HalcyonDays July 24, 2015 Share July 24, 2015 Episode synopsis: Molly discovers Ethan is alive and sets out to get her son back. Also, suspicions about John’s death cause JD to investigate Julie’s potential involvement. Link to comment
Enero July 30, 2015 Share July 30, 2015 I knew Toby had the hots for Molly. I know. Violence is not the answer, but when Molly found Ethan at Julie's I wanted her to beat Julie's @ss. Too bad it only ended in a shoving match. Speaking of Molly, what is going on with her? I'm assuming she's still having side effects from exposed to the alien spores, so why is it they want her sexing up someone every night? I wondered if she might be evolving, becoming part alien and her sexapades is the alien part of her trying to reproduce but then her blackouts and one night stands are the only signs of anything wrong. However, If she was evolving, I think she'd have more symptoms than the blackouts....well based on that last scene I think Molly is actually evolving!!! As much as I hate Julie, she does have a point. Molly is in no condition to regain custody of Ethan. I fear when Lucy comes face to face with Molly. I'm betting Molly temp will be way below the normal temp for humans and things will quickly get ugly. Whoever said this season is better than last is right. This season, though not perfect, is more interesting and enjoyable. 4 Link to comment
ottoDbusdriver July 30, 2015 Share July 30, 2015 (edited) So, Toby's 2nd in command is his wife/girlfriend/significant other -- and wants to have his babies, alien threat be damned. But he dumps her by the end of the episode after Toby spends minimal family time with his sister and nephew. That seemed like a waste of time Molly cockblocks Richter because she needs help finding Ethan. Later in the episode Richter cockblocks Molly when she starts to turn into a nympho after midnight with Toby. Still no explanation about why Molly turns into a horndog late at night. Are her nails still growing ? Lucy has become a rather ruthless killing machine, and she's just so blasé about it during training. Then Lucy stabs the Offspring's offspring in public. Molly's interview with Julie and SecHomeSec doesn't go all that well. And Molly quickly shoves Toby back into the friend zone after he offers to take her to dinner. And it turns into an old episode of Star Trek: TNG about Ethan (might as well call him Data). And there it is -- Molly is infected, has the glowing eyes, and can take control of people as the rings appear on them and make them see things. Just like the Offspring. Dun, dun, dun, dun. Edited July 30, 2015 by ottoDbusdriver 4 Link to comment
Such A Flirt July 30, 2015 Share July 30, 2015 I'm getting pretty sick of Horny Molly. Governor Toby and his woman from "24" suck. But Charlie is still hot. Link to comment
HalcyonDays July 30, 2015 Author Share July 30, 2015 But Charlie is still hot. Yup. And conflicted. Feel sorry for the man. Molly cockblocks Richter because she needs help finding Ethan. See. Now you know Molly is not in her right mind - she cockblocked that beautiful man known as JDM (who plays JD Richter). There is no justice. 1 Link to comment
thuganomics85 July 30, 2015 Share July 30, 2015 I did not know Richard T. Jones was going to be crashing the party. I wonder if this was just a one-off thing, or if JD will be using his hacking skills again in future episodes. Credit to the show with moving things forward, and already having Molly confront Julie and find out the truth about Ethan. I know the boss lady was in an awkward situation, but I think she probably made the best call with at least giving Molly visitation rights, and seeing where this goes. If nothing else, it led to the pleasant scene of Molly and Ethan together, while Julie stands near-by pouting like a child. Ha ha... suck it, Julie! That said, Julie might actually be kind of right since not only is Molly still blanking out, but now she develops yellow eyes and just caused a dude to get hit by a car. Yeah, I don't see that being a plus in the mother department. What was the point with Toby and his work girlfriend? The whole thing was pointless and stupid. Yeah, sure thing, lady. Why don't you take the time to have the kid talk, when you know there is an alien invasion going on? And even suggest that they should quit and just live their lives. Talk about burying your head in the sand. No wonder Toby wants to end that. Well, also because he totally is crushing on Molly. Lucy just had her first official kill, but is still helping out Ethan and not down with all the restrictions they want to enforce on her. This better end with her kicking some HomeSec ass. If not Julie, she better at least take down One-Dimensional Boss Hilarie Burton. 2 Link to comment
ApathyMonger July 30, 2015 Share July 30, 2015 Lucy and Ethan being able to swap voices seems like it's setting up something that'll happen down the line with one of them pretending to be the other. 5 Link to comment
wayne67 July 30, 2015 Share July 30, 2015 (edited) Lucy and Ethan being able to swap voices seems like it's setting up something that'll happen down the line with one of them pretending to be the other. From what I remember it was way more than just swapping voices... they were hacking into each other's programming to access each other's software. That could provide Ethan with the last piece of the puzzle to make him Skynet. He'll be able to kill without mercy by accessing Lucy's soldier programming and upload himself into the cloud network if he's in danger making him a menace to society . Edited July 30, 2015 by wayne67 Link to comment
shrewd.buddha July 30, 2015 Share July 30, 2015 I will admit that the show is more watchable now (last season was so tedious and plodding that we basically gave up). Lucy's casual killing style was sort of frightening. The round of applause she received afterwards was also creepy (but in the good, intentional way). The Lucy and Ethan robot rebellion story line seems much more intriguing than the alien-sex-werewolf thing that Molly is going through. The show is still sort of a mess and all over the place, but this season it is not causing us to channel surf and never return.. Link to comment
