S01.E07: S.N.A.F.U.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

With the detained passengers secretly moved and subjected to painful experimentation - and Cal's health directly linked to them - Ben takes advantage of an old friend to find out where the passengers were taken. Meanwhile, a mysterious new version of the calling pulls Michaela into a murder investigation that has deep personal ramifications for her.

[stealinghome]

This episode was really good for the first half, but lost some steam in the second half. I'm actually bummed that the professor was a red herring (although well played, show, I didn't expect her to be a red herring)--she was interesting and the idea of one of the passengers really legitimately being in on whatever happened to the plane is an intriguing one--so I wish they hadn't swerved away from her. That said, I continue to love what they're doing with Vance and for once, Michaela's stuff was as engaging as Ben's. Her relationship with her dead best friend's mom is really bittersweet. Did we see the crash flashback before with a dead Evie? I don't think we did but maybe I missed it in an earlier ep.

I don't think it's a coincidence that the best episode in a while was Grace-light and didn't have Cal in imminent danger as the driving force. And also didn't have much Cal period. Speaking of Grace, hypocritical much? "Oh, I was going to tell you I told Olive she could hang out with Danny, but...." But what, Grace? GTFO with that. I have decided that this show should be Ben and Saanvi sleuthing and Michaela solving crimes with Jared (and tackling perps--well done on that one!). Olive and Lourdes can come along in small doses. Cal and Grace are banished.

Ben is both a great spy and a TERRIBLE spy. A+ for infiltration and data acquisition, F for interrogation and not realizing the NSA is bugging your phone. Thank goodness the NSA is finally bugging the phones, by the way--it already strained credulity for them not to be, and if they weren't after Ben lost his shit at them last week, it would've been too much. UDS would totally also notice that Ben got hired by their accounting firm, I think.

The Michaela and Lourdes actors finally sold that they are lifelong friends. I enjoyed their awkward to enjoyable family dinner. If it will help us avoid the soap opera angst I'd totally be down for an OT3. In general tonight was the most I've liked Michaela. I think it's because she emoted more.

I liked the heartbeat as a riff on the Visions.

In big doses Ben's boss would be insufferable, but in small doses he's the kind of goof/comic relief this show needs.

After a few meh episodes, feels like this one got back on track a bit. They are really lucky they cast an actor as likeable as Josh Dallas as Ben.

[Anela]

It was on tonight?

Oh, I had no idea. I thought it was off for a week. 

Edited November 13, 2018 by Anela

[crgirl412]

I agree, the first half was better.  I like it better without Grace and Cal, too.  I missed a few minutes, so Fiona is not nefarious??  Boo!!

[CleoCaesar]

The dramatic music before each commercial break is so overwrought and self-important that it makes me laugh every time.

I kind of liked Ben going all Nancy Drew. He’s pretty likeable when he’s doing something (anything) other than groveling at Grace’s feet.

Grace, Danny, and the annoying daughter can collectively go take a flying leap. Run far away from these people, Ben. Go hook up with Saanvi.

Michaela’s (can I just call her Eyebrows?) version of CPR on the kid’s dead uncle was hilarious. This show is so much better when watched as a comedy.

[crgirl412]

13 minutes ago, CleoCaesar said:

The dramatic music before each commercial break is so overwrought and self-important that it makes me laugh every time.

I kind of liked Ben going all Nancy Drew. He’s pretty likeable when he’s doing something (anything) other than groveling at Grace’s feet.

Grace, Danny, and the annoying daughter can collectively go take a flying leap. Run far away from these people, Ben. Go hook up with Saanvi.

Michaela’s (can I just call her Eyebrows?) version of CPR on the kid’s dead uncle was hilarious. This show is so much better when watched as a comedy.

Of course you can, it fits!!  Who thinks that is attractive??  Yuck!!

[tennisgurl]

I thought that was a pretty solid episode, with the first part being really good, and the second half slowing down, but it still worked for me. I really like when the show is focusing on the conspiracy and the airplane mystery, not with love triangles and drama. And, it didnt have a lot of Grace. Coincidence? I liked the professor, and while the idea of a passenger being involved in the conspiracy was interesting, but her being a red hearing worked alright too. Also glad that the characters are becoming more proactive, with Ben trying to go under cover, and Michaela trying harder to follow her magic hunches. 

For real though, Grace is just getting worse to me. "Oh, I forgot to tell you that Olive has plans with her kind of step dad that I fell in love with while you were gone, hope thats not weird honey!" And then her trying to backtrack by saying how Ben can tell Olive not to go, which would make HIM look like the bad guy, so of course he wont do that, he wouldn't do anything that would hurt Olive like that, especially after Grace laying on the whole "this is what she did to keep happy after she got off anti depressants!" I dont blame Grace for moving on while Ben was gone, but I do blame her for the crappy way she has handled everything after Ben got back. She is not fully committed to either man anymore, and its leaving Olive in a weird place between her step dad and her bio dad, and she is generally super self centered and uninterested in what Ben and Cal are going through, especially Ben. 

