S05.E05: Warriors

[Lonesome Rhodes]

Among the most jarring time sequencing I have ever seen.  I very much appreciated the heavy metal montage with the firefight in the cellar and the Chandler father/daughter joust.   That took a lot of planning and some fine post-production.  I'd love to read y'all's take on what all the white in the montage was representing. 

We got a grenade!  One.  :(

The War Bonds social was pretty good.   What once was a staple is no more in the USA.  I liked that TPTB brought it back as n indicator of the new realities of less.  It was a smart vehicle for the all-too brief interactions with the older combat vets.  Warriors, indeed.  We got the gamut of the price and risks current warriors face and we got the lifetime prices they all too often pay.  This is when the series is at its best, to me.

The conversation with Monsanto (?) was ridiculous, though.  If that dude had come to the conclusions he professed, he would not have fought Chandler.  What was up with his firing his weapon???  He says he hates war, but he refuses to work to eradicate the one who started it (Tavo)?   The NJ is not heroic for having saved so many?  

I guess we won't ever learn where that battleship came from.

[ChiliCrab]

13 minutes ago, Lonesome Rhodes said:

We got a grenade!  One.  :(

And it still wasn't from Vulture Team. 

When the argument/firefight montage with the heavy metal background came on, I thought my music app accidentally opened. It was jarring but it was also so different from what the show has done before. Nice twist to what was otherwise just another generic Vulture Team shoot-em-up fight sequence.

I loved the conversation Burk had with the older vets. It was quiet and introspective moment with different people who have gone through pretty much the same hell that a lot of those who haven't would never understand. Same goes with Miller's conversation with the lady because we never saw what was going on land while the virus was spreading. We saw the aftermath with the anarchy and chaos but not as it was happening. 

I also liked the last scene with Chandler and his boys talking and drinking cherry cola though I thought the song went on for too long. I don't know, it just felt like they had 3 minutes left but had no idea how to end it so they just played a song while the camera goes through each of the guys. But it also seemed like that was calm before the storm moment for them and that all hell is gonna break loose next episode.

I want a spin-off with Miller and Rhubarb and his southern belle. Or maybe with Chandler's kids babysitting for Danny Green's son. Kara was so upset that a traitor had babysat her son. Maybe one where Sasha has to deal with Ashley's teenage tantrums. Sasha looked like she would rather be fighting rebels in the jungle again than be in the middle of a Chandler family showdown. 

[Raja]

You can steal a battleship find weapons for it but am Army sweeping across Jamaica only uses their one flash bang grenade after losing an entire platoon 

[Dowel Jones]

Was there any explanation as to why Chandler was ashore again on a high risk mission (other than the normal Captain Kirk plotline)?  Then he suddenly appeared back at HQ going over the big picture, and then back aboard the ship.  Do I have that sequence right?  I couldn't figure it out. 

Hey, Tac Squad.  Do you think it was a good idea to crawl out the same window where multitudes of bad guys were just coming in and shooting through?  I mean, yeah, you all made it out, but you know what I was expecting?  The scene onboard the ship where they were all recalling the firefight would progress with each member disappearing because they didn't make it out, and Chandler and Slattery would be the only ones left.

1 hour ago, Lonesome Rhodes said:

The War Bonds social was pretty good. 

Flags of Our Fathers did such a good job on that subject, showing all the stress and guilt of the three surviving Marines as they repeatedly recreated the flag-raising in a spectacle for war bond drives. It makes you think, how do you pay for a war?  I read a book one time that posited that the American Revolution ended not so much as a result of rebel victories on the battlefield as it was becoming a severe drain on the British Treasury and enough of Parliament finally said, "To hell with them."

[mxc90]

This episode was terrible. Did they run out of money and decide to film most of it from someone's basement, kitchen and dining room? And to fill the hour let's have the camera roll with a long shot of them drinking soda and having a few laughs. It did feel like this will be the last time this group is going to share a happy moment and someone is going to die next week.

Chandler's daughter must be working for Gustavo. 

I guess we found the one thing Danny is not good at: being a parent.

Why didn't they check the high level target to see if he was carrying anything? From his pocket he pulled out a flash drive or he could have been carrying a grenade.

Three months later and Kelsie hasn't been caught. Is there an FBI or Homeland Security in the new US looking for her?

[Netfoot]

5 hours ago, mxc90 said:

This episode was terrible.

The absolute worst.  WestWorld has a lot to answer for!

