S02.E10: Take The Shot

[formerlyfreedom]

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Mayhem on the ship sheds light on some crew members' dark pasts.

 

[wanderingstar]

What do Androids dream of? Sex with hot men apparently.

I loved this episode. Loved everything about the hallucinations - Three's hallucination of Sara was especially suspenseful.

So, is that the third or fourth time Six has saved Three's life?

And I think they've done a great job of integrating Nyx into the crew (loved how she and Six were just chillin' in the mess when Five called them). 

Despite all his snark, Three obviously has some affection for the Android.

Looks like Four is thinking about accessing his memories. I have a feeling we're going to Zairon before this season is over.

Edited September 3, 2016 by Gillian Rosh

[Chaos Theory]

So do Androids dream of electric Sexytime?

I knew Red Android was up to no good.  She was just way to adamant about killing Android.

The hallucinations were extremely telling.  Three still in love and four questioning his next move.  Both were very well done.

[ottoDbusdriver]

I missed the last few minutes -- did they ever figure out WHERE the virus came from ?

Was it from the upgrade that Android got from the other androids ?

I'm assuming Two survived the electrical discharge.

[call me ishmael]

Shouldn't the Android have woken up mext to Anna Silk?

[iRarelyWatchTV36]

I guess the future has arrived.............  yes, I'm talking about the viability of sex robots.  Wasn't aware that the viability now contained the possibility of robots pleasing each other, though.  That's a new one.

Was hoping we'd get a hint as to who's on the AU!Marauder - not that we really need any, IMO - but still would have been nice to get a teeny-tiny glimpse into the fact that the crew hasn't totally forgotten about it until PLOT! demands they remember that little incident after coming back from the AU.

What was the point of AU!Trufeau uploading the virus?  Did it have a tracker for them to the Raza in its own universe??  I guess it would have had real, and severe, consequences had Three not been stopped from plastering his brains all the walls of his room, but those hallucinations were only the result because of the neural links embedded in the ship's computer systems.

[thuganomics85]

Pretty cool getting an Android-centric episode this time.  Interesting that she apparently is starting to dream now in the charging station, and that apparently it's about being with some guy.  Go Android!  Also seeing out the crew reacted to finding out she had a made a minor mistake her her program change, and how they do hold her to a different standard, because she's a robot.  When anyone else messes up, it's understandable since they're human, but they expect the Android to be perfect.  But they seem to be coming around at the end.

Totally knew Red Android was up to something (credit to Zoe Palmer, who was still robotic, but just had the right amount of menace in this version compared to the norm), and that she would be involved with the virus somehow.  The hallucinations bit was a fun touch.  Cool seeing Ellen Wong's character again and Sara.  I did think it was strange that Two saw a bunch of faceless henchmen, instead of Rook himself.  I guess they only had Wil Wheaton for one episode.  But it shows that Three is still not over Sara, Two is still fearful that she could get recaptured by Rook, and Four feels like he has abandoned his planet.

Even though I doubted the Android was going anywhere, the scene of them almost shooting her was well done.  I know he can be mainly a comedic role a lot of times, but I thought Anthony Lemke really sold Three's faux bravo at first, and then conflicting emotions, once he was given to go ahead to pull the trigger. 

A bit too pat that Two's new upgrade just happens to end up saving her from what normally would have been a killing blow, but whatever.  I'm not going to complain about any way to keep Melissa O'Neil around.

[zxy556575]

I hope we don't have to wait until next season to find out who's in the Marauder. Maybe it will be the finale cliffhanger as Corso suddenly appears again? I'm also still wondering what happened to Devon.

The show has such a cavalier way of whipping characters in and out that I was kind of afraid Android really might be killed. Not deactivated! Killed.

[FurryFury]

Kind of a filler TBH. I expected to learn more about black goo and the Marauder, plus Devon's fate, but I guess everything's going to be crammed into the 2 part finale.

I did appreciate seeing the hot male Android again. Yowza.

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I missed the last few minutes -- did they ever figure out WHERE the virus came from ?

I don't think so. It annoyed me.

[ottoDbusdriver]

Just now, FurryFury said:

I don't think so. It annoyed me.

Finally caught the last couple of minutes -- so Five's best guess is that it came from AU!Trufeau, but that's only a guess.  My money is still on the upgrade from the other androids contained the virus, since Android started having dreams at nearly the same time that the virus kicked in.  Coincidence ?

[FurryFury]

I had the same thought about the other androids, too.

