Critical Myth

The previous episode challenged a number of sensibilities. I can’t imagine that this episode will be any different. My only true regret is that some fans may end up tossing the remote and taking the show off their “must watch” list before taking the time to consider what the writers were trying to do. As blasphemous as some of the concepts might appear to be, this is nothing more than another attempt to take a very broad concept and apply it to the “Supernatural” universe.

I will be honest and say that I cringed when Anna was revealed as a fallen angel, especially when she gave Dean her long list of reasons for wanting to become human. I’m sure the notion of angels having to take the existence of God on faith was incredibly galling to those of far more devout belief. Nor was it particularly thrilling, I imagine, for Anna to describe angels as cold and unfeeling, utterly rigid in their thinking.

For all that, however, I can’t help but notice that these comments were coming from a fallen angel. In other words, not an angel who was still part of the flock, but one that had fallen from grace on more than one level. And one that was specifically designed by the writers to play on all of the concerns and fears that the Brothers Winchester might have, particularly Dean. I would expect a fallen angel to describe the angelic life in a negative light!

Since the series is ultimately told from the perspective of the Winchesters, focusing on their reactions to things, Anna is seen in a more positive light than the angels. The angels are seen as rigid and uncaring, because to the brothers, Anna hasn’t done anything wrong. Of course, part of that is their inability to internalize the context. Anna may be a rather pleasant and sexy fallen angel, but she’s in the same category as Lucifer. Her self-awareness on that point doesn’t change very much, because she’s denying her integral decision to disobey.

In a larger context, what we’re also seeing emerge on “Supernatural” is a continuum approach to free will. God created angels and gave them just enough free will to do their job. The drawback is that some of them get a taste of it and rebel, especially when they’re close to humans, who have quite a bit more. Should humans go too far in the free will department, really breaking the rules, then they slip into the demonic territory. One can then interpret Lucifer as the polar opposite: the ultimate excess of free will and pride.

Because humanity is in the middle of the continuum, they see everything in extremes on both sides. They accept those extreme interpretation perhaps too readily. Humans would see the apparent rigid obedience of the angels as oppressive: they get to bask in the light of the Lord, but they are bound tightly by chains of God’s authority. The rules of their existence feel restrictive and cold.

On the other hand, the demonic side of the equation is seen as unbearably depraved. It’s everything horrible a human can do, unleashed without a hint of moral reason. How many Hunters automatically equate demons as pure evil? Yet we’ve already seen examples of demons with more or less human qualities, especially Ruby. And now, as of this episode, we see how the line is blurred more than we realized.

Hunters exist within a niche of humanity that must operate in somewhat questionable moral ground, somewhere south of the midpoint of the free will continuum. Sam, as a result of Azazel’s intervention and Ruby’s influence, has slipped further down the spiral. The reaction of the angels to his actions and choices are a good indicator of this.

The revelation at the end of this episode is even more startling, because the parallels between Dean and Ruby throughout the episode (who and what they were willing to risk for Sam’s sake, for example) pay off in a huge way. Dean spent a lot more time in hell than Sam had thought, and for quite some time, he was torturing souls. In other words, he’s not only not so different from Sam, in terms of his choices, but he might even be further down the demonic path than even he suspects.

This places his reactions with Sam earlier in the season in a deeper context, but it also explains some of the reactions from Castiel and Uriel. If Dean was going proto-demon, and God pulled him out of Hell for some specific purpose, would the angels assigned to the task question the meaning behind that? No wonder they test Dean so much, and worry over his associations!

Merging the obvious definitions of good and evil \with the “free will continuum” aspect, there’s a clear divide between various characters, and their relationships follow in suit. Uriel is the highest on the ladder, and he finds human free will distasteful and doesn’t trust the Winchesters at all. He certainly doesn’t like Ruby. Castiel was closer to humanity, and came to appreciate them. He finds it easier to relate to humans, but there’s still a distinct separation. Anna was even closer to humans, and as a result, she fell, tempted by the emotions and freedom that humanity offers.

The innocents of the world, the ones being saved by the Hunters, are in the wide middle between Castiel and the Winchesters, who are at the top of the “too much” category. Somewhere below them would be Ruby, who is certainly a demon and not particular good, but demonstrates redemptive qualities that the majority of demons lack. From there, demons like Lilith, Azazel, and Alastair are much further down.

It’s easy enough to see how one might slip down the ladder towards the bottom of the continuum, but the real question is how one can climb back up. That’s the process of redemption (and, from the religious point of view, salvation). We already have angels falling and Dean being pulled up from Hell. We have Sam pointing to demons and monsters who make the choice to reject the urge to do evil, however rare that might be. Now those metaphors don’t just apply to Sam; they also apply to Dean. The stakes have gotten higher.

This is still a bit of oversimplification, and the amazing thing is that this is still setting the stage for what must, inevitably, come of this wave of information and perspective. We might see how all of this is adding up for the Brothers Winchester, but speaking in terms of storytelling, this is preparing the audience for something bigger. These episodes are defining the rules of the game so that the implications are clear when the clock strikes midnight.

