The Enemy Within - General Discussion

[rhys]

The note that Erica left in MoleGirl's desk? What did it say? (& not for nuttin', when did E put it there?)

[Happy Harpy]

For a few minutes, from the reunion at Keaton's until the briefing, I had a glimpse of what this show could have been with decent writers. Not original, not great, but somewhat entertaining. Morris Chesnut and Jennifer Carpenter had chemistry in their last scene, which was sober in a good way. That's about all the positive.

The whole Cruz thing was ridiculous. I know I ranted about Keaton's incompetence, but making him the cold-blooded killer whisperer, ouf of the blue, wasn't an improvement. Less after he snooped around Cruz's apartment in such an obvious way, she should have made him immediately.

Did I care about the flashback? Nope.

The directing is as terrible as the writing. It affects the acting, imo, which seems to get worse instead of improving. I won't blame the actors. No one seems quite to know what to do with their character. The rare moments when something clicks only stresses how it doesn't work the rest of the time. It's as if everyone was still stuck in pilot stage.

The reason I still watch is getting three minutes of screentime, in spite of being third-billed.

If there's truly another mole and it isn't a plan, Tal actually told Keaton just to brag, this show deserves cancelation for stupidity.

[tennisgurl]

The last scene between Keaton and Erica was actually pretty good, and gave me a glimpse at the good show that is hiding inside of this mediocre one. The actors had good chemistry, and it felt like a solid coda to the episode and everything that happened. 

However, everything with Cruz and Keaton was ridiculous. I mean, if Tal really did adopt her and raise her to be a mole, she should be pretty devoted to him, or at least be feel a pull towards him that is hard to turn off. But one chat with a guy she has known for a few weeks, and she can shrug all of that off like its no thing? What, does Keating have superpowers that allows him to get people to listen to him and do what he says? It seems like she should have escaped and be a reoccurring character, and maybe eventually get almost turned and then killed for maximum angst, or something like that. This all happened so fast, it gave me characterization whiplash. I mean, one second Cruz is murdering little old ladies in cold blood without so much as a blink, and the next she is all teary eyed about this guy and Tal and is willing to turn on everything she has known for most of her life? In a few hours?

I guess I am glad that we moved on from the mole hunt quickly, but it sounds like we have more moles littered about now, so we arent really done QUITE yet.

[preeya]

8 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

but it sounds like we have more moles littered about now, so we arent really done QUITE yet.

Can we really believe there are other moles based on a phone call allegedly from Tal?  How is it that he (Tal) knew Keaton would answer the phone that should have been secured in an evidence room/locker not just sitting on a desk in plain sight? How/why did Keaton automatically assume it was Tal on the phone? When Tal mentioned more moles the focus immediately shifted to a shot of Erica sitting in the cell.

Edited March 26, 2019 by preeya

[rhys]

Was Anna the intended target in the shootout or did that guy just have terrible aim?

Also, not for nothing, have i just noticed how jumpy the camera work is sometimes? When it was going around the table, oy, I needed a Dramamine.

[Loandbehold]

3 hours ago, preeya said:

Can we really believe there are other moles based on a phone call allegedly from Tal?  How is it that he (Tal) knew Keaton would answer the phone that should have been secured in an evidence room/locker not just sitting on a desk in plain sight? How/why did Keaton automatically assume it was Tal on the phone? When Tal mentioned more moles the focus immediately shifted to a shot of Erica sitting in the cell.

For me, this was the evidence that there was another mole. Someone had to leave the phone in the evidence bag on the desk. Which is why I believe the camera shot of Erica is a mislead. Much like she couldn't access the computers last week, she can't access evidence lockers.

When they called Cruz into the interview, did they put her cell phone back in a different position? She seemed to notice something was wrong then. Also, what kind of set-up interview was that? We're calling you into the special room where you have to check your cell phone, and we just go over the same ground we've done before? You don't even try to offer something new? Make up something. This guy is supposed to be the best interrogator the FBI has. I'm sure that he's lied to suspects before. Of course, we only know he's the best b/c Keaton told us he was. Several times. We still haven't seen him get any real information from any suspect during an interview.

I was glad that Cruz didn't call Tal from her personal cell phone. The one she always carries around. At work. I mean, did the team expect that she would have Tal listed under "nefarious terrorist contacts"? Or maybe s her "ICE contact"?

