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Post by Rachael on Oct 31, 2006 12:05:22 GMT -5
I don't know about that. Like everyone else, Nikki probably has both light and shadow sides in her nature. I suspect that Nikki is one of those types who has difficulty accepting this reality and desperately wants to believe that she is inherently good. This belief may had developed a Jekyll/Hyde persona. Her super-strength comes out in her Jessica personality. If Nikki ever learns to control (not supress) Jessica, she might learn how to use her strength without allowing the darker side of her nature to overwhelm her. I believe that D.L.'s shadow came out when "Jessica" was trying to kill him. And it must have been difficult trying to stop killing his wife in front of his son, when Nikki/Jessica (said wife) was on the verge of trying to kill him. Also . . . Nikki/Jessica could afford to stop when Micah came in. She had already tossed D.L. across the room. True, that. He doesn't have super-strength, by the look of him, just ordinary man strength. Which would be fine for dealing with an ordinary woman, but Nikki has that whole murderous super-strength thing going for her. She had him pinned when Micah came into the room - if he'd held off, she might well have finished him. He couldn't take that chance.
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Post by Sara on Oct 31, 2006 12:23:34 GMT -5
I don't know about that. Like everyone else, Nikki probably has both light and shadow sides in her nature. I suspect that Nikki is one of those types who has difficulty accepting this reality and desperately wants to believe that she is inherently good. This belief may had developed a Jekyll/Hyde persona. Her super-strength comes out in her Jessica personality. If Nikki ever learns to control (not supress) Jessica, she might learn how to use her strength without allowing the darker side of her nature to overwhelm her. I agree--Niki had no memory of the violent acts Jessica committed, yet she always seemed well aware of being an internet stripper, making me inclined to believe she was always the one in charge of that. I imagine Larter was thinking more of Jessica's behavior with Nathan than how Niki was earning her living. And I'm with you in thinking that if Niki learns to be more accepting of the darker aspects of her nature she'll be better able to get Jessica under control. True. But once her attention was diverted D.L. could have used his advantage in many ways, especially once he'd put his hand into her abdomen--it was pretty clear he'd stopped her cold with that maneuver. Heck, if he could phase his hand through her--and himself through a wall--then why not just work his mojo and let her hand go right through his neck to the bed underneath? Although, granted, D.L. might not yet enough skill yet to be able to call on his power instinctively; he probably still has to concentrate hard to do what he wants when he wants. Anyway, like I said I just found it an interesting difference between the two of them. Or perhaps an indication that Niki came back when Micah entered the room, as the woman lying on the ground didn't seem to sport a tattoo on her shoulder? Either way, I suspect it'll make things less-than cordial when next Niki and D.L. cross paths.
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Post by fish1941 on Oct 31, 2006 12:35:14 GMT -5
I don't know about that. D.L. managed to disappear pretty fast not long after "Jessica" had tossed him across the room. He seemed to have pretty good control of his ability, so far. I wonder how he'll further develop it.
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Post by Sara on Oct 31, 2006 12:42:13 GMT -5
I don't know about that. D.L. managed to disappear pretty fast not long after "Jessica" had tossed him across the room. He seemed to have pretty good control of his ability, so far. I wonder how he'll further develop it. I agree, actually--I was trying to give him the benefit of the doubt. It also occurred to me that it appears he hasn't had the easiest life so far, so I shouldn't find it surprising that he went on the offensive with his power (ie putting his arm through Niki) rather than make a defensive move like using his ability to escape her grasp.
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Post by Rachael on Oct 31, 2006 12:49:15 GMT -5
I don't know about that. D.L. managed to disappear pretty fast not long after "Jessica" had tossed him across the room. He seemed to have pretty good control of his ability, so far. I wonder how he'll further develop it. I agree, actually--I was trying to give him the benefit of the doubt. It also occurred to me that it appears he hasn't had the easiest life so far, so I shouldn't find it surprising that he went on the offensive with his power (ie putting his arm through Niki) rather than make a defensive move like using his ability to escape her grasp. It's also the case that someone he knew (or at least suspected) had singlehandedly killed three whole rooms full of men was trying to kill him - odds are good he wasn't thinking about anything other than "do whatever it takes to stop her". Not sure I'd give her any way to come back at me, myself, were I in the same situation. Tossing her across the room just lets her get up and come back after you. I mean, it's easy for us, on the other side of the television, to say he shouldn't have (nearly) killed her in front of her son, but how much thinking would we be doing in the situation?
