Tag: science fiction

The Rain Season 1 Episode 4: Trust No One Recap

~ Metacrone ~ 2 Comments

Episode 4 is Jean’s episode, as we learn about his life during the early part of the plague. Like all of the other characters the show has explored so far, he has a dark secret that allowed him to survive at the expense of others. The events of the past resonate with current events and cause him to take drastic measures, which have a huge impact on himself and the group.

Each episode title is a lesson Simone and Rasmus need to learn in order to survive in the wild post apocalypse world. So far, the lessons have been simple: Stay inside, Stay together, Avoid the city. With this episode, the titles start to address interactions with strangers, which is a more complicated situation. It’s probably not possible to “Trust no one” and survive, but extreme caution is a necessity Simone and Rasmus haven’t learned yet. This episode provides ample evidence of why it’s best to be careful.

Lea and Jean watch the bridge, which is being regularly patrolled by the Strangers, from a high vantage point. They get frustrated that they can’t see any way to cross, and Jean stands up to get a better look. Lea pulls him down, telling him that was a stupid thing to do. Then she makes sure that he knows that he isn’t stupid, just the thing he did. She thinks he’s nice. He tells her that he isn’t sure she’s right about him. After all, she doesn’t know what he’s done. She says the past doesn’t matter. What matters is who you are now, and she knows him. He says she knows nothing.

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The Rain Season 1 Episode 3: Avoid the City Recap

~ Metacrone ~ 2 Comments

In episode 3, the survivors make their way to the big city of Copenhagen as the first leg of their trip to the Apollon headquarters in Sweden. Copenhagen follows the Walking Dead big city model introduced with Atlanta: When the disaster hit, everyone went there to find shelter and relief, so food is scarce and crime is rampant.

The Rain follows a modified version of The 100’s model for Black Rain. The 100’s radioactive rain became safe as soon as it hit the ground (kids, don’t try this at home). On The Rain, the water is safe as soon as it lands, as long as it’s not collected in a pool of any quantity. A wet roof is safe, but a puddle will kill you… Don’t think about the science of it too hard. The virus probably really needs a lot of room to swim free, or it dies quickly.

After getting to know Simone in episode 1 and Martin in episode 2, this episode is Beatrice’s turn. Beatrice is a complicated person and a skilled survivor who’s not easy to get to know. She’s learned to use what she has, mainly her good looks and ability to charm people, to keep herself alive.

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The Rain Season 1 Episode 2: Stay Together Recap

~ Metacrone

And so, it’s back out into the real world for Simone and Rasmus. In this episode, it’s time for them to wake up and discover what it’s like outside 6 years after the plague killed almost everyone. But first, they have to convince the survivors who forced them out of the bunker not to leave them behind.

The episode begins by introducing us to Martin, the leader of the group of survivors who followed Simone home from the hospital. In the early days of the plague, he was a soldier who was sent to guard the edges of the quarantine zone. When his troop arrived at their assigned location, he was sent straight out, for first watch.

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Agents of Shield Season 5 Episode 20: The One Who Will Save Us All Recap

~ Metacrone

Welp, tonight we learned that Graviton is on the loose and out of his mind in space, the Confederacy is aware of Infinity War and used the T word multiple times, and Kasius senior is definitely smarter than either of the Kasius juniors. In other words, we’re all gonna die, the only questions are when, and whether it will be Daisy, Graviton, or Thanos who does the honors.

Unless someone breaks the time loop or gets their hands on one of those slippery infinity stones. Tonight Fitz practically quoted Spock’s line from Wrath of Khan about needing to sacrifice a few (or one) because the needs of the many are greater. The decision about who the team is willing to lose, or who’ll choose to sacrifice themselves, is coming down to the wire, and bad decisions continue to tear the team apart.

Talbot begins his reign as Graviton by flying himself and Coulson into space on a piece of the Lighthouse floor. Points for style and resourcefulness, Glenn. And for teaching the kids to recycle.

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The Rain Season 1 Episode 1: Stay Inside Recap

~ Metacrone

The Rain is the latest post-apocalyptic offering from Netflix, this time a Netflix Original made in Denmark and created by Jannik Tai Mosholt, Esben Toft Jacobsen and Christian Potalivo. The story takes place in the present day, 6 years after a plague carried by rainwater wiped out almost everyone in Scandinavia. A young brother and sister, Rasmus and Simone, survived alone in an emergency bunker, but now they’ve run out of stores and have to rejoin the world.

They join up with a threatening band of survivors in order to search for food and to find out what happened to Simone and Rasmus’ father, who disappeared at the beginning of the plague. He was somehow involved in the beginning of the disaster, and claimed to know how to stop it. He said he’d return for them, but they’re running out of hope that he’s still alive. He charged Simone with protecting Rasmus, who is somehow the key to curing the plague.

The show is a well-paced mix of The Walking Dead and The 100, with each episode focussing on a different character, as well as having its own plot and furthering the season long arc. There are no zombies, but in the early stages of the disease the infected are contagious yet look normal. As in the Walking Dead’s early seasons, a ragtag group of survivors wanders the countryside, learning how to work together to survive. Like The 100, they are all young, and the earth itself throws dangers at them at unexpected moments. A couple of leaders emerge from within the group, who are often at odds with each other, but also balance each other out. Outsiders are one source of enemies, but water is also the enemy, and Denmark is far from a desert.

