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    #46
    Originally posted by Amara D'Angeli View Post
    Alright, and here we go with End of Nights: Part II

    I'm not quite sure what to think about Kate yet. Mostly I'm finding her annoying. She reminds me a lot of a teenager what with the attitude she cops… but in the face of an angry Magnus, perhaps I'd have a similar defense mechanism…
    It isn't just an angry Magnus as you'll learn as you see more of her back-story in the next few episodes. But yeah kind of an annoying brat....
    Originally posted by Amara D'Angeli View Post
    And poor Helen in an impossible position - either give up Ashley or turn over an entire "race" of people she (and others) have spent their lives protecting. You'd like to think you'd choose your child in such a position, but that's a pretty big sacrifice no matter which you choose… Not to mention, while Helen talks a good game about believing Ashley's new…condition…could be managed, it's clear the guys - led, apparently, by Tesla - aren't so sure. I'm sorta with them…
    Choose between your child or your life's work. No win situation.
    Originally posted by Amara D'Angeli View Post
    And please, John, stand still while I smack you around a little to rid you of your righteous anger… Regret? Really? Okay. Any brownie points you earned last week have just been revoked.
    LOL and this is why I like his character. You never know which John is going to show up; Evil John or Good John.
    Originally posted by Amara D'Angeli View Post
    And now I'm back to the questions on the source blood. Tesla says, "…someone who possesses the abilities of five of the most powerful abnormals on earth…". Who? The Five? They're among the most powerful abnormals on earth? Tesla, maybe, I get. John? Okay. And sure, the ability to turn invisible is sort of cool (if a bit limited in potential usefulness). But didn't James get super-smarts and Helen got long life. While those are nifty, I'm not sure I'd rank them higher than some of the other things that must be out there.
    I believe Helen has more than just long life if I remember right. We'll wait for Fems to correct me but she also is resistance to illness. Next episode does deal with her long life and how she feels about it.
    Originally posted by Amara D'Angeli View Post
    Dude - is that a Medusa?!? Awesome! Way to go Tokyo office.

    And what, precisely, is Will's function as all of this is progressing? He's a pretty sharp guy. Couldn't they have found an actual job for him aside from standing next to Helen looking confused?

    LOL /me waits for Fems to handle this one....come on Fems, she left it wide open for you .

    Originally posted by Amara D'Angeli View Post
    Ah, I spoke too soon. Apparently he gets to talk to the cranky-teen, too. And Kate's an independent contractor, right? Aside from the need for exposition from the viewpoint of writing a fictional story, how on earth does she have so much information about the Sanctuaries (e.g. that the one in Old City is the most heavily fortified) or the Cabal (like what order they would do things in and why)?
    I think it was implied that Gregory gave the Cabal information and Kate got it from them.
    Originally posted by Amara D'Angeli View Post
    Ah, then Will asks the very same question. And, of course, no answer is forthcoming.

    (And I still really don't like her.)

    And I finally get to meet Declan!

    Old City, Tokyo, Beijing, New Delhi, Moscow…how many Sanctuaries are there?
    Many. You'll learn more in coming episodes.
    Originally posted by Amara D'Angeli View Post
    Seriously? There's time to break for sex? And again, why on earth has she been hired? She bordered on completely useless… And why does she say she has control now. Clearly she had it before the whole puzzle mission, too, as she was a thief and she was hiding (invisibly) from Will and John when they were chasing her. It wasn't until she got scared because there was some pressure on her to complete the puzzle that she was suddenly not in control of her power.
    Yeah, she was a weak character.
    Originally posted by Amara D'Angeli View Post
    So the Cabal is monitoring the EM fields because they also knew their folks couldn't teleport in with the field. So how were Ashley and Co. able to teleport into Tokyo?
    This was before Henry was able to make the modifications and once inside they put devices in place to transfer information to the Cabal.
    Originally posted by Amara D'Angeli View Post
    Ooh, is big troll guy one of the imports? Who knew Helen had something like that just laying around? And, ewwww, Ashley!

    What exactly does John think he's going to do with two katanas against three immoral, indestructible, and exceptionally strong beings. He's the one that didn't want to kiss her, right? But I do feel pretty bad for him they way her eyes went blue after he stabled her. Even when you're a bad guy it must suck to be confronted by your actual daughter in such a situation.

    Also, import species #2? Freaking awesome! Oh, an apparently Will's done getting laid. That was fast. Pity. :roll eyes: And damn…turns out species 2 wasn't so helpful after all. Damn.

    And now Tesla's in the game! He's probably closest to Ashley in strength and power.

    …And there's naked Clara. Of course. Operation Exxon Valdez. Anyway, at last I'm not feeling bad for either one of them concerning Will's prowess anymore…

    Just out of curiosity, how's the Cabal tapped in to the security cameras at the London Sanctuary - especially with all the fancy new security measures?
    Once they were inside they planted devices to break the codes and transfer file to the Cabal.
    Originally posted by Amara D'Angeli View Post
    And way to go Tesla-nator!

    And that was short lived…

    Shoot her again! Holy crap!

    And they're down again. Apparently no time to move them into secure holding. Plan B, anyone? Ah, the "Elemental"? Well now I'm wondering which two things were imported by Helen. That fire thing was pretty cool, but is it a species or part of the Sanctuary's defenses?
    You'll find out about how Helen got the Elemental in a later episode.
    Originally posted by Amara D'Angeli View Post
    Wait? What happened to Clara? I mean, I didn't like her, but she didn't have to die…
    Some would beg to differ with you there...
    Originally posted by Amara D'Angeli View Post
    And it seems strange to me that she's dead at all… But Will's taking it pretty well considering she's his girlfriend.
    Dealt with in next episode.
    Originally posted by Amara D'Angeli View Post
    And finally we're picking up on the Biggie thing again. Well, momentarily anyway.

