S02.E07: Jamie's Got A Gun

[shapeshifter]

Quote

Mitch digs into Jackson’s past to get the answers they need to make the cure. Also, the rest of the team hunts for evidence related to the triple helix inside a quaint English town.

Shouldn't this episode be titled, "Dariela's Got a Gun"? Anyway, in the short scene between Dariela and Jamie's camping buddy, she seemed to be phoning the lines in like she had just found out she was being written out. It's not surprising to me, the combination of that kind of soft pretty face and small stature with being a soldier/assassin in a show where the good guys have Macgyver's policy of not killing (but clunking over the head is okay)--well, I guess they couldn't logically write for her. Plus, rotating characters in and out saves money over adding a new permanent character.

Edited August 4, 2016 by shapeshifter
because this is season 2, not 1.

[slothgirl]

Best line of the episode

"Knock, knock.."

(exasperated) "No."

I loved Dariela in that moment... then they had to go ruin it by making it a Hallmark moment later on.

[ottoDbusdriver]

The title was pulled out of a writer's ass because he was listening to Aerosmith while penning the script.

Big surprise, Logan is working for Davies, never would have seen that coming. </eyeroll>

What exactly were those bugs making the noise ?  And were they eating people as well ?  And why were all those really tired people watching old movies ?  

Black panthers.  In England.  Sure, why not ?

Was Mitch's stepmom putting the moves on him before they were so callously interrupted by Dariela ?  Because that seemed to have been completely dropped.

After all his pining over Jamie for all those months when Mitch thought she was dead, and then being all pissy at Abe when they left her behind (which Mitch and Abe never really discussed all that much once Jamie came back) now they don't even seem all that interested in each other.  Maybe Mitch has a foot fetish and that missing big toe just isn't doing it for him.

It was funny watching Dariela being outmaneuvered by an 8-year-old (or however old that kid was).

So, Dariela says she will save all the people in the church and take them to the promised land, but when they go to leave there are hundreds more people that weren't even in the church.  Where did they come from ?

This episode was just a big snoozefest -- nothing really happened, not even anything really interesting in Jackson's flashbacks.  
Oh noeeesss !! Jackson burned down his father's lab -- who gives a shit ?

[shapeshifter]

33 minutes ago, ottoDbusdriver said:

...What exactly were those bugs making the noise ?  And were they eating people as well ?...

They are cicadas, which, when millions hatch at one time to mate (such as every 17 years) do make a literally deafening noise. IRL they also blanket the ground, trees, etc. and do frighten or at least gross out a high pecentage of pepople who encounter them, but they don't bite. Right now a few who didn't get the notice about the 17 year nap are driving me nuts at night outside my window when it is still above 70°F. 

I hope Logan gets offed rather than turning over a new leaf—or at least that he gets offed while turning over a new leaf.

[Free]

1 hour ago, ottoDbusdriver said:

The title was pulled out of a writer's ass because he was listening to Aerosmith while penning the script.

Big surprise, Logan is working for Davies, never would have seen that coming. </eyeroll>

What exactly were those bugs making the noise ?  And were they eating people as well ?  And why were all those really tired people watching old movies ?  

Black panthers.  In England.  Sure, why not ?

Was Mitch's stepmom putting the moves on him before they were so callously interrupted by Dariela ?  Because that seemed to have been completely dropped.

After all his pining over Jamie for all those months when Mitch thought she was dead, and then being all pissy at Abe when they left her behind (which Mitch and Abe never really discussed all that much once Jamie came back) now they don't even seem all that interested in each other.  Maybe Mitch has a foot fetish and that missing big toe just isn't doing it for him.

It was funny watching Dariela being outmaneuvered by an 8-year-old (or however old that kid was).

So, Dariela says she will save all the people in the church and take them to the promised land, but when they go to leave there are hundreds more people that weren't even in the church.  Where did they come from ?

This episode was just a big snoozefest -- nothing really happened, not even anything really interesting in Jackson's flashbacks.  
Oh noeeesss !! Jackson burned down his father's lab -- who gives a shit ?

It's getting bogged down by the 'ghost genes' nonsense and whatever the hell Jackson is supposed to turn into.  Zoo is only fun when it's crazy animal attacks/antics, otherwise it's convoluted nonsense like turning his dad into a crazy scientist or him setting things on fire.

