Tuesday, May 10, 2011

The Event: Season 1 Episode 20 - One Will Live, One Will Die


Hello Eventers!  We're closing in on the end of the season/series and it's a non-stop suspense ride.  They've dropped all sense of a mythology and it is just an all out war of aliens vs. humans.  And there is tons of manipulation to go around too.  I won't lie, most of this stuff we could see coming a mile away, but it was still fun to watch it unfold!  I'll do my best to capture the moments in the recap.  One disclaimer before we continue.  I am going to be out of town next Monday, so there is a chance I won't get to The Event recap.  But, if I don't get to it, I'll still post a blog post in case people would like to discuss it.  I'll eventually add my comments as well once I finally watch it.  I know, the penultimate episode and everything but hey!  Sometimes life gets in the way, right?   But that's not this week, so let's get on with the recap!

Okay, I'm not going to get into the weeds on this recap and go line by line.  There's not much to dissect.  But basically, Sophia was attempting to see 2 big attacks through to help accomplish her goal of a mass exodus of her old planet to this planet.   She needs to kill a bunch of people to make room for her people.   And she also needs President Martinez out of the way.  But, Simon has gotten away with the cure!  And Sean and Vicky are hot on the trail of stopping an all out Biological WMD attack! 

The Bio War Prevention Plot
So we know how this goes. Sean and Vicky hijacked a car and are trying to chase down the goons that took the WW1 lungs from the airport. Sean is on his laptop trying to track down the killers and meanwhile is running off statistics into the millions that could be killed by this attack. Basically, they tracked the alien terrorists to a shopping mall.So what do we think folks?  Will this spell certain doom for Leila in the end?  I'm sure they'll find some way to save her.  But if they plan to kill someone else off before the show ends for the season/series, my money is on her.  

  • Sean and Vicky find the car that the aliens came in. It's empty but there were blueprints in the trunk detailing the ventilation system. Yep, they're going to kill everyone in the mall through the air vents. I think I've seen this episode of 24 before!

  • The duo waste no time getting to work. Vicky grabs a security guard and claims she STILL is a Federal Agent and tells him about the threat. Naturally, the guy doesn't trust her so she puts the gun on him. They go to the supervisor's room and find him on the floor gunned down. They sound the alarm. But there is no way to turn off the vents!

  • Sean meanwhile heads to the roof to try and take on the attackers himself. Did I mention that Vicky gave him a "Good Luck" with a lingering look? Awwwwww fireworks people. Fireworks. At this point, I'm fully convinced that Sean has downloaded some kind of Chuck-like intersect through his massive amount of time programming video games. But, he definitely got a storm trooper's aim. Fortunately for him, so did the alien goon. I really think they spent 30 minutes of screen time shooting back and forth at each other not once getting close to hitting each other. Of course, Sean then runs out of ammo so he's in trouble now! But he finds a way to sneak around the guy and they get into a fist fight and trying to win claim of the remaining gun with bullets. (meanwhile, lady alien goon is arming the bomb and of course there is a 3 minute timer on it! Even though it doesn't seem like the aliens can be exposed to the weapon. But whatever! She runs away.) Vicky charges upstairs to help Sean but it doesn't matter. Sean is wrestling the gun back and forth with the guy and is able to point it just enough to fire it into alien dude's chest. Sean is a cold blooded video game Jack Bauer killer man!
  • But the fun isn't over yet. There is a bomb to diffuse. Thank God Sean didn't all of a sudden become an expert in disarming bombs. I did like when he started making up words like, "if I unnplug the thingamagic from the conducer then the flux capacitor will stop fluxating!" That may or may not have been said, no one can really be sure. There is another romantically tense scene as the clock ran down into the final 20 seconds. "JUST GO ALRIGHT!?! GO!! SAVE YOUR OWN BUTT!" "MY BUTT MAY BE FINE, BUT I WILL NOT LEAVE YOU SEAN! I'll never let go Jack! I'll never let go!!!"

  • Once Vicky said "there's got to be another way to kill the battery. I just yelled "SHOOT IT!!!!" I knew Sean wouldn't let me down. I laughed for a good 2 seconds after he did it. (Well, it wasn't THAT funny!)