    Okay, now he's upset. That's better.

    And Kate gets to leave? If I didn't know she was about to get a job… I mean, way to hard-line, Helen, but what happens?

    Wow, I'm just all kinds of confused about Helen right now. She gives this speech to her old friend about how she was wrong about compromise and then says she won't be visiting him again (after saying she understands the choice he's making; but at least she left him the cure), and then she tells Tesla to make a weapon that will kill Ashley. What the hell happened to compromise? Also, what's Ashley's blood got to do with it? Did I miss something important?
    Helen did compromise. She wouldn't give Tesla Ashley's blood because she didn't want any chance of Ashley being killed. This is back to the discussion they had when John was being a righteous ass. She realized she had to give in because she was tying Tesla's hands and he would not be able to stop them with the weapon as it was currently.
    Originally posted by Amara D'Angeli View Post
    Oh no. Well, at least they have the weapon…

    And Biggie, apparently! Woo-hoo!!! I guess Helen's weird speech worked.

    (And is anyone else concerned Helen's going to accidentally get John with that gun?!?)

    (Also, this is precisely the reason it needed to not be Helen wielding the weapon.)

    Oh, holy hell. Kate just completely killed Ashley. And she still gets a job???

    And, Ashley's back? WTH? I'm so confused. Ashley. The real Ashley! For like, a second or something… And what's up with all the gold floaty stuff? Do they disintegrate when they try to teleport through the EM shield or what? And if that's the case…shouldn't Kate be dead now?
    Kate didn't kill Ashley. She was weakened and turned back to herself again. Meanwhile the other Cabal flunky came on the scene and the "floaty stuff" is them being dispersed while trying to transport while the EM shield is up. I'm not sure why you think Kate should be dead.
    Originally posted by Amara D'Angeli View Post
    I found myself confused quite a bit by the characters in this episode. It's almost like everything I learned about them over the course of the last 14 episodes had been turned on its head. Right now I'd probably only put a modicum of trust into Tesla or Henry. Everybody else has me shaking my head.
    Ha and you have two more seasons to try to figure these characters out.
    Originally posted by Amara D'Angeli View Post
    This damn show. Yep - totally buying the DVDs...

    Awesome isn't it
    sigpic

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      #47
      Okay, I've just finished watching part one and shall reply to some of Amara's comments below!

      Originally posted by Amara D'Angeli View Post
      John and Helen searching for Ashley together. He's sort of growing on me with the whole concerned father act.
      Yeah, I really like John in this mode. We rarely see it throughout the show unless Helen's in danger. Considering how he only learned of Ashley's existence in the pilot which is presumably about a year ago, I think he's taking his role as father quite well, especially in light of how Ashley (and even Helen at first) rejected him and doesn't really look to him as a father.

      Originally posted by Amara D'Angeli View Post
      Will and Clara? Seriously? What? One kiss on a rooftop and now she's not only his girl-friend but is apparently working with them? They have the most prolific recruiting program ever. Brush up against the Sanctuary and get a job offer, folks!
      Indeed! Apparently, everyone who wants to work at one of the Sanctuaries is free to join them... I guess their motto wouldn't be really true if they rejected worthless abnormals like Clara but I wouldn't have minded if she'd just disappeared!

      Originally posted by Amara D'Angeli View Post
      Poor Biggie. Talk about being between a rock and a hard place. But I'm with Henry - take the damn treatment, Big!
      Biggie's attitude here has always puzzled me a bit, mostly because of what we know of his years at the Sanctuary. I'm not sure how much they've told us about his background at this point but we do know he's been there since Henry (and thus Ashley too) was a kid, which means it's close to two decades (and we later learn in season 3 it's been sixty years, IIRC). So, he's close with both Henry and Ashley, and he and Magnus have a fabulous friendship, yet he's suddenly all concerned with his people's ways? It just doesn't make any sense to me at all.

      Originally posted by Amara D'Angeli View Post
      You can tell Helen's conflicted about John's presence. But if he wanted to know where they stood, I think she was clear about how she really feels about him. The conflict is strong on her face - there's something there. But will she ever really trust him again? How could she?
      Yeah, I adore these moments! *sigh* I really love how the actors handle this complicated relationship and it's thanks to their subtle acting that you can sense there is still love between them, but too much has happened for them to ever get back to the way they were in the flashback from the pilot (happy, engaged and in love in the carriage).

      Originally posted by Amara D'Angeli View Post
      Creepy, creepy, creepy red-headed doctor.
      Indeed! The actress did a great job with this role and I like that they chose a woman as the mad scientist instead of a man because there are such different undertones. Plus, she's just really creepy and evil.

      Originally posted by Amara D'Angeli View Post
      Wow - why did the meeting between Helen and Will seem so uncomfortable? They've hardly had anything to do with one another in the last couple of eps. The tension seems out of place. I can't yet see where the show's going with the orphan DNA mod study and Ashley's desire for the info. Usually I can formulate some idea or another even if it's wrong. But that one seemed to come out of left field. And Will thinks it was Ashley that stole the data and not the Cabal? Does that mean he thinks she's still capable of independent action? Or did he just mean she was the one tasked with the errand?
      My dislike for the Will character is probably well known by know but I think this is where the downfall of Will Zimmerman started. It's not just the character though, I really feel like the actor's acting isn't up to par either, especially when compared with some of the better actors on this show (in particular the 'older' ones who play The Five).

      I think everyone suspects by now that the Cabal did something to Ashley which put her under their control. I don't think he meant to suggest that she was betraying them or anything; simply that she was the one who was made to steal it.