While it’s possible to reconcile most of what happens in the episode, not everything works. Anna’s true nature was revealed in one of the most awkward scenes in recent memory, and the whole concept of the “grace” didn’t seem to fit into the “Supernatural” mythos very well. So angels can take on physical form if their grace is removed or voluntarily discarded? For that matter, was Lucifer once in human form, thus beginning the process that converts humans into demons through perversion in Hell? There are a lot of questions still to be answered and there are a lot of ways that this can still go wrong (and for some, it already has), but I, for one, can’t wait to see where all of this leads.

One of the enduring problems with “Smallville” in past seasons was quite simple to diagnose: too many the big events were unearned. They didn’t do the proper amount of introduction and setup to justify the decisions and changes set into motion. The most obvious example of that would be the seventh season, and for many, it was deeply disappointing.

This episode provides a laundry list of examples of vast improvement. The first example is the most evident. This is the episode where Chloe and Jimmy get married, and it’s been a long time coming. Chloe’s relationship with Jimmy has been building and evolving since the third season, when he was first mentioned.

Considering how many other times the writers have fouled up relationship arcs (the Clark/Lex/Lana triangle, anyone?), it’s good to see them pacing out the evolution of the Lois and Clark saga. The two of them have been circling each other since the beginning of the season, and while I think it’s still a little faster than it should have been, it still works for me.

In fact, it worked so well that I was a bit annoyed at the thought of Lana’s return. Surprisingly, the writers allowed them to have a mature conversation that brought their past mutual infatuation to a close. It would be even better if this had been Lana’s final appearance, but alas, she will be around just a little bit longer. Certainly she’s up to something substantial; it might even have something to do with Lex. (And, I must admit, Kristen looked gorgeous in this episode.)

Lana tells Clark that she would never be able to forgive him for wiping out her memory as he did with Chloe, which strongly suggests that it will come back to haunt him in a big way. I still suspect that her inability to remember anything about Clark’s true nature will put her in dire straits, but for now, her apparent reversion to Brainiac’s control is bad enough. (At least, that’s how I interpreted the end of the episode.)

The arrival of Doomsday was nicely done, with serious injuries and blood everywhere, and I like the fact that it was merely a prelude. Could the rubber suit have been a bit better? Sure, but this is “Smallville” and they only have so much money in the budget for that sort of thing. Frankly, I don’t care. They’ve done such a great job of setting up Davis, his threat level, and his obsession with Chloe that the rubber suit really doesn’t matter. The writers have sold the concept already.

So far, this has been one of the best and most consistent seasons of “Smallville” in a long time, and I can’t help but think that it has everything to do with changing the top-line producers and showrunners. The show is still not perfect, but a lot of the fundamental issues have been improved. I think the fans who left the show at the end of the seventh season will end up wishing they had stayed.

The best news this week was the repudiation of the announcement that Kris Williams had been released from her contract. Whether it was all a misunderstanding or a reversal based on fan outcry, it avoids yet another instance of turnover on the team. I prefer stability when it comes to the personnel these days, especially since they’ve stopped bringing in more technically-minded members on rotation.

I’m still not sure what to think of Ami Bruni. I think she’ll work out better than Joe; for all that he might have been a good investigator off-screen, I don’t think he was ever comfortable in front of the camera and he never seemed to convey the same level of confidence as the rest of the team. It’s also a matter of contribution; Joe never seemed to bring much to the investigations. It’’s the same general complaint I have with Kristyn Gartland. Hopefully, as the fourth season wraps up and the fifth season commences, Ami will find firmer footing.

One might wonder if TAPS was listening to some of the complaints this season. The considerable use of the K-II Meter would suggest otherwise, since a good portion of the audience would love to see it tossed into the nearest dumpster, but other smaller changes have been a positive development. The music may not be gone, but they dial it back during key moments. This episode seemed to focus more on practical debunking practices, which is a callback to the earlier seasons. More of that wouldn’t hurt.

Case #1: Clovis Avenue Sanitarium, CA

One thing I’d like to see out of the inevitable Kris/Ami pairing is a level of competence at least equal to Steve and Dave (if not better). I don’t want them to become the Scream Team. I think they were on roughly the same level. Both Kris/Ami and Steve/Dave had something move that they weren’t expecting, and they both tried to figure out the source. There wasn’t much that Kris and Ami could do when it came to the rock, but I liked Steve’s decision to go to the videotape on the big screen and get the facts sooner rather than later.

Before the investigation, Jason and Grant noted that outside noise was going to be a factor. I can’t help but wonder if that had anything to do with the “disembodied voice”. It was incredibly loud and clear, practically louder than the investigators themselves on the recording. And they did a nice job of demonstrating that they searched around the room for any obvious speakers, so unless they missed something (which is always a possibility), it’s hard to pin down. (The flashlight incident, as usual, is rendered meaningless by the method they use to make it “easier to manipulate”.)