[Maverick]

 Yes, they screwed up with the phone.  She put it in the locker face down and they replaced it face up.   

[rhys]

All they had to do was take a picture of the phone in the locker before removing it so that it could be returned in the exact orientation. Dumb spies.

[preeya]

2 hours ago, rhys said:

All they had to do was take a picture of the phone in the locker before removing it so that it could be returned in the exact orientation. Dumb spies.

GMTA!  I said the exact same thing, but this is the FBI (Federal Bureau of Incompetence).

[BaskingsharkGTX]

"Why do I get the feeling you're testing me?" asked Mole Girl.

Um, maybe because literally every single line of dialog in this entire episode has had a sledge-hammer double-meaning and/or has been followed by a pregnant pause where the person speaking it looks sideways at the person they're talking to with a patented I Know You Know What I Know You Know But I Know You Know I Know You Know Too expression on their face. 

"Guard!" yelled All-Seeing Sensei JCarp, She Who Looks At The World Through Permanently Narrowed Eyes. "I need to speak with Agent Whichever One It Was! Now!"

Except there was no guard outside her cell and there has never been a guard outside her cell in any episode of this show since the start.

Also, that cell set is ridiculous. It's like some sort of medieval dungeon. It appears to contain two ratty old benches, lots of dark ominous shadows and nothing else. Where does she sleep? Where is the ACLU? Next week are we going to see her be fed a slop of gruel which she has to slurp from a rough-hewn wooden bowl?

And of course, we had the obligatory How do you know X, Morris?/Because JCarp told me/BUT DO YOU TRUST HER???!!!!! scene. At this point, shouldn't all the characters freaking KNOW that every single piece of Amazing Information Morris has ALWAYS comes from JCarp and that it ALWAYS turns out to be correct and they can just stop questioning it and go back to being unmemorable and barely doing their jobs?

It was also truly fortuitous that JCarp's suddenly-clearly-remembered experience from ten years ago gave her exact and immediate clarity into Morris Chestnut's situation and she immediately knew what he felt and that Mole Girl knew what he felt and also knew what Mole Girl felt and how if Morris knew what Mole Girl felt, he could use how he felt and how she felt to TURN HER from Tal. 

And it was even more truly fortuitous that that dude who was in Prague with JCarp ten years ago happened to now be in the exact same building as her dungeon and Morris' Scooby Gang HQ.

For a show that's supposed to be suspenseful, having an episode where we know who knows what and that everybody on screen probably also knows who knows and what they know and then are straight-up told they know they know they know and I can't do this anymore but you get the picture is jaw-droppingly lame writing. Literally the only thing that could have redeemed this mess and could have added an actual twist would have been if Mole Girl had shot Morris in the face when she had her gun on him and he'd been killed off.

Also, Mole Girl, I know you're dead now, but in your next incarnation, when you shoot little old woodland ladies in the back, please refrain from campily tilting your head to the side afterwards. This is what Sexy Psycho Lady Villains played by models who never acted before or after in 1960's James Bond knockoff spy movies used to do and it is cheezy. 

Edited March 27, 2019 by BaskingsharkGTX

[torqy]

At least they got rid of the (first) mole in a couple episodes. 24 would have taken half a season to do so.

I think the on-call sniper was directed to kill Cruz and Keating both. Can't have loose ends, ya know.

[Happy Harpy]

19 hours ago, Loandbehold said:

This guy is supposed to be the best interrogator the FBI has. I'm sure that he's lied to suspects before. Of course, we only know he's the best b/c Keaton told us he was. Several times. We still haven't seen him get any real information from any suspect during an interview.

Actually, for once it's continuity -or could be. Daniel said in an earlier episode that he never lies to his subjects. I remember this, because there aren't so many original/interesting takes on the show, you know. I'm sure the writers will forget that detail when convenient, though. And yeah, the character of Daniel is one of the biggest victims of the "tell, don't show" syndrom.

[kitmerlot1213]

11 hours ago, BaskingsharkGTX said:

Also, Mole Girl, I know you're dead now, but in your next incarnation, when you shoot little old woodland ladies in the back, please refrain from campily tilting your head to the side afterwards. This is what Sexy Psycho Lady Villains played by models who never acted before or after in 1960's James Bond knockoff spy movies used to do and it is cheezy. 

