The Passage - General Discussion

[Meredith Quill]

Anticipate The Passage Here! 

Please use spoiler tags for book talk.

[Gyproselee]

Oh my God I can't wait .The book is epic!

[ccphilly]

In the words of Jessie Spano-"I'm so excited!  I'm so...scared!"  I hope this is good.  I LOVED the book "The Passage" and hope the TV adaption is worthy.  

[scarynikki12]

Trailer is out!  This looks great and I'm looking forward to going crazy between now and the midseason launch.

 

[Chas411]

Looks pretty good alright. 

[SnoGirl]

So, what you all are saying is I definitely need to read this trilogy before the Fall??

[scarynikki12]

1 minute ago, SnoGirl said:

So, what you all are saying is I definitely need to read this trilogy before the Fall??

They’re so good! 

[Haleth]

The first one is fantastic.  I stayed up all night reading it.  The others aren't as good.

[deemac]

I got all excited about this till I saw the trailer.  Way off from the book. 

Spoiler

Amy was much younger, very quiet and no attitude at all.  Nor the least bit like the virals were described in the book.  Carter, I assume that was Carter, was small and unassuming, really very simple, uneducated but sweet at the start of the book.

I'll give it one show but doubt I'll continue.  I have a love hate relationship with the books.  Love parts, hate parts.

[diebartdie]

I just found this potentially spoilery article from back in February, reading this and now I am just not excited abut this show. I mean they removed these THREE????

[Haleth]

8 hours ago, diebartdie said:

I just found this potentially spoilery article from back in February, reading this and now I am just not excited abut this show. I mean they removed these THREE????

Wow. That makes no sense at all.  I can only hope they are concentrating on the front half and will introduce the back half characters later?

[scarynikki12]

Cronin himself has confirmed on his social media that

Spoiler

those three have been cast and will show up later in the season.  They were originally planned for the pilot but were cut when Fox asked the producers to shoot a second version.  The first pilot was set up to tell the origin in flashbacks but it didn't work as they'd planned while the second, and now official, pilot starts at the beginning and sets up the story to be told in a linear format.

  That article is both accurate and misleading. 

[scarynikki12]

Here's the most recent tweet on the subject:

Spoiler

 

[IDreamofJoaquin]

I am excited but nervous.  I have read these 3 times each.   You know when you feel attached to something and don't want to share?   I'm also scared they will screw it up somehow.

[Happy Harpy]

Comic Con interview:

https://tvline.com/2018/07/20/the-passage-mark-paul-gosselaar-interview-video-fox/

[Trini]

Seems interesting; but I'm not into zombies(?)/gore, so I don't know if I'll stick with this.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

In a weird coincidence, I just finished reading Station Eleven this weekend and the book mentions The Passage, which reminded me that I saw the trailer for this show last year. Now I’m excited to see the first episode!

[CrazyDog]

I am excited about this! Looking forward to it tonight. 

[scarynikki12]

On 1/13/2019 at 1:25 PM, Trini said:

Seems interesting; but I'm not into zombies(?)/gore, so I don't know if I'll stick with this.

Vampires.  Just not the Byronic kind.

[scarynikki12]

As we only have this single thread for discussion of The Passage, remember to tag your spoilers accordingly.  This includes book talk.

[Trini]

1 hour ago, scarynikki12 said:

Vampires.  Just not the Byronic kind.

Not into those either; but thanks.

[SimoneS]

I am surprised by how much I liked the pilot. The little girl playing Amy is really good. I love that she is smart, cynical, and vulnerable all at once. Mark-Paul Gosselaar was really good. I loved the scene at the river where he made Amy grieve for her mother. I look forward to seeing what happens next.

[Chaos Theory]

Solid first episode.  I know people are going to gush over Amy but I found her far too precious.  It got old fast.  Did find her relationship with Zach Morris (he will always be Zach Morris to me so shut up) kind interestingmistly because He couldn’t decide if he was a bad guy or a good guy for a bit.

