S01.E12: Traveller in the Dark

[ottoDbusdriver]

Episode Description:

 

One of the children is taken over by Drill, but not everyone is sure which one it is, leading to confusion and fear.

 

[ottoDbusdriver]

Yawn.  Minx was all a big fakeout so that the President's daughter has bonded with Drill.

 

Is Drill going to wait 440 years for a response -- since that solar system that Drill came from was 220 light years away ?  Or are there many Drills just hanging around in open space just past the moon waiting for the go signal ?

 

Claire should have been gunned down for mad-dashing it past Secret Security towards the President.

 

Maybe I missed an explanation, but what was the whole point of the nuclear power plant meltdown if Drill's endgame was to scream on TV to send a signal to deep space ?  And what was the point of Drill transporting Sean's plane all the way to Africa from the Arctic polar region ?

 

Couldn't Drill have hijacked a big dish from the Deep Space Network (it's still good enough to talk to New Horizons as it continues past Pluto) ?  This seems like a convoluted Rube Goldberg setup for Drill to get a message to his buddies ?

[Chaos Theory]

I know everyone who hate watches and nitpicks this show is going to find reasons not to like this episode but it really worked for me.

Of course Minx wasn't going to be Drill but that wasn't the point. The point was the emotional moments having both Wes and Clair think she was would bring. Betting Wes wished he killed that redshirt kid in the abandoned building for a minute there. I still maintain that whoever was in charge of kid talent for this show should get a bonus because the kids are the best part of the show. Minx was fabulous.

I did kinda laugh at Claire running through the White House with the Secret Service chasing ger but I will let that go for story sake.

I really do enjoy this show. It is hardly perfect but it is a fun thriller.

[Free]

Yawn.  Minx was all a big fakeout so that the President's daughter has bonded with Drill.

 

Who knew asking unreliable kids who have repeatedly lied for Drill before would still be lying in what was an obvious set up?  XD.

 

This seems like a convoluted Rube Goldberg setup for Drill to get a message to his buddies ?

 

It is convoluted, needlessly for his plans, especially with how dumb these characters are.

Edited August 25, 2015 by Free

[alias1]

I think they did a fairly good job with the suspense this episode, but it was all manufactured suspense.  Minx wouldn't touch Claire's hand, why?  Oh yeah, it was for the suspense.  Henry lied about Minx being drill (for real, for real, mom), why?  No good reason that I can figure.  The long haired weird looking kid totally lied about Minx because she threatened his mother, why?  To keep up the suspense, of course.  We all knew it wasn't Minx, even though she tried to act guilty as hell.  Millicent? Really?

 

And for more drama, I'm expecting that next week Drill is going to leave Cassandra and take over Henry.

[Free]

manufactured suspense.

 

I think that's my problem, it all relied on this and I pretty much already knew beforehand.  The obvious set up with the mounting evidence, the fact that the child would've had to have been the most influential for Drill to use and that clearly wasn't her anymore, etc.  It would've been more interesting with an actual whodunnit scenario.

Edited August 25, 2015 by Free

[KaveDweller]

Yawn.  Minx was all a big fakeout so that the President's daughter has bonded with Drill.

 

Is Drill going to wait 440 years for a response -- since that solar system that Drill came from was 220 light years away ?  Or are there many Drills just hanging around in open space just past the moon waiting for the go signal ?

 

Claire should have been gunned down for mad-dashing it past Secret Security towards the President.

 

Maybe I missed an explanation, but what was the whole point of the nuclear power plant meltdown if Drill's endgame was to scream on TV to send a signal to deep space ?  And what was the point of Drill transporting Sean's plane all the way to Africa from the Arctic polar region ?

 

If all Drill needed to do was scream on live TV, why not just possess the child of a reporter.  There are easier ways to get on TV than by being the presidents daughter.  The reason to possess Cassandra should have been to get nuclear access codes or something?

 

Are all the aliens named Drill? Or are we going to have aliens named Hammer and Screwdriver and things like that?

 

I think they did a fairly good job with the suspense this episode, but it was all manufactured suspense.  Minx wouldn't touch Claire's hand, why?  Oh yeah, it was for the suspense.  Henry lied about Minx being drill (for real, for real, mom), why?  No good reason that I can figure.  The long haired weird looking kid totally lied about Minx because she threatened his mother, why?  To keep up the suspense, of course.  We all knew it wasn't Minx, even though she tried to act guilty as hell.  Millicent? Really?

