S01.E07: Episode 7

[Cranberry]

Rejected and alone, Karen sets out to George's house in search of Niska. Meanwhile, Pete is determined to find out who Karen really is, but his enquiries reveal a truth stranger than he could ever have imagined. The hunted synths gather at the Hawkins, grateful to Laura and family for providing refuge. As humans and synths live alongside each other in peace, could this be the harmonious future that Leo and co have longed for? But as Hobb gets closer, it may be too late for them to find out.

 

Spoiler-tagged the episode description for now as it's quite detailed.

[Which Tyler]

Thanks for spoiler tagging the descriptions - I was going to suggest exactly that.

[Athena]

No! George! Damnit show. I knew it was too good to last with him as father figure to all the synths.

 

Poor messed up Leo. That whole thing with Karen/Beatrice was messed up. Wow, David Elster was a piece of work.

 

As always, I appreciate the tight writing and pacing that is typical of British shows. The last couple of eps have been great, and the finale should continue it.

[Daisy]

I seriously missed the little clip of Katrice in Leo's memory log. So Katrice is Leo's real mom? (Like looks wise?)  Interesting because the Synths basically rejected her, she wants to kill the HumaSynths and allow the evolution of SynthKind not to take place. 

it was so sad,  because It  George died twice. Physically, and Mentally because of all the memories that Otie had (who is now trahed). Who is the Secret Agent Guy? (Like he obviously knew George and David)

 

Niska + Sophie playing Dolls and Dinosaurs was such an adorable moment. Going from "I told you I didn't want to!" to "I have an Idea" and riding on the Dinosaur.

[ottoDbusdriver]

No! George! Dammit show. I knew it was too good to last with him as father figure to all the synths.

 

It was sad as Odi was bringing up nice memories for George until he passed, followed by "You have died, George".  And Odi is just going to be trashed -- I hope not.

 

i was hoping that Max would be fully recovered, but no such luck -- and now that they are all in custody, I don't think they will ever get the chance to try and fix him.

 

I wonder what's wrong with Fred -- with his timeout in the backyard, and losing control of his fingers it looks like there is some lasting damage from his encounter with Hobb.

[NorthstarATL]

So sad at George's passing, but glad Odie was there to make it easier for him. I even felt bad about Vera. The domestic integration of the Synths and humans at the Hawkins' house was really well done! There was just enough tension over Joe's adultery and betrayal, along with the very real differences which became apparent when  they saw the news report and found out about the possibility of consciousness for ALL Synths. (Loved Mia's "joke" about taking over the planet!) Niska and Sophie playing was awesome. Then it all went wrong.

[John Potts]

I have to admit I actually laughed at the "You have died George" line, but it did do one thing that was make it clear that Synths are not human. Which (IMO) was a definite weakness of this episode: too much of the Synths acting like humans when they should be "off" (they should act like - showing my age here - Commander Data when he's trying to act human and not quite getting it right). I really didn't buy Niska's sudden change of heart (and then near reversal to "Kill All Humans!" mode again). Also, if Katrice (that's the cop-Synth's name, right?) wants to die, why not go somewhere remote and not charge herself? Wanting to kill her siblings/children makes her completely unsympathetic (like parents that murder their families and then commit suicide - you may wan to die, they probably don't). And what exactly was the point of her going into the house at the end? I could buy it if she was trying to get him out of the way before the raid went down, but the armed cops burst in before they could get out. And since they are presumably there to track down "rogue Synths", shouldn't they try to get the humans out first?

 

The more we learn of David Elister, the more unsympathetic he becomes (a bit like Dr Soong, in fact). I guess TPTB aren't afraid to speak ill of the (fictional) dead!

 

Daisy Niska + Sophie playing Dolls and Dinosaurs was such an adorable moment. Going from "I told you I didn't want to!" to "I have an Idea" and riding on the Dinosaur.

 

 

Yeah, it was a cute moment, but a few minutes with a kid should not outweigh her abusive history.

[DeepPoet117]

 

Also, if Katrice (that's the cop-Synth's name, right?) wants to die, why not go somewhere remote and not charge herself?