I adored this post!  And while I'm thrilled the strange acting that was MoleGirl's stock in trade has now been mercifully killed off, I wish the show would do the same to Blondie-blonde tech genius--there is something so painfully 'try hard' about her every reaction and interaction that I just cringe whenever the camera pans to her.

However, Pettigrew continues to be genuinely badass as does Shepherd--their characters have a believable action adventure quality to them, like when they're chasing a suspect down or figuring out a clue, I believe these women are investigators and not just playing the part--good casting NBC.

[BaskingsharkGTX]

3 hours ago, kitmerlot1213 said:

I wish the show would do the same to Blondie-blonde tech genius--there is something so painfully 'try hard' about her every reaction and interaction that I just cringe whenever the camera pans to her.

I suspect you may be disappointed there because someone has to be around to shill for Microsoft AI! 😉
 

On 3/26/2019 at 8:48 AM, rhys said:

Also, not for nothing, have i just noticed how jumpy the camera work is sometimes? When it was going around the table, oy, I needed a Dramamine.

My favorite bit of this was when Mole Girl and Morris were driving along in her brand-new BMW SUV (apparently being a Mole Girl pays pretty decently) and the camera went off swooping down the road so we couldn't see either the car or them. I was like WTF?! Are we tracking a bird that's flying past them as a metaphor or something?

I realize this morning that all joking aside, I do know JCarp is called Erica Shepherd and after last night, I get that Mole Girl is/was called Cruz and after KITMERLOT1213's post I'm now aware that The New Woman is called Pettigrew but I genuinely don't remember any of of the other characters' names. There's just way too many people on this show and they are all completely unmemorable. IIRC, Blacklist, which has the same setup, just had James Spader, the leading lady and Rassler, the agent guy played by Diego Klattenhoff, the guy from Mean Girls and that was it. Here we have Morris and JCarp plus The Blonde Woman, The New Woman, The Stubble Guy and The Other Guy (and Mole Girl, RIP). We really only need two of them and then perhaps we could get to meet JCarp's invisible ex-husband, the y'know, LEGAL GUARDIAN OF HER KID! 

Edited March 27, 2019 by BaskingsharkGTX

[Happy Harpy]

20 minutes ago, BaskingsharkGTX said:

We really only need two of them and then perhaps we could get to meet JCarp's invisible ex-husband, the y'know, LEGAL GUARDIAN OF HER KID! 

IIRC

Spoiler

They cast the ex-husband, and also an ex-boyfriend.

They added two new co-showrunners after the pilot. They were just fresh from their flop (in the same slot) The Brave, which probably explains why Noah Mills was upped to full regular (imo, it wasn't needed).  Comparing the pilot, very flawed but with some promise, with the episodes that followed, I feel the potential was ruined and it might be the change at the helm of the show that did it.

3 hours ago, kitmerlot1213 said:

However, Pettigrew continues to be genuinely badass as does Shepherd--their characters have a believable action adventure quality to them, like when they're chasing a suspect down or figuring out a clue, I believe these women are investigators and not just playing the part--good casting NBC.

I agree about Kelli Garner's acting, I was thinking "at least she tries" when watching her scenes, but I don't find the others better. Cassie Freeman's material isn't as bad yet her acting is stilted, too (her scene with Cruz for example) Jennifer Carpenter is stuck with a Spy Sue and her conveying So! Intense! So! Sharp! all the time has crossed the ham territory for me.

As I said above, I don't blame the actors but the writing and the direction/editing. I remember being on a set, the actors repeating and doing great, and the director insisting they overacted. They had no choice, and the result was plainly atrocious. I think it's  what happens here, because I've seen Raza Jaffrey elevate the most cliché dialogues and make them compelling, so the fact that he can't is a telltale. In the pilot as well as in her last scene in the last episode, it's obvious that Jennifer Carpenter can be great in spite of the material. Morris Chesnut, in his scenes with Kelli Garner, had some charming smile and warmth that agent Keaton would be in dire need of when interacting with his team. It's hard to convey an emotion when your reaction is filmed in anime style close-up or cut every two seconds for "stylish" other close-ups on phones or files or balled fists. They have a good cast, they should let them develop their characters and act. 

