Walker S1 Discussion

[Fhithich]

The Cradle

I do love a good supernatural excavation mystery, and I'm also very glad this particular story was made personal enough to Alec that we could learn a bit more about him. He really is intriguing because he likes to keep his guard up, but every now and then he'll let something slip and it just makes you want to know more. But aside from Alec, this was a great episode, probably one of my favourites so far. A lot of interesting interaction between our characters and the other crew, and it all felt very appropriately low-key and controlled ... until that ending. There were a few little mysteries built up in this episode so I'm looking forward to seeing how they play out - and how the hell they're going to fight that lot off!

8/10

[Adam]

Another Li review! Thanks mate, I'm glad you liked it because this episode is the one I consider to be the wobbliest moment of season one. And yes, allowing the audience to see Alec with his guard down a bit was always the point of the episode so I'm glad you liked those bits. Plus having Baines is always a bonus - I could write him from now to kingdom come.

[Fhithich]

Yes, I like Baines. I hope we see more of him after the next episode - which I'll also try to get to tonight if possible. 

[Fhithich]

To Tame a Land

This one was brilliantly tense, a lot of people running around with really no idea of what they're doing or what they're facing. I always enjoy storytelling where people of supposed authority are faced with something they can't comprehend. I was glad to see a little more movement with Kate. Her mystery wasn't really that mysterious, so I'm glad we've got that out of the way and can get her to a point where she might be useful in this situation. Chloe and Alec are very sweet together - it was about time they stopped the sly smiles and quiet flirting! There was a nice little twist in the possessed soldiers not really being the enemy - I really enjoyed the ambiguity of this story in that until a good way through this 2nd part we weren't entirely sure who the enemy was. I loved the ending, I like to see a wrong being righted, and I've always been a sucker for the plight of restless spirits. Really enjoyed this overall story. 

8/10

[Fhithich]

John Henry Boone

I think the last Tony script I read was Premonition's pilot, which was quite a while ago now. But I knew I'd enjoy this one. I only really have one tiny little niggle: people talking "in Indian". Is Indian a language? I thought it was Hindi.  Anyway, I was glad to finally learn some more about John Henry. In fact, I probably enjoyed this episode so much because it was intently focused on one character and I think this is the first proper character-centric we've had so far. But it still manages to weave in a decent, interesting plot, and what I'm realising this series does so well is revealing just enough about the characters to keep us interested, but not too much that we feel we know everything there is to know about them. I feel like I learned a lot about John Henry, but there's still so much there hidden beneath the surface. This was intricately designed and written, and of course I enjoyed the flashbacks ( ) and as perhaps the most mysterious characters, Boone really did need an episode like this as a showcase. Good stuff. 

9/10

[Tony O'Stark]

Cheers Li, hoped you'd enjoy it.

Without spoiling anything, there are Boone episodes such as this by me in S2, S3 (and next year S4) but I suspect this one will always remain my favourite of my 'Boone Quadrilogy'. Very proud of it.

[Adam]

Thanks for the reviews Li - two in one day, I feel honoured.

Especially glad you liked ep5 because I've always felt (and the reviews thus far have concurred) that the ep4/5 two parter is the weakest story in the season. Episode 6, on the other hand, is fried gold from start to finish, a real tour de force from Tony and I think the point where he became the guardian of the character of Boone. It's no coincidence that every season from this one forward has a big blank space in the outline labelled "Tony's Boone episode, whatever he wants."

Thanks for reading, I hope you're enjoying it and you'll continue to do so going forward.

[Fhithich]

I felt that ep 4/5 were different, in a way I can't quite put my finger on, but I wouldn't say they were weak. Maybe that's just how I look at things!

Either way, I'm enjoying the season more and more as I go on so I'm definitely in until the end. Honestly, I didn't know if I would like this show because I felt like I'd need to know a lot more about this universe to really get it. I'm happy to be proven wrong, and I think that's a real credit to you gentlemen. 

[Adam]

I'll take that as a compliment because this show was always designed to work for people who'd never seen Alias or read DSR (the fact that it started off as an original piece helps in that sense). If it's working for you without the pre-reading then I'm a happy man.

[Tony O'Stark]

We've been saying this for three years now - no one seems to believe us!

[Adam]

Maybe Li can spread the word for us.

[Fhithich]

"READ WALKER BLIND! NOW!" *

And get free box of cookies. The good shit too.

[Adam]

Have a gorilla.