 

And for more drama, I'm expecting that next week Drill is going to leave Cassandra and take over Henry.

 

I'm not sure if the kids lied because Drill told them to or because they were just glad to have the heat off them.  

[Free]

I'm not sure if the kids lied because Drill told them to or because they were just glad to have the heat off them.

 

Because it was easier for Drill and his nonsensical plans and the adults bought it so easily.

[Moncheechee]

Well, the good news is that we finally learned that the Lawrences gave their kid a real name.  The bad news is that the Lawrences fucking suck at coming up with nicknames. 

[Jordan27]

I had a hard time feeling for Minx because she's been such a brat and I just kept thinking you did this to yourself by listening to Drill all those many times.  Plus, her attitude was much like one of those self involved teens we see so often.   And it was obvious she wasn't Drill.

 

It was ridiculous for them to let every other kid go that soon.

 

Also, Claire getting through SS that easy was ridiculous, as was Minx's dad rescuing her. 

 

This is just an average show.  They really just didn't do anything with the premise and it's been incredibly uneven.

[Black Knight]

If all Drill needed to do was scream on live TV, why not just possess the child of a reporter.  There are easier ways to get on TV than by being the presidents daughter.

I think Drill wanted to cause a huge panic and send a very clear message that nobody is safe and the aliens are seemingly all-powerful and dangerous, by demonstrating that it was able to possess the President of the United States' own daughter.

 

I'll give this stupid show credit for one thing - out of the available children, it actually did go for the one who would be the most useful to Drill instead of taking the cheap emotional route of making it Henry.

 

Hahaha, stupid Sean. The government finally did something right in locking all of Drill's minions up, as viewers have been saying that it should do for weeks, but Sean just had to have his precious little boy at home with him. Good job, Sean. Though to be fair he's no dumber than any other character on this show - they are all dumb.

 

Minx with the gloves and restraints on was straight out of Frozen. It always breaks my heart when the movie gets to that point and shows poor Elsa chained with metal covering her hands. But I love Elsa, while I do not like Minx.

[Free]

It was ridiculous for them to let every other kid go that soon.

 

Exactly, just because Drill inhabits a kid doesn't necessarily mean the influence is suddenly over for the rest of them.  It's the same logic for them listening to the kids to begin with who were all obviously setting Minx up.

 

Also, Claire getting through SS that easy was ridiculous, as was Minx's dad rescuing her.

 

With all this incompetence, Drill didn't need to go through all the troubles with the kids.

 

Minx with the gloves and restraints on was straight out of Frozen. It always breaks my heart when the movie gets to that point and shows poor Elsa chained with metal covering her hands. But I love Elsa, while I do not like Minx.

 

It's a big difference between a character that was written and developed into being sympathetic, whereas the other one was an emotionless, psycho brat and was only given last minute sympathy flashbacks.

[shrewd.buddha]

Claire and Wes  sure spend a lot of time hugging and crying together, and looking deep into each other's eyes. Ugh. Poor Sean - he has had a very suck-y year. 

 

I liked how the US Government dumped the van full of Guantanamo'd children out onto some dark road on the outskirts of town... Classy. 

 

Yes, Minx probably did not deserve to die... But they could have at least tased her a few times for good measure. 

 

Next week : Claire must match wits with an alien intelligence masquerading  as a six year old girl. 

My prediction : The Earth is doomed. 

Edited August 25, 2015 by shrewd.buddha

[Stella MD]

So the aliens are just sitting around watching TV until they see someone scream? Guess they don't get the Jerry Springer channel, or they'd have invaded a long time ago.

 

It's still taking me completely out of the show that none of these kids reacts like a normal kid would. What 8-year-old girl would tolerate being chained down in a creepy basement in isolation without screaming her head off? What little kid would wander around a creepy dungeon-like compound to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night and not be completely freaked out? Normal kids would be curled up in a fetal position and shrieking for their parents after 1/100 of what goes on in this show. Hell, my kid won't even sleep without a nightlight.