HalcyonDays July 30, 2015 Author Share July 30, 2015 The Toby / girlfriend thing was typical TV trope, but I guess it was to set up Tobias as a work focused individual. Oh, and thanks for employing the typical TV trope of woman saying "Let's quit our job, quit our lives, be together and just have babies." Dear god. And everytime they call him Toby, I cringe. It just sounds too cute for a grown man. Tobias yes, but Toby makes me think of a 5-year old. Otherwise, good episode. Yup, Molly's slowing turning into an alien. I bet they will find out that when the women get impregnated, the alien fetus blood or DNA merge with the mother, and start to rewrite the DNA to become more alien. My prediction. Julie is right about Molly not being able to mother, but both of them throwing insults at the meeting was just terrible, plus the whole "you slept with my husband" made the whole scenario seem petty. And Molly came off pretty unhinged. Feel a bit sorry for Julie, because she is in a rock and a hard place. Desperate for love from anyone, especially Ethan, but needs to keep her job to keep her kid around. But she still did some very questionable things. Love Lucy. Great actress (Kiersey Clemons). Her cold blooded killing of that hybrid was for the win. You know - as someone mentioned above - that she is going to be targeting Molly at one point. She is very effective - a little too effective. Her scene with Ethan in the tent was so cute too. Was very impressed with how the actors (especially Pierce Gagnon) lip synced the other voice perfectly. I am really digging JDM's character. JD just comes off so natural yet obviously has a good heart. His scene with Richard T. Jones, when he comes in to Jones' place to ask for help was so natural and awesome. Shallow Comment of the Episode: Yes, JD. Please come to the door wearing no shirt and jeans hanging so low it's criminal and how do those things stay on your hips? This must be a required scene each episode, show. Make it so. 5 Link to comment
Cyranetta July 30, 2015 Share July 30, 2015 Lucy is a real spark-plug in this season's storyline. She's got this cheerful beauty-pageant winner aspect masking some wild loops in her programming. Love her "tutoring" of Ethan, since he's a lot more interesting with her than with Julie. 2 Link to comment
DearEvette July 30, 2015 Share July 30, 2015 The hour went really fast. To me that is the sign of a story that is actually moving. I agree on the Lucy stuff. How awesome and frightening she is. Right now I am really liking her and Ethan's dynamic but I can forseee them coming into conflict possibly. And that will harsh my glow. Molly's alien thing is also interesting only because what does it all mean? Of all the stories, hers is the only real mystery. What is going on? How will it come out? How does she fit in with the alien society? Also it is interesting that Lucy is named 'Lucy' but in a way Molly is also a Lucy (referencing the Ethioipian Lucy Australopithecu) in that she is the mother of a new species. And of course, Lucy was created in Molly's image so at some point they are going to meet (hopefully) as two different spurs of a new type of evolution. Of course I knew The Governor-Toby has the hot feels for Molly. It took him about a nanosecond to start schucking off his clothes when Molly went into her sex-fugue. I was a bit disappointed that JDM kinda brushed it off as just a slap & tickle when he kinda knows that Molly's goes to a weird not-there sexual place. If nothing else this season is 100X better than last just because of JDM and his gruff-sexy self. And yes, Molly is a mess! I hope she gets it together. And even though I can't stand Julie, I appreciate that they are giving her character some layers. I actually kinda felt sorry for her when they were all clapping over Lucy's kill. She should feel triumphant, but she knows she's compromised her science for personal gain and the result is going to be potentially catastrophic. 3 Link to comment
Rhetorica July 30, 2015 Share July 30, 2015 Molly and Lucy will battle! Perhaps that will be this year's finale. Will Ethan be the casualty? Link to comment
Latverian Diplomat July 30, 2015 Share July 30, 2015 Otherwise, good episode. Yup, Molly's slowing turning into an alien. I bet they will find out that when the women get impregnated, the alien fetus blood or DNA merge with the mother, and start to rewrite the DNA to become more alien. My prediction. Well maybe, but Molly is unique in that she is the only woman to survive a hybrid pregnancy, and that is because of the elaborate extraction process that they are not doing anymore. And I guess with the kill in this episode, we have confirmation that the offspring's offspring are in the mojo game. Presumably the offspring can choose to be male or female (the "chimeric" factor mentioned last time) so they could all be operating as males to most effectively "spread the invasion" (as the kids of tomorrow will be calling it)? I'm guessing Molly is not going to "go hybrid" to that extent. On another topic, and almost 20 degree cooler body temperature seems pretty easy to detect (and kind of unattractive, though I guess hybrid mojo could take care of that). Link to comment
ribboninthesky1 July 31, 2015 Share July 31, 2015 I had a theory an episode or two ago that Molly's DNA had been transformed by the alien spores. Now, more than ever, I'm thinking the sex trances are a way to get her to procreate. I also think my theory of her blood being the key for the virus might be true. Not surprised by the Toby/what's her name break-up. That's been telegraphed ever since Toby admitted to proposing to Molly at her own damn wedding, which was presumably long before he got involved with his chief of staff. She obviously knew he was slipping away, so she overplayed her hand (though I doubt they were ever gonna make it long-term). I...really don't care about Jeffrey Dean Morgan's character. I wish Sam were still around. Molly could use a friend, and it would have been cool if Sam had been transferred to HomSec, and thus had some insider knowledge. Hey, she could have been running the virus program...ah well. What might have been. Halle gets flack for her acting, and I don't entirely disagree, but I thought she sold Molly's loneliness and pain when JD called her. Her husband was murdered, she thought Ethan was "dead" only to discover that he's with the woman who had an affair with her husband. I didn't have a problem with her comments to Julie during the "custody" hearing, especially when Julie decided to use John's words