[BaskingsharkGTX]

31 minutes ago, Happy Harpy said:

They added two new co-showrunners after the pilot. They were just fresh from their flop (in the same slot) The Brave, which probably explains why Noah Mills was upped to full regular (imo, it wasn't needed).  Comparing the pilot, very flawed but with some promise, with the episodes that followed, I feel the potential was ruined and it might be the change at the helm of the show that did it.

That's interesting, I wasn't aware but it explains a lot. The issue with this show is definitely in the writing. The actors have to sell atrocious dialogue, ridiculous scenes and have almost no characterization to work with and no opportunity to inject any of their own due to their limited screentime. Given JCarp's immediate realization that Kelli is apparently in love with Morris back in the pilot, I presume they are going to push those two together and I'm guessing they plan to do the same with Mills and Pettigrew since they seem to have "history" and spend most of their time hanging out together.

31 minutes ago, Happy Harpy said:

balled fists

Oh. Those. Fists. So, so, so, SO on-the-nose. (Not in a punchy way, of course. In an anvilicious way.)

Coincidentally, a long time ago I worked on a comedy feature which called for two African-American leads, late 20's/early 30's. We were greenlit by the studio on the proviso that we could find a male and female lead who;  #1 the studio would approve as being box-office enough and in the right salary range, #2 would agree to work together (ie didn't hate each other so much they couldn't be on the same set) and #3 were available for our shooting dates. It never got made because we could never get a combo together that ticked all three boxes but Morris Chestnut was on our shortlist of leading men, was available, was liked by both the two potential leading ladies and was the right price. Unfortunately the studio wouldn't approve him because they said he wasn't famous enough or funny enough. I hadn't seen him around since until this show came on - he is very charismatic and like JCarp, deserves better! 

Edited March 27, 2019 by BaskingsharkGTX

[4N6MAL]

On 3/5/2019 at 9:44 PM, OLynn33 said:

It was mentioned upthread that they recast the daughter so at least I'm not seeing things.

The daughter looked different but according to IMDb, it is the same girl in the first 4 episodes.

Sophia Gennusa... Hannah Shepherd4 episodes, 2019 

- Confessions (2019) ... Hannah Shepherd

- The Ambassador's Wife (2019) ... Hannah Shepherd

- Black Bear (2019) ... Hannah Shepherd

- Pilot (2019) ... Hannah Shepherd

[MissLucas]

Well, I kept getting distracted by the color scheme. Everything is blue, grey or slate. The only person wearing a bright color was of course getting killed.  I lost track of the plot and I guess that means it's time to leave the show. Both Carpeneter and Chestnut deserve better.

[Theenemy]

Nailed Cruz from the beginning but I also think the good looking male agent that followed her might also be bad.  I also think that we haven't seen Shepherd's husband for a reason.  Is he an agent/spy, did  he betray her.  There is a story there. 

[Dowel Jones]

18 hours ago, MissLucas said:

Both Carpeneter and Chestnut deserve better.

Manny say whaaat?

[weathered1]

I may be wrong about this, but didn't we very, very briefly see the ex-husband in the courtroom flashbacks when Erica was sentenced to about a billion consecutive life sentences? I seem to remember the daughter being very upset and was embraced by the guy sitting next to her, who appeared to be her father/Erica's ex-husband (since it looked to me like the guy they cast in the role). 

Anyway, I agree wholeheartedly that the potentially fatal flaw of this show is the writing. They've taken a show with a decent (albeit problematic) premise and a mostly solid cast, and everything and everyone is bogged down by ridiculous dialogue, implausibilities, an endless stream of tropes, repeated scenes and conversations, and predictability. Plus, when we're now several episodes in and there's still so much confusion about some characters' names, that's a problem. It's not like the cast is so huge that some names are falling through the cracks - it's that there is a relatively small core group of people yet the writers have refused to properly develop them (save perhaps Erica and Keaton). 

I can't figure out why the writing is so bad. I'm one of the people who liked The Brave very much (and was quite sad when it was canceled) and thought that it was fairly well-written (with some exceptions), so I cannot fathom why writing like this is being delivered, much less filmed. 

In terms of the premise, I can't figure out where it could possibly go. Erica did what she was accused of doing and several people died as a direct result. That can't be handwaved away, so was the plan to have her stuck in that cell for a vast majority of however long the show lasts? 