I like Ben's attempts at being a spy, which are exciting and a bit endearing in how awkward he is about it sometimes. He is pretty good at the tech stuff, and he comes up with some good ideas and work through them, but he sucks at actually sneaking around, and interrogating people while being subtle. Which does make sense, as before all of this, Ben was a math professor, not a super spy. And I like him and Saanvi  sneaking around and putting pieces together, with Michaela solving crimes that her voices or heartbeats send her towards. Josh Dallas really does have a gift for playing kind, well meaning guys who are also strong and not bland. And I am super down with Saanvi and Ben. 

I also enjoyed the Michaela plot, I think she might actually be growing on me a bit, now that she gets more to do except for angst. She and her friend actually had decent chemistry, and it was nice to see her, her friend, and her ex actually putting in an effort to all still have relationships. Its way better than the weird way Grace is handling her own love triangle. The heart beat might have been a bit corny, but it worked pretty well, and I liked tying it into her friends death. 

Having Vance actually being a good guy who is possibly going to be an ally to the passengers is a really good ideas, and I like the way the show is going with it. Its much better and more interesting than him just being a government stodge or a bad guy. 

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, stealinghome said:

I'm actually bummed that the professor was a red herring (although well played, show, I didn't expect her to be a red herring)--she was interesting and the idea of one of the passengers really legitimately being in on whatever happened to the plane is an intriguing one--so I wish they hadn't swerved away from her.

I'm still hoping she really is in on it.

 

1 hour ago, CleoCaesar said:

Michaela’s (can I just call her Eyebrows?)

This is the first episode where her eyebrows really did look freaky to me. Did they maybe shoot this one after people started making remarks about her eyebrows online? Because I'm pretty sure they were enhanced this week.

 

Danny may be a good father figure for Olive, but I can't help but think that IRL, if Grace totally recommits to Ben, that Danny would disappear from Olive's life, even if Ben and Grace were okay with him being around.

 

Just because Michaela didn't stay for dessert or want to drink alcohol, Lourdes and Jared look at each other and say, "It was too soon." Am I the only one that thought that sounded like they were reading a line out of some 3-way scene from a porno flick? I know that cannot be what they were suggesting--that it was supposed to be too soon to have her over for dinner--it's just that the line didn't fit at all, given they finished dinner and had some good laughs.
I'm guessing originally Jared was supposed to run after her because by now he can tell when she's hearing things (or even suspects it when she's not), but maybe they edited that out to dial back the angst among the three former friends, and so we were left with a line that just hung in the dead airspace. I know this show isn't going to win any Emmys, but if they're going to pay writers and editors, please write and edit.

Edited November 13, 2018 by shapeshifter

[djinn]

1 hour ago, stealinghome said:

Did we see the crash flashback before with a dead Evie?

We didn't.

The show is settling down; I liked this episode. As others have pointed out, no coincidence that it was Grace-lite! It's nice that Ben has a life outside the house now, and can do his sleuthing at his office, away from Grace. I like his goofy boss. Also, after work, a date with Saanvi to hear Fiona totally works too, as that means even more time away from Grace!! Vance is on the team now, though the rest of the team doesn't know it yet. I wonder about his minion. Also in the dark, like Vance? It seemed so in this episode.

I really like Michaela's relationship with Evie's Mom; strangely endearing. She and Jared work too, and it was a relief that Jared finally told her the NSA was watching and has been all over him. The heartbeat being Evie's caught me by surprise.

The best part was Fiona though. Awesome red herring. Plus, I'm growing to love these intros into the passenger of the week. And how we keep going back to snippets of interactions between the passengers before the plane disappeared.

Edited November 13, 2018 by djinn

[Camera One]

3 hours ago, stealinghome said:

Did we see the crash flashback before with a dead Evie? I don't think we did but maybe I missed it in an earlier ep.

It was in the same episode with the aftermath of the murder of the female passenger.  I remember being grossed out by that episode with the dead body, in addition to the flashback of the crash with the lingering shot of dead Evie.

Speaking of the mean lady who got murdered.  I like seeing her in flashbacks on the plane. 

Ben being detective was pretty fun to watch.  As usual, he (and the writers) aren't aware that companies track the files accessed by employees.  I found it unintentionally hilarious when he clicked on a file and Fiona Clarke's PhD came up... uh, why?  And later on, in the computer programmer's office, that weird scrolling file that saved when he put in the USB drive?  

If Vance was reading all their texts/phone calls, I'm surprised he needed Jared to spy on Michaela for him.  I'm liking Vance being on their side.

Michaela working with Jared is also more enjoyable with everything out in the open.  If Jared is going to swerve around in traffic like that, at least put on the sirens.  Sheesh.

The connection of the barber's nephew and her best friend's heart was a nice touch.

I was pleasantly surprised that Ben was so civil and calm with Danny.  I was so sure he was going to blow up and cause a scene after his bad day.  

Even though this episode didn't have any huge revelations or anything, I'm beginning to like spending time with the characters more.  It pains me that we get to see so much of Josh Dallas on this show and he can actually handle the screentime as a "boring" father being active about saving his kids and emotionally affected by the situation he's in, yet he was sidelined in a previous show.