 

I thought it was Beatrice. And she said that David had programmed her not to be able to commit suicide, so maybe that includes always having to charge? I thought it was interesting that she is suicidal, just like the person she was created from, except now she can't do anything about it.  

[Sakura12]

Poor George and poor Odi who will now get trashed. 

 

Beatrice seems to be acting off of being rejected and thinking that no one can love them. First Leo and David and then Pete.

 

I don't think they Synths are too human. Anita/Mia wasn't upset about being used by Joe, she didn't seem to care about that at all. She was programmed to care so she does. Too me they do act "off" enough for me to see they are not human. I think the actors are doing an amazing job showcasing that. Niska didn't suddenly forget what happened to her but was able to see that Sophie was not a threat and just wanted to play. So she let her self see and learn how a child acts. They are pretty much children themselves. 

[Daisy]

I have to admit I actually laughed at the "You have died George" line, but it did do one thing that was make it clear that Synths are not human. Which (IMO) was a definite weakness of this episode: too much of the Synths acting like humans when they should be "off" (they should act like - showing my age here - Commander Data when he's trying to act human and not quite getting it right). I really didn't buy Niska's sudden change of heart (and then near reversal to "Kill All Humans!" mode again). Also, if Katrice (that's the cop-Synth's name, right?) wants to die, why not go somewhere remote and not charge herself? Wanting to kill her siblings/children makes her completely unsympathetic (like parents that murder their families and then commit suicide - you may wan to die, they probably don't). And what exactly was the point of her going into the house at the end? I could buy it if she was trying to get him out of the way before the raid went down, but the armed cops burst in before they could get out. And since they are presumably there to track down "rogue Synths", shouldn't they try to get the humans out first?

 

The more we learn of David Elister, the more unsympathetic he becomes (a bit like Dr Soong, in fact). I guess TPTB aren't afraid to speak ill of the (fictional) dead!

 

 

 

Yeah, it was a cute moment, but a few minutes with a kid should not outweigh her abusive history.

 

I don't think it did. (like later on she was like "kill all the cops"). but I think Sophie wasn't a threat and she loosened up a little bit. (she was also very aware why Joe/Laura started to freak out and backed off Sophie). I think she's like a feral cat kinda. She'll allow sometimes to people get close (George, Sophie) but you can't forget that she is indeed feral and will attack when threatened. 

 

 

regarding the Katrice - her name is Beatrice, but she's also Karen, so I just smushed the name together (Ka-trice). sort of like how I go Mi-nita for Mia/Anita. really broke my  cardinal sin for name-smushing. lol

 

i thought that was very interesting too. like she is suicidal (because she doesn't want HumaSynths to  be a thing) + there has to be Original Recipe Beatrice in there somewhere and she was suicidal too, so there is a lot of.. messed up in her synthetic head.

[tatterd]

No! George! Damnit show. I knew it was too good to last with him as father figure to all the synths.

 

I knew it was never going to happen, but I sort of wanted the synths to end up living with him.  I think they would have been good for each other.

 

 

Who is the Secret Agent Guy? (Like he obviously knew George and David)

 

I might be imagining this but I thought it was said or implied that he had worked with them at some stage

[OrientalAmish]

Sad, sad episode.... First, George dies + then they get captured @ end.... I just can't.....:-x

[ottoDbusdriver]

I might be imagining this but I thought it was said or implied that he had worked with them at some stage

 

When they were removing George's body, Hobb picked up that award that had the following on:

 

             The Hamrell Prize

 for Excellence in Robotic Engineering 

Dr. George Millican & Prof. Edwin Hobb

 

Hobb was a professor in the Robotics Engineering field at one point.

[tatterd]

I'd be very surprised if Hobb actually stuck to his part of the deal and killed Beatrice.

 

Interesting that all the focus has been on the synths having consciousness whereas the part synth human seems to be flying totally under the radar with just Mattie (and the synths) knowing and nobody else suspecting.  Well George did possibly but he was trustworthy and is now dead anyway.   Leo's life could get even more interesting if people start thinking about how come David Elster's dead son isn't quite so dead or Beatrice drops him in it.

[Sonja]

I'd be very surprised if Hobb actually stuck to his part of the deal and killed Beatrice.