against her. Revisionist history is right. I don't feel the least bit sorry for Julie, because she always seems to want what she can't have. She COULD have a healthy relationship with Charlie, but she's too caught up in using Ethan as 1) a conduit for John and her delusions about them being a family, and 2) a weapon against Molly. Oh, and using Charlie's feelings for her when it suits her. She could probably have a healthy relationship with Ethan as well if she tried to collaborate with Molly rather than shut her out. I also disagreed with her stance on Molly not being able to care for Ethan - call me sentimental, but given all the shit Molly's been through, I think caring for and bonding with Ethan could provide some emotional stability for her as well as Ethan. If Julie truly cared about Ethan, she would have treated him as a human child, and allowed him to grieve the way a human child might have. It's wholly ironic that Molly, who was so distant and slow to accept Ethan, treats him more like a human than Julie does. Ethan could also probably help sort her out during her trances. If I recall, Ethan was usually around when she passed out while pregnant last season. I'm not optimistic about the Lucy plot, only because I have no desire to see Lucy try to take Molly out. I like Lucy a lot, I just hope they don't go the predictable route with her. As already mentioned upthread, I can see Ethan having to access her remote server to keep her from killing Molly. Lucy loves her some Charlie. When the HomSec team applauded her, she was all about Charlie. Finally, I'm a bad person. I chuckled a bit when toilet!sex dude seemed to get up and stumble away after being hit by the car. 1 Link to comment
Black Knight July 31, 2015 Share July 31, 2015 I hate Julie so much (and I actually liked her last season, mind you - I felt kind of sorry for her) that I will never, ever be on her side, especially where Ethan is concerned. The teeny part of my brain that is able to be rational does recognize that Molly's not in the best condition right now, but I don't care. I cheered when Fiona ruled in Molly's favor against Julie. Besides, Ethan, much as I love that kid, is a robot - as he informed Fiona in this episode, he doesn't need to eat or sleep. It's not like he needs to be taken care of in all the same ways as a human child does. He needs attention and he needs love, and Molly can provide those just fine. And on her end, given what's happening to her and how valuable she is as someone who can figure out the virus and who also appears to be the only person the Offspring will listen to at all, a robot is the companion she needs because the alien mind tricks won't work on a robot. I am very curious about what happens when Molly and Lucy meet. Molly knows now that Ethan considers Lucy his sister, plus there's also the thing where John actually modeled Lucy after her. On Lucy's end, she's supposed to kill aliens/hybrids, but she knows Molly is Ethan's mother and, crucially, she has free will. So she can choose to spare Molly (I'd laugh if she did it just to spite Julie, whom she clearly can't stand at all - excellent judgment there, Lucy!). Molly poses no danger to Lucy, so it's not like Lucy would feel she has to kill Molly out of self-defense. I think Ethan will help the two women decide to team up, and then their team will proceed to kick the asses of everyone whose asses need kicking and save the world. And after they kick Julie's ass, and Ethan tells her she is not his mother, she can then go to prison for murder. Have I mentioned I hate Julie? 5 Link to comment
shapeshifter July 31, 2015 Share July 31, 2015 (edited) As much as I hate Julie, she does have a point. Molly is in no condition to regain custody of Ethan. That said, Julie might actually be kind of right since not only is Molly still blanking out, but now she develops yellow eyes and just caused a dude to get hit by a car. Yeah, I don't see that being a plus in the mother department.I was thinking the same--that Molly does not seem to be in the Mom-zone right now (and others posted the same too); I think that's what we were supposed to think--not sure what that means for the future--but I also can't help thinking that no matter how psycho Julie may be, Ethan is her son too in the sense that she gave life to him. ...but Molly is unique in that she is the only woman to survive a hybrid pregnancy, and that is because of the elaborate extraction process that they are not doing anymore.True. I forgot about that being the reason. I had a theory an episode or two ago that Molly's DNA had been transformed by the alien spores. Now, more than ever, I'm thinking the sex trances are a way to get her to procreate. I also think my theory of her blood being the key for the virus might be true.Good point. Her blood could be the source of a vaccine. Edited July 31, 2015 by shapeshifter 1 Link to comment
bagatelle July 31, 2015 Share July 31, 2015 How was Lucy able to kill the alien-hybrid with a butter knife? Was she able to locate the exact spot at the back of the neck that would down it instantly? Is that a real thing? Link to comment
shapeshifter July 31, 2015 Share July 31, 2015 How was Lucy able to kill the alien-hybrid with a butter knife? Was she able to locate the exact spot at the back of the neck that would down it instantly? Is that a real thing?It is if you're a Vulcan (Star Trek), so definitely a robot could do it--if it is a real thing. Not sure. But didn't they give it a special effect implying she sent an electrical impulse or something through it and into the guy? Link to comment
wayne67 July 31, 2015 Share July 31, 2015 How was Lucy able to kill the alien-hybrid with a butter knife? Was she able to locate the exact spot at the back of the neck that would down it instantly? Is that a real thing? I just assumed that she stabbed Molly's grandbaby Hybrid with such force that it slipped between the bones of the verterbrae and severed the spinal cord. I'm fairly sure that would kill a human with one strike if you had the skill to target it on a moving target and the strength and precision to do so. At the very least it would completely paralyse the target. I didn't think it was that unrealistic considering everything else. She is a robot soldier. It's good to see a robot actually be bad ass. So often you get robots who shoot as poorly as Storm Troopers confronted with main characters. GO LUCY :P I'm so glad we're moving slightly away from MY BABY MY BABY... I do wonder what happened to that guy from last season. Did he get eaten by the aliens ? or did his clock just tick out? 2 Link to comment