Harkening back to a previous conversation point, I also think the bit about not telling anyone that her daughter was threatened was deeply, deeply stupid. If nothing else, I fail to understand why Erica would think the threat to her daughter would suddenly and completely disappear once she gave Tal the information he wanted. With as evil as Tal is supposed to be, she wouldn't have any reason to believe that he wouldn't have killed Hannah at some point just because he's that evil. Yet the girl was without protection for all of that time. Yeah, that makes a whole bunch of sense.

Edited March 28, 2019 by weathered1

[rhys]

Yes, to your first paragraph.

[BellyLaughter]

3 hours ago, weathered1 said:

I may be wrong about this, but didn't we very, very briefly see the ex-husband in the courtroom flashbacks when Erica was sentenced to about a billion consecutive life sentences? I seem to remember the daughter being very upset and was embraced by the guy sitting next to her, who appeared to be her father/Erica's ex-husband (since it looked to me like the guy they cast in the role). 

Anyway, I agree wholeheartedly that the potentially fatal flaw of this show is the writing. They've taken a show with a decent (albeit problematic) premise and a mostly solid cast, and everything and everyone is bogged down by ridiculous dialogue, implausibilities, an endless stream of tropes, repeated scenes and conversations, and predictability. Plus, when we're now several episodes in and there's still so much confusion about some characters' names, that's a problem. It's not like the cast is so huge that some names are falling through the cracks - it's that there is a relatively small core group of people yet the writers have refused to properly develop them (save perhaps Erica and Keaton). 

I can't figure out why the writing is so bad. I'm one of the people who liked The Brave very much (and was quite sad when it was canceled) and thought that it was fairly well-written (with some exceptions), so I cannot fathom why writing like this is being delivered, much less filmed. 

In terms of the premise, I can't figure out where it could possibly go. Erica did what she was accused of doing and several people died as a direct result. That can't be handwaved away, so was the plan to have her stuck in that cell for a vast majority of however long the show lasts? 

Harkening back to a previous conversation point, I also think the bit about not telling anyone that her daughter was threatened was deeply, deeply stupid. If nothing else, I fail to understand why Erica would think the threat to her daughter would suddenly and completely disappear once she gave Tal the information he wanted. With as evil as Tal is supposed to be, she wouldn't have any reason to believe that he wouldn't have killed Hannah at some point just because he's that evil. Yet the girl was without protection for all of that time. Yeah, that makes a whole bunch of sense.

This is the fatal flaw made worse by the fact that she is kept in a dank, dark creepy cell like she's been held in the gulag.....it's laughable and weird not dramatic.

[Dowel Jones]

They need the bulletproof, bombproof, fart proof, all glass cell that Raymond Reddington occupied for the first few episodes.

[BaskingsharkGTX]

On 3/28/2019 at 7:06 PM, Dowel Jones said:

They need the bulletproof, bombproof, fart proof, all glass cell that Raymond Reddington occupied for the first few episodes.

TBH, they could just keep her in a locked-down hotel room or something. Anywhere as long as they don't give her access to any metal trays...

[tennisgurl]

It is wild to me how little I know about the supporting characters in this show. Like, do they have names? Have we gotten a follow up on that one agent being in love with Keaton? No wonder they always stick their names and jobs on screen whenever they pop up, how else would we remember them?

The scenes with Erica and her daughter were alright, although I keep wondering, where the hell is Erica's dad in all of this? He and Erica were still apparently married when she went to jail, but she isnt too broken up about the divorce (she only ever talks about missing her daughter) and he is never shown even now that the daughter is living with him as a single parent. How does he feel about all of this? Alright enough to let his daughter have a piano concert for his supposedly treasonous wife I guess. 

They did manage to milk some pathos with the guy and his dead girlfriend, and the guy talking with him at least had a few decent scenes that didnt read as dull. Him getting kind of sassy and petty about the CSI taking forever to find Bin Laden, and Erica getting defensive, was probably funnier to me than it should have been. Now if only they could get some pathos from more of the actual main characters!

[weathered1]

I liked the guy being interrogated, too. He pulled off both the emotion and the sass really well. 

As for the rest . . . eh. I have to say, while the visual of Erica being noticeably moved at her daughter's recital was a nice scene on the surface, I could not get past the fact that Erica was let out of her cell, taken to wherever that was, and had her handcuffs removed right in the middle of a crowd of people, not one of whom batted an eye at being in the presence of "the most hated woman in America". 