Edited November 13, 2018 by Camera One

[shapeshifter]

35 minutes ago, Camera One said:

Ben being detective was pretty fun to watch.  As usual, he isn't aware that companies track the files accessed by employees.  I found it unintentionally hilarious when he clicked on a file and Fiona Clarke's PhD came up... uh, why?  And later on, in the computer programmer's office, that weird scrolling file that saved when he put in the USB drive

Yeah, maybe it's because Ben is so handsome that computer files just jump onto flash drives for him, heh.

 

37 minutes ago, Camera One said:

Michaela working with Jared is also more enjoyable with everything out in the open.  If Jared is going to swerve around in traffic like that, at least put on the sirens.  Sheesh

Jared at least needs a bright yellow sports car like Nash Bridges.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Part of me had to laugh at Ben's first day of work when he was talking to his new bromeister boss.

Oh, Jared. If you know that NSA is watching Michaela, maybe break the news to her when you aren't sitting in your cop car which they could have bugged. I am not an expert but I watched the Sopranos so maybe at least go into a public bathroom WITHOUT YOUR PHONE and turn on the water so no one can overhear you telling her that NSA is watching her.

Ha, and I was RIGHT! Vance was monitoring Ben's phone so who's to say that they (or someone else) aren't monitoring Michaela's too? Come on, people, use your heads!

Poor Danny. He's getting more of cranky teenage Olive. Even though it makes Ben uncomfortable, I'm glad that Danny and Olive are still spending time together. When you spend four years together, you don't just stop caring about each other even if you weren't the ones who were dating. I remember when I read High Fidelity and Rob talked about how after he and his girlfriend broke up, he realized that he'd never see her parents again despite spending Christmases in their pajamas together.

6 hours ago, stealinghome said:

Ben is both a great spy and a TERRIBLE spy. A+ for infiltration and data acquisition, F for interrogation and not realizing the NSA is bugging your phone.

Ha, totally! And I loved how bewildered Ben was that Vance knew he had the flash drive so I laughed my ass off when Ben asked how Vance knew he had it and Vance said, "Uh, I'm NSA. It's what we do."

[Clanstarling]

9 hours ago, stealinghome said:

Ben is both a great spy and a TERRIBLE spy. A+ for infiltration and data acquisition, F for interrogation and not realizing the NSA is bugging your phone. Thank goodness the NSA is finally bugging the phones, by the way--it already strained credulity for them not to be, and if they weren't after Ben lost his shit at them last week, it would've been too much. UDS would totally also notice that Ben got hired by their accounting firm, I think.

When Ben was texting his "I scored!" I thought about how idiotic that was, but then shrugged and thought well, it's not like the NSA seems to have bugged them. When they went right to the big screen with the texts, I was happy - though it might have been nice to have a nod to it earlier. As Vance said, it is what the NSA does, after all.

8 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

This is the first episode where her eyebrows really did look freaky to me. Did they maybe shoot this one after people started making remarks about her eyebrows online? Because I'm pretty sure they were enhanced this week.

I don't generally care, and I'm no make-up expert, but I couldn't help but notice they used a lot of eyebrow pencil on her - and the color was too dark.

8 hours ago, djinn said:

 I wonder about his minion. Also in the dark, like Vance? It seemed so in this episode.

Funny, this was the first episode I thought maybe the minion is one of the "bad" guys. I think it was because Vance didn't tell him he had the flash drive.
 

6 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Yeah, maybe it's because Ben is so handsome that computer files just jump onto flash drives for him, heh.

I know, right? Most shows at least show the action of saving the files onto a drive. It's a magic flash drive, I guess.

Maybe it's just me, but I thought there was no way that thermos was dry enough to not at least drip a little of the liquid onto Vance's hand, since you could audibly hear the contents slosh when Ben shook it.

[snarkylady]

1 hour ago, icemiser69 said:

I think Vance's days are numbered.  Someone has to be watching him.  Probably his toady.

Yes....looks like that to me as well.

[stealinghome]

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Funny, this was the first episode I thought maybe the minion is one of the "bad" guys. I think it was because Vance didn't tell him he had the flash drive.

I find the minion way too aggressively "let's move on, Stone is crazy!" to think he is on the up-and-up. I mean, they just found a bloody electrode in the "abandoned" barn in the previous episode! If the minion is even remotely average at his job that should be setting off his internal radar given that it involves an 828er.

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I was pleasantly surprised that Ben was so civil and calm with Danny.  I was so sure he was going to blow up and cause a scene after his bad day.  

Yes, I liked that a lot. I really appreciated Ben as a father in this episode--it clearly upsets him that Olive wants to spend time/has a bond with Danny, and he clearly wants to punch Danny in the face every time he sees him, and he can't have missed how Grace was looking at Danny...but equally obviously he knows hanging out with Danny is good for Olive, so he swallows it all down and pretends it doesn't bother him in front of Olive and is civil to Danny. Good for him. Ben's been much more mature about the whole thing than Grace has, frankly. (I'm starting to feel bad for Danny--I think he, too, may deserve someone better than Grace! I think he's handled the situation about as well as he could as well.)