      Originally posted by Amara D'Angeli View Post
      Wait! That's what the source blood does!?! So the powers that The Five got have nothing to do with the vampiric abilities and have to do with latent abnormal abilities each of The Five had? So they all just happened to have latent vampire abilities? That seems rather unlikely.
      It makes sense if you take what we learned in the previous two-parter about the vampires into account: they were once a great and superior race who lived on the same planet with humans. Naturally, some inbreeding would have occurred and over time descendants would have dormant vampiric genes that would never be activated on their own - only the Source blood could make them abnormal (well and some of Nikola's past/future pet projects, maybe).

      I guess it's not unlike the ATA gene in Stargate: a small part of the population has it but they're not aware of it unless they come into contact with Ancient tech and/or are screened for said gene.

      Oh and as far as we know, Vampires couldn't become invisible which means that Nigel Griffin's power had nothing to do with dormant vampiric genes but 'regular' dormant abnormal genes. They also couldn't teleport like John (and now Ashley), I think. So, really, it's just the enhanced intellect of Watson, Magnus' longevity and Tesla's vampiric traits that can be traced back to Vampires.

      Originally posted by Amara D'Angeli View Post
      So the orphans would have absolutely no latent abnormal DNA. Does that mean that the rest of the population would/does? If so, it's amazing the source blood thing is only coming up now. Well, at least that means it really was the Cabal stealing the data and not Ashley herself.
      Yes, with all the inbreeding between abnormals (including vampires back in the day) and humans it's not too surprising that more people in the world would have dormant abnormal genes. However, there isn't anything that can really activate these powers except for the Source blood. The true vampires are all dead though so aside from the sample Gregory Magnus had hidden away after The Five used it, there isn't anything left in the world... it's possible that blood from other ancestors of full-blooded abnormals would have the same effect, I guess. But perhaps inbreeding between many of them and humans wasn't as successful as vampires and humans, therefore there aren't many latent genes of theirs in the general population? It kinda fits with what we later learn of Praxis...

      Spoiler:

      Don't look, Amara!
      Spoiler:

      Perhaps the blood of the inhabitants of Praxis would have the same effect on some humans with latent abnormal genes, since those abnormals are all really old (from the Vampire days) and I believe it was mentioned some were ancestors of the ones they know on Earth nowadays?


      And as for the Source blood only now coming up... I think it was pretty much a big secret as even Helen's own longevity isn't widely known in the abnormal community (at least that's the impression I got in the beginning) and it's unlikely anyone would have ever suspected she or the rest of The Five weren't "real" abnormals. At least, not in this century. No one except The Five and Gregory Magnus knew about the Source Blood and the Cabal happened to get their claws on Gregory and got all the information they wanted/needed from him...

      Originally posted by Amara D'Angeli View Post
      Martin Wood? But what's up with the guy that he's got such an elaborate escape plan?
      Wasn't Martin Wood one of the Montana Orphans? So, Kate (or the Cabal, really) would have such an escape plan set in motion after John had already taken one of the Orphans and they really needed the other 5.

      Originally posted by Amara D'Angeli View Post
      That was kind of a low blow, Will. I thought Helen showed marvelous restraint under the circumstances.
      Indeed! She should have shot Kate's other foot and then every joint in her body until she gave up all the secrets! Will was really weak here and Henry too, by the way. Here you have a woman that could lead you to the whereabouts of Ashley and they're all just standing around looking unaffected! Kudos to AT for her fabulous acting in that moment!

      I guess Will was just a bit shocked by the darker side of Magnus, something that he is unfamiliar with but we will learn more about throughout the show. He's only seen nice, intelligent, protective and determined Magnus and I guess he just never gave the fact that she could be darker after living for so long and seeing/doing so many things any thought. I don't believe it's just JtR's influence on her, either. Sure, she seemed very sweet and even a bit naive perhaps in the flashback of the engagement but once he started killing we saw she had a different side too and wasn't afraid to go after him! Will probably never thought much about her background, although he has to know that being a woman at Oxford university and a doctor in those days meant she wasn't a pushover either...

      Originally posted by Amara D'Angeli View Post
      What I don't understand is why the Cabal is interested in turning Ashley into an abnormal if they want all the abnormals gone. Moreover, what do they want with an abnormal when they're putting together a merry bandy of un-turnables?
      The problem they have with all the abnormals and the Sanctuary network is that the Cabal doesn't control them and therefore they are a danger to their operation. They want all the power and can't have other abnormals oppose them. Ashley and the orphans are like their secret weapon.

      Originally posted by Amara D'Angeli View Post
      Can I get on the John travel program? That looks handy. But during the puzzle solving he mentioned having to know where he was going to materialize so he didn't start co-existing with rock (I think he even mentioned it once before). How does that work when he's going to a location like the industrial complex? Satellite imagery is only so good. How does he know he's not going to re-materialize as part of a passing-by car or something?
      Well, they did say the area was pretty much abandoned... But I agree that his explanation is a bit iffy, especially if you recall the time he kidnapped Ashley and they teleported into a busy intersection (IIRC).

      Originally posted by Amara D'Angeli View Post
      So Ashley's a vampire now? They used the source blood to bring out her latent abilities which thanks to the abilities of mom and dad (which may have been their own latent abilities or byproducts of the source blood) she's a full on vampire the likes of which even Tesla doesn't seem to rival (though he's the closest). But the Cabal clearly did something else to the source blood because it's now a clear blue liquid. So what's the what?
      I imagine they made a more concentrated form or something and probably added some stuff to make it possible for the Source blood to overwrite her own DNA, thereby making her more powerful (as she presumably has John and Helen's latent genes and perhaps their active powers too) than the others since it wouldn't just activate latent abnormal genes but overwrite the rest of her DNA as well with the Source blood. At least, that's what I like to think as it would explain the vampire part of her. She's not capable of invisibility and with the stuff they've been giving her to put her under their control it's unlikely she has enhanced intellect like Watson...

