S01.E09: Murmuration

[shapeshifter]

I would like their dog to master English and sit people down and have serious talks with them about preserving the animals and the planet, other than that, I can't see how the dog would be important

Yes, please make Henry the Dog talk. It can be French.

Oh, and why is Abe narrating the opening credits?

Because he has such a lovely voice. But they really should have Billy Burke do a few too, complete with thinly veiled sarcasm and sighs.

why does every show have the people on the run break the burner phones in half? Wouldn't just taking out the battery and sim card be sufficient?

I think it would be better than breaking the hinge. And isn't the number Xander read from the SIM card? If Jaime wants to be a secret agent, she should learn how to hide the SIM card somewhere it cannot be found.

[ottoDbusdriver]

I still don't get any of the so-called logic behind this: an animal that has mutated but was never exposed to RG products will be the solution to everything? So are we going to assume that this mutation can happen naturally? Since when? Was that Papa's idea all along and Reiden did just speed up the process? Why am I trying to find sense in this mess?

 

Remember the horses in Japan -- they had the defiant pupil but was that natural and enhanced by the radiation or was it started by Reiden Global products the horses ate and radiation accelerated the mutation.  It is all terribly confusing.

Edited August 26, 2015 by ottoDbusdriver

[ennui]

I was too tired to watch last night, so I was poking around Wikipedia today. There's an upcoming episode called "Eats, Shoots and Leaves." Ha-ha. However, this show describes itself as a thriller.

 

Make up your mind, producers. And, with that title, that episode had better have pandas, well-armed.

[Netfoot]

Seems like a ridiculous way to determine that Zambia was where they needed to go in search of their non-mutated, Mother Cell-exposed creature. 

 

I think it's the other way around.  Although the premise is that RG caused the mutation by widespread use of the Mother Lode.  Which rather implies that a non-exposed creature would not mutate.  So how they are to find a non-exposed-yet-still-mutated leopard, I don't understand.  And why must it be a leopard again?  And not just a musk-rat or something?

 

My husband and I used to talk pig Latin around her because she learned so many words and would get excited if she heard one of them..

 

Around my sweet boy Dotty, you had to say "C-H-E-E-S-E" if you didn't want to get some very serious attention!

[Tara Ariano]

In case you missed it, here's the Previously.TV post on the episode!

 

Angry Birds / The Zoo Croo isn't playing games with the animals this week. Or are they?

[slothgirl]

Logically (yes, I know; this show is short on logic), they cannot get on a commercial airliner. I predict that one in our Scooby Gang will be revealed to have a pilot's license. As long as it isn't Jamie, I will be OK with it. Then, they will need to "borrow" a gased-up plane and head straight Zambia.

 

There is another alternative. They will run into Carl Lumbly as they are racing around Boston without a plan. He will tell them that he had a change of heart and is on their team now. Then, thru his super secret connections, he will produce a plane and they will all fly to Zambia together.

I predict they'll just be in Zambia next episode and there will be no explanation of how they got there.

 

Mother cell:

The thing I dodn't understand at all is: What is Reiden's end game? What were they trying to accomplish? We're being given the impression that they knew this mother cell does something, and like a poster upthread mentioned, they MUST have more of it if it's been in all that feed distributed worldwide. So what were they trying to do? Why would they WANT animals to mutate?

 

The whole thing makes no sense. (The mothercell/mutation/Reiden thing, I mean.. but yeah, the whole show makes no sense. But I would at least like to have SOME explanation of what the point was for Reiden, even if it's stupid)

[MissLucas]

So how they are to find a non-exposed-yet-still-mutated leopard, I don't understand.  And why must it be a leopard again?  And not just a musk-rat or something?

They looked for freak animal attacks in areas not exposed to RG and came up with two killing-sprees by leopards (I checked, leopard attacks on humans are very rare) in Zambia where RG's biggest rival resides (just go with it). Oh, and Papa Oz had made a bit of a fuss about leopards on his wall of crazy. So it's got to be leopards according to show 'logic'. Now they're just going to Zambia where the attacks occured and wait for leopards to misbehave  - piece of cake.

