was trying to see in his letter to Jack where he mentioned that he was jumping off that particular building and not the hotel he was staying in, but didn't see it mentioned.  Gary's plan kind of sucked -- what if one of the Qui Reverti searched his body and took the documents before the cops got there, since he was right in front of their building ?  Did he not think that could happen ? What an idiot !!

 

Rose didn't really abduct the 'lowly' waiter, she just brought him back to her hotel room to coax Bix to the surface by plying him with sex and booze.  And Bix's big tragic background is that he was a boozehound -- who cares ?

 

Marcus in those videotapes from previous police interviews was creepy.

 

What is the deal with the relationship between Richard and Amy before Rose was activated that they keep bringing up ?  According to Rose, Richard was involved with Amy at least 9 years ago.  Was this before she met Jack ? While she was dating Jack but before she married Jack ?  After she married Jack ? Was that baby she lost even Jack's ?

 

Was Richard's brother living in a house by himself ?  Who takes care of him when Richard is away (which seems to be quite often) ?  What put him into a coma -- a 2nd soul activation gone awry ?

 

I still don't get the part in the episode description about Richard being 'tired from running' -- did the tiredness ever come up, or did I blink and miss it. ?

 

The whole nonsense with Madison/Marcus kidnapping that girl was just ridiculous -- no way that kid would just wander off to the mall with some stranger she just met minutes ago.

 

So the whole ghost machine/bill Anderson sub-plot is just going to trickle to the wayside and be forgotten. No one is going to try and rebuild it. The whole conspiracy nut radio network has been forgotten pretty much as well (there was a brief mention tonight, but nothing came of it).  We still have no idea who that mother and son that Richard killed in the pilot episode were.

 

Madison is still a terrible actress -- several times she's trying to play evil Marcus and you see her smiling, then she realizes she's smiling and corrects herself. WTF ? Couldn't they do another take ?

Edited October 5, 2014 by ottoDbusdriver

[Trois]

I don't get it, why did Gary jump? A suicide note from someone, who jumps off the top of a building, saying that there is a secret society,,,, I mean, did Gary really think that through? Apparently not.

 

Agree that there is so much inconsistency. 

 

Still I am going to see the next episode and I am fully aware that almost non of my questions will be answered.

 

EDIT: I reckon that Madison's smile was meant to look evil.

Edited October 5, 2014 by Trois

[editorgrrl]

Gary never interacted with anyone but Jack. I think he's a hallucination—just like the guy Jack saw in the holding cell.

The hotel bellman said he never saw Gary, and the cop never saw the other guy.

Edited to add that I'm now wondering if Detective Ron Blanchard is also a figment of Jack's imagination. And the curate he went off at in the first scene, who never said a word.

Edited October 5, 2014 by editorgrrl

[meep.meep]

The mother and son who Richard killed in the first episode were Anderson's wife and son. Richard's brother is in a hospital.

The whole thing is inconsistent and needlessly confusing. They are making a point of showing Jack looking increasingly more tired - if it turns out "it's all in his sleep-deprived head" then I will be pissed.

It`s funny to watch the cast in their "explanatory" THs looking increasingly embarrassed. No one believes this.

[lucindabelle]

Bids just because you can come back doesn't mean you should was out of left field. Seriously none of them ever thought this before?

[editorgrrl]

Bids just because you can come back doesn't mean you should was out of left field. Seriously none of them ever thought this before?

Rose Shepherded Bix Beiderbecke (a real person) without his knowledge, much less consent. He's the only Intruder who hasn't drank the Qui Reverti Kool-Aid. Rose, Marcus, Cranfield and the rest are rich, nefarious people who conspire to cheat death.

And Bix is just not that into Rose. From 1924–1931 (the roaring 20s), he was the jazz equivalent of a rock star. Rose was just a groupie.

Edited to add that Bix was 28 when he died on August 6, 1931, in his apartment in Queens, New York.

Edited October 5, 2014 by editorgrrl

[Enigma X]

I am still hoping for the series and on board, but I was confused why the girl's father (can't be bothered with names) did not bring a weapon or even Richard to his cnfrontation with Marcus, who is essentially a little girl. If the baby comes back in an adult's body, will it be a functioning adult? Shouldn't Gary have gone through some ritual to ensure that he would be able to come back? Does he not need a shepherd? 