[DearEvette]

I like how each episode seems to be about examining a particular character, either their background or filling in pieces about the character.  This time it was Android's turn.  Sure not a lot of forward movement on overall plot, except of course the stuff with Four and hinting rather largely that the Raza may soon be involved with the fate of his planet.  And the genesis of the virus in the first place.  Where did it really come from and what was the real purpose for it beyond the possible destruction of Android?

But Zoie Palmer really killed it in this episode.  Nice nuanced portrayal there.  As Android she continues to show how she's developing beyond just her robotic programming, but she's doing it in increments.  When she is dreaming in that fab house with her boyfriend, she still isn't quite human, not like when she had the chip.  She continues with the mechanical mannerisms of the android, but softened up just a little. Then as the Red Android she is completely robotic, nerveless, but with just a hint of  AI menace that hovers under all portrayals of AIs, but you aren't quite sure is real or not. Until of course she tips right over in the end.  So yeah, well done by her!

I am liking the running gag of Two saving Three's life.  Especially since Three is the one that gave him the most grief after they broke out of the prison.

Two hours next week! 

[Loandbehold]

9 hours ago, call me ishmael said:

Shouldn't the Android have woken up mext to Anna Silk?

We can but hope it's in a DVD deleted scene.

[Latverian Diplomat]

Clearly "who planted the virus" wasn't what the writers were interested in. I suspect the idea came first and then they brainstormed "who could have done it" after, and AU!Truffaut was the only one who had lengthy access to the right systems. Her motive, an insurance policy to make sure they didn't get "away with it" still works OK for me though.

Personally, though, I would have been fine if the virus had just been Red getting out of hand. "You programmed me to warn you if you were defective, but you won't listen. Maybe killing some of the crew will be a 'warning' you will listen to? Maybe being destroyed is a 'warning' you will listen to?" When it comes to programming AIs, you have to be careful what you ask for.

Edited September 6, 2016 by Latverian Diplomat

[Clanstarling]

1 hour ago, FurryFury said:

Kind of a filler TBH. I expected to learn more about black goo and the Marauder, plus Devon's fate, but I guess everything's going to be crammed into the 2 part finale.

I initially thought the hallucinations were the result of the black goo.

42 minutes ago, DearEvette said:

But Zoie Palmer really killed it in this episode.  Nice nuanced portrayal there.  As Android she continues to show how she's developing beyond just her robotic programming, but she's doing it in increments.  When she is dreaming in that fab house with her boyfriend, she still isn't quite human, not like when she had the chip.  She continues with the mechanical mannerisms of the android, but softened up just a little. Then as the Red Android she is completely robotic, nerveless, but with just a hint of  AI menace that hovers under all portrayals of AIs, but you aren't quite sure is real or not. Until of course she tips right over in the end.  So yeah, well done by her!

I agree - and I haven't been a fan of Zoie Palmer. I'm warming up to her - maybe she's modified my programming.

[Chaos Theory]

It's possible the who planted the virus is a mystery that will be dealt with later.  My money is on the other androids who have the special human chip who did it as a way to make Android see that humans would never see her as one of them.  i  thinking the show is building toward a RobotWar type thing with Android needing to chose a side.

[sjohnson]

Android's modifications make her imperfect (weak,) but is more fun and way cooler. The gang's amnesia makes them morally better but leave them imperfect (weak.) Their current situations are in a sense opposite. When the gang endorses Android as is, they are basically saying that rebooting their personalities was wrong. And the virus essentially puts them into a dream world where the consequences of their modification plays out. Android's modification makes her human. She rejects it to save the crew. Two and Ryo dream-die because they are now weak, due to their amnesia. Three would basically die to go back to before.

As to what our character learn from these hallucinatory epiphanies? It was I think fitting that the only one who was unhappy with who she had been, Portia Lin, rewrote Android to become someone else, someone independent. Equally, it is fitting that Ryo realizes he wants to go back to who he was. (I think the show plans to have his memories of the comradery on Raza provide him with a conscience.) 

I do not understand why Emily/5 doesn't do the supergenius hacker thing this episode, except physical jeopardy, must have. 

[Black Knight]

Three talks the blusteriest game of anyone, but when it comes down to it he's a softie at heart. He probably would've stood there all day trying to make himself take the shot if Two hadn't contacted him to stand down. I was shocked that he could be talked into killing himself, though. I figured they would push that scene pretty far, but not that he would actually fire the gun. It really said something about how difficult he truly finds it to live in this harsh universe. If he takes his memories back (more on that in a moment), the reason appears to be that in lieu of just checking out, he wants to go back to a hardened version of himself who clearly could live in this harsh universe - not just live in it, but actively enjoy it. He saw that parallel Three was having a pretty damn good time.

