S01.E05: Chapter 5

[Tara Ariano]

Quote

A new threat surfaces.

[AimingforYoko]

Damn, this show is a complete mindfuck.

Looks like the imaginary dog is out of the proverbial bag, finally. I knew when David was acting a swaggering douche, something was up.

Bye David Selby, you kind of got what you deserved.

[PatternRec]

OMG this was a great episode. Glad to see so many questions answered. So King, YED, Angriest Boy, Benny, Lenny are all the same entity. It's pretty much confirmed if you know the comics that this is Shadow King. That doesn't give any spoilers, just let's us know that our villain is from the books since so much of the show and characters are not. 

I'm still wondering why people could see Lenny and Benny but not King? Maybe at some point as David got older and the Shadow King got stronger it was able to create some sort of body people could see? Or maybe it can manipulate memories of people around David as well, not just his. Both theories seem problematic. I'd lean towards the former but would love to hear thoughts either way.  edit: I think I figured this out - put it in the thread linked below. 

I've got a little more about my YED theory but I'll put that in the spoilers thread.

Edited March 9, 2017 by PatternRec

[Vapor]

I assumed they could see Lenny and Benny because those were actually real people, and the parasite simply took their form in his mind to further confuse him. The real Lenny was in the hospital with David, and was killed accidentally by Syd (with David's power) but that was just another opportunity for the parasite to screw with him further. So, the memory of Lenny and Benny, both friends of David's that he felt some measure of safety with, were corrupted.

[PatternRec]

4 minutes ago, Vapor said:

I assumed they could see Lenny and Benny because those were actually real people, and the parasite simply took their form in his mind to further confuse him. The real Lenny was in the hospital with David, and was killed accidentally by Syd (with David's power) but that was just another opportunity for the parasite to screw with him further. So, the memory of Lenny and Benny, both friends of David's that he felt some measure of safety with, were corrupted.

Yup that was my thought too. This has become my fave show as of Chapter 4. I was champing at the bit for this week's episode. 

[wayne67]

Well I knew that David's swagger was a bad sign. I was just waiting for someone else to notice and it took them a long time to be concerned.

It was interesting to see King David slaughtering his way through D3 even if he missed Walter in the process. 

I wonder how they'll defeat a parasite laden Omega level telepath, telekinetic and teleporrter considering that the only powers the others seem to have is touch based body swapping, split personality guy/girl and memory work guy. 

I can't remember any of these people's names after an episode is over. 

[Ariah]

7 minutes ago, wayne67 said:

I wonder how they'll defeat a parasite laden Omega level telepath, telekinetic and teleporrter considering that the only powers the others seem to have is touch based body swapping, split personality guy/girl and memory work guy. 

They also have David himself, and if the final battle takes place in David's own mind, they have a fair chance. (But I still think 99% of them is going to die, so...)

I must say I love the show's cinematography: the colors, the frames, the way one scene transitions to another - it's a masterpiece in editing (also sound-editing). Very self-conscious. 

[PatternRec]

1 hour ago, wayne67 said:

Well I knew that David's swagger was a bad sign. I was just waiting for someone else to notice and it took them a long time to be concerned.

I suspect that the Shadow King/DUI* is using a subtle form of mind control here, almost like he mildly psychically anesthetizes them then offers them something they want. In Syd's case the ability to feel physical intimacy, for Dr. Bird the chance to bring Oliver back. I think once he does that he draws them further in.

1 hour ago, wayne67 said:

It was interesting to see King David slaughtering his way through D3 even if he missed Walter in the process. 

At least one of his powers seems to be some sort of psychic camouflage, where he makes others not see him, or see him as something else. I don't get the sense from how they've showed his powers visually that he's actually shape-changing. I suspect that The Eye was able to somehow hide from David but not able or willing to reveal himself to save anyone else. 

1 hour ago, wayne67 said:

I wonder how they'll defeat a parasite laden Omega level telepath, telekinetic and teleporrter considering that the only powers the others seem to have is touch based body swapping, split personality guy/girl and memory work guy. 

Well unless this whole season has been in the Astral Plane Ptonomy's other power is "trying too hard" when it comes to style. Srsly a Tommy Gun and that outfit? edit: Also that other telekinetic guy has a second power. It's called "I don't have any lines so they can pay me less." 