[editorgrrl]

They are making a point of showing Jack looking increasingly more tired - if it turns out "it's all in his sleep-deprived head" then I will be pissed.

The room in which the police held Jack said "psychological observation" on the door. The cop took Jack out of the cage. Then we see Jack all alone in another room, when Detective Ron Blanchard enters. He says, "You don't need my help, Whelan. You should find yourself a shrink."

Right now, I think this is a story of mental illness rather than the supernatural.

Edited October 6, 2014 by editorgrrl

[Cobb Salad]

Mental illness would explain away a lot or all of the inconsistencies.

So what does someone like Bix who didn't drink the Qui Reverti Kool Aid do? He seemed okay with being "dead". Obviously Rose is quite selfish. At this point with one more episode to go this seems like a pointless story if we're supposed to get a showdown with her and Marcus.

[seamusk]

Every week pretty much wows me. I guess I continue to be in the minority, but there were some key moments in this episode.  Seeing Jack and the murder police guy coming so close to the conspiracy is pretty cool.  I mean, there is this seemingly chaotic web of stuff that has happened involving Marcus and Amy and now they seem to be seeing that things are connected.

One small moment I really liked was Richard explaining how the binding is just "ceremonial".  That issue was discussed in here and that was I think, if I remember right, the general consensus that the ritual may not be necessary.

Overall, this show is a real psychological thriller and I'm really digging it.  I hope the quality of the story keeps up.  

 

Even with Glen Morgan's 'Guide to Intruders' interview, this show still doesn't make any sense.

I have not been reading those interview bits and things so far make sense to me.  Though, to some degree, there are many things that have yet to be explained fully so it's hard to say whether things will or won't make sense in the end.  I imagine we'll get some, but not all, of those explanations next week.  I don't see everything being tied up in a neat bow at the end of the first season.  Some mysteries about all of this would need to be retained for potential future seasons.  

 

 

 

Gary, having already gone over the edge, kills himself in front of the Qui Reverti building.  I was trying to see in his letter to Jack where he mentioned that he was jumping off that particular building and not the hotel he was staying in, but didn't see it mentioned.  Gary's plan kind of sucked -- what if one of the Qui Reverti searched his body and took the documents before the cops got there, since he was right in front of their building ?  Did he not think that could happen ? What an idiot !!

Yeah, there might be a continuity or story issue as I didn't understand how Jack knew which building to go to.  With that said, my general take here is that Gary is not thinking clearly for obvious reasons.  Therefore, I think it's less of him being an idiot and more just him losing control.

(ETA. FYI, the letter says "I jumped off their building and I'm already dead."  So that's how Jack knew where to go.  Just went back and looked.)

 

Gary never interacted with anyone but Jack. I think he's a hallucination—just like the guy Jack saw in the holding cell.

The hotel bellman said he never saw Gary, and the cop never saw the other guy.

This hadn't really occurred to me. Without going back and watching their interactions, this is entirely possible. It would help explain why Gary went from totally in control to totally out of control, though that can also be explained by him working hard to control things in front of Jack so as not to scare him off.  One thought I had was, what if Gary is actually one of the souls in Jack's body.  Therefore, Jack "sees" him as part of a psychological struggle he is having between two souls. That would explain a lot and would be such a fascinating angle. I don't think the murder police guy can be a hallucination.  There has been too much with him in it that didn't involve Jack directly.  For example, the scene where is interviewing Madison's parents.

 

Bids just because you can come back doesn't mean you should was out of left field. Seriously none of them ever thought this before?

I would imagine they have.  And I imagine the surviving members are all folks that have bought into the kool-aid as someone else said above. Bix was brought back against his will, and his experience might very well explain why people should only be brought back because they want to be brought back. And I bet it ends up being an example of why that rule that Rose broke to bring him back exists in the first place. As we discussed last week, there are some serious ethical issues tied to this whole idea of reviving souls from past lives.

ETA.  

Right now, I think this is a story of mental illness rather than the supernatural.

 

 

This x100.