So we have notvampires and a shady government organization that dies experiments on people.  I am hope to see a notwerewolf before the season is over.

Solid Pilot.

Edited January 15, 2019 by Chaos Theory

[KittenPokerCheater]

I really liked the pilot, but I'm not sure I'll be sticking with the show.  I read up on the trilogy and it seemed too sad for me.  Also, I'm weary of vampires, zombies etc.  It's too bad, because I really liked MPG/Zack's character.

[SnoGirl]

Wow-that moved quick. I’m reading the book right now and just a little ahead of where they are now. I actually already like the differences. 

I’ll watch anything MPH is in-will also always be Zack Morris to me too. I was talking to my Mom about the show and as soon as I mentioned he was in it she was all “well I know you already love it.”

Loved the actress who plays Amy. Believable kid-and loved the carsickness bit. 

[SimoneS]

The actress playing Amy is Saniyya Sidney. She is very good. I saw online that Amy was

Spoiler

white is the books and that some of the fans are upset that an African American actress was cast in the role. Eh, screw'em.

[AnimeMania]

For a second, I thought he was going to hop on the unicorn as they made their escape from the carnival.

[CrazyDog]

I really enjoyed this. Amy and Brad have great team chemistry. The dialogue was a bit cheesy, especially with Lila, but they had a lot to establish in this first episode.

I'm surprised how much I liked Zach Morris here. He's believably badass.

Desmond! He'll always be Desmond.

The cells with all the not vampires was creepy. As with all such shows, what could go wrong with keeping unbelievably strong, telepathic, bloodsucking monsters around?

I hope this does well. The reviews don't seem to be great, and the books are a lot to cover for TV, especially network TV, but the material is definitely there. Hope it gets a chance!

[Trini]

Great - they're psychic vampires!

I did like all the actors here, and they've set up a compelling story so far but... bloodsuckers; so y'all enjoy. I might keep up with recaps, though.

Edited January 15, 2019 by Trini

[owenthurman]

16 hours ago, SimoneS said:

I saw online that Amy was white is the books and that some of the fans are upset that an African American actress was cast in the role. Eh, screw'em.

I haven't watched the episode yet, but based on the book, there could be some good reasons to be bothered by the race change. In the book at least,

Spoiler

Amy's mom is a prostitute who neglects and abandons her; does the world need to see an African American woman in that role?

Again, I haven't watched the ep yet, so maybe they found a good way to deal with the issues around that.

[kickingnames]

I’ve not read the books, and I am absolutely not here for vampires — but MPG is bringing it, the young girl is good, and they are great together, so I’m in for the time being. (However, I’m also not here for utterly depressing, and this definitely has that potential, so we’ll see how far I get.)

[Lily H]

This really does check all the boxes for American network television -- sassy precocious kid who is Very Important; boring angsty guy who makes bad decisions, has a complicated relationship with an ex-wife, and can't act his way out of a paper bag; shooting deaths of random poor schmucks without so much as a shrug, because they are Not Important; and as much blood as they think they can get away with. Yeccccch.

[tennisgurl]

I've been looking forward to this for awhile, and it did not disappoint! Its moving really fast, and while some of the dialogue is pretty cliche, especially with the ex wife, the actors are good and they really sold it. There is a lot going on already and a lot of balls in the air, I am excited to see where it goes next. I feel like this show could take MANY turns in where this plot goes. 

Mark-Paul Gosselaar was surprisingly solid as a badass, and he was good in the emotional bits as well. He and the young actress who plays Amy have a natural chemistry, and they already play off each other really well. Speaking of, I like her a lot, she walks that line between being precocious, and being a normal kid having normal kid reactions to all the crazy stuff happening around her all of the sudden. I am already excited to see some more of their road trip. The scene where he asked for nice memories of her mom so she could mourn her was really sweet. 