[mertensia]

Actually people have claimed for years that the British Moors have big black cats so that part in this loopy show I  could buy.

Poor Mitch; Jackson stole his thunder by saying ghost gene first.

Die messily Logan. If you get Abe or Mitch hurt I will hunt you down myself.

[MissLucas]

Yeah, the show dropped the ball a little with regards to the British Big Cats but I appreciated the quick shot of the two fluffy Himalayan cats eating licking a lady's face. Also why were those sleep depraved folks not sleeping in the church when the cicadas kept quiet? Which happened during an awful lot of time during the episode.

The backstory with Jackson's Dad and the fire in the lab was amazingly coherent for Zoo - I'm almost impressed. Though Dad infecting his son with the ghost gene (can you infect someone with a gene? Never mind) made little sense. Unless of course Dad put more in that syringe than just the ghost gene and that's why he needs go get Jackson back now. Mitch should probably have a closer look at that scar.

Abe had to juggle the idiot ball this week. Nope, don't tell anyone that the mad Professor whose research gave you the first clues what was going on is still alive and working for your arch-enemy. Jackson's fragile emotional state is of course more important than getting him cured. Take a leaf out of Mitch's book on bed-side manners when sending someone on a trip down traumatic memory-lane. His not giving a sh*** about Jackson's Daddy issues was hilarious and made up for the lack of killer zebras (almost).

Alas, Logan is the asset - that's pretty boring. But at least we're rid of Dariela - hopefully for quite a while.

Edited August 3, 2016 by MissLucas

[mertensia]

Also, why are they walking to the safe zone? I thought it would be a, you know, car convoy.

Yeah, Mitch's yeah, yeah, yeah. Daddy issues. Got it. God! Now let's focus on finding the gene sequence. attitude was amusing.

[shapeshifter]

26 minutes ago, MissLucas said:

The backstory with Jackson's Dad and the fire in the lab was amazingly coherent for Zoo - I'm almost impressed. Though Dad infecting his son with the ghost gene (can you infect someone with a gene? Never mind) made little sense....

Since Mitch has been shown at least 3 times to have infected animals go around him instead of attack, wouldn't the first thought about why his father injected him be for protection in the inevitable animal apocalypse?

[MissLucas]

I thought the injection was to protect Jackson from getting infected (i.e. the cure) but then Mitch started to blab about anomalies in Jackson's gene sequence and that his variant of the ghost gene was not inherited. Of course it could be both at the same time: infection and cure - a Zoo-style inoculation. Except that Jackson is getting symptomatic - oops. Anyhow Papa Oz has got some explaining to do.

Edited August 3, 2016 by MissLucas

[mertensia]

Oz the Unstable probably hoped Jackson would mutate immediately and let him study Jackson in great detail.

[Slade347]

On a show that's had some terrible CGI, those panthers might haven been the worst of them all. I feel like they could have grabbed someone right off the street and they could have done just as good a job.

Sullen Jamie is just as much of a brat as she was before, although for once she did make sense about telling Mitch and Jackson about the latter's father. 

Logan is the one selling them out? Yawn. 

Hopefully, Dariela's trip lasts a long long time.

[Tiger]

I keep waiting for pandas with kung fu fighting skills, zebras that can fly, and any animal to shoot lasers out of its eyes. But instead we get polar bears, panthers, and cicsdes doing things they normally do. 

[Julie23]

Loud bugs and a couple of panthers. Yawn. Oh, and that bear from France showed up, only in time to roar menacingly and get shot with a tranq dart. ha! That poor guy just can't win. I did like "I don't give a crap if you want a break" Mitch, but the flashbacks were really not interesting. I was really hoping for some mutant animals, not boring ordinary animals.

[Dowel Jones]

It's probably just me, but when dealing with mutated and dangerous big animals in a life or death situation, I would much prefer the stopping power of an M-16 to a tranquilizer dart.

Nice nod to the Rangers real life motto:  Lead The Way.

I know that if I had gobs of money to design the interior of a gigantic jet to include space for a custom laboratory, animal cages, and hardcore SUVs, I would definitely include a nice, fully stocked bar on the upper level.  Because, damn.

