AtA 2.02 and some fanfic recs for other fandoms
Gwen icon for AtA reviews used because of the female cop and unpopular female character connection whom I came to love anyway connection.*g*
First of all, Alex starting to forget things about 2008 world and noticing is scary as hell, because it touches on real life fears so much. (Alzheimer and/or senile dementia are two of my personal nightmares. Especially since I've seen it happening to one of my grandfathers and to a favourite teacher, and early on, they knew it was happening to them.) Paradoxically, I find it a bit reassuring as well as far as the overall story is concerned; it makes the idea that Alex, too, will just come to the conclusion that her 2007/8 life is of no value as opposed to her time in the past unlikely, because they're playing up her horror at the idea of losing her daughter. Also, there is her statement about maybe both worlds being real, which makes it less of a zero sum game; it doesn't have to be either/or.
I bet Sam/Gene'shippers were happy about Gene's Sam angst in this episode and the Tyler name check; thank you, Alan Moore, I remembered the Free Masons connection a bit before the episode brought it in the open. Still didn't see the Ray thing coming, but it fits. I'm reminded of the s1 of AtA audio commentaries mentioning that Ray thought after Sam's death/dissappearance he'd have Gene for himself and then oops, there was Alex. And Ray is the type to find that ultimate scary boys' club, the Masons, very alluring. The sad thing is, of course, that instead of finally getting on a "mate" level with his adored Guv through it he just managed to disappoint Gene by belonging to it.
Speaking of, Gene being undercover to check out just how far the corruption reaches is also something one could guess at the ceremony at the latest, because as opposed to Ray, Gene just isn't the type on whom the boys club idea would work - well, not a boys club he's not the boss of, at any rate. What was surprising in a good way was that he and Alex instead of doing the stupid tv custom thing where two people on the same side just don't talk to each other and thus cause tragic misunderstandings teamed up in their bringing-down-corruption investigation; and I'm really happy about that. It's not that they're each other's moral compasses exactly (which was true for Sam and Gene in s1 at least), but, to borrow from another fandom, they seem to be each other's constants. "Do you trust me?" is such a quintessential question in this world.
Alan Jackson Dr. Batterfield reminded me a bit of Alex' godfather Evan last season, looks-wise, and I wonder whether that was deliberate.
We can't have a gypsy episode without gypsy clichés, can we? Ah well. The card reading was tied to the Masons plot, at least.
Another Diana reference with the "death of a princess" crack; and one of the most infamous sights of Thatcherite Britain, the "Gotcha" headline.
Supermac being present at Gene's ceremony while Alex simultanously has another run-in with her mysterious kidnapper seems to rule MacIntosh out; though we don't know for sure people from the present can't be at two places in the past at once (LoM somewhat cheated in the episode where Sam watches what the rest of the team is doing on tv while being confined to his apartment). Still, it's interesting; if the person talking to Alex ISN'T MacIntosh, who then? Because I doubt it's someone we haven't seen yet. I also doubt it's Sam Tyler, the one person other than Alex we KNOW ended up in the past, because Sam's unwillingness to go back was, err, rather final. (Plus while I guess it's possible they could bring John Simm back for the season finale as a surprise for a one episode stint, they definitely won't bring him back before that, and Mystery Man will be around for the season.) So, a new character who in 2008 is the person in the bed the nurses talked about in the season opening sequence and in the past is someone other than MacIntosh - the pathologist in the last episode, or Dr. Batterfield in this episode? Frank Morgan, last season a a surgeon? Hm.
Alex' growing inability to see Molly's face suddenly made me wonder whether Molly will become one if the Test Card Girl, poor kid. I hope not.
Have we heard about an Eileen before? In case the childbirth scene wasn't just a cute gag.
Shaz and Chris continue to be so adorable I'm now very afraid for Chris' survival. (Shaz was in lethal danger last season, so she's safe.) Not right now, but for the season climax.
In other news, have some fanfic from other fandoms:
Battlestar Galactica:
So you'll aim towards the sky: Caprica Six during the occupation arc of s3, finding Gaius Baltar not as she left him. Captures Six and Baltar during that stage beautifully, and the atmosphere of the New Caprica episodes.
Torchwood:
Out of Time: Tosh and Owen, from Tosh's pov. A story which doesn't idealize the relationship, let alone Owen, and because of that manages to touch me deeply. Oh, Tosh.
