Extant- Episode 6

This is super abridged because I couldn’t/didn’t want to concentrate on the live tweet with the injustice that is Ferguson, MO right now. It took over my twitter, which is good, since Boston news ain’t covering shit.

Man (“top scientist”) gets circles in his head and gets all crazy over Molly’s baby/fetus that’s incubating in a fish tank and murders someone and destroys thousands of dollars worth of equipment..

Ethan is having dreams even though John didn’t invent that yet.

Julie flirts with a babe at the gym (who checks out her stellar bionic legs). She was part of the team that designed her new friend’s bionic joints. And this is the kind of thing that I like, that she’s a woman of science but can use it to flirt -not with her married coworker. 

Molly goes off to the office to nose around. She asks Sam for another session, there’s a security breach. The male astronaut (the other one affected by the spores) is the one who caused it. Molly listens in and hears the dirt that Alan has on Sam. 

Odin, Julie’s crush sees Ethan at the lab. Odin comes in to get his joints checked. Ethan creeped out Molly by breaking all of the pencils to draws those circles. Julie brags about the work she did designing Ethan, and Odin agrees.

Meanwhile, John, Krieger and Molly have a meeting of the minds about “the circles” Krieger thinks it’s a distress signal. Krieger then separates and gets flogged by ISEA’s head of security.

Sparks’s daughter was impregnated by aliens and died on another ship. She ejected herself into space. Molly somehow concludes from this that the baby is still alive. That makes no sense.  

And there will be 2 hours of this next week. ohhh boy.

There are things I enjoy about this show, but the pacing is weirdly slow especially in the past couple episodes. And I wish we would get to the part where things start to make sense… like whose fucking baby is this? And what does it have to do with Sparks’s daughter.

Also I hope that Ethan stopped killing birds. 

Extant- Episode 3

John comforts Molly with science after her miscarriage. He had already been working on an android and decides that they should raise the program. Molly, in her grief, volunteered to go into space. Molly is remembering all this while she lays in bed.

John wakes up and proposes that they throw Molly a birthday celebration since she missed her birthday in space.

Ethan is nervous about orientation. Molly is going for an invigorated run, her health monitors encourage her to slow down, she sees a spaceship blast off. Orientation doesn’t go so hot, There are angry villagers there who call Ethan “a toaster.” 

Molly tries to see Harman but he’s not there, he’s drawn weird circle patterns (like the one that appeared on Molly’s stomach) on the wall. Sam is disappointed that Molly still hasn’t told John about the pregnancy. She says some version of, “the timing isn’t right.” 

At the party Sam takes Molly’s blood (which is weird). Molly’s dress is fantastic.

Then Molly collapses and sees herself in space with Marcus. A bit later, John’s lab tech tries to flirt and insert herself into their family structure, but John pays no mind. Marcus’s brother arrives at the party, and Molly has a misunderstanding when he says that he sees Marcus everywhere.

The power goes out. John finds something moving in a box and finds it’s a chicken that Ethan caught earlier. Ethan doesn’t understand what things need food or water. John says, “no more birds and no more secrets.” That prompts Ethan to say that “mom says secrets are okay if you don’t want someone to worry.” John confronts Molly. Then she confesses.

Sparks said that the ISE implanted something in her without her consent. Which is gross and weird. 

As the party wraps up Molly looks for Tim (Marcus’s brother) to say goodbye. Her husband keeps saying that he is not there. She remembers him next to her in a group photo, which is on a screen… but there’s a empty space next to her. SO YOU ARE TELLING ME: THAT NO ONE STOOD NEXT TO HALLE AT HER OWN DAMN BIRTHDAY PARTY?! John tries to calm her but she says she’s losing it, she insists she saw Tim there, saw him talking to other people. The secrets all come out and she manically recounts her hallucinations. She goes off with Sparks because Sam will be there and something bad is happening and she trusts Sam.

