S01.E08: The Ecstasy of Agony

[sinkwriter]

I would very much like to see some scenes about his experiences after being taken to the sanitarium and how he may have "escaped" from there (or if he was finally considered "cured" or if he had to fake it in order to have them declare him "cured" of his "madness"). Scary stuff that he must have gone through, but makes for very interesting backstory for us as viewers!

[zannej]

I am going to guess that maybe Henry was kept around in the sanitarium for years and that they noticed he didn't age and they did experiments on him. He mentioned having all of his blood drained out and being dissected. Of course, those might have come later. He could have been tortured to death in the sanitarium. I would like to know what happened to Nora. She did seem very concerned and believed he could be cured. But he clearly was still upset by what she did bc he described it as betrayal. I'm sure she had no idea what they were going to do to him, but he was still very hurt about it. Possibly because of what happened to him-- he probably blamed her for it and didn't think about her side of things.

 

I wonder if Henry can even procreate. There was never mention of any children. He adopted Abe, but I don't know if he had any wives in between Nora and Abigail. I do wonder how Abigail discovered he was immortal in the first place.

 

As for how he knew he was immortal-- maybe he did die a few times before getting back to Nora. Or maybe being resurrected left him with the knowledge/certainty that he couldn't die. I do wonder how he managed to make his way back. Did another ship pick him up? Did he swim to some shore and find people to help him? 

 

I did think the dominatrix thing reminded me of CSI. I really hope they don't try to have Henry and Jo develop a romance though. They just don't have the chemistry and its something that has ruined shows that I liked in the past. It worked on "Forever Knight" for me and to an extent "X-Files". But it was awful on "Bones" (although partially bc I can't stand Dr. Brennan).

 

I really like Nigel. He's weird, but he seems like a caring person. His awkwardness makes him more endearing. Plus he's funny.

[Biosynth]

I have a good relationship with my co-workers.  Some I consider my friends.  I don't want a romantic kind of relationship with them.  Why can't this be on TV too?  You CAN be friendly with someone without falling in love.  So I actually hope that Henry and Jo DON'T have "that kind" of relationship together.

[WendyCR72]

I have a good relationship with my co-workers.  Some I consider my friends.  I don't want a romantic kind of relationship with them.  Why can't this be on TV too?  You CAN be friendly with someone without falling in love.  So I actually hope that Henry and Jo DON'T have "that kind" of relationship together.

 

I don't disagree...but I think it happens so much because, well, that annoying thing called "buzz" for good or ill. Shipping just seems to be part of the fabric of any given show and maybe to networks, buzz - even small - denotes interest/passion?

 

I mean, hell, I used to love to watch ER back in the day and even that went from medical cases and such to stabbings and, yeah, shipping.

 

I think at this late date it's inescapable.

[sinkwriter]

I wouldn't say it's inescapable - I think there's got to be a showrunner out there somewhere who would like to create a show that has a solid friendship as the main relationship of the program, one that has the potential to be romantic, but instead dare to not turn it into a romance. 

 

But for this show I think it's actually an interesting premise. Because what do you do if you fall in love but you know the person you love won't live forever and you will? Do you shut yourself off from society, close your heart to the possibility of love, or do you dive in anyway and enjoy the time you have with the person?

Edited December 29, 2014 by sinkwriter

[Netfoot]

Do you shut yourself off from society, close your heart to the possibility of love, or do you dive in anyway and enjoy the time you have with the person?

 

Like I've said before -- when your dog dies, you mourn, then you get a new dog.

[zannej]

Like I've said before -- when your dog dies, you mourn, then you get a new dog.

But losing a dog isn't the same as losing a person with whom  you had a deep bond and loved very dearly. As hard as it is to lose a pet, losing a person is so much worse. I know this from experience.

[slothgirl]

 However, there also comes... that moment Abe sees his mother, his teachers, friends, neighbors, even himself as getting older, yet his father... isn't.

But does Henry age if he hasn't died recently? I missed many of the earlier episodes and don't remember this being addressed. Does he age normally and re-set at death to the age he was the first time? Or does he just not age at all, even when he spends years (or decades?) not dying?

 

Have they ever implied a stretch of time long enough for that to be determined? I would think in the early years, given the large number of things one could die from in the 19th century, he might have died frequently. But on the other hand, has he ever died of disease? Can he even get sick?

 

I hope this show gets picked up so that the early episodes get re-run at some point.

[zannej]

But does Henry age if he hasn't died recently? I missed many of the earlier episodes and don't remember this being addressed. Does he age normally and re-set at death to the age he was the first time? Or does he just not age at all, even when he spends years (or decades?) not dying?

 

Have they ever implied a stretch of time long enough for that to be determined? I would think in the early years, given the large number of things one could die from in the 19th century, he might have died frequently. But on the other hand, has he ever died of disease? Can he even get sick?

 

I hope this show gets picked up so that the early episodes get re-run at some point.

They established that he just doesn't age and he goes for years without aging. I don't recall if they've ever said whether or not he can get sick. He mentioned dying of starvation before-- and burning and drowning... I don't think he ever mentioned disease, so he might be immune.