First of all, Alex starting to forget things about 2008 world and noticing is scary as hell, because it touches on real life fears so much. (Alzheimer and/or senile dementia are two of my personal nightmares. Especially since I've seen it happening to one of my grandfathers and to a favourite teacher, and early on, they knew it was happening to them.) Paradoxically, I find it a bit reassuring as well as far as the overall story is concerned; it makes the idea that Alex, too, will just come to the conclusion that her 2007/8 life is of no value as opposed to her time in the past unlikely, because they're playing up her horror at the idea of losing her daughter. Also, there is her statement about maybe both worlds being real, which makes it less of a zero sum game; it doesn't have to be either/or.
I bet Sam/Gene'shippers were happy about Gene's Sam angst in this episode and the Tyler name check; thank you, Alan Moore, I remembered the Free Masons connection a bit before the episode brought it in the open. Still didn't see the Ray thing coming, but it fits. I'm reminded of the s1 of AtA audio commentaries mentioning that Ray thought after Sam's death/dissappearance he'd have Gene for himself and then oops, there was Alex. And Ray is the type to find that ultimate scary boys' club, the Masons, very alluring. The sad thing is, of course, that instead of finally getting on a "mate" level with his adored Guv through it he just managed to disappoint Gene by belonging to it.
Speaking of, Gene being undercover to check out just how far the corruption reaches is also something one could guess at the ceremony at the latest, because as opposed to Ray, Gene just isn't the type on whom the boys club idea would work - well, not a boys club he's not the boss of, at any rate. What was surprising in a good way was that he and Alex instead of doing the stupid tv custom thing where two people on the same side just don't talk to each other and thus cause tragic misunderstandings teamed up in their bringing-down-corruption investigation; and I'm really happy about that. It's not that they're each other's moral compasses exactly (which was true for Sam and Gene in s1 at least), but, to borrow from another fandom, they seem to be each other's constants. "Do you trust me?" is such a quintessential question in this world.
Alan Jackson Dr. Batterfield reminded me a bit of Alex' godfather Evan last season, looks-wise, and I wonder whether that was deliberate.
We can't have a gypsy episode without gypsy clichés, can we? Ah well. The card reading was tied to the Masons plot, at least.
Another Diana reference with the "death of a princess" crack; and one of the most infamous sights of Thatcherite Britain, the "Gotcha" headline.
Supermac being present at Gene's ceremony while Alex simultanously has another run-in with her mysterious kidnapper seems to rule MacIntosh out; though we don't know for sure people from the present can't be at two places in the past at once (LoM somewhat cheated in the episode where Sam watches what the rest of the team is doing on tv while being confined to his apartment). Still, it's interesting; if the person talking to Alex ISN'T MacIntosh, who then? Because I doubt it's someone we haven't seen yet. I also doubt it's Sam Tyler, the one person other than Alex we KNOW ended up in the past, because Sam's unwillingness to go back was, err, rather final. (Plus while I guess it's possible they could bring John Simm back for the season finale as a surprise for a one episode stint, they definitely won't bring him back before that, and Mystery Man will be around for the season.) So, a new character who in 2008 is the person in the bed the nurses talked about in the season opening sequence and in the past is someone other than MacIntosh - the pathologist in the last episode, or Dr. Batterfield in this episode? Frank Morgan, last season a a surgeon? Hm.
Alex' growing inability to see Molly's face suddenly made me wonder whether Molly will become one if the Test Card Girl, poor kid. I hope not.
Have we heard about an Eileen before? In case the childbirth scene wasn't just a cute gag.
Shaz and Chris continue to be so adorable I'm now very afraid for Chris' survival. (Shaz was in lethal danger last season, so she's safe.) Not right now, but for the season climax.
In other news, have some fanfic from other fandoms:
Battlestar Galactica:
So you'll aim towards the sky: Caprica Six during the occupation arc of s3, finding Gaius Baltar not as she left him. Captures Six and Baltar during that stage beautifully, and the atmosphere of the New Caprica episodes.
Torchwood:
Out of Time: Tosh and Owen, from Tosh's pov. A story which doesn't idealize the relationship, let alone Owen, and because of that manages to touch me deeply. Oh, Tosh.