S01.E04: Blind Spot

[formerlyfreedom]

Will continues to earn the respect of his new colleagues, but when his home comes under an attack, everyone is a suspect- even those closest to him. Meanwhile, Maddie finds a way in to the upper echelon.

 

[KaleyFirefly]

I liked this episode because some stuff finally went down! I wasn't expecting the events of the last 2 scenes (in the bar and in CIA lady's house).

 

The plot seems to be moving forward at a good pace.

[Emily Thrace]

Okay I checked out a couple of reviews and they said this episode was good and they were right.

 

I loved the look inside the Red hats and that reveal was awesome.

 

I was starting to like Phylis. Although I am now wondering what will happen to Katie now.

[Netfoot]

Ever since Katie exposed her face during the operation in 98 Seconds, I knew there would be comeback.  Many people put on a mask when giving medical aid.  The only reason she would take her mask off was the writers wanted her compromised.  But I didn't think it would pop up so soon!  Now, with Phyllis dead, will the file surface on someone else's desk?  And, did she really destroy the tapes?  Those J. Edgar types rarely give up the advantage, when they've got someone by the balls.....

 

So, who do we know in the Green Zone that could be Geronimo?  Well, we just met art-woman played by the Pole-Necked Gazoo Kathryn Morris, and she had a creepy husband...  But I don't think it's them.  Can't bring myself to suspect Proxy Alan Snyder, either.  So, who else is there?  It's sort of Chekhov's Pistol in reverse:  If someone is going to get shot in act III, you've got to mention the pistol in Act I.  Therefore, Geronimo isn't going to be a stranger.

 

What was on the Post-It note on the lasagna / whatever?  They lingered on it most suggestively, but even with freezing the playback, I couldn't make out a single word.

[Lion]

Well, that just got interesting.  And in the knick of time, too, as I had already decided I was done with this show, though I forgot to remove it from my DVR lineup and put it on for some background noise while I was performing some other tasks.  The episode was good enough that it just sucked me right in. Will and Katie have been the most uninteresting part of the show (which is why the show was so unengaging), but Phyllis has single-handedly weaved the duo into some serious webs of danger.  The neighborhood patrol, the tapes, the file on Katie, having told someone that Katie is an asset (though she didn't use the name, the file, if found, will imply it).  

 

The one thing that will enough me about the upcoming mega Bowman family drama is that a large part of it could be based on Katie keeping things from Will.  I don't like that sort of drama, it's lazy.  I think the family reacting to the upcoming fallout of Phyllis' mechanizations and death is plenty of drama and would be more interesting if Will and Katie are at least on the same team.  

 

Like Netfoot, I really want to know what was on that Post-It.  It seemed important in some way.  I figure it must come from the housekeeper/nurse as surely Phyllis's husband couldn't just lay there all day alone, let alone cook dinner and pack the leftovers.  Or maybe there is a nurse and a separate housekeeper?  Or maybe it was Phyllis' child?  If so, my guess would be that the Bowman family tutor is somehow related to Phyllis.  

[Aliasscape]

Okay FINALLY this show hooked me.  That was sudden and memorable and important. And maybe people knew about her from spoilers (I don't read those) but I thought it it interesting to see the faces of the Green Zone and spot Ally Walker. I'm glad to see she's still on TV. I guess maybe her character will be Phyllis's replacement now since she's also a green zone person.

 

That tutor girl gets on my last nerve, always.

 

The post it said something like 35 min, maybe how long to cook it?

 

I also don't think the tapes were really destroyed.

 

I'm glad the show did actually follow up on a moment like Katie taking her mask off that seemed like it'd definitely come back to haunt her. It's not like Phyllis took that photo personally though so who else might've seen it?

Edited February 5, 2016 by Aliasscape

[Trisan]

Well, the ending surprised me...  I mean, I saw it coming but just when Phyllis gave a hindsight into her past in the Yonk. From then on, I knew she was a goner... just when she was starting to be likeable ! 

 

Curious to see what directions Katie's sister (Maddie right ?) story arc will take.

[walnutqueen]

Losing Kathy Baker so soon hurts.  :-(

 

Somebody's going to find those tapes and the dossier; if it's Will, Katie's in big trouble.

 

Nice to see the Sawyer dimple making an appearance.  ;-)

[paulvdb]

The tutor is definitely suspicious of Katie with her remark about how lucky it was that she had just sent the kids to the park when the house was attacked.

