S01.E12: Scientists Hollow Fortune

[Tara Ariano]

A veteran goes on a shooting rampage at a military base, leading the team to uncover a dire plot involving a scientist. Meanwhile, the veteran's actions evoke some memories for Jane regarding her curious military background.

[AshleyLyn]

Well two scenes stood out the most for me in this episode.

The dad confession scene.

Jane/Taylor switching the pens. She's withdrawing even more after what happened with Charlie.

I actually enjoyed the ep. The Weller Dad/Son scene was very well done acting in my opinion

[miracole]

I don't like any of the choices that this show makes for its main characters or its guest stars. They could have just let the doctor kill the dude if that's how they were going end his SL. I hate that they even told his mom he was alive. Now she'll have to deal with his death all over again.

Right...chain of command is a thing you all do now.

Reade, No! Run! All things Weller are weird and creepy. I don't ever want to see him having to hang out with her weird son.

Edited March 8, 2016 by miracole

[HunterHunted]

Well two scenes stood out the most for me in this episode.

The dad confession scene.

Jane/Taylor switching the pens. She's withdrawing even more after what happened with Charlie.

I actually enjoyed the ep. The Weller Dad/Son scene was very well done acting in my opinion

The dad said he tried to kill himself in the Susquehanna, but he told everyone he was out for a liquor run on Sunday and had to drive halfway to Ohio. The reason no one believed his liquor run story is 20 years ago Pennsylvania didn't have any state operated stores that were open on Sunday. Though the confession that the dad was depressed and suicidal was powerful.

Weller! Really why were you running all over the universe just to shoot the victim dead? If Jane hadn't blown him off, I'm sure the bloom would be off the rose after tonight.

[Trini]

I wish they'd stop with the faux documentary/handheld/shakycam -type filming. It's fine with action scenes, but distracting everywhere else. It was especial glaring when the soldier's mother meets her son.

 

A lot less stupid this week; however it's funny that Mayfair tells Jane/Taylor she has accept decisions she doesn't like, but just last week, Mayfair didn't accept Paterson's suspension.

 

Do not care a bit about Weller's family drama, but Black Agent is dating his sister?? Whaaa..?

 

Okay, good; a few more nuggets about Jane's backstory. But Tree Tattoo Guy's group didn't like the contractors' activities, but used their methods for the group's own needs, anyway. Okay.

 

I missed what the special super serum the evil contractor was developing.

[Free]

I wish they'd stop with the faux documentary/handheld/shakycam -type filming. It's fine with action scenes, but distracting everywhere else. It was especial glaring when the soldier's mother meets her son.

 

Agreed, the 1st few episodes were really bad with this.

[thuganomics85]

Well, it's always great seeing Gaius Charles, but of course that meant he had to get killed off with a quickness.  Well, at least he got to have a fight scene with Jane, it's just too bad it was pretty poorly shot.

 

I'm not invested in Weller's personal life to say the least, but the scene with his father was well-done, all things considering.  Jay O. Sanders did a great job and even Sullivan Stapleton was allowed to do more then just his normal growling and glaring.

 

Of course, Weller's sister is dating Reade.  Why do you do this to yourself, Reade?  You know Weller is going to act poorly when he finds out.

 

Mayfair finally decides that chain of command is important and yells at Jane for questioning her decisions (even though Weller did that like every other episode last year), so that gives Jane the nudge to continue to work with Mysterious Guy.  Also, her nifty flashbacks kick in again and this time she finds out that she apparently had deliberately failed at boot camp, in order to join this Project Orion thing.  Yeah, I've got nothing.

[krimimimi]

Well, that was slightly improved. Guess they wouldn't have integrated Gaius Charles' character anyway, so his death probably serves the story better than his life would have.

 

SS/Weller is mumbling less. and. not. constantly. breaking. up his speech. That sure helps. I don't think I was asking for much to want that gone. Can't imagine why it was there in the first place. I can't think of a single RL person or TV character who does that. It was just bizarre. Now if they can just dial back the shaky cam...

 

I honestly don't care much about fight scenes, they're when I check my mail, but if you need to include them, I prefer better camera work. I always assumed the crappy jump cuts are to eliminate the need for anyone to actually be able to do the stuff they're pretending to show, and to make the job of capturing it cheaper. Oh, look, it's an elbow! How dynamic! Would anybody actually object if they did less, but that stuff was better quality?