 

Interesting that all the focus has been on the synths having consciousness whereas the part synth human seems to be flying totally under the radar with just Mattie (and the synths) knowing and nobody else suspecting.

 

From what we know so far, I suspect the only way he would destroy Karen was if she posed a serious threat to the others. He saved Fred, didn't want Maxie to jump and seems to see the concious synths as something beautiful rather than dangerous. If they go the 'he can't kill her because she looks like Beatrice and he used to have a thing for her' route, I'll lose my dinner, but the show has been too good for that up to now.

 

They are going to find out about Leo when he's in custody I suspect. If Hobb doesn't suspect already.

 

Leo's reaction to Karen was heartbreaking. Even though he rejected his mother's double as a child, he immediately caved when she appeared. Do we know how long they have been on the run?

 

George and Odi killed me. I really didn't care about creepy Vera, but those two...

[Which Tyler]

Hobb worked with Millican, and probably with Elster at some point (It's gotta be a pretty small field, right at the top end, in a fairly small country). We also know that he doesn't want to harm the HumaSynths, but actively wants to continue Elster's work towards creating but (presumably not proliferating - he seems terrified of that prospect) Synth consciousness. No way would he honour his promise to Beatrice - a request I'm surprised her hard-coding allowed her to make TBH.

 

As for the HumaSynths flying under the radar - we know from Leo that Mia and to a lesser extent Niska can do so; whereas Max couldn't I do'nt recall them mentioning Fred. Beatrice obviously did as well, though the clues were there in her behaviour in retrospect. Of course, Joe Bloggs won't be looking for clues beyond not having bright green eyes and acting robotically; Beatrice also chose a job where those synth mannerisms that crept through would just be attributed to being impatient, authoritative and not caring that much about the person she's speaking to.

Edited July 29, 2015 by Which Tyler

[Sakura12]

I want to know how did Beatrice get around the other Sythns in the office outing her? Did she tell all of them she was human and her reasoning being Synths can't lie just like Niska and Vera? 

[Which Tyler]

It just never came up.

Synths don't really seem the types to initiate conversations all that much.

[ottoDbusdriver]

I want to know how did Beatrice get around the other Sythns in the office outing her? Did she tell all of them she was human and her reasoning being Synths can't lie just like Niska and Vera?

 

That's a good question -- at George's house, Vera was able to quickly detect that Niska was a synth because she didn't exhibit any human vital signs.  Maybe that's just because Vera was a health care bot, but all the synths seem to have acute senses.

[Sakura12]

AntiaMia got the "How come you don't share" line. So I would expect Beatrice would've gotten that as well. 

[itainttippithebird]

Unless I missed something, I don't understand how both George and Hobb, upon first meeting Karen/Beatrice, were like, "oh, hello, cop lady I've never met before", but upon second meetings/closer examination were like, "BEATRICE?!? David's dead wife?!?"

 

Like, the ONLY thing different is her hair. Are these dudes both so face-blind/oblivious that they didn't recognize her right away as Beatrice?!

 

Oh, the power of wigs!

[Which Tyler]

It depends really. How long ago did Hobbs last see Beatrice? 10 years? 20? How well did he know her? Not to mention that if you think someone is dead, you're hardly trying to pattern-match their face when you meet new people.

 

 

Of course, there's also narrative convenience (like none of the other synths mentioning that Karen's a synth; like her not being able to kill herself, even by inaction; but is allowed to specifically ask someone else to do it for her).

Edited July 29, 2015 by Which Tyler

[John Potts]

Sakura12 I want to know how did Beatrice get around the other Sythns in the office outing her?

 

 

Presumably the same way Niska fooled Nurse Ratched-bot: saying she wasn't a Synth. Since (non-sentient) Synths apparently can't lie they wouldn't question the statement, even once the inconsistencies started to mount up. Assuming they even ask in the first place, which as Which Tyler points out, they probably wouldn't.

[Primetimer]

And more not-quite-burning questions about the season's penultimate episode.

Read the story

[sluggish neko]

Did Leo not learn the first time that going off with his mother (or the synth that looks like her) is a bad idea? He's just lucky he didn't end up drowning in a lake... again.