I'm going to miss Phyllis, but I knew she was going to die when the resistance guy asked Katie to identify Will's boss. And I knew it was going to be in this episode when we got so much time with her at her house.

I think I deciphered the text on the lasagna post-it:

350° fa (not sure about the fa, but looked like it and I thought it could be short for Fahrenheit)

35-40 min

Gloria

(smiley face)

As for the identity of Geronimo, if it's someone we already know I'm going for Snyder. But maybe I'll change my mind if/when we get to know more about the sister's new boss and her husband.

[OoogleEyes]

Fucking Lori.

[sjohnson]

Law of casting says Adrian Pasdar is  the leading candidate for Geronimo. 

 

Motivating the plot by Maddie's idiocy is better than no motivation, but it's not the strongest. 

 

A policy of murdering all collaborators is never going to encourage surrender, much less turning against the occupation, which should be the end game in LA. 

 

April didn't express it this way, but the aliens have won. Fighting the people who've realized that the war's lost is worse than useless until you have some hope for beating the aliens. And the best people for intel on them are the Aprils. The resistance seems to be led by idiots to me. 

 

This show, unlike Man in the High Castle, seems to be very obviously about "We win, rah, rah, rah!" instead of how people deal with being a colony. Portraying the resistance as a bunch of trendy antiheroes interferes with that goal. Outlaws may be supercool to identify with but they don't win wars or overthrow governments. Commitment, not cool; courage in defeat, not snark in victory; sacrifice, not an enviable agency...I think this resistance is pretty much nonsense.

[tvsoothesthespirit]

I liked this episode. I'd love to know who Phyllis was talking to on the phone. I have to admit I was completely blindsided by the shooting, although I should have seen it coming!  Now we've got some interesting loose threads. Where are the tapes? Where are the photos? Is Katie's son going to keep crossing outside the area?

 

Hope we get a better look at Phyllis' conspiracy board.

 

I can't decide if the nanny is a spy for Homeland Security or not. It would be interesting if she was a spy for a different resistance cell. She was definitely on to Katie.

 

I wonder how complicated this show is going to be?

[Netfoot]

I wonder how complicated this show is going to be?

 

I just hope it doesn't get like Lost.  Because for season after season, nobody knew what the hell was going on on Lost, least of all the writers.  Hell, long after the finale and nobody knows for sure if it was all down to aliens or the lost city of Atlantis!  So, I'm hoping we don't just get weird shit for the sake of being weird, and no explanations for anything, ever.

[ZoqFotPik]

 

So, who do we know in the Green Zone that could be Geronimo?  Well, we just met art-woman played by the Pole-Necked Gazoo Kathryn Morris, and she had a creepy husband...  But I don't think it's them.

 

Law of casting says Adrian Pasdar is  the leading candidate for Geronimo.

I don't know about that, but you don't cast someone like Adrian Pasdar for a throwaway role. I still think Will is more involved with what's going on than he is letting on. I really hope they don't just have him there to coerce Maddie into having sex with him for insulin, and the whole power/powerless relationship.

 

 

 

 

What was on the Post-It note on the lasagna / whatever?  They lingered on it most suggestively, but even with freezing the playback, I couldn't make out a single word.

I think I deciphered the text on the lasagna post-it:

350° fa (not sure about the fa, but looked like it and I thought it could be short for Fahrenheit)

35-40 min

Gloria

(smiley face)

 That's what I got too. I interpreted it as adding to the "Pet the Dog" type scene they were doing with Phyllis. After coercing Katie into working for her, they show that she has someone working for/helping her that cares enough to leave food with heating instructions and smiley face, and the whole thing with her husband. I think it was to show how grey a character she was. Also, I did not expect that plotline to be resolved so quickly.

 

 

I liked this episode. I'd love to know who Phyllis was talking to on the phone.

It looked like she was using some kind of satellite phone. Maybe she was talking to the Helena that Synder said he spoke to about Geronimo. She seemed to know who he was talking about. Also, given the type of phone she was using, she may have been talking to one of her counter parts in another bloc.

 

 

Motivating the plot by Maddie's idiocy is better than no motivation, but it's not the strongest.

What was so idiotic about Maddie's plot? She needs insulin for her son and Katie can't just keep robbing hospitals. While I think she is going to get in over her head, if the 'Green Zone' is the only place that has insulin, she really didn't have many options.

