Dig - General Discussion

[kikaha]

Cool concept for the series.  Not badly set up the first few episodes.  Poorly executed from then on, with about nine million plot holes.  But enough going on to mildly entertain me. 

 

Does anyone know the ratings for Dig?  Did it do well enough commercially to come back for a second season? 

[Andromeda]

So, that happened.

 

Yay for Red and Avram! Glad the little cow and her buddy got the ending we all wanted for them.

 

Lynn got to be a little kick-ass there at the end, but she needs to learn to use the sink and soap. Ew. Did she use her high heel on that woman's neck? Clever.

 

Watching the pastor die was hilarious. Loved that, but what was the rock she put on his chest all about?

 

That was a mess. I could barely figure out who Rebecca's dad was -- took me until I came here to remember the dead archaeologist and the video he left behind. Very confusing, and not in a good way. So the plot was to crash the Temple Mount, and do the mumbo-jumbo, and then somehow World War III would start? The show never delved into Mid-East tensions, so I guess we're just to assume the Muslims and Hebrews duke it out over the damage and draw the entire world in? Or does God (or Satan) show up and start it?

 

Whatever. I hope it's one and done.

Edited May 8, 2015 by Andromeda

[Captanne]

I will watch tonight.  I think.  First of all, I'd like to thank all of you for watching this last episode of dreck so I have the choice not to and to still feel like I made it through.  So, thanks for that, everyone.  Greatly appreciated.  Avram and Red survive (little blue coat, too?) and I'm satisfied.

 

As for spiked heel to throat (I assume?) -- that's been used at least since La Femme Nikita (Canada, 1995.)  Probably before that, even.  There's an even better version where Nikita holds a #2 pencil to someone's throat to get what she wants.  That was unexpected.  (There's also a suggestion that an unidentified aircraft in US airspace with a bomb on it might not be intending to land......but that comment in 1995 is just creepy as shit.)

[fauntleroy]

The whole Emma Wilson thing was a waste of time! What was the point of her getting to know Peter, faking her death/kidnapping, getting close to Peter? Did I miss out on something? If none of that happened, we would still end up with the events of this episode.

 

Not only all of Emma Watson, but the entire Order of Moriah was a red herring too? Who blew up the dam--the Order of Moriah? If so why bother with the ceremony of sacrificing the cow, and the stones/breastplate/pure boy. What did it matter that the cow was 'pure', and the boy never stepped on grass etc. Basically the whole hocus-pocus scenario was pointless.

 

Anything that happened in NM ditto. Especially Deb. Who was killed by Josh 2.0 who got away with it. I expected to see a final scene showing us what happens with him. He is after all a delusional 13-yr-old murderer.

 

Wasn't there a 'fake' stone earlier? Would it have mattered if they had used it instead of the real stone, in the breastplate?

 

I loved the "I literally made you, you little shit!" I don't understand how the pastor was killed. Poison in his peanuts? As soon as you saw him eating out of that bowl you knew something was up.

 

Again with a kidnapping and escape. Were they planning to kill Lynn? If so why take off the hood? And:

 

Couldn't she find a sink for 2 min. to wash her face.

 

Ha ha.

 

The temple treasures didn't matter apparently. Emma was ready to kill herself but then...didn't. Jumpin' Jehoshaphat coma brother didn't spring into action as I had hoped. What was the deal with the chess piece in the mail? He dropped it at the end, like it...meant something.

 

Death of Golan entirely gratuitous, as they could simply have had coma-brother say 'Rebecca' to both him and Peter. Also, if drowning in your own blood, would you have time to spell out Rebecca? That's a long name. You might be able to do 'R'. How about Emma--fewer letters. Or just 'Em'. If you have time to spell out Rebecca in your own throat blood...well having time to spell out anything really, seems pretty ambitious. And what of Rebecca's implied ninja assassin skills? Yea basically, why not just kill Margrove years ago back in college.

 

Seems like they got rid of Golan and the pastor just to reduce the number of bodies so the finale wouldn't be so crowded--basically it all came down to running around and banging through a false floor in time. Don't need lots of characters for that.

 

Is there really enough water in the area to flood parts of Jerusalem? If there's really a dam nearby, I bet it would be pretty well guarded.