[Raja]

5 hours ago, mxc90 said:

 

Three months later and Kelsie hasn't been caught. Is there an FBI or Homeland Security in the new US looking for her?

I figure that most of the post flu FBI deserve their SPECIAL Agent status about as much  as all those ship captains and what ever that Army General was deserve 4 stars when the US Military didn't have any until WWII. Giving you a title means little. When Chandler was still a Captain and still the Chief of Naval Operations at least the rank structure made sense.. The military HQ seems to be an Asylum films set could a FBI HQ's be any different?

[mythoughtis]

I know this episode was meant to highlight the struggles military personnel go they at home in wartime. However it was so terrible I could barely get thru it.

The only redeeming  scenes were the debutante and Miller, Green and his son at the very end.  Really, show, you had to break up Green and Kara while uniting Chandler and Sasha?. Then you have to make Sasha the well loved perfect almost step-Mom. As if she knows anything about raising children. 

Since when did the virus make people sick for months, and then lose their minds towards the end?  The virus killed people within days and only affected them physically.  Retrofit the story much? 

Edited October 8, 2018 by mythoughtis

[Joimiaroxeu]

Quote

Why didn't they check the high level target to see if he was carrying anything? From his pocket he pulled out a flash drive or he could have been carrying a grenade.

Maybe it wasn't in his pocket but instead somewhere more intimate. I doubt they did a prison intake-type search when they captured him.

Quote

Since when did the virus make people sick for months, and then lose their minds towards the end?  

Yeah, that was a retcon unless the virus had mutated in some way. At this point I won't be surprised if zombies start showing up.

[ratSenoL]

I'm not sure how I feel about this episode.  It took me awhile to figure out the characters were going backwards and forwards in time, which made it frustrating. I think they maybe could have given us some more clues about that, like doing the scenes in one time period in black and white or with a certain music or something to help us keep track of things.  That said, I thought the episode tried mightily to show us what it's like for "Warriors" to one day be in ferocious battle, dependent on their fellow soldiers and their training, and just a short time later back in the mundane world where few truly understand what they've been through.  The juxtaposition of Chandler's battle with his daughter and the cellar battle scene was powerful in showing how he's so at home in the field but flounders at home.  Miller's growing connection with an equally scarred Southern belle plague victim was sweet, while Danny's efforts to connect with his son were awkward though perhaps understandable.  In the end, the "Warriors" (the title) could only find real peace sitting around drinking cherry cola with the only other people they know they can share their experiences with, who've had their backs in numerous battles, and who get what they've been through and how hard it is to go home.  Perhaps they should have saved the episode for Veteran's Day, but I'll give it points for trying to help viewers gain perspective into the experience of veterans and active duty personnel.  At least that was my take.

 

(We yelled "Finally," when the grenade was launched!)

[Lonesome Rhodes]

15 hours ago, Dowel Jones said:

Flags of Our Fathers did such a good job on that subject, showing all the stress and guilt of the three surviving Marines as they repeatedly recreated the flag-raising in a spectacle for war bond drives. It makes you think, how do you pay for a war?  I read a book one time that posited that the American Revolution ended not so much as a result of rebel victories on the battlefield as it was becoming a severe drain on the British Treasury and enough of Parliament finally said, "To hell with them."

That was precisely where I went in my mind - the Soldier Field scene.  Eastwood's duo of films about the Iwo Jima battle and its aftermath are absolutely brilliant.  They are also outrageously difficult for me to absorb.   I am not worthy of those sacrifices.   

[thuganomics85]

I'm glad Miller was at the debutante as well, because for a second I thought Jeter and the Burkes somehow got themselves into a "Get Out" situation, and I got very worried for them!

So, we've got a time jump and everything is a bit weird.  Chandler is going back to activate combat and seems to be pissing off his family and the President, and I'm not sure which one is worse.  Green and Foster seem frosty, but at least the latter is equally busy being the one who has decided to hunt down Granderson's ex, even though it almost feels like it less about Granderson's death and more about how evil ex had babysit their kid, heh.  No surprise, Wolf is back in shape and he and Kandie are an item, so if they ever have children, they'll either be the most unstoppable forces on the planet or rebel against mom and dad by being the nerdiest children possible.  Also, Miller's got it going on with Lucy's sister from Timeless.  Or Adilyn Bellefleur from True Blood.  Kidding: it's actress Bailey Noble, with a blemish on her cheek from the virus in an attempt to make her not too beautiful.  It didn't work.

All in all, weird episode.  I get what they were going for and I respect what they were trying to do, but some of Peter Weller's direction (and the post-production work) just didn't work for me.