Edited February 6, 2016 by ZoqFotPik

[HLee]

If you will, help me out. (I have prosopagnosia.)

 

• The woman in charge at the art gallery -- is she someone we've seen before?
• She said something about Maddie recognising a certain artist -- who was it?
• The guy behind the curtain who killed Phyllis -- was he the same snobbish guy that wanted "something a little more discreet" with that woman who eventually took the box of groceries from him? (Was that Maddie? Katie?)

 

Prosopagnosia makes TV watching tough. I liked it better when the bad guys wore black hats.

[ZoqFotPik]

 

The woman in charge at the art gallery -- is she someone we've seen before?

The character's name is Charlotte Burgess and is played by Kathryn Morris. According to Imdb, this was her first episode

 

 

She said something about Maddie recognising a certain artist -- who was it?

Ai Weiwei.

 

 

The guy behind the curtain who killed Phyllis -- was he the same snobbish guy that wanted "something a little more discreet" with that woman who eventually took the box of groceries from him? (Was that Maddie? Katie?)

No. That was Broussard played by Tory Kittles, Katie's main contact within the resistance. He's the guy who led the raid in the last episode and shot the wounded resistance member. Later he visited Katie at the bar. It was his helmet cam feed we were watching during the opening of the episode with the Red Hats arresting the teacher. As far as I know, the Snobbish guy only appeared in the second episode. And that was Maddie who took the groceries.

Edited February 6, 2016 by ZoqFotPik

[ottoDbusdriver]

Well, we just met art-woman played by the Pole-Necked Gazoo Kathryn Morris, and she had a creepy husband.

 

Curious to see what directions Katie's sister (Maddie right ?) story arc will take.

 

Nathan Petrelli/Adrian Pasdar (or, the creepy husband) is totally going to bang Maddie.

[Emily Thrace]

Law of casting says Adrian Pasdar is  the leading candidate for Geronimo. 

 

Motivating the plot by Maddie's idiocy is better than no motivation, but it's not the strongest. 

 

A policy of murdering all collaborators is never going to encourage surrender, much less turning against the occupation, which should be the end game in LA. 

 

April didn't express it this way, but the aliens have won. Fighting the people who've realized that the war's lost is worse than useless until you have some hope for beating the aliens. And the best people for intel on them are the Aprils. The resistance seems to be led by idiots to me. 

 

This show, unlike Man in the High Castle, seems to be very obviously about "We win, rah, rah, rah!" instead of how people deal with being a colony. Portraying the resistance as a bunch of trendy antiheroes interferes with that goal. Outlaws may be supercool to identify with but they don't win wars or overthrow governments. Commitment, not cool; courage in defeat, not snark in victory; sacrifice, not an enviable agency...I think this resistance is pretty much nonsense.

 

I actually think Geronimo isn't necessarily in the Green Zone. It would be easy for anyone to drop some papers down that chute. As long as they have a work pass or drive a truck into the green zone they could pass the broadcasts off to someone who distributes them to the dead drops. I think its a leap to say that because the dead drop comes from the Green Zone Geronimo does too. Especially since the guy sending out the broadcasts seemed to get caught on purpose. Right now I'm leaning to our rebellious red hat since his job would allow him to access any zone in theory. Although I do like the idea that its actually Will too.

 

Something I like about this show is that our characters are mostly new at this . Katie isn't some epic badass, shes learning and making mistakes. It gives her so much more room to grow. (Half of Lori's problem is that while everyone else changed she remained a completely self involved harpy)  I haven't found anything terribly unrealistic yet. True these are obviously not crack troops but they're not supposed to be. These are the first few kernels of resistance most likely only a handful will actually live long enough to actually over throw the aliens. This is an everyman story about what would happen if this was happening to your family not necessarily the story of how we overthrew our alien overlords.

 

I'm also not sure if anyone really counts as an anti-hero.  Other than the Bowman's I'm not sure the show expects us to like anyone. Everyone else is supposed to be shade or grey. I can understand seeing Will that way but I thinks its more because Josh Holloway is playing him snarky like Sawyer than the character doing anything morally ambiguous. Although other than the actor and sense of humor Will feels a lot different than Sawyer to me. Will is a lot more comfortable in his own skin and is a lot surer in what he believes in and whats important than Sawyer ever was.

 

Edited cause I know what i'm saying but I like it when your guys do too

Edited February 6, 2016 by Emily Thrace

[Accidental Martyr]

What time is the curfew?

