"Turn and Face the Strange" rewatch thoughts
OK, I get the episode title now.
I see now that Noah begins suspecting that there's a shapeshifter very early on - he is able to twig that Danko isn't actually Danko almost immediately. And you can just about hear the clockworks ticking in his brain all throughout. "There's only one way to be sure," he tells Angela... and that ends up being true, but it's not the way that he thinks it is. Angela's screaming at him on the pay phone is priceless (and a bit shocking; when do we ever hear her shouting?).
And his confrontation with Actual Sandra is just horrifying. Awesomely acted, yes - the way he backs off once he knows she is who she says she is, and he realizes the depths of his mistake, hands held away from her like he no longer has the right to touch her - but so very rough. The plinky soap-opera piano soundtrack just twists the knife. Thanks a lot, Wendy & Lisa.
And the things that Sylar-as-Sandra choose to say are extraordinary - Sylar's a hell of a sensitive guy who must have watched a lot of Bette Davis movies. Where'd he pick up something like that? It doesn't sound like the kind of thing he'd have learned from the admittedly loveless Grays, but still - I can't see Virginia Gray ever telling anybody "When the love is gone, it's over." And all the "You just want to run around shooting people!" stuff is just so Sandra. Maybe he talked to her and studied her for a long time, back in the day, when he came into the Bennet home in Odessa and made friends with Mr. Muggles before he threw Sandra into a glass cabinet. Also, he's wearing a lady's coat. HEE!
Mohinder's super-strength is remarkably specific as well as huge; he can throw a refrigerator across the room, but he punches in the lock with finesse. Nice touch. No pun intended.
I really hope we see Sam Douglas from Lubbock, Texas again. He's a bit broadly drawn as a "look, there are Asians in Texas who don't know a word of Japanese!", but I have a soft spot for friendly rednecks. (He's played by Ken Choi, who has been in every damn thing from episodes of Arli$$ to voices in Grand Theft Auto.)
I also love the big black businessman giving Danko the hairy eyeball right back, reaching into his jacket, and coolly pulling out his iPhone. Hee! "I'm gonna twitter about this."
So it's Matt that sends Danko to Elena (that just goes to show how fried my brain is; I couldn't for the life of remember how to spell that very common name last night. Cripes! I'm losin' it). She's so nice it makes me wish those two crazy kids could work it out someday. Not. Even. A Chance. The actor who plays Elena (and Lilith) is named Katherine Boecher, and she's also been on Mad Men, so I have no excuse for not recognizing her. I'm into her. I can't explain it, can't control it. I get compelled sometimes. I also have a big, weird thing for Asia Argento, and I'm the only person I know who considers her even remotely attractive. Anyway. Matt is accomplishing EPIC FAIL in trying to not seem like a dangerous terrorist. However, Greg Grunberg rocks the real tears when he needs 'em. And yeah, no matter how sorry I feel for Danko, he is a bad guy; he was gonna shoot Matt dead in front of Alena even though she pleaded for him not to. He's no good for you, girl.
Nathan flies pretty low sometimes. I hope he's looking out for trees.
I missed some seriously funny lines in this episode...
SYLAR/DANKO: You really ought to get that mole checked. You know the one I mean.
BENNET: I'll wait. [three beats.] And so will you. [jaunty little chola head roll.]
Also Bennet's panicked run down the street, pushing people out of his way, is one of the best moments of unintentional comedy that show has ever had. I'm sure it's not supposed to be funny, but it's fucking hilarious. I don't hold it against the show or against Jack; it's exactly those moments of camp that I enjoy watching over and over again. "You want the answers? Then you'll havta DIG! *schwing*" is another.
And notice when Mohinder starts talking about Icarus, the camera focuses on Peter, but Nathan is in the center of the shot. Interesting - that's our Jeannot Szwarc (I almost don't have to look it up anymore... it took me four full years before I could spell Straczynski, so I'm still getting there). Also big hats off to Lois Blumenthal, this episode's editor, for picking out framing choices to compliment the script. I have no idea how in the world a TV show gets made - it seems so dizzyingly complex - and editing is the craziest thing. I have a friend who is a professional film editor and I regard her with quiet awe.
Also, the bitchy super is played by David Ury (on Breaking Bad he plays a character named "Spooge", which convinces me even more that I totally have to watch that series) and the shockingly-also-in-everything Ned Vaughn plays our hapless red-haired Agent Steve Donner. Dude was on 21 Jump Street, which automatically wins him 100 cool points in my book.
Hmmm... appropriate?
Still dont know what I was waiting for,
Time is running wild, a million dead end streets.
And every time I thought I'd got it made
I found the taste was not so sweet.
Then I turned myself to face me,
But I never caught a glimpse
Of how the others must see the faker.