 

 

The thing I dodn't understand at all is: What is Reiden's end game? What were they trying to accomplish? We're being given the impression that they knew this mother cell does something, and like a poster upthread mentioned, they MUST have more of it if it's been in all that feed distributed worldwide. So what were they trying to do? Why would they WANT animals to mutate?

I don't think even Reiden knows what their endgame is. Add to the list of questions about the show's impressive lack of internal logic Reiden's strategy in dealing with team crackpot. The only reason for them to hire those 'specialists' was that Reiden must have already suspected that their products had something to do with the freak animal attacks.

 

So why did they not use their own folks? This is an evil global corporation surely they must have research facilities (with labs and microscopes and stuff!) to do that. Instead they hire freelancers but have obviously no idea what to do if these folks ever produce any results?

 

Apart from the ridiculous lack of internal communication (that guy is on your team! you never told me about the mother cell!) they have apparently never thought of long-term strategies in dealing with this mess. Even the decision to kill off team crackpot was improvised and not planned ahead in case the team would actually find incriminating evidence (granted that IS surprising, but still).

Edited August 27, 2015 by MissLucas

[Neurochick]

I think Reiden just doesn't want their shareholders to find out how much they've fucked up, it always does come down to money.  

 

I don't even know what the endgame of this show is.

[Free]

I don't even know what the endgame of this show is.

 

I don't either, but from what they seem to be doing, it's probably to stop Raiden and the animals infected with the Mother Cell, unless they make up something else entirely.

[Neurochick]

I don't either, but from what they seem to be doing, it's probably to stop Raiden and the animals infected with the Mother Cell, unless they make up something else entirely.

 

See, I thought that was the endgame of this show too, until the story of the dirty FBI agent; now there's been a murder and the team has to exonerate themselves.

[Free]

See, I thought that was the endgame of this show too, until the story of the dirty FBI agent; now there's been a murder and the team has to exonerate themselves.

 

Like I said, they could be making things up like it seems to be.

[Julie23]

While I would not be opposed to a leopard gnawing on some one *cough* Jamie *cough*, I would prefer the Zebras. Or Rhinos. They are scary/ How about Dingos?

[blackwing]

I'm confused, is Xander Berkeley really an FBI agent?  If so, isn't he also on the take from Reiden?  Who was he talking to on the phone when he was mentioning "Number 12" or something like that which was a reference to Ben Shafer?  So are there 10 other corrupt FBI agents on Reiden's payroll too?

 

I'm also not understanding the point of his Match.com carriage ride in New York either.  Was it just supposed to be a way to introduce him as this nice unassuming senior dater?  But then we learn that he's eeeeeevvvviiillll?

 

If he is really an FBI agent, aren't the team particularly screwed?  How are they going to fly to Namibia if the FBI presumably puts them on some kind of watch list?  I see in the previews next week that they are running for some plane, so presumably they make it out of the country somehow.

[Free]

I'm also not understanding the point of his Match.com carriage ride in New York either.  Was it just supposed to be a way to introduce him as this nice unassuming senior dater?  But then we learn that he's eeeeeevvvviiillll?

 

Considering the actor himself has been playing villain roles, this was just unnecessary unless they had the carriage horses attack some people, that was yet another lost opportunity.

Edited August 28, 2015 by Free

[MissLucas]

I'm confused, is Xander Berkeley really an FBI agent?  If so, isn't he also on the take from Reiden?  Who was he talking to on the phone when he was mentioning "Number 12" or something like that which was a reference to Ben Shafer?  So are there 10 other corrupt FBI agents on Reiden's payroll too?

At first I thought the 12 thing meant he wasn't really FBI and belonged to an yet unknown group with yet another agenda in the zoopocalypse à la 12 Monkeys. But apparently it's just some sort of American football allusion that went right over my European head:

 

Number 12. We call him that because he's, uh he's handsome like a quarterback.

Or maybe that was just a lame attempt at obfuscating? This episode however revealed that XB's character seems to be legit FBI. Of course who's to say he can't be both: Not-12-Monkeys AND FBI, with this show you never know.

[Clanstarling]

I predict they'll just be in Zambia next episode and there will be no explanation of how they got there.

 

Mother cell:

The thing I dodn't understand at all is: What is Reiden's end game? What were they trying to accomplish? We're being given the impression that they knew this mother cell does something, and like a poster upthread mentioned, they MUST have more of it if it's been in all that feed distributed worldwide. So what were they trying to do? Why would they WANT animals to mutate?