What time does that bar open?

So far we haven't met anyone who has actually seen the "aliens".

What did Phyllis mean by "their perception of time"? Was she referring to the "aliens"? Who was she talking to on the phone? (That looked like some kind of satellite phone or something.)

How is Broussard getting away with working for the resistance and Homeland Security? It seems like they would keep a close eye on people working for HS to make sure just such a thing didn't happen.

I'm really starting to enjoy this show but I'm hoping we learn more about the "aliens" and "the factory" pretty soon.

[GreyBunny]

Phyllis...noooooooooo!  I liked her from the start.  An interesting character who has her own quiet moral complexity and they snuff her.

 

Fucking Lori.

 

Pretty much.  The bug-eyed bandit ruins everything.

[Haleth]

I still am on the fence about this show and will probably drop it once my regular spring shows start coming back.  I can't get past Kate being Lori 2.0.  I'm sure Sarah Callies is a lovely person but her constant expression of wide eyed confusion annoys me.  The only thing that would save this show for me is to find out Will is Geronimo instead of a guy willing to collaborate with the enemy but is too blind to see what's going on in his house.  I had hoped maybe Phyllis was a double agent or maybe Geronimo herself, but guess not.  Her murder by L̶o̶r̶i̶'s Katie's friend was a surprise right after the character development of having an invalid husband.  

[sjohnson]

What was so idiotic about Maddie's plot? She needs insulin for her son and Katie can't just keep robbing hospitals. While I think she is going to get in over her head, if the 'Green Zone' is the only place that has insulin, she really didn't have many options.

Good question! You're right there's nothing idiotic about Maddie's plot. But it is Kate's idiocy that motivates everything, from joining the resistance without telling her ex-FBI husband who works in a garage, not even when he is forced/bribed into collaboration. And takes her mask off for no reason during a crime. Or who agrees to torch her own house on the off chance she'll be personally interrogated by her boss. Or who thinks a verbal guarantee from these resistance clowns is worth the paper it's printed on. 

 

One unpleasant reminder of Lost is Bram's refusal to tell his father about the route outside the wall even after the resistance firebombs their house and he's already caught out as a resistance sympathizer. 

[Peanut]

I thought maybe Phyllis was Geronimo, and maybe she is and wouldn't that be a twist?  The Resistance killed Geronimo!  I don't think this show would go there, though. 

 

The tutor is definitely onto Lori and her not very well thought through plans.  I like that she essentially got her whole neighborhood in trouble. That's so Lori.  

 

I agree with Accidental Martyr that the bar seemed to be open very late.  Or maybe it's winter and the sun is setting at 5 pm.  But either way, we need some mention of curfew..."oh curfew is in a half hour, last call everyone!"  Or have we just dropped the fact that there is a curfew at all?

[xaxat]

So in this episode Phyllis becomes the most interesting character on the show. . . and then they kill her off. I'm not to sure about that move. Despite her position, the character was able to put up a rational (compelling?) explanation for the actions of the Homeland Security. Now we just have brown nose collaborator Snyder.

 

Did Katie know that they ultimate goal of the operation was not just identifying Phyllis, but her assassination?

 

Phyllis was on a satellite phone during her final scene. We know that cell phones work in the occupation zone, so in addition to who she was talking to, there is also the question of where they are located. (Someone outside of the occupation zone?)

 

 

[paulvdb]

I thought maybe Phyllis was Geronimo, and maybe she is and wouldn't that be a twist?  The Resistance killed Geronimo!  I don't think this show would go there, though.

That would be an interesting twist. The advantage of working with mostly independent cells is that you can't betray too many other resistance members, but you also don't know which collaborators are really double agents working for the resistance. So you could easily kill a resistance member when you think you're just killing a collaborator.

[AnnaMayWong]

Phyllis' demise was clearly telegraphed from the moment Katie pointed her out to The Resistance. Her death was assured upon the program's concentration on the ride to her home. It was ridiculously evident. So, I am flabbergasted as to why during Producer Commentary(at the end of the show) Carlton Cuse stated that " it was an incredible twist..." Unless, perhaps, he meant a twist to the overall plot thus far because THIS⤴ twist was loud and clear following Katie's dumbass ploy for reconnaissance and subsequent information dumping.

As for Maddie, well, when it comes to your young 'uns'...

