S02.E12: Pangaea / S02.E13 Clementine

[ottoDbusdriver]

Episode Description:

Quote

Mitch and Jamie hatch a daring plan to undermine the Noah Objective once and for all, and the team reunites on the Island of Pangaea where the final pieces of the cure are put in place.

Note: This is a 2 hour season finale

Edited September 3, 2016 by ottoDbusdriver

[ratgirlagogo]

God how I hate the whole two-hour season opener/season finale TV trend.  Grrrrrrr......

[ottoDbusdriver]

In the preview, Abe is attacked by a saber-tooth cat -- so I guess that means they find one.  
In fact it looks like they find a whole pack of saber-tooth cats.

Though nothing explains that bizarre-looking wolf poking it's head through that door.

And for some stupid reason they show the black panther attack from that church back in England -- what's that go to do with anything on Pangaea ?

That googly-eyed shot of Jackson at the end of the preview is just bad.  Like really, really comically bad.

Edited September 4, 2016 by ottoDbusdriver

[Free]

On 9/3/2016 at 1:23 PM, ratgirlagogo said:

God how I hate the whole two-hour season opener/season finale TV trend.  Grrrrrrr......

It's really annoying too, either air less episodes or air it earlier so you can end it on time before the Fall season starts.

Quote

That googly-eyed shot of Jackson at the end of the preview is just bad.  Like really, really comically bad.

I was wondering what that was all about.  XD.

[MissLucas]

The Razorback-Wolf just told him that he had gobbled down Gran?

[shapeshifter]

Can I just say how much I loathe the description "jaw dropping"?

[MissLucas]

1 hour ago, shapeshifter said:

Can I just say how much I loathe the description "jaw dropping"?

Well, "common sense abandoning" just doesn't have the same clout.

[Lady Calypso]

17 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Can I just say how much I loathe the description "jaw dropping"?

Maybe they're going to drop a shark on Jamie and have it eat her? 

That's the only acceptable answer for using that phrase with this show. 

[shapeshifter]

"Pangaea" done. I was whisper yelling, "No no no!" when the bad guy gave Mitch the device to open the bird cages because I thought they would explode. I like birds unroasted.

As for "Clementine," WTH? Billy Burke made this show fun and watchable. They still have Nonso Anozie, but The Snark is gone. Maybe it was BB's choice?

ETA: Whew! 

Edited September 7, 2016 by shapeshifter

[ottoDbusdriver]

I missed the first 10 minutes -- where the hell did Logan come from ?  And how did he survive the fall from the plane ?

So, somehow Mitch, Jamie and Logan destroy the Noah objective.

That sabertooth cat CGI is just so bad -- but for good measure, these sabertooth cats can control volcanism.  Because why not.

That landing strip on Pangaea is WAAAAY to short for that giant plane.

Abe and Dariela get the sample of sabertooth cat blood, and all it cost was the life of redshirt Rick.  Poor Rick.

The guy that killed Davies and yet freed Mitch, Jamie and Logan seems to be playing both sides -- what the hell is that about ? Is he a Shepherd ?

And how did Mitch, Jamie and Logan get to Pangaea -- the giant plane is sitting in the middle of the WAAAAY too short runway ?  So how did the land on the island -- did they take a helicopter from D.C. ?

Oz Senior infected Mitch's daughter with Glaser's disease -- how exactly did he do that ?  But Mitch figures out that Oz senior's blood will dilute the badger acid in Jackson's blood.  Because of course it will.

How exactly were the pigeons going to spread the cure to all the animals in the world ?  And why would they keep millions of pigeons caged up on that small island -- and how would they feed them all.  How did the pigeons know where to go ?

Turns out the Shepherds were leading the charge for the Noah objective -- and have released the gas.

Did we ever find out how the Shepherds managed to bio-engineer sabertooth cats over a hundred years ago ? Because I suspect there should be some explanation for that.

I suspect that the enclosure of failed genetic experiments will come into play in the final hour -- otherwise why else bring it up ?  And look it's razorback superwolves.  Hundreds of razorback superwolves -- why would the Shepherds keep making so many of these stupid wolves ?

That razorback wolf attack on Mitch in the Pangaea control room was hilarious.

Mitch sacrifices himself to save the team, but with Mitch gone why would they even bother to go save Clementine ?

RIP Mitch, we will miss the snark.

And it leaves Jamie in the clear to hook up with Logan.  I hope someone will step up as science lead -- because they have lost the two guys that knew anything about anything on this show.

Clementine is quite the piece of work -- my dad said he would save the animals and he didn't, and now my mom is dead so I don't want to see him.  Really kid ? You don't wnat to see your only surviving parent.  FFS !

How exactly did pigeons fly from the islands off the west coast of South America get to Portland, Maine in 2-3 days ?  That's impossible -- even with a tailwind.

I still get how the pigeons spread the cure -- did they shit all over the place ?

But the cure spread by the pigeons actually sterilized all the humans on the planet -- why not ?

And we get a 13 year jump forward -- to find Abe and Dariela's son Isaac is graduating from grade school.  The last grade school in America apparently.

Somehow hybrid attacks are a new thing -- hybrids of what and what we're not sure -- but Uncle Jackson sent Isaac a hybrid spike (hopefully free of poison) for a graduation present.

Abe spots a young blonde woman at the ceremony -- and it's Clementine there to tell Abe that Mitch is indeed alive, and she needs his help to get to him. Dun, dun, dun, dun.
 

