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tori_reviewsNow and Again 1x20: "The Bugmeister: Part 1"
Full disclosure, after this episode I had to go and check when this show ran and was canceled. Because this show's go-to plotline seems to be bio-terrorism and if the show was canceled in 2001 I would have been suspicious it got pulled after 9/11 and never came back. But it was canceled after the 99-2000 season, so I guess not.
But this may be their best terrorism plot. It's certainly better than their last two-perter which wasn't really a two-perter; I suppose that could change when we see what the second half is, but this seems better simply because it's not a stand-alone episode with a couple teases of the next episode's plot. The cliffhanger is practically literal, but we'll see how they get out of it. It found a...relatively natural way to incorporate Heather and Lisa into the main plot (with some problems), and I was into the home conflict for itself. While I still think it's Stockholm Syndrome, at least it doesn't involve directly threatening Michael to get him to be part of this plan. And while I don't know that we needed the previously segment to be reminded of some minor changes to the statue quo, it had been a while since the last non-dream episode I watched, so it wasn't the worst thing.
I'm sort of of two minds on Heather's story here. Part of me finds it troubling that she's crushing on a guy so much older than her and he's encouraging it. On the other hand, I can see her thinking that he's pretty harmless (an outsider and adult perspective would not agree, not to mention a viewer) and I can see what she sees in him. And Heather is a teenager, making kind of dumb decisions about feelings is not unusual.
Note that is why I understand her side of it; him...well I'm not sure what I should think of him. Obviously he's an eco-terrorist (at least, we haven't been given another option) so he's not supposed to be the good guy...but does the show always know that? Because when we see the scene between him and corporate guy, he's framed as being in the right and his scenes with Heather are only troubling because of the age difference and the show doesn't make a thing of that aspect. Also, I think she's discovering a passion for entomology, and I do like seeing her growing up and finding something she likes.
(Ironically, when I say that scene frames bug-boy as being in the right, I actually mean I think it's more like we're supposed to see them both as wrong. Bugsy because by then we've worked out that he's a terrorist, and the corporate guy because, well, he's a corporate guy. I actually came out thinking they both have a point about needs of people vs. the environment; and I kind of didn't appreciate corporate guy being framed as wrong when bug-boy is terrorist.)
Also, I spent a fair portion of Lisa's monologue trying to figure out what the poster behind her was for. Something about it looked familiar, but I can't place it. Seeing as Heather and I are about the same age, it wouldn't surprise me at all if I encountered her decorations somewhere else at the time.
I don't have a lot to say on the Michael side of the story with this one, I suspect I might next time since I suspect he'll have more focus than just being around for the plot. But I do want to expand on my point about seeing the effects of Stockholm Syndrome kicking in, because he doesn't really protest at all about being part of this mission. I do appreciate the small touch that as soon as Morris leaves, Michael helps himself to the candy just because he can, that little act of defiance gives me some reassurance that he'll be okay, but since I think the Stockholm implications weren't intended I doubt it was there to be reassurance.
Which got me thinking, barring a few scenes that would be out of place, I wonder if the last few eps could be reordered. Starting with 'Everybody' then 'Words' then 'Lizzard' then 'Boy Wonder' right before this. Some of Morris's attitude in Lizzard would have had a slightly different flavor if it came after Words, and putting Boy Wonder right before this could have implied something for Michael's attitude here, that he's trying out that guy's advice, to embrace where he is in life being a superhero. Also, since I had the gap I didn't remember that Roger was currently staying at the Wisemans', but if I had that would have been a tip-off that last ep was a dream since he wasn't there in that one (I certainly wasn't confused when I'd forgotten, it just seemed like he showed up for his contractually obligated scene).
Full disclosure, after this episode I had to go and check when this show ran and was canceled. Because this show's go-to plotline seems to be bio-terrorism and if the show was canceled in 2001 I would have been suspicious it got pulled after 9/11 and never came back. But it was canceled after the 99-2000 season, so I guess not.
But this may be their best terrorism plot. It's certainly better than their last two-perter which wasn't really a two-perter; I suppose that could change when we see what the second half is, but this seems better simply because it's not a stand-alone episode with a couple teases of the next episode's plot. The cliffhanger is practically literal, but we'll see how they get out of it. It found a...relatively natural way to incorporate Heather and Lisa into the main plot (with some problems), and I was into the home conflict for itself. While I still think it's Stockholm Syndrome, at least it doesn't involve directly threatening Michael to get him to be part of this plan. And while I don't know that we needed the previously segment to be reminded of some minor changes to the statue quo, it had been a while since the last non-dream episode I watched, so it wasn't the worst thing.
I'm sort of of two minds on Heather's story here. Part of me finds it troubling that she's crushing on a guy so much older than her and he's encouraging it. On the other hand, I can see her thinking that he's pretty harmless (an outsider and adult perspective would not agree, not to mention a viewer) and I can see what she sees in him. And Heather is a teenager, making kind of dumb decisions about feelings is not unusual.
Note that is why I understand her side of it; him...well I'm not sure what I should think of him. Obviously he's an eco-terrorist (at least, we haven't been given another option) so he's not supposed to be the good guy...but does the show always know that? Because when we see the scene between him and corporate guy, he's framed as being in the right and his scenes with Heather are only troubling because of the age difference and the show doesn't make a thing of that aspect. Also, I think she's discovering a passion for entomology, and I do like seeing her growing up and finding something she likes.
(Ironically, when I say that scene frames bug-boy as being in the right, I actually mean I think it's more like we're supposed to see them both as wrong. Bugsy because by then we've worked out that he's a terrorist, and the corporate guy because, well, he's a corporate guy. I actually came out thinking they both have a point about needs of people vs. the environment; and I kind of didn't appreciate corporate guy being framed as wrong when bug-boy is terrorist.)
Also, I spent a fair portion of Lisa's monologue trying to figure out what the poster behind her was for. Something about it looked familiar, but I can't place it. Seeing as Heather and I are about the same age, it wouldn't surprise me at all if I encountered her decorations somewhere else at the time.
I don't have a lot to say on the Michael side of the story with this one, I suspect I might next time since I suspect he'll have more focus than just being around for the plot. But I do want to expand on my point about seeing the effects of Stockholm Syndrome kicking in, because he doesn't really protest at all about being part of this mission. I do appreciate the small touch that as soon as Morris leaves, Michael helps himself to the candy just because he can, that little act of defiance gives me some reassurance that he'll be okay, but since I think the Stockholm implications weren't intended I doubt it was there to be reassurance.
Which got me thinking, barring a few scenes that would be out of place, I wonder if the last few eps could be reordered. Starting with 'Everybody' then 'Words' then 'Lizzard' then 'Boy Wonder' right before this. Some of Morris's attitude in Lizzard would have had a slightly different flavor if it came after Words, and putting Boy Wonder right before this could have implied something for Michael's attitude here, that he's trying out that guy's advice, to embrace where he is in life being a superhero. Also, since I had the gap I didn't remember that Roger was currently staying at the Wisemans', but if I had that would have been a tip-off that last ep was a dream since he wasn't there in that one (I certainly wasn't confused when I'd forgotten, it just seemed like he showed up for his contractually obligated scene).