 

I missed what the special super serum the evil contractor was developing.

Ah, yes. The Mad Scientist's Super Secret (except for to BLID's group) Build a Better Super Soldier Serum. The screen listed amphetamines, barbiturates, benzodiazepines, opiates and ZIP. Dr. Borden and Patterson said there were stimulants and anesthetics, steroids to make him stronger, ephedrine to "sharpen mental acuity," and I guess ZIP (which might be made up?, but is the reason they think it might be linked to Jane, because that's what caused her amnesia) is supposed to be dampening his fear as a mood altering substance. I guess it's better than going with "gorilla hormones." Except it didn't work on the others, it just rendered them comatose. And the one it "worked" on, seemed pretty damn out of it and seriously unfocused to me. And he's probably a mutant. So they needed to find out why he wasn't in a coma, in order to recreate his seriously unfocused fight or flight state...

 

Honestly, the more I think about it, the less sense it makes.

[Primetimer]

Slowly, too. Nice try mollifying us with sweet guest stars, show, but: get on with it.

Read the story

[blackwing]

I'm frustrated by the fact that this episode didn't seem to advance the "mystery" at all.  Still very unclear about what Tree Tattoo Guy and his/Jane's group is all about.  What's their agenda?  Just some kind of subversive hacker group?  She continues to just blindly trust him?  Doesn't make a whole lot of sense and I'm kind of losing patience.

 

Dad Weller mentioned the Susquehanna River, so I assume Weller and Jaylor are from somewhere in central Pennsylvania.  Does Weller and his sister live in a house in Brooklyn or something like that?  I know the dad doesn't live with them, but he seems to frequently drop by.  So did he move to Brooklyn as well?  Where is Jaylor living?  Is she still in some kind of safe house?  She asked that her protective detail be removed, so wouldn't she have free reign of her movements?  Why doesn't she just move in with Tree Tattoo Guy?  It seems clear she trusts him more than she trusts the FBI.

[MissLucas]

Well, I'm glad I wasn't the only one distracted by the really shaky shaky-cam - I've never noticed it before. And the soundtrack was also pretty bad - the music was occasionally almost drowning out the dialogue.

Dad's confession was powerful - probably the best scene of the episode. Too bad it did nothing to shed light on the overall mystery. Jane had to fail some sort of boot-camp that was run by yet another black ops unit (or was that regular military) in cahoots with the late Deputy Director Tom Carter in order to join Orion. Okay.

BLID needs to work on his poker-face because I'm pretty sure Tree Tattoo Guy (TTG?) was not talking about the FBI when he told Jane not to trust 'them' (damn it people, how about using nouns instead of foggy pronouns when trying to deliver life-saving info).

Ready dating Stapelton's sister came out of nowhere - I'm sure hijinks will ensue.

[krimimimi]

MissLucas, I think the shaky cam was particularly odd this ep, because they kept cutting quickly between all close ups in shaky, and thankfully steady for the broader shots, and it felt bizarre. Even more so, because it was used in utterly non-active scenes. Grouped around a monitor! Oooh!

Also BLID = TTG. The one who originally said not to trust "them" was the (other, more heavily) "bearded guy" who got shot at Jane's apartment.

Took me a moment to recognize Reade without a suit. (I was moderately sure they were grafted on.) While I appreciate anything likely to flesh out characters, not sure Weller's family was what I meant. I'll wait and see. I thought I'd missed something there, too, it was so out of left field, but decided that was the point of the "not telling his/her *name*" scene. Which was odd anyway. I wouldn't care about a name I've never heard, so I'd have asked who the person *is* (what they're like, what they do). The name only mattered in Kurt's case, because his sister would have recognized it.

I found the scene with Weller and his father dramatic, but I wasn't sure it was the truth, because of a couple of emotional flip flops. I suspect the subject material warrants flip flopping, but the actor always delivers with a side of hinky.

[Nay]

Is it just me or is the soldier the doctor gave the injection to in the recovered recording at Northlake suppose to look like Buster from Arrested Development?

[MissLucas]

Also BLID = TTG. The one who originally said not to trust "them" was the (other, more heavily) "bearded guy" who got shot at Jane's apartment.

 

Oops, got bearded guys stalking Jane confused. You're right of course BLID is Treebeard (well he's not going to tell Jane his real name so it's fitting) other guy is just dead bearded guy (DBG).

