Walker S3 Discussion

[Adam]

With the narration about Atlantis, we’ve taken a definite sideways lurch into the kind of territory normally reserved for The DSR – given how so much of recent episodes has been urban, relatively small scale, then this hop up into outright myths and legends is a bit of a jarring switch. Luckily, the opening chase is frenetic enough to slam us back to reality, and after that we bounce from scene to scene just right, never lingering and always keeping some element of the story going.

I know, it's a bit of a jarring shift isn't it? This was always the point I wanted to move Walker into more epic territory - I think the size of the mythology at play here with the Knights and what we know of the prophecy warrants it, but my regret is always we didn't build into it enough. But we've gone big deliberately here, and I've no plans to scale it back down now - I think the show's earned it.

Rattigan suddenly developing Seer powers is another sharp left turn (something to do with the Blood Stone? It’s left rather vague)

It's explained a bit better in part two, but I should have probably set this up a bit sooner.

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Flame

is a bold sacrifice for the show to make.

This was always the point he was going to go out of it, hence the reason I made a big effort to give him a big, emotional arc across the season to make this one hit home. Ultimately, he got to save the girl and go out a hero - I think he'd be happy.

Thanks for the marathon of reading, Lee - almost at the end now, so I can't wait to see what you think.

[Monster Zero]

Strong, driven pacing, plenty of character moments and a rising sense of urgency catch the show back up with the reveal of Atlantis last time out, although the Wizard of Oz reveal with Ozymandias is lessened somewhat by the fact he’s only really appeared once before now. Gideon turning on the Circle feels right, though – given their resistance to his plans so far you can understand why he’d take this last straw and walk away. We’re still mobilising and getting into play by page 45 so things do take a little longer than I’d have liked to kick off, and the thinly-characterised Camille does laps back into some standard Bond Villain stylings here. Luckily, that’s about when Atlantis starts fighting back and finally the explosions are with us! It does all come down to Alec and Raina, meaning Chloe, Boone, Jackson and Neriah do get left with very little to do throughout, but then there’s a delicious final reveal of Gideon’s real paymaster that earns a point back all by itself.

So in some ways a strong finale, but one that feels like it's stepped out of DSR rather than Walker's playbook - the S2 finale was a better fit for the show, I think, as there was a strong focus on individual characters making tough decisions to save the world, rather than suddenly hurling your main cast into the third Act of a sci-fi movie and leaving most of them nothing to do when they get there. I'm also not too keen on going the whole 'crystal tech' route for Atlantis, mainly because it can't help but feel like Superman and while Adam obviously had his own visualisation for all this in mind, it's hard to translate to the page given the obvious similarities.

One thing about Gideon’s plan – if downloading the knowledge of the Ancients – sorry, Atlantis (arf) – into Raina will kill her, what’s their gain in doing so? And, more importantly, if

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the Atlantis machine actually creates Knights rather than fill people's heads with knowledge

, was that Gideon and Camille's plan? It all gets a bit fuzzy, and I'm prepared to admit I've misunderstood something here, but that's troubling me for now.

[Adam]

One thing about Gideon’s plan – if downloading the knowledge of the Ancients – sorry, Atlantis (arf) – into Raina will kill her, what’s their gain in doing so? And, more importantly, if

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the Atlantis machine actually creates Knights rather than fill people's heads with knowledge

, was that Gideon and Camille's plan? It all gets a bit fuzzy, and I'm prepared to admit I've misunderstood something here, but that's troubling me for now.

You did get the wrong end of the stick there. To whit:

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The device on Atlantis DOESN'T make Knights - the prologue to ep14 establishes this when we see a Grigori vessel being implanted with the Atlantean knowledge.

Gideon and Camille's plan happened exactly how it was supposed to - Atlantis was activated and Raina had the knowledge of Atlantis download into her head. What it ALSO did, however, was activate something within Raina that was already there. The machine didn't give her Knight powers, it simply brought them out. The fallout from this is going to be dealt with, in a major way, in the movie coming this Christmas.

On the whole, though, that's a fair review. This finale was never going to have the huge emotional punch to the gut that season two's did, mainly because I didn't want to do that twice, but also because this season is more about the mythology of the show, and in hindsight I don't think I handled the finale as well as I could have.