So, super powered psychic vampires possessing people that were already murderers? Oh, thats going to go super well, I can already tell! It was fun seeing Desmond as one of the scientists, and I really liked the head scientist woman. She did a good job at being conflicted by what she was doing, but being convinced that this is for the greater good. The vampires in the cells are super creepy, I am already to see more of their veiny selves. 

Like I said, some of it is rather standard for a TV show (special ops guy with tragic backstory and an ex wife in the medical field, random mooks being killed, jump scares) but I think this has a lot of potential. 

[Happy Harpy]

I wasn't disappointed. The plot is intriguing enough (didn't read the books) I liked the twist with the psychic thing, the human villains are not (all) entirely evil and the cast gelled well together.

MPG is one of my favorite actors since NYPD Blue, he's always been good with emotional material imo. Loved the relationship between Brad and Amy. It was key for the whole thing to work out and it did for me.

Not too fond of the melodrama with the ex-wife and all but it explains Brad's change of heart beyond Amy's attaching personality.

I do hope that Brad/Amy find their own posse, the Fugitive plots tend to tire me on the long run.

[Chaos Theory]

Ok I can see why people might be triggered (I HATE that word almost as much as I hate the word woke but not the point so moving on) by Amy being black.  Her mom is a crack addict who basically abandons her then dies in the first fifteen minutes and then Amy gets kidnapped by a couple of white dudes and one of them hits her so a shady group can use her for a shady experiments.  So yeah a lot of triggers but I am not sure how much bettet a white kid would have made it.   

Edited January 15, 2019 by Chaos Theory

[Kelda Feegle]

Didn't know there were books, don't know the actors, with two exceptions, happy to keep going for now tho as it was a solid start.

[Sakura12]

I'm here for actual creepy vampires /infected not centuries old good looking vampires that teenagers fall in love with. 

I liked this pilot, yes it had the cliche tragic back stories for our leads, but it works for me here. I knew Brad lost a kid the minute he had doubts about taking a kid. Not sure why he agreed so quickly in the first place though. I cheered when he smacked his partners head on the dashboard after he hit Amy. 

I thought Amy had a nice balance being the street savvy kid while also still being a kid that does want a parent. She was snarky but scared when she should be. She could've ran when Brad took the phone call from his ex, but she didn't and even asked if he was okay. I'm also glad the ex is a nice person as well and does still love him. 

[Reality police]

7 hours ago, kickingnames said:

I’ve not read the books, and I am absolutely not here for vampires — but MPG is bringing it, the young girl is good, and they are great together, so I’m in for the time being. (However, I’m also not here for utterly depressing, and this definitely has that potential, so we’ll see how far I get.)

Everything you said.  How did you get into my brain? Sorry about the cobwebs. 

[DC Gal in VA]

9 hours ago, CrazyDog said:

I really enjoyed this. Amy and Brad have great team chemistry. The dialogue was a bit cheesy, especially with Lila, but they had a lot to establish in this first episode.

I'm surprised how much I liked Zach Morris here. He's believably badass.

Desmond! He'll always be Desmond.

The cells with all the not vampires was creepy. As with all such shows, what could go wrong with keeping unbelievably strong, telepathic, bloodsucking monsters around?

I hope this does well. The reviews don't seem to be great, and the books are a lot to cover for TV, especially network TV, but the material is definitely there. Hope it gets a chance!

Although I have not read any of the books this show is based on, I was really looking forward to watching it and last night did not disappoint. While I really enjoyed the chemistry between Amy and MPG's character, I am getting a bit weary of the cliche of the "way smarter and so mature for her age" thing. The young actress is amazing but I always have a hard time with screenwriters who depict the demeanor and behavior of 10 year olds as if they were teenagers. Also, even if her character was Caucasian in the trilogy, I have absolutely no problem with her being Black and, as SimoneS said, screw anyone who has a problem with that. Sadly, there are young kids of all ethnicities who find themselves in her situation so I take no offense in any way that she is Black.