I'm much too fast to take that test.
I see now that Noah begins suspecting that there's a shapeshifter very early on - he is able to twig that Danko isn't actually Danko almost immediately. And you can just about hear the clockworks ticking in his brain all throughout. "There's only one way to be sure," he tells Angela... and that ends up being true, but it's not the way that he thinks it is. Angela's screaming at him on the pay phone is priceless (and a bit shocking; when do we ever hear her shouting?).
And his confrontation with Actual Sandra is just horrifying. Awesomely acted, yes - the way he backs off once he knows she is who she says she is, and he realizes the depths of his mistake, hands held away from her like he no longer has the right to touch her - but so very rough. The plinky soap-opera piano soundtrack just twists the knife. Thanks a lot, Wendy & Lisa.
And the things that Sylar-as-Sandra choose to say are extraordinary - Sylar's a hell of a sensitive guy who must have watched a lot of Bette Davis movies. Where'd he pick up something like that? It doesn't sound like the kind of thing he'd have learned from the admittedly loveless Grays, but still - I can't see Virginia Gray ever telling anybody "When the love is gone, it's over." And all the "You just want to run around shooting people!" stuff is just so Sandra. Maybe he talked to her and studied her for a long time, back in the day, when he came into the Bennet home in Odessa and made friends with Mr. Muggles before he threw Sandra into a glass cabinet. Also, he's wearing a lady's coat. HEE!
Mohinder's super-strength is remarkably specific as well as huge; he can throw a refrigerator across the room, but he punches in the lock with finesse. Nice touch. No pun intended.
I really hope we see Sam Douglas from Lubbock, Texas again. He's a bit broadly drawn as a "look, there are Asians in Texas who don't know a word of Japanese!", but I have a soft spot for friendly rednecks. (He's played by Ken Choi, who has been in every damn thing from episodes of Arli$$ to voices in Grand Theft Auto.)
I also love the big black businessman giving Danko the hairy eyeball right back, reaching into his jacket, and coolly pulling out his iPhone. Hee! "I'm gonna twitter about this."
So it's Matt that sends Danko to Elena (that just goes to show how fried my brain is; I couldn't for the life of remember how to spell that very common name last night. Cripes! I'm losin' it). She's so nice it makes me wish those two crazy kids could work it out someday. Not. Even. A Chance. The actor who plays Elena (and Lilith) is named Katherine Boecher, and she's also been on Mad Men, so I have no excuse for not recognizing her. I'm into her. I can't explain it, can't control it. I get compelled sometimes. I also have a big, weird thing for Asia Argento, and I'm the only person I know who considers her even remotely attractive. Anyway. Matt is accomplishing EPIC FAIL in trying to not seem like a dangerous terrorist. However, Greg Grunberg rocks the real tears when he needs 'em. And yeah, no matter how sorry I feel for Danko, he is a bad guy; he was gonna shoot Matt dead in front of Alena even though she pleaded for him not to. He's no good for you, girl.
Nathan flies pretty low sometimes. I hope he's looking out for trees.
I missed some seriously funny lines in this episode...
SYLAR/DANKO: You really ought to get that mole checked. You know the one I mean.
BENNET: I'll wait. [three beats.] And so will you. [jaunty little chola head roll.]
Also Bennet's panicked run down the street, pushing people out of his way, is one of the best moments of unintentional comedy that show has ever had. I'm sure it's not supposed to be funny, but it's fucking hilarious. I don't hold it against the show or against Jack; it's exactly those moments of camp that I enjoy watching over and over again. "You want the answers? Then you'll havta DIG! *schwing*" is another.
And notice when Mohinder starts talking about Icarus, the camera focuses on Peter, but Nathan is in the center of the shot. Interesting - that's our Jeannot Szwarc (I almost don't have to look it up anymore... it took me four full years before I could spell Straczynski, so I'm still getting there). Also big hats off to Lois Blumenthal, this episode's editor, for picking out framing choices to compliment the script. I have no idea how in the world a TV show gets made - it seems so dizzyingly complex - and editing is the craziest thing. I have a friend who is a professional film editor and I regard her with quiet awe.
Also, the bitchy super is played by David Ury (on Breaking Bad he plays a character named "Spooge", which convinces me even more that I totally have to watch that series) and the shockingly-also-in-everything Ned Vaughn plays our hapless red-haired Agent Steve Donner. Dude was on 21 Jump Street, which automatically wins him 100 cool points in my book.
Hmmm... appropriate?
Still dont know what I was waiting for,
Time is running wild, a million dead end streets.
And every time I thought I'd got it made
I found the taste was not so sweet.
Then I turned myself to face me,
But I never caught a glimpse
Of how the others must see the faker.
I'm much too fast to take that test.