  • Ahh but the plot thickens. The lady goon that ran away? She still had a lung with her and she unleashed hell on an unsuspecting group of bus passengers. All of them are dead. Allowing bad actor doctor #2 to read some dialogue. (I'm counting Dempsey's assistant as Doctor #1) Dr. Lu (?) did some analysis on the dead humans to try and figure out how to slow down the exposure of the virus to maximize their death tolls. Bottom line, she found out that hybrids can carry the virus for longer before dying. "I hear we are in luck" (said the sandpaper to the drywall) I'm not even sure what my metaphor means but I think that would be a better sound than this lady reading any more lines of dialogue! Yes, they're going to use Leila as their catalyst for mass human extermination!
  • So, let's rewind a bit here. Leila was grieving her father's death. Sophia didn't really care for Leila's grief because she knew him much longer. Well, whatever B***CH! Man, she has just gone from super sensitive alien lady to evil life sucking dementor hasn't she? Anyway, she finds out that Sean is thwarting her attack on the mall and goes to Leila to ask her what she told him. Leila goes the "go to hell route" and we almost want to root for her in this moment. And Sophia retorts with the "You just killed your boyfriend by involving him" response. And that's not all!!! Tell her what else she's won, RAY! You get to have this magical virus stuck up your nose and infect all of man kind!!





So what do we think folks?  Will this spell certain doom for Leila in the end?  I'm sure they'll find some way to save her.  But if they plan to kill someone else off before the show ends for the season/series, my money is on her.

Cannot believe I went through this whole storyline without talking about Andrea Zuckerman's husband. I am so ashamed!  For 2 reasons.  1.) I didn't mention the Zuckster till now.  2.)  I heard Leila call him by his real name Carlos.  Ugh....what a disappointment.  Zuckinator deserves so much more than that!  Well, at least he's still alive to wreak havoc next week!   Ugh...and I might not be able to recap next week!?  Booo!  Someone might have to fill my shoes for a few name drops!  Okay, enough of that.  Let's head to the White House! 
  



The Save President Martinez Plot

So how AWFUL have they made Vice President Jarvis's character?  So awful, it's hysterical.  And I'm sure it's entirely intentional that they have turned him into a caricature of a buffoon and I love to hate him.  Don't get me wrong, it's not like loving to hate Ben Linus or anything.  But this is a good time in its own right!   So here's what is going down.  Agent Lee has the cure, but no one in the Executive Branch trusts him anymore since he's an alien dude.   Sophia knows that Lee has the antidote thanks to the well versed in Shakespeare Dr. Lu.  "Did he get away with the antidote?  He can cure Martinez with that.  Didn't you know?  I have no ability to speak in multiple tones of voice."  

  • Sophia has no choice but to call in another favor to VEEP turned Acting President Jarvis.  She knows that Lee will go to Sterling so Jarvis reluctantly starts to weave his web into a downward spiral of awfulness! 

  • We already get a preview of his awfulness at trying to cover up his lies when trying to talk to Peel about getting a new replacement for Sterling.  And it just gets worse from there.  But he sends Lee's former partner and a whole tactical team to Sterling's house to take down him and Lee. 

  • Meanwhile Sterling already has Lee at gunpoint in the house.  But Lee makes a strong case and really what does Sterling have to lose by listening to him?  The President was going to die if they didn't do anything.   So, they're teamed up once again.  


  • How did they escape?  They called 911 as a distraction and no kidding..20 cop cars show up to take down the 5 gunman.  I guess when you're an important former government official like Sterling that IS warranted.  While they ID themselves, it is enough time for Blake and Lee to make a getaway.  


  • Christina Martinez, meanwhile is with her husband but has been told time and time again that Elias is not going to make it.  She will not give up hope though.   (and sidenote: the son does still exist, she talked to him on the phone.  Commenters' prayers from last week have been answered!) 

  • She gets a call from Blake and it only lasts 24 seconds and Blake mentions he can't say anything on the 24 second call.  (we find out he pretty much told her everything!!)    But Jarvis's people intercept the call but have to spend hours decrypting it so he takes matters into his own hands and tries to get Christina on his side.  (Did anyone else find it funny that he said "Find me the First Lady!" when Jarvis, himself, is the President now?  I'm not sure protocol when the actual President is still alive.  But I guess it's okay to still call her that.  Still kind of funny too.)  

  • Christina seems to play right into Jarvis's trap.  But I couldn't help suspecting that Blake and Lee had already outsmarted the dimwit.  Christina gives Jarvis an address and he spares no expense at sending in an airforce drone to blow up the warehouse where they parked.   He made lots of enemies in the boardroom by that action.  He wants to see bodies but there are none to be found?
 










