S01.E07: Inferno

[formerlyfreedom]

Lex ends up clashing with Capt. Scott. The data recovery center is under attack.

[ottoDbusdriver]

Bible quotes to Casey at the Bat quote -- and we are on to quotes from Dante's Inferno. How profound.  What with it being only 4 days before shit really goes down inside the cordon on Day 13.

Really ?  The gangbanger is threatening to kill Pregnoteen's mom if he doesn't get his precious satellite phone back.  And they were stupid enough to let him up the secured elevator.   Are they seriously not surprised that this guy went back on the deal -- mom for the phone.  FFS !!  These people are too stupid to live.

How did Jake get out of the elevator without the elevator going 'ding' when it got to the floor ?  Is it a stealth elevator ?  And why doesn't Jake take the fucking gun away ?  He could have turned around and gunned them all down, instead Jake lets him saunter off with the gun. And they let him keep the satphone too -- what the hell is wrong with these people ?  Did they just forget about the satphone ?

They are only now putting a buffer around the cordon wall -- what the hell have the Atlanta cops been doing all this time ?

Why in the fuck is Jake now wearing a blue bunny suit ?  Or why Jana is still wearing her dirty bunny suit ? Or why is Pregnoteen now wearing a bunny suit ?  And why does Jana insist on wearing the bunny suit everywhere OUTSIDE the clean room too ?  And now Xander is in a bunny suit.  And Pregnoteen's mom is in one too.  You get a bunny suit, and you get a bunny suit, everyone gets a bunny suit.  And sometimes they don't even have their heads covered so what is the point of even wearing the bunny suits ?  And then Jana decides to light up a fire -- that will keep things super clean.

And now the tweakers are all set to invade Bitscan.  Oh goody.

As Jake and redshirt climb to the top of the fire stairs they are immediately attacked by a tweaker -- how did the tweaker get up to the 10th floor exactly ?  And then another tweeker with an axe shows up, but they kill both of them.

The tweakers are coming up the vents -- that there is some sheer desperation for drugs.  And so incredibly stupid -- who writes this crap ?

Tony decides this is the right time for a freak out -- why exactly ?  They are pretty safe.

Even Jana gives up on the bunny suits -- finally !!

Redshirt Tony goes for an elevator ride down to the 1st floor to negotiate with the tweakers, but he is only on the 1st floor for a grand total about 7 seconds before the elevator begins to come back up.  And then we get the overly dramatic piano-accented elevator floor countdown -- FFS ! -- only to have Tony to fall out of the elevator dead with an axe in his back.  How did the tweakers manage to plunge an axe into his back in 7 seconds ?  Let alone why would Tony have been standing with his back facing the door when the elevator doors open ?  So the elevator doors opened, Tony got stabbed in the back and somehow got his face slashed and the elevator doors closed -- all in 7 seconds. How is that even possible ?  And if the tweakers are so desperate to invade the 8th floor why didn't they come up in the fucking elevator with Tony the redshirt ?  

Oh, one tweaker was hiding in the elevator for dramatic effect.  I guess he jumped in the elevator, pressed the button for the 8th floor to make the elevator go back up within 7 seconds, punch Tony in the face, spin him around and plunge the axe in Tony's back, position Tony facing the elevator doors for dramatic effect when the doors open, and then hid from view.  Seriously, these tweakers are amazing.  How are they not already running the entire cordon with these kinds of mad skillz ?

Hurrah, Tweaker boy is infected.  That's too bad, but no big surprise.  Seriously, why wasn't that elevator packed full of tweakers ?

Meanwhile, after having a dick measuring contest with the National Guard guy in charge, Lex goes searching for his father in one of the 6 shelters setup.  So are the writers trying to say that Lex's dad lived within 100 feet of the cordon all these past 8 days.  And Lex never checked on him once.  Because he is estranged from his daddy. Boo hoo.

Jake tells Jana about his love for Katie.  Which goes on way too long.  Give me a break.

Meanwhile, after everyone else has ditched the bunny suits, Pregnoteen AND her mom are still wearing their bunny suits why exactly ?  Did they not get the memo from Jana ?

The tweakers cut the power.  Seriously.  These are some motivated tweakers, who apparently took some University of Phoenix classes on HVAC and electrical engineering.  Or maybe they have been taking lessons from the xenomorphs in Aliens 2.  

And the power outage locks Susie in the airlock.  Really, that's the failsafe ?  Hopefully she isn't trapped in there too long as it might get messy soon -- she doesn't even have a bucket.