      Originally posted by Amara D'Angeli View Post
      Btw, I don't care for the splitting the screen into multiple parts so we can see all the camera angles. I feel like I'm missing details because I can't look at it all at once. But clearly it's all important or it wouldn't all be on the screen at once.
      I actually kinda like it.
      Unmade Plans (WIP: 11/20):
      Sam's life takes a turn in an unexpected direction when she's faced with an unplanned pregnancy. The decision to keep the baby and raise it on her own will alter her life forever. Relationships are put to the test, especially the one between her and Jack. She doesn't know what to expect from him and he surprises her at every turn.
      On FFnet or AO3


      My S/J fics can be found on FFnet and AO3. I also tweet and tumble about the ship and my writing/stories.

      Comment


        #48
        And on to part II!

        Originally posted by Amara D'Angeli View Post
        I'm not quite sure what to think about Kate yet. Mostly I'm finding her annoying. She reminds me a lot of a teenager what with the attitude she cops… but in the face of an angry Magnus, perhaps I'd have a similar defense mechanism…
        Indeed! I feel bringing in Kate brought down the whole group with the 'youngsters' all suddenly acting like immature teenagers. But in Will's case that might also be just him whenever he's got a girlfriend because he started acting like this when he got with Clara and it'll only get worse with Abby...

        Originally posted by Amara D'Angeli View Post
        And poor Helen in an impossible position - either give up Ashley or turn over an entire "race" of people she (and others) have spent their lives protecting. You'd like to think you'd choose your child in such a position, but that's a pretty big sacrifice no matter which you choose… Not to mention, while Helen talks a good game about believing Ashley's new…condition…could be managed, it's clear the guys - led, apparently, by Tesla - aren't so sure. I'm sorta with them…
        Yeah and who's to say the Cabal will be content to leave them be once they have the Sanctuary? After all, they seem to be ridding the world of abnormals unless they can control them and the Five are also abnormals they can't control... plus, there's no evidence they can return Ashley to the way she was even if they are honest about returning her to Helen.

        Originally posted by Amara D'Angeli View Post
        And please, John, stand still while I smack you around a little to rid you of your righteous anger… Regret? Really? Okay. Any brownie points you earned last week have just been revoked.
        I actually thought that was in character for him. Can't really say I would have believed him if he had indeed been talking about missing out on changing nappies and seeing Ashley take her first steps...

        As for John just standing there and taking whatever Helen dishes out, I think that's pretty much a theme with them. He knows he's the one responsible for ruining what they had and hurting Helen deeply (on more levels than one), so he's kinda weak when it comes to her and has the tendency to let her walk all over him because he feels he deserves it. Unless he's in evil John mode, of course.

        Originally posted by Amara D'Angeli View Post
        And now I'm back to the questions on the source blood. Tesla says, "…someone who possesses the abilities of five of the most powerful abnormals on earth…". Who? The Five? They're among the most powerful abnormals on earth? Tesla, maybe, I get. John? Okay. And sure, the ability to turn invisible is sort of cool (if a bit limited in potential usefulness). But didn't James get super-smarts and Helen got long life. While those are nifty, I'm not sure I'd rank them higher than some of the other things that must be out there.
        I think they're the most powerful because of the Source blood; the true vampires are extinct and The Five are the closest thing to them because of their powers.

        Originally posted by Amara D'Angeli View Post
        And what, precisely, is Will's function as all of this is progressing? He's a pretty sharp guy. Couldn't they have found an actual job for him aside from standing next to Helen looking confused?
        Indeed, like I said, his downfall has started... you'll see him doing more standing around being confused throughout the rest of the show! TPTB seem to have forgotten he was once upon a time a pretty sharp guy. In the beginning he was a promising protege but if I were Magnus I would be pretty disappointed as he'll start being one of the kids with Magnus being the strict mom in quite a few episodes...

        Originally posted by Amara D'Angeli View Post
        And I finally get to meet Declan!
        Declan is great! You'll see more of him over the show without it being too much. I always enjoy his appearances. He is how I would have pictured Will the protege.

        Originally posted by Amara D'Angeli View Post
        Old City, Tokyo, Beijing, New Delhi, Moscow…how many Sanctuaries are there?
        Lots! Towards the last season we'll learn more of this, I believe.

        Originally posted by Amara D'Angeli View Post
        Seriously? There's time to break for sex? And again, why on earth has she been hired? She bordered on completely useless… And why does she say she has control now. Clearly she had it before the whole puzzle mission, too, as she was a thief and she was hiding (invisibly) from Will and John when they were chasing her. It wasn't until she got scared because there was some pressure on her to complete the puzzle that she was suddenly not in control of her power.
        Totally agree! Her death in the end was obvious from the start of this two-parter. Good riddance!

        Originally posted by Amara D'Angeli View Post
        So the Cabal is monitoring the EM fields because they also knew their folks couldn't teleport in with the field. So how were Ashley and Co. able to teleport into Tokyo?
        I thought they came through the roof? Perhaps they teleported just above the shield and then fell through the roof, like how they teleported just outside the Sanctuary in London before stepping inside.

        Originally posted by Amara D'Angeli View Post
        What exactly does John think he's going to do with two katanas against three immoral, indestructible, and exceptionally strong beings. He's the one that didn't want to kiss her, right? But I do feel pretty bad for him they way her eyes went blue after he stabled her. Even when you're a bad guy it must suck to be confronted by your actual daughter in such a situation.
        Did you mean 'kill'? Because I don't recall anything about a kiss... Anyway, the only thing I was wondering about during the fight with Ashley and the Orphans (sounds like a band) is why he didn't just chop their heads off? Pretty sure they can't grow back a head, or even a limb. But then I always wonder such things in TV shows and the only reason I can come up with is that their survival is an important plot device.