[izabella]

So...are they going to kill the President's daughter now?  They were all set to publicly execute Minx, and minutes from doing so.  Do they follow through now that they know Drill is the President's daughter?  I'd think the public would expect that, wouldn't they? 

 

I suspect they won't kill her. 

[Tony]

Watching this show without a fast-forward button at the ready is a test of one's sanity. Between the emotional suckage scenes with Sean and Claire and Minx and Wes, it was like watching a bad soap opera.

 

What discount secret bunker did the government dredged up where kids could talk to each other right through the walls in their normal tones and could hear each other perfectly?

If all Drill needed was a kid to scream on TV, he could have gone with a ton of much, much easier targets than the president's daughter.

 

Sean did a 180 for me and joined Wes and Claire in moron gang. His rationale to disclose everything to the reporter made zero sense. Yes, you'll get your stupid kid back, but you'll also risk a fucking alien invasion that you and your Scooby gang have been fighting all this time. Of any character on this show who would think that keeping the kids rounded up made the best sense until the threat has been conclusively dealt with, it would have been Sean. But instead this show gets Claire's ex-partner guy to agree. And then the president goes along with it too? So much stupidity.

[tricknasty]

Younger Millicent was freaking adorable (I refuse to call her Minx now that I know better). I don't think Henry was lying. He really thought Millicent was Drill since she did knock down the President's daughter.

[Celia Rubenstein]

If all Drill needed was a kid to scream on TV, he could have gone with a ton of much, much easier targets than the president's daughter.

 

 

 

If all Drill needed to do was scream on live TV, why not just possess the child of a reporter.  There are easier ways to get on TV than by being the presidents daughter.  

 

I think the idea was that Drill's scream had to be broadcast by millions and millions of tv sets to be heard by his buddies in outer space.  A regular TV broadcast would not have accomplished that, but a spontaneous urgent speech from the POTUS would be watched by enough people to work.  At least, that is my guess.

 

Of course, why the President would think going on TV to announce hostile aliens had invaded earth was a good idea is just unfathomable, though.  

 

The threat was dealt with (supposedly) so there was no reason to tell the world anything (as if anyone could have really done anything even if the threat was not "dealt with").  As I have stated before, I try to make allowances for the whole science-fiction thing, but to needlessly announce there is not only life in outer space, but that life consists of intelligent aliens who have attempted to invade the planet is just preposterous.  The speech was obviously just a vehicle to give Drill an opportunity to broadcast his call to arms over 50 million TVs, which is needed to advance the plot.  I get that.  But why not do something believable like (lie) and have the President address the fact that they just released 87 kids from isolation because of the threat of some kind of dreaded disease outbreak has been thwarted and the story about to hit the news claiming there has been and alien invasion is a lot of bunk or something.  Head the story about to hit the presses and cause worldwide panic off at the pass instead of inciting worldwide panic for no good reason.

 

Because that is what could only follow the announcement of the invasion, ins't it?  People all across earth would be absolutely freaking out. Is that going to be next week's episode?  Every military outfit on the planet going DefCon 10, martial law being instituted everywhere, markets crashing, stores being emptied and looted, schools shutting down, pandemonium in the streets?  What else could possibly result from that ridiculous speech?  Sheesh.  I mean they could have had Cassandra shriek before her dad actually told the world about the invasion, at least.  Because after the announcement, I don't see where the story goes aside from turning into the tale of how the world responds to it. 

 

Anyway.  I wanna see the POTUS strap his little daughter down and aim a nuke at her head the way they did Minx, lol.  Yeah, I suspect that won't happen.  The alien hopelessly trapped inside a little kid's body who apparently can be controlled by nothing more than a big dog chain and some leather mittens won't seem so threatening, and the value of keeping her alive for information will suddenly become obvious.  Plus the cry has already gone out, so that is how they will justify not executing her, I imagine.  They couldn't wait to zotz Minx, though, lol.  I can understand not wanting her alive to send out the call to the other aliens, but if she was being managed by being chained up, why would they rush to kill her when she was their only hope of gaining information about the invasion? SMH. 

 

For no other reason than I like stories about creepy little kids, I still like the show and I will watch the ending - and probably another season if they actually get one. But damn, the plot/writing of this program has more holes in it than a colander. 