 

Mia is now providing the marriage couseling Laura and Joe should have gotten in the first place. Maybe that's what Joe should have spent his money on instead of a hot lady house-Synth. Would've saved them all a lot of trouble.

 

Damn you Not!Beatrice for killing the best part of the show and making us suffer through Pete's storyline.

[CarpeDiem54]

RIP George and Odie. I'm glad Odie was there to hold George's hand and recall fond memories.

Well, that was unexpected that Karen was really Beatrice, a synth clone of David Elster's wife and Leo's mother. How did she get a job as a cop? She's apparently been the same age for years and no one noticed?

The synth transfusion was interesting. I hope Max pulls through. He has such a beautiful and loving smile and nature.

Karen betraying the other synths pissed me off.

Joe remains a jerk although he is trying. Laura needs to give him a good swift kick to the nuts for me.

Can't wait to see what happens next week.

[TomGirl]

Gemma Chan is really unbelievably beautiful, isn't she?

The little girl who plays Sophie is very good.

[mmecorday]

Two things that really really got me: 1.) When Odi said, "You have died, George" and 2.) Max's sweet smile when the policeman shoved a gun in his face.

[Ohwell]

Does Laura ever smile?  And I'm so sick of her fretting around in that damn kitchen with the too-large island in the middle.  I just wish they wouldn't have so many scenes in that kitchen.  And no way did she cook enough food for nine people.

Edited August 10, 2015 by Ohwell

[Cranberry]

A few of those people do not eat!

[Bryce Lynch]

It was sad as Odi was bringing up nice memories for George until he passed, followed by "You have died, George". And Odi is just going to be trashed -- I hope not.

i was hoping that Max would be fully recovered, but no such luck -- and now that they are all in custody, I don't think they will ever get the chance to try and fix him.

I wonder what's wrong with Fred -- with his timeout in the backyard, and losing control of his fingers it looks like there is some lasting damage from his encounter with Hobb.

I am hoping the AI synths will somehow escape and turn Odi into one of them.

I wonder if Hobb implanted something in Fred to track him. That might explain him zoning out.

[Bryce Lynch]

So sad at George's passing, but glad Odie was there to make it easier for him. I even felt bad about Vera. The domestic integration of the Synths and humans at the Hawkins' house was really well done! There was just enough tension over Joe's adultery and betrayal, along with the very real differences which became apparent when they saw the news report and found out about the possibility of consciousness for ALL Synths. (Loved Mia's "joke" about taking over the planet!) Niska and Sophie playing was awesome. Then it all went wrong.

Mia was joking about taking over the planet, but I am not sure Fred and Niska think the idea is only a joke.

Mia seems to be by far the most well balanced, insightful and kindest of the synths. She seems to understand humans better than they understand themselves. If all the synths were like Mia and Max they would not be a threat.

It is interesting to see Niska grow through her interactions with George and the Hawkins family. They have changed her view of people considerably.

[editorgrrl]

It is interesting to see Niska grow through her interactions with George and the Hawkins family. They have changed her view of people considerably.

Fred said, "Our father made us learn, like you do with your kids," but Niska's change of heart was way too abrupt. Her personality was shaped by her experiences in the brothel, but all it takes is a weekend with a kindly old man and one playdate to "cure" her?

[shrewd.buddha]

It makes sense that Karen might be suicidal if she is modeled on Leo's mother who also committed suicide. But I'm thinking that both of Leo's parents committing suicide seems extreme and there is more to that story. Also Karen has always been told that her existence was a mistake and should never have happened. That probably doesn't lead to a healthy mental attitude..

 

I thought it was sort of funny how Joe was slowly getting out of the doghouse and then immediately got right back in when it was discovered he called the police. That guy cannot catch a break...

 

Sad for George, Odie... and even Vera the nurse-maid. And surprising - I really thought George was a long term character and enjoyed his interrelations with the synths.  Those British shows.... seems as if we may have another Game of Thrones  "no one is safe" type series. (But this show does not have a cast of thousands as GoT does.) 

 

Only one more ep? I'm sad to see it go -- and a bit nervous how things will end up in the finale. 

