V
verdantheart
Guest
[again, sorry for the very late column . . . holidays, accident, finding the recording, procrastination, etc, etc 
Anyway, it's really hard to get back in the flow, but let's give it the old try . . .]
Once again, we find ourselves in the middle with “The Horizon,” as Sydney welcomes Vaughn back with “What took you so long?” They kiss, but not all is well in paradise because Sydney has something in her eye and Vaughn cuts his finger. “You're not there yet, Sydney,” warns the radio—and suddenly Sydney sees herself, secured and under interrogation.
“Who are you?” She asks. “You just have to go a little further,” he says. He assures his boss that what he's doing won't harm the baby. Sydney wants to know who's behind there and assures the doctor that if he harms her child, she'll kill him.
And we back up two days.
We join Peyton, who is eating noodles in San Francisco as she waits for her appointment. When she spots him, she asks where she might find a taxi—and then asks for the time. After killing the man, she grabs his watch and heads to an upstairs location where she uses the watch to gain access for an agent Zachary Taylor. She looks up Michael Vaughn in a bank of servers and locates his name on server 4, slot 29. She kills the attending agent and makes off with the drive, reporting her success to Desantis.
Back in LA, Sydney and Jack tour the delivery facility, noting that Sydney could have the baby any day now. Jack gives Sydney her baby rattle, remembering a time “when I could keep you safe.”
Marshall asks Tom about an “error” in his record—that he was once married. Grace explains that it was no error; he was briefly married—and he'd prefer that Marshall asked him about these things personally before researching them. Just then, however, the breach is discovered and everyone is called to a briefing. It's clear that the breach is tied to Vaughn. Sydney is dispatched (reluctantly) to talk to Rene to see if she knows of anything they could be looking for.
Desantis orders that Sydney be abducted so that they can learn the location of Horizon.
Sydney meets with Rene in Madrid. She notes that it is her last week to fly. They have barely begun their discussion when Sydney spots two men approaching. As they retreat and Rene takes out the men, Sydney is pulled into a van. Rene pursues and takes out a van (unclear whether it is the same one), wounding Desantis.
We find Sydney in the hands of the doctor, who says he's beginning a procedure of forced hypnosis that includes paralysis and a partially lucid mental state. He begins by having Sydney remember her name. As he proceeds, he prompts Sydney by touching her face and neck with a probe. He asks her to remember a time when she and Vaughn were happy—a meaningful time.
Sydney flashes back to the time Vaughn proposed before they were parachuting into the blackness. Vaughn begins to propose, but Sydney stops him, saying, “We already did this,” and shows him the ring. She explains about Prophet 5 and he asks her how she knows—“You told me. . . . They're trying to use you against me.” She says she should go, but Vaughn goes on with the proposal. As Sydney accepts, the doctor says that they have it.
Rene calls in asking for Sydney's father to report the abduction. Jack realizes that there must have been something in the files that connected to Sydney and there was evidence that they were going to perform a medical procedure. He asks Sloane to use his underworld contacts. He calls Armand but is warned that he is “not playing by the rules” and should “pick his battles.” In other words, his priority is Nadia.
Jack meets Rene and tells her that they lost Sydney at the city limits. Desantis, injured, is defiant. Jack is up to the challenge, however, saying, “What should scare you is I'm a very concerned father.” With that, he removes Desantis' ear.
Meanwhile, the doctor continues the regressive process, saying, “Remember the last time you saw Vaughn.” Sydney flashes to the hospital, where they are talking baby names. As Vaughn once again asks for the drink, Sydney says, “I gave you this and then you crashed—I can't.” Vaughn insists, “I need to go away. We'll find each other.”
As he says this the scene changes to the Korean prison where they both awaited execution, but Sydney is still pregnant. “Don't ever leave me,” Sydney begs, but soldiers arrive. However, they only take Vaughn. The doctor's voice comes through radio on the floor: “Don't let him go.”
The radio changes to her kitchen radio as we return to the opening scene. “Where is Vaughn?” the radio asks in the doctor's voice. Vaughn enters, saying “I'm back!” “What took you so long?” asks Sydney.
Jack tells Desantis that he'll never survive the blood loss. “Your concern should be where she is going,” he replies. Rene enters with a location in Hungary. Jack threatens Desantis, but he says that he is prepared to die. Jack tells Rene, “See if he means it.” We hear a shot as Jack leaves.