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Post by Sara on Oct 31, 2006 13:05:14 GMT -5
I agree, actually--I was trying to give him the benefit of the doubt. It also occurred to me that it appears he hasn't had the easiest life so far, so I shouldn't find it surprising that he went on the offensive with his power (ie putting his arm through Niki) rather than make a defensive move like using his ability to escape her grasp. It's also the case that someone he knew (or at least suspected) had singlehandedly killed three whole rooms full of men was trying to kill him - odds are good he wasn't thinking about anything other than "do whatever it takes to stop her". Not sure I'd give her any way to come back at me, myself, were I in the same situation. Tossing her across the room just lets her get up and come back after you. I mean, it's easy for us, on the other side of the television, to say he shouldn't have (nearly) killed her in front of her son, but how much thinking would we be doing in the situation? Yeah, but what I'm saying is that, in theory, he didn't have to worry about stopping her--if he'd chosen to use his power in a defensive way, she couldn't have even touched him. Hell, he was already free and clear from immediate danger the first time he phased through that wall; nothing says D.L. couldn't have waited and watched until Niki next fell asleep and tried to get Micah away from her then. But instead he came back to continue the fight. A fight that only began because he refused to listen to what she was saying (despite having just heard from their son that Niki had a secret like his own, ie a special ability) about her own confusion and went right to the threats. Which, given that at that moment he apparently believed she'd ripped three grown men apart bare-handed just hours before, was probably not the smartest course of action. Meanwhile, I wonder if he's yet experimented to see whether or not he can phase other things besides himself through solid objects. 'Cause that would open up all sorts of interesting possibilities during a fight...
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Post by Rachael on Oct 31, 2006 13:15:31 GMT -5
It's also the case that someone he knew (or at least suspected) had singlehandedly killed three whole rooms full of men was trying to kill him - odds are good he wasn't thinking about anything other than "do whatever it takes to stop her". Not sure I'd give her any way to come back at me, myself, were I in the same situation. Tossing her across the room just lets her get up and come back after you. I mean, it's easy for us, on the other side of the television, to say he shouldn't have (nearly) killed her in front of her son, but how much thinking would we be doing in the situation? Yeah, but what I'm saying is that, in theory, he didn't have to worry about stopping her--if he'd chosen to use his power in a defensive way, she couldn't have even touched him. Hell, he was already free and clear from immediate danger the first time he phased through that wall; nothing says D.L. couldn't have waited and watched until Niki next fell asleep and tried to get Micah away from her then. But instead he came back to continue the fight. A fight that only began because he refused to listen to what she was saying (despite having just heard from their son that Niki had a secret like his own, ie a special ability) about her own confusion and went right to the threats. Which, given that at that moment he apparently believed she'd ripped three grown men apart bare-handed just hours before, was probably not the smartest course of action. Meanwhile, I wonder if he's yet experimented to see whether or not he can phase other things besides himself through solid objects. 'Cause that would open up all sorts of interesting possibilities during a fight... Oh, I get it - my point was that all of this requires thought, and that he might have been thinking right up to the second she tossed him across the room, but after that, odds are he didn't stop to think HOW to use the power - he just used it. And are we sure it's himself that's being phased, or does he changed the molecular structure of stuff around him? Like the guy in A Wrinkle In Time? "Atoms are mostly empty space; I just pushed them aside and walked through" (something to that effect). I mean...when D.L. came through the wall, the CGI effect was of the wall itself changing, not the actor. Which might just be because that was easier. It's not unprecedented, though, for one of our Heroes to change the physics of the world around him, rather than doing anything to himself. That's what Hiro does...and also Sylar, assuming that the telekinetic we saw a few weeks ago was really Sylar. Oh, and Power Dampening Guy. All effect stuff outside of themselves rather than themselves. Seems to me it could go either way with D.L. Either he walks through walls, or walls walk through him. Or both.
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Post by Matthew on Oct 31, 2006 13:57:36 GMT -5
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Post by Jan on Oct 31, 2006 22:13:10 GMT -5
AL: Jessica is a struggle, because I have to own my sexuality and my voice to play her. I can’t rely on my emotional life. GB: Because Jessica is so clearly focused and goal oriented? She seems like she’s very “Need-Plan-Result” oriented. There’s no second-guessing, or self-doubt in her. AL: Exactly. so is she trying to say that alterna!niki / jessica is the one who did the web stripping? i guess that would fit with her being the one who slept with nathaniel. so if that's true - then niki has meant it literally all those times she's specified that the woman on the webcam isn't her, that it's someone else. and that would be an interesting take on how many sex workers report that they dissociate when they do their work, that they feel like they leave their bodies - turning it into a literal interpretation of that. Interesting--I hadn't heard that. That might make a case for those sex workers having been sexually abused before adulthood, however. Interesting.