Yet I can’t shake a certain degree of skepticism, based on the recent rise in audible “disembodied voices” this season. It’s similar to the rise in unusual thermal images and, before that, EVPs. Back in the first and even second season, EVPs were treasured rarity, and anything caught on the thermal system was sensational. Now, they’re all but expected. The rise in audible phenomena is becoming a regular catch, and it makes me wary. Especially when this investigation is followed by a TAPS-related event at the end of the month, and the owner is renovating the property as a “haunted hotel”.

Case #2: The Windward Grille, MA

It’s rather obvious what I found most interesting about this case: the magnetic cutlery. That was a nice catch by Steve, and one that I imagine a lot of investigators might have missed. In fact, a lot of the reported activity was able to be debunked through simple experimentation and reasoning, and that’s the kind of case that I like to see. Taken in combination with the attempt to debunk the voice in the first case, it wasn’t a bad night for fans of similar tastes.

They did, of course, manage to find something that they considered to be an EVP. I have reservations, because the supposed voice was buried deep in the background noise and barely discernable. I think they were reaching a bit because so much of the other reported activity was explainable, and the client was expecting TAPS to find something substantial.

Apart from the “disembodied voice”, which I’m still not sure about, this was a solid episode with the kind of investigating that a lot of fans have been looking for all season long. I can only hope that this is the beginning of a trend, and not a singular exercise in managing viewer expectations.

It’s been a while since I’ve been able to review “Pushing Daisies”, thanks to some scheduling conflicts, but this was a good time to resume. Ned’s encounter with his younger brothers’ father figure, the Great Hermann, was a delight, between the inspired performance of Fred Willard and the endless array of sarcastic comments from Ned and Emerson.

The writers have managed to introduce more of Ned’s unexpected extended family without missing much of a beat, and one would expect their collective father to show up sooner rather than later. Parental issues are all the rage this season, what with Chuck’s attempts to get validation from her mother, Ned’s ongoing struggle to come to grips with his father’s choices, and Emerson’s yearning to find his daughter. With so many layers to the dysfunctional family cake, I’m a bit concerned that there will be little time or chance for resolution before the end of the season.

Sadly, the series is not doing as well as it did in the first season, and most blessed with the skill of television divination predict the series will be lucky to get a 13-episode second season, never mind the back nine or a third season renewal. There’s talk of continuing and finishing the story in comic book form, but I think I speak for all the fans of “Pushing Daisies” when I say it would be a pale reflection of the television series, and poor consolation. Much of the charm of the show is the near-perfect comic timing of the narration and dialogue, after all, and I just don’t see how that would translate very well.

For now, though, this episode was a magical episode that was less about magic and more about personal emotional issues. Leave it to Bryan Fuller and his minions to make it work as well as it did.

While traditionally “Prison Break” has saved its biggest mid-season moments for its mid-season hiatus, this season has broken a few patterns and tossed the usual plans to the winds. So perhaps it makes sense for the writers to place a huge moment for the season arc in the very center of the story: episode 11. The anticipated midpoint of the season and the heart of the “complication” phase of the story, this will launch the characters into the final leg of this long and laborious journey.

Most of this episode is elaborate set-up for the real action in the next episode, but it still manages to pay off a number of ongoing plot threads in the same instance. Most importantly, the Escape Squad makes their play on Scylla, breaking into the Company stronghold using a plan that is nothing short of ingenious. Would it work in the real world? Certainly not, since the writers take liberties and the audience is left to disregard some of the obvious gaffes.

For example, at one point, Michael has a serious seizure in the middle of the operation. Setting aside the fact that Michael should know better than to risk the entire operation when he’s having random attacks, he makes more than enough noise to trip off the alarm. Before that, however, the episode shows that one human body is enough to affect the thermal sensors. Yet somehow, when Lincoln has to save Sucre from falling off the rig, the thermal sensor is completely unaffected!

Equally interesting is the gambit developing between Gretchen and T-Bag. That subplot was always waiting in the wings, but now it’s finally having an impact on the rest of the story. I’m not one to complain about Jodi running around in a Catholic schoolgirl outfit, but bearing the General’s daughter? There’s an unwanted theory confirmed! Thankfully, her mercenary ways led her to betray her erstwhile allies, ending the pain.

T-Bag’s alliance with her against Michael was no shock, since he’s been looking for revenge since the beginning of the season. But I was a bit surprised and impressed to see T-Bag wavering. He was actually thinking about setting aside his criminal ways and living life as a slick and successful salesman. I imagine that would have worked out for him, since it plays directly to his talents.

If the show’s history tells us anything, it’s that the direction of the season will likely take a harsh turn for the worse before things get better. I anticipate a hefty body count before the end, and I’m sure that Michael’s decision to postpone medical treatment will be mined for all its worth. Hopefully the writers and producers will hear about the fate of the series and the rest of the season soon, so a suitable and satisfying final chapter can be prepared.

While this is another episode dominated by stand-alone elements, there are plenty of connections to the existing continuity and hints of something dark and ominous on the horizon. Walter’s sanity is placed in relative context, and there are hints of future challenges to his freedom.