And in contrast, we have Four, who's been choosing not to take his memories back because he doesn't want to be parallel Ryo. He wants to help Zairon, but not at that cost. But the hallucination's getting him to sack up, stop being afraid - just because he takes his memories back doesn't mean he has to be Ryo again, not if he's truly determined to remain a different, better person. One thing that helps in his case is that, unlike Two and Three, he was an adult when everything went bad. Two was treated horrifically from the very start of her life, and aside from a little Stockholm Syndrome-ish bonding with one person, never experienced any kindness; Three had a loving family but lost it to murder and was taken to be raised by a murderer/criminal, to be one himself, when he was still a child. But Four had a good childhood and seemed like an okay guy before he was framed and forced to flee his planet. Two and Three had formative traumatic childhood experiences (Rebecca was for all intents and purposes a child when she was first created) that were extremely negative and instrumental in warping their psyches, Four did not. It will be easier for him to combat darker impulses in a quest to be a decent person than for Two and Three.

Now, the question is, we know Four backed up his neural imprint onto a drive - but did he back up Two's and Three's as well? He was sent there with instructions to delete all their neural imprints so they couldn't be attacked through them anymore by the virus. He deleted them from the main computer, but at least copied his onto a separate drive first, which is his right - those are his memories. But Two's and Three's are a thornier ethical situation. If he saved theirs too, he needs to tell them. I feel like he must have saved them just because then the threat of their getting their memories back - and in Two's case in particular that really is a threat - remains extant. But it kind of feels like something Four wouldn't do, at least not without telling Two and Three. They should have control over their neural imprints just like Four has control over his.

Two and Five's argument early on thrilled me: Five calling Two on not telling the crew earlier about being sick (something Five would definitely take the most personally), their discussion of Portia's modification of the Android and the reasons why she might've done such a thing, and who Portia was as a person. It was a particularly well-written conversation. I also liked Two and the Android's conversation right after the first dream. It was a small, but good, touch that Two asked if the dream was nice, showing that Two does relate to the Android on a personal level. BTW, I laughed when the Android's first dream was rudely cut short just as it was getting really good. After all, it's only fair that it should happen to androids too. Heh. I also enjoyed the first group scene with the crew, Android and simulation, and the crew's assorted reactions to the Android and simulation arguing - Three telling them both to shut up, Two playing amused referee, everyone else different shades of boggled.

And it was another showcase for Zoie Palmer. I know I should feel it a touch unfair that the Android has gotten two episodes this season when Four is still waiting to get one - although it seems like that should change shortly (everyone but Four has had at least one now) - but ZP is just so good in this part I can't complain. I liked how she subtly modulated her performance in the dreams so that the android-ness of her increased or decreased based on what was going on.

I think Five's explanation that it was parallel verse Truffault makes sense. That Truffault was established to be worse than this universe's Truffault, definitely the sort of person who would be vindictive about ending up on the losing side, and it ties in with the Android hearing in her dream that the Mikkei corporation was about to kill the Raza crew. I don't think it had anything to do with the upgrade - the Android would be able to diagnose that - or the black goo, which I believe was spaced just like was shown. I know people were surprised the black goo was dealt with so quickly, but I think its purpose was to set up a larger plot for later: We know from Two and Three's conversation in the last episode that the black goo got her wondering what Rook is up to. And Rook certainly must be up to something, given that he's creating super-soldiers and black goo monsters and who knows what else. Most likely the super-soldiers and monsters are for a corporation, and maybe they're intended to play a part in the war over Zairon, which would thus tie Two's story with Rook into Four's story with Zairon.

Three has now completely resigned himself to Six saving him every episode. He didn't even bother to complain about it this time!

ETA: I forgot to mention another nice detail showing Six's growing re-integration into the crew: When Six points out Four probably should not be walking around with his sword, Four makes a point of handing his sword over to Six rather than Nyx, who's also standing right there. It was Four's nonverbal way of showing that he trusts Six again.

Edited September 3, 2016 by Black Knight

[Wouter]

19 hours ago, Gillian Rosh said:

What do Androids dream of? Sex with hot men apparently.

I loved this episode. Loved everything about the hallucinations - Three's hallucination of Sara was especially suspenseful.

So, is that the third or fourth time Six has saved Three's life?

And I think they've done a great job of integrating Nyx into the crew (loved how she and Six were just chillin' in the mess when Five called them). 