 

Was that a no-kill ranch at the end? How do those work?

 

Edited because: the incoherence of this reply mimics the incoherence of...

 

Edited because: I dropped my bishop.

Edited May 8, 2015 by fauntleroy

[Andyourlittledog2]

Well that was time I'll never get back.  All of that and the only ones I even remotely understand or care about are Avram and the red calf.  

And honestly, I was so annoyed by the pastor chomping on those nuts that when he started to choke on one the only thing I thought was 'Great! At least now he won't be smacking and crunching at me any more!'  Which I don't think is what the writers were going for. 

 

This was such an underwhelming and muddled conclusion but then the entire series was muddled and confusing. I guess it was too much to ask that the finale would clear things up and be satisfying. 

 

So, Peter leaves crazy town in the tunnels with a loaded gun (pointed at his back, of course) and just walks by the police coming in and doesn't mention to anyone that she is armed so be careful she doesn't get the drop on you?  I guess stopping to do that would have ruined his whole drama queen exit walk.  

 

And Josh 2.0 is just what?  Going home with homicidal mommy dearest?  If he's just really a normal kid with no superpowers and is going to have to fit in now, she's gonna have her hands full  What am I saying?  She'll probably kill him before the week is out. She doesn't seem particularly maternal.....

[caprice]

Ten episodes and I'm walking away with, "Who knew Avram had such cute dimples!" That and I'm sad that he didn't stay to work on the ranch where he found a home for Red.

 

So Rebecca Donaldson had her own agenda? Why didn't she just kill Margrove earlier when she had all the opportunities to do so?

Emma/Rebecca also had the revenge factor going. She couldn't just kill Margrove because she had to prove that her father had been right.

 

Watching the pastor die was hilarious. Loved that, but what was the rock she put on his chest all about?

The black stone was to signify the pastor's guilt. Remember when they were "trying" Deb back in NM and Josh 2.0 had the white and black stones? That's what that was.

[henripootel]

Unfortunately, my least favorite line also appeared in this episode:  "I never counted on falling in love with you."

I actually mumbled this aloud right before she did, it was the stupidest line I could imagine coming next.  When she actually said it I said 'Of for fuck's sake' loud enough to wake Mrs. Pootel.  Wow, dead in love after knowing Peter for what, a cumulative day and an half?  And scamming him the whole time?  But you know those lady villians, can't help thinking with their hoos-whats.  This stupid show.

Also, if drowning in your own blood, would you have time to spell out Rebecca? That's a long name.

 

Also imagine trying to spell something lying on your back.  'Okay, so from my reader's perspective, this has to go from left to right so for me, this is right to left, and backwards ...'  'Do I need to dip a bit more blood?  I think the 'e' needs more blood.'  'Whoa, getting a bit woozy - did I spell 'Rebecca' or 'Chewbacca'?  It's gonna be confusing - should start aga ....'

... and just walks by the police coming in and doesn't mention to anyone that she is armed so be careful she doesn't get the drop on you?  I guess stopping to do that would have ruined his whole drama queen exit walk.

 

And doesn't Peter have some sort of job to do?  Some sort of law enforcement thing?  I seem to recall that from the pilot.  Nope, I'll just leave the local cops to figure this out - I'm sure Crazy Pants chick will explain it all, and it's gonna take a while.

 

And we didn't get a final thought from the Essene guy?  "So what, you're the Chosen Guy, and that means you're the one to smash through a floor (that you were also standing on)?  And my job was the 'throw me the sledgehammer' guy?  That's 100 generations of secrecy right there - thanks, Yahweh."

Edited May 8, 2015 by henripootel

[kat165]

Unless Golan was a contortionist I don't see how he was able to spell out Rebecca in blood. Ridiculous. What a waste of an interesting setting and perhaps initially an interesting idea which they did not flesh out well at all. I hope Avram's on his way to see that girl in

Croatia.

[henripootel]

I'm sad that he didn't stay to work on the ranch where he found a home for Red.

Nope, he's off with a new haircut for the rollicking new life for which years as a cloistered rabbinical student has amply prepared him.

 

Good thing he warned that guy about not telling folks about Red - I think we all know how it goes at jewish cowboy bars. 