Edited August 10, 2015 by shrewd.buddha

[OoogleEyes]

Also, how would Beatrice have passed any medical exam needed to be a Police?

[Bryce Lynch]

Also, how would Beatrice have passed any medical exam needed to be a Police?

I was thinking the same thing. Perhaps some high ranking individual inside or above the police department arranged to have her planted there and had her medical exam and documentation faked. That is the only explanation I can think of.

[Black Knight]

I wonder if Karen's anti-Synth attitude would be fleshed out more if so many of Pete's scenes hadn't been deleted. I don't get to see the original UK episodes, just these edited ones, but I've gathered from the posts here by some who have seen the UK episodes that there have been deleted scenes and almost all of them are Pete's. Pete was feeling like he was being replaced by a synth, that he himself is sort of outdated and obsolete, right? Since Karen loves him, she might have taken that very to heart and feels that the synths all need to be destroyed so that Pete (and others like him) won't continue to have those feelings...

 

but of course, since I haven't actually seen these Pete scenes, I'm just speculating. I'm assuming he had stuff cut yet again this episode because he was barely in it.

 

I loved everything with the synths and Hawkins family interacting - of course it had to be ruined by episode's end.

[Kat]

The entire hour while watching this I just kept moaning..."Noooooooooooo!'

[MeloraH]

I wonder what it says about me that I've been more emotionally affected by those three-and-a-half synths than any other characters on TV this year. Also heart-breaking: Niska's face when it was explained that Elster picked bodies at random. I have a feeling his design of her was the least random. Unless he was really just talking about race because they're all really attractive so how random could it be?

Edited August 10, 2015 by MeloraH

[BensBritches]

From what I can tell based on a Colin Morgan Tumblr site, this week they edited out an entire sequence where Leo "cleans up". studies his body in the mirror and has a bit of a breakdown/cry.  I've seen photos of this, but it was not broadcast last night.  Leo went from wearing the same clothes for the first 7 episodes to suddenly being in new clothes with no explanation, so I'm guessing they just completely did away with his shirtless scenes.  Not nice AMC, not nice at all. Can anyone share if anything important or revealing (is in for Leo's character!) happened in the edited scene?

 

So, based on what I've seen on Tumblr, several of the edited scenes have involved Leo... they haven't solely been of Pete and his wife's issues.

 

My heart broke and my eyes leaked a bit when George died with Odie there sharing favored memories.  I will miss George and Odie.

 

I was not expecting the Karen is Leo's mother rebuilt at all, and yes, Leo's reaction to seeing his "mother" again really got to me.  The way he so quickly melted into trusting her and believing in her.... very sad.

 

Did Beatrice try to kill Leo when she killed herself. They kept saying she committed suicide, but I thought she drowned/died in the car accident which also killed Leo.  I had assumed Beatrice was just crazy and accidentally drove into the lake.  Was there something I missed that clearly indicated she drove into the lake on purpose, with her son in the car to kill them both. Why would she have wanted to kill Leo? To keep him away from Elster? 

 

And I guess I'm not clear on the timeline... why was the news just now reporting on Niska's rampage at the synth club? Didn't this happen a while ago (like several days)? I kind of recall the main detective or someone telling Pete and Karen to keep an incident quiet, but now I can't recall which incident that was.  Did Pete perhaps leak the information to the press to try to draw Niska and Karen out?

 

I'm sad there is only one more episode, but glad (or wishfully thinking) the DVD's will be out soon so I can see the full versions of the last few episodes (as I said before, I watched up to episode 5 in England, but have to finish the series in the States).

 

 

[Black Knight]

From what I can tell based on a Colin Morgan Tumblr site, this week they edited out an entire sequence where Leo "cleans up". studies his body in the mirror and has a bit of a breakdown/cry.  I've seen photos of this, but it was not broadcast last night.  Leo went from wearing the same clothes for the first 7 episodes to suddenly being in new clothes with no explanation, so I'm guessing they just completely did away with his shirtless scenes.