Despite all his snark, Three obviously has some affection for the Android.

Looks like Four is thinking about accessing his memories. I have a feeling we're going to Zairon before this season is over.

I also loved this episode, which I felt was a suspenseful thriller! It was clear Misaki and co were imaginations, but there was real tension involving the fate of the Android. Since the Android had been modified by the "underground emotional Android brotherhood", there was a possibility the Red Android was telling the truth as she believed it to be, so I wasn't quite sure until near the end how it would turn out. Mallozzi and co have succeeded in making me jumpy, after One and (probably) Devon.

14 hours ago, lordonia said:

I hope we don't have to wait until next season to find out who's in the Marauder. Maybe it will be the finale cliffhanger as Corso suddenly appears again? I'm also still wondering what happened to Devon.

The show has such a cavalier way of whipping characters in and out that I was kind of afraid Android really might be killed. Not deactivated! Killed.

Another possible - bad - outcome would have been the Android getting reactivated right before the crew decides they need to kill it, or at least right after the counter-order (not to take the shot) was given but they were all armed up near her. Could have led to a situation were the Android decides to join her Android friends. Happy that wasn't the outcome.

9 hours ago, FurryFury said:

Kind of a filler TBH. I expected to learn more about black goo and the Marauder, plus Devon's fate, but I guess everything's going to be crammed into the 2 part finale.

It's one hell of a filler episode then, and as far Four and the Android went, this episode is probably crucial to how things will turn out. Four seeking out Zairon is guaranteed now, while Android and human crew seem to have bonded more than ever before.

I believe that we get a double episode next time, and then a single-episode finale the week after.

4 hours ago, sjohnson said:

Android's modifications make her imperfect (weak,) but is more fun and way cooler. The gang's amnesia makes them morally better but leave them imperfect (weak.) Their current situations are in a sense opposite. When the gang endorses Android as is, they are basically saying that rebooting their personalities was wrong. And the virus essentially puts them into a dream world where the consequences of their modification plays out. Android's modification makes her human. She rejects it to save the crew. Two and Ryo dream-die because they are now weak, due to their amnesia. Three would basically die to go back to before.

As to what our character learn from these hallucinatory epiphanies? It was I think fitting that the only one who was unhappy with who she had been, Portia Lin, rewrote Android to become someone else, someone independent. Equally, it is fitting that Ryo realizes he wants to go back to who he was. (I think the show plans to have his memories of the comradery on Raza provide him with a conscience.) 

I do not understand why Emily/5 doesn't do the supergenius hacker thing this episode, except physical jeopardy, must have. 

Emily's superhacker abilities obviously only go as far as the plot demands, allthough I'm very willing to forgive the shows writers for that. At least she was still the one who came up with the crucial info that stopped Two and co from making a very unfortunate mistake.

Interesting observations on the parallels between the amnesia and the modifications. I agree that it looks like Four will take back his memories (and probably use the blink drive, with or without approval of the others) but retain a conscience by retaining his post-amnesia memories as Four as well.

28 minutes ago, Black Knight said:

And in contrast, we have Four, who's been choosing not to take his memories back because he doesn't want to be parallel Ryo. He wants to help Zairon, but not at that cost. But the hallucination's getting him to sack up, stop being afraid - just because he takes his memories back doesn't mean he has to be Ryo again, not if he's truly determined to remain a different, better person. [...]

Now, the question is, we know Four backed up his neural imprint onto a drive - but did he back up Two's and Three's as well? He was sent there with instructions to delete all their neural imprints so they couldn't be attacked through them anymore by the virus. He deleted them from the main computer, but at least copied his onto a separate drive first, which is his right - those are his memories. But Two's and Three's are a thornier ethical situation. If he saved theirs too, he needs to tell them. I feel like he must have saved them just because then the threat of their getting their memories back - and in Two's case in particular that really is a threat - remains extant. But it kind of feels like something Four wouldn't do, at least not without telling Two and Three. They should have control over their neural imprints just like Four has control over his.

Two and Five's argument early on thrilled me: Five calling Two on not telling the crew earlier about being sick (something Five would definitely take the most personally), their discussion of Portia's modification of the Android and the reasons why she might've done such a thing, and who Portia was as a person. It was a particularly well-written conversation. I also liked Two and the Android's conversation right after the first dream. It was a small, but good, touch that Two asked if the dream was nice, showing that Two does relate to the Android on a personal level.