[Monster Zero]

Ah, right - that makes more sense then. I wasn't sure if I'd missed something so thanks for clearing that one up

I think you delivered a good, action-packed finale with lots going on, so thumbs up for all that especially all the new threads pushed into next year (like Gideon's real boss and Raina's powers, plus her feelings for Alec), so the downsides aren't massive problems really. You've upped the scale of the show considerably, and I think you know yourself that it perhaps rolls out a bit too quickly, especially with Atlantis suddenly hurling itself into the mythology.

Also, I know how easy it is to leave main characters reduced to the background by high concept finales, so that's a lesson learned, I think - on Slayer Academy we always went to great pains to give every character, main or recurring, at least one significant thing to do from the S3 finale onwards (after some were in the S2 finale literally just to get bumped off!) - that's always a good tactic as it means even if the crux of the story focuses on a handful of players, then the rest of the crew have all had one Hero Moment along the way.

Still one of my favourite shows on MZP though!

[Dr. Kyle Banner]

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3x01 - Cometh The Hour, Cometh The Man
Adam introduces a new season superbly, by carrying on certain story threads and closing off others. Neriah is new character and a fun one who I can see hanging around for the season at least. It would have been nice to see Jackson or Boone turn up but I can live with that. Not much else to say really. This premiere rockets from start to finish and really takes its time. Enjoyable and interesting.


3x02 - Forsaken
Another well crafted episode from Adam, that shows the fallout of trying to return to a world you thought you'd left behind. Jackson is clearly the bigger man in being able to work with Alec, if not forgive him. I doubt I could do that in that situation. I must admit, I miss old Alec. New Alec seems a bit like "chipped Spike" from BtVS. Still, the story works brilliantly and I like Solomon. I wasn't sure of him at first, but he grew on me as the episode progressed. All in all a well written episode.


3x03 - The Alchemist
Adam crafts a tale of loss and grief so powerfully in this episode. This was a good character study of Jackson. Having said that I'd of liked a bit more of a focus on Jackson's grief, but then this season is set after he's accepted he needs to move on. I can see there is a road that he and Alec are on towards mending their friendship somewhat. The villain was perfect, a mother would do anything she could for a child even this. Another excellent episode.


3x04 - The Watcher in the Rain
The first addition to Walker by Trix and what a splash she makes. A few spag errors here and there, but the this is also her first MZPtv script so this can be forgiven. Now, one thing I must say on the "new writers" front is that Trix has fallen into A trap with Boone. She's written Gene Hunt. As funny as this, it does stand out as a harken back to Life on Mars. The main story is brilliantly written and tightly woven, almost with a hint of Alias to it. The revelations and twists were well executed and I have trouble believing this is Trix's first script. What is the Vessel and why does it need protecting? I look forward to the answers.


3x05 - Serenity and Starlight
Tony is back with a two parter that moves like a speeding train. From an excellent opening sequence to the titular home of the seers, this episode rockets through at an amazing speed. Very little wrong here so not much else to write about.


3x06 - Aftermath
Adam Scott delivers Part Two of the massive Seer Two Parter for Season 3. And boy does it deliver. Split between the future and the past, Aftermath does a good job of being suitably freaky and doing what Walker does best: massive fight scenes. The Season arc of the bloodstones and the vessel are brought forward and given some more development here. Also we learn that the vessel is a woman. Curious indeed. Excited to see where we go from here and what is still to (kingdom) come.


3x07 - Trial and Ordeal
Pete's latest addition to Walker is part filler and part arc with enough wit and action to keep the reader interested. This episode examines Alec and Jackson's friendship and we see them go a ways toward mending that friendship, which is something I didn't think I'd see. A very well written episode with plenty of memorable moments.


3x08 - Belonging
Chris Haigh's first of the season and it's a corker. This episode nicely showcases Flame and his dad. Also we see Mr Jones pop up a couple of times which is always nice. I'll say it hear first, I reckon he's a seer. How else would Jones know about events to come? An action/adventure romp with a suitably insane ending.


3x09 - Sign of the Cross
Another excellent addition from Adam, this focusing on John Henry Boone. This episode is basically Boone Meets Die Hard, which is no bad thing. The flashbacks confused me at first, but it all made sense eventually. Giving Kennedy, a rarely spoken about character in these reviews, a nemesis is a genius move and I look forward to seeing more of Stafford. All in all, a great insight into Boone's past. More please.