[Fhithich]

Trial By Fire

It's strange. For some reason, I never expected such a soap opera plot to crop up in this series. I don't mean that in a derisive way though; the whole Alec/Chloe/Laurel thing is in my opinion a really good way to counteract the darker, mythic tone of the series. As we get to know these characters better, their interaction has shifted, we see their friendships getting stronger in different ways, and love interests are something that were bound to crop up at some point. They're more than just colleagues. And it makes sense. Why this works so well is that Alec can sometimes come across as if he's removed from humanity. His flirtations with a relationship with Chloe show us that he's still a red-blooded man, his obvious troubles with Laurel show us (though we already have an idea) that though he is a very complex individual, his urges and emotions are still very simple and ... human. For a character so guarded, this is our way in. We all know what it feels like to be burned by someone we trust or even love. Perhaps "soap opera" is a bad choice of words, I don't mean to call on those negative associations.  Saying that, I just want to slap Laurel. Poor Chloe. Or at least I did. The longer she's around, the more obvious it is that she's the one with the most insight into Alec. She's probably seen parts of him no one else has, which makes her all the more interesting.

Aside from all the personal stuff, this was an interesting little detour from the largely supernatural style of the series. Engineered soldiers, the infiltration of Dietrich, the theatre, it was all very James Bond super-spy. Funny how it still works hand in hand with what I've come to expect from the show. And what I didn't expect! I should have seen it coming, but I honestly didn't. Now, I'm almost certain Chloe isn't dead but Tony, you did leave me staring at the bottom of the page for a moment, wondering if just maybe ...

So all in all, a very different adventure for me. But I think a very successful one. And if Walker can continue to play with dynamics, tone and expectations in this way and still make it a great read - I think the Company might have some competition in the favourite VS stakes.

8/10

[Fhithich]

Dust to Dust

And again, we're faced with another shift in style. This is what I like to call a "breather" episode and it's an interesting contrast to what's come before in that we don't have any big battles to contend with or rollicking adventures. I was glad to see Mr. Jones again but in this case I must admit he was actually quite annoying. I was just thinking throughout his entire appearance "get to the point, man!" In some ways I enjoyed this episode because along with the flashbacks it was a nice introspective into Alec's character and why he is the way he is. It definitely worked on this front. On the other hand, I did feel like Mr. Jones' little pilgrimage around Newcastle was just a way to pad out the episode. I think the point he made was fair enough, but I'm not sure it really needed half an episode to be made. I don't know. So perhaps a little dragged out, but as ever well written. No real answers were given through the posturing but I'm sure that's to come shortly. And Chloe's alive, so I'll give you points for that. 

Not a bad episode by any means, just a little out of balance I think.

7/10

[Fhithich]

Flame

This one felt a little strange; I notice this is an Ian Austin script so I could understand a shift in style. But there were a lot of typos (I can overlook that though) and just weird little instances of characters saying the same thing several times, each time receiving a different reaction from another character, or stating (or apparently ignoring) the blatantly obvious in conversation. It was just a bit clunky, looked a bit rushed at times.

But it was still an enjoyable read, don't get me wrong. I guess I just noticed all these things because of the standard of the previous episodes. I was glad to see Chloe doing a little soul searching. I don't like watching characters brush traumatic events under the carpet, and I certainly didn't expect Walker to do so - so job well done. Not a massive part of the episode but important all the same. Flame I don't quite like just yet, but I assumed that was the point. I can imagine him being a more spoilt version of Alec with their obvious similarities, and I think it would be really good at some point in the future for Alec to have someone to "tutor" in terms of how the world really is, posh education or not. I'm assuming Flame is sticking around for a while anyway.

We also learn a little more about the Spartacus project, which was welcome. What was interesting was the little bits of mythology we got here - the stuff about the male seers, the way vampires appear to have evolved or learned to control their urges from a more primitive state. I love little stuff like this, especially when it relates to the larger seasonal arc.

Looking forward to more. 

7/10

[Adam]

Trial By Fire

It's strange. For some reason, I never expected such a soap opera plot to crop up in this series. I don't mean that in a derisive way though; the whole Alec/Chloe/Laurel thing is in my opinion a really good way to counteract the darker, mythic tone of the series. As we get to know these characters better, their interaction has shifted, we see their friendships getting stronger in different ways, and love interests are something that were bound to crop up at some point. They're more than just colleagues. And it makes sense. Why this works so well is that Alec can sometimes come across as if he's removed from humanity. His flirtations with a relationship with Chloe show us that he's still a red-blooded man, his obvious troubles with Laurel show us (though we already have an idea) that though he is a very complex individual, his urges and emotions are still very simple and ... human. For a character so guarded, this is our way in.

