Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction SE02 EP01 - "The Plane/The Gun/The Portrait/The Pass/The Caller"

Episode Name: The Plane/The Gun/The Portrait/The Pass/The Caller
Original Airdate: January 23, 1998

1) The Plane

Michael's a pilot, following in the footsteps of his father, who died in a terrible crash when Michael was young. After landing at a small airstrip to pick up a package, Michael reminisces a bit about his father, saddened most by the fact he lost his father's wings years back. What Michael doesn't know is that there's a fuel leak on his plane, and discovers that only when a mysterious individual steals his plane, and crashes. Upon getting to the crash site, Michael looks into the cockpit to see no body, but his father's wings hanging - in short, Michael's father stole his plane in order to save Michael's life.

It wasn't hard to see where this story was going from the beginning, but at the same time, I thought it was sentimental enough, without overdoing it, to be enjoyable. Brian Van Holt, who played Michael, had that all-American boy look to him which gave credence to the idea he's a pilot, and while there was occasional corny lines (especially toward the end), The Plane was an enjoyable enough segment. I rated this segment as "True."

Rating for story: Above average

2) The Gun

With a recent string of robberies in the neighborhood, along with the fact her husband is leaving town, a woman worries about whether or not the gun her husband taught her to use would be enough to protect her. She had a dream, in fact, where she wakes up, hears a thief, and attempts to shoot him, but the gun won't go off, which isn't helping matters any. One night shortly after her husband leaves, she does hear noises - upon investigating, she sees who she believes is a thief, and wildly fires at the figure multiple times. The gun never goes off, though, which is lucky - the individual is her son, back from college. Hysterical because she almost killed her son, she drops the gun, which bounces down the stairs, causing a shot to fire - hitting a robber who was hiding in the house, killing him,

This story is a hoot in a few ways. One, the idea of a gun shooting only the "dangerous" and "bad" people, while not shooting at family members, seems to come out of some NRA member's fantasy. The idea that this, as shown, is possible causes hearty chuckles from myself. And the woman, played by Molly Cheek (by the way, fun fact: she played Jim's mother in the American Pie movies, if you're familiar with them) seems rather prone to overacting - her scream as she shoots at the mysterious figure is just ridiculously lengthy, bordering on being comedically so. I mean, the story itself isn't a necessarily bad one, but the ending was just a bit much, and all-in-all, while mostly competent, it didn't do much for me. I rated this story as "Not True."

Rating for story: Average

3) The Portrait

A painter seems to have the power over life and death - at least, that's what his clientele believe. Specializing in painting the terminally ill, William Corzine at times doubts his abilities, even though none of his subjects have ever lived to pick their portraits up. One day, a young woman, Michelle, asks for her portrait to be taken. At first, William refuses, as most of his clientele are older, appearing far more sickly. But when Michelle pushes him, he decides to do so, finding out later that she wasn't sick, just depressed over a breakup. Heartbroken over ending her life when she had so much more to live for, he paints his own portrait. He is found the next day by his assistant, dead of an apparent heart attack.

This story rubbed me the wrong way throughout. Firstly, while it's statistically unlikely that with as many subjects as Corzine paints, that all of them would die before they can pick up their painting, given the fact he has a reputation for this, the whole thing could be a self-fulfilling prophecy type deal. Which is likely what happened with Michelle - she got her portrait taken, and believing that she's going to die, commits suicide. It makes more sense given the fact she's depressed. And William's despair over "causing" Michelle's death is odd - even if she wasn't terminally ill, just like all of his other subjects, she willingly wanted to be painted, and chose to die - if that's a person's choice, I don't get why William is so messed up over this one case when he's done it multiple times before with other individuals. It seems rather selective. Painting himself at the ending was a rather expected conclusion, and this story in particular didn't seem to hold much suspense or surprise. While most of the acting was fine, and the story was somewhat decent, this didn't do it for me at all. I rated it "False."

Rating for story: Below average

4) The Pass

Stealing the morgue pass from his roommate's father, who is a doctor at the hospital the two young men are staying at, Kevin and Eddie decide to explore the morgue, as their boredom is near intolerable. After a new arrival is left on a gurney, Kevin dares Eddie to peek at it - Eddie agrees, as long as the two of them can leave once he's done so. Unfortunately, things go downhill from here, as Eddie pulls back the sheet and stares into the eyes of what appears to be himself; already afraid of his own mortality, he dies due to a heart problem. Kevin wakes up the next morning to hear the nurses talking about what a shame it is that the doctor lost two sons the previous night - one due to a heart issue, all because he saw his twin brother's body, who died in a car accident.

This story, much like The Gun, just seems a bit on the ridiculous side. Make no mistake, I believe it to be a true story, as it's entirely possible, but the overacting is just too much. Eddie's scream when he sees what he believes to be himself (pictured above) is one of the funniest things I've heard in the last week. It just doesn't ring true whatsoever. The story on it's own is perfectly fine, but the actors didn't make it believable, as far as I'm concerned. It's an amusing story as it is, but given the subject matter, I'd have expected something more.