We return to Sydney, who is instructed to remember the first time that she realized that Vaughn cared for her. She flashes to the pier across from the amusement park. She answers her phone and is told to draw a map—she throws the phone into the ocean. She explains that they're pushing closer, that they've revealed they want a map. Again she answers her phone and throws it into the ocean. Vaughn points out that she just threw her phone into the Pacific—twice; she has to let him go. Sydney answers with virtually the same speech that she did the first time: she's losing her mind, she doesn't know who she is. Vaughn says that Sydney always told him that he was the one who kept the darkness out of her life, but it was really she who kept the darkness from overtaking him. “I'm going to go,” he says.
The scene shifts to the storage unit. “If I don't say goodbye, they win,” Vaughn says. Sydney responds that she's tired and wants out—let someone else save the world. The scene shifts again to the blood donation van where Sydney boasts that she'll knock down SD-6 in “record time” and Vaughn explains it's about “killing the monster.” Vaughn now tells her to focus on a certain name and Sydney gives one. The doctor nods to his employer, who is now revealed as Irina.
Irina asks Peyton to relay the information to the pertinent operatives.
We find Sydney and Vaughn on a beach. Sydney says she wishes they could stay like that forever. Vaughn replies that it's only a matter of time before they discover that the name is wrong and return, so he has to leave. He reaffirms, “We'll find each other.” As Peyton begins to unhook Sydney's apparatus, Sydney awakens and injects her with a handy syringe. She makes her way through hallways and up to what she discovers is the deck of a cargo ship—just as a helicopter is departing.
Meanwhile, in Hungary, Jack and Rene break into the building at the address Rene discovered and find a nursery set up.
Comments:
Was it that big a surprise that (once again) we find Irina in a “The Man”-like position? They certainly tipped us to it well ahead with the concerns about the baby early on. Meanwhile, note that Irina is placed in the position of having ordered—or at least sanctioned—Vaughn's assassination. But do we believe that Ms Rehabilitated herself would do that to her #1 daughter for one minute? Of course not!!! Especially when the drink (I gave you this and then you crashed) is thrown into our faces again. If she doesn't have Vaughn stashed on ice somewhere . . . Anybody who thinks she's “bad”: 10 lashes with a wet noodle. I believe in recycling, but really . . . !
The theme of Sydney's regression for the Prophet 5 group may have been locating Horizon, but for Sydney it was “We'll always find each other.” At first, Sydney was the one trying to leave Vaughn in her visions, but later on, Vaughn was the one leaving. This would tend to be more covert because the interrogator could hear what Sydney was saying during her visions. So if she shifted her resistance to Vaughn, she could hide it better because his side of the conversation could not be overheard. Also, Sydney could in this way project her strong side onto Vaughn and allow “someone else” to support her even as she went it alone.
Quibbles:
They went to so very much trouble to rouse curiosity and mystery around Desantis and resurrect the guy, and just when they get him on his feet, they summarily kill him off? He wasn't much of a character for such a grand entrance, I must say. Sheesh. I'd call that a waste of time and effort.
Somehow, when you realize that it wasn't really Vaughn saying that Sydney in fact kept the darkness from overtaking him, it was actually Sydney reassuring herself—it just isn't the same, is it?
Nod nod, wink wink? Say no more . . . Let's just say that I'm getting the feeling that I'm getting semaphored like crazy and it feels intentional. Perhaps they want us spoiled.
Random thoughts:
Peyton is entrusted to actually see Irina, eh?
Can Tom's marriage actually fit into the end of the season? Unless . . . not Peyton? Hm, it's been too long . . . have they had any contact?
I must be ready for the finale because my enthusiasm over this week's return is less than peak. I'm much more enthusiastic about the return of Prison Break . . . and (new) Supernatural . . . and Invasion . . . and Naruto. Sad, ain't it?
Discuss:
Why do you think they had that little non-sequitur scene about Tom having had a wife?
So, at this point, Vaughn: dead or alive? How do you want it?
What do you think of Irina's role in this (in any way)?
What about the nursery? Do you think Sydney was to be sent there with the baby or that the baby was to be sent there with another caretaker?
Any comments about Sydney's “strategy” under guided regression?
Is Irina trusting Peyton or playing her? Thoughts?