1 hour ago, Ariah said:

I must say I love the show's cinematography: the colors, the frames, the way one scene transitions to another - it's a masterpiece in editing (also sound-editing).

I agree! It's amazing.

edit: It's really incredible how they use visuals to tell a story, like the subtle way Kerri/Cary was revealed instead of outright exposition. In the current episode they did it when David hears Dr. Bird call his name. He approaches and we see that there's glass between them. Neither acts like this is weird, but it was Dr. Bird who spoke first. That's important information as it may mean that she has telepathic powers as well. 

 

* David Under the Influence (of the Shadow King) - pls can we use this acronym? 

Edited March 9, 2017 by PatternRec

[Eneya]

I was surprised by Syd. She looks incredibly perfect but I like that she is also enough of an asshole to proclaim her statement as David the most important thing for her. Yes, it makes her sound like a jerk but it also makes her quite a lot more real, somehow. :)

The dance moves with which DUI was dealing with the soldiers looked really awesome. The editing is indeed amasing.

[patty1h]

Why was David singing "The Rainbow Connection" - that was strange in a show loaded with strange.  Anyone know what song was playing while the team made their way through the D3 facility?  It was hella creepy.

[PatternRec]

10 minutes ago, patty1h said:

Why was David singing "The Rainbow Connection" - that was strange in a show loaded with strange.  Anyone know what song was playing while the team made their way through the D3 facility?  It was hella creepy.

Here's my theory - it's a song Syd would have heard in her childhood - another way to get her mental defenses down. 

If Oliver has been gone for 21 years and he acts like he's from early 70s we can assume this is at least mid nineties meaning The Muppet Movie would have been a big deal to Syd when she was at an impressionable age. 

edit: as for the D3 song I didn't recognize it but the voice sounded like Thom Yorke at times. 

10 minutes ago, Eneya said:

I was surprised by Syd. She looks incredibly perfect but I like that she is also enough of an asshole to proclaim her statement as David the most important thing for her. Yes, it makes her sound like a jerk but it also makes her quite a lot more real, somehow. :)

I think at that point she was fairly well under the influence too. Even if this kind of intimacy is new for her it's not like her to act like a petulant child.

edit: also, as she points out, there's not much of a roadmap for this kind of stuff. even Dr. Bird's supertherapy can't really make one normal after what they've all dealt with.  

10 minutes ago, Eneya said:

...DUI...

lol thank you :D 

Edited March 9, 2017 by PatternRec

[PatternRec]

1 hour ago, wayne67 said:

Well I knew that David's swagger was a bad sign. I was just waiting for someone else to notice and it took them a long time to be concerned.

I had another thought about this. Dr. Bird has been at this a long time. She knows full well how powerful David is, and when you see a sudden change of behavior in someone like that you don't show them that you're freaking out, you do what Dr. Bird did - act like everything is fine. 

In other words, this isn't the type of show where they call a meeting of the Scooby Gang to discuss everything. 

Edited March 9, 2017 by PatternRec

[Eneya]

1 hour ago, PatternRec said:

lol thank you :D 

Are you kidding me? It's brilliant!

[Primetimer]

And other not-quite-burning questions from 'Chapter 5.'

View the full article

[Cigale]

7 hours ago, patty1h said:

Anyone know what song was playing while the team made their way through the D3 facility?  It was hella creepy.

The Daily Mail, by Radiohead.  

[DanMSchro]

9 hours ago, wayne67 said:

Well I knew that David's swagger was a bad sign. I was just waiting for someone else to notice and it took them a long time to be concerned.

8 hours ago, PatternRec said:

I had another thought about this. Dr. Bird has been at this a long time. She knows full well how powerful David is, and when you see a sudden change of behavior in someone like that you don't show them that you're freaking out, you do what Dr. Bird did - act like everything is fine. 

It's pretty clear from the look Melanie gives him in the glass and the sound cue that she's onto his change from the start. She was on guard as soon as she found out he had contact with her husband, though we don't know why. And from the story of how her husband went to the astral plane to rule over his own Inception-style fake world, she's real wary of that place. There's gotta be more to him too.

