S01.E16: Sands, Agent of Morra

[thewhiteowl]

When Sands, Senator Morra’s deadly representative, enlists Brian’s help to eliminate an immediate threat he needs to keep secret from the politician, Brian learns Sands’ dangerous and shocking past. Also, Brian’s sister, Rachel, scrambles to cover up his abrupt side mission with Sands when the FBI can’t reach him regarding a new case.

 

 

[Big Mother]

This show!!! The combination of brilliant plot, great writing, heart, and comedy makes for a winner. I wish it were more popular than it is. It better get a season 2!

The plot thickens week after week. So Sands and Morra took out Conrad Harris. I figured as much. But didn't Sands realize Brian would find that out via the burn book?

Why isn't Sands on NZT?

[MrWhyt]

This show's #1 strength is taking on serious subject matter (Sands murdering his team mates. sex trafficking last week) and handling it in a fun (but still respectful) manner. I should have caught it sooner but it took me until the end of the episode to get that the missing kid that Rebecca et al. were looking for was Sands' kid.

[Rinaldo]

This episode had so many stylistic flourishes, I'll need to watch it again. (I did get that the kid was the same in both plots, pretty early on, but I know I missed a lot of other details.) The comic-book backgrounds (even to the main titles), the famous directors' names... I was watching out for homages to the directors in the filming of each act, but the only one that I noticed was the burst of Lawrence of Arabia - style music (complete with cymbal crash) for David Lean.

[Actionmage]

I was watching out for homages to the directors

 

There was appropriate music behind the act breaks/ chapter titles, iirc.

 

I am a casual viewer, but I am entertained every time I tune in. I watched the pilot and get snippets from the TV spots and here on the forums now and then.

 

I am now tantalized by Mr. Sands. Colin Salmon has been a favorite actor for a few years, but tonight's adventure was amazing. I have thoughts, but this is where my not watching weekly needs to be rectified. I can't fully comment on whether Sands is "changed" or not, due to unburdening himself to Brian.

 

I loved the window sill versions of Good Brian and Bad Brian. Jake McDorman is so great in this role!

 

Almost forgot: the closing title, over the reveal about Rebecca's dad was perfect. Loved all the art this episode.

[Free]

This episode had so many stylistic flourishes, I'll need to watch it again. (I did get that the kid was the same in both plots, pretty early on, but I know I missed a lot of other details.) The comic-book backgrounds (even to the main titles), the famous directors' names... I was watching out for homages to the directors in the filming of each act, but the only one that I noticed was the burst of Lawrence of Arabia - style music (complete with cymbal crash) for David Lean.

 

I like the style too, it's fun picking out the references each episode.

[Big Mother]

It just occurred to me that for a while now, the initial premise of the story has been totally scuttled. The FBI has totally abandoned finding out what causes Brian's immunity at all. And Eddie Morra hasn't been using brian at all for any purpose, nefarious or otherwise. The show has deviated from its premise, but the storyline continues to be intricate.

[krimimimi]

Love this show. It must be so much fun to work on it. Both for the actors (last week's Bollywood scene! *so much love*) or especially the prop guys. That birthday card from James the tech guy! Beautiful! Stuff like that card can go a long way to developing characters while requiring minimal screen time. I really appreciate that they do that.

The comics were also beautifully rendered. They really put a lot of love into things.

I'm a bit worried that the sister we've already been shown with a fondness for drugs will at some point investigate the record stash and try NZT on her own, but I trust the writers to make it engaging. I loved that Brian's freakout about her hookup with Ike immediately included a statement allowing for/acknowledging the possibility of a continuation of their relationship in whatever form it takes. That's nice writing. And even if his insistent "Ike-ing" may seem disrespectful, if he really didn't like or respect him, he would have cleared up the details on Ike's getting shot. Given it was Brian's sister who got slightly bamboozled there, I think that says a lot about his relationship with Ike.

I'm not sure if we should take Sands killing AgentDeb's dad as canon. I read it as something he was extrapolating from the notes. (Also because it made less sense to me that Sands would be cool with Brian perusing the book if that were the case.) And even if it was written there in black and white, which I did not see, that's still depending on someone else's (whom we have never even seen non-comatose) research and assumptions being accurate. I can totally picture an upcoming scenario where a rival faction to Morra's was actually behind the murders, and that being the reason Brian is called in by Morra to run interference with an FBI investigation into his rivals that might otherwise expose Morra's NZT use while they're casting the net wide.