LydiaMoon1 July 31, 2015 Share July 31, 2015 (edited) Lucy's casual killing style was sort of frightening. The round of applause she received afterwards was also creepy (but in the good, intentional way). ITA about Lucy's casual killing and the humans applauding. In fact, I was thinking, "You idiots! Considering that both the aliens and the humanics (sp?) are more powerful than you, you do realize you're applauding the fact you've fallen to number three, right?" Halle gets flack for her acting, and I don't entirely disagree, but I thought she sold Molly's loneliness and pain when JD called her. So much THIS. I was very critical of Halle's acting last year, but I believe she really kicked it up a notch this year. For me, she's sold so many of Molly's emotions. Molly has been alternately crazed, fierce, desperate, depressed, confused, etc. She's shown so many differents facets of Molly's personality, and she's done it well. I may be quick to criticize sometimes, but I also like to give credit where credit is due. Halle's done a good job with season 2 Molly. Edited July 31, 2015 by LydiaMoon1 3 Link to comment
Latverian Diplomat July 31, 2015 Share July 31, 2015 (edited) ITA about Lucy's casual killing and the humans applauding. In fact, I was thinking, "You idiots! Considering that both the aliens and the humanics (sp?) are more powerful than you, you do realize you're applauding the fact you've fallen to number three, right?" They are already starting Lucy down the road of "Humanics are superior, destroy all humans" which is kind of cliched. This shows up mostly in her scenes with Ethan. I'd rather they stuck with some of the things they've been hinting at with the dress incident or blackmailing Charlie--she has a pathological, monomaniacal obsession with "succeeding in her mission", whatever she perceives that to be, and she'll break the rules to do it. For example, "I am supposed to look good for the funders, so I will too wear the hot dress." BTW, I think Kiersey Clemons has done a good job of conveying this. Eventually, she could be adjusting her own "mission" and destroying any obstacles to it, sort of an amoral, superpowered form of self-actualization. That would be a more interesting place to go to than just "Death to humans". Edited July 31, 2015 by Latverian Diplomat 2 Link to comment
Free July 31, 2015 Share July 31, 2015 They are already starting Lucy down the road of "Humanics are superior, destroy all humans" which is kind of cliched. This shows up mostly in her scenes with Ethan. Figures, it was obviously going to backfire on them. Link to comment
shapeshifter July 31, 2015 Share July 31, 2015 ITA about Lucy's casual killing and the humans applauding. In fact, I was thinking, "You idiots! Considering that both the aliens and the humanics (sp?) are more powerful than you, you do realize you're applauding the fact you've fallen to number three, right?" My thoughts ran to: So. Not fans of Battlestar Galactica. 2 Link to comment
HalcyonDays July 31, 2015 Author Share July 31, 2015 How was Lucy able to kill the alien-hybrid with a butter knife? Was she able to locate the exact spot at the back of the neck that would down it instantly? Is that a real thing? They showed a shot of Lucy's point of view - i.e. all of the information that she has on her "screen." Before we saw it as the differerent body temperatures of the various people. When they showed Lucy looking at the hybrid guy, her "screen" showed a quick shot of the various target areas on the guys back, along with a percentage effectiveness. The neck shot was the highest percentage kill area. 3 Link to comment
mercurius July 31, 2015 Share July 31, 2015 (edited) I don't feel the least bit sorry for Julie, because she always seems to want what she can't have. She COULD have a healthy relationship with Charlie, but she's too caught up in using Ethan as 1) a conduit for John and her delusions about them being a family, and 2) a weapon against Molly. Oh, and using Charlie's feelings for her when it suits her. She could probably have a healthy relationship with Ethan as well if she tried to collaborate with Molly rather than shut her out. Fully agree. The weirdest thing about this show for me is that I keep thinking the kid is an actual robot. Whoever is coaching him is fantastic, and he takes direction so well. When Molly came to him at the end, all excited to tell him he'll be spending time with her and expecting him to be thrilled to reconnect with his mom, he comes back with 'I don't want to be reprogrammed again'. It just slayed me. Edited July 31, 2015 by mercurius 4 Link to comment
Black Knight July 31, 2015 Share July 31, 2015 (edited) I felt so sorry for Ethan when he said that about not wanting to be reprogrammed. I'm not as cynical about Lucy as others. She killed a hybrid, not another human. She's bonding with Ethan on the basis of them being robots, yes, but she also likes Charlie, and she's not attacking other humans unprovoked or anything like that. She has free will, and she's done some not entirely aboveboard stuff as a result, but none of it has been bad stuff. (Of course, I am always down with anything that will annoy Julie.) For instance, she helped lead Molly to Ethan by telling Ethan to leave the message on the mirror. What else? She printed a dress that Julie didn't want her to print - oh, the horror. She convinced Charlie to take her out for lunch instead of keeping her cooped up. Honestly, in terms of her mental development she just seems like a teenager to me. Pushing boundaries a little, but nothing truly malicious or dangerous. (Remember, we had misdirection with Ethan in S1 too, where the show kept making him seem creepy, and he ultimately proved to be a good kid.) I do think the reality of the world the show is setting up is very interesting, because I doubt the alien in space that started all of this in S1 was the last of its race. Even if the gang eliminates all the existing hybrids, the world is still at risk from the alien race and always will be, until/unless they manage to find a way to eradicate the alien race and all its spores from the universe (which seems