"So you think your new holstein is nice?  Well I have a calf so perfect he'd fulfill god's purposes for this earth!  Blemishless!  Oh, now I've said too much ..."

[Captanne]

Henri, God bless you and Mrs. Pootel -- this:

 

Also imagine trying to spell something lying on your back.  'Okay, so from my reader's perspective, this has to go from left to right so for me, this is right to left, and backwards ...'  'Do I need to dip a bit more blood?  I think the 'e' needs more blood.'  'Whoa, getting a bit woozy - did I spell 'Rebecca' or 'Chewbacca'?  It's gonna be confusing - should start aga ....'

 

made me laugh out loud at work.

[Giselle]

Anything that happened in NM ditto. Especially Deb. Who was killed by Josh 2.0 who got away with it. I expected to see a final scene showing us what happens with him. He is after all a delusional 13-yr-old murderer.

 

Easy, what happens to Josh2.0, he becomes Hitler2.0 or the Antichrist   This series was constructed from a Chinese menu of other movies and books. Wait, did James Cameron write this at the same time he "wrote" Avatar?

 

We saw the light, we knew the freight train was heading our way. What a train wreck.

Edited May 8, 2015 by Giselle

[meep.meep]

 

 

Also imagine trying to spell something lying on your back.  'Okay, so from my reader's perspective, this has to go from left to right so for me, this is right to left, and backwards ...'  'Do I need to dip a bit more blood?  I think the 'e' needs more blood.'  'Whoa, getting a bit woozy - did I spell 'Rebecca' or 'Chewbacca'?  It's gonna be confusing - should start aga ....'

 

 

I figured that Golan was going to manage to scrawl out an M and then we'd have a few scenes of Peter trying to figure out whether it was really an M or maybe a W and what could that mean?  Instead, Golan turns into a dying calligraphist turning out REBECCA in his final moments.  

 

So Red is happily kicking up her heels with all the other cattle.  And Avram is the wandering Jew.

[fauntleroy]

Still trying to parse this...

 

Did the Order of Moriah put the bomb in the dam? They looked as surprised by the rumbling as everybody else.

 

If they didn't plant the bomb, their plan was to have breastplate-wearin Josh sacrifice the cow, then...some rapture thing was going to happen, unrelated to the collapse of the temple?

 

If they did plant the bomb, the temple would have collapsed, and WWIII would have ensued anyway, regardless of Josh and cow and breastplate and such...?

 

Destroying a dam like that, even if it didn't destroy the Dome of the Rock, is a catastrophe that didn't seem to bother anyone.

 

Funny to see Avram successfully sneak away WITH A COW thanks to every single person at the ceremony running over to look in the distance.

 

Emma-looks-like-daughter-sex-ooh-err was not followed up on, other than she said to Peter that men have 'a type'.

[pezgirl7]

And Josh 2.0 is just what?  Going home with homicidal mommy dearest?

Lynn told Peter at the end that the FBI had both of them in custody. I'm not sure what evidence they have on them, but they must have something.

I thought maybe Rebecca wrote her own name in blood, so Peter could connect the dots later. Why wouldn't Golan write Emma instead? Her whole story was the most confusing of the plots.

I think the reason the Order also did the ceremony along with blowing up the dam was just because they were religious. You can get married without having a church service, but religious people have a service because it means something extra to them. Also, maybe they thought the ceremony would show that they were destroying the temple in the name of God, and therefore God would be on their side and not punish them.

[Andromeda]

I loved the "I literally made you, you little shit!" I don't understand how the pastor was killed. Poison in his peanuts? As soon as you saw him eating out of that bowl you knew something was up.

 

Is there really enough water in the area to flood parts of Jerusalem? If there's really a dam nearby, I bet it would be pretty well guarded.

 

Was that a no-kill ranch at the end? How do those work?

The pastor's method of demise confused me, too. I thought at first he aspirated a peanut in the middle of his bloviating about God, but then I thought maybe he had a heart attack and was trying to get to his pills (in a compact-sized container the woman was holding), then I thought he was allergic to peanuts and that was an epi-pen the woman was keeping from him, but then we saw it had some ancient writing on it so I have no idea.

 

I agree, the dam should have been guarded. There's usually someone around.

