S01.E02: A Shadow Out of Time

[CooperTV]

Quote

In a flash-forward to the year 2187, Reece finds Leah, an orphaned Common baby, and goes against her Apex cohorts to take her in as her own. In present day, Jude – hoping for a peaceful solution with the Feds – is blindsided by a mysterious black-ops team’s intent on capturing Reece by any means necessary.

Promos

[shapeshifter]

I am hoping this promo is typical of many promos in that it is nothing like the actual episode, but then I shouldn't have high hopes for a mid-season scifi show either. I will probably watch at least this episode because the casting of Steve Zahn gave the pilot an interesting, almost anti-hero flavor.

[TV Anonymous]

So in the year 2187 clothing and houses are not that much different with now? As well, a person from that time is just comfortable with our weapons and vehicles? Imagine the difference between 1848 and now. I am not sure we can be just as comfortable handling muskets and riding horses...

[KaveDweller]

1 hour ago, TV Anonymous said:

So in the year 2187 clothing and houses are not that much different with now? As well, a person from that time is just comfortable with our weapons and vehicles? Imagine the difference between 1848 and now. I am not sure we can be just as comfortable handling muskets and riding horses...

I had the same thought about clothes. Reece is remarkably in fashion all things considered. But maybe the clothes they are in were given to them (or stolen in Reece's case) since whatever they had on when the arrived got soaked? 

In the pilot they had the future people acting all shocked at the idea of eating food that came from "real animals," so I was expecting more reveals like that. I'd also expect more language discrepancies. Expressions have changed a lot in the last 100 years, I'd imagine that will continue.

[Lily H]

I can't remember -- did the pilot episode explain how the Apex "master race" came into being, or is that something we have yet to find out?

[AuntiePam]

It doesn't take much for me to give up on a TV show.  I liked the pilot but I didn't make it to the commercial break in this episode.  Reece kills a comrade in order to save a baby.  Why?  She's Apex, she's in uniform, carrying the same kind of weapon, presumably with the same background and training, so why does she care about this normal baby?  She doesn't know that Apex kills babies?  I needed some back story to make it plausible that she'd kill that guy (assuming he's dead and not just immobilized).  And what's she going to do with a baby?  Maybe if I'd kept watching, it would make sense.

Then we have Steve Zahn going to the beach the next morning, and acting surprised that it's deserted, that the survivors have been moved.  And he doesn't know where?  He's the sheriff, isn't he?  So that didn't make sense, and that inane dialogue, and Zahn not asking any questions. 

This seems like the plot will be mostly identifying Apex, sorting the "good" ones from the bad ones, with some romance thrown in.  Not very compelling, unless they can find a way to show how it happened.  Was it gradual?  Sudden?  I dunno.  Maybe I give up too soon sometimes.

[bilgistic]

In the future world, Reece was giving Leah infusions of her blood to suppress Leah's disease. Reece has immunity from the disease because Apex created the disease and she was an Apex...soldier?

[CrazyDog]

All in all, I enjoyed the episode. I hope they can show more of the future and how the war and takeover started. In current times, I like Steve Zahn, but he just seems like an odd choice to lead this show. 

The scenery is gorgeous. 

The refugee and the soldier checking each other out are already boring. Unless one of them turns out to be evil.

Frankly, I kind of like the idea of Apex already being scattered about, and likely in positions of power. 

I haven't watched a new series in a while, but I hope this one gets a decent run. Sometimes shows take awhile to find their groove, and I think this one has potential, if it's given a chance. It might have been a better option as a summer show though.

Jay Karnes will always be Dutch to me, but I'll never like him after his certain scene on The Shield.

[Clanstarling]

My take on the people who were already here was that they were not Apex. Maybe because the one guy talked about torturing Reece. In any case, I thought that it was an interesting twist, and that maybe they're here to stop whatever it is that leads to the Apex - or, alternately, - to get it started sooner.

I thought the couple looking after Leah weren't quite as frightened as you might think that she was sick with that disease - given that the story was that basically you abandoned anyone with it, as it was so contagious.

There are certainly plot holes at this point, but it seems like they might fill them in. Besides, I'll watch Steve Zahn until it's too painful.

