Nitpicks, Continuity, and Are You Smarter Than NZT Brian?

[arc]

Because if there's any premise I'm not gonna "just turn my brain off and watch"... =)

 

So, nitpicks for ep 3:

 

- "Don't discuss this with anyone", Brian is told, and yet he sees nothing wrong with mentioning Morra's name out in front of his dad's house, when neighbors are out and about even.

 

- yes, there are federal laws about reporting large withdrawals ($10K or more) but there are also laws about structuring withdrawals to evade such reporting and so banks report patterns of withdrawals that are slightly under the $10K threshold. Denny Hastert got caught for exactly this reason. So withdrawing in $9999 increments is basically begging for the feds to come pay you a visit.

 

- wait, so both Brian and the two field agents (I've forgotten their names already) caught Vachs' slip but didn't catch Sarah Braden's slip???  They said Vachs had been paying Braden off, and they never mentioned to Vachs nor Braden that Dixon was dead, but Braden said Vachs isn't a murderer? How'd she know this was a murder investigation?  Oh, it didn't matter because they were wrapping up the red herring part of the episode so further acts of cleverness weren't required.

[arc]

The biggest logical problem of the show as an ongoing concern was also faced in the movie, except the movie dealt with it: Morra reverse engineered the drug, redesigned it, and created a version that could be taken a limited number of times (once?) with permanent positive effects and no negative effects.

Now, it also makes sense that Morra wouldn't give out this version to the people he needs working for him, but by the same logic, anyone on NZT's top long-term priority should be the same solution, and also the FBI should be employing Brian to work on that rather than cases of the week.

 

Rather, there's lip service to studying Brian's physiology to understand why he's immune to the long-term negative effects of the drug, but even that implies the FBI has scientists working on perfecting the drug.  The dispensary that Mike alluded to in ep 3 also suggests the FBI has a nearly limitless (sorry) supply of the drug too, so they must understand most of the basic chemistry of it.

 

Also, minor note: from the plot summary on Wikipedia, one of the bad guys on NZT came up with dissolving it in water and injecting the resulting solution to increase the drug's potency and duration... I guess it's plausible Morra didn't come up with that in the couple of days the movie took place in, but sooner or later Brian should think about that. Maybe he could shave a bit off the pills he's given every day to save up a stash of his own, I don't know.

 

Also, really minor note: I guess 12 hours of drug duration is longer than the regular work day, but if I were the FBI I'd make him take the pill at the office, so (a) the pills never have to be transported off-site and (b) he doesn't waste his NZT time on faffing about with subway performer cellos and the like, or at least not in the morning.

[kili]

They said Vachs had been paying Braden off, and they never mentioned to Vachs nor Braden that Dixon was dead, but Braden said Vachs isn't a murderer? How'd she know this was a murder investigation?

 

Couldn't a normal person deduce that?

 

Two FBI agents come to interview you....they are probably investigating something

They ask questions about Vachs....they are probably investigating him

A guy who interviewed you earlier about the same subject was publicly executed....its probably a murder investigation. and Vachs is a suspect

 

Dixon was killed by a sniper in the middle of a city square. Even in a major city like New York that has got to generate some major press.  You would remember the face of some dude who came and asked questions that might reveal something you want kept quiet.

[arc]

Could be. I feel like when they interviewed Vachs it was semi-under wraps that Dixon was dead, like they were talking about Dixon to Vachs as if Dixon were still alive, but my memory is fast fading.