 

I think the ranch was a regular ranch (the cows had ear tags), but the owner promised Avram no milk or meat, and Red would get to die of old age.

 

So, Peter leaves crazy town in the tunnels with a loaded gun (pointed at his back, of course) and just walks by the police coming in and doesn't mention to anyone that she is armed so be careful she doesn't get the drop on you?  I guess stopping to do that would have ruined his whole drama queen exit walk.

LOL!! I had the same exact thoughts. No debrief, no explanation, just heading off into the sunset, leaving an armed woman behind. Some law enforcement officer! Edited May 8, 2015 by Andromeda

[fauntleroy]

his whole drama queen exit walk

 

Ha best description of the week.

[mjc570]

So Peter and the Essene (there's a series right there) find a complicated bomb at the dam - but it doesn't occur to them to notify the Israeli authorities, who presumably have lots of experience in handling explosive devices.

 

While I thought the whole finale was dreadful (sorry, Jason), there were two things that really just bugged me out of all proportion - Lynne's stupid eyeglasses (even the government vision plan would spring for something a bit more stylish/comfortable, I know we're supposed to get it that she's SO SERIOUS) and her series long facial contusion - when Peter is shot in the chest and, thanks to the magic mud, is running around with no difficulty whatssoever.

[Constantinople]

I hope someone puts together a video of all of Red's scenes and uploads it to youtube.

 

I'm pretty sure we won't be getting Red plush toys

[portfino]

Why was the evil rabbi and his followers surprised at the explosion? Wasn't that the plan?

 

Why wouldn't Golan just write Emma?

 

Are we really to believe that Emma gameplanned this out? Including but not limited too - Peter never getting killed by any of the other bad guys, the whole Rainbow Connection thing, that Essene saving Peter from the government, anyone would engage Armageddon Protocol on such a crazy theory, etc. etc. And of course that Peter would be sexually attracted to his daughter.

 

 

 

Does anyone know the ratings for Dig?  Did it do well enough commercially to come back for a second season?

 

 

 

It upticked for the finale to a .28 and it does well on DVR/On Demand. But the middle episodes were much lower than USA's average, and it can't be cheap to make.

[Captanne]

OMG -- this show.  I would watch hours and hours of Little Red kicking her heels up and Avram with his dimples, a hoodie and a cool messenger bag.

 

The rest of this schlock?  Feh.

[mascan42]

Ugh.  By the end, the story was so convoluted that they forgot to even have the good guys and the bad guys ever meet each other. 

 

The femme fatale turns out to be the never-previously-mentioned daughter of a guy we never met (but saw on a video tape once), out for revenge.  Huh?

 

And the (anti-)climax?  The bad guys finally attempt their evil plan that they've been working up to for centuries, and nothing happens.  Then they get arrested off-screen.

 

Who writes this shit?

Edited May 9, 2015 by mascan42

[nara]

I understood that there were 2 plots - the Moriah trying to bring about Armageddon with Josh, Red, breastplate, etc. and Emma's plan for revenge and continuing her father's work.

Emma heard from the archaeologist professor that he was hired to lead the Moriah to the well of souls. Based on what she knew from her father, she pieced together what they were trying to do (bring on Armageddon). In order to exact her revenge, she wanted to publicly shame the professor and kill him, after using him to get the treasures. She knew that invoking the Armageddon protocol would create the opportunity for her to drive the treasures out of the dig. Otherwise, there was no way to get them out.

Therefore she needed someone who could get the Armageddon protocol invoked and did research on people. Lynn might have worked, and Golan would have been great since his husband actually knew about the protocol, but Emma thought she would be more successful with Peter, who is somewhat lost after his daughter's suicide. Possibly, she thought she'd appeal to his fatherly instincts by taking advantage of her resemblance to his daughter and dyeing her hair to accentuate it. Since he responded to her sexually instead, she went with it. She planted the bomb and led him to it so that he would arrange for the protocol to be invoked. She made him think that the bomb was related to the Moriah, to make him take the threat more seriously, but they were not involved in that act. She knew that the protocol would be invoked and the city would not be destroyed, but the threat worked for her purposes. However, rather than driving off into the sunset with the treasures after killing the professor, she decided to try to bring Peter along too. And so she got caught.