8 hours ago, patty1h said:

Why was David singing "The Rainbow Connection" - that was strange in a show loaded with strange.

8 hours ago, PatternRec said:

Here's my theory - it's a song Syd would have heard in her childhood - another way to get her mental defenses down. 

The significance of the song choice doesn't seem to be for Syd. As David is playing the song, his whole body is shaking with fear, his voice is quivering. If you'll notice, the shot of David on the bed with the banjo is quite wide, and you can see the door to the bathroom is closed. But as he strums and gestures toward the bathroom with his head, the camera zooms in, placing the door out of frame. The next time we see the bathroom door is when Syd is standing in front of it and closing it, but when did it open?

The song is meant to make the YED feel safe to come out because David isn't paying attention to it, so Syd is able to catch a glimpse. But all she sees is the dog. And the way Kerry described the YED, it sounds like Doctor Who's The Silence, completely forgetting you've seen the monster as soon as you stop looking at it.

[PatternRec]

31 minutes ago, DanMSchro said:

The significance of the song choice doesn't seem to be for Syd. As David is playing the song, his whole body is shaking with fear, his voice is quivering. If you'll notice, the shot of David on the bed with the banjo is quite wide, and you can see the door to the bathroom is closed. But as he strums and gestures toward the bathroom with his head, the camera zooms in, placing the door out of frame. The next time we see the bathroom door is when Syd is standing in front of it and closing it, but when did it open?

The song is meant to make the YED feel safe to come out because David isn't paying attention to it, so Syd is able to catch a glimpse. But all she sees is the dog. And the way Kerry described the YED, it sounds like Doctor Who's The Silence, completely forgetting you've seen the monster as soon as you stop looking at it.

I think you nailed it. Nice job! 

[patty1h]

Like I said earlier, this show is off-the-wall loopy and just a big suspension of disbelief, but one thing that makes me go "huh" is that sky projection thing they did right after the raid at the D3 facility -- Dr Bird and Cary speaking to each other, with everyone looking upwards and Cary a big floating picture in the air. Convenient in a show with no cellphones (none that I've noticed). 

[PatternRec]

33 minutes ago, patty1h said:

Like I said earlier, this show is off-the-wall loopy and just a big suspension of disbelief, but one thing that makes me go "huh" is that sky projection thing they did right after the raid at the D3 facility -- Dr Bird and Cary speaking to each other, with everyone looking upwards and Cary a big floating picture in the air. Convenient in a show with no cellphones (none that I've noticed). 

I think this was a another visual nod to the comics - in X-men/New Mutants (the books where the Legion first appeared) Professor Xavier would often telepathically contact people and it was always depicted as a big floating head they talked to. There's a *lot* of visual nods to the source material even when so much has been changed. 

 

edit: linked picture from New Mutants #1 with Giant Xavier Head!

Edited March 9, 2017 by PatternRec

[PatternRec]

More giant Xavier/"Cary" headshots: 

[PatternRec]

Also, someone in a Youtube video I just watched about this episode said "The Eye may have illusion powers." Makes me wonder if The Eye isn't based on Mastermind, who was also a major villain in the above-mentioned Dark Phoenix Saga. 

[Terrafamilia]

Very interesting that at the group therapy session at the end there was an extra person I don't recall seeing before. And where was Amy? That's either good for her or very bad.

[Lantern7]

I'm thinking this is the ambitious Marvel project, bordering on arthouse. I know, mutants in media belong to Fox, but it does carve a niche, even if you can never find your balance while watching

Regardless as to who was driving David . . . that being(?) knows how to get to Syd. White room, white furniture, white nightgown . . . very nice. And Syd looked hooked. I do wonder how she could feel how "good" the experience was, since she had power failure the (presumably) only time she tried it. At least she has it better than canon Rogue. Any suitor of hers would be in a mild coma, at best.

Anybody else think of the Gentlemen when the sound went out? That's annoying. Kinda wish I could read lips. It looked like at least one person was dropping f-bombs.

Read the recap. Cleaned-up Lenny looks nice. Too bad she's probably evil. Also, I keep reading "Yellow-Eyed Demon," I think "early Supernatural."