It just occurred to me that for a while now, the initial premise of the story has been totally scuttled. The FBI has totally abandoned finding out what causes Brian's immunity at all. And Eddie Morra hasn't been using brian at all for any purpose, nefarious or otherwise. The show has deviated from its premise, but the storyline continues to be intricate.

Maybe, but I'm not sure about that. That exploration of his immunity should take mere minutes of his day to day. Regular blood tests really wouldn't require much of his time. Maybe once a month, tops once a week, throw him on a treadmill or run tests of his cognitive abilities, but I wouldn't expect them to show much of that at all in the show. The FBI's original concept was to give Brian NZT for experimental purposes, and have him crunch data to get more use out of those doses. If he's clearing cases for them, they're still getting more mileage out of those doses, so works for them (and me as a viewer). To me, it makes sense that he isn't the one researching his "immunity" for them, and that we wouldn't be shown the relatively boring and not particularly time consuming testing. The interesting story lies elsewhere. (imho, ymmv)

Ditto with Morra. I can see Morra popping up now and again with a job for Brian, but that doesn't mean he needs to be present regularly. In fact, the more often Brian is comprised by serving two masters, the less valuable he is to Morra. The more success Brian has with the FBI, the more useful he potentially is to Morra. Basically, I think Morra sees him as his sleeper agent.

[twoods]

The actor that plays Sands is pretty amazing. I was sad to see him go on Arrow but his character is so great on this show. One week he's threatening Rebecca and making me hate him, now I can't help rooting for him. I really hope he didn't kill Rebecca's dad.

Jason and Brian's sister were pretty cute.

That cupcake looked delish- why did you throw it away Rebecca? Don't waste good food (and your partner's money) even if you hate your birthday.

[thuganomics85]

A Brian and Sands team-up!  Sure, it's a common story to have two enemies force to team up on a case, but I really enjoyed this one due to the comic book like art (classic Limitless!), finally getting some back-story on Sands, and Colin Salmon being his normal awesome self.  All of their interactions were great.  Too bad Brian now thinks Sands actually killed Rebecca's dad due to that black book, but there might be another twist to that.  If it is true though, not only can I not see Sands making it through the season without being taken down, I really can't see how Morra isn't a complete bad guy now.  Curious to see where this goes.

 

Ha!  Jason/Ike hooked up with Brian's sister!  I knew they planted that idea he had a crush on episodes ago, but for it to happen was great.  I so hope they keep dating, especially since it gets under Brian's skin.  And I want to see Mike's reaction to this.

 

With Brian doing his own thing, I liked that Rebecca and the FBI did end up finding the kidnapper's lair on their own, and probably would have saved the kid, but they just got beaten to the chase.  But I think it continues to show that Rebecca is a good agent on her own, but Brian and his NZT just gives them an edge.

 

I get not everyone is wild about their birthdays, but I still felt bad for Boyle, when Rebecca "dropped" his cupcake.  It looked like a nice cupcake...

[krimimimi]

The opening credits were different too, weren't they?

[MisterGlass]

Yes, the comic book inserts of the main cast weren't there previously (as far as I remember).  They were a good prelude to the rest of the Kill Bill-esque Sands retrospective.

 

Sands is puzzling.  This episode revealed a level of humanity.  He showed affection for his son and jealousy over NZT being 'wasted' on Brian.  He was spying on Brian and Rebecca via the apartment camera but he seemed to have a grudging like for what he saw.  I hope he didn't participate in the murder of the NZT users, but it is hard to guess at what is true with Morra and the history of NZT.  Like krimimimi I can believe there is a rival organization involved in the NZT related power struggle.

 

A whole head pillow seems like exactly the kind of gift that Brian would both give and use.

[iMonrey]

 

I should have caught it sooner but it took me until the end of the episode to get that the missing kid that Rebecca et al. were looking for was Sands' kid.

 

Don't feel bad, I didn't catch on right away either.

 

I hope there's some follow up on the discrepancies in Brian's story because he told Rebecca he was mugged and spent several hours in the emergency room, but his sister told Ike he texted and said he'd met some woman he knew and that's why he was late. 

[Ottis]

This says more about me than the show, but I hate the bong stuff. Using a pretend drug to be supersmart is one thing. Using a bong because you have trouble with pressure is another. It makes me sad for Brian every time he uses it.

