Season 2 Finale Of Wayward Pines: ‘Bedtime Story’

(season 2, ep 10 SEASON FINALE)
**spoilers**

The finale starts off the death of Jason. It appears that Theo could have saved him, but didn’t and his doctor in training noticed. But there’s too much chaos to care at this point.

People are bused to the mountain to their pods. But not all.


Who’s left off the list that Theo is no in charge of?

- The husband of a family
- Arlene
- Xander
- Frank


But don’t fret, because there’s been a change of plans:

- Theo saves Xander and Frank, who were sitting and waiting to die while everyone else went on an "angry looting and burning down the town" spree.

 Theo drives up, gathers the two guys and brings them to the mountain.

- After somebody gets killed, Theo notices there is one spot left. He saves Arlene. Could there be a romance forming?

- Though the man with a family isn’t saved and hangs himself. He’s a red coat.


What’s the plan?

Theo decides to sacrifice himself. He will inject himself with 3 viruses: Bubonic plague, typhoid and Marburg. It will take a 14 hour incubation period then he will walk outside and be consumed by the abbies. 

Hopefully, this germ warfare will kill off the abbies so when they wake up all will be well. But happy ending don't exactly make for an entertaining season 3. So there's bound to be a snag in this plan.

Enter Kerry, who changes things up. Germ warfare is still on the menu BUT with a twist. She will be patient zero. Unable to handle incest and killing her son, she injects herself with the virus and walks outside.

What will happen now?

This is the question that we will have to wait till season 3 to find out.


Clues:

Looks like a plant is growing. Does this mean that they can grow food inside the town?

What will CJ do? Will he wake them up or let them stay asleep and let the abbies have a human free future?

It’s hard to tell just what these buttons mean. The image of a woman from his past says…

“You can make the world whatever you want. You have that power.”

He holds all their lives in his hand.

My guess is that he will follow through on the plan. How else will they wake up for season 3, right?

This looks like the future. Notice the female has scarring and the baby looks almost human.

My guess:
The abbies survived and evolved/changed. To what? I don’t know. What will this mean for humanity? They are not alone. It’s just a matter of, will they learn from their past mistake? Will these future abbies be as docile as they were when Pilcher shot the first bullet? Who knows, maybe they move into Wayward Pines!

The Series Finale: Hell On Wheels Is ‘Done’

(season 5, ep 14, FINALE)
**spoilers**

Five seasons and the railroad is DONE, and so too is the show as “Hell On Wheels” has come to an end. It’s sad as I say good-bye to one of the few Westerns; though recently, it seems that they may be making a bit of a comeback.

This episode opened with the the finality of the railroad and all the hard work and emotions are now left for each character to deal with in their own way.

So how did the characters fare?

For starters: Durant is given a subpoena…

“…on charges of bribery, fraud and corruption.” - Governor

He is to appear in court in Washington.



Bohannan

He also gets a subpoena. They want him to testify against Durant.


Washington

He attends a party.

Durant is also at the party. He tells Bohannan that none of the people at the party are Bohannan’s friends. They will turn on Bohannan just like they turned on him. He gives Bohannan the go ahead to testify and says that Grant just wants his scapegoat, which is Durant.


Hearing

Bohannan can’t bring himself to bury Durant. His only testimony is a repeated phrase:

“The transcontinental railroad could not have been built without Thomas Durant.” - Bohannan

A job offer

Bohannan is offered a job as a colonel in the 4th calvary to protect the railroad from all threats. Sounds like a pretty nice gig.

It looks like he’s going to take it when he’s outside practice shooting with another soldier, someone he’ll be working closely with.

“You got yourself a girlfriend?” - soldier

The soldier then makes the job seem fairly easy. But there's a catch too difficult for Bohannan to snatch up: Killing some Indians and coming back as heroes. This doesn’t sit well with Bohannan, whose developed relationships with some of the Indians. He doesn’t kill people who don’t need killing. And he doesn’t see Indians as automatic bad guys.

He turns down the job and heads west.


Confession

This is a nice bookend to how the series started. It began in a confession booth with him murdering the man who murdered his family.

And it ends with him breaking down in confession.


San Fransisco

This is as far west as Bohannan can go while staying on the mainland of America.

And he plans to travel a lot further…

He takes a boat to China. The letter that Mei left for him was an address in China. He’s choosing love and happiness with Mei!



Durant

Things don’t go as well for Durant as they did with Bohannan. While scheming for money, he lost the woman he loved a couple of episodes back. And now he’s on the verge of losing his freedom too.

Although, Bohannan didn’t testify against him, Senators, he had bribed over the years, did. 