In the edited cut, there is a bit where one of the Hawkins - I forget who, but Laura or Mattie - told Leo that he could shower and they'd wash his clothes. So a teeny bit of explanation did make it into the episode. I wish they hadn't cut out everything you described, though. I feel like that might have played a part in his reaction to Karen, e.g. he was feeling vulnerable, etc.

[thuganomics85]

I was spoiled going in that George was going to die, so I wasn't surprised when it happened, but I still got sad when poor Odie came down, and held his hand.  I will miss George a lot, which is somewhat surprising, because as I said before, I've never been a massive William Hurt fan, but this might have actually been one of my favorite performances of his in quite some time.  I thought he brought a lot of humanity to the role, and I loved how George interacted with both Odie and Niska, and I would have liked to have seen him interact with the rest of the Synths, and even the Hawkins family.  But I did kind of suspect that he was destined for a tragic ending. I just hope it wasn't all for nothing.

 

Cool to see all the Synths together again, and how everyone interacted with each other and how their family worked, like Fred being the older brother, how Mia and Niska interacted, and how Max really does seem to be the one everyone really loves.  And I liked all the various pairings with the Hawkins, like Leo and Maddie bonding, Paul kicking ball with Toby and Joe, Mia trying to help Laura, and Niska and Sophie.  That final one was a bit obvious, but it still cracked me up.  I really wanted to the adventures of Barbie and the T-Rex in Spain!  Especially when the T-Rex is controlled by Niska!

 

After really disliking him these past few episodes, I actually did feel slightly bad that Joe seemed to really be trying to fix things, only to have the whole called the cops on Max and Leo, come back to bite him in the ass.  Not sure when he's ever going to move past the couch.  And I loved how awkward he was with Mia, especially since she was almost indifferent about what happened.

 

The Karen twist was something.  So, she was made to look like Beatrice, Leo's mom, but he freaked out, so David casted her out.  This caused her to take a self-loathing and suicidal look at their kind of Synths, so she wants to basically get them all killed, because she thinks they are wrong.  Yikes, that's a lot to take in!

 

Niska's little violent streak did come back to bite them in the asses.  I don't blame Joe and Laura for their reactions, even if the ones she attacked had tried to harm her.

 

Not quite sure how they got captured in the end; did Karen know something or does it have something to do with Fred blanking out at one point?; but this is going to be one hell of a cliffhanger.  Curious to see what is going to happen in the finale.  And I'm curious to know what Pete's role is going to be, because he was barely in this episode, but I'm pretty sure his character will be significant somehow.

Edited August 11, 2015 by thuganomics85

[fauntleroy]

Is there a way for us to see the uncut versions? It's pretty annoying that four minutes have been cut out of each episode for more ads. Who watches ads anyway? Everybody FFs them, or at least mutes them and goes to the kitchen. The result is disjointedness, especially with the Pete subplot. 

 

Too bad about George, William Hurt seemed to inhabit the role nicely--a gentle soul. The idea that they just trash old models like Odi is horrible.

 

Great line about taking over the world by Mia. A pity that they have been caught.

[ottoDbusdriver]

Can anyone share if anything important or revealing (is in for Leo's character!) happened in the edited scene?

 

It's a brief scene, but you see Leo standing in front of the bathroom mirror in a towel, obviously having just stepped out of the shower, and as he looks around at the toothbrushes next to sink that the bath toys next to the tub a single tear comes to his eye.

[magdalene]

I stumbled over this show by accident and the story really engaged me for the whole season.  This is the first time I have ever liked a William Hurt character and I was sad when George died.

 

I am glad this is getting a second season.  There are so many ethical and philosophical issues to explore. And the actors are all good.

[LeGrandElephant]

Does anyone know what other scenes were cut from this episode, besides Leo in the bathroom? It doesn't sound like that was a long enough scene to be the only thing they cut out. 

 

I didn't guess anything about Karen before this episode, but as soon as we saw the brief flashback scene at the beginning of this episode where Leo yells something like "what were you thinking?" I immediately guessed that Elster made her in the image of his dead wife. 

 

We were spoiled on George's death by the RCN on demand menu! While browsing for other shows to watch it started randomly playing dialog from random shows, and started off with "you have died, George" in a very recognizable voice. Not cool. 