[Free]

Of course, why the President would think going on TV to announce hostile aliens had invaded earth was a good idea is just unfathomable, though.

 

That's the part that made it contrived and Drill's plans relied on that.

[iMonrey]

 

 

Are all the aliens named Drill? Or are we going to have aliens named Hammer and Screwdriver and things like that?

So the aliens are just sitting around watching TV until they see someone scream? Guess they don't get the Jerry Springer channel, or they'd have invaded a long time ago.

 

You guys! Stop being so funny, you're actually the only things making this show worth watching.

 

Can we just kill Minx anyway, for good measure? Please? This is really the biggest problem I've had with the show - the kids are killing people and setting off bombs and the adults stand around wringing their hands over their precious little angels when clearly someone needs a time-out. In a way, the show actually serves as a metaphor for bad/indulgent parenting. Unfortunately, I don't think that's what they were going for.

 

I mean, if Minx has the wherewithal to understand  they are going to execute her, why snot off to the one person trying to determine whether or not she's Drill? Maybe if you don't want them to kill you, kid, act a little less like Drill. Gah.

[Free]

This is really the biggest problem I've had with the show - the kids are killing people and setting off bombs and the adults stand around wringing their hands over their precious little angels when clearly someone needs a time-out.

 

Definitely and it's backfired on them time and time again.

 

[Stella MD]

 

I can understand not wanting her alive to send out the call to the other aliens, but if she was being managed by being chained up, why would they rush to kill her when she was their only hope of gaining information about the invasion? SMH.

This I can sort of understand. He slipped away once while everyone dithered - what's to say he truly can't do it again? I can see the overzealous military guy wanting to act fast.

[ottoDbusdriver]

So the aliens are just sitting around watching TV until they see someone scream? Guess they don't get the Jerry Springer channel, or they'd have invaded a long time ago.

Remember that short-lived NBC show 'Believe' -- they had that screaming kid on every promo.  I guess Drill's minions didn't hear that either.

 

I think the idea was that Drill's scream had to be broadcast by millions and millions of tv sets to be heard by his buddies in outer space.  A regular TV broadcast would not have accomplished that, but a spontaneous urgent speech from the POTUS would be watched by enough people to work.  At least, that is my guess.

 

I figured Drill was hoping that the TV broadcast would go out into space when the signal was bounced off a satellite -- but that would also assume that the satellite signal would be pointed in the direction of Sagittarius (where Drill's rock supposedly came from and where his minions are waiting for the 'go' code).  Plus, a satellite signal has nowhere near the strength (nor the magical faster than light velocity) of a pulse from a nuclear explosion -- which was the original reason the first Drill came to earth back in the 80s.

 

ETA:  To correct 'here' to 'hear'.

Edited August 25, 2015 by ottoDbusdriver

[Free]

Remember that short-lived NBC show 'Believe' -- they had that screaming kid on every promo.  I guess Drill's minions didn't here that either.

 

That was annoying, the show ended up being boring though.

[KaveDweller]

I think Drill wanted to cause a huge panic and send a very clear message that nobody is safe and the aliens are seemingly all-powerful and dangerous, by demonstrating that it was able to possess the President of the United States' own daughter.

 

If he wanted to cause panic, then yeah, it makes sense.  Also, it will make people distrust the president and his motives, since obviously he won't want to kill his own daughter.

 

Although seeing as they thought they killed Drill, I don't know why the President felt he had to talk about the aliens.  Just tell that one reporter that Sean's story is bullshit and the kids round up was for an illness they've now cured.

 

I think the idea was that Drill's scream had to be broadcast by millions and millions of tv sets to be heard by his buddies in outer space.  A regular TV broadcast would not have accomplished that, but a spontaneous urgent speech from the POTUS would be watched by enough people to work.  At least, that is my guess.

 

Of course, why the President would think going on TV to announce hostile aliens had invaded earth was a good idea is just unfathomable, though. 

 

Would that many people be watching a random press conference by the president? They didn't know he was going to be talking about aliens, so what would be the incentive to turn in?  Drill should have waited until the Super Bowl or something.

[Free]

I don't know why the President felt he had to talk about the aliens

 

To contrive that cliffhanger with his daughter of course.

[KaveDweller]

To contrive that cliffhanger with his daughter of course.

 

Ah, yes.  I don't know what I was thinking.