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The Crossing Season 1 Episode 5: Ten Years Gone Recap

~ Metacrone ~ 4 Comments

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Major progress is made in solving the mysteries of The Crossing in episode 5, though the characters don’t necessarily realize the implications of their actions. Jude finally starts doing some things right, while Emma is MIA. But Emma left a trail of breadcrumbs for Jude, so he and Nestor are on the case for reals. Leah takes a turn for the worse, while Sophie and Reece race to make the treatment that will bring her Mantle’s Disease under control. Marshall struggles with his tragic memories and his goals in life, instinctively knowing that he has a connection to the refugees. The migrants from the first wave gather to make some decisions, and face some hard truths. The show’s theory of time is called into question again. Can it be changed, or are they living in a fixed universe?

The episode begins with Marshall reliving the car accident that killed his mother ten years ago. He’s having a nightmare in which the family is driving home from dinner at a restaurant. Dad’s at the wheel and Mom’s riding shotgun. They’re driving on the edge of a hill, happily playing a car game, when suddenly there are a couple dozen people standing in the road. The car swerves to miss the people and drives over the side of the hill, crashing and rolling as it hits bottom. In the present day, Marshall wakes up.

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Agents of SHIELD Season 5 Episode 19: Option Two Recap

~ Metacrone

CLARK GREGG, ADRIAN PASDAR

The Gravitonium finally finds a body to act as a permanent home in this week’s episode of Agents of SHIELD, and it seems much happier with its option two body than with option one, Ruby. There’s also an option two for keeping Coulson alive, now that time is running out on his option one, the TAHITI treatment. Virtually no one involved will be happy with what this option two entails, though. Then there’s the option two of the episode title, the choice Coulson makes on a Lighthouse menu of lockdown options. Yep, we’re locking down the Lighthouse already, to protect it from an alien invasion, which seems to be epidemic in the MCU this week.

The episode begins with Talbot on his cot in his cell, repeating a numerical sequence over and over to himself, even in his sleep, as Qovas’ ship approaches earth. Meanwhile, Coulson goes over the team’s plan to finish space-proofing the Zephyr. Then they’ll use the ship to destroy the bulk of the Gravitonium by slingshotting it into the sun.

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The Crossing Season 1 Episode 4: The Face of Oblivion Recap

~ Metacrone ~ 3 Comments

104_the-crossing_photo02Alliances shift and more secrets are revealed in this episode of The Crossing, but Nestor can still be counted on to keep the town of Port Canaan running and Marshall calm, while his boss deals with the crisis of the day. Unfortunately, Nestor’s counterpart at Camp Tomanowas, Emma’s assistant Bryce, has faded into the background, and the operations run by the Department of Homeland Security are a mess. The villains are running amok at every level, from the Undersecretary, who was no doubt appointed by the president himself, down to the riffraff among the survivors. Emma’s dealing with the truth on her own within DHS, and the burden grows larger by the hour.

Episode 4 picks up not long after the end of episode 3, with Jude using his GPS to track Oliver’s cell phone while Reece takes Oliver on the run. Presumably Jude called Nestor to handle the Apex hunter’s body and the investigation into his murder, before Jude took off after Reece and Oliver.

Reece calls Jude from Oliver’s phone to make her demands. Jude gets the festivities started by threatening to hurt her should anything happen to Oliver. She’d laugh in his face if he were in front of her, but he’s not, so she settles for pointing out that he’s already led her into a trap and left her for dead while assuring her that he could be trusted. Anything he says to her is beyond meaningless.

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Agents of SHIELD Season 5 Episode 18: All Roads Lead… Recap

~ Metacrone

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This week on Agents of SHIELD, the Gravitonium situation spirals further out of control, as things always seem to do when the Gravitonium is involved. Fitz and Simmons stay true to themselves and each other, having finally realized just how important they are to each other as anchors, not just as friends, lovers, and scientists. Back at the Lighthouse, love is in the air, but it’s confused and has taken a wrong turn or two. Plus, Talbot is still happy to comply.

As a matter of fact, HYDRAGlenn is riding the elevator and making his way to the armory as the episode begins, choosing a weapon while mumbling to himself that no one has to get hurt. He goes to the control room and checks for Robin’s location, plus messes with the surveillance cameras. Mack catches him there, but doesn’t act on any of the suspicious signals Talbot is sending.

In England, Fitz is working on repairing the infuser component while Ruby practices her aim with the chakram, narrowly missing Jemma’s head each time she throws. Fitz finally has enough of the circus sideshow, and insists that he needs Jemma’s help.

Ruby stares at them as they embrace for a moment, as if she’s never seen a couple express true emotions.

Ruby: Aw. You two are adorable. I ship it. I really do.

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Legion Season 2 Episode 3: Chapter 11 Recap

~ Metacrone

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Dreams come true in this episode of Legion, but not all of them turn out the way the dreamer hopes, as is so often true of dreams. My dream of SpyCatSyd came true, and was as perfect as I’d hoped. Ptonomy and Melanie were also quite happy in their garden and game dream mazes. The group dream of finding the Mi-Go monk also came true, and was a disaster. Lenny’s wish to be set free is as far from coming true as ever. The Carries appear to be in some kind of limbo. This is very much an example of “Be careful what you wish for…”

Chapter 11 starts with the parable of the week. Jon Hamm describes the “nocebo effect“, which is the opposite of the placebo effect. Instead of a fake treatment working as if it’s real in a good way, as with the placebo effect, in the nocebo effect the patient is given an inert substance, told it will make something undesirable happen, and it does.* We see an elderly man given sugar water by a nurse who tells him it will make him vomit. He projectile vomits. “Your mind had the power to create its own physical reality.”

This parable makes me want to projectile vomit. Be forewarned, I’m only writing about the rest of the parable under protest.

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