Rating for story: Below average

5) The Caller

Clive Kincaid is a shock jock who gets his thrills mocking his callers, which he does quite often. One night, during a storm, he gets a repeat caller, claiming to be his long-lost son. While the producers can't hear any caller, Clive is driven off the wall by the words of the caller, along with seeing things pop up around the studio. Eventually, Clive breaks down crying, the caller getting what he wanted - Clive to show some remorse for not being a part of his son's life. After the story, we're informed that there was an electrical malfunction, and no call had gotten through to the studio.

The Caller's a decent story - it's not amazing, but it does feel more competent than many of the other segments in this episode. The radio host was a bit of a dick, so I don't feel all that bad for him. Overall, this was an average, fun story. I consider this story to be true, as it's not impossible for a radio host to have a mental breakdown on air (look at Alex Jones, for example).

Rating for story: Average

It's sad, really, but the first episode of the second season of this series isn't really all that amazing or memorable. Overacting plagues a few of the stories (The Gun and The Pass, mostly), and were it not for the first story, which I enjoyed probably more than I usually would have given it's predictable path, this episode would be veering toward being rated below average.

Truth be told, the only note-worthy thing about this episode is the introduction of our new host, Jonathan Frakes, taking over from James Brolin. Frakes isn't all that different from Brolin, and I suspect that nothing large will change during his tenure as host. Both Brolin and Frakes seem charismatic and well-spoken, so either way, you're in for a decent time.

Still, this episode really didn't offer up the best it could have. Not only that, but my rankings insofar as whether the stories were true or not didn't end up to well, as I only got one correct. If you've not been keeping track with my overall score, here you are:

For episode: 1/5

Overall: 12/35

We still have plenty of episodes left, so theoretically I could get out of the slump I've been in, but thus far, my guessing ability has been rather lacking in accuracy.

But back to this episode, it was really a far more average affair than you'd hope from this series. Even The Plane, which was the only story I rated above average, wasn't really a classic story such as previous segments (such as The Subway and The Viewing were), So the second season is getting off to a rough start, but hopefully with the coming episodes, the quality of the stories will pick up a bit.

Rating: Average

Previous episode

Next episode

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. SE01 EP02 - "0-8-4"

0-8-4's a moderately generic, albeit enjoyable, second outing for Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. While portions are steeped in somewhat familiar tropes, the episode ends up being a fun romp further fleshing out our characters and the team as a whole.

Episode Name: 0-8-4
Original Airdate: October 1, 2013

After a quick flash-forward, teasing us with a disaster on the mid-flight the Bus (the plane of Coulson's team), we're taken 19 hours earlier, immediately following the Pilot.

Skye empties out her van, deciding to come aboard the plane and join Coulson's team as a "consultant." Neither May nor Ward want Skye there, both believing her to be a risk and liability (Ward's main concern being that Skye's a member of the Rising Tide, a hacking organization, while May's gripe is that along with Fitz and Simmons, they'll now have a third individual not fit, nor trained, for combat). Coulson defends Skye, stating that the fact she thinks differently than SHIELD is a positive, along with the fact she's extraordinarily gifted in terms of her ability to hack. 'She hacked into SHIELD twice from a laptop in a van', Coulson states. 'Imagine what she can do with SHIELD resources.'

May and Ward arguing with Coulson over Skye

FitzSimmons (technically two people, though it's hard to tell) awkwardly welcome Skye onto the Bus, and lead her to her small room. Over the intercom, May (who pilots the plane) informs everyone to get ready to go airborne, and Ward, clearly unhappy, tersely gives Skye an overview of the safety procedures of the plane, telling her to read it.

Simmons and Fitz welcoming Skye

Simmons and Fitz giving a tour of the Bus to Skye

As stated at the end of the last episode, a '0-8-4' was discovered in Peru, meaning an item of unknown but potentially dangerous properties. Skye asks Coulson what the last 0-8-4 was, to which Coulson replies, "A hammer" (for more information, see Thor).

Upon landing in Peru, we have some cute dialogue between Fitz and Simmons, along with Coulson letting Skye know that one of the reasons she's here is to, if need be, throw the people off the scent of the 0-8-4 if it becomes dangerous (or, in other words, lie to the people, which is something that, as a hacker, Skye takes issue with), Coulson reasons that panic is best avoided to allow professionals to quietly take care of the situation.

The 0-8-4 itself seems to be mechanical in nature, and lodged into a 500-year old Inca temple, though it's been there much longer than 500 years, according to assessment done by FitzSimmons. Simmons suggests it could potentially be alien in nature, whereas Fitz believes it to look almost like German engineering.

A side-view of the 0-8-4

Meanwhile, Ward briefly speaks with May, calling her the "Calvary", a sort of nickname she earned from her actions in Bahrain. May, however, seems hesitant to accept this tribute, and doesn't want to be referred to by that name. This discussion is shelved, though, as military forces from the Peruvian government converge on the temple, led by Camilla Reyes, a former colleague of Coulson's. While at first alarming Coulson's team, they claim they're here to protect the 0-8-4 from the local rebels in the area.

