Face Your Fears
By fred | July 8, 2007
(S04E02) Fears. Turning your fears into phobias. That is the new ability of the week, and once again it does not come from one of the 4400, but someone who took Promicin.
I understand this was a major thing, and that a huge lot of people have been injecting themselves, probably safe to say more than 4400, but still. I hope they won’t forget about the 4400, those from whom it all came, and that might not get random abilities, but maybe have some link to those who are responsible for everything in the first place.
I don’t have nothing against Jordan (not seen here) and its Promicin, I just hope they won’t forget what the show is about.
So fears were the main character in this episode, and, funnily enough, it happened to me too : as I was watching it, all my fears became real.
Namely, my fears of bad writing, of shitty plots, or dumb characters.
Fear that they would create some major changes into character development or story arc only to get everything back together, like that. Like Diana moving to Spain, then on the first phone call coming back, and getting her job because she likes foreign movies.
I mean I know she asked, and that the new boss, which I don’t really like - she has nothing of a boss, or someone in charge for that matter – said no. But it sure looked like it was the case anyways.
I give them two episodes tops to be all back from Spain. After all, Maia did know already it will happen, right?
And of course, after her job she got her partner back too, just as easily & quickly.
Fear that characters suddenly get dumb, and don’t understand what is obvious, and that we all got, even though they are the specially trained agents. As soon as I saw Brandon I thought he was the source, it was just obvious to me.
Then when Tom’s partner started freaking out, after talking a little with the kid, I knew. And so should have Tom, yet it took him a few hours to figure that out.
Fear that some plots became just kinda lame. And I don’t mean the bad guy begging Isabelle not to try to take Promicin ever cause she would totally get her abilities back, even though that, plus the move to another facility, plus her not getting it, well it doesn’t help either, that’s true.
But the worst part was somewhere else.
Fear that writers aren’t challenging you anymore, but relying on easy plots and obvious tricks. Which came along with another case of dumb character.
When there’s something we can pretty much figure out when the episode starts, don’t try to pass it as a huge reveal on the end.
We knew something was up with Cassie since last episode, and so the first time they meet again, well I started to actually believe that maybe, she actually is, his ability, somehow.
Because of how she brings the success of getting Shawn back, because of the way she talks, because of what she says:
“
- Who are you?
- Come on, you know that!
“
Come on people! This, after Shawn’s talk, and followed by the mention of answers, if you don’t get it by then you’re a little slow. Really. Especially after all the talk between Kyle & Shawn about how it took Promicin, weeks, months ago, but still doesn’t have any ability (yet) !
Even Kyle should have understood by then.
Then they meet again, and if you & he don’t get it then, there’s really a problem. She’s bene pretty much saying it out loud by then. But i guess she had to actualy do it so Kyle would get it. Cause he’s a dumbass.
And so are we, apparently, since I guess writers expected us to be surprised to the “revelation” - or they just consciously wrote plain boring crap.
So in the last scene, the big shocker wasn’t Cassie saying “I’m Kyle’s ability�, it was that Kyle looked actually shocked by it, like it came out of nowhere, and that writers apparently expected us to be shocked as well. (Especially after she explained it all to him before, again!)