3x10 - In The Name Of The Father
Wow. Another corking episode from Pete and another phrase to add to Alec's "greatest lines ever said in The Voice" list with the ever excellent "not if you know what's good for you, sonny Jim". This episode really focused on Flame's feelings for Vanessa and hers for him. But it's the twist at the end that grabbed me the most. Kennedy's death shocked me so much that I had to stop reading for a moment. That's only really happened a few times in scripts. Nothing else to say, another gem and the stakes have been raised further.


3x11 - Until The Stars Turn Cold
Another gem of an episode from Tony Black who can do no wrong with Walker. A tightly crafted tale of revenge is what we get here. Alex and his band seeking to clear Chloe's name go to some really dark places. A particular highlight was Sara being willing to kill an eight year old girl in order to get Mara to confess. Her horror afterward was especially brilliant. All in all in a terrific episode and I look forward to reading more.


3x12 - The Restoration of John Henry
Tony's last addition to Walker Season 3 and it's certainly different. The flash forwards became a bit tedious but when it was discovered that actually Cain had been showing Boone a vision then it became less annoying. Kingdom Come is a war that features all the Knights vs all the Seers. The vessel is a woman and here was a picture of a woman who is apparently a knight. Which means the vessel is a female knight, the first of her kind? If I've just figured that out the yay for me! Excellent as always and I look forward to more.


3x13 - The Night the War Came Home
Lee A Chrimes' first and only contribution to the walker series and wow. Filled with Joss Whedonesque humour and excellent moments that make you want to yell hell yeah, Lee's contribution to Walker has been a thrill from start to finish. The Avars in this story are very incredibly annoying. The amount of times I wanted to hit Pike I can count on fifty hands. The revelation that Raina is the vessel was well handled and I admit that I was suitably shocked to learn she was Milena's daughter. All in all an excellent show and a fantastic prelude to the finale.

3x14 - The Man Who Would Be King
Part 1 of the two part Walker S3 finale sees Flame and Vanessa being rescued by Jackson, Boone and Wexler while Alec, Chloe, Neriah and Pike go after Raina.  This episode rockets from start to finish and there is never a dull moment.  I liked all the little moments with Raina and Alec.  But this is nothing compared to big event of this episode: Flame's death.  I sort of saw it happening before it happened but either way it was brilliantly handled.  I never thought I'd shed a tear for Flame, but he turned out to be an excellent and sometimes undervalued member of the team.  As soon as he's not there cracking jokes, you realise how badly his presence will be missed.

3x15 - Atlantis Rising
Atlantis Rises.  Gideon kills the circle.  Ezekiel is up to something.  But none of that compares to big fucking elephant in the room: RAINA IS A KNIGHT!  Did I not suggest that a couple of reviews ago?  Excellent reveal though and like the two Walker finales that proceed it, Atlantis Rising is brilliant from start to finish.  I'm looking forward to Storm Front now.  I'm going to leave it for now though.

So Walker S3?  Right up my alley

[Trix]

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3x04 - The Watcher in the Rain
The first addition to Walker by Trix and what a splash she makes. A few spag errors here and there, but the this is also her first MZPtv script so this can be forgiven. Now, one thing I must say on the "new writers" front is that Trix has fallen into A trap with Boone. She's written Gene Hunt. As funny as this, it does stand out as a harken back to Life on Mars. The main story is brilliantly written and tightly woven, almost with a hint of Alias to it. The revelations and twists were well executed and I have trouble believing this is Trix's first script. What is the Vessel and why does it need protecting? I look forward to the answers.

Thanks very much for the kind words Kyle. I love that people think I wrote Hunt when I've never seen the show to any great extent. Maybe one or two episodes at the most so I don't think I could have written him if I'd actively tried.

At any rate I enjoyed writing this immensely and will be jumping back into the writing foray at some point in the future. Much love to Adam though who helped me every step of the way with this. Don't think it would have gone anywhere without his guiding hand.

[Adam]

Kyle, major thanks for such a great review of the season, really glad you enjoyed it. Let's go:

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3x01 - Cometh The Hour, Cometh The Man
Adam introduces a new season superbly, by carrying on certain story threads and closing off others. Neriah is new character and a fun one who I can see hanging around for the season at least. It would have been nice to see Jackson or Boone turn up but I can live with that. Not much else to say really. This premiere rockets from start to finish and really takes its time. Enjoyable and interesting.