Will is STILL racing about in high agitation.

I do wish that he would emphatically tell his son what's what. I mean, really. Your father holds a position wherein he organizes missions to seek and capture people for 'subversion' and you hide evidence of subversive acts IN A SHOE BOX WITHIN YOUR CLOSET. Okaa-ey. Definitely Katie's son.

The babysitter, Family❗ The (creepy) babysitter❗

Okay. Admittedly, I was taken aback by Broussard's employment as a Red Hat. Who knew⁉

*Hopefully, this episode marks a change from...bewilderingly boring to a bit interesting.

...

ETA: { is Will going to be Phyllis' replacement?? }

...

Edited February 7, 2016 by BookElitist

[AnnaMayWong]

...and, oh, at least, on this episode, Katie wasn't endlessly peddling that gosh darn bicycle.

Fucking Lori.

Indeed!

[RedheadZombie]

I wish Will wasn't trying so hard to betray his people. I know he was forced into the job but he could have followed Carl Weathers' example. Instead he's passionately trying to take down the resistance.

More Nazi symbolism with gathering up the priceless artwork.

I missed that Kathy Baker's assassin was a red hat. I thought he'd stolen the uniform. So is he the one in the green zone distributing the Geromino propaganda?

I was shocked at Phyllis's death because KB is a pretty big name to kill off so quickly. I thought Katie was working for the good guys, but I sort of believe what Phyllis was telling her.

I don't hate Katie for passing on the info about Phyllis. The resistance already has pics of her and knew she was somebody in power. Plus, Phyllis is representing and working for the occupying force in my country. Unless she was secretly working with the resistance, I don't have a problem with the plan to kill her.

I don't really have a problem with Katie's actions. There have been women like her in every war. I wonder if some are being influenced by TWD's Lori.

[xaxat]

I do wish that he would emphatically tell his son what's what. I mean, really. Your father holds a position wherein he organizes missions to seek and capture people for 'subversion' and you hide evidence of subversive acts IN A SHOE BOX WITHIN YOUR CLOSET. Okaa-ey. Definitely Katie's son.

 

The operational security of the people on this show makes me laugh. In addition to the shoe box, you have the giant whiteboard displaying everything Broussard's cell knows about Homeland Security and the "Let me just sit on the bench next to this random PERSON I DO NOT KNOW and look straight ahead (while looking out of the side of my eye at that PERSON I DO NOT KNOW) while muttering to myself stuff that the PERSON I DO NOT KNOW might hear." conversations.

[GreyBunny]

The visitors/hosts clearly have very advanced technology, but no listening devices deployed everywhere including people's homes?  Of course that would ruin the plot, but it's still a huge tech discrepancy.

 

 "Let me just sit on the bench next to this random PERSON I DO NOT KNOW and look straight ahead (while looking out of the side of my eye at that PERSON I DO NOT KNOW) while muttering to myself stuff that the PERSON I DO NOT KNOW might hear." conversations.

 

And they are NOT AT ALL obvious to the zillions of people who are using the park at any given time.  Not suspicious at all.  Nope.

[Emily Thrace]

I wish Will wasn't trying so hard to betray his people. I know he was forced into the job but he could have followed Carl Weathers' example. Instead he's passionately trying to take down the resistance.

More Nazi symbolism with gathering up the priceless artwork.

I missed that Kathy Baker's assassin was a red hat. I thought he'd stolen the uniform. So is he the one in the green zone distributing the Geromino propaganda?

I was shocked at Phyllis's death because KB is a pretty big name to kill off so quickly. I thought Katie was working for the good guys, but I sort of believe what Phyllis was telling her.

 

In Will's defense I think he struggling with his own work ethic on that one. He doesn't seem to know how to half ass his job. He's someone whose always pushed himself and worked damn hard to get where he is. its hard for someone like that to do a job badly. Not to mention someone with his military background would be more inclined toward taking orders and follow a lead in any case. Although I'm wondering if that's not part of why he jumped on the whole Geronimo is in the green zone idea. It takes the investigation out of his backyard and away from his family. 

 

Since the writers are clearly leaning on Warsaw Ghetto metaphor I was thinking Phyllis was meant to be the Adam Czerniakow character. (Although I don't remember reading about him interfering with the resistance all that much)  Someone who collaborates because they think its the best way to help their own. Although judging by her comments about Iraq and Ireland she was also trying to fix her mistakes. Also did her comments abut Will to Katie come off as slightly creepy to anyone else? Maybe its just because she could easily play his mom.

