Author Topic: Walker S2 Discussion (Read 5654 times)

Matt · « **Reply #60 on:** June 16, 2010, 09:35:16 PM »

Wibble wobble Not-Rambaldi...flibble flobble whispy duck not-Rambaldi.

Trix · « **Reply #61 on:** June 16, 2010, 09:43:14 PM »

I leave for five minutes and look what happens!

Quote from: Tony Black

You both suck.

That is all.

You are remembering that I haven't actually finished reviewing the show yet... Maybe I'll just go find something better to do

Tony O'Stark · « **Reply #62 on:** June 16, 2010, 09:58:32 PM »

In that case, just he sucks.

Pete D. Gaskell · « **Reply #63 on:** June 16, 2010, 09:59:29 PM »

^ I didn't need to know that.

Trix · « **Reply #64 on:** June 16, 2010, 10:00:25 PM »

Quote from: Tony Black

In that case, just he sucks.

The power I hold...

See everyone, being a reviewer has it's advantages so I advise everyone get stuck in and do more of it, whatever the show!

Dino · « **Reply #65 on:** June 16, 2010, 10:03:20 PM »

(click to show/hide)

TylerMoody · « **Reply #66 on:** June 16, 2010, 10:43:17 PM »

Elbow-deep in episode 5 and just gotta say that torture scene made me want to throw up. Having a really good friend with the same name as the character made me picture her in that place and...God.

TylerMoody · « **Reply #67 on:** June 16, 2010, 11:12:19 PM »

Episode 205

Wow.

What a great episode that was. It got more emotional response from me than any other has so far. I got angry, nervous, scared, sick. Just brilliant.

This is another of those episodes where the teaser becomes an event later in the episode but I actually quite liked this one because I didn't expect it and it wasn't telegraphed. It actually added to the drama.

Alec's anger at the men kidnapping the girls was completely understandable and I wanted him to continue beating the horseshit out of them. When Chloe stopped him, I think I woulda yelled at her too. Let Alec destroy this person. They need him conscious, not able-bodied. Break the fucker. But his slight at Chloe's new position is interesting -- I wonder if he isn't a little bit resentful for some reason?

Chloe's transition into being in charge of MI-16 was handled well. She's lacking confidence, but she's got Wexler there to back her up. Her interplay with Jackson, who I assumed from that last beat was the one screwing with her computer, was funny.

Jackson and Boone didn't have a lot to do, other than protect Kate. I'm glad Kate didn't get involved in this episode's main plot, though, woulda been too crowded.

And Flame, of course, brought us to Ezekiel. The scariest man I've ever seen. He can make heads explode! He's vague and mysterious and also called Wraith, but whether that's a code name or a title or something like Seer or Knight, I have no idea. Gideon's claim that he and Ezekiel are on the same side confuses the hell out of me. Is Gideon a good guy? Is Ezekiel a bad guy? Are they both somewhere in the middle? Was Gideon just lying? Who knows! Can't wait to find out. Also can't wait to find out what the deal is with the mushroom cloud over London. Suddenly I'm terribly afraid of the season finale.

Speaking of Gideon -- good return from him. Don't wanna have him and Alec fight again too soon, and his presence here allowed me to hate him all the more for doing that to Siobhan. And the other girls, but mostly Siobhan. Speaking off, what a powerful scene that was, Adam. It really hit me in the gut, a very good, very horrifying piece of writing.

And there's that chess motif again. Hmm.

One of, if not the, best episodes of Walker to date.

Trix · « **Reply #68 on:** June 17, 2010, 12:49:50 AM »

2x03

Again the teaser sets things up nicely. We ignore our gang and that end of the last episode to start things moving with Rebecca and hints of the looming war that her kind faces with the Werewolves.

I'm surprised that Jackson is even putting up with paperwork while Alec is away. Come to think about it I wouldn't expect him to ever be doing it. It's not like he actually works for MI-16. The group are getting a bit comfortable with these guys now.

Our first taste of Crowley with the flashback is great. His retort to Rebecca sets up his character well and I really feel like I know where we stand with him right away.

So now we have another object that is surfacing to be used in the war. It's vaguely reminiscent of the one that Kovas in The DSR had in his possession.

We get a bit more about Boone with the reveal that Rebecca was his wife at one time. He seems to be the main guy to get any background over the past season but it's kind of understandable given the vast number of years there is to cover compared to everyone else. It just puts him even above Alec which I'm not 100% liking given Alec is the bigger name and they are all supposed to be equal in the team. A small peeve that I'm sure will end up levelling out or maybe it'll be that his past is a lot more important than the others.

Caleb gets Rebecca and the eye which seems to have everything falling into place for him. Boone's not afraid of bending the truth a little when it comes to things his end so you have to think that Caleb is using that to his advantage. On top of that Boone isn't going to let anything happen to Rebecca if he can help it.