Edited March 9, 2016 by MissLucas

[grannygeek]

Re: Jamie Alexander. My God that girl's become drop-dead gorgeous. Those close close-ups reveal not a single flaw pure skin amazing eyes. Wonder if maturity since Kyle XY is the reason or better make up?

[blackwing]

Re: Jamie Alexander. My God that girl's become drop-dead gorgeous. Those close close-ups reveal not a single flaw pure skin amazing eyes. Wonder if maturity since Kyle XY is the reason or better make up?

She is very attractive. But every time they have a close up of her face I can't stop myself from fixating on that wart/pimple (oh, excuse me, "beauty mark") near the bridge of her nose. It's like a black hole, it seems to demand my attention.

[withanaich]

 

Where is Jaylor living?  Is she still in some kind of safe house?  She asked that her protective detail be removed, so wouldn't she have free reign of her movements?  Why doesn't she just move in with Tree Tattoo Guy?  It seems clear she trusts him more than she trusts the FBI.

Mayfair agreed to remove Jane's detail if she agreed to stay in the safe house. Apparently the FBI is still following her though (she had to shake them when she went to meet BLID), so...

[torqy]

She is very attractive. But every time they have a close up of her face I can't stop myself from fixating on that wart/pimple (oh, excuse me, "beauty mark") near the bridge of her nose. It's like a black hole, it seems to demand my attention.

Yes! It's like the Talking Stain from the commercial.

She is indeed gorgeous, but could use a couple cheeseburgers occasionally.

[jhlipton]

Re: Jamie Alexander. My God that girl's become drop-dead gorgeous. Those close close-ups reveal not a single flaw pure skin amazing eyes. Wonder if maturity since Kyle XY is the reason or better make up?

 

I think your keyboard is acting up.  It typed "Jamie Alexander" when you obviously meant Ashley Johnson (or possibly Audrey Esparza).

 

Mostly joking, but I personally find Alexander, while not ugly, anything but "gorgeous".

[FinnishViewer]

There was quite a bit of continuity errors with Reed's gun during the scenes in the storage lockers location. His gun's scope kept changing just before he was attacked by the guard.

[Free]

I'm frustrated by the fact that this episode didn't seem to advance the "mystery" at all.  Still very unclear about what Tree Tattoo Guy and his/Jane's group is all about.  What's their agenda?  Just some kind of subversive hacker group?  She continues to just blindly trust him?  Doesn't make a whole lot of sense and I'm kind of losing patience.

 

Definitely, I barely care much about the back and forth Taylor Shaw reveal since nothing happened on that front.  Other than that, it's just meh.

 

Oops, got bearded guys stalking Jane confused. You're right of course BLID is Treebeard (well he's not going to tell Jane his real name so it's fitting) other guy is just dead bearded guy (DBG).

 

They all sort of blend in together.

[John Potts]

Did love the way that everyone was so convinced that whatever was going on couldn't possibly have been done by the government because it would be illegal. And they'd never do anything illegal - because that would be against the rules. And the only people allowed to break the rules are our heroes, because they've got that designated hero status (in fact I didn't understand why Jane didn't say to both Mayfair and Beardy "These could be the guys responsible for my amnesia! We need them alive!" when she was challenging their choices, even if she's wrong). And would it be so hard for Tree Tat Guy to say something useful(ish) like "Orion IS your mission - that's why you went undercover!" or something. Or as the Recap puts it: 

 

 

Sarah D Bunting You're a ninja, Jane. Grab his ear, start twisting, and don't stop until he tells you something that doesn't sound like an Emily Dickinson-brand fortune cookie.

 

 

Don't care about Beardy's personal life (though I agree his dad's confession was well handled and actually believable) so definitely didn't care that Jane stood him up. And my lack of caring goes double (OK, twice nothing is also nothing!) for who his sister is dating. They could have cut at least one scene of "Relationship stuff" (I guess it's possible it is meant to attract new viewers, but it just bores me, for the most part) and had more investigation into who the EVIL CONSPIRATORS are and how Tree Tat Guy (and Jane, apparently) found out about them. Hell, they could have had Guinea Pig soldier escape instead of dying so even if we learned nothing, there was the potential still out there (though I agree with Beardy for once: he was right to take the shot, however much Jane wanted not to kill him, he didn't seem to have a problem hurting her).