[bilgistic]

I was excited that the feds took saliva for DNA testing. I am really hoping my prediction of one or more of the refugees being related to current townsfolk comes true.

[KaveDweller]

17 hours ago, AuntiePam said:

It doesn't take much for me to give up on a TV show.  I liked the pilot but I didn't make it to the commercial break in this episode.  Reece kills a comrade in order to save a baby.  Why?  She's Apex, she's in uniform, carrying the same kind of weapon, presumably with the same background and training, so why does she care about this normal baby?  She doesn't know that Apex kills babies?  I needed some back story to make it plausible that she'd kill that guy (assuming he's dead and not just immobilized).  And what's she going to do with a baby?  Maybe if I'd kept watching, it would make sense.

I thought the same thing about needing a reason why Reece wanted to save Leah as a baby.  It didn't seem real to me, especially if she had really been a loyal Apex soldier before that. 

I liked this episode much less than the pilot. 

[mjc570]

I thought the episode was ok, although somewhat predictable.  I also don't understand why Reece went against all her training and conditioning to save the "common" baby, although she was pretty cute. 

Watching, I just kept thinking that maybe better actors might make a difference. 

[thuganomics85]

Always good whenever Brian Markinson (as Jay Karnes' FBI boss) pops up in a show I watch!  And proof that this is obviously filmed in Canada.  I'll now watch to see which "Hey, it's that Canadian-based actor!" will arrive next: Roger Cross or Hiro Kanagawa!

The flashbacks (or is it forward?) were pretty by the numbers compared to similar shows.  The Apex folks basically seem like stilted, emotionless ciphers, but after stumbling upon Leah as a "common" baby, Reece's heart suddenly goes three sizes that day, and ends up hiding her from them and then later flat-out turning on them for her.

So, I guess Steve Harris' character is also an Apex or at least someone that Jay Karnes believes will be able to defeat Reece.

Rebecca/Simone Kessell seems to be wanting to replace her dead child with Leah, I think.

Still think Rick Gomez's deputy will end up playing a bigger role going forward.

[plurie]

If they know that the Apex are immune to the disease, wouldn't they want to take an Apex prisoner to study his/her blood?

[Ziggy]

Towards the end Craig Lindauer and John (his superior) are watching a video of the interviews, and Craig convinces John to let him handle things.  Then Craig calls a woman and says, "It's done.  The refugees are secure ... "

Who's the woman?  At first I thought it might be Reese, but I'm wondering if it's Rebecca.  In don't really know.  Who do you think it is?

[Haleth]

I still don't know most of the names but if the woman in the shadows is the ex wife I'll throw something at the tv. Of course this means the little boy will probably start showing super abilities.

At least we learned why Reece and her daughter look nothing alike. I did catch the throw away line from her partner suggesting they reapply for a procreation license (something like that) so that can explain why she wanted to keep the baby -- they had previously been denied the right to have children?

Does anyone else get confused by several female characters that look alike?  (I'm not paying a whole lot of attention since I'll probably bail after a few episodes. I've seen this premise too many times.  Surprise me, show!)

[Clanstarling]

1 hour ago, Haleth said:

I still don't know most of the names but if the woman in the shadows is the ex wife I'll throw something at the tv.

I suppose it could be, but even in shadows I think blond hair wouldn't look as dark as the woman's hair did. But I don't look at a lot of blondes in the dark, so who knows.

[Ziggy]

3 hours ago, Haleth said:

I still don't know most of the names but if the woman in the shadows is the ex wife I'll throw something at the tv. Of course this means the little boy will probably start showing super abilities.

At least we learned why Reece and her daughter look nothing alike. I did catch the throw away line from her partner suggesting they reapply for a procreation license (something like that) so that can explain why she wanted to keep the baby -- they had previously been denied the right to have children?

Does anyone else get confused by several female characters that look alike?  (I'm not paying a whole lot of attention since I'll probably bail after a few episodes. I've seen this premise too many times.  Surprise me, show!)

I totally agree!  The brunettes all look alike!

1 hour ago, Clanstarling said:

I suppose it could be, but even in shadows I think blond hair wouldn't look as dark as the woman's hair did. But I don't look at a lot of blondes in the dark, so who knows.

It thought it looked like a brunette, also, but I'm jut really not sure.

