S01.E07: Lotus Eaters

[formerlyfreedom]

A mysterious man may be the key for Tandy to finally clear her father’s name. Unfortunately, getting the answers she needs will be difficult as the man has been in a catatonic state for almost a decade, but it might not be so impossible for two people with extraordinary powers. With Tyrone alongside to help, the two test their combined powers for the first time.

 

[AnimeMania]

Seemed like the entire episode was pretty much filler, although it seems like Tandy acquired a useful skill. They gave the rest of the cast the day off.

[Oscirus]

Not really filler. Fairly necessary episode as it drops a lot of information on us, pushes tandy and tyrone closer together and we finally get to see them use their powers together.  This is the episode where they  became cloak and dagger.

[UNOSEZ]

4 hours ago, Oscirus said:

Not really filler. Fairly necessary episode as it drops a lot of information on us, pushes tandy and tyrone closer together and we finally get to see them use their powers together.  This is the episode where they  became cloak and dagger.

Agreed.... Tandy had time to learn how to use her daggers better... Ty got some control over his power.. Tho he's still behind tandy... They cemented their bond... Inside the mindscape and outside.. When ty called tandy to listen to the tape of Billy ( a scene full of chemistry and romantic tension)  hopefully they don't rush that part I enjoy them as good buddies ( like all things with these two I feel tandy is the aggressor with the flirting... But that makes sense based on who they were before it all started.... I also liked the little fight they had they really go at each other( showing how well they know each other already)...  So the episode  pushed some storylines fwd... Ivan Hess is out and presumably can she'd some light in what happened on the rig... Ty and tandy learned how to use their powers better ( individually and together... They cemented their bond as partners ans friends ( and maybe more)... They did their first heroic deed

[AnimeMania]

I would have been happier with half of the reiterations, covering just the highlights with a little real world time thrown in to break up the monotony (I have never be fond of groundhog day scenarios). I was a little disappointed that their fight at the end seemed just as sloppy and difficult as their fight at the beginning with the exception of the dagger throw at the end. You would think with all the dagger throwing practice, that the final run would have been a walk in the park for Tandy.

[AimingforYoko]

I like bottle episodes. I wouldn't want them all the time, but one a year is OK. Besides, this show is at its best when they focus on the leads. And Tim Kang made a nice third to bounce off of.

[Sakura12]

I liked this episode since it focus on Tandy and Ty. They learned how to use their powers and bonded more which is what I wanted. Tandy is basically Dagger with the control she has over her powers. Next episode looks like we will get Cloak. 

[twoods]

I also enjoyed this episode. I tend to love the ones that focus on Tandy and Tyrone because I like the way they are building their friendship and trust for one another. The ending scene was very sweet- Tandy seemed genuinely happy to hear Billy’s voice on the tape. Definitely one of my favorite scenes on this show so far.

I hope we see more of Ivan Hess. I enjoyed the actor on The Mentalist so was thrilled to see him on this show. I like his daughter too and hope they can take down the company together.

[Jacks-Son]

Absolutely loved this episode. This wasn't exactly textbook "Groundhog Day" as there were small progressions that were enough so that when they finally broke free, it felt earned and natural.  Anyway, I totally enjoyed their struggles of having to solve the puzzle and break through to the other side successfully. They are good for each other and I can see the writers are letting their relationship progress naturally not forced. It would have been fantastic if the dad remembered them when he came out of his catatonic state and told Mina that the duo saved his life and brought him back.  There was good acting all around. Tim Kang, as usual, brought his special, Cho resolve and emotionless persona. Holt showed, in her first real chance to act and not react, that she's up to the challenge. Tyrone is still a soft-spoken, pragmatic baby. But he managed to withstand Tandy's abuse and convince her to leave.

This is a show that could have used the "Back 9" order and given the chance to develop what they started.

[tennisgurl]

I liked this episode a lot, it was good to focus on Tandy and Tyrone and their connection, and this was a cool way to get them working together, and seeing how their powers can work well off each other. You can see why they are connected, not just with their opposite/complimentary powers, but with their opposite/complimentary powers. 

I also hope we see more of Ivan and Mina Hess. I think they could help out a lot in exposing the evil company as the evil assholes they are. I also want Mina to get to see Tandy and Tyrone's powers at work, considering her whole thing about how magic cant be real. Oh Mina, you live in the wrong universe for that kind of thought process. 

I also will always love anything that plays The Decemberists as a reoccurring motif. 

[Jacks-Son]

44 minutes ago, tennisgurl said:

I also want Mina to get to see Tandy and Tyrone's powers at work, considering her whole thing about how magic cant be real.

The coming attractions showed Ty wearing the trademark cloak and preparing someone that they are not going to believe what he can do. Perhaps it's Mina and hopefully not Evita. I'll be disappointed if it is Evita. I don't like their relationship. 

[Quark]

I've just been catching up on the show. I like it.

I don't know if anyone else sees it but I find that Tandy looks so much like Claire from Heroes, and her Mum looks like Meredith on Grey's Anatomy. It's a bit uncanny.

[Jacks-Son]

28 minutes ago, Quark said:

I don't know if anyone else sees it but I find that Tandy looks so much like Claire from Heroes, and her Mum looks like Meredith on Grey's Anatomy. It's a bit uncanny.