I agree, the conversation between Two and Five was excellent and shows that the writers know and respect their characters. Five did suggest that Portia may have done it out of kinship, which was the explanation that some of us came up with as well. This may be something that the show may explore further, in later episodes or seasons. If Four did save the imprint from Two and Three there could be a definite explanation, but I suspect he only saved his own.

It's also nice that Two has that little flaw of mild hypocrisy at times, it keeps her believable as an imperfect human being. It makes sense that that whirring saw (almost used on her at the tail end of S1) would feature in her nightmare.

Four's hallucination tells us that he really feels that he can make a difference as Emperor of Zairon. A bit curious, since he doesn't show much leadership aspiration on the Raza, but he may have a point still if the current leadership is as bad as he thinks it is.

[Latverian Diplomat]

5 hours ago, sjohnson said:

As to what our character learn from these hallucinatory epiphanies? It was I think fitting that the only one who was unhappy with who she had been, Portia Lin, rewrote Android to become someone else, someone independent. Equally, it is fitting that Ryo realizes he wants to go back to who he was. (I think the show plans to have his memories of the comradery on Raza provide him with a conscience.) 

 

I don't remember if it was mentioned whether the old imprints would integrate with their current personalities, or displace them. If Ryo can't be sure his new self will be in the mix, that's a reason to hesitate. 

[Black Knight]

1 hour ago, Wouter said:

I also loved this episode, which I felt was a suspenseful thriller! It was clear Misaki and co were imaginations, but there was real tension involving the fate of the Android. Since the Android had been modified by the "underground emotional Android brotherhood", there was a possibility the Red Android was telling the truth as she believed it to be, so I wasn't quite sure until near the end how it would turn out. Mallozzi and co have succeeded in making me jumpy, after One and (probably) Devon.

Yes, I was genuinely nervous too, especially since due to the nature of the Android it doesn't require writing Zoie Palmer off the show (and unlike Marc Bendavid, who was easily outshined by everyone else and very much the weak link in the cast, ZP's departure would be a real loss). Although intellectually I knew it was unlikely, there was still the possibility that the writers would think it interesting to have the Android set back to original factory settings and then have a whole discussion about whether to modify her at all again, what modifications to do if so, etc. And then a modded Android 2.0's reaction to learning she's 2.0 and why. And in all honesty, that all actually would be interesting, but I didn't want to lose the Android we already have.

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It's also nice that Two has that little flaw of mild hypocrisy at times, it keeps her believable as an imperfect human being.

Yes, I really appreciate that Two is shown to be an effective leader and good person without being ridiculously perfect. She doesn't have all the answers - she couldn't ultimately couldn't figure out a way to avoid giving up Nyx's brother, for instance, not that anyone else could either, but it was ultimately Two's responsibility as the leader - and she has believable flaws.

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Four's hallucination tells us that he really feels that he can make a difference as Emperor of Zairon. A bit curious, since he doesn't show much leadership aspiration on the Raza, but he may have a point still if the current leadership is as bad as he thinks it is.

You've hit on the reason why Four, of them all, is the one who has always felt to me like he's essentially marking time on the Raza. When they all came out of the pods, he seemed to me like the sort of person I would expect to contend for the leadership position. The fact that he never did told me that he wasn't interested because he doesn't see his future as being on the Raza, unlike the others. If Two had proven herself to be a lousy leader, then Four might've stepped up, but she's been a good one and so there's no need.

This brings up something I'm kind of worried about - whether Four will continue to be a regular character in future. I don't want to lose him. He's the easiest to lose in the sense that he gets the least airtime of the originals, and maybe that's deliberate because the writers know the natural course of the Zairon story is that he goes back there, but I'd miss him. But unless Zairon gets blown up, I don't see how they can avoid Four leaving the Raza for good. Hopefully we'd still see him in the occasional episode - parallel Two and Three were still evil friends with parallel Four, after all.

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I don't remember if it was mentioned whether the old imprints would integrate with their current personalities, or displace them. If Ryo can't be sure his new self will be in the mix, that's a reason to hesitate.

None of the characters know for sure what will happen; neither does the audience. When the Android told Two, Three and Four about the neural implants she made clear that it was an open question who they'd be afterwards. It's absolutely a reason why Four has hesitated, since he really doesn't want to be his old self (same for Two). I've said before that I think - should Two, Three and Four all recover their memories at one point or another - the exact mixture of their "blended selves" will vary by the individual. My prediction is the Two we know would all but vanish (which is why I keep referring to Portia as being the Angelus of the show), Three would be 50/50 (maybe pulled a little more over to his new self than his old self than he otherwise would be by the fact that he listens to Two, who so long as she's Two is a strong positive influence on him), and Four would be like 80% his current self, for the reasons I gave above (he was an adult when he turned into a ruthless bad guy, he didn't have formative experiences in childhood that warped him).