like a long way off given that they don't know where the aliens' home planet is, etc.). So even though the Humanichs are more powerful than the humans, it's something the humans are just going to have to live with, because the humans cannot stand up to the aliens' ability to control minds. Although I don't see Lucy as being a true danger to humans, I do recognize the same cannot be said for all the other robot soldiers they plan on making (I think Lucy has been helped by Ethan and Charlie) - and yet, they're still humanity's only chance at surviving the aliens. It's a dangerous game with incredibly high stakes, no question about it. But as the title card always reminds us, Extant can turn into Extinct. Yes, it could end up being the robots instead of the aliens who makes humans go extinct...but at least humanity strikes me as having a better chance against the robots than against beings that can completely fuck with their minds. Edited July 31, 2015 by Black Knight 2 Link to comment
wayne67 August 2, 2015 Share August 2, 2015 I felt so sorry for Ethan when he said that about not wanting to be reprogrammed. I'm not as cynical about Lucy as others. She killed a hybrid, not another human. She's bonding with Ethan on the basis of them being robots, yes, but she also likes Charlie, and she's not attacking other humans unprovoked or anything like that. She has free will, and she's done some not entirely aboveboard stuff as a result, but none of it has been bad stuff. (Of course, I am always down with anything that will annoy Julie.) For instance, she helped lead Molly to Ethan by telling Ethan to leave the message on the mirror. What else? She printed a dress that Julie didn't want her to print - oh, the horror. She convinced Charlie to take her out for lunch instead of keeping her cooped up. Honestly, in terms of her mental development she just seems like a teenager to me. Pushing boundaries a little, but nothing truly malicious or dangerous. (Remember, we had misdirection with Ethan in S1 too, where the show kept making him seem creepy, and he ultimately proved to be a good kid.) I do think the reality of the world the show is setting up is very interesting, because I doubt the alien in space that started all of this in S1 was the last of its race. Even if the gang eliminates all the existing hybrids, the world is still at risk from the alien race and always will be, until/unless they manage to find a way to eradicate the alien race and all its spores from the universe (which seems like a long way off given that they don't know where the aliens' home planet is, etc.). So even though the Humanichs are more powerful than the humans, it's something the humans are just going to have to live with, because the humans cannot stand up to the aliens' ability to control minds. Although I don't see Lucy as being a true danger to humans, I do recognize the same cannot be said for all the other robot soldiers they plan on making (I think Lucy has been helped by Ethan and Charlie) - and yet, they're still humanity's only chance at surviving the aliens. It's a dangerous game with incredibly high stakes, no question about it. But as the title card always reminds us, Extant can turn into Extinct. Yes, it could end up being the robots instead of the aliens who makes humans go extinct...but at least humanity strikes me as having a better chance against the robots than against beings that can completely fuck with their minds. Using the Humanics as weapons to kill the Alien Hybrids seems like a solution to a current problem that ignores the long term consequences of using Humanics to kill human looking aliens. It seems like such a short step from "it's okay to kill aliens that look like humans" to "killing humans is necessary to ensure my survival". Take for instance Ethan, he's been short circuited by the Government when they took Molly, booby trapped, reprogrammed, kidnapped and he's still not at the crush kill destroy stage. However if I was a robot with the ability to become part of the cloud network I wouldn't side with the humans. I'd probably just skip town by hacking the space shuttles and starting a new robot civilisation. 99% of the humans shown on this show have been complete a** holes to Humanichs with the exception of probably Charlie and that little girl Ethan befriended in season one for a red hot minute. Molly regarded Ethan coldly to start off with and even though what's his face was all like this is our son, he wasn't above remote hacking his son to try and make him more compliant. The other reactions ranged from its property to slurs about toasters and violent hatred resulting in Odin placing a bomb in Ethan. Once there are 50 Lucy soldiers, how will the Government control them ? what will they use as incentives or punishments ? They'll adapt to any control measures as they've already learned how to hack each other and turn off GPS locators. 2 Link to comment
DearEvette August 2, 2015 Share August 2, 2015 ITA about Lucy's casual killing and the humans applauding. In fact, I was thinking, "You idiots! Considering that both the aliens and the humanics (sp?) are more powerful than you, you do realize you're applauding the fact you've fallen to number three, right?" My thoughts ran to: So. Not fans of Battlestar Galactica. I know right? I'm all -- hey guys Cylons? Skynet? Even if it is a cliche, evolution theory kinda bears it out a bit. Science Fiction is littered with this trope because it is a plausible one. A stronger, fitter more adaptive species will inevitably wipe out a weaker species. Humans have caused the extinction of many strong, successful species. If you are creating something in the image of humans and you are giving the ability to evolve, adapt & think like humans, but are making them stronger than humans then what is the inevitable conclusion? I would have liked to see some doubt and trepidation on more faces than just Julie & Charlie's. I know the Big Bad Myopic Gov't types are also a trope, but it would have been nice for that one at least to have been subverted a bit. Link to comment