[redfish]

I kept hearing that Weird Al song "Jurassic Park" in my head when they went hunting for that tiger. Also sabertooth tigers that create volcanoes which become islands? Okay.

Since the 19th century... Steampunk Zoo?

This show is so stupid. The characters are stupid for falling for every manipulation. Their train of logic is so insane. Is this what they wanted?  They went through all that trouble to make sure it happens? They want the extinction of the human race? Pangaea's logic is stupid as the show.

And wow for once Avian flu is the good guy? Weird.

Godaaaaaamn show, you killed Mitch! Or not. I guess, if there's no body, there isn't a death. Saw that with Logan (called it) and with Jackson's dad (the first time).

And the twist ending. Sterility. Wow, Jackson's dad is a real dick. So if you had the ghost gene you're safe? See you in season 3, let's hope it's less stupid.

[slothgirl]

OK.. that made NO sense!

Maybe after I read other people's posts, I'll gain some insight

So Oz senior created the gas to sterilize... who exactly? Was it supposed to sterilize the animals/humans WITH the ghost gene or those without? If he had intended to sterilize the ones WITH the gene, then why would it subsequently sterilize the ones without just because the ghost gene had been eradicated? If he had intended to sterilize the ones WITHOUT the ghost gene, why was he helping the team cure Jackson and others of having the ghost gene, even to the point of dying to help create the cure?

You'd think the whole reason he injected his family with the gene in the first place would have been to protect them in the future. So for that reason, it makes sense that he intended to sterilize those WITHOUT the gene, and makes it bizarre that he would do something to cure his son of the gene. Trying to cure his son indicates the gas was going to sterilize the ones WITH the gene (which was the use back in 18whatever) ... implying it would have no effect on anyone without the gene... so how did all of mankind become sterile? Are we to assume that no animals were sterilized in the process of making this show.. uh, I mean "solution"?

What was the Shepards' purpose? The double/triple agent army guy said "all will become clear". Were they trying all along to eradicate humans? Why send out the cure at all? That indicates that they needed the animals targeted by the cure to receive it in order to be sterilized by the gas. Meaning the gas was designed to sterilize non-ghosted humans... but when they compared the formula Oz sent to the old notebooks, it was IDENTICAL to the formula used to make the ghost gene dormant in the 19th century... how did it all of a sudden make normal humans sterile?

And WTF with REiden and Glazer's disease etc?

What was the title of the book Jamie supposedly wrote? Something about crows. Speaking of Jamie, she turned back to Logan awfully darn quick after Mitch was dead.

Edited September 7, 2016 by slothgirl

[redfish]

Quote

Maybe after I read other people's posts, I'll gain some insight

Trust me none of it makes any logical sense. I watched it and I'm boggled. Basically the team is so stupid they were manipulated into doing what is basically an animal doomsday cult's dirty work.

Also how is  the military/Reiden (who took credit initially) ever trusted again with anything? I guess with the hybrids running around they're the only option?

Edited September 7, 2016 by redfish

[Free]

1 hour ago, shapeshifter said:

"Pangaea" done. I was whisper yelling, "No no no!" when the bad guy gave Mitch the device to open the bird cages because I thought they would explode. I like birds unroasted.

As for "Clementine," WTH? Billy Burke made this show fun and watchable. They still have Nonso Anozie, but The Snark is gone. Maybe it was BB's choice?

ETA: Whew! 

Budget cuts and trimming the cast.  Sad, we'll most likely get a downgrade.  The season felt like the Syfy movie version of Jurassic Park with good actors.

[ottoDbusdriver]

19 minutes ago, slothgirl said:

What was the title of the book Jamie supposedly wrote? Something about crows. Speaking of Jamie, she turned back to Logan awfully darn quick after Mitch was dead.

I think it was called 'A Rumor of Crows' --  will have to check again on re-watch.  I guess 'lesbian-hating bats' was already taken.

[slothgirl]

Isn't a group of crows called a murder? Or was that some not-so-sly promo for a new James Patterson book?

[BooksRule]

When Mitch was attacked, I figured that I would stop watching next season, since he was my favorite.  But since it looks like he survived, I might just tune in.  The time jump is an old plot device, but it was probably a good idea this time.  How many times could they go back and forth across the world on that plane basically doing the same thing over and over (we have a cure!  No we don't!  The bad guys are after us!  We got away!  And so on and so on)?  (I wonder if they still have access to the plane?)

I noticed when Jamie was sitting crying on the stairs, that the magical invisible crew had cleaned up the trashed laboratory.

Finally, I know that the scene with Jackson and his dad dying and all was supposed to be sad, but all I could think was that now I'll never know what the aardvark said to the taxi driver. 

Edited September 7, 2016 by BooksRule

[slothgirl]

And while I'm asking questions... what happened to the little old lady with the parrot that they had to use in place of Jackson in the process of developing a cure? 

What was the purpose of "experiments" that ended up in section K?

They didn't have to race to save Clem... wouldn't the birds have cured her just like the dogs? Why was the entire population of that place banging on gates unable to get to the animals while our heroes had no trouble finding a door or gate to go in (and come out) that was BEHIND the crowd at the fence?

So many questions... they had a chance to tie things up and put a bow on it since it seems unlikely they will get renewed, but they blew it.