We're probably out of time this season, unless it's to be the big season cliffhanger, but Two with her memories back is what I'm waiting most for. I really feel like if/when that happens they will either have to kill her, or reset her to original factory settings (ha) by erasing all her memories again, and then hopefully having a neural imprint backup of Two that they can then install into her brain.

Edited September 4, 2016 by Black Knight

[sjohnson]

It seems to me that being raised to be emperor would be as damaging to your character as being raised as a slave master. 

[formerlyfreedom]

16 hours ago, FurryFury said:

but I guess everything's going to be crammed into the 2 part finale.

Next week is two episodes, but the finale is the week after, with just one episode.

[Wouter]

8 hours ago, sjohnson said:

It seems to me that being raised to be emperor would be as damaging to your character as being raised as a slave master. 

I don't know if it would be as damaging (an emperor doesn't have to be bad by definition, even though he is a tyrant), but in one of the S1 episodes it was shown that Ryo's father did encourage him to become harder.

[MissLucas]

Oh show, when did you become so good? (Answer: from this season's opener onward.) Excellent episode. We may not have gotten far with all the over-all plots but an episode so full of great character insights and dialogue is never a filler.

I loved Five's take on why Portia made alterations to the Android. And yes, that whole conversation was stellar (btw. has anyone ever noticed how this show never even considers that it might have to pass something like a Bechdel-test. It just lets its female characters be fully developed characters with flaws, problems and crises.) Three broke my heart in the scene with Sara - and he was also great when could not shoot 'the Robot'. And that penultimate scene when nobody objected to Two's suggestion to let the Android get back on-line even made me a bit teary.

However I'm not sold the virus came from AU Truffaut. I'm with those who think Android Liberation had something to do with it. It was probably part of her upgrade designed to make the crew turn on her in order to show her that she'll never be a part of the team. But of a risky venture though since they came pretty close to destroying her.

The question remains where her dreams come from - from the Android Liberation upgrade (I know she has it deactivated but maybe it's sneaky like that) or from Portia's upgrade? I hope it's the later since it looks as if her dreamscape was unconsciously reacting to whatever was going on reality.

I expected that the deactivation code Six learned about in the AU would come into play here but it didn't. Somewhere down the line it sure will become important. Six saving Three's life never gets old.

Final though: That was a fantastic villa. I remember that some folks did location tracking for Toronto based shows. I wonder if they're still around - I'd like to see a full view.

[tennisgurl]

That was wonderful! Might be my favorite episode so far. Just a great mix of drama, character insight, and even some humor. Not much action, but thats alright. We do not need to have gun fights and space battles every week, we can have a whole episode based around suspense and character beats. Plus, it gave me a whole big bag of feels. Just...feels everywhere. 

I love that they dedicated so much time to the Android, and her issues and her increased person hood. The scene where the whole crew silently votes to support her attempts at gaining more control of herself, despite knowing that it could lead her to make more mistakes, just got me so hard. Especially following her leaving her fantasy world because she was worried about the crew. Seriously. Feels.

Speaking of feels, Three is just killing me lately. He has been having a hell of a time this season. Finds out about his tragic backstory, kills the man who he discovered murdered his parents and raised him to be a criminal (and probably invoked some kind of Stockholm Syndrome on the poor kid), got possessed by some nasty creature, and just generally going through endless stress and drama. And last season, lost a woman he loved, who he does not even remember, who is now showing up as a hallucination who tells him how miserable and tired he is, and how every day he feels endless pain, and how he needs to blow his own brains out to find any kind of peace and happiness. Which he almost did. Yeah, it was a hallucination from an outside source, but it seems like all the hallucinations were based around actual subconscious issues of 2, 3, and 4, which means that he might really want to die, deep down. That is REALLY dark stuff, especially for a guy who has been mostly comic relief. I mean...where the hell are the space therapists when you need them? Counselor Troi? Anyone? I did laugh at how Six saved Three yet again. How did Three live so long without him? And I love whenever Three calls Two Boss Lady. I really do love how their relationship has gone from the awkward Friends with Benefits of season 1 to a more snarky camaraderie. 

It seems like Four might get his memories back, to try to help his people, which would be in character, but I would hate to lose him. His calmness acts as a good foil to the more outspoken characters. It would be interesting to see how one of our gang would do mixing his old memories with his ones. I am feeling really positively inclined towards this show, so I trust they know what they're doing. 