[Driad]

In case the episode title sounds familiar, H. P. Lovecraft wrote a novella called The Shadow Out of Time, published in 1936.

[Clanstarling]

44 minutes ago, Driad said:

In case the episode title sounds familiar, H. P. Lovecraft wrote a novella called The Shadow Out of Time, published in 1936.

I've never read Lovecraft, but I looked this up on Wikipedia and liked the concepts. Seems like whoever came up with Travelers was influenced by it too.

[chaifan]

On 4/10/2018 at 8:46 AM, icemiser69 said:

It didn't take long for this series to get predictable.  I feel like I have seen this all before.

Was there any doubt that Reece was going to be able to rebuild the sheriff's car in no time flat and that she knew how to drive it?

 

Oh, come on.   It wasn't all that predictable.  After all, I expected Reese to discover a motorcycle in the garage.  See?  The broken down camaro was a total plot twist I didn't see coming.

/s/

[Raja]

23 hours ago, Haleth said:

 

At least we learned why Reece and her daughter look nothing alike. I did catch the throw away line from her partner suggesting they reapply for a procreation license (something like that) so that can explain why she wanted to keep the baby -- they had previously been denied the right to have children?

 

I remember it as the assigned mate suggesting that we could ask The State for a waiver. Reading between the lines I would guess that either by policy they would never be allowed to have children or the permission was recently refused

[Raja]

On 4/11/2018 at 1:31 AM, thuganomics85 said:

 

So, I guess Steve Harris' character is also an Apex or at least someone that Jay Karnes believes will be able to defeat Reece.

 

I am thinking the opposite. That Steve Harris and Jay Karnes are the human resistance to The State and Apex. That the cure may have gotten as bad as the disease.

[shapeshifter]

On April 10, 2018 at 6:55 PM, KaveDweller said:

I thought the same thing about needing a reason why Reece wanted to save Leah as a baby.  It didn't seem real to me, especially if she had really been a loyal Apex soldier before that. 

When Reece first encountered the baby, she says "I feel love for her" in a tone that seemed to imply that she couldn't help it—like maybe they had a genetic link.

On April 10, 2018 at 5:54 PM, bilgistic said:

I was excited that the feds took saliva for DNA testing. I am really hoping my prediction of one or more of the refugees being related to current townsfolk comes true.

I know IRL that Sandrine Holt (Emma the FBI agent) and Natalie Martinez (Reece the Apex) are not ethnically the same, but their faces do resemble each other, so it would not surprise me if it turns out that Emma's offspring contributed DNA to make the Apex.

 

 

On April 11, 2018 at 7:46 PM, chaifan said:

Oh, come on. It wasn't all that predictable. After all, I expected Reese to discover a motorcycle in the garage. See? The broken down camaro was a total plot twist I didn't see coming.

The Camaro was the highlight of the episode for me. If Steve Zahn is going to zip around in it each episode, I might keep watching.

Edited April 13, 2018 by shapeshifter

[Raja]

10 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

 

The Camaro was the highlight of the episode for me. If Steve Zahn is going to zip around in it each episode, I might keep watching.

I amreasonably sure it was an early 70's Chevelle muscle car more set up for drag racing than the smaller Camero road racing pony car.

[wilnil]

On ‎4‎/‎11‎/‎2018 at 9:12 AM, Ziggy said:

Towards the end Craig Lindauer and John (his superior) are watching a video of the interviews, and Craig convinces John to let him handle things.  Then Craig calls a woman and says, "It's done.  The refugees are secure ... "

Who's the woman?  At first I thought it might be Reese, but I'm wondering if it's Rebecca.  In don't really know.  Who do you think it is?

I'd need to rewatch to be sure, but I think that at some point in this episode, Lindauer/Jay Karnes refers to someone named Eve as being the leader of the first, secret group of time travelers. If so, I think that's who he was talking to, and she wouldn't be anyone who came in the second, refugee wave. (But unfortunately, that doesn't rule out the ex-wife as a possibility.)

 

On ‎4‎/‎12‎/‎2018 at 11:00 AM, Raja said:

I am thinking the opposite. That Steve Harris and Jay Karnes are the human resistance to The State and Apex. That the cure may have gotten as bad as the disease.