This episode also made me double down on my suspicions that the writers want this to be more a thriller/mystery/genre show and NBC has dictated that it has to be a family drama. It's just so obvious that the writers are way more energized by the genre components of the series. I also wonder how much is getting left on the cutting room floor. The last conversation in this episode was weird--it felt like we were supposed to be watching Michaela build to her moment in the kitchen with Ben (which I liked a lot), but we haven't seen the emotional build-up from her. So has that all been left on the cutting room floor in episodes past? Or (perhaps more likely) are the writers just not good enough to juggle the large ensemble cast? (Though I also wonder if the somewhat minimization of Michaela is also a function of NBC insisting on more Grace/Olive/Danny family drama.)

Edited November 13, 2018 by stealinghome

[Camera One]

I guess in the last scene, Michaela seems to have been "won over" by the callings.  It makes sense that Ben is more skeptical and let down because in both this episode and last episode, Ben has taken action but the outcome is not as clear as Michaela's successes.  Ben believes that he failed by losing the flash drive to Vance.

I think we're supposed to feel sorry for Danny.  We got that scene with him eating alone.  I thought it would pan out and someone we know would be there, but it didn't, so I think it was solely to show how sad he is without Olive and Grace.

Did Ben tell Grace that he was attending a talk by a fellow passenger with Saanvi?  Ben is not telling Grace about his true reasons for getting the job, which is pretty shady.  He's going down the rabbit hole again, tsk tsk.  I would like to see a tonal shift in the third season or so to find out that the "callings" is really the White Rabbit and the plane actually landed in Wonderland and they had five years of adventures.

[stealinghome]

16 minutes ago, Camera One said:

Did Ben tell Grace that he was attending a talk by a fellow passenger with Saanvi?  Ben is not telling Grace about his true reasons for getting the job, which is pretty shady.  He's going down the rabbit hole again, tsk tsk.  

To be fair, Grace reacted so poorly last week that I can’t blame Ben for keeping it on the down-low (also really it does put her in less danger). Grace is being too aggressively normal—“this job will be good for us” is code for “you’ll stop acting crazy now!” I just hope that whenever Grace finds out that Cal has been having visions and was endangered by the link to Marco and inevitably starts yelling at Ben about not telling her, the writers let Ben yell right back about how he tried and Grace told him to STFU and wouldn’t believe him and yelled at him for trying to save Cal.

Edited November 13, 2018 by stealinghome

[AriAu]

Quote

 

The dramatic music before each commercial break is so overwrought and self-important that it makes me laugh every time.

 This show is so much better when watched as a comedy.

 

THIS. It just keeps getting more and more ridiculous. Among the ridiculousness was:

(i) What's the timeline? Is it still like 3 weeks since they came back.

(ii) EVERYONE knows that downloads of top secret data will be tracked...just accessing it would have set off alarms if it was really that top secret.

(iii) Ben's work outfit and literally every word that came out of his mouth at work.

(iv) Michaela and Lourdes attempted relationship...or maybe it is just the awful acting by the person playing Lourdes.

(v) the amazing coincidence that the nephew/victim will essentially become part of the family since he has Evie's heart...of course he does. And, by the way, what this show needs is some more characters!

[CCTC]

19 minutes ago, Camera One said:

I think we're supposed to feel sorry for Danny

I feel a little bad for him, but in some ways it is similar to Grace, where he just seems focused on everything he lost.  It is like he does not give any consideration that Ben lost 5 years of his life and is trying to reconnect with his family, especially the daughter that he says he cares so much about.  It did not help that he was basically texting Grace the first night Ben was back home, when it seemed like she had already told him she needed some time.   If he really cared about Olive, he would have given them some space rather than calling and texting immediately.  Plus how insensitive were he and Olive to actually have him go to the house where there would be a good chance that he would run into Ben.

I thought Dallas did a good job with Ben's  civil greeting to Danny.  Outwardly polite, but just enough iciness and tension in his voice and expression to show a bit of his conflict about wanting Danny gone and realizing it is best for Olive.

Ben - amateur spy - I liked how the show - not known for its realism - did not have him be particularly successful at it,  For a show without a lot of humor - they could have some less serious moments with Ben and his boss etc.  It gives Dallas a chance to do more than just be concerned father and show other aspects of his personality.

It would not surprise me if the new lady was still more heavily involved.

[kili]

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(ii) EVERYONE knows that downloads of top secret data will be tracked...just accessing it would have set off alarms if it was really that top secret.

It will be tracked to the user logged in which is the IT dude (Ben won't be tracked in either case because both times he was using somebody else's credentials). If he's working with classified information, IT dude should not have left his terminal open when he left the room. He should be in the routine of at least locking that screen. Depending on whether they have proper separation of roles, being logged in as the IT person, Ben could have deleted the record from the logging software and erased all trace of the access (that's why you need proper separation of roles). IT dude allowed for a massive breach.

This company is going to have "Secret" information to protect its customers. It does not have government classified "secret" information.  Given that Ben was able to borrow a badge and access information, I suspect the company needs some updating on its security protocols. Unless his boss also gave Ben his password, access to the badge alone shouldn't be granting him computer access. 

[krankydoodle]

I wasn't paying close attention to the Danny parts of this episode because that subplot annoys me, but it's weird to me that Olive seems more invested in spending time with him than with her father or brother (who just got home from the hospital after almost dying and is still at risk). I get that she and Danny probably had a routine and are working towards a goal, but still.