 

The whole thing makes no sense. (The mothercell/mutation/Reiden thing, I mean.. but yeah, the whole show makes no sense. But I would at least like to have SOME explanation of what the point was for Reiden, even if it's stupid)

If I recall correctly, the mother cell did something that made their products work faster and better than the competition, at least in the drugs they produced, and that the mutation effect was an unexpected side effect.

 

That doesn't explain why they'd hire a band of screw-ups and convince them they're looking for an answer and cure. None of them are the best in their fields (except for Abe, though his field is "level headed and can take you out without blinking".

 

If they were going to go with birds, I wish it had been parrots, parakeets, cockatiels, and all those other pet birds who mutated on Rieden bird feed and escaped. A much better visual than the mundane Hitchcockian homage. And maybe an escaped Emu or Ostrich - those guys are scary!

Edited August 27, 2015 by clanstarling

[Clanstarling]

I'm confused, is Xander Berkeley really an FBI agent?  If so, isn't he also on the take from Reiden?  Who was he talking to on the phone when he was mentioning "Number 12" or something like that which was a reference to Ben Shafer?  So are there 10 other corrupt FBI agents on Reiden's payroll too?

 

I'm also not understanding the point of his Match.com carriage ride in New York either.  Was it just supposed to be a way to introduce him as this nice unassuming senior dater?  But then we learn that he's eeeeeevvvviiillll?

 

If he is really an FBI agent, aren't the team particularly screwed?  How are they going to fly to Namibia if the FBI presumably puts them on some kind of watch list?  I see in the previews next week that they are running for some plane, so presumably they make it out of the country somehow.

Maybe he'll join the Scooby Gang after figuring out they're on the right side. No crazier than any other element in this show.

[MissLucas]

None of them are the best in their fields (except for Abe, though his field is "level headed and can take you out without blinking".

Love that description of Abe - someone should make a spin-off with him just being awesome (maybe Mitch could tag along as snarky sidekick).

Edited August 27, 2015 by MissLucas

[shapeshifter]

Love that description of Abe - someone should make a spin-off with him just being awesome (maybe Mitch could tag along as snarky sidekick).

Yes please. They would be living off the grid after all the crap they got sucked into on this show. They would be independent contractors for hire who solve specific kinds of mysteries involving animals or plants or anything else.

And this is the kind of bird that would be featured:

This one's an amadine, but anything colorful would do.

Edited August 28, 2015 by shapeshifter

[Kelda Feegle]

They actually said they've been working together for months which seems...ridiculously accurate for this show.

While I think an Abe/Mitch hookup would work can you imagine the scene?

Abe: Mitch, I must tell you that I have become attracted to you.

Mitch: Uh, I think I have a quokka to dissect.

Abe: But your eyes, your personality- I love them.

Mitch: Um, .....you're saying this now? With rampaging fennec foxes approaching?

Mr Straightforward and Mr Avoidant. Abe would have to kidnap Mitch to make him sit and listen.

I would watch the heck out of that show!

 

I was too tired to watch last night, so I was poking around Wikipedia today. There's an upcoming episode called "Eats, Shoots and Leaves." Ha-ha. However, this show describes itself as a thriller.

 

Make up your mind, producers. And, with that title, that episode had better have pandas, well-armed.

In Australia we say Eats, Roots and Leaves so I would want to see defiant pupilled wombats.

[Guest]

That doesn't explain why they'd hire a band of screw-ups and convince them they're looking for an answer and cure. None of them are the best in their fields (except for Abe, though his field is "level headed and can take you out without blinking".

 

Maybe the threat made by their boss turned Raiden flunky wasn't a spur of the moment threat but the plan all along.  Let's set up a bunch of morons to be present at animal attacks to set them up to look like a terrorist cell responsible for the attacks and divert blame from Raiden.

[Bruinsfan]

I finally had to entirely miss an episode this week with Below Deck and From Dusk til Dawn airing their season premieres at the same time. I gather I didn't miss much. You kind folks will let me know if James Wolk ever takes his shirt off, right?

 

I mean why would a CAT start roaring like a lion if it grew?  Wouldn't the meow just be super loud?

