Episode Discussion - 3x04 - And the Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

[fangirlishness]

Airdate: 11 Dec 2016 in the U.S.



(If you're reading this post months later and feel like jumping in, please do.)

Comments

[fangirlishness]

I can't say I liked much about this episode. For me, it's definitely the weakest one yet.

I really liked the premise, and the plot also sounds good in theory, but the execution didn't hold up.

The dialogue was condescending - between the characters and from the writer to the viewers - a lot of the time, and it started getting on my nerves pretty soon.

OMG and that last scene in fake Australia? I felt transported back to the seventies with all that bad studio lighting. I suppose they needed a cheap episode without any location shoots - except for the high school, everything was shot on set. I don't usually mind, but Australia really was too much.

The only thing I liked was that the principal wasn't shown as a complete tool. His willingness to protect his charges was shown as equal to Eve's, and that's a rare compliment for a supporting character.

[mecca]

I agree. This episode has been the weakest for me so far. It seemed like everyone's IQ took a huge nosedive to accommodate the very thin plot. It was evident from the beginning that the cleaning lady was hiding something. They even went as far as to use the old trope of a character mentioning something they clearly should have not known about, only for someone to point it out later. In this case it was the detail about the glasses. I spent the whole episode waiting for everyone to catch on.

It really felt like the show was just filling time, like the whole moment with Jake not wanting to open the door until he got a black eye. That went on way too long. I don't believe for a second that Ezekiel, Eve and Jake would just turn on each other immediately just because they saw their future selves with weapons. No one thought that maybe...just maybe...there was more to it?

I am intrigued by the whole "Eve is a special snowflake" bomb that they dropped towards the end. I've seen people speculating that Eve is pregnant (OMG, please no!) to her being the next Charlene. It'll be interesting to see where the show goes with that information.

Sorry for all the complaining, but wow was this episode not good. :/

I don't usually mind, but Australia really was too much.

It was pretty bad lol and clearly a blue screen, but the special effects kind of vary from really good to really cheesy quite often. :)

[erinptah]

I don't believe for a second that Ezekiel, Eve and Jake would just turn on each other immediately just because they saw their future selves with weapons. No one thought that maybe...just maybe...there was more to it?

I know, right? Lucky the swim-team guy was more on-the-ball than the experts.

I wish their reaction had been "okay, we have to fulfill this vision somehow -- let's run at each other and yell until we've staged the clip we both saw, then stop when it cuts off."

Reminds me of an episode of Beyond Belief (supernatural/comedy podcast series) that opens with one of the happily-married characters exclaiming "I want a divorce!" -- then flashing back to Earlier That Day. The story proceeds in a standard way, our heroes being happily-married all the way...then once all the plot is over, we get "Oh right, one more thing. Ahem. I want a divorce!" Laughter all around, roll credits.

[fangirlishness]

They even went as far as to use the old trope of a character mentioning something they clearly should have not known about, only for someone to point it out later.

Yes, the dialogue was so heavy-handed, it was incredible. I noticed immediately when she said it that she wasn't supposed to know about it, and it took so long to come up again.

the whole moment with Jake not wanting to open the door until he got a black eye. That went on way too long.

Yes.

I don't believe for a second that Ezekiel, Eve and Jake would just turn on each other immediately just because they saw their future selves with weapons. No one thought that maybe...just maybe...there was more to it?

They used to be pretty smart, which was one of the major appeals of the show for me. This season, not so much with the smart, more with the lucky obscure knowledge. :( Those are not the same. I'm thinking the "smart" part was John Rogers's specialty.

I've seen people speculating that Eve is pregnant (OMG, please no!)

Oh no nonono. I had not seen that speculation so far, and I can do without it.

Sorry for all the complaining, but wow was this episode not good. :/

Totally with you there for this episode. Let's hope we will have more opportunity to squee again soon!

[erinptah]

Kind of a floppy episode, but this show has such good cold opens. "So none of us remember anything. Except for pizza."

And then the amnesia turned out not to be plot-relevant, and they got over it really quickly. Wasted plot point :/

Today's myth source: Greece. I really enjoyed the Oracle's manifestation. And the appearance of the Grim Reaper as a guy in a black leather hoodie.

"Talk about a self-fulfilling prophecy." "...Thanks for that." Aww.

Wonder where Jenkins picked up Morse code. Being "the world's oldest warrior" means his active soldiering days were over long before Morse was invented. As the Library assistant I would expect him to know all kinds of languages and codes...irrespective of whether he's a warrior.

"I won the day! With a makeup mirror!!" Also cute.

[fangirlishness]

And then the amnesia turned out not to be plot-relevant, and they got over it really quickly. Wasted plot point :/

Oh, right, I didn't even pick up on that.

And the appearance of the Grim Reaper as a guy in a black leather hoodie.

He reminded me of the Grim Reaper from Notfunny so much, I couldn't take him seriously. The fake sound of his knives didn't help. :)

As the Library assistant I would expect him to know all kinds of languages and codes...irrespective of whether he's a warrior.

Yeah, another thing about their qualifications overlapping. Jenkins, Jake and Flynn all have a lot of theoretical knowledge of languages. It's not a special skill anymore.

"I won the day! With a makeup mirror!!" Also cute.

I really liked that, too. It is so un-Guardian-like. (I liked that her first thought was that it was from Flynn, too.)

[meridian_rose]

I thought the Grim Reaper had a sort of Assassin's Creed thing going on, with a touch of Ghost of Christmas Future in that his face was never seen :)

Yes, everyone knows Greek. I did wonder if knowing dozens of modern and ancient languages is an essential skill for a Librarian. No-one can know everything - though if anyone had an eidetic memory I'd buy into it more.

Cassandra's sensory overload from her synesthesia seems to have be cured or forgotten about which makes me a bit hmmm.

[meridian_rose]

I think the amnesia was so we got to see events unfold as the characters remembered them, rather than a straight NOW/ Earlier / Now again.

I get why Eve used his military background as a shared touchstone but I agree with you that he'd know it more because it's was a common code, essential in pre-telephone/radio days to communicate over distance :)

[meridian_rose]

I quite liked this one - the divide and conquer approach lets the characters shine more as individuals and different small teams. I thought we were in for a time-loop episode at first but I was wrong and this turned out much better. There were a few cheesy moments as they wandered the halls and the clearly fake Australia needed a bit of work but overall this didn't detract from the characters which is the most important part.

My thought was "but compacts can be used for spying/mirror signalling" so I was pleased to see that play out :)

I love the idea of seeing both how self-fulfilling prophecies can be bad or can be twisted to do good (if Ezekiel's coin survives then all choices must be right). The guest characters worked; it was clear the "cleaning lady" was more than she appeared and it was obvious who she was before the reveal. I did not however guess the secondary location reveal :)

Looks like Eve is going to be super-important! Either she must survive this season or go out in one hell of a world-saving blaze of glory! She's not just any Guardian and I'd like to have a few hints over the next few episodes as to what part she will play.

How sweet were the Librarians here, worrying that Eve might be sad, offering to sacrifice themselves?

[dhampyresa]

This could have been better, but was still enjoyable.