The writers (such as they are) continue to do a real disservice to most of these actors. I think I've gotten all of their names down now except for the blonde analyst - for some reason, I keep forgetting what they call her - but that's not necessarily a good thing because they exist pretty much solely as cardboard cutouts. Daniel interrogates people. Bragg chases people. Pettigrew is smart (I guess) but mostly just there. Blonde analyst is there for exposition purposes, her ridiculous crush on Keaton, and to awkwardly deliver really terrible Microsoft AI infomercials. The character development is just nil, and at this stage of the game, that's inexcusable. 

On another note, I saw some people on Twitter noting chemistry between Shepard and Keaton. I wish I could have faith that these writers won't go there, but given their track record thus far, I'm fearing the worst. The problem with even just the idea of that is, well, everything. She's a traitor. She's responsible for the death of his beloved fiancee. Sure, he's softened a little since he learned about her (inexplicably stupid and short-sighted) motivation and has a grudging respect for her knowledge and abilities, but to even the entertain the idea of anything happening there is just . . . no. This is yet another problem with the overall premise because where exactly can any storyline - professional or personal - with Erica go, other than nowhere fast?

[Dowel Jones]

I wanted to know how the bomber fit 100# of ammonium nitrate and a propane gas container into that backpack, and walked around town with it slung casually over one shoulder.

[Writing Wrongs]

I saw Noah Bean's name in the credits, but don't remember seeing him.

Why was it only Keaton and the other guy searching both buildings alone? Don't they have a whole team? Take some damn backup.

I wonder if it's weird for people in NY when all these shows do fake bombing scenarios and they had to live through the real thing.

Edited April 2, 2019 by Writing Wrongs

[Brian Cronin]

"Oh no, I hope the mole isn't Agent Bragg, who we know next to nothing about! Or what if it is Agent Pettigrew, who we...also know nothing about! God forbid, what if is Agent Bain, who we....also know next to nothing about! Don't make any of my super-developed favorite supporting characters a mole, show! You would shock me way too much!" 

Agent Ryan has been given a vague personality, so I guess she would kind of sort of be shocking? Kind of? 

[preeya]

1 hour ago, Brian Cronin said:

"Oh no, I hope the mole isn't Agent Bragg, who we know next to nothing about! Or what if it is Agent Pettigrew, who we...also know nothing about! God forbid, what if is Agent Bain, who we....also know next to nothing about! Don't make any of my super-developed favorite supporting characters a mole, show! You would shock me way too much!" 

Agent Ryan has been given a vague personality, so I guess she would kind of sort of be shocking? Kind of? 

Bragg! Pettigrew! Ryan! Oh, that's their names.

[Brian Cronin]

2 hours ago, Writing Wrongs said:

I saw Noah Bean's name in the credits, but don't remember seeing him.

He played Shepherd's heretofore unseen ex-husband. We only got a glimpse of him. I imagine that means we will see him again (and for longer than a second). 

[preeya]

6 minutes ago, Brian Cronin said:

He played Shepherd's heretofore unseen ex-husband. We only got a glimpse of him. I imagine that means we will see him again (and for longer than a second). 

IMDB has him (Noah Bean) listed for four episodes.

[rhys]

Anyone beside me think there is something hinky with that pin the prisoner gave Raza? (Sorry can't think of his name on the show). Like maybe it has a listening or tracking device of some sort in it?

[Writing Wrongs]

Yes. I can't believe he didn't check it.

[sempervivum]

5 hours ago, Writing Wrongs said:

Why was it only Keaton and the other guy searching both buildings alone? Don't they have a whole team? Take some damn backup.

Especially since the place is apparently entirely staffed by Russian operatives.

Also, show, way to overdo it with the bundles of bombs on every support column,  and tubs of explosive chemicals filling the floor. Looked hopeless, right? And yet, apparently all it took was Keaton tossing something (I have no idea what it was) out an exit , where it blew up and apparently solved the whole problem.

8 hours ago, weathered1 said:

chemistry between Shepard and Keaton

There is no chemistry between anyone on this show, at all.

[preeya]

2 hours ago, rhys said:

Anyone beside me think there is something hinky with that pin the prisoner gave Raza? (Sorry can't think of his name on the show). Like maybe it has a listening or tracking device of some sort in it?