  • Let's see the Scooby Doo ending!   Well, kids, there was actually a trap door in the warehouse in which they escaped after being seen driving into the place.  It went very far away where they could escape with no trace!   Then, Christina had already worked things out where she had security access again to see her husband.  And she brought him "FLOWERS".   Oh but these aren't any ordinary flowers people!   We got a flashback to show us that Simon was actually the Flower Man and he gave her the antidote IN the flowers!   


"Desmond!!!????" 




  • I mean...SERIOUSLY!?!?   Are we that stupid that we didn't already know she hid the antidote in the flowers?  I don't really think that flashback to 2 seconds ago was really necessary!!   She injects the antidote into her husband, speaks a few sweet spanish nothings into his ear and we just sit and hope for the best. 

  • Meanwhile, Jarvis knows he has been played and knows he is in a world of trouble!  And Sophia, well she just lost 2 out of 3 battles in this War between humans and aliens!  

And that...is all she wrote folks!  Things are progressing quite nicely to end the season.  Executive Producer Nick Wauters and Blair Underwood have posted a plea on Facebook and Twitter to help save THE EVENT.  They have provided email addresses and mailing addresses to contact.  So, if you're enjoying the show and want to see it back next fall, start mailing your correspondences!  
Mail letters to: NBC/Universal Media Studio c/o Vernon Sanders 100 Universal City Plaza Building 1320 Suite 4M Universal City, CA 91608 or email NBCTheEventTV@gmail.com
So, as I mentioned a couple times, next Monday is a no go for me.  I probably won't be able to watch until Tuesday night at the earliest.  And recapping will be tough and already too late.  So, I'll try to get a post up so our regular commenters (and anyone else that would like to chime in!) can discuss and I'll get my 2 cents in when I can.  Don't worry, I'll be there to provide my recapping charm to the finale (be it a season or series finale)!   So, not bad getting to 21 of 22 recaps RIGHT?   Sorry again!

Other than that, if you're looking for some quality TV this summer and haven't watched Fringe yet,  Catch up!  The finale of season 3 last week was amazing and very reminiscent of some other jaw dropping cliffhangers that came our way with other recent quality shows.   It wouldn't hurt to watch the 6 episode season of The Walking Dead either as the recaps shall return in October along with season 2!

Other shows that are candidates for discussion this summer (probably just discussion, not long recaps): Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones (what's left of the season), Rescue Me, Always Sunny

Fall Candidates: Alcatraz, Terra Nova, Grimm (by LOST writers Eddie Kitsis and Adam Horowitz) among others.   I'm always willing to hear other shows people are watching too.   But, since there is only one of me, it's tough to recap it all.   But I'll try my best!  

That's all I have for now folks.  Hope you enjoyed my ramblings as always and I'll "sorta" see you next week! 

END CREDITS
  • Follow me on Twitter for any future blog postings and any interesting news I find. @TVAddictsBlog
  • Fringe may just be the best show you're not watching!  And if you do watch, you should be checking out my recaps!  This summer would be a perfect opportunity to catch up for anyone who hasn't watched. Season 4 is definitely coming!   
  • I'll definitely be there when The Walking Dead returns, but that's most likely in the fall! AMC has been reairing the show though so if you ever catch it, you can find my recaps at the link. DVD/Blu-Ray of the 6 episode 1st season is now available.  Check it out. You won't be disappointed! 
  • Shows I'm watching right now (and might comment on time permitting): Chuck, How I Met Your Mother, Modern Family, Cougar Town, Big Bang Theory, The Office, Community, 30 Rock, Parks and Recreation, Smallville and others that I won't mention out of embarrassment!
  • I also have taken up watching THE KILLING on AMC.  Fabulous murder mystery being played out over a 13 episode season.  I highly recommend tuning in! 
  • Game of Thrones has started and it's a phenomenal interpretation of the book.  I finished the first book and there are quite a dramatic turns that will be awesome to see played out on television.  Check it out on HBO Sundays at 9!  
  • Upcoming shows I'm looking forward to:
    Alcatraz - with Jorge Garcia in lead role
    Terra Nova  (FOX) - Pilot moved to air in Fall 2011 with rest of season 1
    Breaking Bad (AMC)
    Rescue Me (FX)
    Grimm
    17th Precinct
  • I know it's sometimes looked at as a blemish based on my other recapping habits, but I am still watching American Idol.  I have recently come out of retirement to do some quick recaps on the LIVE shows.  Just can't resist.  Come check it out if you dare!

