I think the problem with GA is dual: (1) she's so tiny it might be hard for her to convey the authority of being a federal agent and (2) they developed, pretty early on, a habit of only miking one actor, and then having them stand close so a single mike could pick up both voices.

With (1), eh, I don't think the FBI really has minimum height requirements, and dude, if she can run in those heels I don't even want to know how badly she could beat me with them.

With (2), once that decision has been made, and you've established the physicality of the two actors always standing close together (and character decisions that hinge on that), then she might as well have just worn stacked porn heels for the rest of her contract in that role.

I just figured that the times Stark did not seem his usual, focussed self were due to times when he was absorbing more information from the computer.

That's what I thought at first, which was one of the reasons I was initially put off by the ep: Allison is cranky and Stark is zoned out, just beaming his thoughts at the computer (which he definitely was doing initially). Even if it's not true, I find it more interesting to think that what we saw later was Stark totally undone.

It was enough to make me wonder if the nanogeneids had taken over the computer, and if the computer had taken over Stark. At first I thought that what turned out to be Nano!Stark was Real!Stark as controlled by the big 'puter and the Nanoids.

Me too! Also, when the Nano!Stark with Allison gets blasted, I laughed so hard at Carter's "yeah, that wasn't Nathan", as if, before he fired, he wasn't actually sure. "Hey, how do we find out if it's really him or not?" "Shoot his ass!"

Also, why was anyone (I'm looking at you, Stark) blaming Fargo for the mess with the neural interface? Seriously, what kind of flaming idiot agrees to be the first human trial for a thing like that

I thought of this board and did a big old frelling handwave, because it was that kind of idiocy that set the ball rolling on the plot.

This was actually the second experiment that had yet to have living subject trials. Now, Taggart wouldn't have minded if Lojack ended up dead. But Fargo...maybe he's EVIL! And Stark? I got nothing.

Unless the point of it was that Stark's tasty, ruthless exterior truly hides a far bigger inner geek than we have yet guessed

Rolling with that one. I think he was kinda excited about it but giving Fargo a hard time to keep the front up. Maybe Stark is always fronting to keep the paeons cowering.

Also, the Burger King King terrifies me. Please stop talking about him! *pulls blanket over head*

The Burger King King is the uncanny valley personified.

la la la la la la

I finally got to watch the episode! I have to wait for Greg, or he'll be mad at me for seeing all the Colin pretty by myself.

I thought the kiss worked. Maybe I'm an easy target, but ever since Jack leered at Beverly early on, I've been expecting him to be fogged by his hormones, so I have no problem with him being attracted to Allison. There was that moment in Nobel, when they bonded over the happily ever after they didn't get as one example--but their banter and their games make it clear they've bonded. Lonely people do dumb things, and it's pretty clear that they're both lonely. Also, Beverly doesn't need Jack, and he doesn't feel comfortable with her, but he does feel comfortable with Allison, and she's attractive, and wounded, despite being a strong person...so.

I found it really interesting that Stark's emotions showed as angry when Allison left after dropping off the divorce papers. I would have expected sadness. The thing I thought was forced was when he said whatever he did that implied that Allison was in a hurry now because she had Jack on her string and she said, "It's not about Carter!" and they looked at one another like she was lying and they both knew it. That absolutely didn't work. It seems pretty obvious that she still has feelings for Stark.

Considering it was Spencer providing the "romantic" music, I thought that worked too. I mean, the music sucked, but Spencer! It kind of had to. I'm not exactly sure why Zoe thought it worked. I would have expected her to have better taste.

I'm surprised by the accusations that Allison was unnecessarily bitchy. Considering that she'd just dropped off her divorce papers and been told she was a little thing that slipped through the cracks, I'm thinking a little cranky was justified. She and Stark did that pretty-well-cliched miscommunication by sniping at one another that television estranged couples are supposed to do. I didn't see bitchy.

Weirdly, I don't know why, but things felt a little rushed this episode. They're wandering the Jeffries Tubes and Allison says there's a problem out there and they boom, go to Stark, yells at them, but then tells them he doesn't care what they do, and it was just a weird set up. Then they leave and the footage will tell them something, whoa there's the footage, nothing, gotta go back in... all of that seemed a bit weird, and that Taggart didn't realize immediately what Lo-Jack2 was seemed forced. That may have been the fault of too many previews, though.

As for his accent, I'm positing that he got to go to college in Australia, fell in love with it and thinks he's fooling everyone into believing he's really australian instead of a poor mimic with a big brain and some hazardously short-sightedness when it comes to his personal failings.

Whew.

I still love this show and don't expect that to change, but I think this episode was my least favorite. It set us up for some things, with Jack removing his ring at the end, wandering around alone in a group of obviously encoupled dancers; Allison and Stark all chummy, but it felt forced. Since CFerg spilled the beans about what it set us up for, that may have added a bit to my impatience with the episode. I'm not sure. That and the fact that they had to go back to Zoe and her friends to rescue them; the "coincidence" of the woofer they needed being right where they could fit all the extra Starks... that was a bit problematic for me.

Edited to try to make some sense.

Yeah, sorry for spilling the beans.

I felt like I had to prep everyone. I will hold it in next time and let the cards fall where they may - as I twist myself into a knot on my couch.

The good news is that the script for the next episode was one of my favorites! So I'm looking forward to that.

I'm also trying to shake thing up with the podcast - like get everyone together. So good things to come... and that's good.

Yeah, sorry for spilling the beans.

No worries (and I feel I should add mate, to that, but will refrain.) It was intriguing news and made me even more interested to see how things will unfold.

Now, Taggart wouldn't have minded if Lojack ended up dead.

Does anyone else think Lojack specifically set up chose Carter for Eureka by running his vehicle off the road on purpose in the first place? If the damned dog has a higher IQ than I, and has that semi-psychic sensitivity that animals can have, it seems plausible. The question is, what's Lojack's agenda? Is he a benevolent guardian for the town, an unofficial mayor, if you will? Or has he taken out a franchise from Brain, and planning to take over that corner of the world?

I shudder to think what my cat would be like if he were much more intelligent than he already is.

ETA: Juliebird, to take your mind off the Burger King King may I suggest the mental image of the Quiznos Creatures?

But think how pissed we might have been, Colin, had we not been prepped!

You saved us from ourselves.

I found it really interesting that Stark's emotions showed as angry when Allison left after dropping off the divorce papers. I would have expected sadness.

Maybe he was angry at himself?

The thing I thought was forced was when he said whatever he did that implied that Allison was in a hurry now because she had Jack on her string and she said, "It's not about Carter!" and they looked at one another like she was lying and they both knew it. That absolutely didn't work.

Yeah, that was a weird beat.

I'm surprised by the accusations that Allison was unnecessarily bitchy.

Eh, me and my big mouth. That was a comment before I actually got what the heck was going on (I'm slow). I'd thought she honestly wanted the divorce initially, so why the heck is she mad about it? I know better now!

Question for Colin: I'm rewatching some of the earlier eps, and noticed that Fargo's personality changes from the pilot to the rest of the eps. In the pilot he was a bit more creepy and conspiratorial --especially whilst hanging out with Warren King, which gave me the impression that he was an assistant to the director. Now he's a goofy mess-up, with what seems a lower position. Any insight?

Also, now that I've been able to smother my inner 12-year old who's read too many bad fanfics, the kiss scene wasn't so bad. I like the "can I lead" and the laughing, that Allison didn't get right away that Carter, as honest as he was being, was trying to piss Stark off, and I especially love the delivery of "What I'm about to do is for God... and Country".