It's kind of like why Shaq's voice is a lot deeper than Kristen Chenowith's, the bigger the neck bones and vocal chords, the deeper the sounds. Housecats with heads the size of oranges can make high-pitched meows and purr, but big cats can't. (Tigers chuff instead of purring.)

[Netfoot]

I knew someone who claimed to have recorded a cat's meow.  They said that when played back at a slow speed, it sounded exactly like a lion's roar.  Would someone with a cat like to try this and verify or debunk?  

[ratgirlagogo]

 

This show, you guys. Its like a weekly sci fi original movie

 

I do see Asylum-like qualities about the show in terms of the animal attacks scenes.

I WISH.  If only it WERE like  a SyFy original movie.  These shitheads just don't know how to put on a solid convincing gory phony-looking CGI animal attack.  

Case in point:

 

Sorriest bird attack I've ever seen.  I imagine the ghost of Alfred Hitchcock is somewhere busting his gut laughing.

Seriously.  There isn't a show on television that doesn't use flocks of CGI birds as a matter of course, and they couldn't even come up with a giant family-size CGI flock?  And again a teensy tiny bit  of gore.

 

The weekly gutbuster for me is the constant ads for preordering this show on BluRay/DVD - where it will LOOK EVEN BETTER, so the ads keep insisting.  BWAAAHHAAA.  

 

I don't even know what the endgame of this show is.

To get me to buy it on BluRay/DVD?  

 

They waste so much time on the fake bullshit science nobody cares about, and character development in characters nobody cares about.

[ottoDbusdriver]

 

 

I don't even know what the endgame of this show is.

 

To get me to buy it on BluRay/DVD?  

 

Who would pay for this ?  Better yet, why would anyone pay for this ?  

Edited August 28, 2015 by ottoDbusdriver

[ratgirlagogo]

 

Who would pay for this ?  Better yet, why would you pay for this ?

What did I say that made you think I would?  I'm only still watching it for free because it's going to be over in a few weeks and because I love reading this snarky forum.

[ottoDbusdriver]

What did I say that made you think I would?  I'm only still watching it for free because it's going to be over in a few weeks and because I love reading this snarky forum.

 

Sorry @ratgirlagogo -- wasn't directed at you, I meant the collective 'you' like 'you all' or 'anyone', and have since corrected it in my original post.

[Andyourlittledog2]

I just sat there the whole hour thinking I cannot believe how stupid every single scene and plotline and tiny detail of this show is.  It's like they just gave up entirely and are just cranking out crap now, no thought at all to sense or realism or anything at all really.  

 

Why is the fire dept at a bird attack, hooked up to a hydrant with Abe holding the hose while the actual firemen follow calmly behind him?  That was out of nowhere. 

Why did the birds attack the mom and leave the baby undisturbed for so long?  They can't multitask?  

The dog - they keep reminding us that he's a good dog and not acting weird at all. That means something. He is probably the key to everything, right?  And if they are going to Maine (because they don't have birds there? Or animals? Why is Maine 'safe'?) are they shipping the dog on the plane too?  The dog means something.  Mark my words. 

Jaime in the hat and huge sunglasses, looking right and left all twitchy on the burner phone. Nope, not at all suspicious.  Then she just breaks the phone at the hinge and throws it in the trash can.  Her stupidity and incompetence simply knows no bounds.  Btw, she also has a big role on The Whispers which is airing this summer as well. Her character on The Whispers (a much better show IMO, I like it anyway) is not as braindead as Jaimie here, but is definitely the dumbest one of the lot and very annoying on that series.  Based on these two roles I have to say I am not liking this actress at all but I'm not sure it's fair because she didn't write the roles she is playing. She's just the actress that has to be these stupid annoying people.  

Mitch at Reiden.  Sure. Go there, bring the mother cell, and they will just hand you the cure and you give them the cell and everyone's up and up and playing fair.  Seriously?  They could easily just grab his bag and take the damn mother cell from him by force. They could trade for it and just give him placebos that have no effect on his kid's disease. (What mysterious disease is this anyway?  It apparently causes seizures we almost never see, will definitely kill her, has a magic cure all drug Reiden developed, and the kid looks as healthy as a horse and has no problem running through the park or anything. No symptoms really at all. Just a disease that needs a service dog and is fatal. And easily curable through chemistry. Gawd. Seriously. )  

Frenchy bug eyes keeps losing her accent btw. It was disappearing in the alley scene especially. And how many outfits did she pack for this round the world jaunt they are all on?  She wears something new all the time. She is also very flush with cash at a moment's notice. They always have money for whatever they need - planes, cars, hotels, food, supplies --- they are rolling in money apparently. 