ribboninthesky1 August 2, 2015 Share August 2, 2015 I didn't read doubt on Julie's face. Surprise, yes, but she seemed pleased. 99% of the humans shown on this show have been complete a** holes to Humanichs with the exception of probably Charlie and that little girl Ethan befriended in season one for a red hot minute. Molly regarded Ethan coldly to start off with and even though what's his face was all like this is our son, he wasn't above remote hacking his son to try and make him more compliant. The other reactions ranged from its property to slurs about toasters and violent hatred resulting in Odin placing a bomb in Ethan. I wouldn't put Molly in that category. It's a perfectly human and understandable response to not immediately embrace a robot as your son. Especially when the decision was forced on you by your spouse because he wanted children you couldn't biologically have (though, in typical John fashion, he wanted nothing to do with the child she was carrying after he found out he wasn't the father). Not wanting to immediately bond with Ethan is a far cry from reprogramming Ethan to get him to do what you want (i.e. John and Julie AND Charlie), terrorist acts, etc. This is why I didn't agree with Julie about Molly being a parent to Ethan. She's the last person to judge someone's competency in parenting a Humanic(h). 2 Link to comment
wayne67 August 2, 2015 Share August 2, 2015 (edited) I wouldn't put Molly in that category. It's a perfectly human and understandable response to not immediately embrace a robot as your son. Especially when the decision was forced on you by your spouse because he wanted children you couldn't biologically have (though, in typical John fashion, he wanted nothing to do with the child she was carrying after he found out he wasn't the father). Not wanting to immediately bond with Ethan is a far cry from reprogramming Ethan to get him to do what you want (i.e. John and Julie AND Charlie), terrorist acts, etc. This is why I didn't agree with Julie about Molly being a parent to Ethan. She's the last person to judge someone's competency in parenting a Humanic(h). True enough. That said she did spend a lot of time obsessing about her alien baby to the detriment of Ethan. Part of the reason he got a bomb installed inside him because neither of his 'parents' were around at the time. I'll concede that she wasn't abusive just frequently absent emotionally and physically for much of their relationship. 97% then ? lol I'm voting for Charlie, Lucy, JD, Molly and Ethan leaving the planet and going on Lost in Space adventures. I cant remember any particular instance where Charlie reprogrammed them to inhibit Ethan or Lucy's free will. Charlie actively disregarded his orders to inhibit Lucy's learning/free will so I'm willing to give him some slack for previous robot offences. Plus the robots may need an engineer on their journey to fix any bugs they may develop in their adolescent phases. Edited August 2, 2015 by wayne67 1 Link to comment
Mecca August 2, 2015 Share August 2, 2015 Whoever said this season is better than last is right. This season, though not perfect, is more interesting and enjoyable. I've finally caught up on the episodes and was coming here to say the same thing. I lost interest pretty quickly in this show last season. Surprisingly, S2 has kept my interest and dare I say it, really has me curious to know what happens next. I wanted to kick Julie's ass just as much as Molly did when she found Ethan. I'm actually invested in the characters now when I remember not caring at all what happened to everyone in S1. Halle Berry has some nice chemistry with Jeffrey Dean Morgan which also helps. The weakest link for me is Lucy. If you're going to make a killing machine, why create an annoying teenager with authority issues? 1 Link to comment
shapeshifter August 2, 2015 Share August 2, 2015 ...The weakest link for me is Lucy. If you're going to make a killing machine, why create an annoying teenager with authority issues?IRL, it would be smart for reasons of stealth and the element of surprise to have it be a teenage girl--or even better, a grandmotherly robot. But your question does make me chuckle. And I guess they were not fans of Caprica either, heh. Link to comment
wayne67 August 3, 2015 Share August 3, 2015 The weakest link for me is Lucy. If you're going to make a killing machine, why create an annoying teenager with authority issues? From what little I understand Lucy is the prototype for a soldier line of the Humanichs technology. Once they've tweaked the programming sufficiently I'd assume they'd have a whole bunch of different models with the same programming to take out the Hybrids. Otherwise the Hybrids would see it coming if it was always Lucy... I can imagine a scenario where we have Lucy style dialogue coming from a toddler robot or from an Ethan bot or from an old man. It could be quite entertaining. That is if they remember that the threat is global and the Hybrid kids would have scattered by now to increase their potential to find suitable breeding partners. Link to comment
ribboninthesky1 August 3, 2015 Share August 3, 2015 True enough. That said she did spend a lot of time obsessing about her alien baby to the detriment of Ethan. Part of the reason he got a bomb installed inside him because neither of his 'parents' were around at the time. I'll concede that she wasn't abusive just frequently absent emotionally and physically for much of their relationship. 97% then ? lol I'm voting for Charlie, Lucy, JD, Molly and Ethan leaving the planet and going on Lost in Space adventures. I cant remember any particular instance where Charlie reprogrammed them to inhibit Ethan or Lucy's free will. Charlie actively disregarded his orders to inhibit Lucy's learning/free will so I'm willing to give him some slack for previous robot offences. Plus the robots may need an engineer on their journey to fix any bugs they may develop in their adolescent phases. I don't recall why John wasn't around, but I'm willing to cut Molly some slack. Having your baby forcibly extracted from you and trying to find him, even if he's half-alien, is a reasonable distraction. I mean, if we're cutting Charlie some slack for not giving Lucy the proper protocols or whatever and reprogramming Ethan's memory of Molly because he's up Julie's ass, I see no reason to do the same for Molly...who has done nothing to try and control or manipulate Humanic(h)s to my knowledge. And I like Ethan a lot, but he's not human, and as someone mentioned upthread, doesn't require the same level of care that a human child would. But then, I had no problem with Molly's concern for her unborn/extracted child last season. Made perfect sense to me. As for Lucy, I suspect that Charlie not doing what he was supposed to around her programming might be a problem down the road, but we'll see. 2 Link to comment