Reyes and Coulson

Surprised at seeing Reyes here, they talk and reminisce about their past, as Ward goes back into the temple and alerts Simmons, Fitz, and Skye of the new developments, sparking a heated discussion between Skye (who seems to support the local rebels, as they're standing up against the government's mining policies) and Ward (who doesn't like the violence caused by the rebels).

Ward's reaction to Skye's support of the rebels

When local rebels attack, Ward directs them to leave the temple, arguing with Fitz over the procedure to remove the 0-8-4. While Fitz wants a special container for it (as it has a fluctuating power core), Ward, who feels that's a waste of time in this situation, just grabs it out of the wall. After some combat, Ward and May are able to safetly get Simmons, Fitz, and Skye back to the Bus, with Coulson and Reyes close behind. Without major casualties, they're able to take off, bringing Reyes and her men with them.

Beforehand, though, Fitz explains what he's been trying to explain for the past five minutes - that the 0-8-4 seems to be fueled by Tesseract energy (think Hydra and the first Captain America movie), and it's unstable. It's full of lethal amounts of gamma radiation, and could well be a danger to all on board.

Fitz explaining the energy behind the 0-8-4

Coulson's team taking stock of the dangers of the 0-8-4 (contained within the black bag)

Coulson unsuccessfully tries to apologize to May, as he promised her that she'd see no combat as the pilot of the Bus. May, as drenched in as much seriousness as ever, appears unmoved by Coulson's attempt at apologizing. Meanwhile, the rest of the team bickers over various things, due to their lack of communication and understanding - Fitz and Ward arguing over Fitz's inability to explain the dangers behind the 0-8-4, Ward arguing to Coulson that he's a specialist, and could have eliminated the enemy if he wasn't bogged down by non-combatants, etc. Skye chimes in with saying that given the fact the team's only on their second mission, she might as well be team leader, given the dysfunction apparent, and more so, simply that Ward and FitzSimmons "don't like each other."

Coulson's attempted apology toward May

Ward and Fitz arguing

Coulson agrees that there's work to be done, and gives them this great quote:

We still need to iron out the kinks, but Ward, you can speak six languages. Simmons, you have two PHD's in fields I cannot pronounce, and Fitz, you are a rocket scientist, so work it out.

Fitz and Simmons further look into the 0-8-4, concluding that they're lucky their electromagnetic devices didn't set it off earlier, and that it could shoot out an immensely powerful laser, giving them even more reason to worry for the safety of those on the Bus.

Skye tries to fix up her relationship with Ward, bringing him a drink, and explaining her feelings behind the Peruvian uprising: for the first time in history, the downtrodden are combining their forces and working together for a common goal, each one with one part of the solution, so the whole combined could possess the complete solution, which Skye finds both beautiful and inspiring. Ward admits that the two of them see the world differently, and that while Skye finds it admirable that each person brings a piece of the puzzle, Ward was trained to be the "whole solution."

Ward speaking with Skye

While Skye and Ward are connecting, Coulson is becoming suspicious of Reyes, especially due to the fact she's coming onto him far more forcefully than what he remembers. Ward, after noticing that Reye's men aren't drinking their alcohol, subtly tips off Skye. This is all for naught, though, as May is taken out with sleeping gas, and Fitz is caught by another of Reyes' men - effectively, Reyes has taken over the Bus.

Reyes' men prior to taking over the Bus

One of Reyes' men with a scalpel to Fitz's throat

Coulson is held captive by Reyes, as she needs him to verify the change of route to SHIELD headquarters when they call in. If he doesn't, SHIELD will blow the Bus from the sky. While Coulson suggests that maybe that's the best option, as it would keep the 0-8-4 from Reyes' hands, Reyes knows Coulson well enough that he wouldn't risk the lives of his team in such a fashion.

In bondage, the rest of the teams bonds together - Simmons apologizes to Fitz for pushing him into the field, Fitz claims he should have learned kung-fu, and from both Sky and Ward, FitzSimmons learn that May is the "Calvary," and immediately believe that they're going to be okay (as the name has legendary status among all those in SHIELD).

May (off camera), Skye, Simmons, Fitz, and Ward tied up

We learn from Reyes that Peru commissioned the creation of the 0-8-4, but it was lost during a conflict years back. Reyes wants it back so that Peru can end the rebel conflict and stabilize her country again, or as Coulson sees it, "take control over" Peru.

Reyes speaking with a tied-up Coulson

Meanwhile, working together, the five of them formulate a plan (step one, getting untied, becomes an easy one to complete, as May simply breaks her wrist to free her hands, and easily takes out the guard), and are able to set off the 0-8-4, blowing a hole in the side of the plane. Many of Reyes' men get sucked out, and Ward almost suffers the same fate, but is saved by some quick thinking on Skye's part. May is able to get to the cockpit and stabilize the plane, and Reyes is tied up by Coulson after he saves her life.