[FnkyChkn34]

I'm never paying 100% attention to the television when I'm watching any show. I had to keep rewinding to catch the subtitles that explained the time jumps. It was a bit confusing, but not bad. 

So three months ago, Danny was worried about getting home because his wife was the CO of a ship that may or may not have been destroyed... but now that he's home, they are divorced? Separated? He's only seen his kid twice in 3 months? This show doesn't portray the human side of the characters very well, but I guess that's not why we're watching. 

[Mikita]

9 minutes ago, FnkyChkn34 said:

So three months ago, Danny was worried about getting home because his wife was the CO of a ship that may or may not have been destroyed... but now that he's home, they are divorced? Separated? He's only seen his kid twice in 3 months? This show doesn't portray the human side of the characters very well, but I guess that's not why we're watching. 

It's utterly appalling what they have done with Danny and Kara. I think that they are separated. I remember him first meeting Frankie. That he can now spend so little time with him is just heartbreaking. 

[Ebau]

This episode wasn't one of the show's best efforts; that much is certain. However, upon reflection and after taking two extra-strength Tylenol to rid myself of the migraine brought on by the Vulture Team/Jamaican-Hey-Mon skirmish intertwined with the Chandler-Ashley donnybrook underscored by a head-banging music montage (a la "Spartacus," but without the always entertaining gratuitous gladiator full-frontal nudity *insert happy-faced emoji here*), I find myself most distressed by not knowing the fate of poor, hapless, little Rhubarb! *insert sad-faced emoji here*

Speaking of Ashley, had I spoken to my father the way she mouthed off to her pops, I would've gotten the beat-down of a lifetime! When did it get to be okay for kids on television to treat their parents so disrespectfully, just because Daddy didn't give them the attention they thought they deserved? Why does television persist in portraying parents as inept, powerless, and wholly without a backbone? When did Ashley turn into such a whiny little snot rag? And how come Chandler didn't toss Sasha out on her ass for keeping all of these little family secrets from him? And then she sits there a smirks while the kids take turns excoriating the old man. Frankly, I think they ought to kill Chandler off in the end, after which they can erect a statue to his memory and let the pigeons have a go at him. He who is shat upon in life shall be shat upon in death. 

Rant over. Cheers!

[Dowel Jones]

Rhubarb noticed all the rum flowing out of those barrels from the errant bullets (and there were plenty), so he put out the word and he and his friends are still having the party of a lifetime.  As we speak, they're laughing their furry little asses off after hearing that Team Chandler is stuck in the Nathan James sucking down Cherry Cokes.

[ramble]

Has no one mentioned hot and sweaty shirtless Wolf doing his awesome kung fu practice/leg rehab while Kandie watched and yelled at him to do more? C’mon folks, that was worth the price of admission! Put aside the weak sauce that was a lot of the rest of the plot, we still got some pretty to appreciate. Or at least I appreciated what I consider quite pretty. 

The rest? Ehh. I didn’t like and then did like the family argument juxtaposed against the fight. Finally I accepted that I was uncertain how I felt about it. I know, without question, that I didn’t like the Danny as missing dad storyline. The show skipped over some big steps. I did like Miller’s short lived friendship with the mouse  and his budding romance with the southern belle. 

[Ebau]

19 hours ago, ramble said:

Has no one mentioned hot and sweaty shirtless Wolf doing his awesome kung fu practice/leg rehab while Kandie watched and yelled at him to do more? C’mon folks, that was worth the price of admission! Put aside the weak sauce that was a lot of the rest of the plot, we still got some pretty to appreciate. Or at least I appreciated what I consider quite pretty. 

Right you are, Ramble. Silly me; for a minute there I forgot about what was really important in this episode: nearly-naked smokin' hot Aussies of the male persuasion. Thanks for getting me back on track. G'day, mate!  

[seacliffsal]

Chandler's daughter was the worst part of the show in my opinion.  Yep, her father has been busy...that's kind of what happens during a war when one is in the military.  AND, I was appalled that Sasha knew some things about the kids but then told Tom that they weren't her stories to tell.  Must be going for the friend of the year award.

Like others, I felt that the final scene is setting up some major losses.

[Oskidunker1]

What happened to the Iowa class battleship reported on radar in episode 4? As far as Inknow the 4 remaining are all museums. I don’t think any other countries had these, unless The a General Belgranos was raised from the Ocean by Argentina. See Falklands war. 