I'm not sure I'd call it soap opera but I always knew there was going to be a romantic element to the show. The whole point of this particular thread was what you said above - Alec has very deliberately been presented as one step removed from everyone else and now we're starting to discover why. When it boils down, he's a very fucked-up individual.

Saying that, I just want to slap Laurel. Poor Chloe. Or at least I did. The longer she's around, the more obvious it is that she's the one with the most insight into Alec. She's probably seen parts of him no one else has, which makes her all the more interesting.

Laurel's very much a character that polarises people. Nobody's got middle ground with her, they either love her or hate her.

Now, I'm almost certain Chloe isn't dead but Tony, you did leave me staring at the bottom of the page for a moment, wondering if just maybe ...

That was again what we were hoping for. I wanted to show Edward's vicious side - he'd lost a major battle here and he wanted to make Alec pay, so he went right for the teammate he cares about the most.

So all in all, a very different adventure for me. But I think a very successful one. And if Walker can continue to play with dynamics, tone and expectations in this way and still make it a great read - I think the Company might have some competition in the favourite VS stakes.

Jesus Christ that's high praise. Thanks Li, and moving right along...

[Adam]

Dust to Dust

And again, we're faced with another shift in style. This is what I like to call a "breather" episode and it's an interesting contrast to what's come before in that we don't have any big battles to contend with or rollicking adventures. I was glad to see Mr. Jones again but in this case I must admit he was actually quite annoying. I was just thinking throughout his entire appearance "get to the point, man!"

I like this episode quite a bit but I understand the problems people have with it - I think this is a case of it perhaps being a better idea on paper than it actually turned out. The point here was that Alec needed to be able to look beyond his own pain and focus on the bigger picture, and given his emotional state it needed really ramming home to get his attention.

And Chloe's alive, so I'll give you points for that. 

No way she was dying quite THIS soon.

And on...

[Adam]

Flame

This one felt a little strange; I notice this is an Ian Austin script so I could understand a shift in style. But there were a lot of typos (I can overlook that though) and just weird little instances of characters saying the same thing several times, each time receiving a different reaction from another character, or stating (or apparently ignoring) the blatantly obvious in conversation. It was just a bit clunky, looked a bit rushed at times.

Fair comments. I'm going to eventually do what Tony's just done and tidy all the episodes up for vDVD release. And yes, it's an Ian Austin script - for better or for worse, his style always comes through, though I deliberately gave him this episode because I wanted Flame to be as idiosyncratic as Ian could make him.

But it was still an enjoyable read, don't get me wrong. I guess I just noticed all these things because of the standard of the previous episodes. I was glad to see Chloe doing a little soul searching. I don't like watching characters brush traumatic events under the carpet, and I certainly didn't expect Walker to do so - so job well done. Not a massive part of the episode but important all the same.

Good, I'm glad you liked this because that was my favourite part of the episode. I wanted to show the real consequences of what had happened to Chloe and see her have to deal with this, and Boone's little monologue I think comes out really well.

Flame I don't quite like just yet, but I assumed that was the point. I can imagine him being a more spoilt version of Alec with their obvious similarities, and I think it would be really good at some point in the future for Alec to have someone to "tutor" in terms of how the world really is, posh education or not. I'm assuming Flame is sticking around for a while anyway.

Like Laurel, he's a polarising character. You'll get there.

Thanks for reading all these Li, looking forward to what you think of the next few because we're about to hit what I think are the strongest few episodes of the season.

[Fhithich]

Good, I'm glad you liked this because that was my favourite part of the episode. I wanted to show the real consequences of what had happened to Chloe and see her have to deal with this, and Boone's little monologue I think comes out really well.

I felt like this was a defining moment for Chloe; right there she made the decision that even though there's a very good chance she'll get hurt or even killed, she's seen the guys do enough good to make it worthwhile. Chloe's always been our way into this world as a character and now it feels like she's really and firmly one of the gang.

And I think Boone and Chloe work really well together as characters. This episode proved that they need more one on one time together. It was good to see that Boone is actually quite a wise man too, again touching on the points made in this episode about the vampires' natures/the struggles they overcome.

Thanks for reading all these Li, looking forward to what you think of the next few because we're about to hit what I think are the strongest few episodes of the season.

Look forward to it.