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In two words: You. Can't.
From the beginning, The Passage has functioned under a sense of inevitability. Not just because we all know the direction this show has to go in considering the nature of the beast, but also because the creators have done a great job of creating layers of remove, connection, and intent. The humans were never really in control and the more screen time given to the Virals the clearer that has become. After Paulson's reveal last week that the Virals were going to escape, but that the humans were going to be the ones to let them out, the clock has been ticking down to the ill-fated clusterfuck of an experiment conducted by the egregiously idiotic Dr. Pet.
In this episode, we are bludgeoned with bad decisions and ominous visuals that steer us to the phenomenal ending promised by all the teaser trailers released prior to the first episode airing.
* Sister Lacey and that Revelation sky.
* Clark and Babcock in the Basement.
* The DOD, now Special Weapons, Grand Poobah Dumb Ass showing up at the front door. You know whenever the government head honcho appears things are about to take a turn for the stupid.
The episode was less dynamic than last week, concerned more with moving pieces into place in order to set us up for the coming apocalypse. Clark continued to be mind-numbingly idiotic. He's been lying to everyone for the last two or three episodes and when finally confronted by Dr. Sykes and given an out, once again, he lies and walks away. She calls him on his bullshit directly and he doesn't blink. It makes me wonder if his total enthrallment to Babcock, who apparently is about to get the Clark!Pet she always wanted, has anything to do with her natural born charm (re: skills at manipulation) as posited by Sykes or if it's just that he's a follower. For all that he's in charge of the other solider boys, Clark is a man who asks no questions, doing what he's told and not much more. The lashes out at Sykes regarding that very valuable skill set as it regards his appropriation of Amy for Project Noah, and it's a particularly apt burn.
Sykes sits up on her high horse a little here and it grates. Picking and choosing morals, the lesser of two evils, as it were doesn't make her any more likable, nor does it reduce her culpability for the mess that's been created. That said, she does ultimately take ownership of the fact that they didn't know what they were doing and that the project is a failure and should be ended before it gets any more out of control. I can appreciate a lady who knows how to put her big girl panties on. I especially appreciate it that she tried, in her way, to rectify the problem by helping Brad and Amy to escape. She does it so matter-of-factly and without a moment's of hesitation. Loved it!
The arrival of the guy from the DOD is the beginning of the end and ties in nicely with the episode title. You can't outrun the end of the world when you're too busy dashing head long into it. Dr. Pet's another egregiously idiotic Dumb Ass with no real clue. He reminds me of Jurassic Park and the hubris of man in the face of god and nature, trying to control things beyond their understanding. The first scene during the telepathic link was interesting and clever. So caught up in the illusion of his control and totally buying into the myth of his own genius, Dr. Pet puts Wilson through his paces assuming that he is guiding this moments. It's clear that Wilson is humoring him, the audience recognizes it even as Dr. Pet does not.
There is no getting away ...
Other things:
* I'm not sure how to read Anthony. I love the warning. I love that he comes to Brad in a dream of peace and love. I LOVE how menacing he also was. Now that he's on the inside, having made his decision, I'd love to see him really work against Fanning to protect Amy. Whether that is truly true, remains to be seen.
* Brad and Amy, STILL, for the win. "You want family. That's me." I love that he is very upfront with her and to the point. I can't wait to see how they navigate her burgeoning abilities and the havoc that it's bound to wreck.
* Four episodes in and I still wonder at the lackadaisical use surveillance equipment. Brad and Amy plan like a whole escape in white room and no one comes busting in, like ever, which suggests that there are no microphones or cameras in there. What's up with that, man. I would think that given the rapid changes that can happen as a result of the virus, they would be on 24/7 monitoring.
* Mind reading Amy. She can't control it and I don't think she was lying when she told the DOD guy that she couldn't read minds. I think that at THAT moment she couldn't and I also think that Amy is savvy enough tor recognize a bad guy when she sees one. Her crazy psyonic scream or whatever was interestingly exhausting and I wonder what that means. Like her energy expenditures.
* As much as I'm enjoying the Dr Lila and Sister Lacey show, it's a little out of step with the rest of the narrative. It feels like a separate show and I'll be glad when they get folded back into the Wolgast/Amy narrative more closely.
* Dr. Lear is a boss. The Tim Fanninng smack down was awesome although Lear realization regarding Elizabeth's new condition was devastating. And how redonk that this whole thing is about a girl (in a sideways kind of way cause what it's really about, as Dr. Lear so aptly identified, is winning).