        Originally posted by Amara D'Angeli View Post
        And now Tesla's in the game! He's probably closest to Ashley in strength and power.
        Yeah, did anyone else think his electricity thing was similar to the test Gregory Magnus had created for him? I would have liked it if Tesla had been stronger in that respect though, considering he has the power of electricity too and that's not a part of his vampire traits (someone mentioned something about him falling asleep in Edison's chair in the previous two-parter) so Ashley and the Orphans should have had more trouble withstanding it than he did.

        Originally posted by Amara D'Angeli View Post
        Just out of curiosity, how's the Cabal tapped in to the security cameras at the London Sanctuary - especially with all the fancy new security measures?
        I was wondering the same thing! It even looked like Dana had a different point of view/camera at one point!

        Originally posted by Amara D'Angeli View Post
        And they're down again. Apparently no time to move them into secure holding. Plan B, anyone? Ah, the "Elemental"? Well now I'm wondering which two things were imported by Helen. That fire thing was pretty cool, but is it a species or part of the Sanctuary's defenses?
        It's a species. We'll see more of it in another episode... Normandy, I think. Don't know if it's supposed to be the same elemental because I think they mentioned they were very rare.

        Originally posted by Amara D'Angeli View Post
        Wait? What happened to Clara? I mean, I didn't like her, but she didn't have to die… And it seems strange to me that she's dead at all… But Will's taking it pretty well considering she's his girlfriend.
        One of the Orphans killed her after she let them through to follow Will. In spite of being invisible he saw her and turned around to deal with her, which makes me wonder if they could simply pick up on her brain activity or something since the Ashley and the Orphans can communicate telepathically.

        Originally posted by Amara D'Angeli View Post
        Wow, I'm just all kinds of confused about Helen right now. She gives this speech to her old friend about how she was wrong about compromise and then says she won't be visiting him again (after saying she understands the choice he's making; but at least she left him the cure), and then she tells Tesla to make a weapon that will kill Ashley. What the hell happened to compromise? Also, what's Ashley's blood got to do with it? Did I miss something important?
        I think her being wrong about compromises (which made you weak, in her opinion) is both about Biggie and Ashley. She's done talking to Biggie and gives him the choice, knowing she has to put all her focus on Ashley and the Orphans now or she will lose her home and the entire Sanctuary Network. I'm not sure whether her actions with Biggie would actually constitute a compromise or if it was more of choice made, deal with it thing.

        She did compromise when it came to Ashley before because she didn't want to kill her and now she realizes how wrong she was because they cannot stop her. Although apparently a rocket to the body works quite well... but that may be only temporary; we'll never know.

        Originally posted by Amara D'Angeli View Post
        And Biggie, apparently! Woo-hoo!!! I guess Helen's weird speech worked.
        Maybe he was confused too and thought he could ask her afterwards about what she meant exactly but to do so meant he had to take the cure?

        Originally posted by Amara D'Angeli View Post
        (And is anyone else concerned Helen's going to accidentally get John with that gun?!?)
        That hadn't even crossed my mind! But his teleporting did seem a little less darker than Ashley and the Orphans', like pinkish vs orange. Maybe that's how she could tell them apart. Or she just didn't care at this point? I did think she looked a bit concerned when she automatically shot whoever teleported in behind her to attack and was relieved to see it was an Orphan.

        Originally posted by Amara D'Angeli View Post
        Oh, holy hell. Kate just completely killed Ashley. And she still gets a job???
        She saved Helen's life and apparently proved her loyalty by sticking around and doing so? That's the only thing I can come up with because I'm still not a fan of Kate's and would have preferred her being gone after this episode.

        Originally posted by Amara D'Angeli View Post
        And, Ashley's back? WTH? I'm so confused. Ashley. The real Ashley! For like, a second or something… And what's up with all the gold floaty stuff? Do they disintegrate when they try to teleport through the EM shield or what? And if that's the case…shouldn't Kate be dead now?
        Yes, they die when the EM shield is on full power and they teleport. IIRC, John tested it in the pilot and chuckled to himself when he realized there was an EM shield keeping him out (but it wasn't on full force and thus it only kicked him out, or perhaps it was because he tried to teleport in instead of being inside of it already). The floaty stuff is basically them disintegrating into nothingness. Kate didn't (and can't) teleport. Ashley grabbed an Orphan who tried to kill Helen by the arm and teleported out, taking the Orphan with her and thereby committing suicide/murder.
        Unmade Plans (WIP: 11/20):
        Sam's life takes a turn in an unexpected direction when she's faced with an unplanned pregnancy. The decision to keep the baby and raise it on her own will alter her life forever. Relationships are put to the test, especially the one between her and Jack. She doesn't know what to expect from him and he surprises her at every turn.
        On FFnet or AO3


        My S/J fics can be found on FFnet and AO3. I also tweet and tumble about the ship and my writing/stories.

        Comment


          #49
          Response is so long it must be broken into two parts...

          PART 1 OF 2

          Originally posted by JanSam View Post
          [COLOR="#0000FF"]I believe Helen has more than just long life if I remember right. We'll wait for Fems to correct me but she also is resistance to illness. Next episode does deal with her long life and how she feels about it.
          I couldn't even imagine what it must be like to live with a life so long as many of The Five have done. In Magnus' case, I suppose she must have some sort of resistance to illness or such a long life likely wouldn't have been possible as she moved through the early 1900s...