[slothgirl]

3 minutes ago, BooksRule said:

I noticed when Jamie was sitting crying on the stairs, that the magical invisible crew had cleaned up the trashed laboratory.

Finally, I know that the scene with Jackson and his dad dying and all was supposed to be sad, but all I could think was that now I'll never know what the aardvark said to the taxi driver. 

The invisible crew also managed to rig up 2  comfy transfusion chairs right next to each other as though doing a transfusion by simply connecting 2 people's veins together with a hose might be something they would have to do at some point.

Aardvark.... Yeah... too much shmaltz, not enough zaniness in this finale. They should have gone all out, over the top, wackadoo and wrapped up the series with something memorable and wild.

[ottoDbusdriver]

8 minutes ago, slothgirl said:

Aardvark.... Yeah... too much shmaltz, not enough zaniness in this finale. They should have gone all out, over the top, wackadoo and wrapped up the series with something memorable and wild.

Instead, we get the Zoo Crew starring in 'Children of Men 2: The Quickening'.

[Free]

On 9/5/2016 at 10:13 AM, Lady Calypso said:

Maybe they're going to drop a shark on Jamie and have it eat her? 

That's the only acceptable answer for using that phrase with this show. 

Oh I wish.

The ending felt Lost-ish after it seemed like it was trying to wrap things up with a time skip.

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, ottoDbusdriver said:

...And we get a 13 year jump forward -- to find Abe and Dariela's son Isaac is graduating from grade school.  The last grade school in America apparently....
 

I think it's closer to a ten year jump because they were closing elementary schools, and little Abe (don't recall his name) was starting middle school. Unlike in the 60s, that means he's 10ish. Thank goodness we dodged the scifi-baby-that-ages-overnight trope!

 

1 hour ago, BooksRule said:

...Finally, I know that the scene with Jackson and his dad dying and all was supposed to be sad, but all I could think was that now I'll never know what the aardvark said to the taxi driver. 

I know, right? I just Googled and I don't there is such a joke. 
How about: Do you charge extra for paardvarking while I grab some ants?

Maybe I should put a reminder in my Outlook calendar for next summer: If Abe says someone is dead like he really, really believes it, then the person is probably still alive. 

I'm glad Mitch and Abe can be rifikis since Mitch, in spite of blood spatter patterns that L&O have taught me mean an artery has been severed, was more likely dragged to safety by the double agent, but not before Mitch forgave Abe for leaving Jamie behind.

 

1 hour ago, slothgirl said:

And while I'm asking questions... what happened to the little old lady with the parrot that they had to use in place of Jackson in the process of developing a cure? 

Good question. Maybe Trotter hired her to do housekeeping?

Edited September 7, 2016 by shapeshifter

[TDT]

What in the actual hell..

Liked that slo-mo walk by Abe to break the bad news to the others..

So if the show has been renewed(which i think it has) what was the need of doing a time jump..?

[Pamela]

Yeah, it was renewed a few weeks ago.

[slothgirl]

It was renewed? Seriously?

Wonders never cease...

[ottoDbusdriver]

14 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

I think it's closer to a ten year jump because they were closing elementary schools, and little Abe (don't recall his name) was starting middle school. Unlike in the 60s, that means he's 10ish. Thank goodness we dodged the scifi-baby-that-ages-overnight trope!

I recall that Abe said Isaac was 12 -- will have to check on re-watch.

[shapeshifter]

1 minute ago, ottoDbusdriver said:

I recall that Abe said Isaac was 12 -- will have to check on re-watch.

Now that you mention it, I think I heard that too. So maybe Zooland middle schools start at 7th grade (which I think still works IRL too).

[Bobbin]

Among many other things, I don't get what Mitch was accomplishing sitting at the console giving his farewell speech. He wasn't turning any cranks to generate power to the fence. The level seemed to be increasing steadily by ifself. Logan's altimeter opening his chute is believable, but by what magic would Mitch survive an attack by a pack of razorback wolves? Did the avian virus turn them into playful pups?

Cutting through the nonsense, my take is that the avian virus cured man and beast of the curse of the triple helix, while the gas rendered only humans sterile (which I thought our dauntless heroes accepted just a little too casually -- like the mother in Clarke's "Rama" series willingly pairing up her children to populate the homo sapiens exhibit in an alien zoo). Darling Clementine was infected by Glazier's Disease, created by the shepherds along with its cure, a la "Johnnie Mnemonic". I may have that one wrong.

The hybrids must be bullet proof and breed like bunnies. Creating them and introducing them into the wild as a non-native species is not the same as letting the planet revert to its pre-man pristine condition.

If all the nature-made animals are back to their natural behaviors, we've kind if lost the "zoo" theme, haven't we?

Are we sure there's a S3?

[Dowel Jones]

2 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

now I'll never know what the aardvark said to the taxi driver. 

Does it smell like carrots in here?  Whoops, sorry, wrong show.

In hindsight (RIP, redshirt archer), wouldn't it have been better to use a straight point on that arrow instead of a barbed broadhead, so the arrow would pull out of the cat immediately after, instead of playing Ahab and the whale?  At least they left a meal for the cat.

Good idea, kids.  Shoot the vest. Not the exposed skin. Of course, since the dose is set for some kind of fierceosaurus, it probably would have killed Logan, if anything can.