From the beginning, The Passage has functioned under a sense of inevitability. Not just because we all know the direction this show has to go in considering the nature of the beast, but also because the creators have done a great job of creating layers of remove, connection, and intent. The humans were never really in control and the more screen time given to the Virals the clearer that has become. After Paulson's reveal last week that the Virals were going to escape, but that the humans were going to be the ones to let them out, the clock has been ticking down to the ill-fated clusterfuck of an experiment conducted by the egregiously idiotic Dr. Pet.
In this episode, we are bludgeoned with bad decisions and ominous visuals that steer us to the phenomenal ending promised by all the teaser trailers released prior to the first episode airing.
* Sister Lacey and that Revelation sky.
* Clark and Babcock in the Basement.
* The DOD, now Special Weapons, Grand Poobah Dumb Ass showing up at the front door. You know whenever the government head honcho appears things are about to take a turn for the stupid.
The episode was less dynamic than last week, concerned more with moving pieces into place in order to set us up for the coming apocalypse. Clark continued to be mind-numbingly idiotic. He's been lying to everyone for the last two or three episodes and when finally confronted by Dr. Sykes and given an out, once again, he lies and walks away. She calls him on his bullshit directly and he doesn't blink. It makes me wonder if his total enthrallment to Babcock, who apparently is about to get the Clark!Pet she always wanted, has anything to do with her natural born charm (re: skills at manipulation) as posited by Sykes or if it's just that he's a follower. For all that he's in charge of the other solider boys, Clark is a man who asks no questions, doing what he's told and not much more. The lashes out at Sykes regarding that very valuable skill set as it regards his appropriation of Amy for Project Noah, and it's a particularly apt burn.
Sykes sits up on her high horse a little here and it grates. Picking and choosing morals, the lesser of two evils, as it were doesn't make her any more likable, nor does it reduce her culpability for the mess that's been created. That said, she does ultimately take ownership of the fact that they didn't know what they were doing and that the project is a failure and should be ended before it gets any more out of control. I can appreciate a lady who knows how to put her big girl panties on. I especially appreciate it that she tried, in her way, to rectify the problem by helping Brad and Amy to escape. She does it so matter-of-factly and without a moment's of hesitation. Loved it!
The arrival of the guy from the DOD is the beginning of the end and ties in nicely with the episode title. You can't outrun the end of the world when you're too busy dashing head long into it. Dr. Pet's another egregiously idiotic Dumb Ass with no real clue. He reminds me of Jurassic Park and the hubris of man in the face of god and nature, trying to control things beyond their understanding. The first scene during the telepathic link was interesting and clever. So caught up in the illusion of his control and totally buying into the myth of his own genius, Dr. Pet puts Wilson through his paces assuming that he is guiding this moments. It's clear that Wilson is humoring him, the audience recognizes it even as Dr. Pet does not.
There is no getting away ...
Other things:
* I'm not sure how to read Anthony. I love the warning. I love that he comes to Brad in a dream of peace and love. I LOVE how menacing he also was. Now that he's on the inside, having made his decision, I'd love to see him really work against Fanning to protect Amy. Whether that is truly true, remains to be seen.
* Brad and Amy, STILL, for the win. "You want family. That's me." I love that he is very upfront with her and to the point. I can't wait to see how they navigate her burgeoning abilities and the havoc that it's bound to wreck.
* Four episodes in and I still wonder at the lackadaisical use surveillance equipment. Brad and Amy plan like a whole escape in white room and no one comes busting in, like ever, which suggests that there are no microphones or cameras in there. What's up with that, man. I would think that given the rapid changes that can happen as a result of the virus, they would be on 24/7 monitoring.
* Mind reading Amy. She can't control it and I don't think she was lying when she told the DOD guy that she couldn't read minds. I think that at THAT moment she couldn't and I also think that Amy is savvy enough tor recognize a bad guy when she sees one. Her crazy psyonic scream or whatever was interestingly exhausting and I wonder what that means. Like her energy expenditures.
* As much as I'm enjoying the Dr Lila and Sister Lacey show, it's a little out of step with the rest of the narrative. It feels like a separate show and I'll be glad when they get folded back into the Wolgast/Amy narrative more closely.
* Dr. Lear is a boss. The Tim Fanninng smack down was awesome although Lear realization regarding Elizabeth's new condition was devastating. And how redonk that this whole thing is about a girl (in a sideways kind of way cause what it's really about, as Dr. Lear so aptly identified, is winning).
