The 4400

[kafka]

roisin54 said:

Alice Krige was brilliant casting. It took me a while to figure out it was her because I'm so used to seeing her in Borg make-up, but I definitely recognized her voice.

She's such an excellent (but under=rated, unappreciated, low key) actress that I actually gasped when I first saw her. I just *knew* that her presence didn't bode well.

Nitpicky question perhaps but shouldn't people from the future have equally developped powers such that they wouldn't need to drug the kids? And wouldn't they perhaps be immune to the twins' water-diffusion abilities? Okay, maybe immunity wouldn't be possible despite their own gifts but .... um.... never mind. I'm not sure this is a coherent train of thought.

Can *anyone* answer my question about RatFace's conviction that Sean & Isabelle are going to be on opposite sides of a big conflict?

Also, I don't know if I should mention this but it's been said on one 4400 board by someone who supposedly has connections to the inside that Ratface Matthew is actually Jordan Collier. I don't believe it, particularly after the shot of Collier on the beach, but the person claims that Collier developped the power of being a shape-shifter. And he came back in a safer form as "Matthew" and that his disguise permits him to watch over the Center while being under Isabelle's radar. Remember, she was seemingly trying to kill him at times and may have deliberately set him up for being "shot."

Again, I don't believe it. For many reasons. For one thing, we've already had a shape shifter in the series and TPTB tend not to replicate powers. Jordan Collier is definitely coming back (after the actor finishes his sailing trip) but I think Matthew is just a separate evil person. That said, did anyone notice that Matthew was made up to look very ill last night? Red-rimmed eyes with black under them, pale wan skin, gaunt, and more?

Interesting theory though.

[highondegrassi2]

Thanks for the info Kafka. I hope they rerun the first few episodes from this season that I missed. I'll have to keep checking for that.

[shawnalanne]

Kafka, Re: Matthew/Jordan: Weren't there scenes of Matthew and Jordan together last season? It is an interesting theory but I just do not think it is so. While Jordan definitely was, at the very least, a grey character, he did have more class than to straight turn out Isabelle like Matthew did last night.

Maia: Since it is a two-parter I'm keeping my finger's crossed that she is coming back. She and Diana have great chemistry, and I would really hate to see that dynamic gone. Also her heartbreaking assertion that her mom would not forget her, was well, heartbreaking. I have hope since I heard her asking who "Maia was" in the teaser they showed for the next week's episode.

Isabelle and Sean: I'm as curious as Kafka is about the idea that Isabelle and Sean will be on different sides of a large conflict, but I think they showed in last night's episode that Matthew is definitely fallible. It seems that he may have a version of what the future might hold -- one he'd like to manipulate into happening, but it's not set in stone, as last nights episode (and previous ones) show that the future is fluid.


Alana & Tom: I'm interested in seeing what happens with Alana's abilities. She is obviously growing more comfortable with using her abilities as he is growing less comfortable with them. Considering how she came into his life, I still have my doubts about her. I wonder if she was sent into his life to subvert his actives in some way.

Richard: I feel bad for him. Wife dead, infant daughter all grown up and already having sex (and shame on Shawn for that) and now Matthew setting him up for something awful as the head of the Center.

[kafka]

shawnalanne said:

Kafka, Re: Matthew/Jordan: Weren't there scenes of Matthew and Jordan together last season? It is an interesting theory but I just do not think it is so. While Jordan definitely was, at the very least, a grey character, he did have more class than to straight turn out Isabelle like Matthew did last night.

I think you're right, they did have scenes together. So good call there, Shawna! Yet another reason why that scenario is implausible.

Maia: Since it is a two-parter I'm keeping my finger's crossed that she is coming back. She and Diana have great chemistry, and I would really hate to see that dynamic gone.

I refuse to believe they'd get rid of Maia, especially after having killed off Lily. All the interviews I've read with producers of the show talked about the need to change things around because of Isabelle and that's why the killed off Lily. But there's been no indication that there were further cast changes in the pipeline. And Maia is much, much more significant than someone like Kevin (Tom's son). So, I'm sticking by my firm belief that it will all work out with Maia. [/delusional fangurl]

It seems that he may have a version of what the future might hold -- one he'd like to manipulate into happening, but it's not set in stone, as last nights episode (and previous ones) show that the future is fluid.

I hope that's the case. Because the way he said it, it sounded more like he had an actual vision and image of the future. And I found that troubling, to say the least.

Alana & Tom: I'm interested in seeing what happens with Alana's abilities. She is obviously growing more comfortable with using her abilities as he is growing less comfortable with them. Considering how she came into his life, I still have my doubts about her. I wonder if she was sent into his life to subvert his actives in some way.