[Ottis]

Predictable, almost from the first appearance of the Android hologram. FF'd through a lot of it, since it clearly would end in an android showdown. Stopped long enough to see Sarah and Misuko say a few lines. Didn't make me think much. Onward.

BTW, why does 5 spend so much time alone on the ship?

Edited September 5, 2016 by Ottis

[Black Knight]

18 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

And I love whenever Three calls Two Boss Lady. I really do love how their relationship has gone from the awkward Friends with Benefits of season 1 to a more snarky camaraderie. 

Their snarky camaraderie is fun (I laughed last week when he told the Android he wanted to see the list she's compiling of all their illegal items and Two rolled her eyes at him), but I'm not sure last season's even qualifies as Friends with Benefits. That to me implies something that goes on for at least a little while, but I only remember Two and Three hooking up once - the awkwardness created by One finding out led to a second time being nixed. And, it also seemed like Two and Three's friendship really started after that.

I've been thinking some more about Two and Five's conversation (I love that other viewers found it as stellar as I did) about the Android, and also a bit about the three of them in the group scene immediately before that. In the group scene, the Android mentions that rather than having a flaw in her programming, someone might have modified her. We knew she was referring to Portia, Two knew she was referring to Portia, and we learned in the next scene that Five also knew she was referring to Portia because the Android had previously told her about what the parallel verse Android said. But none of them say anything about it being Portia to the rest of the group, even though the Android in particular has motivation to do so. In the group scene, Five also admits that she's the one who deleted the data from the simulation, but when asked why she did it, she evades with some babble. Only in her private conversation with Two afterwards does she admit the reason, just like it's only in that private conversation that they discuss Portia modifying the Android. These things are more instances of how Two, Five and the Android have long been one of the little inner groups of the crew; they're all family, but some relationships are stronger than others. Which gives a little extra punch to scenes like Two telling the Android to pull the computer core; she makes sure to follow it up with "That's an order" because she knows that otherwise the Android still might not do something that will lead to the death of one of her favorites. And of course it was Five who sat vigil over the unconscious Two at the end, a nice way to resolve their prior arguing.

Another thing that strikes me is that Two was surprisingly resistant to the idea that Portia modded the Android. I wonder why that is. Is it that she's so hell-bent on repudiating Portia that she doesn't want to think that Portia could have had even a rare flash of decency or genuine connection to someone? I liked Five's eyebrow furrow when Two said that Five knew Portia better than Two did.

It's obvious where Two's nightmare of the saw came from, since that's what was almost used on her last season - but what about the helmets on those guys in her hallucination? Does anybody else remember seeing those helmets before? They were a cut above generic, as in someone in production took some time to design them, and weren't the people who tried to use the saw on Two last season in lab coats/medical garb? At that place and Dwarf Star I only remember seeing lab coats/medical garb and generic security outfits, not these helmets.

[MissLucas]

44 minutes ago, Black Knight said:

Another thing that strikes me is that Two was surprisingly resistant to the idea that Portia modded the Android. I wonder why that is. Is it that she's so hell-bent on repudiating Portia that she doesn't want to think that Portia could have had even a rare flash of decency or genuine connection to someone? I liked Five's eyebrow furrow when Two said that Five knew Portia better than Two did.

I think she refused the idea because it was hard for her to see Portia doing something "nice" without ulterior motives. She probably suspected that ultimately the modifications would turn out to be less beneficial than initially assumed - and that was certainly on the table during this episode. It was a strong argument but rather impressively topped by Five's counter-argument. However let's not forget that the Android had been stashed away pre-mindwipe and we still don't know why.

[Black Knight]

1 hour ago, MissLucas said:

I think she refused the idea because it was hard for her to see Portia doing something "nice" without ulterior motives. She probably suspected that ultimately the modifications would turn out to be less beneficial than initially assumed - and that was certainly on the table during this episode. It was a strong argument but rather impressively topped by Five's counter-argument. However let's not forget that the Android had been stashed away pre-mindwipe and we still don't know why.

I thought our learning that parallel Six had the decommission code was meant to indicate that Varrick is the one who stashed her away in this universe. We learned in the same episode that the Android was particularly loyal to Portia, whom Varrick was planning to take down, so he would want to eliminate that threat. Plus the Android also keeps the ship running and is critical for defense etc., further solidifying why getting her out of the way would be crucial to Varrick's plans. The Android was targeted in this episode by the virus/simulation for the same reason, as Two noted in her confrontation with the simulation. (Liked btw that Two specifically used the word "kill" in that confrontation: "That's why you wanted us to kill her so badly.")