“The record of history will remember Thomas Durant as a criminal.” - Governor

“I am not interested in the record of history. I’m interested in reality… the one I witnessed with my own eyes, out west.” - Durant

I found the above dialogue interesting since Durant was so focused on ‘history’ in the last episode. He wanted his name as the victor when building the transcontinental railroad, putting Huntington in such a bind that he gave up the glory of the win and handed it to Durant.

Because everyone witnessed Huntington winning the race, not Durant, who rewrote history.


Mickey

Durant does the right thing and hands Mickey money knowing that with Durant’s pending indictment, Mickey could lose out on a lot of money. Mickey owns shares of Durant’s company, which is sure to take a plunge with Durant’s legal issues.

Mickey is hesitant, angry even. He doesn’t want to be bought out. Durant is doing him a huge favor here, but Mickey can’t see it.

“I am not your father.” - Durant

Mickey lost almost everyone personal to him. In the end, he really only has two people—Eva and Durant. Maybe Durant is like a father figure of a sort.

A long pause, Mickey takes the money.

“I hope you hang.” - Mickey

Regarding Eva, he wants to be with her, but she is not interested. They’re not good for each other, too much fire here.

Mickey give her money. Looks like the same money Durant had given him. And he is on his way to San Fransisco to expand his enterprise. He’s a survivor.


Eva

Not sure about her choice here. She has a chance to make some money by writing a book about her time with the Indians. She was sold to Mojave.

And as she reflects, tells her story, she thinks back to the sister Mojave she had grown up with. She decides not to write the book, not to make that paycheck that would help her future.

Instead she rides off into the sunset, probably to go back to her home with her Mojave sister.

This in itself doesn’t really bug me. I like the choice of family. It’s just that I never really got the sense she was wearing the emptiness of not being with her Mojave family. This felt like a missed opportunity to see more of this side of her.

The Shocking Revelation From Wayward Pines' Walcott Prep

(Episode 9, Season 2)
**spoilers**


The mysteries of Pilcher’s past come to roost an unsuspecting Jason

Pilcher in search for a baby, goes to Walcott Prep where a young girl is 3 months pregnant. Abigail is reading Animal Farm when she meets Pilcher. She tells him that she calls her unborn child “Jason”.

Okay, so we got a name. And, of course, we know who Jason is in the future.

But things don’t always work out. Pilcher is ready to leave, things are on schedule and then he gets that phone call.

It seems that Abigail had a miscarriage, though she could have changed her mind. Either way… Plan B

He donates a ton of money and adopts a newborn baby, and the mother wants to see Pilcher, the man who is adopting her child.

Here it is, the moment that made my mouth drop. The mother is…

What! Did the show just go there. Kerry is Jason’s mother in the past and his lover in the future.



Holy Incest! How did this happen?!

It happens when you don’t take good notes, when you hide things. Shame on you, Pilcher!


Jason’s flashback (first meets Kerry)

At this point, Pilcher is dead… unable to STOP Jason from making a HUGE mistake.

Jason is looking for a mate via some of these files and finds himself attracted to Kerry.

He wakes her up and she seems to kind of know she’s in the future. She’s disoriented but not as agitated as Theo was.



How does Jason learn the truth?


Let’s look at the current situation:

Kerry can’t have children. But he loves her. He talks to Rebecca, congratulating her on being pregnant…

“It really is the most important way one can contribute isn’t it.” - Jason

“It’s one of the ways. It’s an important one of course but it’s not the most important.” - Rebecca

“The rules say—” Jason

“Enough with the rules, Jason. No one’s pointing a gun to your head and forcing you to do anything. Sometimes you just have to do what your heart tells you to.” - Rebecca

“You’re right. I do.” - Jason

After this, it’s clear he’s thinking about Kerry. According to CJ, they only have enough energized pods to save 571 people (which is half the town). If Kerry can’t have children then she’s not productive, which means he'll have to leave her behind. But maybe just maybe, there’s hope after talking with Rebecca.


Jason reflects

He pulls out Pilcher’s files and studies the one on Kerry…

He loves her and I can feel that he’ll take her with him. That he’s chosen Kerry over Pilcher’s rules.

But then, he sees a box with more files. Oddly, it’s another Kerry file. Jason opens it’s up, what’s different about this one…

JASON HIGGINS!

How could he be feeling about now!

Shocked, he pulls out a gun and there's a crazed look in his eyes. I truly believe he’s about to kill himself at this point. But then Kerry enters the room.



Kerry’s state of mind

Theo tells Kerry about the situation with the pods and that Jason is looking to only take the most “productive” members of the society. He infers that her inability to get pregnant makes her doomed to stay and die at the hands of the abbies.

