When rumor got out that the prisoners kept at chilly Mount Inostranka would turn out to be aliens, I was skeptical. It just felt way too much like V, and I still felt pretty strongly about my time traveling theory. Now, in only the second episode, we’re told that the 97 detainees are otherworldly beings, not technically “human” in that they share 99% of our DNA. Sterling is very quick to point out to the President that, though they are very close to humans in their chemical composition, they are “most certainly not” human.
Given the fact that these people crashed in a mysterious craft in the ’40s, that their DNA is not a 100% match to humans and that they age much, much slower that we do, I’m still — yes still — holding onto my theory that they are human and are from the future. So, don’t worry folks — this is not another V.
Now, I don’t want to get into a whole creationism argument with you all, but Sterling’s comment about how close a chimpanzee’s DNS matches a human’s (2%), to me, was a clear hint that the detainees may not be “human” as we know them today, but in fact an evolved form of humans, from a distant-future Earth. Another aspect of our own evolution has been our lifespan, so it only makes sense that the lifespan of those after us will continue to extend.
What I was most pleased about with this episode was how quickly the story moved about. I’m sorry, but with a plot like this, I don’t give a crap about what’s happening with Stanley’s family life or what little Bobby did in school — get to the meat of the matter and stop yanking us about! There’s something “big” about to happen, so let’s get right down to it and keep the action’s pace blistering! And that’s just what we got here, save for a quick flashback to Sean and Leila’s meeting (which, I have to admit, was really well done — the awkward, first-love-like conversation in the pool felt pretty authentic). However, I do believe their involvement together is more than meets the eye — could she be one of “them,” having escaped long ago?
I was also somewhat surprised that we actually saw a very significant body count in this episode. The bodies of every passenger (save one) of that hijacked plane, strewn about in the desert … dead. Including children! That’s right, people writing for this show — keep it coming. Show us this is serious business, and don’t back down and lose focus. No pussyfooting around.
So, in conclusion, my advice to NBC for The Event is this: keep this pace up and, whatever you do, DO NOT take a long, extended break in the middle of the season! That will only ruin the pace you’ve already set, and you can’t afford to let us take a breather.
Clacked by Keith McDuffee 
on Sep 27, 2010 @ 22:00 EST5EDT
Oh Keith, I was cringing at the pool scene. *Covers face w/ hands*
I do like your time travel theory!
Long lifers from our future OR our past (The Old Testament folks lived a looooooooong time.) If they are from the past travelers that would fit in with Fingerprints of the Gods stuff. But whether it’s future or past, if you are correct, this has serious potential. *Rubs hands together w/joy*
I’m thinking an AU universe in which humans evolved to live longer. They are certainly not aliens from Mars or anything like that.
Agree with the time travel theory. We know that a significant event will take place. How will that affect the world and the future?
The weakest link on the show is Jason Ritter’s character. I don’t care about him and his would-be fiance. I’d rather focus on Agent Lee, President Martinez, and Sofia.
Sorry, but is there any way to vote Ritter’s character off the show?
Yep, he’s patently weak. Not someone I want to follow around in a story. Flashforrward also suffered from having s terrible leading man, it did not matter how much the story improved.
It could be that there were 100 (nice #) at the travelers crash site, and he was a child at the time, taken and hidden, and just does not know he’s one of the 100. That could account for his strangeness. Who knows, but even right down to the facial hair, I’m not impressed with him.
I have to completely disagree with you here. Jason Ritter’s character is by far the strongest on the show. And he does an excellent job playing the earnest but way out of his element everyman. During the episode, I would keep waiting for them to cut back to his story. Stories like this become way to clinical without a personal touch.
As for the other characters, right now there hasn’t been enough to judge them. The president is just being your typical “I’m the President of the United States, things will get done” tv show president, and we’ve barely seen anything out of Sofia. I like Agent Lee, and I think we can already see that he seems to be getting more screen time. I think Ritter’s character and him are going to be two characters through that will be driving the substance of the story. The rest will be reacting.
We can agree that Lee is interesting at least.
I’m really just into the show for the Sci-Fi mystery so far. Hopefully, the characters will grow on me. I’m expecting great things from Sophia, although what, I can’t even begin to guess yet.
Nope, it’s not another “V”. It’s another “4400”. :)
I also think Jason Ritter is an excellent lead, and frequently his character is the main thing keeping me interested. There’s not nearly enough of Laura Innes–hopefully that will change as the plot progresses. Underwood is competent as the President–frankly, his similarity to our current president is what gives him credibility. Agent Lee, playing our “No Way Out” character, is also slowly developing a personality.
I also agree that having a set of the aliens kill off a hundred innocent people is a brave and strong statement to make this early in a show. It immediately makes the audience question any sympathy they might have for Sophia and the other 97, or for Lee–how do they feel about this? Are they as repulsed as the humans are, or do they also view us as inferior, and maybe not so big a loss? How opposed are they to the other group’s tactics? I’m hoping we’ll see Sophia’s reaction next week.
I agree the show is not currently playing with as rich a set of characters as “Lost”. But 2 shows in, I don’t think “Lost” was, either.
I didn’t quite understand the motives of the “alien” group in diverting the plane to save lives on the ground, but then killing off the people on the plane. If they’re that coldblooded, why divert the plane in the first place? To save Sophia? To save the president who’s holding the other group of their people hostage? Because Sophia told them to do it? None of these motives make sense, if they’re then going to turn around and kill everyone on the plane.
And finally, I was annoyed at the hospital scenes. How dumb WAS that nurse? A guy asks her, out of the blue, INSISTS, really, to call the police and tell them about him. The police tells her he’s a murderer. She immediately is frightened of him. It never occurs to her that an ACTUAL MURDERER would not have asked her to call the police in the first place! Just a badly-written scene, where the writers clearly didn’t think through her point of view.