S01E06: Off Radar

[Anela]

4 hours ago, kili said:

"Today, I have for you a report on how to create a baking soda volcano and how to differentiate between the subject and the object in a sentence. I've also got some good intel on how to play 'Hot Cross Buns' on a recorder."

TorturersRUs: "Let's start with the 'Hot Cross Buns' stuff. A roomful of 10 year olds playing the recorder gets better results than waterboarding or cattle prods any day of the week. We can definitely use it to up our game."

LOL! Someone learning to play the violin can be even worse. My sister was one of them, but we didn't complain, because she was trying so hard to get better with it. 

13 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

I, OTOH, am hoping the best friend will just fade away, since Michaela and Jared are end game, and soap opera angst is not something I want to watch.

 

 

Thanks for the correct spelling, @kili.

Yeah, I'd prefer that the marriage survive, because I'm tired of soap opera stuff, too. Which is why I'm so bothered by the writers setting up *two* love triangles, or whatever it is when they obviously want to set partners up with different people. 

[djinn]

On 11/9/2018 at 12:40 AM, stealinghome said:

I thought the Bulgarian guy stabilized simply because his captors stopped torturing him every few hours, tbh, which in turn allowed Cal's system to settle down. He seemed relatively fine at the end of the episode, when they had laid off the torture for a while.

(Ben is actually wrong that they didn't do anything to help--they did, they just didn't know it. One or both of Ben rattling Vance's cage and/or Michaela taking pictures of the medical black site caused the entire operation to go wheels up, which stopped the torture, which saved Cal--perhaps unfortunately given how annoying Cal is.)

That was my take on it too. Ben and especially Michaela and Jared DID help in Cal's fever suddenly breaking and him feeling better.

 

On 11/9/2018 at 3:19 AM, LilaFowler said:

The Bulgarian guy: I thought it was torture too until the end when he reported to the doctor/tech what Cal was doing. It reminded me of the little girl in Stranger Things, who was able to telepathically spy on other people.

Was he actually REPORTING? I thought he was simply remembering aloud what had happened to Cal. It was as if he and Cal had switched bodies for the day till the torture stopped. Cal, while physically at hospital with Mom, Dad, Saanvi, mentally experienced everything the Bulgarian guy did. And vice versa. Since there was a disconnect between the Bugarian guy's mental and physical states, the torturers said he was responding differently than their other "test" subjects.

[shapeshifter]

On November 9, 2018 at 8:18 AM, Clanstarling said:

Just cause it's scientific "testing" doesn't mean it's not torture, just that it's two things in one (like Doublemint Gum).

 

3 hours ago, djinn said:

On November 9, 2018 at 2:19 AM, LilaFowler said:

The Bulgarian guy: I thought it was torture too until the end when he reported to the doctor/tech what Cal was doing. It reminded me of the little girl in Stranger Things, who was able to telepathically spy on other people.

Was he actually REPORTING? I thought he was simply remembering aloud what had happened to Cal. It was as if he and Cal had switched bodies for the day till the torture stopped. Cal, while physically at hospital with Mom, Dad, Saanvi, mentally experienced everything the Bulgarian guy did. And vice versa. Since there was a disconnect between the Bugarian guy's mental and physical states, the torturers said he was responding differently than their other "test" subjects.

Oy. This show is poorly done. I guess they are "just" unscrupulous scientists rather than full-time torturerers. But I have no idea whether or not Unscrupulous Scientists/TorturerersRUs realized that the Bulgarian Guy had switched bodies with Cal. All of the above (confusing plots, wandering plots, Unscrupulous Scientists/TorturerersRUs) are reasons I quit The X-Files, and this show is trying to substitute Prince Charming for David Duchovny, and Michaela for Scully. Feel free to place bets on how many more episodes I will be watching.

[PamelaMaeSnap]

On 11/5/2018 at 11:53 PM, shapeshifter said:

I have to admit that I didn't see this coming — especially Vance being a rather good guy.

I have "binge-watched" the first six episodes in a second successful try and am now all in on the show, warts and all ... and while so much was trope (I'm fine with trope), I TOTALLY did not see this coming and absolutely did slow golf clap a la "well done, show!"

[Anela]

On 11/10/2018 at 7:51 PM, shapeshifter said:

 

Oy. This show is poorly done. I guess they are "just" unscrupulous scientists rather than full-time torturerers. But I have no idea whether or not Unscrupulous Scientists/TorturerersRUs realized that the Bulgarian Guy had switched bodies with Cal. All of the above (confusing plots, wandering plots, Unscrupulous Scientists/TorturerersRUs) are reasons I quit The X-Files, and this show is trying to substitute Prince Charming for David Duchovny, and Michaela for Scully. Feel free to place bets on how many more episodes I will be watching.

I will probably watch more of it, but I am disappointed. This was the only new show that I remember looking forward to. Although a plane missing for so long in real time, but seemingly not losing any time on the plane, is something unbelievable, it's the rest of it being so that's getting to me. These people lost their mother, and yet they didn't seem to really grieve. Maybe because they didn't watch her die, I don't know, and it had just been hours when they'd seen her before, but you'd think it would kick in. And Ben is acting like a stalker, keeping track of everyone, which I would expect at some point, but not the way he started, right away. I wonder what it would have been like with better writers. Without two love triangles, or quadrangles or whatever. The shadow person didn't seem to come back either, unless I missed something. If it was supposed to be a remote viewer, then why didn't they show it again?