She doesn’t believe or, at least, doesn’t want to.

Theo wants Jason gone and so he plays on her doubts, leading her to believe that she has only one chance to live and that is to kill Jason.

“He loves me.” - Kerry

“He loves Pilcher more.” - Theo

Jason/Kerry Face off

A crazed Jason confronts Kerry, forcing her to tell him  that she was pregnant in that other life. She said she was but that was 2000 years ago and Pilcher gave her child to a family… after all, that is what Pilcher had told her.

She knocks him over the head, his gun fires and so….

It doesn’t looks good for Jason and these might be his final words…

“Walcott Prep, they taught you well.”

Peaky Blinders Season 3 RECAP: The Cost Of Success

(Netflix/BBC)
**spoilers**


Season 3 sows the seeds for the fall of the peaky blinders.

A lot of plot is squeezed into the six episodes with no filler to speak of. And yet the writers managed to successfully thread the story with character development that is the strength of the season and is compelling to watch.

In season 3, time has passed and the peaky blinders are doing quite well, living large in an estate. But things don’t go as planned as we watch the toll this new life has on them as they descend on a personal level. 

They work for the government with Thomas’ two brothers, Arthur and John, acting as assassins. And we can see Arthur breaking down. But before I get into that…

We begin the season with a wedding between Grace and Thomas.

Grace has been a strong female character, originally a cop. But has since chosen her love for Thomas or her bad side. And I love that. I watch shows like this for the villains as they weave through dangerous waters.

The wedding isn’t all roses, the Russians show up and someone has to die—a Russian guest. Who will do the deed? Arthur.

And this sets the stage. Arthur is married and in love. His wife wants to leave, go to New York and start anew especially since she is pregnant.

Meanwhile, Thomas’ life is all set with Grace and their son. But good things don’t last too long. His wife is shot in front of him and he goes into a dark place.

Insert the Russians, and a priest who is calling the shots. This is no ordinary priest. He’s deep in this business and puts the squeeze on the peaky blinders, even threatening Thomas’ baby boy. This man has to die, but it’s not easy. The priest has some serious government connections.

More on the priest, squeezing Thomas isn’t all he’s done.

Years ago, he took in Michael and that didn’t end well for Michael, who was abused by the priest. And now Michael is finding himself filled with anger and a thirst for revenge.


I found the juxtaposition between Michael and Arthur fascinating.

Michael hasn’t killed anyone and is itching to change this with the priest, but he’s being protected by his mother who demands that Michael keep his hands clean.

But he gets what he wants and kills the priest. And in this moment, he reminds me of Michael Corleone.

There’s a darkness in him and he’s already broken the leash his mother has on him. I’m looking forward to watching more of his transformation next season.

On the flip side, Arthur is on the twilight of the dark life.

He’s broken emotionally and wants out of the business. He wants to leave with a pregnant wife, who is pressing Arthur. As the season moves along, I couldn’t help but root for Arthur to just RUN AWAY. He has a lot of blood on his hands in the name of the peaky blinders.


Russians

Meanwhile, Thomas has to deal with the Russians and we’re introduced to a few other new characters like…

Tatiana, the beautiful daughter of the Russians Thomas is doing business with. And with Grace dead, he has a few moments with the lovely Russian. Ultimately, she has her own plan and proves to be a formidable woman, who is more than a pretty face.

I appreciate how "Peaky Blinders" puts women in positions of power...speaking of which...

Let's talk Polly...



In this business, how could anyone know who to trust?

Thomas has been double crossed and there are two possibilities—one of which is the new man in Polly’s life.

She’s left with a predicament. This man who came into her life... what if it was a scam? I can feel her pain of being an older woman and questioning whether he would really fall for her.

And in a very tense moment, she has a gun to his head AND we learn that the enemy is not her new man, but Tom Hardy’s character. But she doesn’t now this.

And with her hand on the trigger, she is one squeeze away from killing an innocent man, and a man she loves. Luckily she doesn’t pull the trigger.

Phew!

Speaking of the real double crosser…

So glad to have Tom Hardy back. He is an amazing actor and he brought his Bane voice back to “Peaky Blinders”.

His character knows his jewels and uses his skills to pick out the best jewelry from a collection owned by the Russians in payment for a job Thomas will do for them. One of the items is an Faberge egg, an egg he planned to retain for himself.


The ending

In what appeared like a happy ending, a family meeting presides. Thomas hands out money.

And then the twist… the cops knock on the door. Thomas has them arrested for all their crimes. Wait, wut?”

“I’ve made a deal with people even more powerful then our enemies.” - Thomas

Could Thomas be speaking about Winston Churchill?