Given how much was going on in this episode there was just no way to include Jackson or Boone, it'd just have got too messy - hence the reason I made the decision to introduce the main cast a few at a time. Glad you like Neriah too, she was a lot of fun to write.

3x02 - Forsaken
Another well crafted episode from Adam, that shows the fallout of trying to return to a world you thought you'd left behind. Jackson is clearly the bigger man in being able to work with Alec, if not forgive him. I doubt I could do that in that situation. I must admit, I miss old Alec. New Alec seems a bit like "chipped Spike" from BtVS. Still, the story works brilliantly and I like Solomon. I wasn't sure of him at first, but he grew on me as the episode progressed. All in all a well written episode.

Interesting comparison with Spike - if anything he's actually based on me when I went back to my old job after having previously left, not wanting to charge in and assume he's still king of the hill. By the end of the episode, though, we're back to some sort of status quo with him.

3x03 - The Alchemist
Adam crafts a tale of loss and grief so powerfully in this episode. This was a good character study of Jackson. Having said that I'd of liked a bit more of a focus on Jackson's grief, but then this season is set after he's accepted he needs to move on. I can see there is a road that he and Alec are on towards mending their friendship somewhat. The villain was perfect, a mother would do anything she could for a child even this. Another excellent episode.

This is one of my favourites in the season of all the ones I wrote, largely for the character interactions. I wanted to address Jackson's grief as soon as possible but I also wanted it clear that he's moved beyond that - a whole season of him and Alec hating each other would have been a nightmare to both read and write.

3x04 - The Watcher in the Rain
The first addition to Walker by Trix and what a splash she makes. A few spag errors here and there, but the this is also her first MZPtv script so this can be forgiven. Now, one thing I must say on the "new writers" front is that Trix has fallen into A trap with Boone. She's written Gene Hunt. As funny as this, it does stand out as a harken back to Life on Mars. The main story is brilliantly written and tightly woven, almost with a hint of Alias to it. The revelations and twists were well executed and I have trouble believing this is Trix's first script. What is the Vessel and why does it need protecting? I look forward to the answers.

I thought Trix did a really good job with this - she was working from my story but I'd say a good 80% of this is her and I was really pleased with the outcome.

3x05 - Serenity and Starlight
Tony is back with a two parter that moves like a speeding train. From an excellent opening sequence to the titular home of the seers, this episode rockets through at an amazing speed. Very little wrong here so not much else to write about.

Short and to the point - I think Tony will approve, I know he had a lot of fun with this one.

3x06 - Aftermath
Adam Scott delivers Part Two of the massive Seer Two Parter for Season 3. And boy does it deliver. Split between the future and the past, Aftermath does a good job of being suitably freaky and doing what Walker does best: massive fight scenes. The Season arc of the bloodstones and the vessel are brought forward and given some more development here. Also we learn that the vessel is a woman. Curious indeed. Excited to see where we go from here and what is still to (kingdom) come.

Really glad you liked this one as this is my favourite episode of the season, possibly of the entire series.

3x07 - Trial and Ordeal
Pete's latest addition to Walker is part filler and part arc with enough wit and action to keep the reader interested. This episode examines Alec and Jackson's friendship and we see them go a ways toward mending that friendship, which is something I didn't think I'd see. A very well written episode with plenty of memorable moments.

Yeah, this episode was very much about putting Alec and Jackson in a position where they're forced to have the row they've been very deliberately not having all season. I asked Pete to do this with the mandate of mending that friendship and, while they'll never be quite what they were, I'm glad we've got this kind of understanding now and I thought Pete did a bang-up job with this.

3x08 - Belonging
Chris Haigh's first of the season and it's a corker. This episode nicely showcases Flame and his dad. Also we see Mr Jones pop up a couple of times which is always nice. I'll say it hear first, I reckon he's a seer. How else would Jones know about events to come? An action/adventure romp with a suitably insane ending.

Mr Jones is NOT a male Seer, I think that's been specifically stated a few times. I'm sure Chris'll be happy you liked this one.

3x09 - Sign of the Cross
Another excellent addition from Adam, this focusing on John Henry Boone. This episode is basically Boone Meets Die Hard, which is no bad thing. The flashbacks confused me at first, but it all made sense eventually. Giving Kennedy, a rarely spoken about character in these reviews, a nemesis is a genius move and I look forward to seeing more of Stafford. All in all, a great insight into Boone's past. More please.