15 comments:

Mike V. said...

Sorry Folks! Had some technical difficulties with the blog. Thanks Cajun for letting me know. It should be fixed now!

Mike V. said...

Okay seriously, it's fixed now! Man, I don't know what happened! lol

Kelly said...

Ok, so I liked this episode. I mostly liked the Blake/Simon pairing. And though I could see the whole First-Lady-really-teaming-up-with-Blake thing coming a mile away, I enjoyed that for once, the good guys finally came out on top!
I definitely found it a bit funny that they are making Jarvis out to be the Snidley Whiplash type villian.. very standard. I kinda feel bad for him though. He's a bumbling idiot, poor guy started out wanting to save his country but he is really a dupe. And now he's trying to cover his tracks and it's making him look even more like a bad guy. Speaking of which.. ok- so
Sophia told Jarvis she'd spare America if he went a long with her plan. But then she tried to test the flu thing on a mall- IN AMERICA? Wouldn't it be pretty obvious that Sophia was behind that mass outbreak, thereby tipping Jarvis off to Sophia's deceit? I guess it doesn't matter, since Jarvis already made the decision to go along with Sophia. Once he poisoned the president it was already too late for him.
So the Zuckmeister's name is Carlos. Ugh. I will ignore the and continue to refer to him by some derivation of Zuckerman! I mean, WE have to remember that Andrea still exists, and that she's watching Leila's sister, whats-her-name.. just because the show forgot about them doesn't mean we can't still pay tribute!
BTW, love the caption on that screenshot of the guy looking down the "hatch".. man, if Desmond showed up on this show I'd lobby day and night to keep it on the air!
and OMG did you see how hot Vicky was??? lol.. just thought I'd say if for once, haha!

Mike V. said...

Hi Kelly!

- I enjoyed the Blake/Simon pairing too. You could always tell Simon was one of the good guys, so it's nice to see him working his way back in. Oh yeah...the First Lady/blake thing was very obvious but still enjoyable. agreed!
- Agreed, Jarvis is a fool! And he's doing a really good job playing a fool. Good point about Sophia's threats. Yeah, I guess as long as she had her outbreak started...it really wouldn't matter to her what Jarvis was up to. And you're right...he has no choice but to continue to play along with Sophia because he has no more allies in the US Government.
- Totally agree with you on ZUCK! It will forever be his name. And it's hysterical that they've just totally ignored Samantha and Andrea Zuckerman! (at least I think it's Samantha) Tribute must be paid.
- I definitely snuck in that HATCH/Desmond reference in there. Glad you caught it! lol And agreed...if they had the entire cast of LOST playing out this EVENT plot...I'd be lobbying for its renewal lol Imagine Michael Emerson in Sophia's role. (naturally, not playing SOPHIA but just their leader who is willing to go to any means to save his people. Oh wait...emerson has already played that role!!)
- Good job on getting the Vicky reference out of the way. I may have even snuck one in myself in the recap! LOL

Thanks for the comments!

Anonymous said...

I agree with all of the comments already posted. I must however, continue to bash Leila (or her portrayer's) acting skills. Just pathetic!

I think my favorite scene of the night was shooting the device that was set to make the virus airborne in the mall. Go Sean!

And I really enjoyed watching the VP squirm!

I thought it was odd that the "test" happened in the US, but I guess Sophia was thinking she might need it here in the US sooner than she would need it elsewhere? I suspect the VP is going to kill himself now, and Sophia will have no choice but to use it in the US in order to gain control of the Prez when he wakes up from his coma!

I gotta give the General kudos for standing up to Jarvis in the situation room. Yes, we have the power to destroy everyone, but that doesn't mean we can't play fair! I think everyone saw that the VP has a hidden agenda. He is SO screwed!!!!

Mike, that's a shame you can't do the recap next week, but don't even SUGGEST that someone can take your place! You are just too good at this!

Thanks again for all your efforts -- Cajun

Mike V. said...