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Post by RAKSHA on Nov 1, 2006 8:06:52 GMT -5
Okay. So, first off, I'm sick of that Pomeranian Woman. Holding the dog while you frost cupcakes? Disgusting. And "better halves". Both the husband and Alter!Nikki? Actually, it's no more disgusting than holding a long-haired toddler while one frosts cupcakes. I didn't see her allowing the Pom to stick its nose or mouth into the cupcakes. It's been established that Pom-Mom there shows the critter. If she's keeping the Pom in show condition, the dog's hair is cleaner than most people's - the Toy Group is very competitive, and Poms are a "coat" breed - if that coat isn't super-clean as well as shiny/kempt, the dog doesn't do well in the ring, which means frequent baths between shows. (it's pre-supposed that there are no fleas or other unwelcome guests on that dog - again, even aside from the basic desire to keep the dog healthy and one's house clean, such things could damage the Pom's coat and it's a show dog) Actually, Pom-Mom is babying the dog more than most folks who show Toy Dogs, she isn't sticking the dog in a crate or indoor pen most of the time so that perfect coat doesn't get split ends or dirty.
I think Pom-Mom should pay as much, if not more, attention, to her kids than to the dog, but maybe Claire is a daddy's girl. And maybe Pom-Mom has some inkling of what Evil-Hubby is into, which scared her so badly she's sought refuge in a different sub-universe, that of showing dogs (where things can get ugly but don't usually involve violence). And her body language indicates to me that she's using that dog as a kind of shield.
Has Pom-Mom has bred any of her dogs, if she owns more than one, - that would be weird if she were as concerned about Pom genetics as Suresh and (opposite number) Evil-Dad and others could be about human/superhuman genes.
Hmm. Now I'm wondering if Pom-Mom's blathering about her disdain for breeding the pooch to a Poodle or Poodle-mix to produce a "Pom-A-Poo" might not be such a random dog-breeder line stuck in the script. In this episode, there was attention paid to parentage - Claire's fake bio-parents - and the very real incidence of two superhumans DL & Nikki producing an unusual child. Of course, there's a world of difference in breeding dogs than human genetic manipulation or evolution, but it is a bit odd that Claire's mom might make that comment during this episode...
GAIL
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Post by Spaced Out Looney on Jan 12, 2007 21:03:14 GMT -5
Erin: I loved this observation.
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Post by Sara on Jan 12, 2007 21:15:42 GMT -5
Your review was yet another piece of excellent work Erin. Although it's not like I expect anything else coming from your keyboard. I loved the way you examined the themes of both the pairings we see in the episode and the exploration of different family dynamics. I also very much enjoyed your exploration of Niki's character, particularly when you noted "You can see here, in her lack of response outside of a widening of the eyes, why her alter ego is so strong; Niki is easily paralyzed by indecision." Just a great observation that added immensely to my own understanding of the character. I also liked your musings on integrity, and how you pointed out the kind of lighting and color details we sometimes miss the first time around—those subtle details are, to me, what make repeat viewings reward. Oh, and this? "I’m still not thrilled with Mohinder’s bookend narration; it still strikes me as condescending to assume that the viewers can’t pick up the theme on their own." Word. You've left me with another tough act to follow. Guess I'd better get cracking, huh?
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Post by Michelle on Jan 13, 2007 17:20:04 GMT -5
Erin: I loved this observation. I want to second this. I think you touched on a key concept--integrity. And I think that based on Peter's dream (in another episode), the heroes are going to discover that they are ALL integral to saving the world. I understand your annoyance with Mohinder's voice overs, but I'm OK with them because I think it adds to the mystical quality of the show. Great review, Erin!!
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Post by Queen E on Jan 13, 2007 21:19:30 GMT -5
Erin: I loved this observation. Thanks, Liz! I didn't get that bit until I read through my notes...and saw all the references to splitting and entering and teams... So glad you read and enjoyed!
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Post by Queen E on Jan 13, 2007 21:25:15 GMT -5
Your review was yet another piece of excellent work Erin. Although it's not like I expect anything else coming from your keyboard. Heh. Wait 'til you read the first chapter of my thesis...you might change your mind... Thanks! It was the title that got me thinking about that; and Niki is the most "halved" of all the characters. And so typical of a person who has suffered trauma, even if we don't know what that truama is until "Six Months Later." Jessica, and oh how Freud would have a field day with this one, is the ultimate symbol of repression... Word. I loved the blue and gold in that scene...it was just wonderfully lit. As for the other, that was one of those nice "a-ha" moments you get, like your insight about Hiro and the car. Don't you love it when that happens? Oh, goodness no. You rock the review writing. And Fotada makes an excellent point about it adding to the "mystical" quality...his superpower is "exposition," much like Giles. *grin* I remain ambivalent, though... Thank you so much for reading and commenting!
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