Episode Discussion 3x09

[orockthro]

Well dudes, it's that time of the week again. o___o
Tonight's episode (3x09, The Crossing) might be a doozy, so let's hold onto our butts, keep our heads, and don't blink.
Spoilers beyond this point! And also feelings.

Comments

[hedda62]

I am going to list what I liked about the episode, just because. Despite the still-burning sense of betrayal.

Fusco was AWESOME, and so was Shaw. I think it was a nice subtle step in Shaw's development that she obviously cared what happened to Fusco, and that she acknowledged she was making a choice and choosing Lee. And Kevin Chapman hit his torture scenes out of the park, and I cheered when Fusco escaped. I also loved the film noir touch of the fortune cookie factory, and the Shaw and Fusco scene in the car near the end (and heh, she wants him to drive).

Michael Emerson and Amy Acker continue to give me chills in their scenes together, and I liked that we saw Finch having to make choices, and WHAT was that line about Finch going through men like tissues John not being the first one he'd hired? (I bet he was the first he told the truth too, though. Or Finch's version of the truth.)

And I did find the Reese/Carter scenes touching, though I am bummed the writers apparently thought Reese thanking Carter meant he couldn't even mention Finch. And that it meant OTHER THINGS DAMMIT.

I could have done without the anvilicious "look here we are on the subway just like in the pilot" conversation, but I liked them using the image. And the phone ringing, ringing, ringing at the end was a nice if slightly cheesy touch.

[giandujakiss]

and WHAT was that line about Finch going through men like tissues John not being the first one he'd hired?

I've speculated that, and so have others - i.e., Finch tried other agents. I love the idea of possibly seeing them, maybe they come back and are a threat to Finch and Reese is really emotionally conflicted about their existence.

Except now they've done and rewritten Reese's entire character arc and motivation - it was all for love of Carter! - that none of it makes sense anymore.

[aprilvalentine]

EVERYTHING you just said.

I can see Finch having tried other agents and them not working out, but I still want to believe that it was only Reese to fit the bill so perfectly. Sigh, but now they've shredded that bit of their relationship for me too. Still, amidst all the other crap, I have kind of pushed that bit out of my mind.

Did the writers who are writing this season never even see the show? Did someone say "OMG, Reese and Finch are looking too gay?" or what??? Not only can we apparently not ever believe that a man would be upset about a woman's death unless he was in love with her, we can't show two men who are devoted friends without a rampant case of homophobic backpedaling.

[pendrecarc]

I could have done without the anvilicious "look here we are on the subway just like in the pilot" conversation, but I liked them using the image.

I thought that bit felt out of place, but I loved the scene toward the end where she goes to release him and they used the dialog from the pilot. That was perfect.

(Also really loved that she got one scene with a yellow border, even if the scene with her telling Finch she'd figured it out was terribly written and her coming to such a specifically accurate conclusion didn't actually make any sense.)

[hedda62]

That scene was great, yes. And the yellow border (except it just made everything worse in a way).

[aprilvalentine]

(Also really loved that she got one scene with a yellow border, even if the scene with her telling Finch she'd figured it out was terribly written and her coming to such a specifically accurate conclusion didn't actually make any sense.)

Yes, so many Carter fans wanted her to be told about the Machine and her figuring it out, while clumsily written, was still a cheat because she couldn't live after finding out and getting her yellow box.

As a Rinch fan though, I've always maintained that Carter and Fusco shouldn't be told about the Machine or let in on the location of the library -- I think the only thing that would have hurt me more when they totally threw out all the stuff Reese ever said about how it was Finch who saved him and gave him a purpose was if he'd taken Carter to the library for safety or something. Sigh.