Saanvi and Ben are a fun pairing but need to work on their investigation skills. They just outright accused Fiona of wrongdoing, revealed that some of the passengers have been having visions and hearing things, and that they knew about the government's involvement. As people here have already pointed out, the writers are moving the plot along absurdly fast, which is also reflected in how quickly Ben got hired, got to the data he needed, and then lost it.

1 minute ago, kili said:

I suspect the company needs some updating on its security protocols. Unless his boss also gave Ben his password, access to the badge alone shouldn't be granting him computer access. 

Yes, it doesn't strike me as great IT practice to have the code needed to access secure data printed on a prominently worn badge. And I laughed at how no one in the office kitchen seemed to notice Ben nuking his badge and the ensuing sparks, and all the goofy computer-related stuff.

I liked that Michaela didn't lie when Evie's mom asked where she was and instead said that wherever Evie was, she was ok.

[biakbiak]

7 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Poor Danny

I hate Danny as much as I hate Grace. 

[fauntleroy]

Danny can go off with Grace. Take off hosers! (Tho filmed in NY not Vancouver? Yay budget.) Ben can have visitation rights to see Olive and Cal. Ben and Saanvi path available. Boom, done!

But as described above, network or the writers or everybody besides us viewers prefer the soap opera. Easy to write and produce. Everybody's an expert, don't need expensive sci-fi effects, can drag on as needed.

I noticed for the first time that eyebrow girl has a really nice figure. Good for her! If she would just visit a landscaping company.

I like IT guy - eager to show new employee who happens to be a math prof and an 828er weird massive data files from client company! Enthusiasm for sharing client data with anyone who shows an interest as a result of bonding over poker is a sure sign of quality technical staff.

[CCTC]

2 hours ago, krankydoodle said:

it's weird to me that Olive seems more invested in spending time with him than with her father or brother (who just got home from the hospital after almost dying and is still at risk). I get that she and Danny probably had a routine and are working towards a goal, but still.

It does not help that Josh Dallas comes off so earnest and sincere and understanding in the father-daughter scenes.  Her seeming to be more concerned about spending time with Danny who she has spent time with the last 3 to 4 years than spending time with the father who raised her the 11 years prior to that and how hard he is trying to do what is best for her despite how it hurts him, makes her look a little self-involved.

[stealinghome]

2 hours ago, CCTC said:

I feel a little bad for him, but in some ways it is similar to Grace, where he just seems focused on everything he lost.  It is like he does not give any consideration that Ben lost 5 years of his life and is trying to reconnect with his family, especially the daughter that he says he cares so much about.  It did not help that he was basically texting Grace the first night Ben was back home, when it seemed like she had already told him she needed some time.   If he really cared about Olive, he would have given them some space rather than calling and texting immediately.  Plus how insensitive were he and Olive to actually have him go to the house where there would be a good chance that he would run into Ben.

I agree with some of this (Danny coming to the house WAS in my opinion pretty insensitive), but I don’t think that he is obligated to not hang out with Olive just because Ben is back. Olive can hang out with him and bond with Ben too...they’re not mutually exclusive options. Obviously Olive should not be forced to hang out with Danny if she has no interest in doing so, but if she wants to and it helps her, I don’t see why she can’t. It’s not like it prevents her from bonding with Ben. (And Danny had in fact dropped out of her life until Olive called him.)

Re: Grace, it seemed like Danny just wanted her to say to him “we’re over,” instead of ghosting him. And I have to agree with him on that. If they’ve been seriously dating for years he deserved better than for her to just go AWOL on him.

[Clanstarling]

3 hours ago, kili said:

It will be tracked to the user logged in which is the IT dude (Ben won't be tracked in either case because both times he was using somebody else's credentials). If he's working with classified information, IT dude should not have left his terminal open when he left the room. He should be in the routine of at least locking that screen. Depending on whether they have proper separation of roles, being logged in as the IT person, Ben could have deleted the record from the logging software and erased all trace of the access (that's why you need proper separation of roles). IT dude allowed for a massive breach.

This company is going to have "Secret" information to protect its customers. It does not have government classified "secret" information.  Given that Ben was able to borrow a badge and access information, I suspect the company needs some updating on its security protocols. Unless his boss also gave Ben his password, access to the badge alone shouldn't be granting him computer access. 

I work in IT, and though I don't have any super secret info or access, I don't walk away without locking my computer. It's so much a habit that I do the same thing at home. 

That's not to say breaches don't happen, but the guy also invited a new hire without clearance to take a gander at the cool security stuff. Dude needs to be fired.

1 hour ago, CCTC said:

It does not help that Josh Dallas comes off so earnest and sincere and understanding in the father-daughter scenes.  Her seeming to be more concerned about spending time with Danny who she has spent time with the last 3 to 4 years than spending time with the father who raised her the 11 years prior to that and how hard he is trying to do what is best for her despite how it hurts him, makes her look a little self-involved.

She's a teenager, self involved is pretty much the entire teen playbook.

That being (jokingly) said, imo, it's not the kids' job to take care of the parents emotional well being. It's the other way around.