wayne67 August 3, 2015 Share August 3, 2015 (edited) I don't recall why John wasn't around, but I'm willing to cut Molly some slack. Having your baby forcibly extracted from you and trying to find him, even if he's half-alien, is a reasonable distraction. I mean, if we're cutting Charlie some slack for not giving Lucy the proper protocols or whatever and reprogramming Ethan's memory of Molly because he's up Julie's ass, I see no reason to do the same for Molly...who has done nothing to try and control or manipulate Humanic(h)s to my knowledge. And I like Ethan a lot, but he's not human, and as someone mentioned upthread, doesn't require the same level of care that a human child would. But then, I had no problem with Molly's concern for her unborn/extracted child last season. Made perfect sense to me. As for Lucy, I suspect that Charlie not doing what he was supposed to around her programming might be a problem down the road, but we'll see. I think John was dealing with his wife who was constantly hallucinating, a high maintenance employee/mistress and a ridiculous and convoluted plot by some Asian business man to extract alien spores to extend his life for another indefinite period of time. Robo children may not need to be fed and watered but I'd imagine they'd need even more intellectual and social stimulation than normal children as they'd skip several key bonding moments from the feeding and caring process during infancy and youth. I'm not blaming Molly for being preoccupied but Ethan really didn't get much of a childhood or experience much onscreen parenting. I mean other than that one time they got a balloon and Molly was suspicious of him murdering a pigeon. I'm hoping to see Charlie's decision have consequences soon. It would be nice for robot evolution to be portrayed in a new way other than crush kill, destroy or I want to be a real boy. Something along the lines of the AI's in Space Above and Beyond where they were more chaotic neutral than good or evil. Edited August 3, 2015 by wayne67 Link to comment
SlackerInc August 4, 2015 Share August 4, 2015 A stronger, fitter more adaptive species will inevitably wipe out a weaker species. I think that's overstated/oversimplified. We don't, after all, have only one species left on Earth. If we add the caveat "who both inhabit exactly the same ecological niche" then I agree with you. But who's to say that's true of humans and Humanics? Some notes I jotted down while watching: --I agree with The General that Shayna's proposal to quit and go away to have babies sounded completely insane. --Why would Molly make her threats in person rather than by phone? She was sweating it waiting for the elevator, with good reason. --I kind of dig Ethan and Lucy's revolution. --So The General does seem to be ultimately a decent person at heart. --The scene with the HomeSec and Ethan was well written and acted. Link to comment
Mecca August 5, 2015 Share August 5, 2015 (edited) IRL, it would be smart for reasons of stealth and the element of surprise to have it be a teenage girl--or even better, a grandmotherly robot. But your question does make me chuckle. And I guess they were not fans of Caprica either, heh. From what little I understand Lucy is the prototype for a soldier line of the Humanichs technology. Once they've tweaked the programming sufficiently I'd assume they'd have a whole bunch of different models with the same programming to take out the Hybrids. Otherwise the Hybrids would see it coming if it was always Lucy... I can imagine a scenario where we have Lucy style dialogue coming from a toddler robot or from an Ethan bot or from an old man. It could be quite entertaining. That is if they remember that the threat is global and the Hybrid kids would have scattered by now to increase their potential to find suitable breeding partners. It does make sense from a visual standpoint to make Lucy look as she does, but I think my issues are with the personality they decided to program her with. She has all the imbalance and unperdicability of a typical teenage girl which I don't think was necessary to include. If they had opted for an old man, do you think they would have programmed him to act as Lucy does? I don't think they would have. I'm confused as to why they included those particular traits in the first place? I don't think it all comes from her just suddenly having the free will button turned on her emotional chip. They had to have programmed some of that into her personality which seems weird to me because they want to control her yet they give her enough awareness to not want to be controlled. Edited August 5, 2015 by Mecca 2 Link to comment
Happytobehere August 5, 2015 Share August 5, 2015 Halle gets flack for her acting, and I don't entirely disagree, but I thought she sold Molly's loneliness and pain when JD called her. Her husband was murdered, she thought Ethan was "dead" only to discover that he's with the woman who had an affair with her husband. I didn't have a problem with her comments to Julie during the "custody" hearing, especially when Julie decided to use John's words against her. Revisionist history is right. I don't feel the least bit sorry for Julie, because she always seems to want what she can't have. She COULD have a healthy relationship with Charlie, but she's too caught up in using Ethan as 1) a conduit for John and her delusions about them being a family, and 2) a weapon against Molly. Oh, and using Charlie's feelings for her when it suits her. She could probably have a healthy relationship with Ethan as well if she tried to collaborate with Molly rather than shut her out. I also disagreed with her stance on Molly not being able to care for Ethan - call me sentimental, but given all the shit Molly's been through, I think caring for and bonding with Ethan could provide some emotional stability for her as well as Ethan. If Julie truly cared about Ethan, she would have treated him as a human child, and allowed him to grieve the way a human child might have. It's wholly ironic that Molly, who was so distant and slow to accept Ethan, treats him more like a human than Julie does. Ethan could also probably help sort her out during her trances. If