Sam tries to go to her office but is held up by security, she sneaks around and shee’s that they are taking her files. Knowing they can’t be trusted she tries to call Molly, she gets John, expresses concern and then texts Molly to get out of the car. 

Molly goes for might over cunning. I thought she would fake morning sickness for sure. Anyway, Molly grabs the wheel, the car swerves and she gets out and runs as we see weird circles protruding on her torso. John is behind them and picks her up.

This show is getting serious. So much craziness, and what could ISE be up to? Halle Berry is just so phenomenal. Her/Molly’s meltdown after discovering the truth about Tim was astonishingly painful to watch. She has no idea who to trust and those she trusts are in danger… with still no clue as to why. And the plot doesn’t center around Ethan. And for Molly the baby she is carrying isn’t even the main focus., she wants to know why she has been betrayed, not gushing over possibilities. 

Which is good, because it’s majorly sick that they implanted something in her against her will and caused her to have abnormal brain scans and jeopardized her physical and mental well being as well as her family life and career ENTIRELY. 

Is Harlan real? 

I hate that Julie is being written as a romantic rival for Molly. I enjoy that John entertains none of it (and that he is supportive of Molly even when dealing with insane situations). Julie being flirty toward John and catty towards Molly her behavior makes it seem as though she is infringing on thei parenting and inserting herself into their family situation. But rather Ethan is her life’s work, too. Not just John’s.It would be nice if she was portrayed as John’s colleague and not a potential hook up.

Comic-book Catch up #4

Featuring Ms Marvel #3, Tomb Raider #3, Lazarus #8

Ms Marvel #3

Kamala Khan is experiencing the backlash from sneaking out. Her parents are upset, she’s still upset with Bruno. Bruno has his own mayhem happening, his brother asks him to steal from his register at the convenience store. Zoe is getting all the attention for getting saved while Kamala tries to get a grip on her powers and ends up in hiding even though she’s the hero in this story. She’s worrying she’s outgrowing her life “like a pair of pants that no longer fit” and in the next moment she’s confronting both teenage drama and an armed robber head on. G Willow Wilson writes teenage well, and she provides insight to the way that Kamala’s culture separates her from others in Jersey City, but also how it bonds her with her friends. She questions authority but is realistically insecure and charming. 

Tomb Raider #3

We’re treated to a bit more backstory on the hard hitting Reyes. In Dublin, her daughter is in imminent danger from the Solarii cult. They want the artifact Lara stole. Only, she still doesn’t remember it. She tries to lie, but the cult members don’t buy it. Suddenly, someone takes aim and shoots the gangsters and Lara breaks a glass over someone’s head. Meanwhile, Sam is in trouble. Lara and Reyes make a break for it, with the men in hot pursuit, Reyes and her daughter split from Lara (I love when characters don’t all orbit the main protagonist, btw. So Reyes calling Lara out on being the cause of this, on being bad luck. Worthwhile). Lara clubs a goon with the a busker’s guitar and grabs his gun. Reyes’ daughter says she was too mean to Lara. Lara finds out that Sam has been taken and throws down, but one goon sneaks up on her- she averts disaster but causing a soccer riot. But the goons just keep coming. Luckily, Reyes shows her daughter what it means to be loyal and double backs for Lara, with a “Don’t thank me, it was Miss Manners here.” And Lara declares they’ll go back to Yamatai to stop this and save Sam.

Sam Nishimura has the best answering machine message of all time. “I’m either off shooting an award winning documentary or passed out drunk. You know what to do.”

Lazarus #8

The first 5 were amazing, a new series with so much promise. One with a female lead (and still more females with their own agendas) that creates a world that is bleak, violent and corporate. One of all out class warfare. How could I not be in love? But the momentum has slowed, flashbacks to Forever’s childhood bog down the series instead of advance it. Currently, Forever is looking for and IED while the Barretts are looking to go get jobs with the Carlyles, they’re headed for Denver. Them and everyone else. Like pioneers travelling to a new frontier, to their last ditch effort: the road is hard. Worse when Forever finds that Denver is the target of this attack. But her father refuses to cancel the lift. Forever is in a race to stop the plot in the final pages. but it won’t be resolved til next month. 