After all this time, Ben is more like an acquaintance and fond memory than a dad, and Danny is more the dad who was there for her struggles. That's a pretty crazy emotional situation to be in as a kid who's had serious emotional issues.

Which doesn't mean I don't feel for Ben, I do. It's an impossible situation for everyone, and few people react with logic and consideration of everyone's feelings.

[Passepartout]

Really think that everybody needs to throw all of their cellphones away. If the NSA is spying. And if they are smart they would do that. Ben a good and not so good spy at all.

Vance still do not trust him. But hope he does not lead Ben or anybody else to their deaths. Really the guy is violating civil rights and does not care.

Yeah as really Danny while people may not like him as hate is too strong of a world. But still seems to be decent in my eyes.

Ben's daughter has abandonment issues. Bear in mind five years gone.

[kili]

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Really think that everybody needs to throw all of their cellphones away. If the NSA is spying.

No they should not. That will make the NSA very suspicious and they will find a way to hack your new phone. They need to keep using their phones and throw in red-herrings (text each other about how you are convinced the Canadians are behind everything).

Meanwhile, they purchase burner phones for their real conversations and throw those away weekly. As Michael taught us on "Burn Notice", buy the cheapest, hunk-of-junk cellphone you can find because those don't come with all the fancy bells and whistles that make it easy to track you. Plus, it makes the "throw them away" weekly plan more affordable.

When you go out sleuthing, leave your real phone in your desk or home, so they think you are still there.

Was Ben's plan with the USB key in the water jug going to work? Wouldn't the security guard have given it a little shake? Granted, security in that company seems to be largely window-dressing.

[Anela]

Wait, Danny made plans with Olive? WTF? Yeah, not watching tonight.

[shapeshifter]

3 hours ago, Clanstarling said:

She's a teenager, self involved is pretty much the entire teen playbook.

That being (jokingly) said, imo, it's not the kids' job to take care of the parents emotional well being. It's the other way around.

After all this time, Ben is more like an acquaintance and fond memory than a dad, and Danny is more the dad who was there for her struggles. That's a pretty crazy emotional situation to be in as a kid who's had serious emotional issues.

The show could easily have had just one triangle, and no kid with cancer, and just focused on Olive, and had more than enough plot for a series, but then it wouldn't be a cop show and a doctor show too.

 

ETA: The title didn't seem to particularly apply to this episode. 

Edited November 14, 2018 by shapeshifter

[eel2178]

17 hours ago, Camera One said:

The connection of the barber's nephew and her best friend's heart was a nice touch.

That part was way too far-fetched for me.

[eel2178]

20 hours ago, CleoCaesar said:

Michaela’s (can I just call her Eyebrows?) version of CPR on the kid’s dead uncle was hilarious. This show is so much better when watched as a comedy.

At least she made an attempt at resuscitating him, even if it was lame. I hate it when they just check the victim for a pulse, then decide it's too late to try to do anything else. 

[txhorns79]

Quote

Danny and Olive's relationship is just too weird.  Uncomfortably creepy weird, and it has gotten weirder as the season has gone on.  I never liked those two together at all from the beginning.  I don't get a father daughter type vibe at all.  Just ick.

This.  I keep feeling like I'm in an afterschool special and we are going to find out Danny is grooming Olive, but I honestly don't think that is the intention here.  Rather, the acting and writing is just not great to the point where no one's motivations are clear.    

I laughed at Ben's whole storyline.  Of course, after two days at the company, Ben is easily able to access the information he needed because why bother building trust or relationships when you can just microwave your ID and attend a card game.

The barber's nephew was such a terrible actor that he made Michaela seem good. 

[Camera One]

19 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Just because Michaela didn't stay for dessert or want to drink alcohol, Lourdes and Jared look at each other and say, "It was too soon."

That line definitely felt weird.  They should have said something along the lines of "At least Michaela made it through dinner.  Even though we insisted on kissing each other hello in front of Michaela since that wasn't insensitive at all."

[ams1001]

When his badge "mysteriously" didn't work...was he needing it to get into the bathroom?

[rubyred]

FFS, Grace. "Full Disclosure" means telling your husband beforehand that Olive is asking to go rock climbing with "Uncle" Danny.

Grace is hopeless.

[kili]

Quote

When his badge "mysteriously" didn't work...was he needing it to get into the bathroom?

Yep. I know somebody who worked an office like that. Good thing Ben didn't have a female boss because she wouldn't have lent him her key for that (it wouldn't have worked for his bathroom).

Quote

Of course, after two days at the company, Ben is easily able to access the information he needed because why bother building trust or relationships when you can just microwave your ID and attend a card game.

I thought that was a nod to the cult of celebrity. When you see people on TV, you have tendency to think you already know them. "He's alright, he's one of those 828ers." Plus, people will do things for you so that your celebrity will rub off on them ("Guess what? I got to show one of those people who survived Flight 828 how we get data into the system. Nah, he didn't seem to be an Alien Zombie. Total klutz though - he spilled coffee on me"). 

[txhorns79]

Quote

They should have said something along the lines of "At least Michaela made it through dinner.  Even though we insisted on kissing each other hello in front of Michaela since that wasn't insensitive at all."

