This was compelling but a bit creepy. I foresee no satisfying resolution to the prime dilemma except possibly he's in a coma and both of his loved ones are still alive. Then both "realities" are dreams and that's lame.
Otherwise, he's solving crimes by magically catching clues from his alternative reality, spooking out his partners and slowly but surely spiraling down into dysfunction. Sure, there are options where one or the other of his loved ones makes themselves unlikable or pressures him to choose. The wife, for instance, could say move to Oregon with me or else I leave you. The son's tennis coach opens up icky complications. I'm not sure how long-term entertaining any of that will be to watch. Overall, it made me feel terribly sad because I suspect the story is the final milliseconds of his brain rushing into the Great, Unknowable Beyond, a.k.a, cancellation.
Been done already. "The Sheik" was first published in 1919, written by Edith Maude Hull and later made into a movie starring Rudolph Valentino. Very famous book, still in print. Very famous movie & movie idol at the time. It is the story of an independent woman who goes out in the desert and is taken captive by a Bedouin chieftain, repeatedly raped but falls in love with her rapist. He falls in love with her submissive obsession with him. So they live happily ever after at the end. Quite controversial. There's a whole sub-genre of romance novels based on this idea of "taming" a woman and the woman enjoys it because she is absolved of responsibility for her sexual pleasure since that wasn't considered "lady-like" at the time. There are still prudes who get off on imagining being "forced" to enjoy themselves. Being "swept off your feet" is really only fun when the guy is good looking and a considerate lover after the initial application of rough coercion.
Re: Ingram's son. I believe the discovery that his father had sold a secret gizmo to the govt. for a buck made him reverse course and decide to stay to explore the mystery. So, cute young doctor will be a new on-going character/threat to Finch's peace of mind.
AND, Finch rather nervously eyed a document file box with an "O.M.G. THAT shouldn't exist" expression.
For me, the biggest hoot was how successful Reese has been with spying on Finch. He apparently believes in second chances for everyone but he also ain't gonna be fooled again by an employer. His character is gaining even more depth now that he's running his "assets" Carter and Fusco with such callous calculation. I like Reese being slightly more sinister while simultaneously being such a darn nice guy to the perky P.O.I. Suave + dangerous = yummy.
The "call-waiting spy foo" was cute the first time but the second time it was annoying. If it continues to be a running gag, it will become aggravating. But, overall, this series is finally becoming must-watch for the next WTF moment.
Serious response: Charlottesville is only a smidgen more liberal than Chapel Hill, IMHO. But, it's closer to the Blue Ridge Mountains and more immediate relief from the heat when May arrives.
Was this shot from the top of Glastonbury Tor? Why yes, I clicked the link and my fuzzy, flaky memories of watching the dawn after climbing in the dark were confirmed. What a magical place! I bet the photographer and the people with him were saying "Oh wow, man" and "Far out" like flash-back hippies from the sixties, gushing like the dude in that rainbow video. Plus, ya'know, they were freezing as an icy supernatural wind whipped them. Just thought I'd supply the full sensory experience to go with the visual...
I had no idea I was participating in National Novel Writing Month. Writing novels is what I do almost every day to fight off boredom. Structure, outlines, character lists, "Act One Break", what is THAT stuff? I start with a character in an interesting situation then TELL MYSELF A STORY! I barely know what is going to happen next and get SURPRISED. I keep stuff happening and it's so entertaining. It is always amazing to me when I read the first draft and discover the doggone story has a shape! How does THAT happen?! I believe it is a natural occurrence. Even though the creative process is a right brain function, writing gets dictated through our left brain. Our left brains totally love patterns and certain story constructions are favored over others. Storytelling is not a paint-by-numbers process. If you are *thinking* about three-act plays and filling in blanks, you are boring yourself (and potential readers). You're forcing creativity through a conscious filter when you don't have to do that. If you've done your homework and read lots of books, basic story structures are already mapped out in your brain. IMHO, of course.
Not to be accused of fluffing you up but... your previews and reviews are a significant part of my enjoyment of this show.
I am not enjoying this new season much. There haven't been enough O.M.G. WTF moments. The characters are flat and weirdly subdued. Seriously, if you were Peter, wouldn't you be freaking out more? Wouldn't you have grabbed Olivia in the previous episode and shouted, "WE LOVE EACH OTHER!" Instead, he is patiently passive while he's a potential paradox bomb that could ignite multiple dimensions at any moment. Completely depressed Walter is not nearly as fun and doesn't tug my heart strings. Olivia has no sparkle or inner strength but, hey—what's the matter with Lincoln Lee? Why NOT have dinner with your coworker and get friendlier even if she's bland? There is a lack of natural emotional responses that feels artificial and contrived. Whatever universe these characters are in, they need to cut back on their Prozac dosage 'cause they are disassociated from their here-and-now... and I'm getting bored.
Sam Weiss is starting to look a bit like a deus ex machina ploy, isn't he? Cryptic, rarely seen occasional player now seems to have all the answers, to have THE KEY to resolving the plot dilemmas. I don't object really; I'm merely noting the literary device.
Off-topic: What happened to my avatar image? Must go check my profile...
Off-topic: What happened to my avatar image? Must go check my profile...