Poor Mitch.  Even after death, his dad dumps on him by using Elizabeth as a password key.  And what the hell with the sacrificial lamb stunt?  The animals weren't breaking through the fence at 75% power, so why couldn't he run out the back door with the others? But Trotter says they can't take off because all of the airspace is closed?  Like the FAA is going to slap their wrists?

I guess the Shepherds had been on that island waaay too long, being stuck with booting up Windows to power up the fence.

I could just see the gears turning in Logan's mind.  "Say, Jaime, since we're all sterile now, and no chance of you getting pregnant, howzabout we slip off to a scenic bed and breakfast somewhere?"

[Julie23]

Who knew you could just put a piece of cloth over your mouth and poison gas has no effect!

Who knew that Mitch, Jamie and Logan could somehow make it to this supposedly secret island without a plane, train or automobile, as far as I could tell, they just teleported themselves there. Maybe THAT is how they have been going from country to country in minutes!

Who knew Billy Burke wanted off this train wreck of a show so bad he was willing to get eaten by the University of Arkansas mascot.

Weird ending and no reasoning as to why this group would want to wipe out mankind. Who knew this show would actually get renewed?? Without Chloe or Mitch, this really won't be worth watching. 

[blackwing]

Wow, what a hot mess.  I have to confess that I have absolutely zero clue as to what was going on with the gas.  The gas was going to kill all the animals, they only said it was going to kill them but it really wouldn't, the "cure" was dispatched by birds and it would save the animals, the "cure" reversed the gas which was fake in the first place, the gas was going to kill humans instead, Davies wanted it released, then he didn't, then mystery soldier said to release it but pretended that he didn't want it released.  Absolutely no frickin clue.  And you know.... I started to go back and try to figure out what happened and who was double crossing whom and who was claiming credit.  Then I realised that I couldn't care less.

I'm unclear on what the birds were supposed to do and how they were supposed to disseminate "the cure".  Did they inject all of those birds with the cure and then they just pee on everything?  Were there canisters of cure on each of their feet?  Did it just get expelled out of them?

Logan being alive was predictable.  Too bad they couldn't bring Chloe back.

I also don't understand why Mitch had to be in that lab.  He said he had to get the perimeter fence up so the plane could leave.  Couldn't he just start the process and then leave?  When it hit 100% did he push a button or anything?  I just don't get why he couldn't have gotten on the plane and then the plane just outrun the animals or run them over.

I was never a fan of Billy Burke so I have to admit that I was cackling during his "valiant death speech" and then I cackled even more when he died.  The dramatic flinging of the glasses and the blood.  Hah hah.  

I really hope the little girl who played young Clementine studies hard in school and gets a good job.  Because she is a horrible actress and would never make it.  I hated the character of Clem from her very first appearance, and was not surprised to see that the brattiness was still there.  I couldn't care less if the character died and didn't understand why the birds peeing out the cure wouldn't save her as well as the animals.

Weird jump in time, and now adult Clem says that Mitch is alive?  How?  There were at least three very large razorwolves eating him.  Is he alive in spirit, or put his consciousness into a machine?  It requires all suspension of disbelief to believe that he is still alive.

I don't think I will be back for a season 3.  I was in for the animal attacks.  Now the animals are cured but there are these CGI hybrids to contend with.  This show has become some kind of show set in a post-apocalyptic world just like every other show set in a post-apocalyptic world.  Where there appears to be little hope of survival yet this small but resolute band of survivors refuses to give up.  The only characters I like are Jackson and Abe.  Can't stand Jamie, Logan, or Dariela.  The adult Clem seems way less irritating than the child version but don't think she will be enough to make me want to suffer through another season of this crap.

 

13 hours ago, ottoDbusdriver said:

I recall that Abe said Isaac was 12 -- will have to check on re-watch.

Isaac is definitely 10 in the flashforward.  The male newscaster said something about how "the Lost Generation now enters its 10th year".  And Abe himself commented that the razor spike was "an inappropriate gift for a 10 year old".

[Gudzilla]

Nice job looking after Clementine guys. One syringe, one plane tour, then good luck kid.

[mertensia]

How how how can Mitch still be alive 10 years later? Either his snarkiness would have gotten himself killed or he would have died of starvation after his captors killed themselves to get away from it.

That said, good for you, show; I really believed they'd killed off Mitch since they for real killed off Chloe.

And I take it as a shout out to all of you who made fun of Logan being from Canada and secretly being Wolverine that Logan admitted he changed his name to Logan. Because of Wolverine.

Edited September 7, 2016 by mertensia

[Dowel Jones]

You're all assuming that was Mitch's blood spattered on the floor.  Maybe he got his defiant pupil on and dispatched the UA mascots.  Maybe he was an Aggie graduate?  Anyway, 10 years later, he's large and in charge, and Clemmie wants revenge for naming her after the world's worst folk song.

[OoogleEyes]

Well, one good thing about this sterilization issue. At least we will be relieved of having to watch bad child actors next season.