[ottoDbusdriver]

Let me guess this straight -- the mother cell introduced by Reiden into the food supply sometime in the last 20 years was NOT the cause of the mutated animals, it was some doofus in 1895 who got his kicks irradiating animals with an X-ray machine that caused the formation of the triple helix ?

That's almost as stupid as the Noah initiative.

[BooksRule]

Quote

Hopefully, Dariela's trip lasts a long long time.

Didn't Logan say that the nearest refuge center was 80 miles away?  That's a really long way to walk with elderly people, children and mothers pushing baby strollers.  I also expected a car convoy.  Maybe the cars were all out of gas or the cicadas managed to gum up the engines or something.  

I guess I haven't been paying enough attention (or blocked out last season from my memory), but when they said that humans with the 'ghost gene' were all descendants of the people that had been x-rayed I got confused because I thought that Jackson got infected by being bitten by a dog.  

Edited August 3, 2016 by BooksRule

[MissLucas]

1 hour ago, BooksRule said:

I guess I haven't been paying enough attention (or blocked out last season from my memory), but when they said that humans with the 'ghost gene' were all descendants of the people that had been x-rayed I got confused because I thought that Jackson got infected by being bitten by a dog.  

Somewhere in episode 1 was a line that the mutation is not contagious but that was easy to miss. They certainly made a lot of fuss over that dog-bite. If we're generous we can call it a classic misdirect.

So it's not contagious but inherited unless your crazy-assed Dad jabs a needle full of ghost gene goo in your neck.

[thuganomics85]

Those CGI Panthers were almost as bad as the alligator episodes ago.  Hey, it at least made me laugh, which sadly has been lacking this season. They really seem to have skimped on the stupid animal attacks scenes this season, and that is actually not a good thing.  That is one of the main reasons I keep sticking with this silly show!

So, Mitch finds a way to get Jackson to relive a whole bunch of repressed memories, including finding out he was the one who originally burned his dad's early work (and help cause him to go off on the deep end), and his dad injecting him with something, and Mitch now thinks is the magical ghost gene.  Who knows at this point?

Meanwhile, Jamie find a bunch of bones of all the animals with the original triple helixes, which they hope to use to speed up the cure.  Added bonus of getting to hang out with a British priest and use this opportunity to debate religion.  My favorite!  Yawn!

Dariela has decided to stay and help the townsfolk find safety.  Don't see here being away from the team for too long.

Looks like Logan is a traitor for Davies.  Maybe he'll finally become interesting.  Doubtful, but I guess I can always hope.

[shapeshifter]

46 minutes ago, thuganomics85 said:

...Added bonus of getting to hang out with a British priest and use this opportunity to debate religion.  My favorite!  Yawn!....

I was surprised at how well this was handled in that they seemed to come to a place of mutual respect. 

The panthers looked like they were borrowed from The Lion King with maybe a bit of Fantasia in their pedigree.

[ottoDbusdriver]

2 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

Those CGI Panthers were almost as bad as the alligator episodes ago.  Hey, it at least made me laugh, which sadly has been lacking this season. They really seem to have skimped on the stupid animal attacks scenes this season, and that is actually not a good thing.  That is one of the main reasons I keep sticking with this silly show!

Yeah, where are the lesbian-hating bats, French bears with exoskeletons or killer zebras (sorry, still no killer zebras).

[Save Yourself]

7 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

Those CGI Panthers were almost as bad as the alligator episodes ago.  Hey, it at least made me laugh, which sadly has been lacking this season. They really seem to have skimped on the stupid animal attacks scenes this season, and that is actually not a good thing.  That is one of the main reasons I keep sticking with this silly show!

So, Mitch finds a way to get Jackson to relive a whole bunch of repressed memories, including finding out he was the one who originally burned his dad's early work (and help cause him to go off on the deep end), and his dad injecting him with something, and Mitch now thinks is the magical ghost gene.  Who knows at this point?

Meanwhile, Jamie find a bunch of bones of all the animals with the original triple helixes, which they hope to use to speed up the cure.  Added bonus of getting to hang out with a British priest and use this opportunity to debate religion.  My favorite!  Yawn!

Dariela has decided to stay and help the townsfolk find safety.  Don't see here being away from the team for too long.