The flashbacks here show a slightly reckless side of Boone at times. It shows that he has gone through a lot, most of which we are not aware of yet, to make him the man he is today. It's understandable that he will still have many secrets hiding away from the gang. The only thing is, Boone has got his end of the deal out of this so really what's in it for him to do what Caleb asked. Okay maybe it means he'll be protecting his daughter in the long run I'm not sure but we'll see at some point.

The fight on the boat did seem rather underwhelming but then that was kind of the point. Caleb had other plans from the start and made a deal with Boone. His daughter crops up in conversation again which leaves more questions about her and what her part in everything is.

Alec pops out of nowhere to interrupt Jackson and Kate. I'm surprised that Jackson hadn't been more concerned with looking for Alec but I guess that's something that happened but wasn't shown. Having Kate appear at least gives him another thing on his mind to distract from Alec so that works in the story to keep him occupied.

There was an obvious problem with SPAG in this episode. I found myself spotting things quite often which was distracting, especially at the beginning but nothing more. The group handled themselves well without Alec and the power that he holds. The short cliff-hanger leaves me wondering who this woman is so I'm looking forward to delving in to the next episode.

Adam · « **Reply #69 on:** June 17, 2010, 04:38:22 PM »

Blimey. I just clear out one backlog of reviews and I get another one!

Well, I ain't going to complain about this show getting popular. So. Dino first, review of 205:

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Gideon still lends a sinister charm he has to his Circle and what his plans are ultimately for the rest of the world. Whilst nicking Seers left, right and centre to get an image of (what? (more on that later...)) This seemed a little to reminiscent of the story-arc used in the DSR. At least we can safely say that Sara would be nodding her head slightly at how the pain inflicted on the girls and Flame in question would be a little too close to home.

This story arc was planned out a long time before DSR's Seer arc, so yeah, there's a nice but of symmetry here. And yeah, writing Gideon's great fun.

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I did like the tension between Flame and Ezekiel. Seems the two really don't like each other, and yet in the same breath, do. Although Ezekiel has no compulsions in doing everything and anything to retrieve his son back alive, as testament to what he did to the troop commander.

Theirs is a very complicated relationship. See that Ezekiel was quite willing to change the future to let Flame be taken rather than Lucy, and yet he did what he did in order to get him back.

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So who is responsible for detonating a nuclear bomb in the heart of London?

No comment.

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And where is the English equivalent of Jack Bauer yelling out: "DAMMMIT!!!"

Flame only saw part of the future, so who knows, he might still be there somewhere.

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The Chloe angle of being the new boss and my suspicions of Sir Allan having maneuvered her into the position were confirmed. Will she slip up? Somehow I doubt it. With a team at her disposal, she shows enough acumen to get the job done, and totally piss off the old man. Sara would be jumping up and down clapping her hands in delight when that day arrives.

Rest assured, Chloe's arc here was always something I was going to have a lot of fun with.

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Also why did the Troop Commander call Ezekiel, Wraith?

Because if you've got two names for yourself, who's to say you haven't got any more?

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So... that final scene. Ezekiel's powers seem a little more greater than we expected... or did we get the impression he didn't kill the Troop Commander at all? If that isn't the case, his powers of resurrection can only mean trouble for those who cross him.

He can kill you, bring you back, kill you, bring you back...

This, I knew, was always going to be a talking point, and I think it adds a lot more dimension to the man. I do know what actually happened here, but again, the answer's going to be a while coming.

Thanks as always Dino - fully caught up now! Have a gorilla.

Adam · « **Reply #70 on:** June 17, 2010, 04:40:04 PM »

Quote from: TylerMoody on June 16, 2010, 10:43:17 PM

Elbow-deep in episode 5 and just gotta say that torture scene made me want to throw up. Having a really good friend with the same name as the character made me picture her in that place and...God.

Ouch.

For the record, I was knee deep in an Ian Rankin binge while I wrote this episode. Siobhan Temple is named after the two female leads of The Falls - Siobhan Clarke and Gill Templar.

Just for the record. File that one under "where do you get your ideas?"

Adam · « **Reply #71 on:** June 17, 2010, 04:51:12 PM »

Sideshow over, Tyler's review of 205:

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Wow.

What a great episode that was. It got more emotional response from me than any other has so far. I got angry, nervous, scared, sick. Just brilliant.

I love it when a plan comes together.

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This is another of those episodes where the teaser becomes an event later in the episode but I actually quite liked this one because I didn't expect it and it wasn't telegraphed. It actually added to the drama.

Yeah, I knew this mislead was going to get talked about. It's not quite the same as what we did in 204 because it's not a flashback - Ezekiel saw two futures, one where Alec and co didn't intervene and one where they did.