[jay741982]

One thing I thought was silly was that it was so obvious in the flash forward that the blonde girl at Isaacs graduation was Clemetine. I was shaking my head at Abe like how do you not recognize her LOL. Nice Job looking out for her like Mitch wanted Guys Geez. I was mad that Chloe wasn't found alive somehow but Logan came back! I'm in season 3 as I'm glad it looks like Mitch didnt die and I'm wondering if Clem fills the Chloe and Mitch role on the team if we get a season 3. Pretty Blonde woman but with Mitch's Brain 

Edited September 7, 2016 by jay741982

[Bishop]

Okay, several things:  I loved everything about these last two episodes EXCEPT the last five minutes.  I thought the first hour and 52 minutes were wonderful as it focused on the main characters, and it had genuine emotional beats.  I loved that Mitch and Jaime were back on track to normalcy.  I liked that Jackson seemed to be getting a second chance with his father, and Abe and Dariela were in good shape.  I did groan a bit at the arrival of Logan, but even that didn't bother me much.  I thought there were a number of scenes that provided great emotional punch, which I like in my shows.  They were for me in no particular order:  1) the hug from Jackson to Jaime and especially between Jackson and Mitch.  I didn't expect Mitch to be a hugger, but he has developed genuine love and affection for his teammates and friends; 2) Jackson begging Abe to kill him when the time came and Abe reluctantly agreeing; 3) Mitch asking Jamie to come to Maine with him, and Jaime accepting; 4) Jackson realizing that his father was going to sacrifice himself and pleading with Mitch to untie him; 5) Mitch realizing that Dr. Oz and the Shepards had infected his daughter with the ghost gene; 6) Mitch's "death" and saying goodbye to Abe and telling him that he and the rest of the team were his daughter's family now and that they had to go find her and save her; and (7) the team's reaction to Mitch's death and Jackson consoling Jaime (he knows what it's like to lose the person you love, after all).  All of these scenes packed emotional punches for me, and I loved all of it.  It was painful that Jackson - once again - found out his father was batcrap crazy.  So much for that father/son bonding.  Oh well.

This brings me to the last six or so minutes.  First, I LOATHE, HATE, DESPISE time jumps.  I hate them with a passion because too much gets lost in time jumps - conversations, bonding, lack of bonding, fights, romances, deaths, etc.  Second, I picked up small things in those last six minutes - like Jaime had dropped out of the lives of Abe and Dariela since they "didn't see her much."  Jaime was also a famous author (I guess) and Jackson was off hunting somewhere (I gather).  Now we have a grown up Clementine.  How does Abe NOT know her?  Weren't they suppose to take care of her and be her family?  So what happened?  The only thing I loved about the last six minutes was that Mitch was still alive.  I don't care HOW he managed to survive only that he survived.  There are two characters on Zoo that are a must for me to continue to watch and they are Jackson and Mitch.  Remove either of those characters, and the show doesn't have the same heft.  Jackson brings the emotion and the action and Mitch brings the grounding and the snark.

Final thoughts:  I am still going to be tuning in next year.  My first reaction was "WTF?" but after thinnking about it, the show has basically restarted itself again.  We are going to be introduced to the "new" characters as they have changed and evolved over the last ten years.  I HATE that it's been that long, but I'm guessing it's because when (and we know it's going to be "when") they find the cure to the world's sterilization problem, it has to be dramatic.  So in order for it to be a dramatic thing, time has to have passed.  Significant time.  If people were just not having children after three or five years, it wouldn't be quite so devastating as say . . . ten years.  I still hate that it's been that long.  I also have a feeling that Logan and Jaime are an item, and . . . whatever.  Also, why would Mitch be in hiding for ten years?  Maybe he's disabled?  In a wheelchair?  Deformed?  I'm not sure what to make of all these dangling questions, but I'll tune in to find out.  I just wish the season finale had ended less jolting to this fan's system.  

Kudos for the first hour and fifty two minutes or so.  Loved it.  Still trying to process the last few minutes and wondering HOW they are going to craft the next chapter for this show.  Like I'v said too many times before, I love the characters.  So I'm in.  

Edited September 7, 2016 by Bishop

[MissLucas]

I had to work and tried to follow this multi-tasking and it made no sense - I mean the show hardly ever makes sense but this was worse than usual: sub zero sense. After reading through this thread I know it wasn't my multi-tasking that prevented me from seeing the light. Wow, what a mess - and yet it got renewed.

Somewhere out there the devil must be cackling with glee because just as there is no sense in this show there is no sound reason why it should get yet another season. Apparently its ratings are good enough? But if people are desperate enough to watch something like this (yes, myself included) then why do TPTB insist on stuffing a gazillion of new shows into winter season just to cull most of them by spring in a cruel re-enactment of 'survival of the fittest'? Why aren't we getting more new shows in summer?

Ah, well - farewell Zoo until next summer when once again in a drought of entertaining shows you will lure us back with your mirages of killer zebras and plot-lines that might one day will be making sense.

[Bishop]

19 minutes ago, MissLucas said:

I mean the show hardly ever makes sense but this was worse than usual: sub zero sense. After reading through this thread I know it wasn't my multi-tasking that prevented me from seeing the light. Wow, what a mess - and yet it got renewed.

Somewhere out there the devil must be cackling with glee because just as there is no sense in this show there is no sound reason why it should get yet another season.