[thuganomics85]

Can't say I'm too surprised that one of the first things David does with his new powers is create an entire world for him and Syd to finally get it on!  And I see Dan Stevens decided to get his membership to the FX Naked Ass Club.  On the other hand, Rachel Keller already got her card for Fargo, but I certainly am not going to complain for a return performance!

Trippy as always, but I think one of the more understandable ones.  Basically, this Shadow King/Creature/Lenny is some kind of parasite that had infected David since birth, which is the reason he has always been off in ways that can't be just excused for his mutant powers.  And it can apparently erase the memories from David's mind, so that is why he kept forgetting, and the rest also had trouble with it, when they tried to access David's memories as normal.  And it looks like it has basically taken over for now.  At least they got Amy out, but I'm guessing the final scene with them all in the psych ward is the Shadow King basically mind-controlling them all.  I wonder how they will get out of this situation!

Lenny is fucking scary now.  Whoever decided to cast Aubrey Plaza gets a cold star, because she is surprisingly effective as a flat-out villain.

Like seeing more of the Cary/Kerry relationship, and how it seems that when they merge, Carey absorbs Kerry's wounds, that completely heals her, but he ends up getting the bruises and scars.

I kind of feel for Ptonomy.  David is all powerful and I can see why Melanie doesn't want him out on his own, but it has to suck putting your life at risk for him all the time, and knowing that a lot of it is for personal reasons for Melanie (not to mention Syd and her feelings for him.)

Syd's story about her first time was messed up.

Really want to know more about The Eye and his powers, and why he's on the opposite side of things, and basically hunting down his own kind.

David singing "The Rainbow Connection" certainly was an awesome "WTF?" moment.

I so want to hear what was actually being said during all of the conversations at the end.  I'm not the best lip-reader, but I'm pretty sure Cary/Bill Irwin said Fuck at least once.

[hincandenza]

I am so confused right now.  I mean, the general story and the details revealed about the parasite thing I'm fine with, but in the act of watching each episode I quickly lose track of what layer/level we're in at any given time.  For example, the whole sequence at the old house, that is presumably in the real world since The Eye was following them (or else the lack of sound = astral plane switchover is the explanation), but there were surreal elements like the tree growing out of the floor, and the appearances of the parasite's many forms visibly to the other people- both his sister and Syd for starters- as well as the group therapy scene at the end.  Whatever we were seeing/not hearing was some unclear (to me) combination of The Eye's own powers, David's telepathy and projection, David's ability to shift people to the constructed astral plane, etc.  

Oof; I hope by season's end we'll find out there was a cinematic short-hand (some colors, sounds, or totems) all along to let us know which level/Inception we're at for any given scene- so that on rewatch, we'd know when this was "real life", when it was a dream, a David 'projection', a David astral plane visit, some The Eye bamboozling, etc.  And that's leaving aside who is who at what time, such as when someone is possessed, or a projection, or a misremembrance, or under the influence of King/David/someone/something else, etc.

Like I said, I am so confused right now! :)

 

5 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

I'm thinking this is the ambitious Marvel project, bordering on arthouse. I know, mutants in media belong to Fox, but it does carve a niche, even if you can never find your balance while watching

Regardless as to who was driving David . . . that being(?) knows how to get to Syd. White room, white furniture, white nightgown . . . very nice. And Syd looked hooked. I do wonder how she could feel how "good" the experience was, since she had power failure the (presumably) only time she tried it.

Ooh, I feel like this is the one thing I did understand! :)  As far as I recall in Marvel, the astral plane is just another plane of existence, like a parallel universe.  For all intents and purposes Syd and David were physically in this other space as much as they are in the real world.  

Agreed on the arthouse; it's an odd and captivating show, very surreal.  I hope it doesn't abuse our trust as an audience with a cop-out ending, but even just for the experience it was worth watching.  I don't know of anything else on TV that is remotely like this.

[PatternRec]

@hincandenza oddly most of what we saw in the first three episodes was real. It only seemed psychedelic because we kept being exposed to memories of things happening differently, but the memories were fake. YED and Angriest Boy added a horror element to the memories and the unexplained mutant powers we saw made it batshit weird because there was no Arrow-verse style explanation of each character and what their power/skill set it. .  

