S04.E22: YHWH

[Agent Dark]

I now feel for all of the doctors and lawyers who watch TV. The penultimate scene in the "substation" was almost physically painful to watch. 7200VAC transformer? Then down to 5VDC jumper cables? I guess I should translate it as "Root, we must [electrical] by the [electrical] to [electrical]. Throw words in a blender because 99% of the people won't get it and of the remaining 1% (0.5% don't care).

 

I did love the walking out with Pink Floyd playing. :)

Yeah I work in an Electrical Engineering field (in the generation/distribution/transmission industry even) so that whole "explanation" of how The Machine transferred Herself to the electrical grid was pretty cringeworthy.  Yes Ethernet over Power is a thing, but No you would not be able to use the electrical grid to transfer data nor would it have any capability to store said data.  I suppose I could fanwank that She had some sort of WiFi to Ethernet over Power converters installed either side of every transformer (!!) in the Distribution/Transmission network so She could actually use the grid to transmit data, but there's no way she can use the grid to either store data or perform calculations on said data.  That requires actual computers and electronic memory, which have to be physically located somewhere.  Which means rolling a blackout across the continent should have been no big deal, since it's not going to affect any long term storage device...

 

Anyway, other than that it was a good episode :) 

[Dagny]

Oh hey, "blueprints" aren't blue anymore. We typically PDF the drawings, even big ones can be printed from PDFs and use laser printers to plot them on paper. Using blue prints would be similar to seeing prints from a ditto machine. Its possible, but unlikely.

 

Agent Dark, how did you like the scene from S3 "Deus Ex Machina" where the explosives were wired through a disconnect switch and the team needed to disarm the bombs before power came back on. No one thought to throw the switch. (sigh) Watching TV when the writers don't understand electrical hurts.

[rockchicknyc]

Oh. My. God. Just...what all y'all have said. I'm not sure I understand what happened, but man, am I boggled. Loved the Butch & Sundance ending, except they don't get shot. I hope that they find an even more spectacular Den of Secretitude for our boys and girls and Bear! and the Machine: first that fabulous library (which I went by the other day in a cab), next the incredible lost subway stop with Guastavino tile vaulting like the Oyster Bar, now...I'm hoping for the top of the Chrysler Building (Quetzalcoatl!). Or maybe a lost section of the Cloisters, or a little island in the East River...

[Agent Dark]

Agent Dark, how did you like the scene from S3 "Deus Ex Machina" where the explosives were wired through a disconnect switch and the team needed to disarm the bombs before power came back on. No one thought to throw the switch. (sigh) Watching TV when the writers don't understand electrical hurts.

No, that's totally how Hersh survived!  He just bullshitted to Reese  - who obviously is ignorant of the technical details - and used it as an excuse to fake his death.  Hersh was totally taking a page out of his star pupil's (Shaw) book :)

[tennisgurl]

I finally got a chance to see the episode! And, of yes, it was wonderful. This show, man, This freaking show. 

 

Random thought: I love the titles of the episodes on this show. They just sound so epic and original, but they totally fit the show and themes. Like this episode, was literally named God. Still amazed at how deep this show is. 

Edited May 19, 2015 by tennisgurl

[stealinghome]

Real life has prevented me from watching the finale again until now, but after rewatching, I stand by my next-day assessment that YHWH was interesting more as a setup for S5 than as an episode itself (though I definitely screeched "give me S5 now!!!" at the screen as soon as it was over, it WAS one hell of a cliffhanger/reboot). Asylum was imo better as a standalone episode, though YHWH did improve a fair bit on rewatch, it was more satisfying this time around; but there was more character work done in Asylum that rewards multiple viewings, and Asylum was also paced much better. YHWH wanted to be an "action action ACTION!!" episode, which I don't mind in theory, but it didn't execute that incredibly well, whereas Asylum communicated balls to the wall, "urgent action nonstop crazy speeding train!!!" much better. I also still think that YHWH encapsulates the strengths and weaknesses of the season as a whole--questionable pacing and stuff that really worked juxtaposed against stuff that totally didn't (coughIRIS). But YHWH gets major points back for an inspired song choice at the end!