[Celia Rubenstein]

Would that many people be watching a random press conference by the president? They didn't know he was going to be talking about aliens, so what would be the incentive to turn in?  Drill should have waited until the Super Bowl or something.

 

 

I would assume that the networks interrupted prime time programming for an urgent message from the President, plus all the news networks would be covering some emergency statement made by the POTUS at night.  That's a pretty big audience.  For example, over 56 million people were watching when Obama announced Osama Bin Laden had been killed, which kind of came out of nowhere just as this alien announcement did.  So I would think about the same number of people would have been watching the (preposterous) invasion announcement.

 

The Superbowl thing actually occurred to me too, knowing twice as many people all over the world watch the big game, of course.    But I dismissed the idea because how could the President's daughter - or any other little kid Drill chose - manage commandeer the mic at halftime?  I guess she could have pulled a Kanye, but that is about as likely to succeed as Claire's mad dash through the White House should have been.  It was more believable to have the little kid trot up to her dad and shriek out her to her alien brethren to come'n get it.  Not that "believable" is a boundary this show recognizes, course.

 

Just tell that one reporter that Sean's story is bullshit and the kids round up was for an illness they've now cured.

 

What an absolutely brilliant idea.  I wish I had thought of it.  

[Free]

Just tell that one reporter that Sean's story is bullshit and the kids round up was for an illness they've now cured.

 

Exactly, it would've been a lot easier and not as needlessly complicated.

[shrewd.buddha]

I guess she could have pulled a Kanye, but that is about as likely to succeed as Claire's mad dash through the White House should have been.  It was more believable to have the little kid trot up to her dad and shriek out her to her alien brethren to come'n get it.  

"Yo, Prezi-Daddy , I'm really happy for you, I'ma let you finish, but .... I gotta give a shout-out to my alien friends.." 

[Celia Rubenstein]

Although seeing as they thought they killed Drill, I don't know why the President felt he had to talk about the aliens.  Just tell that one reporter that Sean's story is bullshit and the kids round up was for an illness they've now cured.

 

 

Exactly, it would've been a lot easier and not as needlessly complicated.

 

Less complicated in terms of accomplishing what? 

[Free]

Less complicated in terms of accomplishing what? 

 

Accomplishing his plans, it seems needlessly complicated, manipulating kids with 'games' when he could've just traveled through electricity and go after the President's daughter from the getgo.

[Celia Rubenstein]

Accomplishing his plans, it seems needlessly complicated, manipulating kids with 'games' when he could've just traveled through electricity and go after the President's daughter from the getgo.

 

Oh. I thought what you said had something to do with Kave's suggestion of lying to the reporter because you quoted it.  

 

At any rate, I have to say, your suggestion that it would have been better to just have Drill go straight to the President's daughter pretty much cuts out 90% of the show ... no need for the Claire/Henry/Sean or Wes/wife/Minx storylines at all. Basically an entirely different program.  The show would have been, what, one episode? That's a little too uncomplicated imo, lol.  

[ottoDbusdriver]

Oh. I thought what you said had something to do with Kave's suggestion of lying to the reporter because you quoted it.  

 

At any rate, I have to say, your suggestion that it would have been better to just have Drill go straight to the President's daughter pretty much cuts out 90% of the show ... no need for the Claire/Henry/Sean or Wes/wife/Minx storylines at all. Basically an entirely different program.  The show would have been, what, one episode? That's a little too uncomplicated imo, lol.  

 

But the weird thing is that they already showed that Drill had influenced the First Daughter -- remember the phone hidden in the Presidential limo ?  Why didn't he just take control of her then instead of dragging it out needlessly ?  No one would have known about Drill and she could have screamed whenever opportunity presented itself.

Edited August 26, 2015 by ottoDbusdriver

[Stella MD]

I hope they have some answers for all these holes by the end of the season, because in retrospect it seems like most of the plot wasn't storyboarded at all. What was even the point of Sean being possessed, other than the shock value of "OMG, he's back from the dead and doesn't remember anything!" We still don't know if he was possessed by Drill, Drill's brother, an anti-Drill agent, or was just himself in some dissociated fugue state until he was electroshocked back into coherence - and I suspect the show won't ever mention it again. Just another dropped point so we can bumble along to the next not-quite-logical problem. The only continuity is the played-out angst between Clare and Wes, two characters with the flattest affects in the history of television, who must have been attracted to one another simply because each is more boring than the other (seriously, who in their right mind would leave Sean at home and go sleep around with vanilla, 2-minute-missionary-position Wes? It's the most unbelievable thing - in a show about aliens. They should have switched those two actors).