As for when we go deeper David is telepathic and can go into his own head, bring others in there, etc. He can also connect to the astral plane, which is like the internet for telepaths. Telepaths can travel there and can shape reality because it's a "mental" space. In this analogy if the astral plane is the internet, telepaths are the developers and coders.

Btw, I'm not sure of this but I think in the old X-men comics the astral plane they referred to was a shared telepathic space and different from the astral plane of Dr. Strange but my comic-reading phase has been over for decades so I don't know if Marvel ever really differentiated between them or not. 

I *think* at some point in this episode David's/Amy's childhood house is on something of the cusp between reality and the astral plane.   

I think we have enough info now to say The Eye is a strong telepath as well, or at least that his powers of deception and illusion are mental in nature. As a matter of fact I have a theory about who he is I'll post in the spoiler thread. 

[Cardie]

On ‎3‎/‎10‎/‎2017 at 6:29 AM, hincandenza said:

Whatever we were seeing/not hearing was some unclear (to me) combination of The Eye's own powers, David's telepathy and projection, David's ability to shift people to the constructed astral plane, etc.  

Only a guess, but from what Melanie said as they approached the house, I took the lack of sound and the visions they encountered while searching the place to be David/SK in their heads manipulating their perceptions but not taking them off to a difference psychic space. IOW, they were physically in the house and going through its rooms even though they couldn't trust what their senses were telling them. Group therapy I thought was a jump to the astral plane.

[SlackerInc]

On 3/9/2017 at 2:48 AM, wayne67 said:

I wonder how they'll defeat a parasite laden Omega level telepath, telekinetic and teleporrter considering that the only powers the others seem to have is touch based body swapping, split personality guy/girl and memory work guy.  

And a plain ol' telekinetic, who is no match for David but was previously their most powerful fighter, looked like.

On 3/9/2017 at 11:39 PM, Lantern7 said:

Anybody else think of the Gentlemen when the sound went out? That's annoying. Kinda wish I could read lips. It looked like at least one person was dropping f-bombs.

I felt like that stuff was so over-articulated, we were intended to be able to understand it.  But I couldn't, and I was kind of hoping someone here was better at that and would post a transcript.

Overall, that episode was a good 'un.  My favorite so far, even including the pilot.

Edited March 12, 2017 by SlackerInc
Typo

[SlackerInc]

On 3/9/2017 at 11:02 AM, PreviouslyTV said:

And other not-quite-burning questions from 'Chapter 5.'

View the full article

I believe this recap contains a misapprehension of the plot:

Quote

So after Syd and David manage to Do Astral Sex, she confesses that she's not a virgin; when she was sixteen, she used her power to switch places with her passed-out mother and fucked her mom's boyfriend, only to lose the transfer mid-coitus, with the result that her mother suddenly came to and started screaming.  This means Syd managed to violate two birds' consent with one stone...

This is a little vague, but if I'm reading it right it sounds to me like the author thinks Syd's power works the way I initially expected it to in the first episode--but in fact we have been shown repeatedly that it does not work that way.  Namely, it is not the case that everything that happens is mental and invisible to outside observers who are not involved in the "body swap" (or "mind swap" if you prefer).  The initial switch (occurring at the moment of skin touching skin) is invisible, but the switch back (which happens after a while without any touch) is not.  This was most clearly illustrated by the first case we were shown, of Syd swapping with David.  To outside observers at the mental hospital, it looked like David kissed Syd, then "David" started freaking out as he got dragged away, while "Syd" looked flummoxed herself but was manageable enough to be led away.  Nothing "magic" or "sci fi" to an outside observer.  At this point David's body was still inside the asylum.  But David's body later ends up joining David's consciousness in the coffee shop or wherever he was hanging out.  Anyone else paying attention in the coffee shop would have seen a young woman suddenly become a young man.

Or, as this article more pithily puts it:

Quote

The weirdest part of the body switch is that after a while, David and Syd switch back. But rather than their consciousnesses being zapped back to wherever their bodies are, their bodies switch to where their consciousnesses are.

So keep this in mind when reading the following transcription of the key portion of Syd's story about her mom and her mom's journalist boyfriend:

Quote

One night they had too much to drink.  My mom passed out on the couch.  I heard him in the bathroom taking a shower, so I touched her hand.  And then I was her.  We went into the bathroom.  But the switch didn't last long then, and when he was inside me, I changed back.  And then my mom was there, and everybody was screaming.