Next:
At last, new episodes! Can we even remember where the heck we are and what is going on? That may be the biggest question of all!
Anyway, it's really hard to get back in the flow, but let's give it the old try . . .]Once again, we find ourselves in the middle with “The Horizon,” as Sydney welcomes Vaughn back with “What took you so long?” They kiss, but not all is well in paradise because Sydney has something in her eye and Vaughn cuts his finger. “You're not there yet, Sydney,” warns the radio—and suddenly Sydney sees herself, secured and under interrogation.
“Who are you?” She asks. “You just have to go a little further,” he says. He assures his boss that what he's doing won't harm the baby. Sydney wants to know who's behind there and assures the doctor that if he harms her child, she'll kill him.
And we back up two days.
We join Peyton, who is eating noodles in San Francisco as she waits for her appointment. When she spots him, she asks where she might find a taxi—and then asks for the time. After killing the man, she grabs his watch and heads to an upstairs location where she uses the watch to gain access for an agent Zachary Taylor. She looks up Michael Vaughn in a bank of servers and locates his name on server 4, slot 29. She kills the attending agent and makes off with the drive, reporting her success to Desantis.
Back in LA, Sydney and Jack tour the delivery facility, noting that Sydney could have the baby any day now. Jack gives Sydney her baby rattle, remembering a time “when I could keep you safe.”
Marshall asks Tom about an “error” in his record—that he was once married. Grace explains that it was no error; he was briefly married—and he'd prefer that Marshall asked him about these things personally before researching them. Just then, however, the breach is discovered and everyone is called to a briefing. It's clear that the breach is tied to Vaughn. Sydney is dispatched (reluctantly) to talk to Rene to see if she knows of anything they could be looking for.
Desantis orders that Sydney be abducted so that they can learn the location of Horizon.
Sydney meets with Rene in Madrid. She notes that it is her last week to fly. They have barely begun their discussion when Sydney spots two men approaching. As they retreat and Rene takes out the men, Sydney is pulled into a van. Rene pursues and takes out a van (unclear whether it is the same one), wounding Desantis.
We find Sydney in the hands of the doctor, who says he's beginning a procedure of forced hypnosis that includes paralysis and a partially lucid mental state. He begins by having Sydney remember her name. As he proceeds, he prompts Sydney by touching her face and neck with a probe. He asks her to remember a time when she and Vaughn were happy—a meaningful time.
Sydney flashes back to the time Vaughn proposed before they were parachuting into the blackness. Vaughn begins to propose, but Sydney stops him, saying, “We already did this,” and shows him the ring. She explains about Prophet 5 and he asks her how she knows—“You told me. . . . They're trying to use you against me.” She says she should go, but Vaughn goes on with the proposal. As Sydney accepts, the doctor says that they have it.
Rene calls in asking for Sydney's father to report the abduction. Jack realizes that there must have been something in the files that connected to Sydney and there was evidence that they were going to perform a medical procedure. He asks Sloane to use his underworld contacts. He calls Armand but is warned that he is “not playing by the rules” and should “pick his battles.” In other words, his priority is Nadia.
Jack meets Rene and tells her that they lost Sydney at the city limits. Desantis, injured, is defiant. Jack is up to the challenge, however, saying, “What should scare you is I'm a very concerned father.” With that, he removes Desantis' ear.
Meanwhile, the doctor continues the regressive process, saying, “Remember the last time you saw Vaughn.” Sydney flashes to the hospital, where they are talking baby names. As Vaughn once again asks for the drink, Sydney says, “I gave you this and then you crashed—I can't.” Vaughn insists, “I need to go away. We'll find each other.”
As he says this the scene changes to the Korean prison where they both awaited execution, but Sydney is still pregnant. “Don't ever leave me,” Sydney begs, but soldiers arrive. However, they only take Vaughn. The doctor's voice comes through radio on the floor: “Don't let him go.”
The radio changes to her kitchen radio as we return to the opening scene. “Where is Vaughn?” the radio asks in the doctor's voice. Vaughn enters, saying “I'm back!” “What took you so long?” asks Sydney.
Jack tells Desantis that he'll never survive the blood loss. “Your concern should be where she is going,” he replies. Rene enters with a location in Hungary. Jack threatens Desantis, but he says that he is prepared to die. Jack tells Rene, “See if he means it.” We hear a shot as Jack leaves.