[Mabinogia]

18 hours ago, Anela said:

I wonder what it would have been like with better writers. Without two love triangles, or quadrangles or whatever.

Yeah. They have a compelling idea going on, decent mystery. What made the plane vanish, where did it go, why was it gone so long? And even some decent drama. I would rather they focus on the effect on the twins, one now being 5 years older, and on the daughter suddenly getting her dad back, and, as you said, on Ben and Mic missing their mothers death and just now mourning her while everyone else did so ages ago. Those would be far more interesting than the love triangles as far at the drama/human interest storyline. I just feel like they took a really cool concept and made it as pedestrian as possible. Pity. But i will stick with it, for the mystery aspect. I could care less who ends up with who romantically. 

[cameron]

On 11/5/2018 at 11:20 PM, djinn said:

Tell me about it. Grace is just irritating and always me-me-me, my needs. This episode started pointing towards the end of Ben and Grace, and not a moment too soon.

I liked this episode, for the amount of detective work that was involved. It was pretty intense too with the crosscutting between Cal and the Bulgarian guy. I was dreading that Jared was going to snicth on Michaela, but thankfully, that wasn't the case. I want Jared to be part of the Michaela, Ben, Saanvi, mystery-solving team. Also, hopefully Vance will finally start to become useful.

Great to hear.  Thought it was just me who  can't stand the character and the person who portrays her.

Edited November 16, 2018 by cameron

[jay741982]

On 11/6/2018 at 3:03 AM, izabella said:

I got the impression that the secret lab experimenting on the passengers closed up shop because they were tipped off.  If so, that means someone on the NSA director's staff did that,right? 

Probably the guy partnerd  with Vance. I bet hes dirty and in on it. 

[shapeshifter]

10 hours ago, jay741982 said:

Probably the guy partnerd  with Vance. I bet hes dirty and in on it. 

That would be disappointing (if Vance is evil).

Wait. Did you mean just the partner is "in on it?" Or Vance too?

Edited November 18, 2018 by shapeshifter

[mythoughtis]

Grace has to be the neediest person who has taken care of herself for 5 years that I have ever seen. ‘ you left me by myself today when I needed you - dont ever do that again’.   He left you surrounded by medical professionals for an hour or so.  What do you think would happen if he had just started a new job? 

She cannot seem to understand that it’s highly likely that there is a lot of unusual and unexplained stuff happening to people who disappeared for 5 years, but only aged a few hours. 

[eel2178]

1 hour ago, mythoughtis said:

Grace has to be the neediest person who has taken care of herself for 5 years that I have ever seen. ‘ you left me by myself today when I needed you - dont ever do that again’.

She seems to have regressed to the separation anxiety stage you'd ordinarily see in a 6 month old baby.

[shapeshifter]

2 hours ago, eel2178 said:

She seems to have regressed to the separation anxiety stage you'd ordinarily see in a 6 month old baby.

Or my sister. *sigh* Not sure if I will be able to continue with the show if it's going to be like having my sister on FaceTime.
If they're going to make Grace such a nutcase, since this is TV and not real life, there should be some consequences that satisfy the viewers.

[Friendly kitty]

Now I refuse the thought of aliens. Now it is clear that everything is connected with experiments on people. Apparently, those who hijacked the plane 5 years ago have now kidnapped people from the plane, whom no one will look for. That's just why the plane returned ??? This is the main question ...
And the boy is still connected with everyone. And I think, not only with the Bulgarians, but also with other passengers ...
But most importantly, the special services that are investigating the case of the plane will now help our heroes ...

[Ms Blue Jay]

On 11/6/2018 at 3:15 PM, CleoCaesar said:

My heart grew three sizes at reading how much hate Grace is getting.

She's horrible and mindbogglingly selfish. Let the hate flow through you.

I'm watching the show for the first time in 2021 and I'm reading the Manifest boards JUST for this purpose

On 11/6/2018 at 7:54 PM, Orillia said:

What I can't believe is the lousy quality of the picture that Michaela took.

How were phone cameras in 2013?  I don't remember.  Michaela is using some kind of digital camera, so that might be why.  Those pictures probably look like shit to anyone in 2018.

Edited June 27, 2021 by Ms Blue Jay

[Ms Blue Jay]

On 11/7/2018 at 9:53 AM, Adrienne2729 said:

That was driving me crazy!  Maybe it's a cop thing or a nod to having missed 5 years of socio-technical momentum, but who thinks to grab a point-and-shoot crappy digital camera to snap a quick photo? 

People from 2013?  I don't remember though how it was though, to be honest.  It's all a blur.

[Ms Blue Jay]

On 11/16/2018 at 12:24 PM, cameron said:

Great to hear.  Thought it was just me who  can't stand the character and the person who portrays her.

My mother and I are in the same boat!