So what an observer watching on surveillance cameras (if any were present, which I'm sure they were not) would have seen is that 16 year old Syd touched her mom's hand.  This apparently caused mom to wake up and go surprise her boyfriend in the bathroom, at which point they proceeded to have sex.  (What the observer would see "Syd" doing at this point is not clear.)  But in the middle of intercourse, the mom transforms into her daughter Syd right underneath the mom's boyfriend, while simultaneously the (sleeping?) "Syd" transforms into her mom.  Journalist boyfriend starts screaming, mom starts screaming.

From their individual perspectives:

--The boyfriend, like the observer looking at the surveillance cameras, sees a supernatural occurrence (although maybe he might take it as a drunken hallucination): his girlfriend that he's screwing suddenly turns into his girlfriend's daughter mid-coitus.

--From Syd's mom's perspective, she's crashed on the couch, she hears screaming and jumps up to see her boyfriend screwing her daughter and so of course she starts screaming.  (Whether the boyfriend subsequently goes to jail is not known, but sure seems like a possibility.  Tsk-tsk, Syd.)

So only one person's consent was really violated: the boyfriend.  This type of "swap" has never been portrayed in fiction that I know of (correct me if I'm wrong), and obviously doesn't occur in real life.  So we're in uncertain territory.  But let's say the switch had lasted long enough for the boyfriend to ejaculate into what still appeared to be the body of the mom (his legit girlfriend as far as he was aware), but then shortly after sex was over, the switch expired.  My sense of it is that the mom, waking up in her own body, would not have any ejaculate inside her.  Therefore neither her consciousness nor her body ever experienced intercourse without her consent, and thus only one person's consent was violated.  (Still bad form on Syd's part, obviously.)

Anyone disagree with this interpretation?

ETA: Additionally, why would "everybody" be screaming, if it was not as I described?  The boyfriend might be like "What? What's wrong?!?" but that's not "screaming".

ETA2: But now I just remembered something else: Syd seemed to have bruises on her face from where "she" (when swapped with "The Eye") got kicked in the face to keep "her" (confusing!) from revealing to the soldier goons that a switch had happened.  So I guess in the story she told, her mom might have woken up feeling the sensation of just having had sex (especially if it was rough).  I still can't imagine his ejaculate would be inside her but IDK (we haven't even considered the issue of clothing).  Still, I'm pretty sure the recapper was envisioning something that wouldn't appear "magical" to surveillance cameras, but just a woman willingly having sex and then beginning to scream for no apparent reason.  And as I say, that's not what seems to happen with her swaps: there is a physical switch that goes on when they boomerang back, so her mom's boyfriend would have in fact been (at least for a moment) having sex with the actual Syd (body and mind), and her mom would have seen this and been very upset.

Edited March 12, 2017 by SlackerInc

[Unclejosh]

If Syd's body came back while boyfriend was mid thrust, wouldn't she then switch with the boyfriend and be fucking herself?

[tennisgurl]

Wow, who would have thought that Aubrey Plaza could be so damn scary? This show is basically the only show on TV that consistently creeps me out, in a good way! It looks like all the beings in David's head are all one monstrous parasite, that's been messing with his head for years. Or...something. Who really knows at this point? 

Syds story of her first time was SUPER fucked up. I guess there's no real learning curb for sex and informed consistent when it comes to teenagers with crazy mutant powers, but still, you would think a 16 year old could figure out that fucking your moms boyfriend while he thinks your your mom is a Bad Thing. Can we just make a new rule that screwing a person when they think your someone else due to magic/powers/science fiction is Not OK? I mean, can we forward that to TV writers?

I love the looks of this show, its just so unique. Also, shallow note, but Amy has a really ugly crying face. It was half unintentionally funny, and have super disturbing.

Edited March 12, 2017 by tennisgurl

[Cardie]

4 hours ago, Unclejosh said:

If Syd's body came back while boyfriend was mid thrust, wouldn't she then switch with the boyfriend and be fucking herself?

Yeah, that's a real problem with the way her power works. She'd always have to come back when the body that her consciousness has transferred into is not in physical contact with anyone. I suppose we could say that if the power subsides enough to reverse the switch, then she hasn't re-powered sufficiently to cause another switch.