 

I should have caught it sooner but it took me until the end of the episode to get that the missing kid that Rebecca et al. were looking for was Sands' kid.

 

 

The key way back at the start of the ep was Brian saying the only way for anyone to manipulate Sands would be to have something important to him - cut straight to agents discussing kidnapped kid, who happened to be black. 

[ZoqFotPik]

 

Why isn't Sands on NZT?

Because Morra needs to be able to control him. Even on NZT, in a straight up fight, Morra would more than likely lose to a trained and experienced assassin like Sands. So the only thing he has is over Sands is the ability to out think him, to be able to anticipate if Sands will ever betray him.

 

 

 

I hope there's some follow up on the discrepancies in Brian's story because he told Rebecca he was mugged and spent several hours in the emergency room, but his sister told Ike he texted and said he'd met some woman he knew and that's why he was late.

"I sent that text from the ER and lied because I didn't want you to worry." The bigger issue is that there would be no record of him visiting an ER.

[Netfoot]

"I sent that text from the ER and lied because I didn't want you to worry." The bigger issue is that there would be no record of him visiting an ER.

 

But the real problem was, Brian shouldn't have said anything about the ER at all.  When asked where he'd been, he should have said, "Out minding my own business.  You should try it!"

[ZoqFotPik]

But the real problem was, Brian shouldn't have said anything about the ER at all.  When asked where he'd been, he should have said, "Out minding my own business.  You should try it!"

I agree he oversold it with the ER visit, but given his situation, his whereabouts are Rebecca and the FBI's business.  It also just occurred to me, that the next time he is on NZT, he can just hack a hospital's network and put in a fake record of his visit.

[MisterGlass]

 

Because Morra needs to be able to control him. Even on NZT, in a straight up fight, Morra would more than likely lose to a trained and experienced assassin like Sands. So the only thing he has is over Sands is the ability to out think him, to be able to anticipate if Sands will ever betray him.

 

I think part of this is the question of how Sands would react to NZT.  The drug tends to magnify certain personality traits.  Casey's SWAT buddy managed to kill someone out of anger and Casey ended up taking hostages inside the FBI.  I think people with ambition or a particular drive are the ones who are most likely to go rogue.  Brian on the other hand is a mild, unambitious dreamer.  He's already happy, for the most part, so he's low risk.

[Netfoot]

his whereabouts are Rebecca and the FBI's business.

 

I don't agree.  He isn't a slave.  If he is an employee, he is entitled to a certain amount of free time.  And as a consultant, he's probably officially working 9-5.  If he's a prisoner (and I see no sign of this -- he actually has FBI credentials of some sort) then he would probably have even more rights and entitlements.  

 

Sure, they can knock on his door in the middle of the night and ask him to help with a situation, but they can't demand he stay at home waiting for their knock, and they have no right to demand an accounting of his activities during his free time.

[Snarkette]

Another incredibly clever ep. I love this show. The comic book backstory and merging plotlines were perfect. Plus I kind of ship Sis & Ike now.

[FurryFury]

This is my new feel-good show, replacing Parks and Rec. I just enjoy it without trying to analyze or whatever. I just hope it won't be canceled (which seems to be likely due to declining ratings).

[iMonrey]

 

This says more about me than the show, but I hate the bong stuff. Using a pretend drug to be supersmart is one thing. Using a bong because you have trouble with pressure is another. It makes me sad for Brian every time he uses it.

 

Yeah - there's this weird dichotomy going on where the show wants to remind us that at heart, Brian is your basic slacker/stoner/man-child, with the bong and the rock posters and t-shirts, etc. Then on the other hand he takes this drug that makes him the smartest person in the world. The problem is - wouldn't one drug counter-act the other or, at least, inter-act with the other? He and his sister were getting high when Sands stopped by and demanded he take one of his NZT pills. So wouldn't the affects of NZT be different when he was stoned? Would pot make him less smart when he's on NZT? Even if not, surely there's a difference between a sober smart man and a stoned smart man. 

[Netfoot]

^^^ How do we know that NZT isn't a derivative of THC?

Edited February 26, 2016 by Netfoot

[MissLucas]

Damn, I love this show so much. The only thing painful about it are the ratings. What's wrong with people and what's wrong with critics who keep ignoring this gem?