Edited October 6, 2014 by seamusk

[seamusk]

For what it's worth, here is what Gary's letter seemed to say.  Nothing too earth shattering really.

 

Jack,

I never knew how Donna could kill herself, until now.

In the beginning, there was Death.

For us there was just supposed to be this one life, but there is more than that.  I have to protect my family and Donna and fight them where they least expect it, not in this life but in death.

I jumped off their building and I'm already dead.

Gary

 

[Trois]

Gary never interacted with anyone but Jack. I think he's a hallucination—just like the guy Jack saw in the holding cell.

The hotel bellman said he never saw Gary, and the cop never saw the other guy.

Edited to add that I'm now wondering if Detective Ron Blanchard is also a figment of Jack's imagination. And the curate he went off at in the first scene, who never said a word.

Wow, somebody paid attention there. That would be an explanation. Maybe Gary was Jack's second soul?

[OakGoblinFly]

But we saw Gary without Jack being present (unlike the guy in the holding cell) - why would we see what Gary was doing when Jack wasn't around if he was merely a manifestation/hallucination?  

[Texasmom1970]

I hate to say that I am glad this is almost over. I am tired of feeling like an idiot, I know I am not a member of Mensa but every episode I watch I am like what the hell!

I keep on thinking surely I will understand more after this episode. Gets worse with each one!

[riley702]

I like it. Anyone else hoping Marcus/Maddie would run out of the building just in time to get squashed by Gary? Just me? :D

Edited October 8, 2014 by riley702

[editorgrrl]

Gary never interacted with anyone but Jack. I think he's a hallucination—just like the guy Jack saw in the holding cell.

The hotel bellman said he never saw Gary, and the cop never saw the other guy.

Edited to add that I'm now wondering if Detective Ron Blanchard is also a figment of Jack's imagination. And the curate he went off at in the first scene, who never said a word.

 

 

The room in which the police held Jack said "psychological observation" on the door. The cop took Jack out of the cage. Then we see Jack all alone in another room, when Detective Ron Blanchard enters. He says, "You don't need my help, Whelan. You should find yourself a shrink."

Right now, I think this is a story of mental illness rather than the supernatural.

 

 

I don't think the murder police guy can be a hallucination.  There has been too much with him in it that didn't involve Jack directly.  For example, the scene where is interviewing Madison's parents.

 

 

But Marcus' taped confession was just too OTT to be real. Even if it couldn't be used to successfully prosecute Marcus Fox, Detective Ron Blanchard could've leaked it to the media. And the composite sketch of Richard Shepherd (made from Madison's parents'  description of the creepily cold FBI agent) was way too accurate.

 

Nothing in that scene rang true to me. And the way Jack transitions from the holding cell to the empty room is a huge giveaway—to me, anyway. I'm perfectly willing to be proven wrong in the finale.

[editorgrrl]

I still don't understand how the Shepherding process works. We've been told that everyone is born with two souls, and that Qui Reverti pay Shepherds to "awaken" a secondary soul with a trigger (45 record spindle, sand dollar, cornet mouthpiece, etc.).

 

But in this episode, Rose told Richard he should've chosen some other kid rather than Madison, a kid nobody cares about. Meaning that Shepherds chose the body into which the secondary Qui Reverti is placed? How? When? Where? (That empty building?)

[Cobb Salad]

But in this episode, Rose told Richard he should've chosen some other kid rather than Madison, a kid nobody cares about. Meaning that Shepherds chose the body into which the secondary Qui Reverti is placed? How? When? Where? (That empty building?)

It seems to be more efficient for the Shepherds to choose the body so they have a good idea of where to find them when it's time. So if a Shepherd needs to activate the secondary soul with a pre-agreed upon trigger, why didn't Richard renege on his deal with Marcus Fox and instead of killing a 9 year old let him languish inside her? What happens to a soul that isn't activated?

[riley702]

What happens to a soul that isn't activated?

Seems to be a much more efficient way of getting rid of someone. Could they somehow be triggered accidentally?

[Cobb Salad]

Seems to be a much more efficient way of getting rid of someone. Could they somehow be triggered accidentally?