This early in any series, let alone any season, it’s hard to tell what will be important. Will William Sadler’s character become a recurring thorn in Olivia’s side? Will all these comments about Peter’s past associations and his threats against the doctor ever become a genuine subplot? Was the phase equation part of The Pattern, or was it some kind of covert Massive Dynamic experiment?

One gets the impression that this episode was more about what the case revealed than the case itself. Even so, I found the basis of the situation to be intriguing enough on its own. As an engineer with a strong musical background, the integration of mathematics and musical theory was a nice touch. I’m not sure that the connections would have worked out quite in the manner presented, but the intentions were clear enough and the execution was clever.

The episode never quite explained how the various subjects were induced into the savant state, or how the hallucinations were being introduced into their perceptions. If there’s a weakness to the episode, that would be it: too many aspects of the “fringe science” in use are intentionally vague. That’s always been true of the “science” shown on this series, since the writers take unusual concepts and twist them around, but beyond the math/music connection, there wasn’t much in terms of the concrete.

There was, however, a new look at Walter’s relative insanity. We’re used to seeing him around Olivia and Peter in the Harvard setting. From that perspective, Walter is clearly unbalanced and out of his mind, even dangerously out of touch with the context of his own memory and conjecture. Compared to his former inmates at the institution, however, Walter is far more focused and aware. Part of that is the medication, of course, but it does play into the possibility that Olivia and Peter may think of Walter as more functional and helpful than he really is.

All of which makes this episode feel like the calm before the storm, despite the fact that it was hardly a moment of quiet reflection. A lot has been introduced, and while I don’t expect the writers to abandon the semi-anthology model completely, I do suspect that some mythology is soon coming our way.

After the events of the previous episode, one would expect things to settle a bit in this installment. And for the most part, that’s true. It’s a transitional episode that sets up the next direction for the season arc, but it’s also a capable denouement for the confrontation with Cromartie. Sarah’s band of merry men (and cyborgs) continues to deal with psychological trauma.

Sarah is a mess, and I’m torn between being annoyed and being impressed. I’m annoyed because this occasionally swings too closely to genuine weakness, and as damaged as Sarah is in every incarnation, she’s best known for honing that damage into battle armor. I doubt she was a blubbering wreck in the mental institution. Yet Sarah has had it together a little too much this season, and it’s time that her grip on sanity slipped a bit.

Cameron and John were on more conventional duty, charged with hunting down Cromartie’s remains and destroying them. Cameron was back to her usual unsettling tendencies, switching back and forth between clinical brutality and uncanny human response, and looking damn good in the process. More interesting was John’s error (or, more correctly, his lack of insight). Ellison completely fooled him, despite the torture.

Ellison’s resistance ties into Derek’s experience with Charles Fisher, a collaborator from the future. Derek eventually persuades Fisher to admit his identity after struggling with the future as Jesse remembers it. Derek ultimately offers an explanation for his memory gap: perhaps he’s from a different version of the future, since he and the Connors might have changed the timeline. That’s certainly an interesting possibility.

But what makes this such an interesting episode is the lack of success. John’s mistakes are more obvious, and one wonders if Sarah or Derek might have noticed some subtle clue that John missed. Ellison’s decision to take Cromartie’s remains and hand them to Weaver will hardly end well. Surprisingly, Derek is just as mistaken; he believes Fisher when he says that his time in the past was a reward. Clearly, whatever Fisher did to bring about his own incarceration will factor into future episodes.

I had mentioned in the review for the previous episode that defeating Cromartie should just be the beginning in terms of dealing with the psychological issues plaguing the Connors and their allies. This episode is a good sign that the writers are on the same page.

In a recent convention appearance, Tim Kring provided some insight into the writing process for “Heroes”, and some of his frustrations. Over the course of the presentation, a number of issues emerged, many of which explain the current state of the series. As it turns out, Kring does understand some of the problems with how the story has evolved; his responses just don’t quite make the grade.

Apparently “Villains” has been his response to the realization that several characters had become so powerful and unbeatable that some plot device was necessary to mitigate that drawback. It’s the “Superman” effect times ten, only with only one apparent source of kryptonite (the Haitian). Peter, Sylar, Claire, and Hiro were all overpowered, and the writers routinely had them make stupid decisions to ensure those powers were out of play. By the end of this episode, Peter is “normal”, Sylar is becoming another Peter, Claire is the Chosen One, and Hiro has mentally devolved into a 10-year-old (so that, of course, he has the priorities of a kid and therefore won’t just end the whole threat in a matter of seconds, as he certainly could).

More disturbing is the contention by Kring that so many of the show’s problems have been caused by its serialized nature. On the one hand, I understand his frustrations. The show has too many divergent plot threads over the course of a volume, and by the time they come together, at least half of them have lost momentum. And like “24”, it’s all too easy to fall into patterns and become too focused on plot over character.