Is my understanding correct?

[kat165]

Nara, these writers could have used you on their team. Maybe we would have ended up with a more understandable story. Thanks for your enlightening take on things.

Edited May 9, 2015 by kat165

[kikaha]

Nara, pretty good.  Emma didn't just "go" with Peter's sexual response, though.  She promoted it.  She jumped into the water, butt naked, invited him in, then embraced and started kissing him.  He's the one who backed away in that initial scene.  She also joined him, uninvited, in the shower near the end of the season. 

 

Sadly, the best episode was the first.  Gotta wonder about the editors.  How did they let so many inconsistencies, absurdities and plot holes fill up this show? 

[Captanne]

But she didn't plant the bomb, did she? The Child of the New Mexico Corn did. The plastique was inside the crate of books (notice, Peter and the black glove Essene walked by the open crates on the way to the Bomb Room and all the volumes had been hollowed out -- to the exact size of the plastique packets.)

I am a 22 year career airlift pilot (retired now) and, I'm here to tell you, the pilot of the jet who brought in those crates (they came in on a plane, remember? As opposed to arriving by ship.) -- the pilot would have had to have been FULLY in cahoots because the weight of those books would have been way off.

Books weigh an expected and predictable amount. I don't know how much plastique weighs (thankfully) but if you hollow out books and replace the material with another, the weight will change. One or two books won't matter. Crates of them? Will raise eyebrows because your calculations will change drastically. (Flight parameter calculations.)

That's not over-thinking, I promise. Because about this show I give not a shit. It's all I could think of the second our "heroes" walked by the open crates with the hollowed out books all over the place. (Remember, the book crates began in a huge hangar in NM.)

You can retire the pilot but you can't retire the pilot-mind.

Edited May 9, 2015 by Captanne

[fauntleroy]

But she didn't plant the bomb, did she? The Child of the New Mexico Corn did. The plastique was inside the crate of books (notice, Peter and the black glove Essene walked by the open crates on the way to the Bomb Room and all the volumes had been hollowed out -- to the exact size of the plastique packets.)

.

.

(Remember, the book crates began in a huge hangar in NM.)

 

Ah thanks I forgot about/missed that. A scene showing an identifiable Moriah or two planting that elaborate plastique bomb would have helped. It would take expertise but we never saw the builders. It did seem that at the Josh/cow ceremony the members had no inkling what it was. Had they known they would not have interrupted what they were doing to go gawk.

 

Had Peter not busted the floor open the plan would have worked. The ceremony with all its nutty details was moot then wasn't it? It would not have mattered if Josh1's feet had touched grass for example--as long as the temple foundation was flooded armageddon would have commenced.

[Captanne]

I hate this show for making me laugh when Peter heard Golan get HIT BY A CAR over the voice mail.

However, the other moment of unintentional hilarity was when the Rabbi came back in from watching the rumbling and Red was gone. That scene was fucking hilarious.  He was literally hopping mad.  And I laughed my ass off.

 

Also, with henripootel's great paragraph about Golan writing "Rebecca" in blood -- why would Peter be confused by that name?  Because, if it's the last thing you do with your gushing throat-blood, why would you write something to your friend that he won't understand?  Also, why would Golan know and Peter not?  I'm so confused by that.

 

This show.  I've got to stop bothering.

[kikaha]

Also, why would Golan know and Peter not?  I'm so confused by that.

 

 

Didn't Golan just finish talking with Donaldson's fried-out son (Rebecca's brother)?  I thought he got the whole story there. 

[riverheightsnancy]

Obviously, some group of aspiring writers sat at a table and said, "Wow, Da Vinci code was such a hit, let's do something like that! It will be huge!".  Yeah well, there is a lot of planning that goes into a show like this. You have to set all the tiny threads that start to get tied together throughout the plot. The viewers have to feel like certain clues paid off (I'm looking at you Lost). Just look at how little things pay off in Bates Motel or in the brilliant Better Call Saul, Mad Men too.  You feel so satisfied when one tiny little things shows back up in the finale and the viewer goes, OHHHH, I knew that was important!  When that happens you feel so awesome that you saw the "clue".