I don't agree.  I think the show is exactly what I expect it to be:  fun summer fare.  The summer shows are meant to be a bit absurd and off the rails and the "serious" stuff is reserved for the fall schedule.  I think Zoo is fun BECAUSE it's loaded with sci-fi craziness and way out there storylines.  I didn't think it was a mess.  I understood the storylines (for the most part) and where they were going, and the main characters reacted the way I expected them to react, which is all I can ask of a show.  Essentially, Zoo has been about a mad scientist in Robert Oz who loved animals more than he does human beings and feels that humans are destroying the planet.  Sad, since I was starting to like Robert Oz, and Jackson desperately wanted a normal father to believe in, but nope - not going to happen.  I still hate the time jump and wish it was less time - say two years at most - but whatever.  I go to the movies in the summertime and watch all kinds of crap with REALLY bad storylines that cost me about $22 a pop.  So I'll take Zoo in all its craziness - for free.   The part I dislike the most about Zoo in season three is that I worry about what type of characters my favorite characters are going to be like ten years later.  I'm guessing Jackson and Abe are the same, but Jaime and especially Mitch?  I don't know.  I don't want Mitch changed, and I have a horrible feeling that he's disfigured and a hermit.  I need my Mitch snark.  Here's hoping.

[MissLucas]

If you understand all the storylines I tip my hat to you. I wanted to make a list of stuff that makes no sense starting with "Explain what happened to the mother-cell." Then I realized that it would take me all night. But you could start by answering all the questions in this thread alone. And no, saying it's all fun and fluffy sci-fi does not excuse a show from constantly dropping plot logic. I love the show but that does not mean I can't call it out for being utterly bonkers - there's a difference between being absurd and dropping all logic.

[WordsWordsWords]

21 hours ago, slothgirl said:

Isn't a group of crows called a murder? Or was that some not-so-sly promo for a new James Patterson book?

Yes, a group of crows is, indeed, called a murder. There have been a few books published with the title "A Murder of Crows." You can't copyright a title, though under some circumstances you can trademark, particularly if the title includes the name of a character. The title of Jamie's book was "A Rumor of Crows."

Okay, on to last night's season finale.

I'm a writer and a freelance editor. I write horror and edit everything from literary fiction to erotica with the occasional foray into non-fiction. I know how stories are supposed to be structured. Someone should really put a flea into the showrunner's and producers' ears to suggest better logic and long-term arcs. I do know that many shows (perhaps this one -- that I don't know) give the writers an outline and say, "Here, make this happen." So we can really blame only the dialogue itself on the writers, not the plot-lines. Gotta say the best line of dialogue in the season finale came from Dariela: This is incredible. (But not incredible in the good way. Incredible in the not credible sort of way.)

Someone should also have read the story of Noah. Pigeons aren't very much different in terms of long-range flight than doves. Noah didn't send out the dove till he was pretty sure dry ground was near-at-hand. They shouldn't have used pigeons. Maybe seagulls or frigate birds. Some bird with a reputation for long-range flight. Good grief. These poor pigeons would have gone into the ocean long before they arrived anywhere near Portland. I don't mind sci-fi hand-waving. I object strongly to this kind of illogic.

Another problem I've had throughout the whole series and again last night is that they'll spend endless scenes on irrelevant filler and then skip right over something that might be both interesting and fun to watch. "Abraham and Dariela have the DNA from the sabre-toothed cat." What? Last time I saw them they were leaving that guy by the fence. How exactly did they get that DNA? Walk up to the cat and say please? *sigh* In the same scene (I think), Mitch, Jamie, and Logan come in after apparently trusting ruthless soldier guy who killed Davies and then killed the other soldiers right in front of the ZooGang. Really? Why not show at least some of how they got back to the plane.

And Robert Oz was twistier than a bucket of worms. He choreographed this whole thing? How? And he deployed enough red herrings in his plot to supply three or four mystery novels -- and most of them made little sense.

I did think James Wolk sold Jackson's grief at his father's death well. No excessive histrionics. Too bad Robert was just taking the coward's way out because when Jackson found out what Robert was really up to, all sorts of fall-out would have resulted if Robert had been alive. What a worm. That said, I fully expect some document or experiment to come to to light next season to exonerate Robert Oz because why not?

I thought I was out after the idiocy of season one. And then I wasn't. I'm not saying I'm out again because clearly I'm addicted to ridiculous TV.

ETA:  A well-worn writing adage is that real life doesn't have to make sense, but fiction does. Zoo is a good example of what happens when you fail. 

Edited September 8, 2016 by WordsWordsWords
ETA

[shapeshifter]

As mentioned upthread, Abe promised Mitch he and the crew would be Clem's family, but that wasn't happening.

So, either:

• Jaimie raised Clem (I think we saw them going off together with Henry the dog), or:
• Mitch told Abe he wasn't dead and Clem's been with dad, or:
• Typical Zoo plot hole

Tune in next summer to find out...

[Netfoot]

DNA samples can be made to spontaneously transmogrify into a living beast.  Good thing, since all the animals will be dead, so host/surrogate animals will be available.   If you hold a piece of rag over your nose, it will allow you to breathe but will block the passage of Knock-out gas.  (But, why weren't the guards issued with pieces of rag?)  Jamie's kill-count is now -1.  But give it time...  Hey, did you see all the little DNAs flying around after the grenade blew?

Lucy the crossbow has beautifully slack bowstring, even though the bow is cocked and a bolt loaded.  <Snarl!>  "What was that?!??"  Well, we're in saber-tooth country, so it's probably a feral gerbil.  

Why is Davies #2 guy standing there with a disappointed look on his face?  Well, he's probably going to... Yep!  Thought so.

Sabre-tooth bush-sliding looks like fun!  Except the high-kinetic end part with the electric fence...  Do you suppose the electrified fence is down?  No, because then all the super-bad, whackadoodle animals would get out of Section K, and they surely wouldn't want that to happen in a serious show like this!

