I’m back from my one week hiatus, and glad to report that I had absolutely beautiful weather all week, and the ocean was unbelievable, almost like bath water. So, overall, it couldn’t have gone better. Oh, and there was this insanely drunk oldish wife at this local bar on our last night who started flirting with myself, my brother, and my brother-in-law’s brother right in front of her husband, who proceeded to buy us a beer. Interesting night.
In news that should make Mathan happy, I missed last week’s Windfall, so this edition will be a double dosage of The 4400 and The Dead Zone.
THE 4400, WEEK 1:
First and foremost, I was very pleased to see Danny in this episode, and continue to enjoy the fact that he and Shawn are getting along. Further, I like how this season is doing a much better job of emphasizing Shawn’s relationship with Tom. Last year, they were so distant, to the extent that he didn’t even seem to care that Shawn (with the rest of the 4400) might die. This season, Tom seems to care a great deal for Shawn’s well being, and Shawn seems to turn to Tom whenever he’s unsure of what to do. It was also sweet that Tom was evidently Shawn’s best man, although it would have been nice if it was Danny.
The stuff with Baboo’s magic cigar was also intriguing as well. Very Dead Zone-esque, actually, with Shawn attempting different plans of attack in order to adjust the future to his liking. I liked how he confided in Richard, as well as the fact that he was put in a situation that he had to pick the lesser of two evils.
I also want to remark on Shawn’s final vision, which was an extended version of his first vision of him killing Richard. In the prolonged version, it almost seemed as if Shawn was not necessarily the villain. I don’t know, the way it played out, it seemed a lot less black vs. white (a dangerous expression to use, I suppose, given the circumstances). Also, I liked the twist that instead of Shawn making Isabelle more human, she makes him less.
Jordan’s return was not unexpected, due to its heavy promotion, but it was done in a very cool manner. I loved how he yelled out Shawn’s name, in a hoarse voice, and then with great confusion on his face, asked if he knows who he is, only for Shawn to have an equally confused expression on his face. I’m sure it was tempting to have Jordan’s return be a confrontation with Isabelle, but I am very pleased that it happened with Shawn instead.
On a final notice, the revelation of why the 4400 were returned in 2004 and in Seattle was actually satisfying, in my opinion. Basically, they were returned to the only time and place that people with abilities could conceivably reproduce and pass their abilities to their offspring.
I’m also strangely entertained by Ryland’s evil behavior. Admittedly, he did go from moral good guy to cartoon super villain seemingly out of nowhere, but his character is pretty well developed and the actor plays it well.
As a side note, I thought Marco asking about Maia was very sweet, as was Diana’s response that she asks about him a lot. I’m glad Marco remains a prominent part of the show despite their break up.
THE 4400, WEEK 2:
Wow, talk about a blast from the past. This week’s episode gave us Jordan, April, Alana, AND Kyle. Not too shabby, if I may say so.
Well, let’s start with Kyle. Again, I must complain about his apparent hostility towards Tom, especially when Tom went to visit him. I just don’t understand where this came from, since they were closer than ever, with both sides supporting each other, as last season came to a close. That said, I was quite pleased with their hug and reunion when Kyle was released. I’d be really happy if Kyle’s back for the rest of the season.
Now, April, who’s return was pretty short-lived, but significant nevertheless. Diana’s new romance is intriguing. She seems to be moving into a new relationship pretty quickly, that’s for sure. Poor Marco.
Oh, by the way, April’s right….it looks like Maia shot up about six inches this season.
Next up is Alana. I was pretty surprised to see her back, although I would have been a bit more shocked if her departure wasn’t randomly reiterated in the “Previously” portion of the episode (ditto for April). Her appearance was brief, however I thought it was executed quite well. I have a feeling we won’t be seeing the last of her, as she seemed pretty shook up over what she saw in her visions.
The stuff with Jordan was phenomenal, in my opinion. Honestly, this particular story arc has gotten me very wrapped into this show, sometimes even more so than Lost (the fact that it doesn’t have 10,000 repeats helps also).
The Jesus allusions are quite evident, from his overall appearance (long hair and prominent beard), to being called a preacher, to his pose when he’s depicted in graffiti art. There’s also the wandering and “gospel” that he had written.
I find it curious that Jordan had no memory of who he is, only because I don’t know why he would know to check with Shawn in the first place.
I really liked Shawn working alongside Tom and Diana, as usual. Once again, Jordan’s reunion with Shawn was sweet, from their hug to Jordan thanking him for keeping the center together.
It’s quite striking how Jordan’s character has developed since his first appearance. He’s truly become their leader and savior, which is such an exceptional far cry from how he was originally portrayed. Personally, I truly hope that this is not some scheme, because I like Jordan as the hero.
Finally, I really, really like how Isabelle is downright scared of Jordan. She’s so twisted and mad with power, to the point that she’s gotten cocky with it. With Jordan, her confidence is so feigned. I also love the huge contrast between how Shawn reacts to Isabelle (basically submitting to her), and how Jordan responds to her (totally cool and confident). He bluntly tells her she’s not welcome here, and that if she tries to stop him, he’ll be ready for her. Her response? Initially she’s shocked that somebody would speak to her that way, but ultimately she (evidently) succumbs to his demands.
Overall, a fantastic episode, and I’m truly disappointed that there’s only two episodes left in the season. This show really needs to be a full season long.
THE DEAD ZONE, WEEK 1:
Incredibly, in one week we saw Bruce, Walt, and Sara. The question remains though: Who was watching JJ? Oh, very nice seeing Stillson as well.
Speaking of Stillson, I’m very surprised that the latter half of the season is not focusing on him a bit more. There’s only two episodes left in the season for The 4400, so I assume The Dead Zone is on a similar time table. Since this is probably the last season, they have to tie up this major, ongoing story arc. I’m curious on how they’re going to do that, with such little time left.
In the movie (and the book too, I believe), Johnny assassinates Stillson, knowing that he’ll be responsible for Armageddon. In turn, Johnny is shot down by security. Could the series do something so bold and, well, conclusive? Although, I suppose, they could very easily return the next season and reveal that the entire ending was a vision.
THE DEAD ZONE, WEEK 2:
I’ve said it a bunch of times so far (especially this past season), but I am very much a fan of Reverend Purdy’s character. I think that he’s flawed, and that he does do quite a bit of morally questionable things, but in his mind, he truly does believe he’s doing things for the greater good. And when he realizes that he is doing something that can be construed as immoral, he’s willing to face the consequences, whatever they may be.
I also enjoy his desperation, like he’s so completely desperate to get his message across and do good. Again, he seems to have a “the ends justify the means” mentality. The actor who portrays him is absolutely fantastic, the emotion exuding from his facial expressions, tone of voice, and especially his eyes is tangible. I also like how other characters, particularly Bruce, are skeptical about his motives. It was also nice to finally get a resolution over whether Purdy had used Johnny’s mother.
Speaking of Johnny’s mother, I very much appreciated that throwback to the beginning of the series. If that wasn’t good enough, they then referenced the carnival Johnny attended the night of his accident. The writers did their homework, huh?
Anyway, that’s al I’ve got in the tank this week. I will be back next week, however, but until then, Case Closed!