Looks like Logan is a traitor for Davies.  Maybe he'll finally become interesting.  Doubtful, but I guess I can always hope.

The Priest was an Aussie - there was such a mix of nationalities in there! 

Edited August 4, 2016 by Save Yourself

[Dowel Jones]

15 hours ago, MissLucas said:

So it's not contagious but inherited unless your crazy-assed Dad jabs a needle full of ghost gene goo in your neck.

I was hoping he would say "I knew it was you, Jackson.  You broke my heart."  Then kiss him most un-Dad like before injecting him.

[ratgirlagogo]

On 8/3/2016 at 2:01 PM, Julie23 said:

Loud bugs and a couple of panthers. Yawn. Oh, and that bear from France showed up, only in time to roar menacingly and get shot with a tranq dart. ha! That poor guy just can't win.

Stupid candy-ass French bear.

Quote

The panthers looked like they were borrowed from The Lion King with maybe a bit of Fantasia in their pedigree.

We all WISH.  They looked like they were from the same crummy CGI program they use over on SyFy.

Edited August 4, 2016 by ratgirlagogo

[TeapotDiva]

Wow.  I feel as though I should turn in my Previously.tv Secret Ranger Decoder card.  I *loved* this episode!  Repressed memories, animal attacks, "dun-dun-DUN" reveals (yeah, I guess it was obvious that Logan was Davies's embed, but still, fun!).  Especially after last week, this was pretty cool.  Granted, that's a pretty low bar, but I felt as though this episode was a reward for watching this season's episodes so far!

[izabella]

I was debating in my head whether Davies' "asset" would be Logan or step-mom.  Even though it turned out to be Logan, I still don't trust step-mom the least little bit.  I think she is shady and is hiding all kinds of things, though I don't know what, lol,

[Netfoot]

23 hours ago, Dowel Jones said:

when dealing with mutated and dangerous big animals in a life or death situation, I would much prefer the stopping power of an M-16 to a tranquilizer dart.

Actually, I'd prefer the big slug out of a Weatherby Magnum Express to any .22 cal bullet.

22 hours ago, ottoDbusdriver said:

That's almost as stupid as the Noah initiative.

Noah is pretty stupid.  Kill all the animals and insects, and survive for ten years without food of any kind, since without animals and bugs, plant life will not survive due to lack of pollination...

[ratgirlagogo]

•  

20 minutes ago, TeapotDiva said:

Wow.  I feel as though I should turn in my Previously.tv Secret Ranger Decoder card.  I *loved* this episode!

Oh, calm down, as Joan Rivers used to say.  We all love this show, every mind-bogglingly stupid moment of it.  Almost as much as we love talking about it in this forum.

[TeapotDiva]

6 minutes ago, ratgirlagogo said:

•  

Oh, calm down, as Joan Rivers used to say.  We all love this show, every mind-bogglingly stupid moment of it.  Almost as much as we love talking about it in this forum.

RatGirlAGoGo, you take me too seriously!  Of *course* this show is ridiculous, and yet, here we all are, not only watching it but reading and commenting on a forum!  I just liked this episode *so* much more than the most recent ones, I couldn't wait to get to the forum and read about how everyone else felt the same.  And then . . . oh.  It made me feel like a bit of a Mary Sue, and *that* made me laugh, and so I was trying to comment on it with a light tone.  So difficult to convey in writing!  But of course, we're all on the same snark-loving team!

[shapeshifter]

@TeapotDiva, I liked this episode better too and was disappointed others didn't. The only thing that bugged was Logan's reveal--he's no Billy Burke when it comes to persona or acting. 

[maczero]

17 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

They really seem to have skimped on the stupid animal attacks scenes this season, and that is actually not a good thing.  

I disagree.  Last season we had several eps with no animal attacks.  This season every ep has had at least one death by animal scene.

[blackwing]

The actress who plays Dariela is truly the pits.  Her line delivery is awful.  It would be nice if she was gone from the show for good, but somehow I think we will see her leading that horde of people walking to wherever it is they are walking to.  That seems like such an idiotic idea.  The cicadas sound the clarion call to battle, and the animals attack?  If they couldn't escape the cicadas and animals in their homes, why do they think they are going to escape them on foot?  In reality, that train of walking people that stretched for 50 yards would be easy prey for the animals.