[raven]

Rhubarb will be just fine.  I was annoyed when Miller boxed him up - I'm thinking, he's a MOUSE, they can flatten their bodies to get through anywhere!  He'll be safer if you let him go!

Though I found the whole social kind of odd (except for Miller and the belle), I generally liked the episode.  Oh, except for Chandler's highly annoying daughter and why was Sasha there again?  I don't mind when shows try to segue to the next step but if felt like I missed years of information.  I wasn't happy with Green's absentee dad status either. 

Chandler, Chandler - totally cool and in control in a life or death firefight and losing it with the screaming teenager.   Go away to boarding school or wherever, annoying teen.  I get that intellectually she understands the reasons behind her dad's absence but it still leaves her without a dad and all, but that particular story is either annoying or boring to me, so, go away.

I am glad the show is getting a wrap up but the production values are so low. 

On 10/9/2018 at 11:36 PM, ramble said:

Has no one mentioned hot and sweaty shirtless Wolf doing his awesome kung fu practice/leg rehab while Kandie watched and yelled at him to do more?

This makes up for a lot :)

[Raja]

1 hour ago, Oskidunker1 said:

What happened to the Iowa class battleship reported on radar in episode 4? As far as Inknow the 4 remaining are all museums. I don’t think any other countries had these, unless The a General Belgranos was raised from the Ocean by Argentina. See Falklands war. 

I was hoping that Iowa was just a stand in for a surviving big guns cruiser.

[FnkyChkn34]

4 hours ago, raven said:

Though I found the whole social kind of odd (except for Miller and the belle), I generally liked the episode.  Oh, except for Chandler's highly annoying daughter and why was Sasha there again?  I don't mind when shows try to segue to the next step but if felt like I missed years of information.  I wasn't happy with Green's absentee dad status either. 

 

Chandler and Sasha are together.  I don't think they are married, but they are definitely a couple.  This was revealed in the first episode when they were talking to each other before the cybervirus.  I do agree that I don't like when we've missed years of information, but I guess with the time jump, that's to be expected.

[ottoDbusdriver]

On 10/8/2018 at 1:42 AM, ChiliCrab said:

Sasha looked like she would rather be fighting rebels in the jungle again than be in the middle of a Chandler family showdown. 

And yet somehow Sasha looked exactly the same in the Chandler household as she did running and gunning in the Columbian jungle.

On 10/9/2018 at 11:36 PM, ramble said:

Has no one mentioned hot and sweaty shirtless Wolf doing his awesome kung fu practice/leg rehab while Kandie watched and yelled at him to do more? C’mon folks, that was worth the price of admission! Put aside the weak sauce that was a lot of the rest of the plot, we still got some pretty to appreciate. Or at least I appreciated what I consider quite pretty. 

I like Wolf's wicked cool scar running down his leg.

I'm just surprised that there were in fact 4 different TV channels broadcasting the press conferences of the President.  

CyberEnsign actually managed to track the upload of the virus from a cybercafé in Medellin -- Tavo's guy never even bothered to try and cover his tracks.  Really ?

One thing that surprised me was when Master Chief indicated that 2 US gunboats fought off an invasion of Nassau.  In the Bahamas.  Which is not too far from MayPort.

I'm also surprised there was no follow-up about the oil terminal in the Yucatan.  Is it in the hands of Gran Columbia ?  Is it destroyed ?

It was laughable when soldier after soldier wandered into that basement and was promptly gunned down.

The timeline indicators were equally confusing -- Spring, 48 hours before, 24 hours later, 3 months later -- I as expecting the mice from the movie 'Babe' to pop up at some point to say 'Three weeks later', especially since a mouse was guest starring in the episode.

[FnkyChkn34]

2 hours ago, ottoDbusdriver said:

I'm also surprised there was no follow-up about the oil terminal in the Yucatan.  Is it in the hands of Gran Columbia ?  Is it destroyed ?

I think it's fate was revealed in an episode or two ago.  The Mexicans couldn't hold it, so rather than let it fall into the wrong hands, they destroyed it themselves.

[Mikita]

On 10/13/2018 at 12:16 PM, FnkyChkn34 said:

On 10/13/2018 at 9:29 AM, ottoDbusdriver said:

I'm also surprised there was no follow-up about the oil terminal in the Yucatan.  Is it in the hands of Gran Columbia ?  Is it destroyed ?

I think it's fate was revealed in an episode or two ago.  The Mexicans couldn't hold it, so rather than let it fall into the wrong hands, they destroyed it themselves.

What FnkyChkn34 said.