Ironically, one show has struck a near-perfect balance: “Lost”. “Heroes” was supposed to be the anti-“Lost”, the show that provided better and more timely answers with more action and fan service. There’s one major difference. Early in the first season, the showrunners of “Lost” determined the road map for the series and conceived an ending. That sense of purpose has been evident, especially once the series was given a definitive end date.

Kring admits that “Heroes” has no plan, and certainly has no ending. There is no ultimate purpose to what is happening from volume to volume. Part of the problem is the decision, driven by popularity and the network, to abandon the original premise: each season telling a new story with new characters. Once again, this is very similar to what “24” has faced. That show was also supposed to reboot every season, but thanks to the popularity of Jack Bauer, those plans were tossed aside.

So now Kring has found himself on a series with too many characters with too much power, sticking around way too long, and with much more history and continuity than he had ever anticipated. And I think the strain is showing. It’s fashionable these days to bash “Heroes” for its faults, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bandwagon. It means that Kring has made a number of mistakes in adjusting from his original plan to the current reality, and it has taken too long for those adjustments to take effect. As he said himself, this third volume was already filmed and in the can by the time it premiered. As much as he discounts some of the criticism, he has yet to actually make changes based on the reception of “Villains” that can be seen on the screen.

Circling back to the question of whether or not this series is too serialized: this episode is better for it. Whatever criticisms might be made about how the characters arrived in their current state, one can see the threads coming together. I had hoped that the heroes would abandon Primatech and Angela, given their questionable history, but it’s still interesting to see how the battle lines have been drawn.

I liked Matt’s attempt to save Angela, how it intersected with Daphne’s ethical quandary and led to a moment between Angela and Arthur. It took the most obvious plot choice and turned it into something a bit more character-based, however slight. I also liked the tension between Peter and Claire, and how his time in the future factored into that. Claire’s ability is profound, yet here we see some of the limitations. And I liked Mohinder’s conflicted work on the metahuman serum, since it feels more authentic than his self-experimentation.

Surprisingly, my favorite part had to be the interplay between Sylar and Elle. Accepting what has been revealed previously without further judgment, the scenes in this episode were quite well done (no pun intended). Kristen Bell and Zachary Quinto are both very strong, and I can accept that Sylar would run through this particular gauntlet to find some way to replicate powers without killing. It might appear to drive him firmly under Arthur’s influence, but I think it’s more likely that this will give him the courage to stand on his own.

I don’t want the series to lose the elements that make the end of each volume so satisfying. No matter the issues that plague the continuity of the series, there is a sense of resolution. If the series lost much of its serialized nature, that strength could be lost.

The previous episode was fairly intense, even as predictable as it was, so it’s a bit of a letdown to see the writers stray back into less interesting territory. Episodes like this make me wonder if the studio wasn’t right to put an end to “Atlantis” and option a new series with a broader premise. It’s getting harder and harder to tell stand-alone stories with genuine surprises. Much like the Star Trek franchise, it may be time to shake things up a bit.

The most interesting element of the episode was Woolsey’s realization that he was sent to Team Atlantis as a puppet of the IOA, and they are not happy with his quick and responsive independence. Woolsey, despite the fears of the entire team (and most of the audience) has been a capable commander. He’s a bit naïve at times, but that only serves to make the character more endearing in the end.

Frankly, I was expecting a lot more time to be spent this season on the struggles with the IOA and the general impression that Team Atlantis is a collective of loose cannons. Bringing it up this late in the season was therefore a bit of a shock, even if it was a welcome chance for Woolsey to defend himself and show loyalty to his people.

Unfortunately, Sheppard’s apparent encounter with Kolya was only fun until the point where John lost a hand. At that point, it was clear that something else was going on, and that it was probably related to the artifact that Rodney and Radek had recovered. After all, once it was clear that something was unusual about Dr. Conrad, it didn’t take long for the pieces to fit together.

The premise strayed into territory that would have been overly familiar in the Trek universe, so at this point, a lot of people in the audience have seen it all before. I wouldn’t say that it made the story entirely predictable, but it did mean that there were few surprises. I’m a sucker for the more thoughtful episodes in the “Stargate” franchise, but this one never went anywhere fresh.

Which brings me back to where I started. I think that my growing dissatisfaction with this season is not simply a matter of wishing the series had ended on a higher note. I think it’s the feeling that the cancellation has placed the remaining episodes under a more critical eye, as I hope for a strong sendoff, and it’s not measuring up to expectations. If anything, I might even say there’s a hint of complacency in the material. With another season and all the time in the world, that might have been ignored, but now I fear it’s glaring. Perhaps shifting to a new series will give the franchise a fresh start and a chance to reshape our expectations.

After a string of episodes with comedic overtones and a slight departure from the season arc, the main story swings back into action with this installment. While the episode itself has a simple premise, and there are only a handful of surprises along the way, it serves as a gratifying and satisfying setup for the events to come.