That whole village sequence made zero sense.  Why did they all have to hide in the church?  Was the church better suited to protect them?  A boarded up window wouldn't really protect them against a panther.  Also, the old lady "Rosie" that opened the door for the panther, didn't she get eaten by the panther?  I thought it jumped on her.  But I could have sworn I saw her later in one of the church pew scenes, and then in the walking horde scene she was wrapping a scarf around herself.  Unless that was a different old lady.

I really couldn't care less that Logan (formerly known to me as whatshisname) is the mole.  Maybe he can eat Jamie before he eventually dies.

[raven]

On 8/4/2016 at 0:08 PM, Save Yourself said:

The Priest was an Aussie - there was such a mix of nationalities in there! 

A cute Aussie.  I got more sparks between him and Jamie then she ever had with Mitch or Logan. 

Poor Abe, finally getting some and off goes Dariela - she doesn't bug me as much as she does the rest of you but I would rather have Chloe.  Though that big group of people - with kids and elderly - are going to walk 80 miles??  OK, show. 

On 8/4/2016 at 3:42 PM, ratgirlagogo said:

Stupid candy-ass French bear.

Hee!  That bear went down like a chump!  I guess he didn't have the super exoskeleton? 

OK, so Jackson's dad (I don't care if SCIENCE, dissecting that ferret's brain with the kid was an asshole move) worked with RG so knew about the mother cell/defiant pupil and maybe came up with the ghost gene to immunize people but hadn't perfected it and then Jackson burned down his lab?  I had a laugh at wee Jackson setting the guinea pig loose - where did it go?  Now I'm hoping for a guinea pig attack some day.

On 8/3/2016 at 9:11 AM, mertensia said:

Yeah, Mitch's yeah, yeah, yeah. Daddy issues. Got it. God! Now let's focus on finding the gene sequence. attitude was amusing.

That was great.   I love Mitch the Scientific Savant and Jackson the crazy-man subject.  More please!

The CGI panthers were entertaining and then when everyone regrouped after the attack and cute priest says that everyone was OK,  come on - I saw two people getting chomped on!  Maybe he's just not not very observant. 

On 8/4/2016 at 6:31 PM, shapeshifter said:

@TeapotDiva, I liked this episode better too and was disappointed others didn't.

Aw I liked it, but I like this show in general, as ridiculous as it can get.  Jamie has even grown on me, though I do miss when she would inevitably be the one to screw something up. 

[Lady Calypso]

Oh look, Jackson's developing super hearing and mumbling things. Honestly, I wasn't sure about having a Super Special member of the team turn into an animal, but it's James Wolk, and he's selling it, so I'm finding it more and more interesting. Having his science scenes with Mitch, and his bro scenes with Abe make the show for me, on top of the ridiculous animals. If Chloe was alive, I'd probably enjoy their scenes too. It's weird because I saw Chloe as the lead and thought I'd hate her, but it's clearly Jamie who has been the lead the entire time and Chloe had a lot of potential. 

But now we get Jamie, the 'Badass' Reporter, Dariela the Badass, and Allison, Mitch's SMILF. 

Oh look, Jackson's mom! They didn't forget about her, after all! Even if it is just in flashback. 

I don't know what they're trying to do with Mitch and Jamie. Mitch pined over Jamie for months. He drank the bar every day and night, seemingly doing nothing else. He freaked out and threw temper tantrums after he found out Jamie was alive. He got pissed at Abe for dragging him off of New Brunswick without her. And now....they haven't really spoken much, besides two conversations in two episodes? He hasn't put the moves on her? I know they have science stuff to deal with, but Jamie's throwing herself onto Logan and Mitch is having conversations with his stepmom while not actively spending time with Jamie and keeping an eye on her. 

If Jamie/Mitch are endgame for you, show, you're not doing it right. Besides, it's now official that they've been apart far longer than they were together. Jamie seems far less interested in Mitch now, while he probably could move on finally from her now that she's safe. At least, that's the hope. 

The kid from the town looks like a young Max Burkholder. 

I liked Dariela's conversation with Abe in the church. I actually like her (not as much as I did Chloe) and think her and Abe work well together. And she confessed that Jackson asked her to kill him if it got too far, so...yay for honesty, even if it's an episode late. 