I've noticed the resemblance to the cheerleader from Heroes; similar body types (e.g. short and stocky) and slightly chubby facial features.  I see no resemblance to Mer on Grey's.  Other than blonde hair, Ellen Pompeo has slightly pronounced cheekbones while Tandy's mom, has a flatter countenance.

[Oscirus]

12 hours ago, Jacks-Son said:

The coming attractions showed Ty wearing the trademark cloak and preparing someone that they are not going to believe what he can do. Perhaps it's Mina and hopefully not Evita. I'll be disappointed if it is Evita. I don't like their relationship. 

Ty's almost definitely talking to the one person on the show that knows  about superheroes, Detective Oreilly.

[Jacks-Son]

41 minutes ago, Oscirus said:

Ty's almost definitely talking to the one person on the show that knows  about superheroes, Detective Oreilly.

I read somewhere that O'Reilly is part of other MCU mentions, so you're probably correct.

[Sakura12]

They mentioned that O'Reilly used to work in Harlem where they have Luke Cage. Plus shes working on bringing Conners down as well. It would make sense for her and Ty to work together. 

I hope she asks if he's bullet proof or has a glowing fist. Lol

[Jacks-Son]

That's right I read she has a LC connection. Perhaps since Misty will be working with Colleen, O'Reilly can.....never mind, my tangent/stray  alarms are starting to ring.

[UNOSEZ]

1 hour ago, Jacks-Son said:

That's right I read she has a LC connection. Perhaps since Misty will be working with Colleen, O'Reilly can.....never mind, my tangent/stray  alarms are starting to ring.

In the latest season if Luke cage.. They mentioned that O'Reilly had moved to new Orleans 

[AKA...CJ86]

Loved this episode, it really brought Tyrone and Tandy closer, and it was Tandy/Ty heavy. Also loved it for the touches of horror it had.

There goes my Hess was medicated to keep quiet theory.

[Jacks-Son]

What is the relevance of the title? A tank blew but I didn't see any smoke or fumes that could have been inhaled.  Nor any liquids splashing.  What turned them into drugged out zombies?  What kept Hess in a catatonic state.  Why was Ty's cloak smoke surrounding the door?  Is that Ty's DarkForce? Were the people trapped within stuck in the DarkForce? I guess I'm not clear on what, exactly the DarkForce is. Wikipedia says, the DarkForce is a powerful, extra-dimensional energy that can be manipulated in slightly different ways.  That's not very clear, in fact it's damn nebulous (pun intended).

[formerlyfreedom]

11 minutes ago, Jacks-Son said:

What is the relevance of the title?

I think it's a reference to the Lotus Eaters in the Oddysey? Googling it, this description pops up;

Quote

When Odysseus' men went onto the Lotus Eaters island, they were encouraged by the natives to eat the Lotus plant. This plant acted as a type of drug, causing the sailors to forget about their home and their goals. Instead, the sailors only wanted to stay on the island, eating more Lotus plants.

[Jacks-Son]

Thank you.  That helps. I can now see the relevance of the title to the situation but what caused it? Is it derived from that powerful form of energy Mina spoke of that Roxxon discovered below the ocean's surface and is trying to keep secret? Or is that the secret we, as the viewer are supposed to suss out?  Without access to Google, or having read The Odyssey, how is the audience supposed to figure it out.  I gather Ty was impervious to the effects and Tandy with Ty was also impervious, however, once Ty left her presence, she was affected. Thus affirming that they are destined to work together. You cannot have Hope without the Darkness.

[netlyon2]

@Jacks-Son, I agree with @saoirse that the title is a reference to the Lotus Eaters from the Odyssey, but I don't think that it is supposed to explain anything about the substance that Roxxon has been drilling.  The lotus flower has a couple of symbolic meanings, but the phrase "Lotus Eaters" is exclusively a reference to someone who is on a journey/quest and faces the temptation to abandon it by giving up their burdens/memories (similar to the peach-induced ballroom illusion in "Labyrinth").  So the title itself is a reference to the temptation that Tandy faces to abandon their mission for the illusion of being with her father.  (I suppose Ivan is the other lotus eater.)

My view is that Tandy consciously gave in to the temptation and made an active choice to stay in Ivan's mind.  Once she went through however many iterations of the explosion, she naturally began to forget (which Ty may also have done if he decided to stop trying to get out).  Thus we have a test of Ty's wits, of Tandy's will, and of their connection to one another.  It's a standard part of the Road of Trials on the Hero's Journey that I found particularly effective in this episode, since it underscored the desolation of Tandy's day-to-day existence.  I really hope the show does the same for Ty's repressed anger at some point.

I think they are playing out the mysterious substance over the entire season, and probably into Season 2.  My unspoiled speculation is that the substance is what Hess theorized, but that Ty and Tandy's unique, magical connection is what caused them to develop their powers instead of turning into fear-zombies (and how Tandy's power developed as the opposite of the substance/Ty's power).  My hope is that they'll at least explain the connection (via Ty's thirsty girlfriend) this season if they are going to leave the Roxxon science stuff until next year.

(Please forgive the nattering on; I'm an English teacher on summer break! lol)