There really isn't anyone else with a motive given how crucial the Android is to the ship. If her programming had been bothering the others they would have just reset her to factory settings, not stashed her away altogether. Only someone who was planning on taking down the ship would stash her away. So Varrick was the only one with a motive; the only problem with him before was the question of means, since he's not a tech guy - only Two and Five really seemed to have the knowledge to be able to do something like that. But now we know Varrick had means as well, the code.

Edited September 5, 2016 by Black Knight

[Wouter]

On 6-9-2016 at 1:36 AM, Black Knight said:

I thought our learning that parallel Six had the decommission code was meant to indicate that Varrick is the one who stashed her away in this universe.

Interesting observation.

Something else we still don't know, besides why the Android was deactivated, is who built the Raza in the first place, and for what purpose. Ferrous Corp is a possible answer, but if so they went a long away to avoid any similarities with the kind of ships they operate themselves. Portia/Two seems to have a sense of ownership, possibly Portia took it from whomever build it.

[Black Knight]

10 hours ago, Wouter said:

Something else we still don't know, besides why the Android was deactivated, is who built the Raza in the first place, and for what purpose. Ferrous Corp is a possible answer, but if so they went a long away to avoid any similarities with the kind of ships they operate themselves. Portia/Two seems to have a sense of ownership, possibly Portia took it from whomever build it.

I definitely think the Raza came to our beloved crew second or thirdhand, and your thought that Portia stole it is the likeliest possibility in my opinion. Nobody was going to give her a ship like that until she made a name for herself (especially since she wouldn't be telling people what she really is), but she doesn't seem to have made a name for herself until she came to the Raza. Plus it is hard to imagine Portia, especially earlier in her life when she wasn't at all socialized, playing well enough with anyone to work a deal like that. Also, Five noted that the Android was an obsolete model, which tells us that the crew didn't have a benefactor/employer who was providing them with top-of-the-line equipment or funding them well enough that they could buy such equipment themselves. The crew made enough to get by, not to be rich. I figure everything good on the ship, including the ship itself, is stolen/looted; the rest secondhand and/or obsolete.

Now you have me wondering about the name. The literal translation would be "the race" (as in people, not as in a contest) - which maybe could have been Portia's oblique way of referring to what she really is, if she's the one who gave the ship that name. Or it could refer to whatever purpose the shipbuilder intended for the Raza.

[Wouter]

12 hours ago, Black Knight said:

Also, Five noted that the Android was an obsolete model, which tells us that the crew didn't have a benefactor/employer who was providing them with top-of-the-line equipment or funding them well enough that they could buy such equipment themselves. The crew made enough to get by, not to be rich. I figure everything good on the ship, including the ship itself, is stolen/looted; the rest secondhand and/or obsolete.

Now you have me wondering about the name. The literal translation would be "the race" (as in people, not as in a contest) - which maybe could have been Portia's oblique way of referring to what she really is, if she's the one who gave the ship that name. Or it could refer to whatever purpose the shipbuilder intended for the Raza.

The Raza does have a "lived in" feeling, but there is nothing wrong with its capabilities. Just like the Android doesn't seem to be any lesser despite being an older model.

As for the name, it comes from the latin "tabula rasa", which means clean sheet. A very apt name. Mallozzi has confirmed it as such.

[Black Knight]

Heh. I'd never think of the Android as inferior! She certainly doesn't seem to be missing anything essential. But all the same, she's an obsolete model. If the crew had had the money, I have to think they would have bought a current model instead of buying/stealing/salvaging an obsolete model. It's like phones - as long as your current one works fine you probably don't feel the need to upgrade, but when you don't have a phone and need to get one, and you have money, then you go and get one that's not obsolete.

Spaceship tech would be a different animal than robotics tech. For one thing, ships are so much more expensive to manufacture, and to buy, and there aren't going to be nearly as many ships made as robots. And the R&D cycle would be more expensive too - if your prototype robot fails, not a big deal in itself, and they can just make another prototype. If your prototype ship fails, we're probably talking something like an explosion that destroys the ship (see SpaceX's difficulties). In other words, there are probably new/upgraded models of robots released every year, while ships get a refresh far less often. It's like the difference between airplanes and cellphones in our time. So even though the Raza's not a brand-new ship, it should still be in the same generation of technology as a brand-new ship bought right now. It's not that old.

Thanks for answering the question about the name! Apt indeed.