Could Winston Churchill have a bigger role next season?

How long will his family be in jail?

How will Thomas make amends with them after this?

‘Stranger Things’ Season 1 REVIEW

I got my binge on and finished the first season of “Stranger Things”.

The show hits all the right notes. It’s populated with good characters and, most importantly, it contains a sci-fi mystery that didn’t leave me scratching my head or trying to make excuses for it as I sulk over the comfort of a bowl of ice cream… because…

Disclaimer: even though there have been so many terrible endings to potentially great stories, my desperation for sci-fi has me more forgiving than with any other genre.

So I began my binge praying to the God of sci-fi,

“Please, be good… please, be good.”

I’ve lost count how many times a great sci-fi concept trips over itself with a clumsy finish. Not to say that I’m 100% satisfied with “Stranger Things” because there’s a cliffhanger part I could have done without, which I’ll complain about later.

Truth is, the actual conclusion to the season worked for me.



Let’s talk characters

Will Byers: The missing kid of episode 1. The McGuffin as it were.

Joyce Byers: Will’s mother
Jonathan Byers: Will’s brother

There’s a lot of pain here and it brings to life the emotional resonance of the story—a child is missing and his mother is broken up. She refuses to believe he’s dead and she will do whatever she has to do to find him, even if it means having others think she is going crazy. Nothing will keep her from finding him.

Jonathan goes on his own mission, tracking his own clues which will tie into other subplots.

Chief Hopper

Joyce calls Hopper in when her son goes missing. And he investigates, expanding his search to that secret facility that resides in the town.

But he’s not just a detective. He has his own personal back story that makes him understand Joyce’s pain.

Lucas, Mike and Dustin

They bring the charm. It’s fun watching them search for their friend, Will. They represent the underdogs, the bullied nerdy kids. Yet, they risk danger to find their companion.

Eleven: mystery girl

She meets up with the three boys and they form a team. And the charm just multiplies. Every scene they’re in is a winner.

There’s a tenderness with her and a sense of hopelessness that makes you feel empathy. And it’s clear that she needs these boys and what they bring to her life, as much as they need her to help them find Will.

Nancy: Mike’s brother. Jonathan has a secret crush on her
Steve: Nancy’ boyfriend

After watching the first episode, I was weary about this storyline. I’ve never been a fan of the teenage love story… the “will I, won’t I have sex” plot point.

But thankfully she becomes much more than that and has her own goal which coincides with Jonathan’s search for his brother. It’s this moment, when they team up, that her story comes alive.

Also, Steve was on the verge of getting on my nerves but he stepped up. Thank you for not making him totally worthless and not making him a complete jerk.

1st Ending: plot closure

I appreciate that the writers don’t hold back. Eleven will do what she needs to survive and protect her new friends even if it means killing.

And the ending is satisfying. We see the creature. It acts as it has been hinted to act—it follows the smell of blood. Even if we don’t know much about it, we are given the type of closure that makes sense—even if it feels a bit too quick and neat.


What about…

Barbara. I have to say, I don’t feel all that satisfied here. Please, tell me her body was brought back so that her family can find closure. The government could burn her body, make it look like something other than some alien mystery.

As it stands, it feels as though she is totally forgotten. Sure, Barbara was Nancy’s McGuffin, but Barbara’s ghost seemed to vanish once Will was found.



2nd Ending: aka cliffhanger

This is where things get a bit suspect. Two scenes are tacked on in what can only be a hint to season 2:

1) Will is having dinner with Joyce and Jonathan when he goes to the bathroom. He spits out a worm like thing and flashes between worlds. This was fine… however,

2) Chief Hopper drives out to the woods, opens up a box and puts the following in it…

Clearly this is a signal that Eleven is alive and well in the “other world” because she likes eggos.

But how does Chief know this?

What we do know is that Chief Hopper made a deal with Dr. Brenner to keep  what he knows a secret.

“We came to an agreement…look everything that’s happened here and everything that’s gonna happen they don’t talk about. You want Will back, this place had nothing to do with it. You got it?” - Chief Hopper (to Joyce)

Later we see Eleven with the boys (Lucas, Mike and Dustin) and she disappears. Now it’s very possible that she went into the “other world” as a matter a fact, it seems likely.

But how does Chief Hopper know this? How does he know it so strongly that he’s sending food to her?

A possible answer is that he heard her voice calling from the other side. But is he the only one that knows? What about the boys?

Hmm… It just seems like a tack-on that doesn’t need to be there. Will Byers in the bathroom was sufficient. This just feels clumsy. You can always start season 2 with this scene.