[Celia Rubenstein]

But the weird thing is that they already showed that Drill had influenced the First Daughter -- remember the phone hidden in the Presidential limo ?  Why didn't he just take control of her then instead of dragging it out needlessly ?  No one would have known about Drill and she could have screamed whenever opportunity presented itself.

 

That would make sense if using Cassandra to scream had been the plan all along.  But I don't think it was. 

 

Remember how Harper said Drill told her he "had to get to O'Bryan" ....  he was running out of power, remember?  He was fading and he knew it.  He had to find a way to send out the call to his Bro's   .... so he jumped in Cassandra and had her scream.  But he only did it because he had become desperate.  Entering a child and screaming on TV was likely not his first choice.  Possessing a kid is not the ideal situation for Drill.  He is stuck once he is in there, supposedly.  It limits what he can do.  And it makes him mortal - he can die or be killed.  It's a lot safer being a streak of electricity - provided you can keep yourself juiced up.  

 

I think he would have preferred to perhaps find some way to trigger another enormous nuclear blast as a signal to his fellow aliens, rather than get stuck inside a kid ... a kid who, when you get right down to it, is not nearly as valuable as, say, the child of someone involved in nuclear activities would be.  I mean, Cassandra is not going to get ahold of the nuclear codes and go down to the shelter in the White House basement and start setting off H bombs.  But some other kid managed to trigger a melt down. Perhaps another kid could accomplish even more. Cassandra was to a certain extent a "Plan B."  She could accomplish at least part of what Drill needed to do if it came to down it, but there may have been far more useful children out there. Which is why Drill waited to use her until he had no choice.

 

 

 

They should have switched those two actors).

 

YES!!!! 

[Free]

Basically an entirely different program.  The show would have been, what, one episode? That's a little too uncomplicated imo, lol.

 

That would make sense if using Cassandra to scream had been the plan all along.  But I don't think it was.

 

But that's the show's problem because they haven't thought through Drill's plans especially when it can go straight to the source instead of tiring itself out and almost getting trapped to begin with especially since a previous carnation of Drill got killed off by that little boy, it would've been much less risky.

[KaveDweller]

I think he would have preferred to perhaps find some way to trigger another enormous nuclear blast as a signal to his fellow aliens, rather than get stuck inside a kid ... a kid who, when you get right down to it, is not nearly as valuable as, say, the child of someone involved in nuclear activities would be.  I mean, Cassandra is not going to get ahold of the nuclear codes and go down to the shelter in the White House basement and start setting off H bombs.  But some other kid managed to trigger a melt down. Perhaps another kid could accomplish even more. Cassandra was to a certain extent a "Plan B."  She could accomplish at least part of what Drill needed to do if it came to down it, but there may have been far more useful children out there. Which is why Drill waited to use her until he had no choice.

 

Also, didn't Drill's plan get messed up after Claire and Sean blew up the device he was using to contact his alien buddies? That must have changed Drill's plan.  The whole reason he used Cassandra in the first place was to find out that location, so he probably didn't know he was going to have to possess her as a backup plan.  He thought finding that device would be enough.

[ottoDbusdriver]

I'm still confused about what the explosion at the nuclear power plant had to do with anything -- all kinds of "radiation" (and I put radiation in quotes because it came out of the cooling towers and not the actual building with the reactor in it) was released and then got all sucked in to a singularity and disappeared.  So where did it go ?  And why ?  And what did that accomplish for Drill ?

[Celia Rubenstein]

I believe Drill ATE the energy/radiation from the explosion.  It is his food source, right?  That is why he and his buddies are looking for a new home. Their planet's energy/food has been nearly exhausted and they need a new place to call home.  And basically, the "smell" of the nuclear explosions that have taken place on earth reached them like the scent of a steak grilling on the barbecue, and that is why they have come here.  