FBI agent accuses them of murdering an agent. Nuh uh!! It was self defense when Jamie shot him four time in the chest in the stairwell that time!!  Uh, sure. Self defense. Keep telling yourselves that, kids. And FBI guy is felled easily by falling particle board or something even though he is holding them at gunpoint. And when he finally gets up and starts shooting at them he fires all his rounds into a metal plate in a wall long after they've moved on.  

 

I don't know. Every scene is ridiculous.  It's like they gave a huge budget to the eight grade drama club and said go for it.  And people got paid for this dreck. SMH

Edited August 29, 2015 by Andyourlittledog2

[Newbietunes]

Housecats with heads the size of oranges can make high-pitched meows and purr, but big cats can't. (Tigers chuff instead of purring.)

 

 

Cheetahs make high-pitched noises and purr (and don't roar).  But they are still relatively small, compared to lions and tigers.

[ennui]

I just sat there the whole hour thinking I cannot believe how stupid every single scene and plotline and tiny detail of this show is.  It's like they just gave up entirely and are just cranking out crap now, no thought at all to sense or realism or anything at all really.

With all due respect to James Patterson fans, I've often thought he "cranks out" books like crazy. What, like, five a year? More?

Are bobcats able to purr? They're smaller, but able predators.

[Bruinsfan]

They have high-pitched cries (sound like a woman screaming bloody murder, actually), so their vocal apparatus may be able to purr, though I've not heard of them doing so.

 

EDIT: Apparently, they can.

Edited August 30, 2015 by Bruinsfan

[ratgirlagogo]

 

he "cranks out" books like crazy. What, like, five a year?

More than twelve books a year since he also does childen's/YA titles.  

[shapeshifter]

They have high-pitched cries (sound like a woman screaming bloody murder, actually), so their vocal apparatus may be able to purr, though I've not heard of them doing so.

 

EDIT: Apparently, they can.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u40UhoSPegQ

So cute, but, my Grandma, what big teeth you have!

[ennui]

That purring bobcat appeared to be very young.

[shapeshifter]

That purring bobcat appeared to be very young.

Yes, but, "My, Granddaughter," just didn't read right. ;>)

[English Teacher]

The science in the book made no sense and I hated it ...but it actually seems more logical than the garbled logic this show is now spewing. My head was spinning after this episode. Bird tracks! Lame. Hitchcock did it better and that was with the little technology he had over 60 years ago.

If the birds are conmunicatong, why was it only one family of birds attacking? That scene should have been overpowering and gruesome. The rats in the elevator was so much better.

Just...no ....no to everything.

I would be happier if Abe just read the phone book next week. His voice is all the feels.

Africa = zebras I hope.

And where are they getting the money to do anything now that they are fugitives?

...but this forum makes it all better!

[blackwing]

With all due respect to James Patterson fans, I've often thought he "cranks out" books like crazy. What, like, five a year? More?

 

He's clearly just slapping his name onto these co-authored books.  He probably doesn't write any of them.  The co-author just has him read and approve the manuscript, perhaps making some suggested changes.  Clive Cussler is another that does this.  He's about 85 years old so probably doesn't write much, and yet he has about five ongoing series, all with co-authors.  His main series, the Dirk Pitt series, now has his son as a co-author.  The decline in quality is apparent, as his son is a terrible writer.  But yet everyone still seems to believe that Clive himself is actually still writing all of these books.

[BooksRule]

Ah Maine. No big mammals (moose) or birds there at all to threaten them. Nope nope nope.

 

Hordes of angry lobsters?

 

I was ridiculously pleased that Xander (and others) actually pronounced Biloxi (Miss.) correctly.  It's 'Bil - lux - ee', but most people who aren't familiar with the place say 'Bil - lox - ee'.  A small thing, but nice to hear.