The five captors discussing how best to get free and save Coulson

Coulson saving Reyes

Ward being saved from flying out the plane by Skye's quick thinking

Coulson, Ward, Skye, Fitz, and Simmons after disaster is averted

At a secret SHIELD base named 'The Slingshot,' the 0-8-4 is flung into the Sun while the team watches. All seems well; May encourages Ward to become Skye's supervising officer, and the team finally seems united, when Skye receives a text from the Rising Tide (a hacker organization she's a member of), and after a delay, replies, "I'm in."

The team watching the 0-8-4 launch off

In a humorous ending, we get a surprise appearance by Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) chastising Coulson for getting the plane blown up after only six days back in the field. He further forbids Coulson from making any additions to the original schematics, after which Coulson quietly informs Fitz that he'll have to scratch the fish tank idea.

"Don't talk to me about authority."

As a whole, 0-8-4 is a pretty fun, albeit occasionally generic, episode.

The plot in itself isn't anything overly special - what really makes it work is the team dynamics and different characters the show has to work with. I discussed my first opinions of the characters in the Pilot, so I'll examine them all again with what we learned from this episode.

Coulson continues to show himself as the type of leader you'd want to be following: he has faith in his team (even when many wouldn't), he has faith in Skye, and he stands up for the actions of his team when push comes to shove. Obviously, the team isn't functioning at it's highest level at the moment, but Coulson consistently believed that his team could work out given time, and he's proven correct. His faith in Skye is well-placed, as she really came through when she saved Ward's life. On a side-note, if she really is working with the Rising Tide, as the ending suggests, I get the sense that Coulson, while believing the best, is aware of the possibility.

His background with Reyes, which seems to be a romantic entanglement, didn't stop him from doing what needed to be done, and while he can harbor emotional feelings toward others, that doesn't make him freeze up when doing his job. At the same time, he shows that he cares about his team - his apology to May, while it ended with a comedic line, was sincere, and one could tell that he really felt bad about the fact May got into a combative situation.

Whatever plot lines down the road Coulson will have to deal with (such as his death, which was alluded to in the pilot), I feel that he'll be strong enough to overcome them, and more so, with his team, I don't see anything being thrown his way that he won't be able to deal with.

As I said in my analysis of the last episode, Ward doesn't see eye-to-eye with Skye at all, though the two of them do connect more in this episode, and if Ward does become Skye's S.O., then the two of them really might be able to connect better. Truth be told, I fully expect some type of romantic sub-plot between the two of them to develop, and it'd probably be pretty cute, given that they're two entirely different types of people, but given the same fact, I don't know if it'd end well. If anything, May's personality is far more in-line with Ward's, and if he ever was looking for some romantic company, he might go in that direction.

All-in-all, though, that wouldn't happen until much more down the road. Ward is a very serious customer, and takes his job extremely seriously. Hopefully he'll grow to have more patience when dealing with Fitz and Simmons, and they really seem to have difficultly communicating (which isn't entirely Ward's fault). Ward was trained in a specific way for a specific task, and breaking that mold will be hard. At the end of this episode, though, when he gives Fitz a friendly pat on the back, perhaps hope is to be had.

We learn a bit more about May, and why Ward looked up to her with such respect in the last episode. Whatever May did in Bahrain, apparently her reputation truly precedes her. At the same time, May seems utterly against the nickname cast onto her, and seems to likely want to forget the whole thing. I don't know if it's some tragic background that we'll eventually get to down the line, but the fact that May's a better fighter than Ward is, yet chooses to pilot the plane, tells us something about her character.

Much like Ward, May doesn't much trust Skye, though it's more due to the fact that Skye's just another untrained individual that May may end up having to protect down the line, which as aforementioned, wasn't in the job description when Coulson recruited her. Mostly, though, May's a bit of a blank slate right now. She's not shown too much of a personality outside of her silent act toward Coulson during his apology, so before much else can be said, I think we really need to know more about May and where she's coming from.

Whatever Skye's up to, I don't know if it'll be too much a concern. Sure, if she's working for the Rising Tide to infiltrate SHIELD, that's a problem, but as she was one of the focus characters of the opening episode, I don't believe for a second that she'll turn away from SHIELD or Coulson during their time of need. Skye's not going anywhere in the long-term, no matter what types of texts she may or may not send out.

Skye's willingness to work with and connect with Ward is an admirable trait. Though the two of them are about as different as can be, she's willing to smooth over their rough beginning and start again with him. If she does train under him, I suspect that she'll quickly begin to harbor romantic feelings toward him, and while Ward, as professional as he is, may avoid a relationship with her, I don't think the same could be said of Skye. She doesn't seem the type to hide her feelings toward others. This may bring an interesting element down the line, in which Ward knows that Skye cares for him, but Ward also suspects that Skye's loyalties are not entirely with SHIELD. Whatever happens between the two of them, it's bound to be interesting.

Lastly, we learn that Simmons pushed Fitz to leave the laboratories and go into the field, a move that Fitz seems to regret given the consistent danger they're in. The two of them are still insanely cute, and I hope we see more episodes in the future with them as the focus, as their mannerisms are deeply enjoyable to witness.