 

The visitors/hosts clearly have very advanced technology, but no listening devices deployed everywhere including people's homes?  Of course that would ruin the plot, but it's still a huge tech discrepancy.

 

Yeah they could at least being doing sweeps in truck like in V for Vendetta. Hell we had tech in the eighties. Although that would be a huge expenditure. If these guys don't bother producing insulin maybe they don't think it worth the effort to bug the houses. Not too mention the effort of sifting through all that information.

 

The operational security of the people on this show makes me laugh. In addition to the shoe box, you have the giant whiteboard displaying everything Broussard's cell knows about Homeland Security and the "Let me just sit on the bench next to this random PERSON I DO NOT KNOW and look straight ahead (while looking out of the side of my eye at that PERSON I DO NOT KNOW) while muttering to myself stuff that the PERSON I DO NOT KNOW might hear." conversations

 

Yeah Katie's cell leader has obviously has watched too many spy movies. He's also an asshole, his whole attitude with Katie was really unnecessary. That's something the show is getting wrong typically resistance leaders are charismatic or at least good public speakers. This guy is just a grouchy old man who wants the RAPS of his lawn. 

[RedheadZombie]

I like that the actors playing Maddie and Katie really look like sisters. I also find I'm confused during the times I'm just listening. The actors have very similar voices.

Are Maddie and her son living in an attached guest house? It looks like a little apartment and the kid slept on the couch. In such crazy times I would be keeping the little guy next to me when sleeping.

It's a minor quibble, but I don't like how they wrote the insulin scene. She didn't check his blood sugar, the needle looked huge, and there's no way he'd get a bandaid. He'd be covered by four bandaids a day. They also wouldn't be calling it his "special medicine". He's diabetic for life and they encourage even young children to be very involved in treating their diabetes.

I know the creators said they were inspired by photos of Nazi-occupied Paris, and how the Parisians seemingly went about their lives as if nothing was happening. The difference is, the Parisians knew who had invaded and why. They were at war, the rest of their country was fighting the Nazis, and they had a certain degree of radio contact with the rest of the world. In Colony, people don't have any answers, and I don't think they would just continue the status quo.

It reminds a little of The Walking Dead, which never really defined what happened the first few weeks. Sounds like they swooped in, and within eight hours had subdued the entire city - perhaps state/country/world. Where did the red hats come from? Who trained them? I'm impatient for more details.

[Dowel Jones]

The episode didn't touch on it much, but Will definitely knows there is something wrong with Katie's story about the firebombing.  He looked at the wall, completely black, and then found the picture, unmarked by the fire.  Yet Katie told him she grabbed it off the wall in the fire and then dropped it.  Ruh-roh.

 

I am still baffled by the ability of the invaders to assemble, within a year, an entire troop of willing soldiers to become the redhats.  The analogy to occupied France is apt to a point, but the Germans certainly didn't turn large numbers of the police force or the army into willing goons, at least not on the level that the redhats seem to be operating on.  During the Tienanmen Square  uprising, the Chinese government used troops from distant provinces to shoot down the students occupying the square, on the belief that they would hold no resentment about following their orders.  However, it hardly seems likely (or maybe I just don't want to believe it) that US citizens would turn on each other so completely.

[ZoqFotPik]

 

I wish Will wasn't trying so hard to betray his people. I know he was forced into the job but he could have followed Carl Weathers' example. Instead he's passionately trying to take down the resistance.

To be fair, he is trying to find his son and Synder all but said catching Geronimo is the only way that is going to happen. 

 

 

 

The visitors/hosts clearly have very advanced technology, but no listening devices deployed everywhere including people's homes?  Of course that would ruin the plot, but it's still a huge tech discrepancy.

It's still early in the series, but I expect someone to either Will, Katie, or Bram to find a bug at point.

 

 

And they are NOT AT ALL obvious to the zillions of people who are using the park at any given time.  Not suspicious at all.  Nope.

In all honesty, how much attention do you really pay toward all the random people you encounter on a daily basis? If you're anything like me, very little. I was just at the gym and the grocery store, probably saw at least 50 people and couldn't describe any of them. Maybe I'm just not that observant. Also, given how they treat people even remotely associated with resistance, many people probably don't want draw attention to themselves by reporting anything. And judging by the opening scene of this episode, the Red Hats seem more like thugs than anything so they probably aren't that well trained in observation and investigation. 