Why are there still people leaving the cordon for the shelters ?  They only expanded the safe zone by a 100 feet, not a half mile.

So the tweakers cut the power and are now climbing up the elevator shaft -- are they fucking kidding with this show ?  I can understand if these were velociraptors or ninjas or aliens, maybe, but meth-head tweakers who do nothing more than get high and ride bikes. Not happening ever.

Wait a minute -- if the airlock is the only way into Bitscan, how does Jana go out the back door to the stairwell ?  Why didn't the tweakers try that instead of, oh, I don't know, climbing up through the vents and the elevator shaft ?

Jana finds the guy who took the satellite phone dead in the stairwell -- how exactly ?   Was he killed by the tweakers, I guess ? Jana grabs the satphone and manages to call Lex (who just happens to have a satellite phone app on his phone) and gets to hear Jana beat a tweaker with the phone.  Why would Lex even have a satphone app on his smartphone  in the first place ?  Would he even know that an APD satphone was in play ?  And if these satphones were a known item, why wouldn't Lex give one to Jake so they wouldn't have to meet secretly in the container ?

Meanwhile more tweakers (how many are there of these guys ?) are pouring into the building with power tools and are cutting through the door to the 8th floor from the stairwell.

After the panicked phone call, Lex disables the electric fence and tries to pull a Xander and jump the fence but gets caught immediately.  To quote Red Forman -- "dumbass".

Jana puts a bunch of flammable chemicals in one room -- and for some reason once the tweakers all congregate in that same room "because there it is".  Where what is ?  How would these tweakers even know what could be inside the Bitscan offices ? Anywho, all the tweakers congregate around the chemicals and Jake shoots it with his gun blasting them all.  Good riddance to about 5 or 6 tweakers, but there were a lot more guys coming into the building.  And of course one plays possum to attack Pregnoteen.  Man, this is shitty writing.

This is too funny -- Pregnoteen's mom was bitten by the last tweaker.  These guys aren't rabid -- they were coherent enough to stage a coordinated attack on these people, and yet now they are turning primal from the last stages of the disease.  And Xander and Pregnoteen get mom's blessing that they will be the bestest most awesomest parents ever as she leaves to self-quarantine.  Awwwwww.

For his troubles Major Lex gets a free ride in a MRAP.

Jana still manages to decode the video files, and noticed that the satphone was APD property.  Jake goes hmmm, that's weird about the satphone.

And Jake cycles out through the airlock as he goes to leave -- but the windows were smashed by the tweakers, why doesn't he just walk out ?  And then Pregnoteen's mom does exactly the same thing.  Are the writers even aware what they wrote scant minutes ago in the episode ?

A Quentin, Katie, Thomas and Dr. Cannerts free episode.  Yay !!!!!  And the reporter was also noticeably absent.  Not to mention Claudia Black is absent yet again.  Is she even going to bother showing up for the remainder of the episodes ?  Did Claudia Black know this crapfest was going to get canceled ?

Edited May 31, 2016 by ottoDbusdriver

[NorthstarATL]

Yeah, the biting thing seemed like the writers were thinking this was a different show/outbreak. She was too outside the CW demographic to survive, so I knew not to get too attached. Even though Katie/Quentin were there in Jake's heart...and dialogue...not actually having them on my screen made for a better episode! Sure, a lot didn't make sense, but the stupid went by quickly, and that's all I ask at this point. So, Jana and Company are ready to escape the Containment and enter Atlanta next week? Checking my map to see how far I am from now....

[Muffyn]

But Katie is pretty and sweet and sweet and pretty.  That's some great dialog there.  Really got into Jake's head.  Now I know what he sees in her.  He sounded like he was mimicking the Panera soup and salad and salad and soup commercial.

OttoDbusdriver pretty much said it all. How the hell did the wonder tweakers do all of this?  How did the numbers keep going up and down? How the hell was red shirt guy stabbed in the back and propped against the elevator door?  Why did they do all of this?  How the hell did they know this place was there?  Why? WHHHHHHYYYYYYYYYYYY????????

This show makes no sense at all.

Oh, and I am pretty damn sure we were supposed to care that preggo's mom was bitten.  I don't care.  I don't care at all. 

[NorthstarATL]

1 hour ago, Muffyn said:

 

OttoDbusdriver pretty much said it all. How the hell did the wonder tweakers do all of this?  How did the numbers keep going up and down? How the hell was red shirt guy stabbed in the back and propped against the elevator door?  Why did they do all of this?  How the hell did they know this place was there?  Why? WHHHHHHYYYYYYYYYYYY????????