I don't know.  If it was really to the point where it's "insensitive" for a married couple to show affection in front of Michaela, then she probably should end the friendship.  I mean, I get there are hard feelings, but it's not like this was her first time being around them. 

And I thought it was interesting when Michaela was talking to Carlos about loss, she didn't mention what should be the very fresh, still raw, sudden shocking loss of her mother.  I understand that no one in the Michaela/Ben storyline seems to really care that their mother is dead, but it did happen, even if the show seems content to mostly ignore it. 

Edited November 14, 2018 by txhorns79

[pinguina]

I'm sorry - how much more insensitive can Olive be with Ben regarding Danny/Olive?   Her, "I meant to tell you..." At no time did she say that she would like to discuss how important Danny is to Olive.  Also how much more UNINTERESTED could she be about Cal??   Didn't Cal walk into the kitchen and she just walk by with nothing (or was that Olive?).  Then Cal and Ben have a short discussion about his connection to the Bulgarian and hug it out?  Why wasn't she there asking, "Wait.. what's going on?"   Oh, yeah - she didn't want to know anything after asking Ben to share and she shut him down/out.  Plus if she was really concerned about Olive's relationship with her dad, she would talk with her about her dad's feelings and how he is trying to keep her (Olive) happy by not making a big deal about Danny.  (I once hurt my dad's feelings when I was young and stupid.  My mom sat me down and talked to me about what happened and how I hurt him, not the other way around.)  

[Camera One]

35 minutes ago, txhorns79 said:

I don't know.  If it was really to the point where it's "insensitive" for a married couple to show affection in front of Michaela, then she probably should end the friendship.  I mean, I get there are hard feelings, but it's not like this was her first time being around them. 

 

It has only been a few weeks since Michaela returned.  She was coming for an extended social visit for the first time.  They were clearly trying hard to bring her back into the social circle.  If that was their intent, then they would be careful about every action they do to make her feel as comfortable as she could.  Of course a married couple is allowed to show affection, but most people in real life put some thought into the context and their purpose and act accordingly.  If you know someone is sensitive to something, then it's courtesy especially if you are a caring friend to avoid any possible triggers, at least until they are used to it.

Edited November 14, 2018 by Camera One

[Dowel Jones]

23 hours ago, stealinghome said:

Ben is both a great spy and a TERRIBLE spy.

 

13 hours ago, Clanstarling said:

When Ben was texting his "I scored!" I thought about how idiotic that was,

 

11 hours ago, kili said:

If he's working with classified information, IT dude should not have left his terminal open when he left the room. He should be in the routine of at least locking that screen.

Doesn't anyone in television ever watch television?  This stuff is BASIC! Everybody knows that the first thing you do to distract the computer guy is to spill something on him.

[juliet73]

I'm surprised the NSA only has Ben's phone bugged. I would think his wife, daughter's, Michaela's and Jared's would be too. Along with their houses, the police cruiser, personal cars, etc.

Danny is a nice, good looking guy who drives a porshe...why is he single? And am I the only one that got a creepy vibe from Olive about Danny when she was marking on her calendar?

I agree with everyone else: less Grace and Cal = much better show. Now if we could just work on Michaela's brows...

[ottoDbusdriver]

23 hours ago, eel2178 said:

At least she made an attempt at resuscitating him, even if it was lame. I hate it when they just check the victim for a pulse, then decide it's too late to try to do anything else. 

While Michaela was performing CPR, she called out to the source of the callings to "Save him, save him" -- really ? Was she expecting some sort of miraculous healing ?

And we downgrade from vague phrases and statue visions to -- a directional heartbeat.  What's next -- they strap Cal to a divining rod to see if they can locate the Bulgarian ?

Ben would have been flagged the minute he tried to open restricted files -- especially since he had been on the job all of 5 minutes.

I really don't care about the Cal drama or the Olive drama or the Evie drama -- it's like no one even cares that their were missing for 5.5 years.

There was no specification of the timeline since the plane returned, but we're probably in week 3.

I am curious about the info in the data dump -- some of the records of the Singularity Project (S.P.) data dump predated the return of the plane, so we're they expecting the plane to return ?

Edited November 15, 2018 by ottoDbusdriver

[GaT]

On 11/12/2018 at 11:27 PM, Camera One said:

The connection of the barber's nephew and her best friend's heart was a nice touch.

6 hours ago, eel2178 said:

That part was way too far-fetched for me.

I don't even understand what the point of that was, does it mean something to the overall plot? Is Cal going to be connected to everything? WHY???

[ElectricBoogaloo]

3 hours ago, ottoDbusdriver said:

And we downgrade from vague phrases and statue visions to -- a directional heartbeat.  What's next -- they strap Cal to a divining rod to see if they can locate the Bulgarian ?

I was totally cracking up with Michaela was interpreting the heartbeats to somehow give directions (which is probably not the reaction that the show intended). How can you tell when a heartbeat is telling you to make a left turn?

[fauntleroy]

Heartbeat like a geiger counter! I like the dowsing rod idea. Other possibilities may be Ouija and alphabet soup. Each week rolls out a new yet equally indirect method of whatever the source is, getting its point across. Each time the 'calling' is just ambiguous enough to provide drama, carefully between just straight out conveying the message plainly, and having it be so garbled that the eyebrows do not act correctly. That's a pretty narrow bandwidth.