In essence, this episode sums up everything that has been hinted since the beginning of the season, reinforcing several plot points while expounding on a few others. Reaction to the episode will vary depending on interpretation of information already available. For example, if the clues regarding the relationship between Sam and Ruby were overlooked amidst the mystery of Dean’s restoration, then the confirmation of their physical acrobatics. (To be honest, I was a little disappointed by the fact that Ruby wasn’t still played by Katie Cassidy in those moments. But I digress.)

Earlier in the season, the erosion of Sam’s morality was apparent, if relatively well-covered by his subsequent choices. His decision to train under Ruby and ultimately sleep with her represents a brand of personal darkness similar to that seen in “Mystery Spot”. One might argue that Sam would justify his decision to hone his psychic powers because of the immediate benefits; the hosts are saved and the demons are sent back to Hell. But Sam’s reasons were not that noble.

He’s also willing to sleep with Ruby, despite the fact that Ruby is essentially controlling someone else’s body. He’s treading a pretty fine line, since he did not do so when the host was still “present” and question of consent would definitely apply. Ruby inhabits a body no longer “in use” at this point, and that seems to overcome Sam’s natural objections. Even so, does it mitigate the question of consent? It appeared to be on Sam’s mind, but Ruby was rather convincing. The disturbing connotations serves to underscore the fact that Ruby is, in the end, still a demon.

Is it enough reason for the Brothers Winchester to trust Ruby? Probably not. Ruby has always wanted Sam in this position (or why bother inhabiting a hot young woman in the first place?) Ruby represents a quickly diminishing minority among the demons who still look to Sam as the Antichrist Superstar. As noted several times in the third season, the easiest and most effective way to control such a figure is through emotional persuasion. The fact that Ruby saved Sam’s life on more than one occasion doesn’t erase the possibility of an ulterior motive.

The other side to this episode was the more immediate problem of Anna Milton. Besides the nice literary touch of the name, Anna has the intriguing ability to listen in on angelic communications. I said “intriguing”; a better word might be “unfortunate”.

Early in the episode, Anna is used for some necessary exposition. Anna reveals that Lilith’s gambit is a lot harder to counter than originally thought. In fact, it clarifies the reason for Castiel’s worry over the progress of the war. If Lilith had a specific list of 66 seals to open to release Lucifer, the tactics would be very simple (if incredibly harsh). Set up the best angels to protect a handful of seals, and Lilith could open the rest without achieving her goal. Thousands of people might die, but one could still consider the mission a success.

But the true situation, thanks to a clever interpretation of the Revelation, is far more complex. There are about 600 potential seals, and only 66 need to be opened for Lilith to win the day. (See what they did there? Six hundred, and sixty-six.) Which means the angels have to fight to prevent the opening of each and every one, and then resources must be set aside to defend each one that’s not opened. Unless there is an artificial timeline waiting in the wings, Lilith can bide her time and wear down the opposition.

That’s an important consideration, because it gives a definitive reason for why Castiel and Uriel would come calling for Anna. Sam and Dean recognize the problem right away, even if they don’t think through the implications to the logical and lethal end. The demons would want Anna because she is the perfect means of gaining more advantage over the angels. In Old Testament fashion, there’s one way to ensure that such a liability is prevented: Anna must die, and who better to deliver that fate than the angels of the Lord?

I think some fans might be balking at the depiction of the angels, but I find it refreshing. Popular culture depicts angels as uniformly compassionate, nurturing, and, ultimately, rather impotent. They only seem to intervene in positive ways. The earliest depictions are more dispassionate; they perform their duties and deliver judgments as God sees fit. Angels in open war to prevent an apocalyptic maelstrom would no doubt be more like the imposing and implacable figures of old.

It actually brings up an interesting matter of debate. It’s a routine assumption by many religious people that an untimely and even gruesome death is all part of “God’s plan” (in quotes because it is a catch-all term). In other words, for reasons we can’t understand or fathom with our limited perspectives, someone with no apparent guilt had to die. One might imagine that God would send angels to ensure certain horrific deeds are done in the name of this unknowable plan.

So what about this case? It’s not known why Anna has the ability to tune into angel radio, but she can. That ability stands as a threat to the world. So, in this case, Anna must die. I don’t see this as a further bastardization of the depiction of angels, because this could simply be a case where we get a glimpse of what normally is unseen. The real question is how the Brothers Winchester will react to that directive. Something tells me they’re not going to accept the whole “because God said so” explanation. (Especially since Dean is clearly attracted to Anna.)

Whatever the case, this is a serious situation, because we now know that there are demons out there beyond Sam’s ability to exorcise and immune to the Magic Knife. Logically, that had to be the case, since Sam is still learning the ropes, but it does mean that this is not a situation where Sam and Dean can resolve the issue easily. Something is going to have to give, and it’s not going to be pretty.

The previous few episodes introduced a few key changes within the season arc, as the lines are drawn and the sides are chosen. Doomsday is coming, Clark is leaving himself vulnerable without realizing it, and things are coming to a nice mid-season head. Chloe’s current crisis, and Clark’s resolution of it, set the stage for some serious repercussions.