[SlackerInc]

What @cardie said makes sense to me.

[Lokiberry]

On 3/9/2017 at 4:20 AM, PatternRec said:

Here's my theory - it's a song Syd would have heard in her childhood - another way to get her mental defenses down. 

If Oliver has been gone for 21 years and he acts like he's from early 70s we can assume this is at least mid nineties meaning The Muppet Movie would have been a big deal to Syd when she was at an impressionable age. 

The Rainbow Connection was written in 1978 and released 1979, which doesn't help because stylistically this show looks late 60s/early 70s. But that doesn't make sense because Oliver the Beat Poet is also dressed/styled like someone from the late 60s/early 70s, not someone from the early 50s, which he would be  since he's been trapped in the Astral Plane for 21 years.

Edited March 13, 2017 by Lokiberry

[Bruinsfan]

The logistics of Syd's powers make me wonder what would have happened regarding what she was wearing before switching bodies with her mom—in all the instances we've seen, the switched people's clothes swap out along with their bodies. Which might help explain the boyfriend being one of the screaming people, if his goodies got the Philadelphia Experiment treatment from a nightie or pajamas.

[ItCouldBeWorse]

When David left Syd behind in the White Room to go to D3 to rescue Amy by himself, how did Syd get back to the normal realm? Is it just a state of mind from which she can disengage? And if so, how did Syd yelling at David to take them to the White Room when The Eye was about to riddle them with bullets save them from being shot?

Edited March 13, 2017 by ItCouldBeWorse

[HotRats2112]

On 3/9/2017 at 2:16 PM, DanMSchro said:

Why was David singing "The Rainbow Connection" - that was strange in a show loaded with strange

And did anyone notice that he was sitting EXACTLY like Kermit the Frog while playing/singing it? Except that Kermit is a leftie.

 

On 3/10/2017 at 0:57 AM, thuganomics85 said:

And I see Dan Stevens decided to get his membership to the FX Naked Ass Club.  On the other hand, Rachel Keller already got her card for Fargo, but I certainly am not going to complain for a return performance!

No complaints here either.  She is beautiful.  I love Syd.  

[Bruinsfan]

On that lofty subject, didn't Stevens already flash his butt in that walking-into-the-shower scene in an earlier episode when they were showing daily life at Summerland ? Or was that just some extra?

[tessathereaper]

On 3/13/2017 at 2:51 AM, ItCouldBeWorse said:

When David left Syd behind in the White Room to go to D3 to rescue Amy by himself, how did Syd get back to the normal realm? Is it just a state of mind from which she can disengage? And if so, how did Syd yelling at David to take them to the White Room when The Eye was about to riddle them with bullets save them from being shot?

This is what I'm wondering.  I'm worried we're going to "come to" in the real world at some point and Syd's going to end up getting shot by the bullets coming at them at that moment, she was jumping in front of David in front of the bullet.  I think she's hoping they can figure stuff out in the Astral plane, where maybe time runs differently and then stop The Eye the instant they get back before the bullets can hurt them, or specifically David.

[AKA...CJ86]

Slowly catching up on the show...

Never really had an opinion of Aubrey Plaza, I feel like what I little know of her other work w/o seeing it is more comedy or goofy... but damn, she's the most creepy and compelling thing on the show.

Series MVP for me...

Edited March 16, 2017 by CyberJawa1986

[DanMSchro]

On 3/15/2017 at 11:49 AM, Bruinsfan said:

On that lofty subject, didn't Stevens already flash his butt in that walking-into-the-shower scene in an earlier episode when they were showing daily life at Summerland ? Or was that just some extra?

Just some extra.

[KaleyFirefly]

On 3/9/2017 at 5:15 AM, patty1h said:

Anyone know what song was playing while the team made their way through the D3 facility?  It was hella creepy.

I think that was the Radiohead song "The Daily Mail."

[KaleyFirefly]

On 3/10/2017 at 6:29 AM, hincandenza said:

Agreed on the arthouse; it's an odd and captivating show, very surreal.  I hope it doesn't abuse our trust as an audience with a cop-out ending, but even just for the experience it was worth watching.  I don't know of anything else on TV that is remotely like this.