While neither Fitz nor Simmons seems to much care for Ward's personality, Fitz seems to have a more difficult time with him. I suspect that's due to the fact that Ward's a strong, physical man, and if, let's say, Fitz harbors some feelings toward Skye (as seemed to be mildly indicated early on in the episode) or even Simmons, then Fitz could easily see Ward as competition he'd not be able to beat. Like I said, I don't know how much romantic subplots are going to play into the show, but it's something to look out for should they rear their heads.

0-8-4 was a team-building episode, in which a dysfunctional team is given a common goal and finally works together and all become hunky-dory. It's a bit of a played out trope, and for that reason, this episode's on the more generic side, but I still think that it worked out decently well, if only due to the fact that the characters are a hoot to watch. I'd like the show to trend a more unique path down the road, but for the second episode, I think that 0-8-4 is about what one would tend to expect.

Rating: Above Average

Previous episode

Next episode

BrainDead SE01 EP02 - "Playing Politics: Living Life in the Shadow of the Budget Showdown – A Critique"

Episode Name: Playing Politics: Living Life in the Shadow of the Budget Showdown – A Critique

Original Airdate: June 20, 2016

After a recap of last episode is sung to us, we're pretty much where we left off.

The space insects have infested multiple houses, and are moving into Laurel's apartment. She attempts to ward them off with typical bug spray, but to no avail - they just keep coming. Concerned, but having more important things on her mind then insects, she goes to work. Waiting for her is FBI Agent Anthony Onofrio, who wants to ask her a few questions about the incident with Daudier. Aside from the fact that his head exploded, Laurel really doesn't know much. She's pretty certain, though, that it wasn't from a gunshot (one of the EMT's claims they heard a gun firing), and she's almost positive it wasn't because the driver is of Middle Eastern descent. Onofrio gives her his card, and lets her know that should she remember and/or learn anything, to contact him.

Agent Onofrio

While not many constituents are in the office, Laurel rejects her brother's offer to go back home. He has a Democratic caucus meeting to attend, the first since they lost the majority in the Senate (and as Senator Healy's the party Whip, he is expected to be in the hotseat). He is - he's blamed by many for losing Senator Spitz to the Republican Party. Luke is backed up by a fellow Democratic Senator, and instead of blaming him and questioning his position as party Whip, they plan to fight the Republicans. After the meeting, however, the Senator in question tells Luke that if he has some plan, he best get on it, as she can only keep the rest of the members at bay for so long. As Spitz was offered a lot to switch to the Republican Party, Luke states that he'll find the Republican who was pushed aside and bring him over to the Democrats.

Unnamed Democratic Senator (left) standing up for Healy

One of the few constituents, Annie, a young girl with cancer, is trying to raise money for awareness by posing in front of twenty national monuments in twenty days with her father's help. The problem is, because of the shutdown, they're unable to take a picture in front of the Lincoln Memorial. Laurel promises to bring it up to the Senator and do what she can. Luke mostly blows off the request, but does offer to look into it if Laurel can meet up with Gareth and find out which Republican was pushed aside to make room for Spitz.

Annie and her father

Luke convincing Laurel to get information from Gareth

During the meeting, Gareth doesn't apologize, as he feels he did nothing wrong - Senator Wheatus simply changed his mind on helping end the shutdown. He does, however, invite Laurel to the Tax Prom, a prom-type party run by tax lobbyists. After an appearance on a political show, Wheatus offers to end the shutdown if Luke meets him for a meeting the next morning, which he agrees to do.

Meanwhile, chess player Gustav noticed a friend of his is bleeding from his ear. Despite getting him to a hospital, his friend's head explodes, splattering brain matter on his shirt and leaving him in shock. At home, he researches exploding head syndrome, but finding that one's head doesn't actually explode from it. He decides to record some of the brain matter left on his shirt to see if he can learn anything. After some time, he captures footage of a small insect exiting the brain.

Gustav playing chess

Gustav's now-deceased friend

At the Tax Prom, Laurel runs into two former friends - a photographer Stacie, and Abby, who months ago won a grant to write a novel, but now is working for a right-wing organization Help America Rise Again, confounding both Stacie and Laurel. Stacie suggests that the three of them have a girl's night out, get Abby drunk (as she has also stopped drinking), and have fun like they used to, which Laurel agrees with.

Stacie, Laurel's friend

Abby, another of Laurel's old friends

First comes her time with Gareth, though. They poke fun at each other for their respective political beliefs, Laurel eventually saying that D.C. just makes people cynical and former shells of themselves. Gareth gets a call, and taking the opportunity, overhears him talking to Wheatus about at Republican who was screwed over by Spitz. Laurel copies the number down, calls it, and finds that Senator Barneki is the Republican in question. Immediately, she gives this information to her brother.