Chloe’s condition serves to drive three important plot points during this emerging “complication” phase of the season arc. First, while it was his choice, Clark has lost an important part of his support system. He may not realize it now, but Chloe was the source of a great deal of important information. It will be much harder to get that information if he’s back to protecting his abilities.

It’s also not clear how he thinks this memory purge can be sustained. Logically speaking, too many other people that know and work with Chloe know the truth about Clark. Chloe was fairly comprehensive about documenting what she was beginning to forget, and even without the brain boost from Brainiac, she’s intelligent enough to put the pieces together. Even if Clark were to warn local allies to keep quiet, there’s the inevitable moment when Lana returns and says something awkward, not knowing that Chloe has had her memories wiped.

So while this might hold in the short-term, it’s unlikely to sustain itself in the long-term. As unfortunate as it is to have another memory-wipe plot element on the series, especially after the debacle with Kara last season, it could be handled well if the writers are willing to let Chloe realize what happened and react badly to Clark’s decision to alter her memory without consent.

The second important plot point, also related to Clark’s support system, is the restoration and subsequent infiltration of the Fortress of Solitude. It was a bit quick and easy, and considering how well the writers have been layering the story thus far, that lapse was glaring. But the return of Brainiac could tie in nicely to the emergence of Doomsday. Doomsday will no doubt desire a support system of his own, and Brainiac makes for a suitable candidate.

The third item is Davis’ growing infatuation with Chloe. Chloe’s inability to deny her attraction to Davis doesn’t help. Davis is struggling to find an anchor in his life, and Chloe is rapidly becoming that touchstone. This is not good news for Chloe, because a situation like this cannot end well. Davis may respect Jimmy’s existence now, but as he gains power and loses control over his emotions, how long can that last?

In fact, there may be a scenario in which Chloe’s mindwipe turns out to be a tragic mistake. What if Davis decides to take Chloe against her will, believing that he’s the only man worthy of her? Given his destructive tendencies, Chloe could end up in a fight for her life. Normally she would know who to call on for help, but Clark has erased the most useful knowledge from her memory. In such a case, Chloe would almost certainly be killed, and this could serve as the final impetus for Clark’s decision to become the hero he is destined to be.

I was fairly critical of the roundtable discussion episode at the end of the third season (“Revelations”), because I thought it was little more than cheerleading and whitewashing. This episode was perhaps worse. Not only was the promise of “all access” completely unfulfilled, but the focus was entirely on the wrong thing.

Most of the responses were the usual canned answers and vague commentary that fans and skeptics alike have come to expect. No one is expecting anything more (or less), but it never fails to be disappointing. Some skeptics are angry because Jason and Grant are never directly challenged on the “evidence”, but I take a completely different perspective on that.

I never expect them to back down from their positions. That’s not realistic. But I think it would have been a lot more interesting if Josh Gates had been able to sit with the team, pull out some of the more popular “evidence” from the past season or so, and let TAPS get into more detail about the context, the rationale, and the caveats behind each conclusion. If they have experts that they consulted, bring them too!

In the end, that would silence a lot more people than, say, Grant’s half-baked explanation about the uniqueness of the K-II Meter, which amounted to saying that it’s unique and so it’s a great tool. How about demonstrating the sum total of those years of experience and research by giving a more thorough explanation? It might be boring to some, but a lot more in tune with the “all access” theme.

Instead, loyal viewers were given a montage of clips from the past four seasons, including many items still up for debate, never-ending discussion on how Steve likes to touch things and Dave Tango falls for practical jokes, and Ami Bruni is coming onto the show (no mention of Kris Williams being released from her contract).

In other words, it had nothing to do with TAPS as investigators. It was all about TAPS as celebrities. And if there’s anything that will incite the skeptics more than questionable live footage on YouTube, it’s anything that suggests that Jason and Grant are more about style than substance. After all, that’s what a lot of critics have been saying for years.

The episode wasn’t a complete waste of time. The final segment, showing the pilot presentation originally filmed for the series, was a short but enjoyable look back at a more innocent time. In a lot of ways, I wish the show (and TAPS) were still operating as they were in those first several investigations.

The surprising thing about this episode of “Fringe” was not the story. It’s how much I realized that I had missed the show. It’s a gamble to take new shows off the air for any significant amount of time early in the running; even a baseball/election-inspired delay can be enough to distract the audience. Shows need time to get under your skin and take root (no pun intended). It will be interesting to see if the ratings reflect a dip caused by this mini-hiatus.

At least the show came back with a vengeance. I’ve come to the conclusion that we’re still working through the introductory phase of the season, and the status quo hasn’t quite come together. The main characters are fully rendered, but there are elements on the periphery that are still coming into focus. For example, in this episode in particular, we learn more about the structure of those behind The Pattern, and just how pervasive they have become.

The writers will have to be careful not to push the pseudo-terrorist angle of those behind The Pattern too far into familiar “Alias” territory. Olivia is no Sydney Bristow, and The Pattern doesn’t need to be as Byzantine as the Rambaldi mythos. The nature of the bizarre experiments is complicated enough at this point. This episode gives me hope that the writers are keeping certain boundaries in mind. It would appear that while the experiments are linked in terms of source, they are not currently seen as connective in purpose. They are simply the product of amoral scientists who see the world as their Petri dish.