Edited February 7, 2016 by ZoqFotPik

[HalcyonDays]

I thought maybe Phyllis was Geronimo, and maybe she is and wouldn't that be a twist?  The Resistance killed Geronimo!  I don't think this show would go there, though.

 

That is EXACTLY the first thought that popped in my head, with Phyllis showed up at the Yonk. Then 3 minutes later, she's killed off. Did NOT see that coming. I was very surprised actually, but what a twist.

 

Same with Broussard being a "Red Hat" in real life. I like these twists alot.

 

What I am worried about is who is going to fill Phyllis' shoes? What are the odds that Will will be promoted into that spot??

[RedheadZombie]

 

I am still baffled by the ability of the invaders to assemble, within a year, an entire troop of willing soldiers to become the redhats.  The analogy to occupied France is apt to a point, but the Germans certainly didn't turn large numbers of the police force or the army into willing goons, at least not on the level that the redhats seem to be operating on.  During the Tienanmen Square  uprising, the Chinese government used troops from distant provinces to shoot down the students occupying the square, on the belief that they would hold no resentment about following their orders.  However, it hardly seems likely (or maybe I just don't want to believe it) that US citizens would turn on each other so completely.

Since there's a lot of Nazi symbolism, maybe the red hats are like the Jews in concentration camps who sold out and helped police the other Jews. They justified it as just trying to survive.

[Haleth]

ETA: { is Will going to be Phyllis' replacement?? }

 

Probably.  Because he's worked there for a whole day and a half and his loyalty is absolutely certain.  Not good, writers.

[Netfoot]

What are the odds that Will will be promoted into that spot??

 

In real life I'd say low, for the reasons given by Haleth, above.  In TV life, he might well be.

 

But I suspect it will be someone else.  Maybe someone unexpected, like Mr. Burgess/Adrian Pasdar, maybe Beau/Carl Weathers.  But most likely a new face, who may be the person on the other end of the sat-phone call with Phyllis.  They will be harder to work with, and they will want to know who the new asset was.....

[paulvdb]

I expect them to bring in someone new to replace Phyllis. Realistically there's no way Will (uncertain loyalty) or Carl Weathers (doesn't put enough effort in his work) would get the job. If it's someone we've already seen at the precinct it should be the blonde woman whose name I don't remember.

[formerlyfreedom]

Being someone who refuses to watch anything with oozing disgusting zombies, I had to IMDb this.   Some background on Fucking Lori would have been awesome.

 

If someone wants to explain more over in The Cast topic, that would be great!

[Hanahope]

So my first thought when I saw that the Red Hat cam we were following belonged to the resistance guy was hmm, which side is he actually on/who's spy is he?  Obviously at the end, they cleared that up with him being a spy for the resistance.  I guess his orders are so 'spur of the moment' that he doesn't get the time to tell his cell-buddies what is going to happen to prevent some harm to civvies?  But why wouldn't he already know how fast both drones and men get to any particular attack on a food truck?  What was the point of that exercise, other than to kill the one guy so Will would see how the Red Hats treat the parents and find more evidence of the resistance?

 

I too was a bit disappointed that Phyllis was killed off so quickly, just when her character was really becoming interesting.  I wanted to see what she'd actually have Katie do and get some clues as to who is her contact.  I did think it interesting that Phyllis appeared to have not even considered that Will was resistance as well.

 

I agree that Adrian Pasdar is going to play some biggish role in this show, just not sure who/what yet.  I would be interesting if he ends up being Geronimo.

 

I have to wonder where all the people went who owned homes in the "green zone" with the art collections.  Factories?  Luckily not home at the time of the occupation/attack/invasion?  Relocated?

 

I'm still confused as to exactly what's included inside this wall.  it seems like every time they show it, its looks like different parts of LA are inside/outside the wall.

[GreyBunny]

I think the Green Zone people were kicked out and relocated.  There is bonus content (no spoilers) at the show website that has a few personal accounts of what happened during The Arrival and one was a woman who got ousted from her Green Zone home and her possessions taken from her.

 

I guess his orders are so 'spur of the moment' that he doesn't get the time to tell his cell-buddies what is going to happen to prevent some harm to civvies?

 

He might have to let some things happen or else the other Red Hats would know there was a spy within their group and he'd get discovered quickly.