Laurel and Gareth

Rochelle Daudier, daughter of the poor individual last episode whose head exploded, meets with Laurel as one of the constituents. She's a resident at Mount Vernon hospital, and states that her father's autopsy claimed a fake cause of death. Laurel confirms that her father's head did explode, and is surprised to learn that this happened the day before to another man. Rochelle shows her the two ct scans performed on this man, and shapes inside the brain appear to have moved. She brings this information to Agent Onofrio, who tells her that he'll look into it.

Rochelle Daudier

Laurel speaking with Agent Onofrio

The meeting between Wheatus and Healy doesn't go well - Republicans offer to end the shutdown if Democrats agree to cut spending on Education, Commerce, and Energy. Healy believes the offer to be insane, and suggests they use it against them. Using Annie as a symbol of the damage of the shutdown, Democrats, and Luke Healy in particular, try to embarrass the Republicans.

Girls' night with Laurel, Stacie, and Abby doesn't go well either. Upon questioning Abby on her choice to give up the writing grant and work for Help America Rise Again, she shoots back at Laurel for not finishing a single documentary since college and having a rich, Senator brother to make her life easier. She leaves prematurely after scolding Laurel, leaving Stacie and Laurel quite confused.

Laurel and Stacie

Abby, Laurel and Stacie

Happy that he's able to commit Republican Senator Barneki to switching parties, Luke again sleeps with Scarlett. She's obviously uncomfortable, though, which Luke notices, and decides to leave before Scarlett's able to infect him with the alien insects.

Senator Luke Healy and Scarlett

The next day, Republicans uncover some damaging information about Annie's father (the fact he's an atheist, for one) and the news airs it, along with an interview with Senator Barneki, who talks about how desperate the Democratic Party is to end the shutdown by offering information about what he was offered to switch parties, embarrassing the Democratic Party. Laurel learns that Barneki's number that Gareth wrote down was simply a ploy to see if she'd try to get him to switch. Because of the recent fiascos, Healy is removed from the Democratic Whip position.

At night, Laurel is able to convince a guard to let Annie and her father into see the Lincoln Memorial, and after reading a portion of the Gettysburg Address, feels inspired. She finds photos online from Gustav of the bugs on a conspiracy website, and decides to contact him. Before she can, Abby calls and offers for Laurel to come over for some tea. Laurel takes a raincheck, but lets her know that when she has time, she'll come over. After hanging up, we see that Stacie is over at Abby's, locked in the bathroom. As the space insects start pouring into the room, Abby plays "You Might Think" loudly to block out the screams.

Laurel and Annie gazing upon the Lincoln Memorial

Stacie, locked in Abby's bathroom, about to be infested by insects

I enjoyed the first episode of the series - it was pretty fun and rather amusing at parts. And luckily, the trend continues.

BrainDead is turning out to be quite a quirky show. The recap of the previous episode done in song? I certainly hope that they keep doing that, because while at first it took me for an unpleasant, tacky surprise, upon re-watching it, I think it fits the tone of this series rather nicely. I'm unsure if any past recaps have been done in song form, but it certainly seems a moderately unique technique.

Things are heating up in Washington. Those infected by the alien insects are far more partisan and uncompromising than they were before, and it's getting ugly. Attacking Annie for having an atheist father is certainly not beyond the Republican Party, but Senator Wheatus' utter unwillingness to end the shutdown unless the Democratic Party chooses to cut Education, Commerce, and Energy is, like Luke Healy said, "insane." What's the aim of these alien organisms? I don't know if they even have one, but right now, it's not overly clear.

What's also not clear at this moment is why some people, once infected with the insects, meet their death by exploding head, while others assimilate, quit drinking alcohol and start a fruit juice diet. At first, I thought it was just making people more partisan to their political beliefs, and those who had their head blow up were apolitical/had no political beliefs. But Doctor Daudier was sure to have at least some political ideas regarding scientific spending, and more to the point, Abby, Laurel's old friend, seemed to be a girl with few inhibitions and little to no interest in politics, and yet, here she is, working for Help America Rise Again, a right-wing organization, and more so, she's spouting off support for Trump. So obviously, my "politically neutral heads reject aliens by exploding" theory has been shown to be wrong. We'll see what happens to Stacie following her infestation, but it's not clear to me why some people take to this and others don't.

But let's look into some individual characters. Laurel's relationship with Gareth has hit quite the snag in this episode - I expected Gareth to be one of Laurel's partners in discovering the truth behind these aliens, but at the moment, it's looking less likely, especially with new characters such as Rochelle Daudier and Gustav Triplett being introduced. Rochelle I'm less sure about insofar as future importance of the show, but Gustav seems to be quite an important character. Laurel reached out to him at the end of this episode, so perhaps she and him will meet up next week and trade information. Regardless, I do think his addition is an interesting and important dynamic moving forward.

Back to Laurel, though. She's becoming the conniving, backstabbing person that personifies exactly what she hates about politics. Even though she's not infected, in a way, she's still playing the partisan game she hates. And despite Gareth's generally polite nature, he too is being sucked into backstabbing and tricking others for his Senator's gain. Neither one seems overly happy about this, but can they let go of each others' slights and work together? Over time, I do think that's likely, but insofar as the next episode's concerned, I'm thinking that Gareth will be on the backburner.