 

This was this on the show, right?   Or am I just making shit up to fill in the blanks in my head own at this point? ??? I'm not sure anymore. 

 

Also, didn't Drill's plan get messed up after Claire and Sean blew up the device he was using to contact his alien buddies? That must have changed Drill's plan.

 

Yeah, you're right ... I forgot about the blue rock.  That was definitely Plan A.  Didn't Harper describe that big blue rock as Drill's "phone" or something?  Drill was super pissed off when they blew it up.  He probably had to completely come up with a new plan at that point, and that is when he thought up the plan to use Cassandra if he had to.  Was that the point when they started hiding her or keeping her isolated? They were doing that at one point, right? I can't remember any more, lol.  My brain is overwhelmed with the latest Josh Duggar scandal and trying to keep up with all the posts on that thread, oy.

[Free]

My brain is overwhelmed with the latest Josh Duggar scandal and trying to keep up with all the posts on that thread, oy.

 

What a weird thing to bring up.  XD.

[Celia Rubenstein]

Obviously you have not visited the Duggar threads recently, Free.  There have been more than twenty pages posted in the last two days, all filled with better stuff than the mainstream press has.  Gawker is lifting stories from the posters, lol.  It's amazing.

[Free]

Obviously you have not visited the Duggar threads recently, Free.  There have been more than twenty pages posted in the last two days, all filled with better stuff than the mainstream press has.  Gawker is lifting stories from the posters, lol.  It's amazing.

 

Wow.  XD.  I usually don't visit those types of threads.

[Andromeda]

I think they did a fairly good job with the suspense this episode, but it was all manufactured suspense.  Minx wouldn't touch Claire's hand, why?  Oh yeah, it was for the suspense.  Henry lied about Minx being drill (for real, for real, mom), why?  No good reason that I can figure.  The long haired weird looking kid totally lied about Minx because she threatened his mother, why?  To keep up the suspense, of course.  We all knew it wasn't Minx, even though she tried to act guilty as hell.  Millicent? Really?

 

And for more drama, I'm expecting that next week Drill is going to leave Cassandra and take over Henry.

I hate it when writers try to force stories in such unnatural ways. Minx was far too cold and cocky not to turn out to be Drill. Well, she is a sociopath, but you would think she'd be willing to touch Claire's hand and recite a poem for her dad just to get out of that jail-cell room. 

 

I got so bored/confused with this show, that at the end I wasn't sure what this signal was that Drill was sending. I thought it might turn all of us into slaves or something. But he's just phoning home? Does he want to go home, or bring buddies here? They probably told us, but I don't remember -- mostly because I no longer care.

 

Yes, Minx probably did not deserve to die... But they could have at least tased her a few times for good measure.

ROFL!! That would have been golden!

 

What discount secret bunker did the government dredged up where kids could talk to each other right through the walls in their normal tones and could hear each other perfectly?

If all Drill needed was a kid to scream on TV, he could have gone with a ton of much, much easier targets than the president's daughter.

 

Sean did a 180 for me and joined Wes and Claire in moron gang. His rationale to disclose everything to the reporter made zero sense. Yes, you'll get your stupid kid back, but you'll also risk a fucking alien invasion that you and your Scooby gang have been fighting all this time. Of any character on this show who would think that keeping the kids rounded up made the best sense until the threat has been conclusively dealt with, it would have been Sean. But instead this show gets Claire's ex-partner guy to agree. And then the president goes along with it too? So much stupidity.

That was a crappy facility, and why the kids were allowed to roam around freely completely escapes me. What is with these ridiculously trusting adults?

 

Sean was bizarre, especially for a military guy. None of it made sense. His motivation is to get his freckle-faced kid home a couple of days sooner? Hell, pretend it's summer camp and relax! They're not being tortured, and the world's security is at stake!

 

You guys! Stop being so funny, you're actually the only things making this show worth watching.

 

Can we just kill Minx anyway, for good measure? Please? This is really the biggest problem I've had with the show - the kids are killing people and setting off bombs and the adults stand around wringing their hands over their precious little angels when clearly someone needs a time-out. In a way, the show actually serves as a metaphor for bad/indulgent parenting. Unfortunately, I don't think that's what they were going for.

