S02.E05: Above The Vaulted Sky

[Bec]

I guess you could rationalize that what Victor did isn't so bad, except for the part where he and Caliban lie to her about who she really is.  How long does Victor expect this charade to last?  He knows that even if she never gets her memories back, she'll eventually cross paths with people who know her, and one of them (Ethan) is really close at hand.  I'm sure Ethan will stomp Victor when the time comes, though Brona/Lily will probably throw herself on Victor to spare him.

This kind of makes me wonder what Brona would prefer. Knowing the truth about the life she had before? Or starting over in a new life with none of the baggage from the old one? If someone brought you back from the dead, would you want to know that? How would that make you feel? Especially when you're in a state of finding everything in the world shiny and new... would you want someone to break it to you that you used to be a prostitute and, by the way, you are a reanimated corpse? Is there even a good way to be told about that, ever?

 

The other shoe definitely has to drop at some point, the anticipation is killing me. Hee. I hope the show explores how she feels about it and don't just have it be about the guys.

[Fredward]

I'm not 100% convinced Malcolm is as enthralled as he's made out to be. I dunno if I'm just reading too much into it but his face gets really, really still whenever Madame Kali is up to some chicanery. Like when she had him sniff that perfume or when she pricked him with the ring. I wonder if some part of him is at least still in control of some faculties. It would be hilarious to see her seduction just blow up in her face.

 

Part of me wonders if Angelique is an infiltrator for the coven. We know they use people 'parts' for their witchery at times and blood (or other... fluids)/hair etc of an immortal might be seriously valuable and powerful. Plus the way they met was pretty sketch, a lady of the night just walking up in the middle of the day to talk to Dorian while he's staring at a locket of Vanessa? Hmm. I also don't recall if he told her his name or whether she just knew it. PLUS! There's his method of immortality to consider. The witches get theirs straight from their pact with satan right? But clearly pacts aren't the only way to get power. Vanessa has power and presumably has made no (direct) pact with satan, though she may have with a demon. So who knows. Whatever. My point is that if Dorian's immortality is tied up with his painting he might have found a way to get what the witches have without giving their lord his soul. They might be under orders to fix that. Or maybe they just want the power, who knows. Angelique being an agent of the witches would also be the easiest way to actually involve him with the main damn plot. And lastly! He's a few hundred years old or something right? He must have picked up some useful skills while on his endless sexcapades. Like dead/obscure languages. If something were to happen to Lyle he might be able to fill the role. Which would be a shame since I like Lyle but c'est la vie.

 

Hmmm what else? They're clearly setting up Hecate to make some kind of powerplay at some point. Hissing at her mum, wanting to finish the Vanessa fetish. Malcolm's wife death was brutal but maybe it will finally get some damn gears turning.

 

Vanessa not recognizing Brona was understandable I think considering the briefness of their one and only meeting but I WAS expecting her to pick something up when they touched hands. Vanessa is supposed to get impressions and stuff right? I thought they dodged that by having Lilly wear gloves but then they touched a second time and she wasn't wearing any.

 

Lilly in bed with Frankenstein was... yeah. Is that necrophilia? What I was also wondering was whether part of Brona was 'bleeding' through to Lilly. Cuz Brona was a prostitute while Lilly is supposed to be a complete ingenue, Brona might have started unlacing if she was in bed with a man almost 'out of habit' but would Lilly?

 

The barricading scene was nice but I just thought it was funny how they were standing there admiring the fancy new door with the two large open windows on the side. But maybe the scorpion symbol on the door, the general entrance of a building, has a sort of diffused effect on the rest of the entrances.

 

Vanessa and Chandler feels like the safest/most predictable pairing. They definitely need some Dorian thrown in their to create some angst/awkward encounters.

 

EDIT:

 

Also, major props for having both a transgender character AND gay sex. Good on yah show. Though HTGAWM's level of gay hotness blows (pun fully intended) it out of the water.

Edited June 4, 2015 by Fredward

[pele2102]

I don't know I find the whole Bronlily/Victor situation really uncomfortable at the very least. I mean victor is her literal creator. Although I will never understand why he felt he had to kill Brona when he could've waited like 10 minutes for her to die on her own. I just how can someone so smart not see the Ethan sized whole in his plan. I kinda hope Brona wakes up, takes her new lungs, and goes back to Ethan.

I really really love Angelique and Dorian together. I'm almost 100% this will end with him killing her because he's still a monster.

[darkestboy]

I loved this episode. So many fantastic character moments.

 

Evelyn's torment of Malcolm's wife was pretty nasty. I didn't really like the character but I felt bad for her being driven into killing herself though because of Evelyn's sadism.

 

Evelyn really sunk her claws into Malcolm this week but it's time for her and Vanessa to face off properly though.

 

Nice scenes with Vanessa/Ethan in this episode, especially the staircase one. I liked that we learned a bit more about Ethan as well in this episode and it seems like Rusk and that guy he nearly mauled to death are gaining on him too.

 

Power struggle with Evelyn and Hecate too. That's also interesting.

 

Loved the lunch scene with Vanessa/Victor/Lily and Vanessa/Caliban talking poetry as well. He's more likeable away from Victor. The last scene with Lily and Victor, I did see coming.

 

Dorian/Angelique do need to become more central to the main plot but I love their story and I love learning more about Lyle as well. I'm actually starting to think this season is better than the first one, 9/10

[attica]

When an actor as good as Kinnear starts reciting poetry, I am done for the day. I'll be in my bunk, thanks.