This one was always being talked about with the subtitle "Die Hard with a Vampire", so I'm glad you picked up on that. And the Stafford/Kennedy stuff was a lot of fun to write.

3x10 - In The Name Of The Father
Wow. Another corking episode from Pete and another phrase to add to Alec's "greatest lines ever said in The Voice" list with the ever excellent "not if you know what's good for you, sonny Jim". This episode really focused on Flame's feelings for Vanessa and hers for him. But it's the twist at the end that grabbed me the most. Kennedy's death shocked me so much that I had to stop reading for a moment. That's only really happened a few times in scripts. Nothing else to say, another gem and the stakes have been raised further.

This has gone down for me as the best work Pete's ever done on Walker, largely for the way he played Flame, the character who got accused of just being there for comic relief. The slightly twisted love story was one of my favourite elements here. And I'm really glad you had that reaction to Kennedy's death, that was very much the point.

3x11 - Until The Stars Turn Cold
Another gem of an episode from Tony Black who can do no wrong with Walker. A tightly crafted tale of revenge is what we get here. Alex and his band seeking to clear Chloe's name go to some really dark places. A particular highlight was Sara being willing to kill an eight year old girl in order to get Mara to confess. Her horror afterward was especially brilliant. All in all in a terrific episode and I look forward to reading more.

That impressed me with this episode too - how very dark it was. I hadn't expected Tony to go quite there but I'm really glad he did, there's some great stuff in this one.

3x12 - The Restoration of John Henry
Tony's last addition to Walker Season 3 and it's certainly different. The flash forwards became a bit tedious but when it was discovered that actually Cain had been showing Boone a vision then it became less annoying. Kingdom Come is a war that features all the Knights vs all the Seers. The vessel is a woman and here was a picture of a woman who is apparently a knight. Which means the vessel is a female knight, the first of her kind? If I've just figured that out the yay for me! Excellent as always and I look forward to more.

Well done for twigging that, I don't think anyone else has yet. Very important episode both for the mythology of the show and for Boone's development in general, Tony's justifiably proud of this one.

3x13 - The Night the War Came Home
Lee A Chrimes' first and only contribution to the walker series and wow. Filled with Joss Whedonesque humour and excellent moments that make you want to yell hell yeah, Lee's contribution to Walker has been a thrill from start to finish. The Avars in this story are very incredibly annoying. The amount of times I wanted to hit Pike I can count on fifty hands. The revelation that Raina is the vessel was well handled and I admit that I was suitably shocked to learn she was Milena's daughter. All in all an excellent show and a fantastic prelude to the finale.

You can really spot a Lee Chrimes script, can't you, even if he's working from someone else's outline.And hopefully you can see why the Avars were acting the way they did because of the secret they were protecting.

3x14 - The Man Who Would Be King
Part 1 of the two part Walker S3 finale sees Flame and Vanessa being rescued by Jackson, Boone and Wexler while Alec, Chloe, Neriah and Pike go after Raina.  This episode rockets from start to finish and there is never a dull moment.  I liked all the little moments with Raina and Alec.  But this is nothing compared to big event of this episode: Flame's death.  I sort of saw it happening before it happened but either way it was brilliantly handled.  I never thought I'd shed a tear for Flame, but he turned out to be an excellent and sometimes undervalued member of the team.  As soon as he's not there cracking jokes, you realise how badly his presence will be missed.

That was very much the point of the episode - I wanted Flame to die a hero and saving the woman he's realised he genuinely loves in spite of everything that's happened I thought was a fitting way to do it. And thanks for picking up on the Alec/Raina stuff, those moments were a lot of fun to write.

3x15 - Atlantis Rising
Atlantis Rises.  Gideon kills the circle.  Ezekiel is up to something.  But none of that compares to big fucking elephant in the room: RAINA IS A KNIGHT!  Did I not suggest that a couple of reviews ago?  Excellent reveal though and like the two Walker finales that proceed it, Atlantis Rising is brilliant from start to finish.  I'm looking forward to Storm Front now.  I'm going to leave it for now though.

Yes you did, and well played for twigging it - hopefully the reveal's still as much fun as I thought it would be.

So Walker S3?  Right up my alley

Music to my ears, Kyle. Makor thanks for reading all of these - just Storm Front and World on Fire to go and you're all caught up!