As for the whole vampire angle, no problem with that at all especially the whole psychic, showing up in your dreams thing. However, if they had been zombies, ugh, no bueno, lol!

The one thing I didn't understand was when the search team found the creepy ass vampire in the cave and some kid couldn't wait to run up and open the cage he was in and let that thing out. That made absolutely no sense to me. So CrazyDog since you've read the books, can you or anyone else explain explain why that happened? Thanks.

[Chaos Theory]

There is nothing on right now and this really does hit all the right notes for what it is.   Plus as an added bonus it is fun to tweet.  

That being said once tv starts again this might fall by the wayside because it is overly and overtly depressing.  I hate kids on my tv shows so Amy as cute as she is is going to eventually annoy me.   

Bit right now it’s kinda fun so.....yeah I’m game for the end of the world.  And rooting for the notvampires.  

[sempervivum]

Vampires again? Already? OK, then.

I didn't understand how the 'original' vampire in Brazil, the one in the cage, was allowed to escape so easily. I also wanted to see if he escaped or if the military guys managed to subdue him. Did they have silver bullets (ha)? (I see DC Gal in VA just asked this, to).

Why does the super secret weird science project have to be set in a gigantic mansion? I don't follow this genre at all, but even I know the X Men and Kingsmen (I think) franchises feature this trope. I'd love to see one of these set in, say, an abandoned factory in one of the bombed-out areas of Detroit.

I really liked the look of the classic rock-loving vampire, but the blonde parricide seemed to have the usual smoky eye overload. Also, why was the rock vampire all bloody and messy throughout, but the blonde was neat as a pin-and her white outfit was spotless- until she fed at the blood trough? Does she groom or do they hose them down?

Also, I had to groan when the vampires' eyes turned amber after eating. What next, they sparkle in sunlight?

I thought the showrunners were either amazingly naïve or just hoped nobody would have the same thought I did: boy, that guy (MPG) is taking a chance by walking/driving around with a little black girl- that would attract attention that one would think the FBI (?) would want to avoid.

[scarynikki12]

8 minutes ago, DC Gal in VA said:

So CrazyDog since you've read the books, can you or anyone else explain explain why that happened?

Not the one you asked but I've read (and am obsessed with) the books so I'm jumping in to answer. 
 

Spoiler

 

We don't actually see that moment in the books.  Cronin takes a lot of inspiration from existing vampire stories and mythology, including the narrative device of telling the story via correspondence.  Cronin uses this device at the opening of the story (and in a couple other places as well) via emails that Dr. Lear is sending to a colleague back in the US.  He describes the trek into the dense forest in Bolivia, the rising fear as they get closer to their destination, Fanning getting attacked by a cloud of bats and the worry if he'll survive, and all we get of their run in with the vampire(s) once they reach their destination is "now I know why the soldiers are here".  The first book in particular uses a lot of horror elements to tell the story and the vagueness of Lear's emails adds to that.  We get a few more details later on but it amounts to knowing that they did encounter at least one vampire and the soldiers managed to kill it. 

The change to what we saw is still in line with how the vampires typically behave in the books, as they have Renfields who bring their food to them, so that boy/young man was likely under that vampire's control and in charge of bringing the blood.  Why was he in the cage?  My guess is that the man, before he was bitten, was likely a decent person and maybe locked himself up once he realized he couldn't stop the bloodlust.  That's another thing we learn as we get further into the story: if the person was decent before they were turned, it will have a limited effect on how they behave as a vampire.  Carter feels bad after he bites someone so he keeps himself isolated while the other Death Row vampires embody the monster that they've become.  Going back to that first vampire, there's probably a small village nearby that supplies him with his Renfields while also keeping him away from the rest of the world.  My guess is that the smell of fresh human blood in such large quantities was too much and the monster took over and made that Renfield open the cage so he could feed.  That he didn't immediately overpower all of them is likely due to what looked like a limited supply of blood which would keep his strength, agility, and speed at bay. 

