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1.19 The Road Not Taken Review by Josie Kafka "The potential for destruction in each of us is infinite." In 1935, Austrian physicist Erwin Schrodinger hypothesized a now-infamous cat experiment. Imagine if you put a cat in a sealed box with a vial of chemicals that has even odds of breaking or not breaking within 24 hours. The next day, before you open the box, the cat is both dead and alive. Both possible realities exist until empirical evidence points you toward the one you are inhabiting. I'm oversimplifying radically, and cutting out info on many a major theory and theorists, but take the cat who is both alive and dead. Now multiply little Puss by the butterfly effect, which notes that even the smallest changes can cause subsequently massive deviations from expected results. What we're left with is an almost infinite series of possible realities, as Walter tried to show with his branching blackboard. According to Walter, déjà vu is a consciousness-jump from one reality to another. Like in The Matrix. You can think about it in terms of the Robert Frost poem that the title references, too. In the poem, Frost is really talking about opting out of conventional society (a bit odd for a future Poet Laureate, but whatever). But the idea of branching paths, and the fact that in Frost's theory we're stuck with the one we choose, even though we're aware of other possible lives our alternate selves are leading. (And if you're a Lost fan... well, speculate in the comments.) Olivia: "Was she just born different, or was something done to her?" Walter: "That's the real question, isn't it?" We know the answer, of course: something was done to her. But our Theme of the Week was possibilities, the numerous possible paths that we may take, and the ability to (sometimes) negotiate between the path that seems fated for us and the path we choose. Peter chose to have fun with science. Olivia got the second pyrokinetic woman to get rid of that misogynist bastard Harris and not harm herself or Olivia. Walter Bishop and William Bell represent to sets of paths taken: the question remains, though, of where and when they diverged. Walter's memory loss seems an awfully convenient way to imply trauma. Just because he can't remember doesn't mean that Olivia can't be angry at him, but it makes her anger seem petty. And while his atonement and grief seem genuine, can you really repent for something you don't remember? It's worth noting, though that I was mistaken in my review of "Ability" (1.14): Walter didn't write the manifesto -- he was upset because he'd found evidence that William Bell did. (Right?) Now I'm forced to reconsider the past few episodes. Was I just really wrong, or was "Ability", and Walter's subsequent fixation on redemption, pointing us towards blaming him? Or is this a re-write, a jump into an alternate universe? Walter's willingness to go with the Observer was interesting, and reminded me of their diner chat oh so many episodes ago. I wish that Walter had said goodbye to the cow, but maybe Bessie had another gig somewhere. Broyles: "Destruction by the advancement of technology, which in short boils down to the following: attempting to provoke and prepare for a war." Agent: "War, with whom?" Broyles: "That's the question, isn't it." I haven't watched the previews for next week, the season finale. But I think that we'll get lots of answers to Broyles's questions, and lots more questions to set us up for season two. As it stands, these are the things we don't know: Where is Walter going? Is Ms. Massive Dynamics dead or just unconscious? What's up with the war? What has Walter forgotten? What the hell is going on? The Good: -- Walter: "Ho, ho, ho, ho, ho! My son finally agrees with me!" -- Walter: "I was prone to hide things because I was afraid that someone would unlock all my secrets. I didn't realize that someone would be me." -- Bell's goal, according to Grayson, was to create supersoldiers to help fight the Romulans. What a great mix of X-Files and Star Trek. What a great nod to Leonard Nimoy. What a great reaction from Peter. Good job, writers! The Bad: -- Francis: "She's definitely a table for one... Do you think something's wrong with her? A woman in the prime of her life, no evidence of a boyfriend..." That's a bit harsh, isn't it? -- Agent Harris: "Right now, you are acting emotionally." All powerful, successful women just shuddered. C'mon, That's Ridiculous: -- Walter: "Pyrokinesis." Peter: "Stop. There's no time for jokes, Walter... It's not even a real word. It was coined by Stephen King." (And pyrokinesis hasn't made it into the OED yet.) -- The playing back the glass thing. I just don't think that's possible, especially because glass is a liquid and doesn't necessarily continue to bear the marks of what it has undergone, sonically speaking. There's a lot I haven't said. A lot happened, scientifically and emotionally. Pretty much all of it was good. So: Four out of four Keanu Reeves. View all comments or post a comment. |
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