 

I know why! THIS is what happens when you take away people's cell phones and internet! It's all Claudia Black's fault! These folks would be docile and happy if they had something to pass the time. THAT is the lesson I am taking away.

[Texasmom1970]

16 hours ago, NorthstarATL said:

 Even though Katie/Quentin were there in Jake's heart...and dialogue...not actually having them on my screen made for a better episode! 

Exactly, I told my daughter who we grudgingly watch this together since we are not quitters not matter how shitty it gets. I know we have issues thank heavens we won't have to endure another season. 

Not that this episode was good but it was much more tolerable without watching Katie. She by herself annoys the hell out of me throw in Jake, who apparently falls in love within like two hours of meeting someone and it is nauseating!

How many more episodes of this crap do we have? I might have to take up drinking to get through!

[Shannon L.]

What exactly do they do in that office?  They said last night something about data recovery, but they have those suits (with masks?  Or did I imagine them?), all those chemicals and something that the tweakers wanted (drugs of some sort?)?

Sorry if this has been answered a dozen times on the show--I keep drifting in and out of it.

The mother wanted her child to go to the hospital?  I know childbirth can be risky, but I would take the chances of having the baby there as opposed to trying to cross town with all of the criminal activity and exposure to the virus to get to a hospital that is probably crawling with people who may or may not be sick. 

And Jana--I know it's scary and getting dangerous, but what does she think will happen if she's caught trying to get out of the cordon?

The best part of last night's show was watching them McGuyver their way out of a dangerous situation.  It was like a weak version of Die Hard.

OtterDbusdriver-I loved your whole post.  It made me laugh.

[AnnaMayWong]

So, now "Walkers" are on the show❓❓

[xaxat]

Not much to add. In addition to being stupid, this show is boring.

Why am I not surprised that there was no plot advancement on the only two things that matter. The conspiracy (Ooooohh. There's an APD phone in the zone!!!) and the effort to find a cure. Remember the kid who says he doesn't get sick? Neither do the writers apparently.

It's also frustrating that, with only two episodes (?) left, the show is apparently going to end with the riots that were shown in flashback during the premier. So these hours will have been for nothing.

Edited June 2, 2016 by xaxat

[raven]

Wow this show is bad.  I was originally looking forward to it too.  I like the guy playing Lex; that's the only positive I've got. Some of the emotional beats work (like when he was talking to the guy who chained himself into the building).  Can't stand the teacher; how many kids have got loose under her watch now?  Plus the actress is terrible. The other cop guy is OK and his bonding scenes with Lex are OK. 

I just can't get past the "not enough food, safety personnel and doctors" thing; I mean, this isn't the zombie apocalypse, civilization is right there people!!!  Outside the damn cordon.  It would just never happen this way and I don't care enough about these people to try to forget those huge, glaring facts.  A little girl is wandering around starving and too bad, so sad??  Plus why doesn't anyone wipe their disgusting bloody faces?

Stupid show.

[izabella]

I keep thinking this show is dumb, but then I remember we didn't do so well at taking care of people in New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and the broken levies. 

I guess the good news is Jana repaired the corrupt thumb drive?

[Adira]

I'm surprised at the number of you (all of you???) that watch this show and seem to hate it!  Just stop watching, people!

I like it and I missed Katie this week.  I like her.

I didn't understand how many people were attacking the BitScan place though.  When Jana was getting the backup generator to run, she saw tons of people swarming into the building.  But then there were only about 5 that they blew up?  And it seemed like that was all of them?  And that door to the stairs is now useless and anyone can get in that way now.  I'm not sure I'd want to stay there unless they think all the druggies from the garage are gone now?

I'm hoping we see what was on the thumb drive next week!

[NorthstarATL]

They're not staying there. Jana was all set to escape the cordon at the end of the episode. Unfortunately, I think she means to take the rest of them with her.

[laserlady]

14 hours ago, Adira said:

I'm surprised at the number of you (all of you???) that watch this show and seem to hate it!  Just stop watching, people!

I make fun of the show, but I like it too.  For me, it's endearingly stupid.  Sort of like Jake, bless his lheart.

[raven]

On 6/2/2016 at 1:13 AM, izabella said:

I keep thinking this show is dumb, but then I remember we didn't do so well at taking care of people in New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and the broken levies. 