 

[owenthurman]

7 hours ago, Chaos Theory said:

I can see why people might be triggered ... by Amy being black.  Her mom is a crack addict who basically abandons her then dies in the first fifteen minutes

 

That, to me, was the most problematic change. The book's

Spoiler

 

white mom? Not a crack addict. She kills a man in self-defense, is wanted for murder, and abandons Amy to go on the run. The tv show made the woman black, then decided to make her an addict and an overdose death.

The narrative of a child neglected by her birth parent finding true family with a stranger is changed when race is brought in; now it's a neglectful, drug-addicted black birth parent and a nurturing white stranger.

 

[SimoneS]

The ratings for the premiere were decent, 1.3 in the key demo. Does anyone know how many episodes we are getting ? I couldn't find it on any of the entertainment media websites.

[DC Gal in VA]

5 minutes ago, sempervivum said:

Vampires again? Already? OK, then.

I didn't understand how the 'original' vampire in Brazil, the one in the cage, was allowed to escape so easily. I also wanted to see if he escaped or if the military guys managed to subdue him. Did they have silver bullets (ha)? (I see DC Gal in VA just asked this, to).

Why does the super secret weird science project have to be set in a gigantic mansion? I don't follow this genre at all, but even I know the X Men and Kingsmen (I think) franchises feature this trope. I'd love to see one of these set in, say, an abandoned factory in one of the bombed-out areas of Detroit.

I really liked the look of the classic rock-loving vampire, but the blonde parricide seemed to have the usual smoky eye overload. Also, why was the rock vampire all bloody and messy throughout, but the blonde was neat as a pin-and her white outfit was spotless- until she fed at the blood trough? Does she groom or do they hose them down?

Also, I had to groan when the vampires' eyes turned amber after eating. What next, they sparkle in sunlight?

I thought the showrunners were either amazingly naïve or just hoped nobody would have the same thought I did: boy, that guy (MPG) is taking a chance by walking/driving around with a little black girl- that would attract attention that one would think the FBI (?) would want to avoid.

Hahaha you brought up so many additional WTF moments I also wondered about while watching this show (and some I didn't) I hardly know where to begin!

OMG, the ginormous mansion thing. You are absolutely right. Also, this has been a trope since the original James Bond movies from the sixties. Enough already! Hey, not only would holding up in one of those bombed out buildings in Detroit be way cheaper than a mega mansion and readily available, even the police don't want to go near them, lol.

Also totally mystified by the amber eyes thing. Also, should we assume that they (the vampires) are all in psychic communication with each other?

So much ditto with two white guys snatching a screaming adorable little Black girl off the streets in broad daylight in front of multiple witnesses. Even if that had gone smoothly, did it make any sense to not send, oh I don't know, perhaps a Black male and female couple in the first place who would definitely not attract as much attention riding around with her in public afterwards or, amazingly, sitting in a restaurant?

BTW, this show is just not playing fair when it comes to Amy since she kinda resembles my grand niece, right down to the way her hair was styled! 😆

[DC Gal in VA]

2 hours ago, Sakura12 said:

I'm here for actual creepy vampires /infected not centuries old good looking vampires that teenagers fall in love with. 

I liked this pilot, yes it had the cliche tragic back stories for our leads, but it works for me here. I knew Brad lost a kid the minute he had doubts about taking a kid. Not sure why he agreed so quickly in the first place though. I cheered when he smacked his partners head on the dashboard after he hit Amy. 

I thought Amy had a nice balance being the street savvy kid while also still being a kid that does want a parent. She was snarky but scared when she should be. She could've ran when Brad took the phone call from his ex, but she didn't and even asked if he was okay. I'm also glad the ex is a nice person as well and does still love him. 