Almost Human episode 9

This awesome episode begins with a repurposed service bot purse snatching. The bot is “destroyed” and put into the evidence locker. It reawakens and finds a head. Attaches the head onto it’s body and walks out of the evidence locker.

Cop: “How’d you get in there?”

Hot android: “Oh, I’ve been in there a long time.”

Turns out the “brain” is that of the homicidal XRN model. Took out 26 cops, waves of MXs before being “destroyed.” All due to ONE XRN. Kennex freaks out, and Dorian was decommissioned before it happened. They rush to find the XRN before she can wreak too much havoc. She finds Dr. Vaughn’s “repair shop”  where she switched bodies, leaving that of the service bot in favor of a smoking hot sexbot. Dr. Vaughn turns out to be the mind behind both the DRN model and the XRN. Dr. Vaughn says that everyone looks at him as a monster, that he misses science. “Dannika” the XRN is steal processors, presumably to create more XRN models. Dr. Vaughn says he’ll help, set things right, restore his reputation. He makes something that -if stabbed directly into the base of her neck- will take her out.

While Dannika targets an event for Councilman Hart, people get killed mercilessly and Kennex arrives, goes all out action hero, stabs the juice into the back of her neck and …nothing. it’s bunk.

Dr. Vaughn, back at the station is no where to be found.

Dorian fights Dannika, it’s personal for him since they have the same creator, she’s walking proof that he could go bonkers and kill everyone. A great fight scene ensues which ends with Dorian impaled by rebar. Kennex jumps back in, whacks her with a pipe, pulls the pin on her grenade and kicks her with his synthetic leg into an elevator shaft.

Dannika’s done, but Vaughn is still on the loose, the final scenes revealing that the attack on Councilman Hart was not random, he ordered that Vaughn’s license to practice robotics be revoked and that his bots be decommissioned and that Vaughn was the one who programed the service bot who freed Dannika.

Stahl shows her face 3/4 the way through the episode, and contributed by watching youtube. She is only around to drop cookies for the main characters, I kind of hate her.

But Kennex did that awesome thing where they save each other’s butts and then crack jokes, but still get a little sentimental while Dorian wonders if he’s a ticking time bomb… something the less than stable Kennex knows about. There was also some more world building and meta plot about “The Wall” on the other side it’s anarchy (think Peachtree in Dredd).

This episode featured John Laroquette as Dr. Vaughn and Fast and the Furious 6’s Gina Carano as fatal XRN.

Dracula- Episode 6

Dracula dreams of sunlight

Browning tries to convince Lady Jayne that Grayson is a vampire. She assures him, as head huntsman… and as someone who has spent quite a lot of time with him, that she would know if he was Nosferatu. But others are noticing that although Grayson runs a business they have never seen him out at a daytime event. 

At a lovely restaurant a waiter is performing a trick for Mina, Lucy and Harker. Mina giggles, Lucy looks annoyed and Harker full out ignores the man. Grayson leaves Lady Jayne behind at their table to impress Mina with how the trick is performed. And then does one of his own as an apology for the abrupt exit at their engagement party. He offers to pay for their meal and drinks.

After feasting on his dime Mina and Harker run home through the rain, Mina dancing and laughing. Then they consummate their relationship. AFter a shadowy night of pasiion, they plan to set a date to be married. Then Mina says something about studying to accomplish and Harker jokes that he is still playing second fiddle to her work with Van Helsing. (Except that two episodes ago this was not a “joke” and their relationship nearly ended because he did not want a woman with ambition)

Harker then meets with Grayson to discuss the dirt on those that captured Renfield. 

Renfield presents Grayson with a document: a telegram regarding an auction for the Dresden Triptych. Davenport finds out and now HE wants it to get at Grayson.