 

Speaking of my biggest pet peeve, the uneven pacing was still a problem even knowing about it going in. John has to rush off to save Harold and Root...except he has to stop at the precinct to warn Iris to get out of town first. (Which, what? Does she not have a cell phone? And John, what head are you thinking with here? If you get caught and your cover is blown, Iris running out of town will buy her an extra ten minutes tops, she can't hide. wtf was that scene.) Team Machine has to rush to save The Machine...except they can stop in the middle of the power plant like three times for some crazy long exposition about how the plan to save The Machine is going to work and for Finch to have more existential angst. (Which I get is for the benefit of the audience, but still, it took me out of the scenes that both Root and Finch stopped dead to explain things like three times to Reese--who, frankly, doesn't entirely understand or CARE anyway. The directing of those scenes was awkward; the flow would've been better if Root, Harold, or both had explained things to John while they kept hooking shit up and whatnot. Also, PLEASE let Harold's pissiness about The Machine be over. Please. I can't take Root having to spell out for him that Bad Things Will Happen If Samaritan Wins over and over again next season too.)

 

This time around, I really enjoyed Caleb and Finch's reunion. It was a moment that got a bit lost when I watched live, but Finch's genuine care for Caleb, and the way Caleb unquestioningly handed his algorithm over when Finch said he needed it, was a really nice moment. That's what Samaritan is always going to miss--the human element.

 

Control isn't going to be a serious player in this game until she figures out that the AIs are actual AIs and far beyond human control (and, in some respects, human goals). I mean, she understands intellectually, but this time around I was struck by how insistent she was in her belief that GREER was the architect of the plan. GREER was using Samaritan to play them all. GREER was the bad guy. She still fundamentally thinks of the AIs as tools instead of entities, and she's going to struggle to be relevant in this brave new world until she fully grasps the AIs as AIs. And also that Samaritan, at least, like Greer sees beyond mere nation-states and brute displays of force; Control is still too wrapped up in her US- and terrorism-centric view to understand its game. Really hoping they have enough time for her to come back in S5 with an expanded mind and kicking some ass. (Also, Control not just shooting Greer remains a bit contrived. I enjoyed Greer more in this episode than I have in a while, but still.)

 

I don't even ship Rinch but the fanservice was strong in this episode. I got a good chuckle out of Harold saying to Root basically "you lost Sameen, so now I have to lose John?"

 

This must be Root's season to smash things with axes/hammers/etc. I grant that the phone behind the wall was a little convenient, but I also thought it was hilarious in an OF COURSE kind of way. Like of course The Machine would give them a hideout with an emergency phone it could use if necessary! Of course!

 

Loved The Machine glitching out in all the POV shots. I always get a kick when the show does stuff like that.

 

John's total lack of being impressed by Dominic was fun this episode--wish he'd been so disdainful beforehand, it might've livened that storyline up a hair. Also, can they give John his "tied up and a prisoner" hair more often? It's by far the best hair JC has had on the show. "Hell yes" was another great moment, as was Reese kicking total ass in God Mode (thanks to The Machine's sonar view, which was also great). Someday the show will let Reese, Shaw, AND Root all be in God Mode at the same time, and the world will roll over at their feet. Or just cease to exist due to sheer awesomeness.

 

Samaritan is so deliciously clever--intentionally "glitching" on DC to make Control think there was a terror threat imminent in the city. Also, RIP not just Grice but also Schiffman. You two were intriguing characters I wanted to see more of. Grice had a low-key wry humor that I really appreciated. "You're not afraid to question authority." "Well, in that case, I have another question."

 

Heh at Elias stealing John's t-bone a car trick. Double RIP to you, Elias, if you are actually dead.

 

I'm not sure why Harper thought it was a great idea to hang around after she freed Fusco. I mean, I understand her profit motivation, that she had been promised money to save Fusco AND Reese, but come on, there was no way Dominic WASN'T going to figure out that Harper helped Fusco escape. Like, really? Harper just happens to disappear from the room just when Fusco escapes, and Dominic isn't going to add 2 plus 2 and get 4? This may just be because I haven't been impressed by the character to date anyway, but we've seen before that Fusco can escape handcuffs, so given that Harper's sole reason for being in 21-22 seemed to be letting Fusco out of the cuffs, I'm not sure why she was necessary. It still feels to me like the writers are trying overly hard to make her happen and forcing her in when she doesn't always fit. She has pretty poor self-preservation instincts for someone who's supposed to be so street-smart. With that said, though, I did enjoy her banter with Fusco. They have a fun rapport. Fusco works well in that quasi-parental, quasi-mentorship role.

 

In retrospect, I wish they had spread the events of 21-22 out over three episodes, and had added several flashbacks to key moments in Harold's relationship with The Machine in 22. That would have made Harold and TM's final conversation more poignant, imo. Also, cutting it a little more might have helped. This time around, it felt like it dragged just a little--I was like "jeez, are they going to stop for tea and cookies, too, in the middle of this life-threatening situation?" Cutting out the stuff between The Machine's initial "I'm sorry I failed" and "If you think I've gone astray, maybe I should die" would have been better, I think.