          Helen did compromise. She wouldn't give Tesla Ashley's blood because she didn't want any chance of Ashley being killed. This is back to the discussion they had when John was being a righteous ass. She realized she had to give in because she was tying Tesla's hands and he would not be able to stop them with the weapon as it was currently.
          See, this didn't feel like a compromise to me - she just exchanged one extreme for the other, in my opinion. We're back to "sacrifice daughter" or "sacrifice life's work" and she went from "well, I'll sacrifice neither" to "I'll sacrifice one". As much as I don't want to admit it (because he just all around pissed me off in the ep), I'm sort of with John on the compromise - give up some Abnormals, live to fight another day. But perhaps Helen was looking at it from a numbers point of view? She could sacrifice Ashley (1) and save the Abnormals or she could sacrifice any number of Abnormals (?) to save Ashley. It's just a tough situation all around. I mean, I honestly don't know how she was supposed to choose, and yet she had to.


          Kate didn't kill Ashley. She was weakened and turned back to herself again. Meanwhile the other Cabal flunky came on the scene and the "floaty stuff" is them being dispersed while trying to transport while the EM shield is up. I'm not sure why you think Kate should be dead.
          Yeah, I actually came around to Kate not killing Ashley when Ashley reappeared. But it sure did look like that weapon did some major damage!

          I thought Kate died because she went up in the puff of floaty stuff. I thought *all* the Orphans died when they went up in the floaty stuff because the EM shield was supposed to do bad, bad things to them if they tried to transport through it. And, to me I guess, it stood to reason that if it killed the Orphans as they passed through it, then it would have killed Kate, too.


          Ha and you have two more seasons to try to figure these characters out.


          Awesome isn't it
          It really, really is! I'm just absolutely enamored with this show.

          Originally posted by fems View Post
          Yeah, I really like John in this mode. We rarely see it throughout the show unless Helen's in danger. Considering how he only learned of Ashley's existence in the pilot which is presumably about a year ago, I think he's taking his role as father quite well, especially in light of how Ashley (and even Helen at first) rejected him and doesn't really look to him as a father.
          Yeah, I adore these moments! *sigh* I really love how the actors handle this complicated relationship and it's thanks to their subtle acting that you can sense there is still love between them, but too much has happened for them to ever get back to the way they were in the flashback from the pilot (happy, engaged and in love in the carriage).
          Yep, I totally got the whole "John" thing with these parts of the episode. I could see where the initial attraction came from as well as the continued conflict.

          Indeed! Apparently, everyone who wants to work at one of the Sanctuaries is free to join them... I guess their motto wouldn't be really true if they rejected worthless abnormals like Clara but I wouldn't have minded if she'd just disappeared!
          I'm all for any Abnormal being given sanctuary at the, well, Sanctuary, but a job? No. And in Clara's case, she was just particularly useless. But we'll be talking more on this subject in a moment...

          Biggie's attitude here has always puzzled me a bit, mostly because of what we know of his years at the Sanctuary. I'm not sure how much they've told us about his background at this point but we do know he's been there since Henry (and thus Ashley too) was a kid, which means it's close to two decades (and we later learn in season 3 it's been sixty years, IIRC). So, he's close with both Henry and Ashley, and he and Magnus have a fabulous friendship, yet he's suddenly all concerned with his people's ways? It just doesn't make any sense to me at all.
          That was precisely my reaction as well. I mean, I had no way of know exactly how long he'd been at the Sanctuary, but I have been watching the show long enough to know, at that point, it was a long damn time. And now all of a sudden he's all "my people"? And for someone who has been all "caused-up" with Magnus for so long, this just seemed like and odd C (or D, or E) plot for this stretch of episodes that did little more than weaken the character.

          My dislike for the Will character is probably well known by know but I think this is where the downfall of Will Zimmerman started. It's not just the character though, I really feel like the actor's acting isn't up to par either, especially when compared with some of the better actors on this show (in particular the 'older' ones who play The Five).
          I'm actually a HUGE Robin Dunne fan but I will say that next to the veterans this series has attracted his inexperience is rather highlighted. It's sad, really. But I'm not sure the problem is really the actor. I think the writing for the character is weak as well. He started out so strong in the early parts of the first season but now I feel like he's been relegated to good-looking-sidekick status and that's a tough role to play.

          I think everyone suspects by now that the Cabal did something to Ashley which put her under their control. I don't think he meant to suggest that she was betraying them or anything; simply that she was the one who was made to steal it.

          It makes sense if you take what we learned in the previous two-parter about the vampires into account: they were once a great and superior race who lived on the same planet with humans. Naturally, some inbreeding would have occurred and over time descendants would have dormant vampiric genes that would never be activated on their own - only the Source blood could make them abnormal (well and some of Nikola's past/future pet projects, maybe).

          I guess it's not unlike the ATA gene in Stargate: a small part of the population has it but they're not aware of it unless they come into contact with Ancient tech and/or are screened for said gene.
          Yes, that makes sense. It's not really that I was confused about The Five having latent vampire genes but that they all would...

          Oh and as far as we know, Vampires couldn't become invisible which means that Nigel Griffin's power had nothing to do with dormant vampiric genes but 'regular' dormant abnormal genes. They also couldn't teleport like John (and now Ashley), I think. So, really, it's just the enhanced intellect of Watson, Magnus' longevity and Tesla's vampiric traits that can be traced back to Vampires.
          ... But I had conveniently forgotten this. Invisibility and teleportation aren't vampiric qualities. (And coming from several schools of vampiric lore previously this should have lit up like a Christmas tree for me...)