Grayson wins part of British Imperial Coolant in a card game.

A British Imperial Coolant event is being held in a solarium in the middle of the day. If Grayson can not attend, he will lose his share.

Mina is examining the blood samples (that are Grayson’s but she doesn’t know that) The blood is still alive despite the cells duration outside of the body. Mina injects the blood into a dead rat. She waits briefly for it to react… but it does not, so she stuffs it away… only then does the rat twitch. 

Lucy meets with Lady Jayne who invited her after noticing the way Lucy gazed upon Mina Murray. Lady Jayne says that she had been with many females and that it is a natural part of maturation. She softly strokes Lucy and convinces Lucy that Mina loves her, too, and that she should confess her feelings to Mina.

Van Helsing tells Grayson that he’s had a breakthrough with the sunlight serum (that will allow the vampire to walk in the day) and Grayson optimistically insists that they try it out on him tomorrow.

MIna attempts to return the sample to Van Helsing’s lab… but she is caught. Van Helsing discharges her. So she keeps the sample. Then she calls Van Helsing out. She reanimated dead cheek cells using the sample and then repeated the experiment to be sure. Van Helsing invites her back in and tries to say it is a microscopic parasite found in Sumatra. She doesn’t buy it. He grabs for a mallet. 

But Mina relents, she says it’s because her mother died while she was young. She wishes to cure death. She convinces herself that she saw only what she wished to. That she projected her needs.

Lady Jayne presents Browning with evidence that Grayson has RSVPed to a daytime even. Browning says that he probably won’t show, and if he is a vampire, will the Huntsman be able to kill him?

While Harker and his future Mrs. ride around on a carousel, they are interrupted by Davenport, who gives Harker a ticket to a play, A Doll’s House, where he sees an actress, who he thought was a bookkeeper… he then realizes that Grayson has set him up, knowing that he would give evidence of General Shaw to the papers against Grayson’s wishes.

I’m a little baffled on this one… what exactly is going on here? There’s a ton going on… I missed it.

Lucy helps Mina pick out a fashionable dress… Mina is distant. Mina also created a vampire rat not too long ago, should we be concerned about that?

Mina tells Lucy that she believes that Van Helsing is deceiving her, for the substance could revolutionize medicine… why would he hide it? Then she apologizes and says that Lucy must find talk of research so dull. Lucy, proving she would be a better partner, says “Mina, not while you are speaking.”  

Lucy confesses her love, but Mina turns away. She Is suspicious, says that Mina under minds Jonathon because she wants Mina for herself not to protect her as the friend that Mina needs.

Lucy leaves in tears, pushing past Harker as he enters.

Van Helsing straps Grayson to a machine that will augment his blood pressure so the serum can be injected. BY A HUGE AND TERRIFYING MULTINEEDLED APPARATUS. Renfield thinks this is a bad idea, but Grayson says that they can’t win unless they go “All-in”

 He makes his appearance, but starts burning up in mere minutes. The sunlight serum prospects seem hopeless, but for now that board and Brotherhood are quieted.

He confronts the actress and drinks her… healing himself.

The next episode isn’t set to air until January 3. Will Lucy and Mina make up? Will Mina keep experimenting behind Van Helsing’s back? Will Harker get decapitated?

These are my main concerns!

This episode was less angsty than the last two, which was nice for me. I still feel badly for Lucy (and do not know why Lady Jayne provoked her, saying Mina looked on Lucy with the same affection) but I am glad it was out in the open. Mina’s response was not homophobic, but honest. She called Lucy’s motivations into question. 

Almost Human: Episode 4

“The Bends”

Almost Human gets back to it’s Dredd influence in this episode that has Detective Kennex investigating a violent gang that creates designer drugs from algae.

The episode begins with a man (wearing a wire) and a “cook” getting a meeting with a drug Kingpin, known as the Bishop. Turns out the man is wearing a wire. Undercover. The two infiltrators end up dead.