I see things differently regarding these two. I don't think Tom is uncomfortable with her powers at all. I think he's possessive of them, partially because she was using them for "their thing" and private, romantic, sexual time away. It's as though "their thing" is now being shared with everyone and so it's became a bit tarnished and a bit less special.

I also think he's feeling jealous of this new focus in his wife's life (the Center, classes there, teaching, etc), which is taking much of her time and attention away from him. And since it's been made clear that he's an outsider who is hated by the 4400s, he knows he can't ever share that growing chunk of her life. So he's feeling left out and is sulking a bit. That's how I took all of it, especially given what happened at the tea party (which the producers clearly put in there for a reason).

[hbb]

I'm so glad that Isabelle finally chose to stand up to that Weasel. It was about time.

I also think he's feeling jealous of this new focus in his wife's life (the Center, classes there, teaching, etc), which is taking much of her time and attention away from him. And since it's been made clear that he's an outsider who is hated by the 4400s, he knows he can't ever share that growing chunk of her life.

I agree, that's the impression I got from last nights episode as well.


Oh and thanks for the info about Collier, Kafka. After they killed off Lilly, I wasn't sure what direction they were going with him.

[raqs]

Now that I'm all caught up (thanks again redpanda):

- The actor that plays Shawn is totally hawt. I'd Isabelle him in a heart beat.
- The actress that plays Isabelle is totally hawt too. Now I've got a new girlie crush.
[/shallow off]

Have you checked out the character blogs at The 4400.com? Some excerpts from Isabelle's blog

But I realized, I am not with Shawn to manipulate him and I really don't like it when Matthew tries to manipulate me.

Matthew's trying to confuse me with what he tells me about how relationships work, but I have a feeling his motives are not purely selfless.

Shawn and I could be powerful together. I think I finally made that clear to Matthew.

I hope he begins to keep his presents -- and his advice -- to himself from now on. And that he takes my message seriously.

Kafka, maybe Shawn and Isabelle square off as 4400 Center vs Nova Group? (She joins Nova? Or he does?) Collier returns and makes Shawn leave or banish Isabelle and she turns on him?

Poor Richard just looks like he wishes he was someplace else. Poor guy. I can't imagine what silently suffering emotional turmoil he will experience when he finds out about Shawn and Isabelle. Because you know Ratface Matthew is gonna blab to him about that.

And I'm steadfastly refusing to believe that Maia will be killed off.

[shawnalanne]

Teaser Alert about Maia (sort of because it is a commercial).

They showed Maia conversing with Tom, telling him who she was and that he found her. And there is a clip of Diana talking to someone that she thinks she had a daughter named Maia. So I'm feeling better about her coming back now.

[kafka]

So, guys, any thoughts on Sunday's episode?

I'm torn. I don't think I like this direction in terms of endless Sturm und Drang, between the Nova Group and killing Isabelle.

The thing which leaves me most at a loss, however, is the odd little smile on RatFace's ... er... face.... when Isabelle was torturing her father. It was as though he had controlled her and forced her to do it. Then she suddenly awake and realised what she'd done, was horrified and couldn't believe it. And when RatFace walked off, then looked back, I could swear there was a little malvolent smile on his face. It's as if he'd engineered it all.

Maybe I'm reading too much into things or imagining it, but if Matthew *does* have powers, when and how the hell did that happen? He can't, because he's not a 4400 and he would have used them before now. It doesn't make sense. But I swear I say a smile on his face like "I've got you, I control you, you do what *I* want you to do."

Did I imagine it?

[shawnalanne]

I think you are right. I think that Ratface did manipulate Isabelle and it was a smirk of self-satisfaction that we saw on his face. However I think he is just really good at manipulating her and he was pleased that it worked out so well. She's always had a problem with self-control, even as an infant, and ratface was the person who told her dad she was sleeping with Sean, so in a way, he does pull her strings.

[kafka]

Thanks, Shawna. That makes more sense than him having a power. Although I still don't quite understand how he forced Isabelle into hurting her father given that he didn't say a word at any point during the scene or prior to her action. The whole thing is very weird.

So who do you think is the dead duck next week?

It can't be any of the main characters, so I think it will be a tangential one. Like Alana. Her death will impact one of the two leads and will have the most impact. We've already had the Maia storyline in terms of things impacting the 2nd lead's life, so I think it has to be something which will involve Tom. In addition, Alana's death would make it more difficult for Tom to fulfill his task.

OTOH, the fact that Tom has this big task may negate it being Alana. Tom will get enough of a story line with his big task so adding Alana's death would be extraneous. So maybe it's someone within the 4400 center (other than Sean), in order to balance things out between the 4400s and the NTAC characters.

I'm thinking WAY too much about this. I should be working on my proposal, yet I'm sitting here obsessed.