Well I'm always up for some government incompetence but in the case of the show, they basically imprisoned these people with not enough food, security and medical care and took away outside communications.  It's just a bit too much for me personally to wave away.  The parents of the kids (at least parents I know) would be storming the place or screaming at officials. 

For me it's a bit more frustrating because I've liked Lex since the beginning and I've grown to like Jana - you can actually watch her becoming more confident (she was always assertive).  I did like her figuring things out this last one and being instrumental in setting the traps, being the one to start the generator, all that stuff.  And thankfully she grabbed the thumb drive; I was totally expecting it to be toast.

Then I get frustrated at Jake not at least taking the guy's gun away, or at least knocking him out, they just let him wander off...?and everyone attacking the place was just silly. 

Quote

 I guess he jumped in the elevator, pressed the button for the 8th floor to make the elevator go back up within 7 seconds, punch Tony in the face, spin him around and plunge the axe in Tony's back, position Tony facing the elevator doors for dramatic effect when the doors open, and then hid from view.  

Maybe he had help from the rats from Zoo!

Edited June 4, 2016 by raven

[thuganomics85]

No Katie certainly gave this episode an edge.  And I was cracking up over Jake's reasons for falling for her being really close to just "Well.... she's pretty!  And not infected!  And pretty!  Did I mention she was pretty?!"  And then he went into that silly "She's tough, but vulnerable!  She takes care of me, but lets me take of her too!"  Oh, Jakey!

Fucking hell, those were some smart-ass Tweakers.  Whatever they were on was powerful as hell, because they were craftier then I ever expected.  Still got taken out at the end, but they put up a good fight.  Even took out one of the annoying guys, and likely Teresa's mom too, who was clearly doomed since she was over thirty

Oh, look.  Lex hangs with his distanced dad for a bit, and decides to try and break into the Corden, but fails spectacularly.  The recent Lex stuff has kind of been dull lately.

[Netfoot]

1 hour ago, raven said:

Maybe he had help from the rats from Zoo!

Just think!  In a month we'll be able to enjoy Zoo and Containment on the same night!  My brain will turn to custard.

[DoubleUTeeEff]

On 6/1/2016 at 7:23 AM, Texasmom1970 said:

Not that this episode was good but it was much more tolerable without watching Katie.

I think this was the best episode of the season so far (not that that is saying much) and a large part of it was due to the absence of Katie.  Unfortunately, we still had to hear Jake talk about her.  I almost vomited when he described her as vulnerable but tough.

The whole "crazy tweaker gang needs chemicals to make more drugs" thing was dumb as hell.  That said, I did enjoy the episode being mostly contained to the threat to the data recovery center group and Jana kicking ass and taking names.  I'm glad the mother is gone because I'm tired of the depiction of her being such a harpy when in reality, she's right.  Those two shouldn't have a kid.  Anyway, it's a relief that conflict is gone and we don't have to watch it any more.

I think I will like watching Jana try to get them out of the cordon.  I wonder how long Lex will be stuck in jail.  I am glad this is only one season.

[holly4755]

oh missing plot point - can the rats get out? I mean they are not watching too carefully,. and can those rats carry the disease?

[Jordan27]

Otto, great post.  You said most of the things I was going to say....but....

..how come Jake didn't just shoot the bad guys when they got off the elevator.  Why this elaborate plan of letting them congregrate in a room and shooting some explosive element.  The thugs had axes and there were about 5 of them and he has a gun.  Boom, boom, problem solved. 

What is with the blue suits?  Some wear them, some don't.  Some wear them sometimes.  Some don't.

And yes to another poster...why don't they or someone wipe the blood off their faces?  It's done for dramatic effect, but no one would sit there with blood pooling on their face and not wipe it.

This show is really bad and is only good for snarking.  What a waste of beautiful Atlanta, GA.  Glad Walking Dead did a better job.

[AudienceofOne]

On 6/4/2016 at 9:57 AM, raven said:

For me it's a bit more frustrating because I've liked Lex since the beginning and I've grown to like Jana - you can actually watch her becoming more confident (she was always assertive).  I did like her figuring things out this last one and being instrumental in setting the traps, being the one to start the generator, all that stuff.  And thankfully she grabbed the thumb drive; I was totally expecting it to be toast.

Jana is becoming my favourite character. Actually this show does not want for strong female characters, I have to say that for it. Teen Mum is surprisingly good too.

As for this episode - was this originally supposed to be a zombie show and somebody forgot to rewrite this episode?