Another character who's place in the show I'm not yet sure about is Agent Onofrio. Despite his comments early in the episode about Daudier's exploding head being linked to potential terrorism, he seems like he genuinely wants to help and is interested in the information that Laurel brings to him. What he'll do with this new-found information isn't yet clear - he is still an FBI agent, after all. Still, he seems like a positive character, and while he's rather one-dimensional at the moment, perhaps over the time of this series, he'll grow into almost a hero-type character.

Luke's becoming more and more unbearable, by design, I'd think. He's the typical politician who cares more about his position in the party than he does the struggles that other people go through. He did avoid being infected this episode, though I expect he won't be able to avoid it for long. He was never going to be one of the focus characters, and once he gets infected, than Laurel will really need to figure out what's going on. Infecting a friend who Laurel's not seen in awhile is one thing, but Luke would be much more close to home.

I'm not sure where this show is planning on going, which is a good feeling. While I expect Gareth to be an important player down the road, who's to say that he doesn't get infected next episode? Wherever this show takes us, I do think it's going to be quite the exciting and sometimes suspenseful ride. 

The pilot set this show up well, and luckily, at least based off this episode, things are still going pretty good. Hope to hear "You Might Think" more as the series goes on, though. Until the end came along, I almost thought it'd be absent. It's just a small touch in a quirky series.

Rating: Above Average

Previous episode

Next episode

Survivor: Borneo SE01 EP10 - "Crack in the Alliance"

Episode Name: Crack in the Alliance
Original Airdate: August 2, 2000

Below are the remaining contestants.

Rattana:

Sean - Doctor

Gervase - Youth basketball coach

Kelly - River guide

Colleen - College student

Rudy - Retired Navy Seal

Richard - Corporate trainer

Susan - Truck driver

Susan's pleased that Jenna's been voted off - she talked too much, and the quiet really makes Susan happy. Related, Gervase is sure that there's an alliance, as it's only been former Pagong members voted off since the Merge. On the other hand, Sean's not 100% sure there is an alliance - he's not been asked to partake in one, and while he admits it's possible, he isn't entirely sure of one's existence.

However, Sean does decide to quit voting alphabetically. He realizes that people just piggybacked off of his vote, making it easier to vote certain people off. From now on, he'll vote in his own best interest. 

Because of Richard's arrogance and cockiness, Gervase and Colleen wanted Richard gone at the last vote - in fact, they still do now. Richard's aware that there are those against him, and so decides to catch less fish, and wait until there are just four people left until he goes all-out on providing food. For now, however, he'll catch the minimum fish necessary. Susan is told this plan, and she agrees with Richard - he shouldn't be bothered by feeding the mouths of people who don't appreciate it.

Susan explains via confessional that she's trying to play the part of a "dumb redneck," in hopes that her tribe mates will underestimate her and more so, people will be willing to speak to her about their plans, such as Richard. She speaks to Kelly, and offers to help Kelly take out Richard once they get to the final three (apparently, they believe that Rudy will be taken out at four). Part of Susan's trust of Kelly comes from the fact she reminds her of a friend she lost long ago, and she states in a confessional that she will not "fuck her" (obviously bleeped out).

Susan explaining her roll as "dumb redneck."

The Tribe gets word that Gervase's fourth child has been born - he receives a celebratory cigar. This spurs conversation about Gervase's relationships and the fact that he's not married yet to the child's mother, something that Susan and Colleen can sympathize with, but Rudy disagrees on, claiming that children "born out of wedlock" and without a family unit are the causes for half of the problems the country has.

The Reward challenge is one of balance - in three legs, tribe members must carefully balance themselves as they walk across bamboo poles. By the end, Richard and Gervase remain, with Gervase winning quite easily. The reward is two-fold - 1) a hot slice of pizza, and 2) a call home to whoever he wants. Gervase shares the pizza slice with the tribe, and is told that early the next morning, he'll be able to make his phone call (as it's 3:00 a.m. in New Jersey at the time).

Reward challenge

On the 29th day, tribe members ponder the fact they've been on the island for almost a month, along with further discussions of Gervase's choice to not marry his child's mother. Gervase, meanwhile, talks to his girlfriend via the phone call, and finds that everyone is doing well. The game can't stay paused forever, though, as Richard and Susan talk about the strength of their alliance, Richard still believing that Kelly is with them, though admit it's possible she's not.

Gervase talking to girlfriend

Gervase's girlfriend and newborn child

Kelly confesses that she never wanted to be part of an alliance, as she sees them as "conniving, dirty, and untrue to herself." Gervase sees this struggle she's going through, and hopes that she gets out of the alliance and fully gets behind former Pagong members. Kelly likens her deal with Richard as a "deal with the devil," and claims she is officially leaving the alliance. Colleen, like Gervase, notices Kelly is on shaky ground, and hopes too that she leaves the Tagi Four.

The Immunity challenge revolves around who can build a fire quickest to burn some rope, releasing a flag. Gervase has problems keeping his torch lit, and really, the only person with quick success is Richard, who wins immunity seemingly without too much competition.

