1.03: Shatterer

Dave

Dave

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So, the tank in the wharehouse contained a "manufactured" "highly sophisticated construct along the lines of a biological mechanism". Anyone know what that is in English?

It seemed as if the mad professors assistant was made of the same stuff. At least that's what came out of her when she was shot. A lot of this has been done before by the X-Files (super soldiers) but I'm still enjoying it.

Also, we have Super sentient artificial intelligences roaming the internet which have evolved from the mad professors lab pets.

And the Timeline was changed again because the professor didn't shoot himself.

Still no idea how it is going to come together.
 
Shatterer
gs: Mathew Langford (Kelsey) Jonathan Langford (Bodanis)

The Odyssey 5 team tries to locate Professor Naran Chandra, an artificial life researcher who in the original timeline will commit suicide at a lecture 8 days from now, right in front of Kurt. On Chandra's computer they discover files revealing that Chandra discovered a computer lifeform loose on the Internet that apparently evolved on its own from experiments in Chandra's lab and has now become "Sentient".

Meanwhile, noting how mature and responsible his behavior has suddenly become, Neil's girlfriend Holly talks about taking their relationship to the next level.

Sarah and Angela's investigation of the patients given "gene therapy" by Dr. Barantz leads them to discover some living tissue that appears to have been manufactured in a chemical vat. Then, when they finally meet the frightened Dr. Chandra, the team discovers that one of his students was actually a nearly-indestructible inhuman creature made from this same tissue.

[From www.epguides.com/odyssey5 ]

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First thing. The Doctor who thought he had found God on the internet (the Sentients) was called Chandra (sp?), there is a reference to the Hal 9000 computer during the episode. In 2001, and 2010 the creator of Hal 9000 is Dr Chandra! Nice little Scifi link :D

The double-agent blonde woman was a bit transparent. I suspected her duplicity from the beginning, she seemed a bit too eager to help them out.

This episode follows very nicely from the premiere, although at some points I was thinking that they were doing a bit too much of an info dump. I liked the comparison between what had happened in their lives originally, and what was changing since they had been sent back. Still liking Kurt a lot (he's like a young, naughty Giles).

I am confused by what exactly is happening with that biomaterial. Are they replacing the patients, or augmenting them with it? I think I would like to see this episode again.

I can't see how all this on that we got this week has anything to do with the Earth blowing up. Are there aliens? What connection do the sentients and the AIs have with the tank full of that biomaterial, and the doctor's genetic experiments, and what do either of these have to do with the Earth blowing up?
 
Love this episode! Specially the scene at the end when Kurt is in his conference and he thinks story is repeating again. When Chandra killed himself. This was a great episode. More pieces to the puzzles added and all the story about Chandra is very cool. :D

Krystal :p
 
One of the criticisms of this show that I have read is that there is too much emphasis on the characters. After 14 episodes (apparently) they don't get very much further with explanations for what is happening, but they spend too much time going off and doing totally unrelated things because what they know, or what they think they know, about events that will happen in the future.

I myself, think that that is realistic. I think that Kurt would have made his bet last episode. I think that Neil would have his dilemma with Holly. I think that Chuck would try to tell his wife, and that she wouldn't believe him. I think that Sarah would try to cure her son, but be dismissed as a Munchhausen syndrome sufferer. It's very believable to me.
 
I agree with that Dave - I haven't read those criticisms you mention, but if they exist then I am cheered up immensely. Character development can never hurt, and when it comes down to it, it's not like they had that much to go on to solve the mystery of the conspiracy. It is easy believable that after 11 episodes (whatever the time equivalent is - six weeks?) they might not have made much progress.

The only thing I wonder about is how everyone was persuaded to join the gang so quickly. Sarah and Kurt's reasoning makes sense, but they changed their minds far too quickly for my liking. Wouldn't at least one of them perhaps have gone barmy like Dr Chandra? I would liked to have seen the doubts linger a bit longer.
 
That's true about Sarah, she came around to their view without any explanation.

I think Kurt was really shocked by losing the money. You can see what drives him, money and women. So, he got rid of his girlfriend, because she would walk out on him anyway in the future, then lost all his money on a bet. He had nothing left. His dreams of living five years in wealthy bliss, with endless girls were shattered.
 
Something that just occurred to me was that the peculiar talents of these people would probably encourage them to want to make the 'right choices'. There is a great deal of intensive training involved in becoming an astronaut, and surely a high volume of this training would be tests on one's "mental fitness". Might this have some bearing on their quick turnarounds? A speedy realisation of what was happening, and a ready acceptance of their responsibilities.
 
Personally I like the series that give some concentration to the characters what move them and what makes them do what they do. So for me is a plus for the series. It only will contribute more to why each characters acts that way to this dilemma etc. And in the long run I think it will contribute more to the story.

Krystal :p
 
I suppose you have seen many more eps than us, Krystal, so there has undoubtedly been a lot more character development. It is obvious that character development is just as important to this show as the conspiracy story, so I am looking forward to a whole lot more information about these people and their motivations.
So far, I think Neil and Angela have been a little neglected in comparison to the others. I have wondered why Neil would jump straight into the plan without any rebelliousness leaking in. Maybe he is just a little afraid of his dad!
 
You will see more character development for all of them, and many very interesting about Angela and Neil. :D

As for Neil, you could say the Neil of the future is very different from the Neil from the past. Very more mature. So is going to be interesting to see the reactions he have been a 20 something into the body of a high school boy. :eek:

Krystal :p
 
Yeah, being put back into your pubescent body must be quite weird. I wonder is he going to have any tantrums that he puts down to his 'hormones' or whatever? :D
 
Originally posted by Tabitha
The Doctor who thought he had found God on the internet (the Sentients) was called Chandra (sp?), there is a reference to the Hal 9000 computer during the episode. In 2001, and 2010 the creator of Hal 9000 is Dr Chandra!
Click to expand...

I just realised that Kurt Mendle is a world famous Geneticist. Gregor Mendle was the original geneticist: he determined that an organisms characteristics are determined by internal factors arranged in pairs -- what we now call genes.
 
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