 

I mean, if Minx has the wherewithal to understand  they are going to execute her, why snot off to the one person trying to determine whether or not she's Drill? Maybe if you don't want them to kill you, kid, act a little less like Drill. Gah.

Seriously. Could not agree more. That was definitely the worst aspect of this show, the adults' lackadaisical attitude toward their children's mental and emotional subjugation to an ALIEN ENTITY. Gots to keep treating the babies with kid gloves, asking gentle questions and making polite requests! Seriously f'd up parenting.

 

And Minx deserved the zapping most of all! I still couldn't believe she was allowed to be at home, unpunished, un-lectured to, after breaking into her dad's top secret computer. These kids are NOT THAT YOUNG. Most of them should know better! I was also confused why hearing a disembodied voice talking to them didn't freak any of them out--especially the older kids like the one who ended up at the isolated school. That kid was plenty old enough to know about ghosts and demons and aliens and other videogame/fantasy tropes. It should have freaked him the hell out to hear Drill talk to him. Kids who have imaginary friends are usually about four or five, not seven, eight, nine.

Edited August 28, 2015 by Andromeda

[Stella MD]

The long haired weird looking kid....

I've been calling that shaggy-dog kid 'Dumb Donald'. Do his parents not own scissors?

http://www.nationalnannies.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/dumb-donald.jpg

[KDeFlane]

Henry lied about Minx being drill (for real, for real, mom), why?  No good reason that I can figure.

Finally caught up with this episode.  I was on the alert, looking for misdirection.  In this scene, Claire only asks Henry about the pushing, and Henry is positive that it was Minx who pushed Cassandra.

 

Don't get me wrong -- I am not defending the show or the writers.  I was completely puzzled by the scenes where Minx seems to be accusing "Shaggy" of giving out too much information during interrogation, as if she has some knowledge of what was said.  I was confused by all of the kids pointing fingers.  Knowing it was all a contrived set-up for the sake of the audience does not help.

 

I had been reading this thread before watching the episode, less worried about spoilers than being jerked around by the plot. For some reason, I was under the impression that Minx actually died by the end, and thus was disappointed.  When the tech said he couldn't do it, and whats-his-name advisor (chief of staff?) said he could push the buttons, I expected him to throw a switch and see instantaneous zapping, not a magical countdown which could be conveniently stopped with 2 seconds to spare.  Please.

 

Anyway, finale is only days away. Yay!

[Celia Rubenstein]

For some reason, I was under the impression that Minx actually died by the end, and thus was disappointed.  

 

I am so tickled by all the Minx hate on this board, and glad no one feels the need to hold back just because she is a "child."

 

She is just a TV character, a rotten little punk at that, and she must be the most disliked child character to appear on TV in a long time.   It's so refreshing.  I think the little actress playing her (Kylie Rogers) has done a great job bringing her bratty character to life.  And I am glad the writers allowed Minx be a truly terrible person and didn't feel the need to sneak in some kind of softness as a redeeming quality.  Too often child characters are required to be innocent and sweet, and often even "evil" children are required to have some kind of vulnerability to them so the audience feels a little sorry for them.  That's so boring to me.

 

I hope we get one last taste of her nastiness in the finale tonight.  Like, she could be the one to do in the President's daughter, when all the other adults wimp out .... have her chase Cassandra to the top of the Washington Monument and push her to her death.  That would be awesome.  With an end shot of Minx smiling back at the camera, Damien from The Omen style, leaving the audience wondering just a bit ....

[car54]

I feel like the entire show has been set off to kill the people in the way of Wes and Claire ---so I fully expect Sean to be the one to save the world and die for our sins so they can end up together after a suitable mourning period.

[AudienceofOne]

Well, that was dumb.

 

Most of the reasons have been covered but... you're the Presient of the United States and your daughter has been influenced by an invisible alien presence. She and other have been locked up in a facility to isolate the being and to prevent them from acting on his orders. You believe you've isolated the being in one body and have ordered it death. But it (a) hasn't happened yet and (b) you have no idea what other orders Drill has given those children and © you're not even entirely sure if this "kill the possessed child" thing will work.

 

Do you keep the kids in the facility until you're completely sure the threat has been dealt with? Or do you release them all preemptively and then bundle your little bundle of joy into the White House, giving her complete access to it and to you?

 

I don't know. It's a stumper.