 

There was potential here, but it's like the writers got some serious killer fatigue (Amazing Race-RAAAAACE)  in the final episodes and just called it a day. We saw no REAL reason for Josh becoming Little Dictator to Pastor Billingsham. Actually, that development would have been awesome. If we had just seen that he had been hard to control and starting to want to do things his way and Josh1.0 was the preferred one, but lacking smarts. That might have been really interesting. But no. Nope. Nada. Was that sudden change driven by his mother? We never saw any emotional connection between them.  And, she seemed to have not a shred of maternal love and then suddenly she was all pissed that she gave birth to the twins and is now upset about taking away Josh's chance at fulfilling the prophecy? I don't understand the NM reason for being involved for 13 YEARS. Why did they feel the need to blow up the tunnel? Were they really not sure that the Prophecy would be fulfilled and wanted a fall back? Such non-believers in their own "kill the world" agenda. Tsk tsk. I expect much more from radical religious terrorists. Be true to your crazed cause please. The Evil Rabbi told Avram to leave and yet THEN he is at the ceremony? With a knife that everyone can see? Peanuts? We have not seen the Pastor eat anything and then he is eating? Peanuts?  I don't even get that. It was the only thing on the table besides glasses and decanters.. If there was an array of things and he picked that, well then ok. Why not have a bowl of nuts on his desk in the office, have him eat a few here or there? It would humanize him a little and not make his character so fictionalized "Evil Pastor". Gee, even evil guys eat peanuts now and again!

 

Personally, I am not that highbrow in my viewing preferences at all, but you have to show some type of predisposition/foreshadowing for some behaviors or plot devices otherwise they come out of no where and cause massive confusion. Illustrated by all the WTF comments after the season finale.  Are we to believe that the Pastor has the knowledge to be doing genetic cloning and manipulation? I really believe that this show was set for a multi-season run and many of these things would have been answered (like did the Joshes know about each other? WHY was the Ambassador involved, why did Peter's daughter kill herself? Is Peter a peadophile?) However, I think that pretty quickly they realized that it was one and done, and they just attempted to tie-up the biggest story lines and leave it at that. It would be similar for those of you that watch 12 Monkeys (or The Killing is a good example too, as this was happening every season, is it extending or canceling-but I LOVED that show) if they realized that they were be no season 2 mid-way through filming season 1.  I could only imagine the utter confusion for someone watching a time travel show if they had to suddenly push the abort button half-way through a show that was set to run for several seasons.    Out of all of it still loving Little Red and Avram. 

[Captanne]

Based on what the show gave us, it is a fair judgment that the hero is, in fact, a pedophile who probably diddled his daughter which ultimately caused her suicide.

 

I'm not sure that's what the writers were going for.

[Dowel Jones]

Was that a no-kill ranch at the end? How do those work?

 

My cynical self says that the herder says "Unblemished calf?  Nope, don't see one.  Load 'em up."

 

My understanding was that the Temple groups wanted to slaughter the calf, burn it, and mix the ashes with the ashes of the original calf which would allow them to rebuild the Jewish Temple as prophesized.  Since this conflicts with the existing Islamic Dome of the Rock, it had to go.  Flooding the tunnels beneath the Dome would cause it to collapse, as it was built on sandstone (Whaaaaaaat??).  The American Ambassador was in it either for private gain (the treasures) or political gain (a chance to "remove" the Muslims from Jerusalem in the ensuing war), or both.  Too bad about the ensuing disasterous flooding.  Which brings up another point.  They said the water behind the dam was flowed through the tunnels to replenish the aquifers that supplied Jerusalem with water, yet flooding them would create a huge flood and destroy hundreds of homes.  They're already tunnels.  How will that flood houses?  Oh, and by the way, "episode 11" better deal with the problem of no drinking water because you just blew the whole dam up.

 

And, in closing, this huge, complex enterprise has taken place over 13 years with a widespread collections of fools and fanatics, and it was all masterminded by one woman upset that some guy had driven her father insane?  The one thing this show can take credit for:  a great defense of atheism.

[meep.meep]

I still don't know what role the ambassador played in all this, but please don't enlighten me.

And the worst line was not the "I've fallen in love with you."

It was:

Emma/Rebecca: I'll see you in hell!