I laughed really hard at Jackson wanting a break and Mitch basically saying "Deal with your Daddy Issues" and forced him back into his memories. But Jackson blaming himself for ruining his dad's work? Dude, you were eight or ten or however old you were. You had no idea. Stop the blame game and deal with it. 

I guess I liked this episode because of more Jackson, some answers being provided, and a lot less Jamie. Less Jamie immediately makes for a better episode. Maybe we can continue to shorten her time onscreen to....0 minutes each episode? No? I'll take 2 minutes, then. 

Also, the episode title? Made no sense whatsoever. 

[Save Yourself]

On 5 August 2016 at 5:42 AM, ratgirlagogo said:

Stupid candy-ass French bear.

We all WISH.  They looked like they were from the same crummy CGI program they use over on SyFy.

See the worse the CGI is the more I enjoy it!

[ottoDbusdriver]

Wait a minute ... I rolled back to watch that scene when the old woman opens the door and the animals break in.

There's a black panther, a German shepherd, 2 foxes and a brown bear -- so were all these animals idly waiting right outside that door just for the opportunity in case SOMEONE opened it  ?  How long had they been waiting ?  And how come they never went after the Zoo crew when they showed up ?

[OhioSongbird]

Tsk...tsk...Otto.  You ask too many logical questions!  Just go with the flow like the rest of us.....

Put me on the Love Train for this show.  Jackson is just drop dead gorgeous...I love Mitch's sly snark...love Abe and I liked Dariela and him together....sorry Chloe's gone...figured Logan (Mitch calling him Lionel...snerk) was the mole....still not sure about StepMom.  For me Jamie is the weak link acting wise.

I'm in, baby!

[MissLucas]

12 hours ago, ottoDbusdriver said:

There's a black panther, a German shepherd, 2 foxes and a brown bear -- so were all these animals idly waiting right outside that door just for the opportunity in case SOMEONE opened it  ?  How long had they been waiting ?  And how come they never went after the Zoo crew when they showed up ?

Crap, those were foxes! It was so much cooler when I thought they were Himalayan cats!

[Bishop]

I like Zoo, and I find it so refreshing from the rest of the crap on television right now.  Yeah, it's a bit cheesy, but it's a guilty pleasure, and I don't care about the terrible CGI.  I'm interested in the story.

I'm glad Dariella is gone because she was boring.  Her constant companion was "anger," and it got old for me very quickly.  I'm also not getting Jamie's dour puss all the time.  Since when is Mitch not relevant or important to her and she is now all about new-guy Logan who is betraying all of them by being the mole.  She basically told Mitch that she "changed" in the woods with Logan, and he has backed off.  I hope Mitch gives her the cold shoulder once Logan is outed as the traitor, although I like that Mitch has grown as a character.  

I think the show excels when it focuses on the core characters that I have grown to love:  Jackson, Mitch, Abe, and Jamie (Chloe too before they killed her off).  I thought the episode with Mitch and Jackson was great, and I was intrigued by the flashbacks.  I am curious to know why Dr. Oz injected his son.  Jackson said that after the lab was burned, his father went into a rage and couldn't be reasoned with, and it seemed to me that he was angry with his young son when he told him "I know it was you who burned down the lab," and then injected him with the ghost gene.  So why?  Was it out of revenge or did he hide the cure in his son?  That, for me, is an intriguing plot line.  The show dragged when the episode focused on Dariella and her quest to save the town.  

Tuesday's episode looks awesome - with the focus on the core characters.

Edited August 8, 2016 by Bishop

[shapeshifter]

4 hours ago, Bishop said:

...I am curious to know why Dr. Oz injected his son.  Jackson said that after the lab was burned, his father went into a rage and couldn't be reasoned with, and it seemed to me that he was angry with his young son when he told him "I know it was you who burned down the lab," and then injected him with the ghost gene.  So why?  Was it out of revenge or did he hide the cure in his son?  That, for me, is an intriguing plot line....

I'm still hoping Dr. Oz injected Jackson to protect/innoculate him against the coming plague, but I guess that would only fit if Dr. Oz's "rage" is directed elsewhere.