You might like "Mr. Robot." A different kind of show, but same surreal / artistic sensibility, interesting cinematography, visual and sound editing, music, etc. And an unreliable narrator as well.

[KaleyFirefly]

On 3/12/2017 at 7:21 AM, SlackerInc said:

I believe this recap contains a misapprehension of the plot:

This is a little vague, but if I'm reading it right it sounds to me like the author thinks Syd's power works the way I initially expected it to in the first episode--but in fact we have been shown repeatedly that it does not work that way.  Namely, it is not the case that everything that happens is mental and invisible to outside observers who are not involved in the "body swap" (or "mind swap" if you prefer).  The initial switch (occurring at the moment of skin touching skin) is invisible, but the switch back (which happens after a while without any touch) is not.  This was most clearly illustrated by the first case we were shown, of Syd swapping with David.  To outside observers at the mental hospital, it looked like David kissed Syd, then "David" started freaking out as he got dragged away, while "Syd" looked flummoxed herself but was manageable enough to be led away.  Nothing "magic" or "sci fi" to an outside observer.  At this point David's body was still inside the asylum.  But David's body later ends up joining David's consciousness in the coffee shop or wherever he was hanging out.  Anyone else paying attention in the coffee shop would have seen a young woman suddenly become a young man.

OK, that explains why when they switched back, Syd was the one on the ground with David and The Eye was the one running. Their bodies move back to where their souls/minds are, not the other way around.

[SlackerInc]

38 minutes ago, KaleyFirefly said:

OK, that explains why when they switched back, Syd was the one on the ground with David and The Eye was the one running. Their bodies move back to where their souls/minds are, not the other way around.

Yup.  Which is a pretty strange way to do it, especially since it only happens in one direction.  But it adds to Syd's superpower.  She can basically be assured of getting out of any prison, as long as they aren't ready and prepared for her.  Touch the arm of a guard.  Suddenly "Syd" starts raving like a lunatic and maybe gets sedated or perhaps beaten (fortunately I don't think she gets her body back with any "wear and tear" put on it during the swap, although I'm not 100% positive on that point), while the guard tells supervisors s/he is feeling ill and needs to leave (or Syd could just be strategic about timing and do it near the end of a shift).  An hour or so later, the prison staff is shocked to find one of their own in Syd's cell, or strapped to a gurney or whatever, while Syd is fifty miles down the freeway.

[hincandenza]

19 hours ago, KaleyFirefly said:

You might like "Mr. Robot." A different kind of show, but same surreal / artistic sensibility, interesting cinematography, visual and sound editing, music, etc. And an unreliable narrator as well.

No worries, already a big fan of Mr. Robot. :) I was hesitant on season 2 seeming to go back to the well of unreliable narrator/psychosis gimmick, but then shit ramped up and I'm thrilled for season 3.

[KaleyFirefly]

2 hours ago, hincandenza said:

No worries, already a big fan of Mr. Robot. :) I was hesitant on season 2 seeming to go back to the well of unreliable narrator/psychosis gimmick, but then shit ramped up and I'm thrilled for season 3.

Me too! Can't wait for Season 3!

[EyesGlazed]

On 3/11/2017 at 0:59 AM, ArmoPrincess said:

This is the best, most intriguing show on television. PERIOD.

Ha ha, I agree, Sean.  The power of this show will not be questioned.

On another topic, I notice there are no more recaps of this show after Chapter 5.  I'm bingeing my way through the season and am going to miss the recaps.  Why did they stop?  I guess this is a question to the Mods.

[Bort]

57 minutes ago, EyesGlazed said:

On another topic, I notice there are no more recaps of this show after Chapter 5.  I'm bingeing my way through the season and am going to miss the recaps.  Why did they stop?  I guess this is a question to the Mods.

It's more of a question for the Editorial aspect of the site. I don't know either.

[Snorfbat]

On ‎3‎/‎15‎/‎2017 at 10:34 AM, HotRats2112 said:

And did anyone notice that he was sitting EXACTLY like Kermit the Frog while playing/singing it? Except that Kermit is a leftie.

I *did* notice that. I think we're supposed to read something into the fact that he's performing like a puppet. (Okay, Muppet.)