Peter: Not if I see you there first!!!!!

(Punctuated as I imagine it was in the script)

[Captanne]

There were SO many bad lines.  So, so many.

 

Seriously, I repeat myself, out of everything I hate this show for -- the unforgivable is making me laugh when Peter heard the "thud" of Golan being killed by a car on the voice mail.

 

Damn you, show.  Damn you all to HELL.

Edited May 9, 2015 by Captanne

[Heatsja]

So many things I don't understand, but here's the one knawing at me:

What was Armageddon Protocol supposed to do? Open underground tunnels so flood water could flow out instead of into houses? Right? Why was there no water flowing through the open doors? Why did Emma think she could drive the treasure out the tunnel? If her plan worked, Wouldn't it have been filled with flood water? Or did Peter divert it all?

And I must have missed something else too. What was the treasure?

[dgpolo]

Omg! I thought I was the only one, I too, missed what the treasure was supposed to be.

[henripootel]

Omg! I thought I was the only one, I too, missed what the treasure was supposed to be.

We got only a glance but my guess is that it's bits of Solomon's Temple, the first on the site.  There's virtually nothing left which we know for sure was part of it, so any bits would be of great value.  My reason for the guess: thought I saw a glimpse of a stone menorah, which might be a depiction of the original one revealed by god to Moses in Exodus.  At the moment we have only two ancient depictions of it, one (oddly) from the arch of Titus depicting the romans carrying the menorah away as war spoil.  Until recently this was the only ancient depiction known but another turned up in 2009 of similar age.

 

Odd thing though - while these bits would be of enormous archaeological value, good luck selling them for money or trying to properly document them if they were dug illegally (which they almost certainly were).  Even with a dodgy provenance they'd be of great interest but I wondered what Rebecca's plan was, given that any attempt to move these pieces or claim credit would lead right back to dead Professor Dirtbag.  Kinda wonder what his plan was too: pretty sure his first announcement of the discovery would be followed by the artifacts being immediately seized and him retiring in disgrace, likely to a nice jail cell.  

Edited May 10, 2015 by henripootel

[Captanne]

God, you guys.  I had the same response amidst other inappropriate laughter.  When Emma says, "Let's go get the treasure!" I cried, "WHAT TREASURE?!"  Then I laughed tragically.  My brain immediately said next, "And what do you plan on doing with this "treasure"?"  You can't sell it.  You can't even get it out of the country (unless you do it by private jet with a corrupt pilot who allows you to hide it in hollowed out books.)

 

By the way -- back in the New Mexico hangar, I remember thinking to myself, "You're taking 12 year old The High Priest, after all this, to go to Israel for a book signing?"  Did they EVER bother to explain the purpose of the books back at that point?  Because, to me, it looked like a book event.

[nara]

I think there are people who would pay a fortune to have the archaeological and religious treasures in the temple, and the Prof (and maybe Emma) is in a position to know who he can approach discreetly with the offer.  Even if the buyer cannot publicly display it, just having it in his/her possession would be enough.

 

It's always bothered me that no real friends or relatives of Emma showed up in Israel after her death.  I guess we now know why.

[Captanne]

You're quite right, Nara, there are thousands of moguls who would love to have the Mona Lisa just to say they have her.  It's easier said than done.  (Just for fun, watch "White Collar" -- it's enjoyable in the early episodes until it gets dumb.  It's all about the FBI and white collar art theft.)  Also, just recently the anniversary of one of the most famous recent art heists was in the papers -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabella_Stewart_Gardner_Museum Look at the chapter titled:  Art Theft of 1990.

 

Of course, on topic, the greatest modern thievery will probably come out of the last two wars in the Middle East.  It remains to be seen.

Edited May 10, 2015 by Captanne

[Dowel Jones]

Wasn't the site of the first Temple one (of the many) rumored burial places of the Ark of the Covenant?

[ganesh]

I was not expecting Josh to straight up slit the girl's throat. That plot ended up kind of a waste of time. I like that Anne Heche is quietly competent though. 

[henripootel]

Wasn't the site of the first Temple one (of the many) rumored burial places of the Ark of the Covenant?