I recall, Ethan was usually around when she passed out while pregnant last season. I hate Julie so much (and I actually liked her last season, mind you - I felt kind of sorry for her) that I will never, ever be on her side, especially where Ethan is concerned. The teeny part of my brain that is able to be rational does recognize that Molly's not in the best condition right now, but I don't care. I cheered when Fiona ruled in Molly's favor against Julie. Besides, Ethan, much as I love that kid, is a robot - as he informed Fiona in this episode, he doesn't need to eat or sleep. It's not like he needs to be taken care of in all the same ways as a human child does. He needs attention and he needs love, and Molly can provide those just fine. And on her end, given what's happening to her and how valuable she is as someone who can figure out the virus and who also appears to be the only person the Offspring will listen to at all, a robot is the companion she needs because the alien mind tricks won't work on a robot. I am very curious about what happens when Molly and Lucy meet. Molly knows now that Ethan considers Lucy his sister, plus there's also the thing where John actually modeled Lucy after her. On Lucy's end, she's supposed to kill aliens/hybrids, but she knows Molly is Ethan's mother and, crucially, she has free will. So she can choose to spare Molly (I'd laugh if she did it just to spite Julie, whom she clearly can't stand at all - excellent judgment there, Lucy!). Molly poses no danger to Lucy, so it's not like Lucy would feel she has to kill Molly out of self-defense. I think Ethan will help the two women decide to team up, and then their team will proceed to kick the asses of everyone whose asses need kicking and save the world. And after they kick Julie's ass, and Ethan tells her she is not his mother, she can then go to prison for murder. Have I mentioned I hate Julie? I couldn't agree with these post more. Screw Julie. She is unworthy of sympathy. I am waiting for her to get her comeuppance for causing John's death. And before anyone says she probably didn't know what would happen, she knows damn well that John's death mere minutes after her dropping the dime on him is no coincidence. She is a user, see Charlie, and a taker, see Ethan, and there is nothing like able or sympathetic about her. I too hope that Lucy doesn't try to take out Julie. I agree that the sex thing is an effort to get Molly pregnant, but we know that she can't conceive normally. Wonder is the genetic modifications she is undergoing changes this. 2 Link to comment
shapeshifter August 5, 2015 Share August 5, 2015 Screw Julie. She is unworthy of sympathy. I am waiting for her to get her comeuppance...These certainly seem to be the emotions that they wanted Julie's character to elicit from the audience. I wonder if Grace Gummer asked her mother's (Meryl Streep) opinion before taking the part, or if she had any idea this was the kind of character she would be playing. I agree that the sex thing is an effort to get Molly pregnant, but we know that she can't conceive normally. Wonder is the genetic modifications she is undergoing changes this.I don't recall. Did they definitively say it was Molly who couldn't conceive, or did John have poor swimmers too? If the latter, maybe she will get pg by JD. IRL, Halle Berry is too old to have another child, but she easily looks 10 years younger. Link to comment
Free August 6, 2015 Share August 6, 2015 These certainly seem to be the emotions that they wanted Julie's character to elicit from the audience. I wonder if Grace Gummer asked her mother's (Meryl Streep) opinion before taking the part, or if she had any idea this was the kind of character she would be playing. Last season they tried and failed to make her likable, this season they just made her as insufferable as possible. 1 Link to comment
wayne67 August 6, 2015 Share August 6, 2015 It does make sense from a visual standpoint to make Lucy look as she does, but I think my issues are with the personality they decided to program her with. She has all the imbalance and unperdicability of a typical teenage girl which I don't think was necessary to include. If they had opted for an old man, do you think they would have programmed him to act as Lucy does? I don't think they would have. I'm confused as to why they included those particular traits in the first place? I don't think it all comes from her just suddenly having the free will button turned on her emotional chip. They had to have programmed some of that into her personality which seems weird to me because they want to control her yet they give her enough awareness to not want to be controlled. I thought it was because they based her program on Ethan who is a semi creepy robo child so they may have to go through the adolescent period for the whole robo evolution thing. The original program was supposed to mimic human behavior for adoption purposes, then they added a soldier programming and I guess the result is a effective but erratic soldier... Link to comment
FoundTime August 27, 2015 Share August 27, 2015 (edited) Great comments. Shows how the show has picked up in quality from S1. I could not bear the soap opera "drama" between General Toby and his SO. The actors have zero chemistry, and if the actress was on 24, as someone noted, I probably hated her character on that too. The actor who plays Toby, though, has a voice that is like fingernails on a chalkboard to me, especially when he raises his voice. I think he's also got the male equivalent of vocal fry. That makes it hard for me to engage with the character, unfortunately. That last scene was set up so oddly, with Molly randomly walking down the street, then barely before I have time to frame the thought "Why is she walking down the street?" her latest hook-up shows up and alien hijinks ensue, then Richter is randomly there! What the what? Agree that the actor who plays Ethan is doing a great job, especially compared to other child actors this summer. (I'm looking at you, The Whispers. Also The Strain.) (And why can’t Ethan have two mommies? It is 2146 or whenever, after all, lol.) Love casting Hilarie Burton as a baddie. Some of us White Collar fans are predisposed to hate her on sight, so well done, show. Edited August 27, 2015 by FoundTime Link to comment
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