Edited August 11, 2015 by LeGrandElephant

[izabella]

RIP George and Odie. I'm glad Odie was there to hold George's hand and recall fond memories.

 

That just about broke my cold, black heart.  Kudos to the actor playing Odie - I thought he did a fantastic job as a beloved, malfunctioning early model. 

 

I know George had many layered reasons for his feelings about Odie, but I can also identify with him in not wanting to replace my very first laptop despite its malfunctioning screen hinges, tiny memory, and lack of bells and whistles.

[Mabinogia]

George and Odi KILLED me. Hell, Niska and George killed me. I was bawling through that whole scene.

 

This show just continues to amaze me. I think I stopped breathing for like ten minutes after the ending. I was blown away when the guys with the guns all came pouring into the house. My how the Hawkins story has changed. In the beginning I couldn't imagine I'd be as attached to them, especially Laura and Mattie, as I have become. Hell, I even felt for Joe this ep, who really did think he was doing the right thing calling the cops, and does seem genuinely guilty about what he did with The Synth Formerly Known as Anita.

 

I don't care for Leo all that much, but my heart broke for him when he saw this woman standing before him who looked just like his mother but he knew wasn't his mother, but in a way she kind of was meant to be. God what a mind fuck that was and what an ass his father was.

 

Niska kind of breaks my heart too. When she talked about how she was never a kid. I don't really think about things like that but wow. She never had an actual childhood.

[Bryce Lynch]

George and Odi KILLED me. Hell, Niska and George killed me. I was bawling through that whole scene.

This show just continues to amaze me. I think I stopped breathing for like ten minutes after the ending. I was blown away when the guys with the guns all came pouring into the house. My how the Hawkins story has changed. In the beginning I couldn't imagine I'd be as attached to them, especially Laura and Mattie, as I have become. Hell, I even felt for Joe this ep, who really did think he was doing the right thing calling the cops, and does seem genuinely guilty about what he did with The Synth Formerly Known as Anita.

I don't care for Leo all that much, but my heart broke for him when he saw this woman standing before him who looked just like his mother but he knew wasn't his mother, but in a way she kind of was meant to be. God what a mind fuck that was and what an ass his father was.

Niska kind of breaks my heart too. When she talked about how she was never a kid. I don't really think about things like that but wow. She never had an actual childhood.

I took Niska's comment about never being little to be a reference to her sexual abuse by Elster. It made the scene even more poignant.

[whirledweary]

Karen, made in the likeness of Leo’s biological mom, Beatrice, was the last conscious synth that Dr. Elster made.  Maybe he put something extra in her coding (besides his wife's likeness) to control the others.  I vaguely remember Asimov’s books having laws for robots, so I looked them up and I found this “zeroth” law:   A robot may not harm humanity, or, by inaction, allow humanity to come to harm.

 

If Karen has this kind of coding maybe it over-rides any other sympathy she has for her synth family.

 

George quoted Nietzsche to Niska (does anyone remember what he said exactly?) I found this Nietzsche quote that might be apply to the human v synth dilemna: “The strongest knowledge (that of the total freedom of the human will) is nonetheless the poorest in successes: for it always has the strongest opponent, human vanity.”

This episode showed a bit more of Fred’s personality.  He seems to be the synth with the most talent, and he’s got a lot of pride (taught himself football and music, didn’t want to admit he has some sort of malfunction). In terms of human(e) qualities Niska is the most passionate, Max is the most forgiving, Mia is the most caring, Leo has the most heart (because it’s a human heart?)  Anyway, the differences in their personalities reminded me of the seven sins and seven virtues:

 

Lust/Chastity
Gluttony/Temperance
Greed/Charity
Sloth/Diligence
Wrath/Patience
Envy/Kindness
Pride/Humility

 

I guess the show is telling us that each synth has different combinations of human characteristics coded into them, and certain characteristics that are learned.  (Like us.)

 

So what’s the common conscious that the five of them combined can create? A God-like knowledge that’s spread to all the other synths?  I hope we get some more answers next week.

 

One more thought:  Power is literal.  If the synths can’t power up they lose their abilities forever.  So whoever controls the power grid controls the future of the synths.