We don't know if the other passengers are experiencing similar callings. If not our main cast could have disappeared on a small charter plane. As of now the other passengers exist only to provide a supply of potentially spooky abilities, as needed by plot of the week. Otherwise, forgotten altogether.

I guess the three categories of possibility are alien, spiritual, and evil corporate experimental. Others? Our heroes may be mere brains in bottles in an alien lab, experiencing a supposed 'future' virtually. Maybe Evil Corp is developing Mind Warriors and these are v1, who are unpredictably doing good instead of the hoped-for dastardly deeds. And they are tweaking the accuracy of the callings over time, to do their evil bidding. Will our heroes figure this out before marching off the cliff?

It would be fun to see evil scientist leaning over a mike and twiddling dials saying 'Go left!' or 'Save him!' Dammit this signal is so unreliable! Or an alien slithering around wondering if he can get the eyebrows to twitch just so.

But we are being guided away from this kind of speculation, in favor of will Michaela something something triangle best friend etc. Disappearing for 5 1/2 years is a mere detail of plot! Allowing us to focus on fascinating domestic drama. Okay then. If it's me in charge I'd be sending Ben a simple message. Via skywriting, why not. Cal asks Ben what's it spelling dad? I don't know Cal, looks like d-i-v-o-r...hmm wonder what it could mean.

Edited November 14, 2018 by fauntleroy

[Clanstarling]

8 hours ago, juliet73 said:

I'm surprised the NSA only has Ben's phone bugged. I would think his wife, daughter's, Michaela's and Jared's would be too. Along with their houses, the police cruiser, personal cars, etc.

Danny is a nice, good looking guy who drives a porshe...why is he single? And am I the only one that got a creepy vibe from Olive about Danny when she was marking on her calendar?

I agree with everyone else: less Grace and Cal = much better show. Now if we could just work on Michaela's brows...

Danny was a widower before he met Grace, as I recall. So I take it that Grace was his first relationship after that, and it's only been a few weeks since the return of the flight. I don't get a creepy vibe at all, I'm taking Danny at face value - he's a nice guy who cares and loves for Grace and her daughter. People not biologically related can love children in a non-creepy way, and one would hope there are more step-parents that do, rather than not (though there are plenty in the not category)

6 hours ago, GaT said:

I don't even understand what the point of that was, does it mean something to the overall plot? Is Cal going to be connected to everything? WHY???

Hasn't Cal said everything's connected a bunch of times? My take is that because Michaela's connected to Evie - when the kid who has Evie's heart is in trouble, she's getting "messages" to guide her to help him. It's not any more far fetched than anything else in the show for me. Though whoever/whatever's doing the calling could give a few more details, for goodness sake. lol

I do think the show is trying to be too many things, and therefore doesn't have a good sense of what's most interesting. All of the elements could be interesting, but it's too scatter gun and focuses on what is, in my opinion, the least interesting beats.

Edited November 14, 2018 by Clanstarling

[stealinghome]

4 minutes ago, Clanstarling said:

Danny was a widower before he met Grace, as I recall. So I take it that Grace was his first relationship after that, and it's only been a few weeks since the return of the flight. I don't get a creepy vibe at all, I'm taking Danny at face value - he's a nice guy who cares and loves for Grace and her daughter. People not biologically related can love children in a non-creepy way, and one would hope there are more step-parents that do, rather than not (though there are plenty in the not category)

Agreed. I think the actors playing Olive and Danny have a bit of inappropriate chemistry that is muddying the waters, but writing-wise I think we’re supposed to take Danny and Olive’s relationship at face value.

[Clanstarling]

10 minutes ago, stealinghome said:

Agreed. I think the actors playing Olive and Danny have a bit of inappropriate chemistry that is muddying the waters, but writing-wise I think we’re supposed to take Danny and Olive’s relationship at face value.

Danny would have chemistry with a block of wood, and I imagine the actress is crushing on him just a bit, and it comes through.

[PamelaMaeSnap]

On 11/13/2018 at 1:06 AM, djinn said:

I really like Michaela's relationship with Evie's Mom; strangely endearing. She and Jared work too, and it was a relief that Jared finally told her the NSA was watching and has been all over him. The heartbeat being Evie's caught me by surprise.

 

I fess up to blubbering a few times in this episode ... something about Evie's mom just makes me cry so much and reminds me of another show I can't put my finger on (not Leftovers, but will add that the missing friend Evie does make me think of Leftovers as well) ... I loved the reveal that it was Evie's heart. Didn't see that coming at all. 

That said, wasn't in love with the part with Ben spilling the coffee on the guy and remarkably getting EVERYTHING he needed in those few moments. Plus I felt bad for the guy and hope the coffee wasn't too hot. 

The less Grace the better for me and I'll confess ditto Olive. But more Danny is always welcome. Come to mama, Daniel Sunjata (I fangeek back to his days playing Reggie Jackson in Bronx is Burning except Reggie Jackson only wishes he was as handsome, though he probably thinks he is). 

I also would like to see Mik with a good eyebrow wax but I definitely would love to know what eyeshadow combo she's wearing ... that copper is a very pretty look.