Captain Trips (212)

[GateWorld]

REVOLUTION - SEASON TWO CAPTAIN TRIPS EPISODE NUMBER - 212 Gene, Charlie, and Rachel are drawn into a disease outbreak at Willoughby, which Rachel discovers is not what it appears. Elsewhere, Tom and Julia put their tenuous positions at risk in hopes of rescuing their son. VISIT THE EPISODE GUIDE >>

[ZRFTS]

Captain Trips

Spoiler:

Today on Revolution we have... An outbreak. Finally, something that shows the dark, twisted nature of this world. We also have... Aaron and Priscilla going to yet another destination and Julia and Nevill's plots coming to fruition, so I guess it's another average episode of Revolution huh? Not so fast!

To be fair, I knew beforehand that the outbreak was going to be forced so I automatically wave any criticisms about the "Patriots being worse than the militia" since I've already commented so much about that. Instead we're going to be talking about life & death. Life & death is such a tricky topic, often you see all of the potential but none of the reward (i.e. people grasping life, people denying death, the value of life); this episode makes us somewhat care for the situation by using better cinematography and more realistic risks, sure they're background characters but you're rooting for them to live, you're analyzing the possibilities of life and you're put in a situation that risks everything and this right here risks everything. It certainly makes the decisions of our heroes tough, trying to cure everyone, trying to make sure everybody lives but by doing that, the viewer sees the futility and the possibility of death. Plus it also paints a picture of how painful living in a post apocalyptic electric world can be since there's no modern medicine or science. Some people may believe it to be superior to Babar but I'd like to see it as equal.

Then there's the purification process. If you compare it to any BioShock game then you'll definitely see the parallels. An American vision that involves only the picket fence and the pure people, the glamorous life tainted by the unpure people; it definitely brings up moralistic questions about whether or not such lengths should be allowed. I mean sure, America is home to the free but what if our freedoms were stripped, what if race or position didn't matter? Think about it, there'd be less people, there'd be a fear of selective elimination and there'd be a twisted America. Of course the show should explore this but instead it takes the route of the usual action that you've come to know and surprisingly the action is good. You got your neck snapping, you got your gunplay, you don't get much sword fighting or hand to hand action but the benefit is that they shorten and sweeten the scenes so that they don't overstay their welcome. Plus you get awesome lines such as "This is their batcave" and "He's right behind you"; also I was afraid that Connor (who plays the objective role perfectly) and his Monroe Republic plot was going to ruin everything but I was wrong. Congratulations Revolution, you have evaded all doubt.

The 24 look.

Nevill and Julia's plot finally comes to a head when they finally give up the whole power grab thing and just focus on their son. This leads to intimate scenes that are free of the melodrama that drags the scenes down, when it's there it's minor which is nice as it leads to us seeing what made Julia and Nevill special in the first place; their similar traits, their strength and their determination. Watching them on the screen is natural and believable and I could truly see them as a couple as they go against the Patriots looking in their room at the middle of the night and meeting in what appears to be a post apocalyptic version of those scenes commonly seen in 24; honestly I'm glad they dropped the moving on up plot because that would of been boring. This gives them determination & gives people watching a reason to stick; especially considering what happens in the end with it's dramatic and romantic overtones. The only downside has to be the flashbacks which yet again retcon the series with buttkicking Nevill being gone replaced by a knife guy who is afraid to stab people and somehow transforms into a tag team which shows that the two work better together, but to be fair adding Jason in there is nice.

Lastly we come to Aaron who's nanite plot continues on; but this time they're sent to Lubbock, Texas. There's nothing beneficial that comes from this plot except for reaffirmations that nanties are everywhere and are willing to keep them together by any means necessary. We get that these two used to be close but don't force Aaron's need to have someone with him at all times, it's getting tiring. Since there is nothing happening with that plot, I'm just going to talk about the grandstanding here like how easily these people manage to get into heavily guarded areas and how the only trouble comes in the end of the episode; seriously, the Patriots are supposed to be a threat that aren't supposed to be messed with; how is it that these guys are able to get into Willowbury easily and not draw attention to themselves? It must be a mystery because no person is able to get into areas that easily and we've seen what the Patriots can do. Dramatic purposes should not be an excuse for such things; and seriously don't these characters know better. Connor talks out loud to give the Patriots a reason to come in guns blazing and stall the thing and the characters don't even wear masks in a sick area; the show is supposed to be logical, be logical!

The sickness.

This was a decent episode that was filled with the obvious Revolution holes that somehow get plugged in by decent life & death exploration and sociological commentary; the action was short and sweet and you're drawn in by the realistic way they present the disease, making you care for the action on screen. Plus Nevill's and Julia's plot gets improved in ways never seen before and the dark & twisted nature of Revolution finally comes across. Be forewarned, the next episode will probably erase all of the good feelings of this episode.

6.0/10

[escyos]

There was one thing about this episode that seemed a little out: No one was around and Tom and Julia sit on the same bench, looking opposite directions and trying to be inconspicuous. THERE WAS NO ONE ELSE AROUND!

I did like seeing that the Patriots aren't just all confined to the White House, that they are taking over more of DC.

[Looney]

There was one thing about this episode that seemed a little out: No one was around and Tom and Julia sit on the same bench, looking opposite directions and trying to be inconspicuous. THERE WAS NO ONE ELSE AROUND!

I think they were trying to say it was the middle of the night or very early in the morning when most people in a world without electricity wouldn't be moving around outside. And there was someone else around because Doyle said he had someone following her.