We return to Sydney, who is instructed to remember the first time that she realized that Vaughn cared for her. She flashes to the pier across from the amusement park. She answers her phone and is told to draw a map—she throws the phone into the ocean. She explains that they're pushing closer, that they've revealed they want a map. Again she answers her phone and throws it into the ocean. Vaughn points out that she just threw her phone into the Pacific—twice; she has to let him go. Sydney answers with virtually the same speech that she did the first time: she's losing her mind, she doesn't know who she is. Vaughn says that Sydney always told him that he was the one who kept the darkness out of her life, but it was really she who kept the darkness from overtaking him. “I'm going to go,” he says.
The scene shifts to the storage unit. “If I don't say goodbye, they win,” Vaughn says. Sydney responds that she's tired and wants out—let someone else save the world. The scene shifts again to the blood donation van where Sydney boasts that she'll knock down SD-6 in “record time” and Vaughn explains it's about “killing the monster.” Vaughn now tells her to focus on a certain name and Sydney gives one. The doctor nods to his employer, who is now revealed as Irina.
Irina asks Peyton to relay the information to the pertinent operatives.
We find Sydney and Vaughn on a beach. Sydney says she wishes they could stay like that forever. Vaughn replies that it's only a matter of time before they discover that the name is wrong and return, so he has to leave. He reaffirms, “We'll find each other.” As Peyton begins to unhook Sydney's apparatus, Sydney awakens and injects her with a handy syringe. She makes her way through hallways and up to what she discovers is the deck of a cargo ship—just as a helicopter is departing.
Meanwhile, in Hungary, Jack and Rene break into the building at the address Rene discovered and find a nursery set up.
Comments:
Was it that big a surprise that (once again) we find Irina in a “The Man”-like position? They certainly tipped us to it well ahead with the concerns about the baby early on. Meanwhile, note that Irina is placed in the position of having ordered—or at least sanctioned—Vaughn's assassination. But do we believe that Ms Rehabilitated herself would do that to her #1 daughter for one minute? Of course not!!! Especially when the drink (I gave you this and then you crashed) is thrown into our faces again. If she doesn't have Vaughn stashed on ice somewhere . . . Anybody who thinks she's “bad”: 10 lashes with a wet noodle. I believe in recycling, but really . . . !
The theme of Sydney's regression for the Prophet 5 group may have been locating Horizon, but for Sydney it was “We'll always find each other.” At first, Sydney was the one trying to leave Vaughn in her visions, but later on, Vaughn was the one leaving. This would tend to be more covert because the interrogator could hear what Sydney was saying during her visions. So if she shifted her resistance to Vaughn, she could hide it better because his side of the conversation could not be overheard. Also, Sydney could in this way project her strong side onto Vaughn and allow “someone else” to support her even as she went it alone.
Quibbles:
They went to so very much trouble to rouse curiosity and mystery around Desantis and resurrect the guy, and just when they get him on his feet, they summarily kill him off? He wasn't much of a character for such a grand entrance, I must say. Sheesh. I'd call that a waste of time and effort.
Somehow, when you realize that it wasn't really Vaughn saying that Sydney in fact kept the darkness from overtaking him, it was actually Sydney reassuring herself—it just isn't the same, is it?
Nod nod, wink wink? Say no more . . . Let's just say that I'm getting the feeling that I'm getting semaphored like crazy and it feels intentional. Perhaps they want us spoiled.
Random thoughts:
Peyton is entrusted to actually see Irina, eh?
Can Tom's marriage actually fit into the end of the season? Unless . . . not Peyton? Hm, it's been too long . . . have they had any contact?
I must be ready for the finale because my enthusiasm over this week's return is less than peak. I'm much more enthusiastic about the return of Prison Break . . . and (new) Supernatural . . . and Invasion . . . and Naruto. Sad, ain't it?
Discuss:
Why do you think they had that little non-sequitur scene about Tom having had a wife?
So, at this point, Vaughn: dead or alive? How do you want it?
What do you think of Irina's role in this (in any way)?
What about the nursery? Do you think Sydney was to be sent there with the baby or that the baby was to be sent there with another caretaker?
Any comments about Sydney's “strategy” under guided regression?
Is Irina trusting Peyton or playing her? Thoughts?
Next:
At last, new episodes! Can we even remember where the heck we are and what is going on? That may be the biggest question of all!
