Walker S1 Discussion

[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. 

[Fhithich]

No Man's Land

This was very much a Boone episode, but all the characters had nice little moments here. After last episode, it felt like Chloe and Boone were getting closer as he tried to help her to heal, and now it's very clear that there's so much she doesn't know about him - and the things she's learning might mean that closeness will halt right where it is. It was good to see Jackson saving the day as well, as he always seems to take a backseat role. It's now becoming clearer that each of the characters has their place; Alec is the raw power, Chloe the heart, Jackson the tech, Boone the wise and spiritual with a tortured past.

In terms of plot, I was starting to worry about 3/4's of the way through that not much was really happening but I really didn't find that to be a negative as I got to the end of the script. By the end, it all just sort of makes sense and you feel like a journey has been taken even though superficially it might seem as if it was talk, talk, talk and a bit of fighting towards the end. I think this subtlety really worked well - and though I was anticipating the vampire breakout, I'm glad you defied expectation and didn't turn this into a 20-page fight scene. I think that would have ruined the message.

So, all in all, another strong one. 

8/10

[Adam]

No Man's Land

This was very much a Boone episode, but all the characters had nice little moments here. After last episode, it felt like Chloe and Boone were getting closer as he tried to help her to heal, and now it's very clear that there's so much she doesn't know about him - and the things she's learning might mean that closeness will halt right where it is.

I think it's fair to say that none of them really know all that much about Boone's past. I very much wanted Frey and Boone to be two sides of a coin here - Frey's given into his monster, Boone's made a conscious decision not to.

It was good to see Jackson saving the day as well, as he always seems to take a backseat role. It's now becoming clearer that each of the characters has their place; Alec is the raw power, Chloe the heart, Jackson the tech, Boone the wise and spiritual with a tortured past.

That's a pretty good breakdown of the team actually. And yes, this episode was designed to show that, hence the reason there's only the main for in this from the regular cast.

I think this subtlety really worked well - and though I was anticipating the vampire breakout, I'm glad you defied expectation and didn't turn this into a 20-page fight scene. I think that would have ruined the message.

Yeah, this was never going to be an action episode, it was fundamentally a character piece for Boone, and also Alec, and I'm glad it came across that way.

Not long to go til you're at the end now Li. Thanks for reading.

[Fhithich]

Kennedy's People

So I knew it couldn't be long until the inevitable cross over happened, and I always worry when they do because you never quite know what you're going to get. Thankfully, I think this one was well-thought out. Though I haven't read much of the DSR, I vaguely recall enough to think that you made the right choice in which characters to borrow. I don't think Owen was in the episodes I've read, but I like Sara and I think they're both a good fit for Walker. From what I remember, I don't think Jai for instance would have gelled so well.

Aside from the cross over, it was good to see all the bureaucracy and the different agencies all sticking their noses in in each other's business. At the end of the day, Alec and co are there to do a job, but like any job, there's always red tape and shit you have to wade through to actually get around to doing it. You'd think taking out a house of raging vampires would call for a quick "okay, go kill them". But that's the government for you.

And of course, Kennedy couldn't be trusted. I have a feeling he'll be sticking his nose in again further down the line, but for now ... go, Chloe. I love a girl who can basically tell you to fuck off without actually saying it!

An interesting episode, overall. Not as revealing as I was expecting, but there's still two episodes to go yet. Nice little crossover, bit of squabbling, bit of action, some nice moments for all the characters. Solid. 

8/10

[Adam]

Yeha, the DSR crossover had to happen at some point, didn't it? It was number one of the priority list when we were putting the show together (incidentally, Alec's first appearance in the 'verse was actually on a DSR episode where he interacted with Owen and Sara, so this felt fitting).

go, Chloe. I love a girl who can basically tell you to fuck off without actually saying it!

I can imagine Tony punching the air when he wrote that, yes! This was important to me that we got it in because Chloe's basically been pulled between her loyalty to MI-16 and her growing respect for Alec and his team, this was her saying that she wasn't standing for it anymore.

Part one of the big finale next Li, and I really can't wait to see what you make of that one.

[Fhithich]

SCRIPT SUNDAY!

Spartacus

I liked Alec's little voiceover in the teaser, as we finally learn a little more about the Knight mythology. Though I was a little confused by the focus on "brother" and "boy" - wasn't Cassidy a Knight, or did I mis-read that?

Anyhoo, this one was really well written. In fact, this was probably the best episode so far. It was exciting, energetic, revealing, and all building up to that shocking cliffhanger. We finally know why Edward is such a douchebag - he wanted to kill all the leaders and take over their houses, and that's what Spartacus has all been about. But how on earth did he get a Knight to join him? That's now the mystery, and one that I suspect will be incredibly personal to Alec.

What's more is that it's clear that Boone knows that Gideon is no good - why would he keep such a terrible secret from Alec? Shit's 'bout to hit the fan in more ways than one I think. And though not particularly long, I think the fight scene at the end is the best one written so far simply because of how desperate and brutal it comes across. I think the mark of a good episode is that when a fight like this happens, the reader is squirming in their chair thinking "oh god, they're all going to die" because everything that led up to it was designed to make us realise how important these events are in this world.

Very much looking forward to the finale. 

9/10

[Fhithich]

Just to let you know, I did actually read the finale on Sunday! I'm going to post a proper review (which will consist of more than "Mr. Jones, what the hell are you up to?" I promise) when I have more time, but rest assured I am in until the end. 5 stars. 

[Adam]

Don't worry about the Mr Jones thing, there's a lot of that going around. Great news Li, and thanks, really glad you liked it.