[ganesh]

Maybe it is b/c she resembles my darling Fee from Orphan Black

YES. Thank you.

Though the show was more set up, it was still good. Not surprised about Ethan, but I want to know if he's going to have a name we know.

Angelique: Long, important monologue on gender identity that is relevant in 2015.

Dorian: I'm Dorian Gray. I am D. T. F.

I figure she is going to find the portrait. As I've said before, I'm calling Vanessa is in it.

[Door]

I can't imagine it would happen this way, but I have to say this. When Ethan's maul victim was stalking him, they held just a moment on him and his horrible mask, lurking around a gate. Then, we immediately cut to Dorian and Angelique at the opera.

 

It would stretch the imagination that said victim could be a musical prodigy in his down time but I would actually kind of love it if Ethan Chandler accidentally created the Phantom of the Opera. 

[Slovenly Muse]

 

It says a lot that when they were choosing rituals, Ethan burned sage. He didn't choose the Bible, but something sacred to people he's harmed.

 

I loved this, and thought it was a really nice touch. In the first scene, he's talking about an entire tribe he helped to wipe out completely, and in the next, he's using a ritual that is rooted in that tribe's culture. Because of him, they are gone, and because of him, some part of them still remains.

 

I never quite knew what to make of him in the first season, but now that the show is taking some time to really focus on his story, Ethan is ROCKETING up my list of favourite characters. I mean, I'm bisexual, but I've usually preferred women and almost never find men attractive, and I never understood why my friends were so in to Hartnett years ago, but damned if I haven't (as of this episode!) developed a major, heart-fluttering, swooning crush on Ethan Chandler. WHY does he have to be so sweet and charming and strong and protective and perfect ALL THE TIME?! It's not fair!

 

Thinking of, I adored Dorian and Angelique, of course. I feel like John Logan heard all the fans' protests about how, with all the nudity and sex on the show, the only same-sex hookup last season only got as far as a kiss before it was off-screen-implied, and he responded with, "Yep, you're right!" Giving us an episode where the only full, lush, nude, sensuous, affectionate sex scene was a Queer couple, and all the het-sex was fully-clothed, sketchy, and ill-advised. Well-played, sir.

 

 

I know the Victor/Lily is so twisted, but the actors unexpectedly have really good chemistry together. It's oddly kind of sweet to see them falling in love with each other? Hey, it's not like he wiped her memories on purpose. That's just a side-effect of bringing her back from the dead. Okay, after he killed her. But he was ending her suffering and planning to resurrect her stronger than she was before. I can roll with it.

 

That's true. It's not like he was skeevily reanimating her corpse for his own use. He was reanimating her corpse as a gift to give to another icky corpse he reanimated! It's a real meet-cute, I tell you. Something tells me these two crazy kids are about to hit a rough patch.

 

I love this show more and more every week. It's really glorious. From fully-developed female characters who can be vulnerable and scattered and in need of protection and in tears and nearly mad with fear without EVER being weak, to equal-opportunity nudity, to gripping storytelling, to beautiful cinematography, to infinite compassion for modern social justice and equality issues that never feels anachronistic... This show hits all of my buttons and just never stops.

[attica]

Dorian: I'm Dorian Gray. I am D. T. F.

 

Ha! Awesome!

[iMonrey]

 

No, Evelyn/Madam Kali made it a point to hide her face when Vanessa was looking her way. I know it's confusing, since the narrative was set up like Vanessa was telling the story, yet it played out like a straight-out flashback from a third person perspective.

 

Still, Vanessa is so powerful, doesn't she have some kind of witch-dar? She met Evelyn last season, hasn't it occurred to her maybe she has something to do with this coven? You think maybe the medium who sent you into a spiral that lasted most of last season is at the bottom of this Vanessa? Hmm?

[ganesh]

It would stretch the imagination that said victim could be a musical prodigy in his down time but I would actually kind of love it if Ethan Chandler accidentally created the Phantom of the Opera.

 

This needs to happen. 

 

I loved this, and thought it was a really nice touch. In the first scene, he's talking about an entire tribe he helped to wipe out completely, and in the next, he's using a ritual that is rooted in that tribe's culture. Because of him, they are gone, and because of him, some part of them still remains.

 

 

The tribe would have been exterminated had Ethan been there or not. So that's a telling point. 

[qtpye]

I find Billy Piper to be so singularly unattractive that I can't get into Lily or care what happens to her. Dorian and Angelique were off the chart hot tonight. My pet peeve about Dorian is that he never wears a tie/cravat. It takes me right out of the period setting. I love Mr. Lyle, too.I want Vanessa and Ethan to be just friends.

 

 

I will say in a small voice... I thought Angelique was prettier than Lily (ducks rotten tomatoes).

 

Now getting off my shallow box, I really love this show.  I wish this show would get even a quarter of the critical acclaim that is often thrown at a way past it prime series about advertising in the sixties.  However, since the academy will never take a supernatural show seriously, it is probably very unlikely that anyone will get nominated for an Emmy.  I hope Patti Lupone's guest appearance last episode will not go unnoticed.  She was phenomenal.

 

I love the chemistry between Vanessa and all the male leads.  I do not feel she is a Mary Sue or damsel in distress.  She is powerful in her own right, but you understand why people like Malcolm and Ethan would want to protect her.  This is another actress that deserves an Emmy nod.