That's an interesting thought. Perhaps the chosen trigger is intentionally "vague" enough to minimize the chance? However a Shepherd is probably monitoring who is getting close to a multiple of 9 birthday there might not be that much of a chance of an accidental trigger.

[ottoDbusdriver]

That's an interesting thought. Perhaps the chosen trigger is intentionally "vague" enough to minimize the chance? However a Shepherd is probably monitoring who is getting close to a multiple of 9 birthday there might not be that much of a chance of an accidental trigger.

 

Heck, I'm still curious how they figure out who a 2nd soul is -- BEFORE -- they activate that 2nd soul.

 

Then again as @editorgrrl mentions upthread, how could they even direct the 2nd soul to a specific body ?

[Locutus]

And if they choose the body, is there still 2 souls in that body PRIOR to puting the designated soul in? Would the existing soul be pushed out of the body and into the "ether"?

[lucindabelle]

Are we supposed to think shepherd put the soul in the body while Madison was a fetus? It is very confusing,

[Frisco]

Not really sure what's always happening on this show but I love it.  LOL  Madison is SOOOOOO creepy.

[seamusk]

That comment about putting the soul in a particular body did throw me off.  I didn't expect that.  Though I wonder if it could have been a reference to the rituals?  I was wondering if it just had something to do with birth time versus death time.  She had to search to find Bix right.  How did they do that?  Based on date of birth?  It's intriguing.  I hope the author has thought this whole the way through as I think it could be quite interesting if it all fleshes out. Though i'm also willing to suspend disbelief at a point.

[Cobb Salad]

Are we supposed to think shepherd put the soul in the body while Madison was a fetus? It is very confusing,

They seem to be implying that. I doubt we're going to get an explanation of the how even though to us it is important to know.

Then what's the deal with Rose and Bix? She performs the ritual on Bix when he died in the 20s, it took her this long to find him? Since he wasn't Reverti did that make him harder to find?

[ottoDbusdriver]

Then what's the deal with Rose and Bix? She performs the ritual on Bix when he died in the 20s, it took her this long to find him? Since he wasn't Reverti did that make him harder to find?

 

And, is the waiter the first time that Bix's soul has appeared as a 2nd soul ?  Because that waiter is fairly young, has Bix soul showed up as the 2nd soul in other people before now ?  This really is confusing.

[seamusk]

And, is the waiter the first time that Bix's soul has appeared as a 2nd soul ?  Because that waiter is fairly young, has Bix soul showed up as the 2nd soul in other people before now ?  This really is confusing.

I've been assuming, to some extent, that there must be new souls as populations grow. And that every new birth therefore must have two souls, of which one or both could be new?  No, I think somewhere on the show they said that one soul is always an old soul.  But I suppose it's possible that one soul is always old?  I can't remember right now, do populations double every generation?

[seamusk]

Oh, I decided to look.  So according to these statistics, there are 19 births per 1,000 people every year.  And only 8 deaths per 1,000 people currently.  So, that's 16 souls per 1,000 in dieing bodies, but that's less than half of the 38 souls per 1,000 in new people. Assuming souls were limited to human bodies, I would think that there must be some bodies with two new souls, while a vast majority would have at least 1 old soul.  Though, I suppose old souls could be distributed unevenly so that the 16 old souls are actually in 7 bodies and only got distributed to bodies with new souls.  Either way, I think the only way this works is that some people get two new souls, some people get 1 new soul and 1 old soul, and the rest get 2 old souls.  Lucky them.

[millennium]

Call me shallow, but if my love from a previous life shows up in another body, with somebody else's face, there's a pretty strong chance I'm not going to feel the same way about them.

 

Then again, if they come back as Mira Sorvino, in that black dress, well ...

[Cobb Salad]

Plus they're not always going to show up in a body with the same gender as the last one (Marcus/Madison) so it could be an interesting reunion.

[millennium]

True.  How convenient for Rose that she came back as Mira Sorvino.   What if she was born Gilbert Gottfried?  What then?

 

I'm reminded of the Star Trek Next Generation episode where Beverly Crusher falls in love with a male Trill; the host body is unexpectedly killed, but the Trill personality returns in the body of a new female host and expects to pick up right where the male left off.   But Beverly's like "no, thanks, the trill is gone."