          Yes, with all the inbreeding between abnormals (including vampires back in the day) and humans it's not too surprising that more people in the world would have dormant abnormal genes. However, there isn't anything that can really activate these powers except for the Source blood. The true vampires are all dead though so aside from the sample Gregory Magnus had hidden away after The Five used it, there isn't anything left in the world... it's possible that blood from other ancestors of full-blooded abnormals would have the same effect, I guess. But perhaps inbreeding between many of them and humans wasn't as successful as vampires and humans, therefore there aren't many latent genes of theirs in the general population? It kinda fits with what we later learn of Praxis...

          And I'd like to point out that I just deleted (again) spoilers that I wasn't supposed to read even though they were right here and visible thanks to the quote function. :sigh:

          And as for the Source blood only now coming up... I think it was pretty much a big secret as even Helen's own longevity isn't widely known in the abnormal community (at least that's the impression I got in the beginning) and it's unlikely anyone would have ever suspected she or the rest of The Five weren't "real" abnormals. At least, not in this century. No one except The Five and Gregory Magnus knew about the Source Blood and the Cabal happened to get their claws on Gregory and got all the information they wanted/needed from him...
          Ah, yes. Another piece of the puzzle that had already escaped me. I don't know if I'm not watching the show carefully enough or if I've just got too much going on these days to retain details...

          Will was really weak here and Henry too, by the way. Here you have a woman that could lead you to the whereabouts of Ashley and they're all just standing around looking unaffected! Kudos to AT for her fabulous acting in that moment!
          This whole segment just felt a little contrived to me (including Magnus shooting Kate). The only part that totally made sense for me was when Magnus went off and raised her voice at Will. Plus, the look on his face just lanced me.

          The problem they have with all the abnormals and the Sanctuary network is that the Cabal doesn't control them and therefore they are a danger to their operation. They want all the power and can't have other abnormals oppose them. Ashley and the orphans are like their secret weapon.
          I guess I just feel like the Cabal's goals and intentions have been very clearly defined. Or, again, perhaps I'm just not retaining the necessary information.

          Indeed! I feel bringing in Kate brought down the whole group with the 'youngsters' all suddenly acting like immature teenagers. But in Will's case that might also be just him whenever he's got a girlfriend because he started acting like this when he got with Clara and it'll only get worse with Abby...
          Great. I'll be looking forward to that...
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            #50
            Response is so long it must be broken into two parts...

            PART 2 OF 2

            I actually thought that was in character for him. Can't really say I would have believed him if he had indeed been talking about missing out on changing nappies and seeing Ashley take her first steps...
            Oh, the characterization was fine. It's just...his response made me what to smack him around a little. (Then again, thanks to this point, I've developed a bit of a crush on Heyderdahl, so maybe that's what's making me want to get hands-y with him... )

            As for John just standing there and taking whatever Helen dishes out, I think that's pretty much a theme with them. He knows he's the one responsible for ruining what they had and hurting Helen deeply (on more levels than one), so he's kinda weak when it comes to her and has the tendency to let her walk all over him because he feels he deserves it. Unless he's in evil John mode, of course.
            Contrite is cool. He should be contrite. It's also unattractive (sadly).

            I think they're the most powerful because of the Source blood; the true vampires are extinct and The Five are the closest thing to them because of their powers.
            It just seems strange to me that of all the abnormals out there, The Five (some of who have kinda weak-ass "powers") are amongst the most powerful abnormals. I'd totally love John's power, though. No doubt. I'd never be late to the office again!


            Indeed, like I said, his downfall has started... you'll see him doing more standing around being confused throughout the rest of the show! TPTB seem to have forgotten he was once upon a time a pretty sharp guy. In the beginning he was a promising protege but if I were Magnus I would be pretty disappointed as he'll start being one of the kids with Magnus being the strict mom in quite a few episodes...
            This makes me so sad considering the potential the character had...

            Totally agree! Her death in the end was obvious from the start of this two-parter. Good riddance!
            I didn't see that one coming at all. I was afraid we were going to have to put up with her for a while.

            Did you mean 'kill'? Because I don't recall anything about a kiss... Anyway, the only thing I was wondering about during the fight with Ashley and the Orphans (sounds like a band) is why he didn't just chop their heads off? Pretty sure they can't grow back a head, or even a limb. But then I always wonder such things in TV shows and the only reason I can come up with is that their survival is an important plot device.
            Yep, I meant kill.

            Yeah, did anyone else think his electricity thing was similar to the test Gregory Magnus had created for him? I would have liked it if Tesla had been stronger in that respect though, considering he has the power of electricity too and that's not a part of his vampire traits (someone mentioned something about him falling asleep in Edison's chair in the previous two-parter) so Ashley and the Orphans should have had more trouble withstanding it than he did.
            Actually, yeah, and I thought it was pretty ingenious foreshadowing on the part of the writers. They'd already shown us what he was capable of and now they've shown us how it's useful. And I was okay with him not necessarily being stronger than Ashley in that regard. I mean, if she was going to outdo the powers of the other Five, then surely she needed to outdo him as well.

            One of the Orphans killed her after she let them through to follow Will. In spite of being invisible he saw her and turned around to deal with her, which makes me wonder if they could simply pick up on her brain activity or something since the Ashley and the Orphans can communicate telepathically.
            Again, something I missed, apparently. I've kept the last two eps on my DVR...perhaps I need to go back and rewatch them...

            That hadn't even crossed my mind! But his teleporting did seem a little less darker than Ashley and the Orphans', like pinkish vs orange. Maybe that's how she could tell them apart. Or she just didn't care at this point? I did think she looked a bit concerned when she automatically shot whoever teleported in behind her to attack and was relieved to see it was an Orphan.
            When she just spun on that teleporting Orphan and fired before he was even fully corporeal, I was insta-worried for John's safety. But yeah, you're right, the colors were different.

