Helix 1x06 - Aniqatiga
This show keeps doing 180 turns--or at least my perception of it does. At first it was supposed to be a typical horror about some sort of deadly contagion in an enclosed and remote place, then it turned into more of a psychological horror because the people were way scarier than the virus, and now the place is no longer cut off from the world--in fact, its surroundings are suddenly an extremely important part of the narrative.
I'm not sure how I feel about that, except that maybe my initial feeling that the show might be suffering from Lost-itis might be correct.
This episode was such a paradigm change. The narrative was supposed to be pretty much a horror equivalent of a locked room mystery: a dangerous outbreak in biolab in a distant location, CDC doctors as detectives tracking the source and trying to work a solution, right? Except then everyone and their dog had secrets and hidden agendas and the outbreak became little more than a McGuffin, and the company behind the lab is shaping to be as in touch with scientific ethics as Weyland-Yutani. And now: the shady corporation joins the action, not just as a shadowy entity presumably pulling strings from behind the curtain, but actively taking part in the proceedings (as a side note, Jeri Ryan as the corporation's envoy! Whoo!); it's revealed that the base is not as isolated as we were led to believe, because there's a whole settlement within walking distance; and it's implied the CDC team (or at least Dr. Walker) has connected to the whole project way before they got on a plane to the Arctic.
They only have 7 more episodes and I'm not sure they can tie up all the threads neatly on time, because at this point, they're still introducing completely new aspects all the time. But even if they don't I just hope the main mystery will get answered in a more or less satisfying manner and not via a deus ex machina. (I have learnt my lesson about good beginnings and disappointing everything else. I've read King's Under the Dome almost a year ago, but I'm still so damn bitter.)
As for not plot-related things: I love that they finally figured out that the gore and gross black goo are way less scary than eerily cheerful background music. I've spent that scene with Sarah and Peter testing the virus in the lab completely sure that any moment now, something is going to jump out at me.
Although speaking of Peter and Sarah, WTF. Unless there's something sex pollen-like in the air, there was no narrative reason for them to hook up.
This entry was originally posted at http://moriann.dreamwidth.org/10787.html.
I'm not sure how I feel about that, except that maybe my initial feeling that the show might be suffering from Lost-itis might be correct.
This episode was such a paradigm change. The narrative was supposed to be pretty much a horror equivalent of a locked room mystery: a dangerous outbreak in biolab in a distant location, CDC doctors as detectives tracking the source and trying to work a solution, right? Except then everyone and their dog had secrets and hidden agendas and the outbreak became little more than a McGuffin, and the company behind the lab is shaping to be as in touch with scientific ethics as Weyland-Yutani. And now: the shady corporation joins the action, not just as a shadowy entity presumably pulling strings from behind the curtain, but actively taking part in the proceedings (as a side note, Jeri Ryan as the corporation's envoy! Whoo!); it's revealed that the base is not as isolated as we were led to believe, because there's a whole settlement within walking distance; and it's implied the CDC team (or at least Dr. Walker) has connected to the whole project way before they got on a plane to the Arctic.
They only have 7 more episodes and I'm not sure they can tie up all the threads neatly on time, because at this point, they're still introducing completely new aspects all the time. But even if they don't I just hope the main mystery will get answered in a more or less satisfying manner and not via a deus ex machina. (I have learnt my lesson about good beginnings and disappointing everything else. I've read King's Under the Dome almost a year ago, but I'm still so damn bitter.)
As for not plot-related things: I love that they finally figured out that the gore and gross black goo are way less scary than eerily cheerful background music. I've spent that scene with Sarah and Peter testing the virus in the lab completely sure that any moment now, something is going to jump out at me.
Although speaking of Peter and Sarah, WTF. Unless there's something sex pollen-like in the air, there was no narrative reason for them to hook up.
This entry was originally posted at http://moriann.dreamwidth.org/10787.html.