2

Probably only because he immediately fastened it to his lapel, and then the camera hovered on the pin for a few seconds thereafter.

It looks as if Keaton is not in the good graces of his superior. 

Will we ever find out if Shepard is an asset or a liability?

Edited April 2, 2019 by preeya

[Maverick]

If you take the flashbacks as fact, she's an asset.  She only did what she did to save her daughter and was caught shortly thereafter.   

 My guess is Tall flipped the daughter somehow.  She's tugging on Keaton's heart strings and trying to get private time with Mom.  When she finally does shell reveal her connection to Talk and the episode will end on Erica's shocked face. 

[alvajon]

7 hours ago, Brian Cronin said:

"Oh no, I hope the mole isn't Agent Bragg, who we know next to nothing about! Or what if it is Agent Pettigrew, who we...also know nothing about! God forbid, what if is Agent Bain, who we....also know next to nothing about! Don't make any of my super-developed favorite supporting characters a mole, show! You would shock me way too much!" 

Agent Ryan has been given a vague personality, so I guess she would kind of sort of be shocking? Kind of? 

I agree about no development on the characters.  Looking back on page 1 of PTV, I see a short list of cast members and Raza Jeffrey is listed as “Ali Ziai”, obviously a change or a mistake, as he is Agent Daniel Zain.  And, I notice, at least in the imdb full list of cast, that there isn’t even an actor for Agent Bain.  Hard to keep all this stuff straight.

[MissLucas]

The scenes between Shepherd and Hanna were actually really good (once you managed to forget the stupid premise) and I really wanted to know what is bothering Hanna. For a moment I thought the show had got its act together at least for this particular plot-line. But then came the eye-rolling end. I thought Keaton had organized to Skype the recital which would have been neat. Instead he walks America's most hated woman right into a room full of people (incl. her husband I assume) and nobody bats an eyelid. And he did it right after having received not one but two ominous warnings about his trust in Shepherd pissing off people above and below him in the FBI hierarchy.

And what exactly was Sam's intent on knowing the name of the man who killed Nadia? Giving him the top spot on a list he'll keep mumbling à la Arya Stark for the next few decades he'll spend in prison? And how handy that the Egyptian authorities kept such neat records of everything that went down during those weeks of utter chaos.

[Brian Cronin]

3 hours ago, alvajon said:

I agree about no development on the characters.  Looking back on page 1 of PTV, I see a short list of cast members and Raza Jeffrey is listed as “Ali Ziai”, obviously a change or a mistake, as he is Agent Daniel Zain.  And, I notice, at least in the imdb full list of cast, that there isn’t even an actor for Agent Bain.  Hard to keep all this stuff straight.

Ha! That was my bad. I can't believe I spelled Agent Zain's name wrong! He's my favorite super-developed supporting cast member that totally has a reason for being here!

[Loandbehold]

8 hours ago, rhys said:

Anyone beside me think there is something hinky with that pin the prisoner gave Raza? (Sorry can't think of his name on the show). Like maybe it has a listening or tracking device of some sort in it?

I was thinking the same thing as soon as the guy handed it to him.

Daniel actually got a suspect to confess to something! And, we didn't have to hear Keaton tell us what a great interrogator he is. I guess this was his episode o'competence. That is until he just put the lapel pin on w/o checking it for a bug/camera/poison/mind control device.

[BaskingsharkGTX]

I note that Sam the bomber dude (whose name I can actually remember) got more character development and character-building scenes in this episode than any of the regular supporting characters have had in the entire series so far. Even if he did have to have a Generic Dead Girlfriend™ (which this brings this show's Generic Dead Significant Other Count™ to 2).

Seriously, writers, give these people some personalities already. Please, please, PLEASE add some dimensions. I mean Stubble Guy said - he ACTUALLY SAID - the line "Don't worry. We'll get this guy." Like, uh, Joe Friday called from 1968. He said you need a damn shave, hippy, and he wants his dialogue back.

I am roughly the same age as Jennifer Carpenter, yet I do not have up my sleeve an conveniently-accessible, easily-kidnappable Egyptian fixer who can be relied upon to provide me with the exact piece of information that will get me what I need, just like last week when I didn't have a former contact who could be coincidentally in the same building as me and who would be able to shed the exact light needed on a previous experience I had so I could use it to advise someone on exactly how to get a Mole Girl to switch sides. I feel like I've wasted my life.