Jackhole Ozz is off his meds and will soon become a wild, visious animal!  So let's give him the run of the facility.  No need for anyone to keep an eye on him, just in case.  Did he just say "Badger Acid?"  Guess that bag of "cure" would be pretty valuable, to someone like, say, Logan...

Ozz the Elder makes the ultimate sacrifice.  Who didn't see that coming?  The birds are normal, and Abe is a speciesist who is glad to see them back "in their place."  And off they go, doomed to failure, seeing as the show has been renewed for Season 3.  See?  Doomed to failure.  The Shepherds are shaping up to be the Season 3 bad-guys.  Who want Noah to go ahead after all.  

Mitch stays behind to feed the razor-backed wolves.  I guess he's as tired of this show as Chloe was.  So, a dramatic farewell via smartphone...  Which will end up good for Logan next season, I suspect.  But we don't actually see Mitch get it...

Clementine is saved, along with all the animals.  So, if all the animals are cured, what will next season bring?  Why is jackhole cracking the e-mails?  Isn't Jamie the h4x0r in this crew?

Global sterelization.  And a 10-year jump in time.  And a grown-up Clementine who (hopefully) will be as snarky as Mitch himself.  Who isn't actually dead... He'll probably be like Blake of Blake's 7, and they'll spend the next three seasons trying to track him down.

[Happytobehere]

21 hours ago, slothgirl said:

OK.. that made NO sense!

What was the title of the book Jamie supposedly wrote? Something about crows. Speaking of Jamie, she turned back to Logan awfully darn quick after Mitch was dead.

Has this mess of a show ever made sense?  But yes, even when compared to the nonsensical hodgepodge that was Zoo the season finale (which read more like a serie finale, Please Let This Be The Case), made no sense.

This is Jamie's MO. Remember when the series began she got involved because of the guy she was involved with at that time, then Mitch was in proximity to her and she became all about him. When Mitch was out of arms reach, she became all about Logan, the current man in proximity.  No Logan, so let's swing back to Mitch and vice versa.  That Jamie is quite the catch.

[Kelda Feegle]

Given that Zoo episodes appear to be written about 5 minutes before filming I suppose it is a waste of time making requests for Season 3 but just in case there is some premeditation I want my Season 3 to include:

Abe

Mitch

crazy animals with superpowers (earthquake sloth was my favourite)

Mitch

Abe

the rest is up to the writers and as much handwavium as they want

bonus points if there is NO Clem and NO Isaac

Edited September 8, 2016 by Kelda Feegle

[Bishop]

3 hours ago, MissLucas said:

If you understand all the storylines I tip my hat to you. I wanted to make a list of stuff that makes no sense starting with "Explain what happened to the mother-cell." Then I realized that it would take me all night. But you could start by answering all the questions in this thread alone. And no, saying it's all fun and fluffy sci-fi does not excuse a show from constantly dropping plot logic. I love the show but that does not mean I can't call it out for being utterly bonkers - there's a difference between being absurd and dropping all logic.

I don't understand all the storylines.  I simply don't care to dissect them to the point where my head may explode (not a dig against anyone that enjoys doing that, btw).   I was a Lost fan, but I never spent the time that some fans did dissecting every.single.aspect of the mysteries.  I enjoyed the show for the character aspect, although I hated the time jump in Lost too.   As for your absurd v. logic argument, I don't consider the show to be utterly bonkers.  Absurd maybe, but like I said, I like my summer fare a little trippy.  The answers the show gave me - for the most part - was satisfying.  I don't need to know what happened to the mother cell.  Don't care.  I still don't understand why Dr. Oz injected his son and his wife with the ghost gene.  What exactly was he trying to do?  That wasn't fully explained either, and perhaps I should really care about that fact, but I don't.  Robert Oz was batcrap crazy.  That's all you really need to know.  He created a virus that turned animals into violent predators, manipulated humans to overreact, GAVE them a toxic gas that they believed would kill all the animals when in fact it would spare the animals and render the human race sterile.  When you're dealing with a guy like that and then trying to reason why he would inject his own son with the mutant gene is a fool's errand.  I'm just saying.

I appreciate that many here want and need all those answers to all those questions.  I'm just not one of them.  That's okay too.

[blackwing]

12 hours ago, Bishop said:

I don't understand all the storylines.  I simply don't care to dissect them to the point where my head may explode (not a dig against anyone that enjoys doing that, btw).   I was a Lost fan, but I never spent the time that some fans did dissecting every.single.aspect of the mysteries....

I appreciate that many here want and need all those answers to all those questions.  I'm just not one of them.  That's okay too.

I recognise that the show is utterly ridiculous.  I agree that I don't understand all the storylines (the gas and the bird cure being the two that made little sense to me in the last two episodes) and at the end of the day I just have to handwave it and move on.  But at a certain point, I think I draw the line at gaping lapses of logic and dropped plotholes.  For example, I too am curious about what happened to the little old Finnish lady.  I thought the whole reason why Jackson rampaged at the hospital to find and identify her was so that they could use her to synthesise the cure.  That is what they said in a previous episode, isn't it?  That they could use her blood instead of Jackson's.  But I never saw a subsequent scene of them thanking her and her leaving, or them saying that Jackson was found so they didn't need her.  When Jackson's blood wasn't working initially because Robert had been giving him some amethyltriptochlorinal or whatnot, all I could think was "what about the little old Finnish lady, is she stuck in the toilet or something"?