 

Colin Salmon was great here. I really appreciate the clever story-telling because they laid out the groundwork for this episode pretty carefully by having him interact with Rebecca. His little smile at Brian goofing around with the head-pillow was amazing and heart-breaking because we all know sooner or later he'll end up in a massive conflict over Brian. Also: is that head-pillow a real thing? Asking for a friend.

[snarktini]

Also: is that head-pillow a real thing? Asking for a friend.

 

Yes! It's called an ostrich pillow. Can get them on Amazon.

 

http://www.ostrichpillow.com

[MissLucas]

He! Thanks!

[AudienceofOne]

Damn, I love this show so much. The only thing painful about it are the ratings. What's wrong with people and what's wrong with critics who keep ignoring this gem?

 

Colin Salmon was great here. I really appreciate the clever story-telling because they laid out the groundwork for this episode pretty carefully by having him interact with Rebecca. His little smile at Brian goofing around with the head-pillow was amazing and heart-breaking because we all know sooner or later he'll end up in a massive conflict over Brian. Also: is that head-pillow a real thing? Asking for a friend.

 

I think the show had a couple of poor episodes upfront (I nearly stopped watching myself because I was bored). It only really hit its stride after some people had probably turned off. It's a shame because I think the show is great and I now look forward to each new episode with enthusiasm.

[krimimimi]

This says more about me than the show, but I hate the bong stuff. Using a pretend drug to be supersmart is one thing. Using a bong because you have trouble with pressure is another. It makes me sad for Brian every time he uses it.

I think I like that they show the bong because I'm uncomfortable with it.

I have much the same reaction to the bong that you do, and I really liked the way they built up to it. There was an ep where his sister visited and smoked, but Brian didn't, and I remember making allowances that he might have just had it from back when and was sentimental. I mean, Brian didn't actually use it, right? And then they go and have him use it. Because I'm not supposed to lie to myself here. Between that and Boyle's frequently expressed misgivings, they are making me question aspects of this premise that pragmatism, regular exposure and simple laziness might allow me to ignore.

For me it helps explain why Brian is so on board with using NZT. Unlike the other users we were shown, he's not goal oriented. He's not making a killing in the market or becoming a super soldier/agent. He's having fun with Play-doh. (I see his Sherlocking as more goofy and in some respects incidental.) So beyond the threats to his well being (Morra) or continued freedom (the deal with the FBI), this helps explain why he isn't devoting every spare minute to figuring out how to get out of this. He's enjoying himself.

And it makes me question NZT more, which I think I should. Or wouldn't the logical extension of things otherwise be: antidotes and NZT for all! (Or at least a privileged few, or those who can afford it.) And if that were really considered a good development for society, why do we ban blood doping or (pushing things further) even outright doping in sports? If I'm not okay with doping, I really should be right there with Boyle, and not be okay with NZT.

Which doesn't mean that as long as I keep sight of that I can't enjoy watching Brian play.

[AudienceofOne]

Really interesting post, krimimimi. It segues nicely into my original problem with Brian as a character in comparison to somebody like Chuck. Chuck may have been recruited because he had the Intersect but Chuck was special without it not just because of it. He was extremely smart, good with computers and good with people and the Intersect worked for him because his brain had a superior capacity to process and store information. But he suffered from a lack of confidence and self-esteem. Part of the show was Chuck realising that he could be successful without a supercomputer in his brain.

 

Now take Brian. He's a nice guy. But apart from that there's nothing special about him. He can only tolerate the NZT with the injections so he doesn't even have the special physiology the FBI seems so fascinated by (but not fascinated enough by to actually do any testing on him). At first I had a real problem with this because my protagonist was so inherently flawed. But, as you noted, this potentially makes him more interesting in a show about a high-functioning drug addict.

Edited March 7, 2016 by AudienceofOne

[MissLucas]

I think the show had a couple of poor episodes upfront (I nearly stopped watching myself because I was bored). It only really hit its stride after some people had probably turned off. It's a shame because I think the show is great and I now look forward to each new episode with enthusiasm.

The switch in tone from pilot to episode 1 was dramatic and got me immediately hooked. I wasn't sure after the pilot but once I realized what they were going for I was all in. What irks me about tv critics is that some of them put their money from the get go with 'Minority Report' and dumped this show from coverage without even giving it a choice.