I'm sure you've heard the saying, "There are no atheists in foxholes." At times of extreme pain, fear or distress, almost everyone desperately HOPES for a higher power even tho they don't usually believe in one. When reason fails, magical thinking takes over as a sanity survival mechanism. After the White Tulip episode, this scene didn't feel out of character to me. Also, Walter has taken mind expanding drugs that often result in feeling the "presence of God." This sensation really has nothing to do with institutional religions. He went to the chapel and looked at the fixtures of the walls to focus on their symbolism, not to adhere to the belief systems associated with them.
Actually, my local librarians even take the time to phone to let me know when a new book comes in that they think I might like. I never asked for or expected this service. One might actually think they LIKE me or ENJOY connecting readers with books; imagine that! Also, taping a print-out to the shelf beside an author's works is much less time consuming than accessing the library system database and printing out a list for every reader who asks. As you can see from other comments I am not the only person in the world who likes to read a series of books in the order of their publication. But, hey, I hope your snide little comment made you feel better about yourself in some small way.
IMHO, publishers need to clearly indicate not only a book's placement in an intentional series, they also need to let you know of any previous work by an author. It's simple really: Somewhere on the jacket it should say "by the author of blah and blah-blah" even if those works came from another publisher. I feel this way because when I discover a prolific author I read all of their works in order because it is interesting (to me) to see a writer develop their style. This has led me to sitting on the floor of the library with a dozen books open to their publication date pages laid out around me. I often complain to librarians and bookstores that I know they are hung up on alphabetizing but when it comes to an outright series the books should be arranged by the order in which they were intended to be read. My vocal irritation provoked my local library to tape up helpful print-outs on their shelves.
Isn't a Shakespeare convention with cosplay called a Renn Fest? I'm sure I've seen the same people who were dressed as Trekkies at a SF&F con show up dressed in Elizabethan garb at these gatherings. So, geeks are people who like to dress up and pretend to be something above and beyond their "normal" selves? Speaking for myself alone, I just enjoy externalizing my interior fantasies with like-minded others because it's plain fun! I'm going to reject the idea that I'm generating culture—that's entirely too serious an undertaking.
Well, then, the headline is highly misleading... and Gawker never does that. heh.
I'm with ya. Fauxlivia is so cold she's clinically detached, almost psychopathic. Not a sympathetic character at all. I confess I got a bit weepy when I thought she was dying but not enough to need a tissue. (My emotions were being manipulated by the music.) When she told her Mom she didn't think she was going to be a good mother, I thought, no kidding. Thank goodness Grandma seems like a caring human because between Fauxlivia and Walternate, that baby wouldn't stand a chance of feeling loved and being humanized.
I don't have a choice about shopping at WalMart. I live in an extreme rural area and the nearest clothing, household goods and appliances, etc., are 20 miles away at a very sleek new SuperWalMart. After moving here from a metropolitan area, I was forced to give up my snobbery and political prejudices because (doggonit!) I needed curtains in a hurry to keep neighbors from seeing me naked. I was surprised that making a monthly trip to this store became one of my pleasures.
Last year for my birthday, my children sent me a fabulous shirt from J. Crew. Even tho it was a designated gift, J. Crew included an inventory sheet that gave away the $88 price tag. A couple of weeks later, I found the exact same shirt—only the label was different—at WalMart for $14.99! There is no doubt in my mind that it was made in the very same Chinese sweat-shop and that J. Crew takes advantage of the same percentage of female employees as WalMart does. WalMart just has more of them. So. In a world ruled by evil corporations, do you want to pay $88 or $14.99?
Last year for my birthday, my children sent me a fabulous shirt from J. Crew. Even tho it was a designated gift, J. Crew included an inventory sheet that gave away the $88 price tag. A couple of weeks later, I found the exact same shirt—only the label was different—at WalMart for $14.99! There is no doubt in my mind that it was made in the very same Chinese sweat-shop and that J. Crew takes advantage of the same percentage of female employees as WalMart does. WalMart just has more of them. So. In a world ruled by evil corporations, do you want to pay $88 or $14.99?
The only part of this episode that I liked was Walter and Hugo being stoned. The Balloon Boys were bland. The entire "soul magnet" premise was like fingernails on a chalkboard. Ringing the bell actually made me audibly groan and when Olivia's voice changed I felt... disgust and bitter disappointment. Of course, I'll watch the next episode to see if my appreciation can be regained. But, right now, I don't think I'm going to get over The Most Absurd Obstacle Ever tossed across the path of star-crossed lovers. In the future, instead of saying a show "jumped the shark" we'll say, it got "possessed by Nimoy" or it "rung a Bell."
Has Oldman ever been cast as a nice, simple man? His talent for adding quirks to each of his characterizations is vast and awesome.
I am going to use prolixity in a conversational way as soon as possible. This was an outstanding essay on every level.
Wait. Didn't Olivia have a hot, passionate relationship with her FBI partner/fiancée? I vaguely recall lusty motel sex during lunch breaks. She didn't start out stifled, cold or distant. Yes, she responded to her childhood by exerting a lot of self-control and needing to prove herself in a male-dominated field. But, underneath her strictly professional demeanor, she had emotional and sexual passion. Then, a lot of shit rained down on Olivia in the first two seasons, more than enough to make even someone with a happy childhood become withdrawn and develop some trust issues.