            Yes, they die when the EM shield is on full power and they teleport. IIRC, John tested it in the pilot and chuckled to himself when he realized there was an EM shield keeping him out (but it wasn't on full force and thus it only kicked him out, or perhaps it was because he tried to teleport in instead of being inside of it already). The floaty stuff is basically them disintegrating into nothingness. Kate didn't (and can't) teleport. Ashley grabbed an Orphan who tried to kill Helen by the arm and teleported out, taking the Orphan with her and thereby committing suicide/murder.
            Okay, so now we're back to something I said up above...if the Orphans died when they were teleporting out, how did Kate survive it?
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              #51
              It might just be that a lot of things happen in this episode, Amara. It's not necessarily you not paying attention for missing stuff we've mentioned. After all, I've seen these episodes twice or three times before, so it's easier to pick up on them. I think it's only in the monster of the week episodes that less happens, for the rest of the time you really have to pay attention. Later on the episodes deal a lot with plot A and B (in season 3 mostly, I think) which makes it easier to follow certain events even if a lot happens, because one of the story lines is more important than the other and both get the right amount of screen time (with some exceptions, *cough* date night *cough*).

              Why are you so convinced Kate should have died? She didn't teleport. If I recall correctly she was pushed/kicked aside and then Orphan tried to attack helpless Helen when Ashley stepped in, grabbed Orphan's arm and teleported both of them out of there, killing them both. Kate was just somewhere behind Helen, I believe.
              Unmade Plans (WIP: 11/20):
              Sam's life takes a turn in an unexpected direction when she's faced with an unplanned pregnancy. The decision to keep the baby and raise it on her own will alter her life forever. Relationships are put to the test, especially the one between her and Jack. She doesn't know what to expect from him and he surprises her at every turn.
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                #52
                Ah, it looked to me like one of the orphans (perhaps even Ashley) had a hold of her when they teleported. But again, it may have just looked like that in the midst of a bunch of stuff happening.

                But...does this mean Ashley's gone for good? And that seems like a strange choice to - to kill off the main character's kid in the second season... was something going on with the actress?
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                  #53
                  Originally posted by Amara D'Angeli View Post
                  Ah, it looked to me like one of the orphans (perhaps even Ashley) had a hold of her when they teleported. But again, it may have just looked like that in the midst of a bunch of stuff happening.

                  But...does this mean Ashley's gone for good? And that seems like a strange choice to - to kill off the main character's kid in the second season... was something going on with the actress?
                  Ashley's fate will be explored in the next episode.
                  Unmade Plans (WIP: 11/20):
                  Sam's life takes a turn in an unexpected direction when she's faced with an unplanned pregnancy. The decision to keep the baby and raise it on her own will alter her life forever. Relationships are put to the test, especially the one between her and Jack. She doesn't know what to expect from him and he surprises her at every turn.
                  On FFnet or AO3


                  My S/J fics can be found on FFnet and AO3. I also tweet and tumble about the ship and my writing/stories.

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                    #54
                    Lol, yet another reason to bite my nails until Saturday.

                    What a day that's going to be! It's the last day of my semester (and I still have SO MUCH to do...), it's Shipmas, AND I'm leaving the following Monday to spend a week with my family in another state. Which means prepping my house to have me gone a week and packing me and the dogs. It's true what they say... no rest for the wicked!
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                      #55
                      Are we saving Eulogy for next week (or the one after) considering your busy weekend and the upcoming holidays, Amara?
                      Unmade Plans (WIP: 11/20):
                      Sam's life takes a turn in an unexpected direction when she's faced with an unplanned pregnancy. The decision to keep the baby and raise it on her own will alter her life forever. Relationships are put to the test, especially the one between her and Jack. She doesn't know what to expect from him and he surprises her at every turn.
                      On FFnet or AO3


                      My S/J fics can be found on FFnet and AO3. I also tweet and tumble about the ship and my writing/stories.

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                        #56
                        I think I'll get to it today. Today's just about packing, cleaning, prepping the house and resting so I can leave bright and early to make the 7 1/2 hour drive up to my folks tomorrow. I'd sure like to watch it today if I can. It's been a whole week since I've seen an ep. Surely that's not okay…
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                          #57
                          Did you get to it, Amara? Looking forward to hearing your thoughts whenever you have time to write them!
                          Unmade Plans (WIP: 11/20):
                          Sam's life takes a turn in an unexpected direction when she's faced with an unplanned pregnancy. The decision to keep the baby and raise it on her own will alter her life forever. Relationships are put to the test, especially the one between her and Jack. She doesn't know what to expect from him and he surprises her at every turn.
                          On FFnet or AO3


                          My S/J fics can be found on FFnet and AO3. I also tweet and tumble about the ship and my writing/stories.

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                            #58
                            I didn't! I'm now 2 eps behind. (Well, several years, all things considered...)

                            I'll try to get to them sometime this week. Worst case scenario will be the weekend. I'm so excited to watch!
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                              #59
                              If the worst case scenario comes true then you'll probably have three episodes to catch up on! That's not too bad, is it? Oh and did you get the DVDs for Christmas?
                              Unmade Plans (WIP: 11/20):
                              Sam's life takes a turn in an unexpected direction when she's faced with an unplanned pregnancy. The decision to keep the baby and raise it on her own will alter her life forever. Relationships are put to the test, especially the one between her and Jack. She doesn't know what to expect from him and he surprises her at every turn.
                              On FFnet or AO3


                              My S/J fics can be found on FFnet and AO3. I also tweet and tumble about the ship and my writing/stories.

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                                #60
                                No, I ended up not buying them...can't remember why now. But I'll probably end up doing that soon - I'm a binge watcher at heart.

                                And yeah, if I don't get to it until the weekend, I will, indeed, have three! Woo-hoo!
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