Dorian and John are having a meal at a Japanese restaurant. Well, John is. Dorian (who doesn’t eat) wants to leave. John shows off his knowledge of Japanese culture and says it’s rude to leave before finishing a meal and that they will leave when he is done. Dorian speaks to the chef in Japanese and orders John a LIVE snail. Eat up. Don’t be rude, huh? (John, to his credit, eats the slimy creature.)

Back at the precinct, it is discovered that the man killed was a cop… but that he had no current undercover cases. So what was he doing there? Was he dirty? If he was, why would he have been wearing a wire. The man’s name was Cooper, he was a friend of John’s (who he hadn’t seen in 5 years) and his trunk was full of drugs. Cooper’s boss comes in to speak to Maldonado and he tells her that recently Cooper had been going off the rails. 

John doesn’t buy it. After getting a tip from Coop’s wife, they head up to a remote cabin to search for clues, anything to give away Cooper’s motivation. And they find a receiver that Cooper’s wire was transmitting to. The show doesn’t dwell on it, but they listen to the meeting, Cooper trying to get the Bishop to say that he distributes “the Bends” and the hear him about to die on the recording.

John demands that Maldonado send him in undercover. Maldonado declines. Says he can’t pull it off. He doesn’t have the background in chemistry needed. But they know someone who does. Rudy! The man who refurbished Dorian! They prep him as best they can in such a short time… which is not well. But after some bumps (like introducing himself by his real name), Rudy get’s to create and proves himself valuable. He even gets to meet the real Bishop (Coops boss, Alex).

They figure out it’s an inside job when Rudy is forced to swallow the anti-serum to the liquid GPS that Rudy had choked down earlier. With no way to track Rudy, Kennex and Dorian start ummm… questionably legal investigative techniques.

Rudy pulls a daring escape when “the Bishop” gets concerned that his henchman isn’t answering his phone. He escapes with a bullet to the arm. Dorian saves him by decapitating an android. John catches Alex. And then later he begrudgingly takes them to a cop bar for celebratory beers.

But to go into more detail: When John and Dorian press the Henchman for info about Rudy’s whereabouts… they out and out torture him, shoving fingers into his bullet wounds (you can tell me they ‘had to’ I might agree). But Alex is blatantly unable to escape, flee or fight John. He is immobile could be easily detained… but he shouts at John and tells him that he’s a Captain and he’ll get away with it, says that no one will believe in John. And John shoots him dead. Just like that. The show seemed to brush it off, and no one from the department asked about the circumstances (even though investigation would have shown the Alex was sitting on the ground bleeding where John shot him in the chest), just ‘yay, it’s over’. Does John have less faith in the system he helps uphold? was he overcome with a need for revenge? I NEED TO KNOW. Because without knowing the internal motivation …and frankly, maybe even with it… that was MURDER. 

Minka Kelly’s detective Stahl is still largely relegated to the sidelines while John and Dorian do all the investigating. But next week’s sneak peeks make it seem that is changing.

Dorian and John’s buddy cop awesomeness is awesome. That live snail thing was epic. Dorian, as a synthetic, is not viewed as a real cop (even though he does all the cop stuff John does), so John taking him to the cop bar (after Dorian’s all banged up and has exposed glowing purple wires protruding from his face, making it obvious that he is a synthetic) is pretty rad. Because they are friends. And they can count on each other. John has proved that he’ll risk himself for Dorian and that he values him… but John has also proved to be unstable and vengeful.

What do you think so far?

Things That Are Cool

Since it’s hot, and Florida is disappointing.

JK Rowling wrote a book under an alias. Which wouldn’t be that interesting except that her alias was a man with a background in the army and private security. And the book was a gritty crime novel. Oh man, anyone could be JK Rowling.

First human head transplant is now possible. Frankenstein is now possible.

People who think they are werewolves.

Technology run amuck? 1 year old buys car with her dad’s smart phone.

Game of Thrones review tomorrow. Lots of reading before then, bye for now, my friends!