The Ark was last 'known' (according to sources) to be in the temple but no real record for it exists after the siege of 587 BC.  Like as not it was smashed up when Jerusalem fell.  

Edited May 13, 2015 by henripootel

[portfino]

Another thing that came to my mind, Hargrove had to be in on Emma's crazy scheme except for the part where she kills him. He had to believe that all the contingencies would work for Peter/Lynn to get someone to execute the Armageddon Protocol. (I still don't understand why Emma didn't do some research on an Israeli official with weaknesses.)

 

As for Season 2, the show's twitter account is calling this a limited series so I think we're safe.

[ganesh]

I'm going to walk in the middle of the road in the dark talking about how I know everything about the show mystery. Buh bye!

 

Good call for all you who thought Emma was in on it! I was surprised when they revealed her as the killer at the end. 

[Hanahope]

Just watched the last several episodes over this weekend.  What did Jehosephat mean, other than it was the name the psych-patient brother was writing?

 

Was this based on a book?  It seemed like there was a lot of details that got cut that would have connected the dots and closed some of the loop holes a bit more.

[proserpina65]

Go Red and Avram make it back to Croatia

 

Was that where they were?  I wasn't sure, but I was just happy that the only characters I really cared about were safe.

[proserpina65]

Unfortunately, my least favorite line also appeared in this episode:  "I never counted on falling in love with you."  I would have prefered it if Emma were just using him.

 

I think she was just trying to play him.  I didn't buy for a second that she loved him, but I did believe she'd think that saying she did would work on him.  'Cuz he was an idiot, who, upon discovering that Golan was killed outside the asylum, didn't immediately say "hmmm, who is the only person who knows that we were coming here?  Oh right, the chick I nailed, because I told her.".

[Hanahope]

Well, I could have use these 10 hours of my life back.  So many loopholes its hard to know where to begin.

 

1.  Josh - so what if Josh 1.0 hadn't gotten out, would they have performed two bar mitzvah's?  And why was it necessary to take Josh 2.0 to the town for milkshakes and video games?  Seems like little psycho was perfectly happy staying in his room.  I know, solely to give Debbie the ability to call Charlie and pro-long that useless plot line.  I was totally not surprised 2.0 killed her and frankly I was shocked he hadn't killed her earlier.  I mean, why bother running with her at all?  Resist and let her get killed by psycho-mom.  Were the Josh's clones?  Of who?  Why was a clone needed? Was a special dna needed, like with the cow?  And what was the reason for turning on the reverend other than increasing the body count?

 

2.  It really is beyond belief that Rebecca-Emma is going to know how many years earlier that she's going to find someone like Peter, who's not only in a position to investigate her 'death' and/or 'mystery' of the archeological dig, but is also going to able to be manipulated the way she did, plus have another 'trusted' contact in the state dept or elsewhere, that is going to have enough clout or whatev to convince the Israeli head-honcho to invoke the armageddon protocol.  Are we really supposed to believe she 'woke' up from whatever death-like coma she was in and walked out of the morgue and no one noticed?  Oh, and she wasn't autopsied? 

 

3.  The Essene are careful/watchful/good enough to capture Peter and Golan, but couldn't see the army of Jewish soldiers coming to take the calf?  And why did the rabbi entrust the calf to a "boy" and not one of his obviously more capable soldiers?

 

4.  What was the meaning of the bishop chess piece?  And I'm still confused as to what made Donaldson's son go crazy?  Was it because it was his sister carved the temple shape into his chest?  And why did Donaldson kill himself and wife anyway?  Or are we supposed to think it was the Order of Moria that did it?

 

5.  What real crime has Josh 2.0 and psycho-mom committed that's going to hold them?  Both of them can plead lack of knowledge as to the bombing of the damn.  I don't think participation in a religious ritual is a crime.  Technically, I think the evidence against the rabbi and ambassador is thin too, unless other captured people who did wrong things actually talk.

[roomtorome]

Wow - that was embarrassing - for every single person involved in that mess.  Did they forget to invite the writers to - write. 

 

A bunch of running around, truncated phrases, "meaningful" looks between characters does NOT tell a story, compelling or otherwise.  What a waste of some very good performers.  

 

Well, we all need a paycheck.  

[ganesh]

All I know is he was a king in bible times.