This episode was a more or less equal mix of things that I really enjoyed and things that I found somewhat irritating. It wasn't a majorly eventful episode, but some important things happened. All in all, it's hard to form an opinion on the episode as a whole because the episode itself takes no noticeable form like the last three did, but rather jumps from story to story as it pleases. Aside from saying that it was pretty good, basically all I can do is go into the specifics of the scenes I liked and the ones I didn't like.
Firstly, I would just like to say once again that I find the idea of a 170 year old man inherently ridiculous. I hope there is some explanation forthcoming, but I am worried that even then I won't buy it. While I liked the atmospheric buildup of parallel story lines towards the reveal of the "bear" from the first episode, I find that the design and description of this thing is pretty lacklustre. It's generic, unintimidating, cheesy, unconvincing, and highly unrealistic. I was disinterested when it appeared in the first episode, and I'm even more disinterested now. And finally, I didn't like the character of Felix' sister when she first showed up, and I still don't. I found her annoying and she just felt like a lazy way of making up some sort of arc for Felix in season 4 out of thin air. And while this episode gave her a bit more of a relevant role in the main story, it was predicated on a scene that happened off-screen (unless it was in season 4 and I'm just forgetting) and was not sufficiently explained.
Now, with all those complaints out of the way, I should point out the things that I really liked in this episode. Most of them are based in character and development thereof. Sarah and Helena had a really great scene together, which showed that Tatiana Maslany is not only good at playing very distinctly different characters, but also at then fleshing out each of these characters into a fully rounded human being. I also really enjoyed all of the scenes between Sarah and Siobhan in this episode. They have a really interesting relationship, and they also happened to have the most interesting plot thread of the week. The episode also does something the show really hasn't done in a long time; takes Kira in a new direction. Her interactions with Sarah this episode really reminded me of Bruce Willis' relationship with his kid in Unbreakable, and the turn that that character made in that movie.
So, that's the episode. Not particularly good or bad overall, just a mix of different scenes of differing quality.
Firstly, I would just like to say once again that I find the idea of a 170 year old man inherently ridiculous. I hope there is some explanation forthcoming, but I am worried that even then I won't buy it. While I liked the atmospheric buildup of parallel story lines towards the reveal of the "bear" from the first episode, I find that the design and description of this thing is pretty lacklustre. It's generic, unintimidating, cheesy, unconvincing, and highly unrealistic. I was disinterested when it appeared in the first episode, and I'm even more disinterested now. And finally, I didn't like the character of Felix' sister when she first showed up, and I still don't. I found her annoying and she just felt like a lazy way of making up some sort of arc for Felix in season 4 out of thin air. And while this episode gave her a bit more of a relevant role in the main story, it was predicated on a scene that happened off-screen (unless it was in season 4 and I'm just forgetting) and was not sufficiently explained.
Now, with all those complaints out of the way, I should point out the things that I really liked in this episode. Most of them are based in character and development thereof. Sarah and Helena had a really great scene together, which showed that Tatiana Maslany is not only good at playing very distinctly different characters, but also at then fleshing out each of these characters into a fully rounded human being. I also really enjoyed all of the scenes between Sarah and Siobhan in this episode. They have a really interesting relationship, and they also happened to have the most interesting plot thread of the week. The episode also does something the show really hasn't done in a long time; takes Kira in a new direction. Her interactions with Sarah this episode really reminded me of Bruce Willis' relationship with his kid in Unbreakable, and the turn that that character made in that movie.
So, that's the episode. Not particularly good or bad overall, just a mix of different scenes of differing quality.