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Alec's anger at the men kidnapping the girls was completely understandable and I wanted him to continue beating the horseshit out of them. When Chloe stopped him, I think I woulda yelled at her too. Let Alec destroy this person. They need him conscious, not able-bodied. Break the fucker. But his slight at Chloe's new position is interesting -- I wonder if he isn't a little bit resentful for some reason?

I never thought of him as being resentful - he's being petty. Alec wanted to hurt someone badly at that point and, when the chance to comprehensively give the Troop Commander a good seeing-to failed, he lashed out at Chloe. I know full well he'd have regretted it immediately but I think it's always good to point out that Alec's got a side to him that can be very petulant and more than a little childish.

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Chloe's transition into being in charge of MI-16 was handled well. She's lacking confidence, but she's got Wexler there to back her up. Her interplay with Jackson, who I assumed from that last beat was the one screwing with her computer, was funny.

I always liked that gag. For the record, even I never made my mind up who was doing that with the screensaver, but it is the kind of thing Jackson would do.

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Jackson and Boone didn't have a lot to do, other than protect Kate. I'm glad Kate didn't get involved in this episode's main plot, though, woulda been too crowded.

In the original draft, it was. My first draft of this ran upwards of 80 pages and it was a disaster. It was only after I'd finished that I actually decided what the episode was fundamentally about - Flame and his father - which is normally decided long before I start typing. The second draft reshaped it around that, hence the reason Boone and Jackson got pulled into the background a bit. Though I do like Boone's interplay with Jackson here, particularly their phone call after Boone picks Kate up.

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And Flame, of course, brought us to Ezekiel. The scariest man I've ever seen. He can make heads explode! He's vague and mysterious and also called Wraith, but whether that's a code name or a title or something like Seer or Knight, I have no idea.

Interesting theory. We'll see how close you get.

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Gideon's claim that he and Ezekiel are on the same side confuses the hell out of me. Is Gideon a good guy? Is Ezekiel a bad guy? Are they both somewhere in the middle? Was Gideon just lying? Who knows! Can't wait to find out. Also can't wait to find out what the deal is with the mushroom cloud over London. Suddenly I'm terribly afraid of the season finale.

The actual mechanics of Gideon, Ezekiel and what that vision was all tie into the central mythology of the series itself. Believe me, you've been handed a massive great clue as to what's going on here - it just won't become obvious for a while.

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Speaking of Gideon -- good return from him. Don't wanna have him and Alec fight again too soon, and his presence here allowed me to hate him all the more for doing that to Siobhan. And the other girls, but mostly Siobhan. Speaking off, what a powerful scene that was, Adam. It really hit me in the gut, a very good, very horrifying piece of writing.

I'm glad. I wrote that scene worried all the way through - I don't like to write stuff that's gratuitous and, to be fair, I ain't writing a Hostel movie here where I'm asking you to get off on watching someone get tortured. Like THAT bit in The Heretic, it made me feel grubby after writing it.

To muddy the waters even more, I'll hasten to point out that, if you read it carefully, Gideon takes no pleasure in what he does to Siobhan. Sims does, but Gideon's just doing a job, and he wants to find a way to bring it to a close quicker, hence his going after Flame. Think about that for a bit and tell me if it makes the situation better or worse.

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One of, if not the, best episodes of Walker to date.

High praise indeed. Thanks for reading mate.

Adam · « **Reply #72 on:** June 17, 2010, 04:58:01 PM »

And now Trix's review of 203.

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I'm surprised that Jackson is even putting up with paperwork while Alec is away. Come to think about it I wouldn't expect him to ever be doing it. It's not like he actually works for MI-16. The group are getting a bit comfortable with these guys now.

The gang have become pretty acclimatised to working with MI-16 by now, yeah. I'd always understood Jackson here to be frustrated because Alec's upped sticks with no warning, but he's staying put because he knows Alec will pop back up again sooner than later.

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Our first taste of Crowley with the flashback is great. His retort to Rebecca sets up his character well and I really feel like I know where we stand with him right away.

Chris wrote that scene REALLY well. Crowley, if you didn't realise, is an actual historical character and he was someone very much on the list of stuff I had to use when I was putting Walker together. If anything, the actual history of the man is far creepier than any of the fiction surrounding him.

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We get a bit more about Boone with the reveal that Rebecca was his wife at one time. He seems to be the main guy to get any background over the past season but it's kind of understandable given the vast number of years there is to cover compared to everyone else. It just puts him even above Alec which I'm not 100% liking given Alec is the bigger name and they are all supposed to be equal in the team. A small peeve that I'm sure will end up levelling out or maybe it'll be that his past is a lot more important than the others.

It's the latter. Boone's the only one of the characters who is really defined by his past - Alec as a character is always moving forward, so telling his backstory is less interesting to me. But there are plenty of horrors in Boone's past yet to be revealed. Plus, it gives us the chance to go to other places if he's well travelled, so that lets us tell other kinds of stories with him.