Re: the bolded part Sakura12, so very much THIS for me too! Love, love, love MPG's character -- can't help but flash back to him on NYPD Blue -- every time I see him and OUCH that well-deserved head bang on the dashboard just about made my head hurt too! 😅

[DC Gal in VA]

31 minutes ago, scarynikki12 said:

Not the one you asked but I've read (and am obsessed with) the books so I'm jumping in to answer. 
 

  Reveal hidden contents

 

We don't actually see that moment in the books.  Cronin takes a lot of inspiration from existing vampire stories and mythology, including the narrative device of telling the story via correspondence.  Cronin uses this device at the opening of the story (and in a couple other places as well) via emails that Dr. Lear is sending to a colleague back in the US.  He describes the trek into the dense forest in Bolivia, the rising fear as they get closer to their destination, Fanning getting attacked by a cloud of bats and the worry if he'll survive, and all we get of their run in with the vampire(s) once they reach their destination is "now I know why the soldiers are here".  The first book in particular uses a lot of horror elements to tell the story and the vagueness of Lear's emails adds to that.  We get a few more details later on but it amounts to knowing that they did encounter at least one vampire and the soldiers managed to kill it. 

The change to what we saw is still in line with how the vampires typically behave in the books, as they have Renfields who bring their food to them, so that boy/young man was likely under that vampire's control and in charge of bringing the blood.  Why was he in the cage?  My guess is that the man, before he was bitten, was likely a decent person and maybe locked himself up once he realized he couldn't stop the bloodlust.  That's another thing we learn as we get further into the story: if the person was decent before they were turned, it will have a limited effect on how they behave as a vampire.  Carter feels bad after he bites someone so he keeps himself isolated while the other Death Row vampires embody the monster that they've become.  Going back to that first vampire, there's probably a small village nearby that supplies him with his Renfields while also keeping him away from the rest of the world.  My guess is that the smell of fresh human blood in such large quantities was too much and the monster took over and made that Renfield open the cage so he could feed.  That he didn't immediately overpower all of them is likely due to what looked like a limited supply of blood which would keep his strength, agility, and speed at bay. 

 

Oh thanks so much for the clarifications scarynikki12. Now I guess I really have to start reading the trilogy! 😊 Don't want to get any more detailed than that to avoid openly discussing book talk here. I will say however that I had no idea how intricate the answer was going to be especially the mentioning of how certain classic vampire story characters could play a part in this storyline.

Thanks again and I will definitely keep watching.

[SimoneS]

3 hours ago, owenthurman said:

That, to me, was the most problematic change. The book's

Spoiler

 

white mom? Not a crack addict. She kills a man in self-defense, is wanted for murder, and abandons Amy to go on the run. The tv show made the woman black, then decided to make her an addict and an overdose death.

The narrative of a child neglected by her birth parent finding true family with a stranger is changed when race is brought in; now it's a neglectful, drug-addicted black birth parent and a nurturing white stranger.

 

 

Spoiler

I think that it is reasonable to be upset that the show used a racist stereotype to change Amy's background. This is different from the ranting about "how dare they make Amy black" that I read.

[DC Gal in VA]

3 hours ago, SimoneS said:

Spoiler

I think that it is reasonable to be upset that the show used a racist stereotype to change tAmy's background. This is different from the ranting about "how dare they make Amy black" that I read.

 

Well SimoneS you beat me to it; I was just about to post the same thing. Since I have not yet read any of the books, I also thought it was a simple "she was White in the books, so why is she Black here?" crap.

Thanks @owenthurman for this clarification; that is totally offensive.

[AnimeMania]

I think they show the researcher pick up a piece of wood and stab the vampire in the heart to kill it.

I don't understand why that particular little girl is so important that you would travel across half way across the country, alert the media to her abduction, and send armed men to kill everyone in sight to get her. Just grab somebody else, or a couple of somebody elses. The future of the world is at stake!