Richard watching his rope catch fire

Sean offers to get into an alliance with Gervase and Colleen, if, and only if, they can pull Kelly over and make it a sure thing. Richard is concerned still that Kelly has switched over, and muses that tonight will be an interesting Tribal Council.

Jeff asks, at Tribal Council, about Sean's now-aborted alphabet strategy. Kelly states that she's voting off those who are competition and those who are pissing her off. Susan likens the alliance that exists on Rattana to lobbyists helping politicians, and defends the idea of alliances, and specifically, defends the existence of the Tagi alliance.

The vote count, with those who voted in brackets:

Gervase: 5 [Susan, Richard, Rudy, Sean, Kelly]

Sean: 2 [Gervase, Colleen]

Gervase after his torch is snuffed

We have some potentially major developments this time around, mainly surrounding Susan, Sean, and Kelly.

Susan's playing the role of a dumb redneck so people will underestimate her, and you know what? I think it's been working. I've thought for a little while that Susan was probably the second most dangerous player on the island, and this further confirms that. More so, I firmly believe that Susan will stick with Kelly to the final two - Susan's not one to get emotional during confessionals, but she started almost breaking down when discussing the friend she lost years back, and how Kelly reminds her of that friend. Susan won't screw Kelly over. It just won't happen. If her deal with Kelly to go to the final two after throwing out Richard works, she could very well end up the winner.

Same could be said for Kelly, though, also. She's definitely more friendly with former members of Pagong, and as they'd make up a good portion of the Jury, she may be able to rely on their votes, and if she can get Sean to vote for her, then it's possible Kelly could win just as much as Susan. That's, of course, assuming they make it to the final two, which is far from guaranteed, though I do think that if Kelly sticks with Susan, the two of them have a fair chance.

I honestly can't tell what's on Kelly's mind - one minute, she's claiming she's done with alliances and the next, she votes with her (former?) alliance to take Gervase out. Was she simply playing the former Pagong members? Since she stated in private confessionals how conniving alliances seem to her, it seems unlikely. Really, I think Kelly's just confused. She seems back with the Tagi Four now (Richard doesn't seem all that concerned like I thought he'd be, but perhaps he has a plan), but given her past (her vote for Sean last episode being the biggest warning sign), I wouldn't trust her whatsoever.

I think it's a positive sign that Sean's quitting his alphabet strategy, but it's a bit late. He's unlikely to get in with the Tagi Four at this point (unless Kelly completely jumps ship), and even if he somehow managed to do so, he'd likely be the the first person voted out upon reaching the Final Four. I simply don't see a path forward for him whatsoever, entirely by his doing.

Gervase was originally going to be voted out last Tribal Council, but the vote was switched to Jenna, mostly, I'm guessing, because Sean was vocally planning on voting for Jenna. It probably wouldn't have made much of a difference, though. Despite Kelly's apparent flakiness, she stuck with the Tagi alliance this episode, and Sean did also (though he probably did it more for himself then for the alliance), and as such, Jenna, Gervase, and Colleen were screwed from the beginning.

And really, that's where we are. Richard has a good hold on the game, as does Susan, and I don't think at this point Kelly can really undermine the Tagi Four. If Kelly sticks with them, then Colleen and Sean are gone next. After that? Well, I'd be surprised if Rudy pulled out a win, so really, it's down to Kelly, Susan, and Richard. Any of the three could realistically win - I'm rooting for Richard (he is arrogant, as Colleen and Gervase has said, but at the moment, he has perfect reason to be), but I wouldn't be averse to a victory by Susan. Kelly winning would leave a bit of a bad taste in my mouth, though.

Gervase didn't play that great a game. He constantly didn't do work around camp, and in confessionals, gloated about that, stating that his charm and personality got him by. And on Pagong, it did. He and Joel were best buds, and for the most part, he got along with the other members well also (aside from, of course, B.B.). But Survivor's a cutthroat game, and Gervase didn't have it in him to play like that. When Joel tried to get his tribe to form an alliance once they got to the Merge, what did Gervase do? He voted for Susan, when no other Pagong member did so. Afterwards, he tried to pull something together, but who does his alliance gun for? Not Rudy. Not Susan. No, they went after Sean, who was supposed to vote with them, giving the Tagi Four an advantage anyway. So no, Gervase wasn't a great player, nor was he particularly good. Nice enough guy, but it's good to see a less serious player kicked off so we can now see what happens with those who really want it.

As for Colleen, well, she's a sweet girl. But she was terribly naive coming into this game, and I think next episode, unless she wins immunity (in which case, Sean's gone), she'll be eaten alive. One last note - Rudy's really a blast from the past. Using the phrase "out of wedlock"? Almost unthinkable. Rudy's a fun guy, in an awkward way, but unless he somehow falls into the final two, I don't believe he has much of a chance.

As aforementioned, right now, the game's Susan's, Richard's, or Kelly's to win. The other three don't have an inkling of a path to victory.

Previous episode

Next episode