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The flashbacks here show a slightly reckless side of Boone at times. It shows that he has gone through a lot, most of which we are not aware of yet, to make him the man he is today. It's understandable that he will still have many secrets hiding away from the gang. The only thing is, Boone has got his end of the deal out of this so really what's in it for him to do what Caleb asked. Okay maybe it means he'll be protecting his daughter in the long run I'm not sure but we'll see at some point.

The fight on the boat did seem rather underwhelming but then that was kind of the point. Caleb had other plans from the start and made a deal with Boone. His daughter crops up in conversation again which leaves more questions about her and what her part in everything is.

Fair point. All of this will pay dividends later but yeah, there's a good reason why Boone will live up to his end of the bargain.

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There was an obvious problem with SPAG in this episode. I found myself spotting things quite often which was distracting, especially at the beginning but nothing more. The group handled themselves well without Alec and the power that he holds. The short cliff-hanger leaves me wondering who this woman is so I'm looking forward to delving in to the next episode.

Knickers. I'll try and get that sorted. As always, Trix, love your reviews. Keep them coming, you've got some very strong episodes about to hit.

Trix · « **Reply #73 on:** June 17, 2010, 05:47:03 PM »

Quote from: Adam

The gang have become pretty acclimatised to working with MI-16 by now, yeah. I'd always understood Jackson here to be frustrated because Alec's upped sticks with no warning, but he's staying put because he knows Alec will pop back up again sooner than later.

I don't know why but I was just really curious as to what kind of paperwork they'd have him doing. I don't even know why I got hung up on it but it made me stop and think

I'm weird like that.

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Crowley, if you didn't realise, is an actual historical character and he was someone very much on the list of stuff I had to use when I was putting Walker together. If anything, the actual history of the man is far creepier than any of the fiction surrounding him.

I didn't know that but now I will be going to have a google of the guy. He did let me down at the end by thinking he was going to get to be a vampire. People need to realise that vampires always know that's what the human is going to want and that they can string them along right till they're not needed any more. Silly human!

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It's the latter. Boone's the only one of the characters who is really defined by his past - Alec as a character is always moving forward, so telling his backstory is less interesting to me. But there are plenty of horrors in Boone's past yet to be revealed. Plus, it gives us the chance to go to other places if he's well travelled, so that lets us tell other kinds of stories with him.

I didn't really think about the fact that Alec is always moving forward but it's a good point. I think it's more that now whenever flashbacks appear you know it's going to be Boone that's getting the attention, for the most part. It's not a bad thing, as it's not like we get it every episode.

Adam · « **Reply #74 on:** June 17, 2010, 05:50:40 PM »

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I don't know why but I was just really curious as to what kind of paperwork they'd have him doing. I don't even know why I got hung up on it but it made me stop and think I'm weird like that.

To be honest, Chris wrote it (it wasn't in the outline) and I just never thought twice about it. There, an admission.

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I didn't know that but now I will be going to have a google of the guy. He did let me down at the end by thinking he was going to get to be a vampire. People need to realise that vampires always know that's what the human is going to want and that they can string them along right till they're not needed any more. Silly human!

Absolutely. I'm sure Boone and Rebecca were feeding him that stuff as much as Engels did.

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I didn't really think about the fact that Alec is always moving forward but it's a good point. I think it's more that now whenever flashbacks appear you know it's going to be Boone that's getting the attention, for the most part. It's not a bad thing, as it's not like we get it every episode.

Exactly. If we did, it'd get old really fast. There's a major Boone episode coming up this season (I think Tony would murder me if I didn't let him write one every year) and that WILL feature some flashbacks, but other than that I think that's it for s2.

Trix · « **Reply #75 on:** June 17, 2010, 05:54:47 PM »

Yea I didn't expect anyone would know the answer to the paperwork question but these are the things that get caught up in my head!

Yea I noticed that Tony has three episodes in a row, including that episode, before you take over for the final run of three

Next review should be up tonight to make you do even more replying.

Adam · « **Reply #76 on:** June 17, 2010, 05:56:46 PM »

Gauntlet's been thrown down, eh? Well, I'm trying to get better at the replying thing, so by all means, do your worst!

And yeah, Tony's got three eps in a row, followed by me. Just sort of turned out that way, Tony wanting those three eps.

Trix · « **Reply #77 on:** June 17, 2010, 05:57:57 PM »

Should I remind you of Sherlock...

Tony O'Stark · « **Reply #78 on:** June 17, 2010, 06:06:22 PM »

'The Battle of Sinners and Saints' is but two and a half weeks away.

I dunno about you, Adam, but I can't wait for this lot to read it!

Trix · « **Reply #79 on:** June 17, 2010, 06:08:16 PM »

Boone's episodes from last season were some of the best from that season so obviously you have to live up to the hype caused by them and you. I'm looking forward to it.