[Mom x 3]

I actually loved this one, although the previous episode was more action packed. 

The Star Wars comparisons were spot on, but they've thrown Star Trek in there as well.  The machine will have the core programming, but nothing else - maybe not even its humanity - and will have to relearn how to relate to humans.  Sounds an awful lot like Spock to me. 

 

I'm not sure if I dislike the character of Iris or just how the actress portrays her.  I just can't see Reece falling for this wide-eyed special snowflake, unless he is attracted to her because of how he can protect her.  But why the hell would she need protecting?  Didn't she say she had brothers and a father who were cops?  Did they all treat her like a princess too, because why isn't she a bit tougher than she seems? 

 

Love Root telling the Machine to get off her ass and help herself.  I hope Harold learns something from that. 

[Syme]

Oh hey, "blueprints" aren't blue anymore. We typically PDF the drawings, even big ones can be printed from PDFs and use laser printers to plot them on paper. Using blue prints would be similar to seeing prints from a ditto machine. Its possible, but unlikely.

Well, yes & no. New stuph, sure. But there's a forest worth of dead trees worth of legacy blueprints out there. You'd not expect NYC to be up to date, would you????

 

Agent Dark, how did you like the scene from S3 "Deus Ex Machina" where the explosives were wired through a disconnect switch and the team needed to disarm the bombs before power came back on. No one thought to throw the switch. (sigh) Watching TV when the writers don't understand electrical hurts.

Agreed. But then expecting Reese or Hersh to start citing Right Hand Rule or KCL might not ring true with most audiences....

[Harold, however......] 

 

The Star Wars comparisons were spot on, but they've thrown Star Trek in there as well.  The machine will have the core programming, but nothing else - maybe not even its humanity - and will have to relearn how to relate to humans.  Sounds an awful lot like Spock to me.

 

Did Harold get a mind meld in the substation?

Edited May 30, 2015 by Syme

[paramitch]

I loved this and was pretty happy with it as a season finale. I continue to love the growing bonds between Harold, Reese and Root, and I thought the Machine's final dialogue with Harold was really touching and well-written. Was there a Bear scene? There's never enough Bear for me, darn it.

 

I also thought Control's scenes were terrific (and ultimately weirdly heartbreaking) -- Camryn Mannheim does a really nuanced job with this character and I hope she's back next season.

 

The only thing that jarred me slightly was the sight of all three of them walking out right in front of buckets of machine-gun fire. Root especially does this all the time and it drives me nuts -- it's just terribly blocked and there's no way they wouldn't all end up looking like Swiss Cheese. So it makes it a bit silly for me when they're just striding in slo-mo through the bullets (it reminds me in a bad way of the Underworld movies, and how Selena in those is always striding forth down hallways, blazing away front and center while people shoot at her and magically, constantly miss).

 

I'm with those who thought they played it coy on whether Elias survives or not -- it looked to me like he's at least mostly dead, so hopefully someone will get him to Miracle Max's before next season... 

 

Thanks as always to all of you for the insights and wonderful commentary throughout the season! I don't post as often as I'd like to here (by the time I've thought about each episode it's like a month later), but I always love the insights and emotions in this show's forums.

[Dagny]

Well, yes & no. New stuph, sure. But there's a forest worth of dead trees worth of legacy blueprints out there. You'd not expect NYC to be up to date, would you????

 

I've killed my share of trees :)  However the legacy blueprints I've seen are more "faded denim" than "indigo blue". But I can see how it would be easier (exposition wise) with the bit of dark blue corner taped to the wall than just a big paper printout.

[areca]

You gotta admit, Samaritan's solution to end the Elias-Dominic war was elegant, if violent. But I will miss Elias...and Control. Never thought I'd say that when those characters were introduced.

Control will escape and defect fully I think.

[DeLurker]

You know there has to be a future episode titled "Ctrl+Alt+Del".

 

At least I so hope there is.

[wilnil]

You know there has to be a future episode titled "Ctrl+Alt+Del".

At least I so hope there is.

Already done! That was 4.12, the episode done mostly from Control's viewpoint, right after "If-Then-Else."

[DeLurker]

Dang!  I was hoping it would be a future ep when Control somehow turns the tables on Greer.

[yellowfred]

They could call it "Ctrl+Z"