Thanks Cajun, you're too kind! I wasn't suggesting someone recap in my place! I just meant someone should throw a few Zuckerman variations out into the comments in my absence! lol Like I said, once I watch the episode, I'll definitely chime in with some commentary, but at that point it would be silly to go all out and recap it at that point. I used to do it for LOST, but LOST was certainly an exception to the rule! Plus, I usually planned vacations AROUND LOST. The Event certainly doesn't warrant doing that! :-) (one could argue, planning around LOST would be silly too!)

Agreed on Leila - not much there to discuss! I think we all hope the virus takes her out lol

Shooting the device was hysterical. Even when I knew it was going to happen, you just gotta love it. It's like in Raiders when that samuri guy starts waving a sword in all these fancy motions and gets ready to attack Indy and he just pulls his gun out and shoots him. classic! lol (Indy scene definitely better but that's a given!)

VP Squirm = Comic Cold!

Wow...you think Jarvis will off himself? He may try to redeem himself but I think it's way too late for any of that. He's a traitor to his country, even if he thinks he's a patriot. I guess suicide might be the route we'll see. But yes, it was nice for a change to see the board room stand up AGAINST attacking first!

No problem for the recap efforts, I wish I could keep it up next week but that crazy LIFE getting in the way just has to happen sometimes! Thank YOU for continuing to read!

LostFamily said...

I was so ready for Peel to crack when he saw that Jarvis was going to blast Simon and Sterling- 'Stop him! Jarvis tried to kill Martinez!!' - but it did not happen. Also, that was such a McGyver moment when the timer (like you said, why did they need one if they are immune?) was counting down to only a few seconds. And I so wanted Leila to call Sophia a beyotch! Good times!

Char said...

Thanks for the recap Mike. Always enjoy reading them. My thoughts on the Jarvis thing... If you have seen "the Shawshank Redemption", the prison warden could hear the sirens of the authorities coming after him when he was sitting at his desk, so he opened his desk drawer and took out a gun and...

Well, the scene with Jarvis at his desk at the end of the show reminded me so much of that movie. In the end, it will be interesting to see what happens to Jarvis. Perhaps he should go the way of the prison warden???

We'll miss your recap next week, but do understand about the LIFE thing! You are excused!! Have fun and we'll catch you in two weeks.

Mike V. said...

@LostFamily - Yeah, I thought Peel would do something too. I guess some people still feel that respecting the Presidency is still important regardless of the person in the seat. Definitely a McGyver moment with the timer....or any suspense thriller waiting until the last second to diffuse a bomb! lol I still don't understand why they set the timer. Maybe they still could get infected or didn't want to chance it.....or....they just needed something to add suspense and give the heroes a chance to prevent it LOL (i'm going with the latter)....and agreed, as much as I'm not thrilled with Leila's character...I totally wanted her to smack Sophia! She has gone full-on B***H!

@Char - No problem on the recap! I'm glad you're enjoying them! Good call on the Shawshank comparsion. Someone above is predicting Jarvis offing himself as well. I guess it could happen! I figured he would try to still squirm his way out of something. But, with Martinez waking up soon...there aren't too many places he can go!
Thanks for excusing me from the recap! Don't worry...I'll still provide commentary when I eventually watch it....just shorter and in the comments that hopefully you guys have already filled out! lol

Mike V. said...

In case you guys haven't heard yet the event is officially cancelled. Not a big shocker but still sucks a little. Lots of
Great potential shows have been picked up for the fall though. Alcatraz on fox (jj Abrams/Jorge Garcia). Grimm on NBC (lost writers Eddie kitsis and ad Horowitz). Plus other stuff too. NBC picked up so many new shows I knew the event was a goner before the announcement. They're really trying to reinvent themselves. Smart idea. But also smart to renew Chuck for a fitting 13 episode sendoff!

Mike V. said...

Creator/producer Nick Wauters tweeted the following:

"Alas #theevent will not be back on NBC next season but we r actively pursuing other avenues to keep the show alive.Stay tuned for more info!"

We will see.

MJ said...

Yeah - didn't think it would get a pick up, but will watch it til the end.

But - CHUCK is coming back for one final season to end it right for us ! Happy about that.

Mike V. said...

Definitely mj me too!! (chuck). Btw I saw your comment yesterday. Thanks for the heads up on it! With all this traveling cross country I missed a couple headlines even with twitter lol

Mike V. said...

Abc just cancelled V too. Yikes lol I mean i figured that too but still. I thought the ending might save it!

Mike V. said...

My bad. "once upon a time" is the Eddie/Adam show and abc just picked it up