Although on the plus side, I don't have to live in a dungeon, so there's that.

Hanna, upon seeing her mom's dungeon; "It's so..."

Me: "Atmospherically and dramatically lit with criss-crossy cage lines? Incredibly low-tech for a place where a law enforcement agency in 2019 would stash someone who is supposed to be The Most All-Seeing Dangerous Woman in The Universe and escaped from their previous cell using just a tray and a tooth? Oddly similar to the sort of place Vincent Price would have used to imprison his victims in The freaking Pit and the Pendulum?" 

Hanna; "Small."

JCarp; "Well you know, I'm gonna add a mirror, a few throw rugs, some scatter cushions. That'll help. And I'm gonna get them to set up a second cage with an iron cot and a bowl of gruel so you can sleep over!"

[BellyLaughter]

On 4/3/2019 at 1:10 AM, rhys said:

Anyone beside me think there is something hinky with that pin the prisoner gave Raza? (Sorry can't think of his name on the show). Like maybe it has a listening or tracking device of some sort in it?

Yep - that's where my mind went immediately and last time I checked I don't work for the CIA or the FBI.....that's just terrible writing either way....

Also, the choreography of the "fighting" in this show is terrible....laughable most of the time.

Edited April 4, 2019 by BellyLaughter

[Johnny Dollar]

Pettigrew is the only character that doesn’t put me to sleep. This show would be a lot more entertaining if she was in the Keaton role. 

[Brian Cronin]

12 hours ago, BellyLaughter said:

Also, the choreography of the "fighting" in this show is terrible....laughable most of the time.

Keaton's ass kicking of the enemy agents WAS pretty hilarious. I don't get it, really, as Chestnut looks like he is in good shape, but his fighting scenes have not been good. 

[atlantaloves]

Okay that episode did it for me, I'm out. This show is so bad I can't even "hate" watch it any more. Good luck to you guys, enjoy! 

[TV Anonymous]

Shepherd: "You do this for me, and when those men come seeking revenge from you, I will be there. And so will the FBI."

Gamal is an Egyptian who presumably does not reside in the United States permanently and whose relatives and friends mostly live in Egypt. What good can the FBI do to protect them? As well, what good can Shepherd the convicted felon help? Surely Gamal is not that stupid not to know that?

[Happy Harpy]

My reason for watching got more than three minutes of airtime, his character was allowed to be good at what he's supposed to be good at (interrogating) and he was allowed to act without too many insertions of cuts on inanimate objects! Of course, I couldn't help but think how great his scenes would have been in the hands of even only capable writers.

People seem to think that the Horus pin is a sign or something and that Daniel is the mole. I almost wish, but I have so much faith in those writers that I suspect it's only the lacrymal touch and will go nowhere. I'd have liked Daniel to put it in a drawer or give it as evidence afterwards; because it would have established him as a top interrogator indeed, and a real professional. Now it seems he was also emotionally invested and it lessened his competence. My interest perked up when he ranted about the CIA, a true internal war and vigilante vs legalist would be a more original theme to exploit than a second mole, but I'm dreaming.

The "poor little terrorist" thing left me cold. Go on a suicide mission against your country state police (hey, why not against all those animals who mob raped so many women on Tahrir square, while you're at it?) and don't go killing innocents, less in another one. Then you'll have my sympathy. 

Oh and of course, the daughter was interrupted before she could "reveal" something. Was it only about the recital, or is there a plot somewhere?

In spite of everything, this episode was the "best" one since the pilot for me, and not only because there was a decent dose of Raza Jaffrey. They toned down the stylish shots. The Erica/Keaton dynamic works weirdly better when they get along than when they go for "tension". And finally, between Cruz and Erica-as-a-mother, Keaton gets an embryo of personality through a textbook case of Dulcinea Effect.

Edited April 7, 2019 by Happy Harpy

[preeya]

S01.E07: Decoded 

04/08/2019

Summary:  When the FBI intercepts stolen NSA software intended for Tal, Keaton uses the technology as an opportunity to go on the offensive and sends Shepherd undercover to pass the technology to the intended recipient, a 19-year-old computer genius. Keaton must choose between catching Tal or saving the life of an innocent teenager.