[Clanstarling]

What time is the curfew?

What time does that bar open?

So far we haven't met anyone who has actually seen the "aliens".

What did Phyllis mean by "their perception of time"? Was she referring to the "aliens"? Who was she talking to on the phone? (That looked like some kind of satellite phone or something.)

How is Broussard getting away with working for the resistance and Homeland Security? It seems like they would keep a close eye on people working for HS to make sure just such a thing didn't happen.

I'm really starting to enjoy this show but I'm hoping we learn more about the "aliens" and "the factory" pretty soon.

I had the same thought about curfew and the bar. I assumed the "perception of time" was the aliens. As for working for the resistance and Homeland Security - I think it's one of the "Blind Spots" the episode gets its title from. As in even the bad guys have their blind spots.

 

 

Good question! You're right there's nothing idiotic about Maddie's plot. But it is Kate's idiocy that motivates everything, from joining the resistance without telling her ex-FBI husband who works in a garage, not even when he is forced/bribed into collaboration. And takes her mask off for no reason during a crime. Or who agrees to torch her own house on the off chance she'll be personally interrogated by her boss. Or who thinks a verbal guarantee from these resistance clowns is worth the paper it's printed on. 

 

One unpleasant reminder of Lost is Bram's refusal to tell his father about the route outside the wall even after the resistance firebombs their house and he's already caught out as a resistance sympathizer.

I originally thought it was for no reason too. But the flashback (previouslies?) showed that she removed it to use it as a bandage/pressure cloth for the wounded guy. Still, a bonehead move, but not exactly for no reason.

I am very unhappy KB was killed off. I thought she was a wonderful, layered character. I don't think there's any other character on the show I find nearly as interesting.

Boy, Adrian Pasdar can do charismatic/icky lech with just a glance, can't he?

[GreyBunny]

Curfew is 12 am - 6 am.  Anyone found outside (unless they're a Red Hat on official patrol or someone else authorized) will be shot.  The drones' weapons do not have a setting for "stun."

Edited February 9, 2016 by GreyBunny

[anadyr21]

Admittedly, the previous episode and this one were better than the first 2. However, my frustration has increased.

 

Plus side: I have a better understanding of why Maddie's hair (make-up and clothing) is bouncy and fabulous. I'm glad this was addressed. I still greatly dislike her. And I really like Broussard. Please don’t mess that up.

 

And everything else: I think murdering Phyllis was a complete waste of an actress, character, and potential plotlines. You've taken the most interesting character, given her backstory, and introduced motivations that suggest that she's looking at the big picture, and then promptly dispose of her in the same episode? Oh, the possibilities she could have had making Lori her b*tch. I'm actually hoping this was a big ruse, and that she's not really dead, but needed a way (and reason) to fake it. I really hope we see her again, alive. I don’t have an issue with what ultimately happened and how. I just wish it had happened at least 1 or 2 episodes later.

 

Also, when she was talking to Lori about it being difficult as a young, attractive woman, while being away from her husband, I fully expected those pictures to be of Lori and Broussard having an affair. I'm still waiting for that.

 

You know, Sawyer’s so “good” at his job, I’m starting to think he was set up from jump, as in, Episode 1, when he was trying to sneak off and find his son, that was a set up to get him into Homeland. Between him and Lori, in the space of what, 1 week in show time, they’ve done more for the Visitors, Guests, whatever, than most of Homeland put together. I mean, really, Sawyer was the only one to figure out which one of the “looters” from the last episode was La Resistance, which led to a frack-ton of later, major consequences? Sawyer's teenage son and others were able to figure out when the radio broadcasts were, which were hiding in plain sight and no one at Homeland had figured this out? Or are they being purposely obtuse?

 

I really wanna know what the older resistance dude meant in the last episode when he said they had something that could turn the tide of the war. Because from all their fragmented, poorly thought out plans, I can’t imagine that anything they’ve got would be more than a simple nuisance to the Visitors, especially since you managed to lost half your arsenal. Just, stupid.

 

It's almost funny to me that Adrian Pasdar popped up this episode. I find this show to be frustrating in the same way Heroes was. A great concept, although done better in previous iterations, with a charismatic cast and great tag line (not so much for Colony with that tag line). Neither are particularly good shows, but there's just enough to keep you curious. I like Colony better, since there seems to be an attempt to ground it in reality, but I'm still on the fence. And I want to like this show!