Season 3 seems like it is going to feature Mad Scientist Mitch, somehow still alive.  Humans are sterile, so it's obvious that the focus is going to be on Mitch finding and capturing some "pure" animals that haven't hybrided, and they are going to synthesise some kind of "unsterilisation" cure.  That will no doubt be disseminated to the people of the world by the microplankton in the world's drinking water supply.  I suppose we need a villain.  Might as well be the 10 year olds.  The 10 year olds enjoy the fact that they are the last kids on the planet, and feel threatened by the thought of new babies.  Isaac Kenyatta will be the leader of the rebel 10 year olds.  Dariela will be so torn.  Her Army Ranger training teaches her to efficiently destroy her enemies, but this is her own son.  Oh, the humanity!  Whatever will she do?  Jamie and Logan will be together, and will show up and rejoin the team because they are desperate to have a baby.   But then she finds out Mitch is alive.  Oh, the humanity!   Jackson will show up, and even though he is supposed to be 40, he will still look 30, and therefore it won't look quite so creepy when the show pairs him with 20 year old Clem, for no other good reason than the fact that they are the only two single people left on the show.

Yeah, sounds like it will be another riveting season.  Ugh.

[slothgirl]

The whole "no more kids" thing is going to wreak havoc on Social Security. I hope our madcap heroes sold that planasaurus for some serious cash.

I just realized (yeah.. I can be slow sometimes when senseless drivel infects my brain) a weird potential plot hole (yes, I know.. one of many, but this one undermines the entire point of the show)

If the gas was intended all along to sterilize humans. But the Shepherds were helping the zoogang develop the cure...

What was the point? The animals were doing a great job of eliminating humans all by themselves. They didn't need sterile humans to wipe out mankind, and they didn't need the cure. Did I miss something along the way that the crazy animals were themselves sterile? Or that they were a threat to themselves somehow?

I'm still trying to make sense of the scene where they realize the 1895 formula was the same as ... something... I thought it was the gas. Maybe I was wrong? If it was the gas, I guess they needed the animals cured so that sterilization thing wouldn't work on them, but there was no explanation of why it DID work on humans who weren't infected if it was the exact same formula as before.

Or on a more basic level, why the Shepherds couldn't just let the animals continue the takeover they already had underway by being all mutated and stuff.

I think they are going to steal the plotlines from Wayward Pines for next season's 10 year olds.

Edited September 8, 2016 by slothgirl

[Bobbin]

To fully grasp how far afield this series has gone, consider that the novel's premise was animals running amok due to radio waves and car exhaust fumes, that it wasn't a sinister corporation, mad scientists and a starry-eyed cult at fault, but all of us. Of course, it would be hard to pad that plotline for two or more seasons.

Many directors and producers think sci-fi is all about aliens, sfx, and the suspension of all logic. Not that there's anything wrong with that. There is obviously a sizable niche market for shows we love to hate.

The Shepherds remind me of the Sierra Club, whose goal seems to be to make the Earth a Garden of Eden for the beats of the field, free of any infestation of humans, the Book of Genesis notwithstanding.

Frankly, I watch because Jackson is cute. And sympathetic. And James Wolk plays him so well. And I'm always fascinated by the ability to maintain a scruffy beard 24/7.

Yeah, Abe, when you promised to grant Mitch his dying wish to look out for his precious Clementine, I think he meant more than reuniting her with her dog. Apparently, that was the last you ever saw or heard of her. Good job, "rafiki."

I wonder if the infertility gas works on the humans who have the ghost gene. Was that why Robert infected his wife and son? Now I have to watch next summer to find out.

[thuganomics85]

What is with CBS and their two hour finales?  And premieres?

So, anyway, basically the Nova objective was actually an inside job by these Shepherds, who actually do want to cure all the animals, but also get rid of the human race, so the birds do cure the animals, but the gas actually sterilizes humans.  I guess Robert Oz was behind this as well.  Sure... I guess this isn't the crazy idea this show has had yet.

An impressive bodycount with both Davies (a waste of Peter Outerbridge) and Robert both going bye-bye.  And then Mitch "sacrifices" himself, even though it looks like he really could have just ran with the rest of them, since it seemed like the fences were automatic, and there wasn't anything he could do about it.  But now an adult Clementine is saying he's alive, so who knows?  I'm guessing he'll be still around, because even these guys know that losing Billy Burke would probably kill 75% of the show's entertainment value.  I mean, sure, Nonso Anozie is awesome and James Wolk does what he can, but they're not miracle workers.  Mitch and his snark is pretty much Zoo's bread and butter.  

To counter all this, Logan is somehow still alive, and already integrating himself with the team.  Jamie will probably involved with him when they come back.  Meh.

Abe and Dariela have their child now, so yay?

Hey, a Chloe reference!

So, with all the animals cured, what the hell is this show going to be about now?  Just taking on the hybrids and mistakes?  That doesn't seem fun at all.  This really feels like CBS' new Under the Dome, where they suddenly go away from it's original concept, and it just gets real stupid.  And I can totally see this following it by being done after three seasons.  I just don't know what they are thinking.  I'm guessing the reason it was a success during season one was because people dug animal attacks.  But it feels like they're almost trying to avoid that now.  It's just stupid.