Not that this is a new revelation; the episode simply confirmed and reinforced that premise. Just as it pointed to the irony of using a scientist with equal amorality to catch those behind The Pattern and mitigate its effects. It’s the intellectual equivalent of using Hannibal Lecter to capture serial killers. At the same time, I have the growing suspicion that Walter is not as coherent as we think he is.

Walter’s actions always seem to be derived from some memory of past experimentation or brilliant leaps of creativity. But what if Walter only “remembers” those past experiments because of the situation at hand? What if Walter’s recollections are a false security blanket? I can easily see a scenario where Olivia depends on one of Walter’s memories, only to discover that the man was completely off the charts. After all, Walter’s perception of reality is warped at best. He may believe what he says with absolute conviction, but he’s clinically insane and could be drumming up confidence and suspicion where neither is warranted.

These are elements that intrigue me and keep up my interest. Similarly, I was happy to see and hear more from Broyles in this episode. His motivations appear above board, but his association with the very questionable Massive Dynamic continues to suggest an unseen agenda. I look forward to more clarification of that relationship. I could do without so much gore (it’s why I generally avoid medical shows), and Olivia’s personality is developing a little too slowly, but these are items that should attend to themselves.

This season of “Prison Break” just keeps marching along, and against all expectations, I’m still enjoying the hell out of it. Maybe it’s because the first three seasons inoculated me against the plot conveniences and contrivances, and I’m just enjoying it on the “entertainment” level as intended.

Not everything can be easily waved away, of course. I’m more than a little annoyed with Michael’s medical condition, considering how quickly it emerged out of absolutely nowhere this season. I can’t imagine that the writers will use this to kill Michael off at the end of the series, but it is going to be used for some highly unlikely medical drama in the middle of the season arc, and that makes it feel more transparent as a result.

There’s also the lingering over Bellick’s death by just about everyone. I understand that the producers and writers loved the actor and never wanted to get rid of the character, but the characters themselves had no love for the man. I can almost understand Sucre’s reaction, but T-Bag? That was definitely out of character, even more than Mahone’s silent display of respect.

The usual intrigue helped to make up for most of the annoyance, particularly Sucre’s encounter with the minefield and Mahone’s quest for the creator of the map to Scylla. Sucre’s subplot involved some interesting countdown sequences and a chance to see Gretchen play both sides. Gretchen’s loyalty is still to herself, but where that ultimately will take her should prove exciting.

Mahone had another good turn in this episode. It’s too early to tell if the writers will be able to transition him into another good subplot after the resolution of his revenge tale, but this was a good use of his talents. I like how the rest of the team was openly acknowledging that Michael and Mahone were on equal footing when it came to pattern recognition and decoding skills. Perhaps this is intentional. If Michael is sidelined by medical issues sooner rather than later, Mahone could step into his place for a little while.

There was also the relatively minor revelation that Agent Self already had someone working at the Gate Foundation. This particular twist should make things more complicated, but I wasn’t quite sold on its apparent importance. I’m just happy to know Shannon Lucio will be around for a while!

The promotional group at FOX trumpeted the death of an important character in this episode, which is unfortunate. The impact of the story would have been a lot more powerful if Cromartie’s end hadn’t been so telegraphed. It doesn’t matter that Cromartie’s recent success at hunting down the Connors practically demanded some kind of fundamental confrontation. Had this trend continued for much longer, John’s continued survival would have become even more ludicrous.

One way or another, Cromartie either had to kill a major character to re-establish his prominence as a threat to the Connors, or he had to be defeated once and for all. The writers took the second option, and in turn, used it to suggest that the Connor Crew has been making too many mistakes. Of course, that was the point of the past few episodes, all of which centered on the lack of cohesion and discipline that has plagued them all since the season premiere.

The unique format of the episode took a rather straightforward story and gave it some artistic flare. In the end, it was still another iteration of “flee, fight, and kill the terminator”. By focusing on individual decisions, the story became less about pure action and more about character. As things descend into chaos and a fight for survival, each character’s mettle is questioned and tested.

We got to see that Sarah is losing control and feeling the pressure that comes with that realization. We see John running away from fate and others suffering the consequences. We see Derek realizing the cost of being so far removed from the Connors. We see Ellison searching for the purpose that Cromartie swore he will fulfill. We even see Cameron trying to use feminine whiles on John, suggesting that it was something she had done more than once in her past.

The good guys managed to win in the end, but the real question is where they intend to go from here. Riley now knows some measure of the truth about John, and if the writers continue to take the unexpected path, they’ll keep her around to challenge John on his assumptions. Cromartie made it clear that Cameron has damage to her chip, leaving her less effective than she should be. In short, this shouldn’t be the end of the process of getting back on track; this should just be the moment when they realize how far they’ve strayed.