That's my take on them, too: that the secret group came back with the goal of changing present-day events enough to prevent the creation of Apex from ever happening, and if that means making the normal-human governments as ruthless as the Apex one, that's fine with them.

[Accidental Martyr]

I’m still curious how people from the earlier time traveling group managed to obtain jobs in the US government.

[peachmangosteen]

I guess I'm at a table for one but I still really like this. I'm sure it will get cancelled though.

[chaifan]

14 hours ago, Accidental Martyr said:

I’m still curious how people from the earlier time traveling group managed to obtain jobs in the US government.

Maybe they came back and created a reality tv show first.  ;)

I agree with your skepticism.  Yes, they could use their knowledge of the past to somehow steal or create a new identity, but they'd have to come back with enough lead time to have the identity pass muster of a federal level background check.  Which means that the two from the earlier bunch would have had to have been recruited to be sent back when they were students/young adults and once in the new time built up academic and professional resumes for years before getting into their current positions.  I'm guessing we're not going to see this type of detail/advance planning, and it will require a bit of hand waiving.

[Clanstarling]

54 minutes ago, peachmangosteen said:

I guess I'm at a table for one but I still really like this. I'm sure it will get cancelled though.

Table for two.

[bilgistic]

9 minutes ago, Clanstarling said:

Table for two.

Three!

[peachmangosteen]

OK good I'm not alone! I mean I do agree with a lot of the criticisms, but I don't care because I enjoy it, I like the characters, and I'm interested to see where it goes.

Now, is there anyone besides me at the "I like Hannah/Roy" table?

Edited April 14, 2018 by peachmangosteen

[Ziggy]

6 hours ago, bilgistic said:

Three!

Four!

[Lady Calypso]

I don't mind the show so far, but I had an opinion from the moment I first heard about this show: this would really be the perfect summer show. I don't feel like it quite fits in with the winter scheduling, but as a summer show? It would be a hit. 

[wilnil]

On ‎4‎/‎14‎/‎2018 at 10:56 AM, chaifan said:

On ‎4‎/‎13‎/‎2018 at 7:49 PM, Accidental Martyr said:

I’m still curious how people from the earlier time traveling group managed to obtain jobs in the US government.

Maybe they came back and created a reality tv show first.  ;)

I agree with your skepticism.  Yes, they could use their knowledge of the past to somehow steal or create a new identity, but they'd have to come back with enough lead time to have the identity pass muster of a federal level background check.  Which means that the two from the earlier bunch would have had to have been recruited to be sent back when they were students/young adults and once in the new time built up academic and professional resumes for years before getting into their current positions.  I'm guessing we're not going to see this type of detail/advance planning, and it will require a bit of hand waiving.

They did have a throwaway line in the scene at the bridge where the would-be informant realizes Lindauer is one of the first-wave travelers and says something like "How long have you been here?" and Lindauer replies, "Longer than you think," which suggested to me that they had in fact been there for decades working their way into our society and government.

[Raja]

18 minutes ago, wilnil said:

They did have a throwaway line in the scene at the bridge where the would-be informant realizes Lindauer is one of the first-wave travelers and says something like "How long have you been here?" and Lindauer replies, "Longer than you think," which suggested to me that they had in fact been there for decades working their way into our society and government.

It is started to seem like The Sarah Conner Chronicles where the Terminator franchise went beyond going back to get John Conner but had terminators going back to make sure the infrastructure for Skynet was in place. Because of a misfire with their time machine one even went back to the 1930's and worked to prepare for his mission in 2009.

[Efzee]

On 21-4-2018 at 5:13 PM, wilnil said:

They did have a throwaway line in the scene at the bridge where the would-be informant realizes Lindauer is one of the first-wave travelers and says something like "How long have you been here?" and Lindauer replies, "Longer than you think," which suggested to me that they had in fact been there for decades working their way into our society and government.

Exactly. The only thing it doesn't explain though is how the informant recognized him. Lindauer didn't know if he would be able to recognize faces and then the informant clearly recognizes him, but if Lindauer has been there for decades then how could he still look similar enough for the informant to recognize him.

 

Anyone know what Reece said at the end of the show, when the store clerk addressed her? Sometimes they mumble things and I can't hear it correctly, but this time even rewinding didn't help.