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Jun. 11th, 2005 08:19 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
apocalypsosSo I was bored and checking out The 4400's official website, which they updated for the new season with a map with files on all of the 4400 returnees we've seen so far. Now, this is after I read TV Tome's section of the premiere episode, which had the same complaint I did in retrospect, which is ... what exactly is Isabelle's power? It can't be every one of the five bajillion things she did in that episode, because aside from the fact that story-wise it's pretty annoying, it also doesn't make any sense coming from a show in which each returnee has pretty much shown only one new ability. (I'm counting Shawn's ability as one, since it seems to be flip sides of the same coin in redistributing life force, which is sort of how it's put on the official site.)
And as I was going through the case files on the site, I think I've got it.
I think she's got access to everybody else's powers.
Okay, bear with me here. Here's the complaint has written in TV Tome, which sums up everything she did in the premiere -- What is Isabelle's power? She can give people headaches, make things blow away in wind, give old men heart attacks, control people's minds, and make plants grow. Ever get the feeling the writers haven't made up their minds about this kid?
And let's not forget her empathic communication with Lily and the dream which Richard had, which may have been her fault. (May have been ... give me a minute and I'll get to that.)
Now, think back to what we've seen in the 4400 returnees so far:
Maia sees the future.
Shawn can either drain a person's energy, or heal them.
Orson Bailey could telekinetically shatter or shake things.
Carl Morrissey had enhanced strength and agility.
Oliver Knox can make people do what he wants, as can Tess Doerner.
And that woman with the flowers whose van exploded, according to the website, came back with the ability to make plants grow.
Look familiar, don't they?
Obviously, I don't think she can access more than one at a time, and I'm not even sure how the hell she could do it. But then again, since we still don't know how she was conceived, it's anybody's guess how it works. But it does make sense. Look at what Isabelle did to the shop compared to what Orson did to that guy's house in the pilot. Look what she did to the berries as compared to what the woman with the van did to that flower (which you really had to pay attention to notice) before the van blew up. (Although don't ask me how she can still use the ability if the woman's dead, because that leads to her really having all of those abilities and that just doesn't work in my head.)
Now, here's what I don't think she's doing. I don't think she's communicating with Lily, so much as Lily's communicating with her. There's a passing mention in a future episode, according to one of the spoiler sites, that Jordan thinks that Lily came back empathic, and I really do think that it's true and that's a big part of the reason Isabelle's communicating with Lily and not with Richard -- because it's just easier. With Lily, if Isabelle's "talking" to her, she can have a two-way street. Richard, not so much.
Here's the thing. I think that every single one of those 4400 came back with some kind of new ability, and that includes Richard. That's why the dream gets to me -- because I'm not exactly sure that is his power. It's more likely that it's Isabelle sending him hints about the future, because it didn't seem like it was a regular thing with him. (Then again, controlling the others at the mental institution wasn't par for the course with Tess, either, but still.) I really do believe that Richard is meant to do something that we just haven't seen yet, aside from father Isabelle and protect his family.
********
As for Kyle ... I think he's full of shit.
What I mean is, I think he may remember that night by the lake. I'm not sure if he knows what the hell was going on, but I do have the opinion that either a.) he remembers it, b.) he can still be used as a conduit by the Powers That Will Be, or c.) he's still in communication with them.
Does he show any physical evidence of being affected? No, of course not. That's why they let him out of quarantine in the first place. But remember what Tom said when Tess was examined by NTAC's doctors, about how all of the 4400 were always perfectly healthy when they were tested? I'm starting to believe not only that Kyle was meant to be shoved out of the way by Shawn that night, but that what Shawn did didn't interrupt a damn thing. He was supposed to be a conduit for the Powers That Will Be, and there's a certain spoiler I read (that I won't ruin, 'cause it's really good) that makes me think he'll be used again.
It just seems odd to me that the Powers That Will Be would be able to make a "mistake" that would allow them to communicate with Tom in a way that would encourage him to be very vehement about helping the 4400 AND explain juuuuuuuust enough AND make it seem that the 4400 should just be given free rein. (That seems to be a BIG thing with the Powers That Will Be -- garnering sympathy for the 4400. Hell, the whole Oliver Knox/carbomber plot was specifically to make the 4400 seem more sympathetic to the rest of the human race.)
I firmly believe that Kyle knows more than he's letting on about what happened when it was supposedly not him in his body after Shawn woke him up.
********
And now, onto Shawn and Jordan.
Jordan doesn't appear to have an extrasensory ability, which makes me wonder since everybody else appears to. There's a comment on TV Tome wondering if the injuries he suffered last season when he placed his hand on Lily's belly were the fault of the baby's powers or his possible abilities. Is it more likely that Isabelle did it in utero? Considering what we've seen of her abilities so far, yes.
But here's the thing that gets me. Shawn said he's had to heal Jordan over and over again for the injuries he suffered that day. Dude, Shawn has shown no evidence that he's ever had to heal someone more than once for the same injury. If he's kept his hands on someone long enough, they come out of the experience completely physically perfect. So why would Jordan require repeated healings from Shawn?
Is he faking it? He doesn't appear to be, and Shawn gives off the impression that he can sense pain in Jordan when he does it, like he honestly has to work to get Jordan to heal. If Isabelle tapped into Shawn's abilities to harm Jordan, it's possible that he's having a hard time because it was his powers that harmed Jordan and it's crossing paths or something, but that's a long shot.
I think that whatever is wrong with Jordan, it's the fault of the Powers That Will Be, intended to keep Shawn under his wing and in the limelight.
Why? Well, he's young, handsome, appears to mean well, not a complete idiot, and has the power to heal as well as harm. There's already been indications that Jordan's slowly building him up to be some sort of "mascot," if you can even call it that when your mascot has this amazing, messianic ability.
From the spoilers I've read, I'm starting to get the impression that one of Jordan's main reasons for being taken and put back is that he has the means and the know-how to get Shawn into a very public, very recognizable role before the kid even knows what's happening. One day, he is going to turn around and realize that Jordan has swept him into a place where everybody knows who he is and what he can do. And that, considering the religious implications that could arise from that development, is probably not something Shawn is going to want to go along with.
********
And finally, my thoughts on the Powers That Will Be.
Those assholes.
They lied. They sooooo lied to Tom on the beach. I was actually willing to believe them (and not think that they were aliens or something toying with people for kicks).
That was, until Kevin.
If the 4400 were sent back to change things because of some sort of apocalypse on the horizon, it would make sense with all of the things that happened last season -- until Kevin.
It goes like this. So Kevin loses his connection with sanity and gets put into a mental institution. We can easily assume that without Tess's influence on the rest of the patients and staff to build the tower, he would have stayed in the hospital. Which makes me wonder -- if he's the father of the 4400 technology, then how would it have come about unless the 4400 had already been sent back during the time of the Powers That Will Be?
The way they made it sound when they spoke through Kyle was that they were living in this apocalyptic future and taking these people, changing them, and seeding them back into the timestream was the only way to change the future and stop it from happening. But if Kevin's research was used to make that happen and he needed to be fixed by Tess for that to work, that indicates the 4400 were already sent back in that particular future. Which poses another question -- were they sent back to ensure a good future, or a bad one?
This, of course, assumes that they weren't lying to Tom about being from the future. Considering that I'm positive they were pretty much feeding him a line about a bleak future to get him to do exactly what they wanted, they were probably lying about that, too.
********
Like I said, I'm bored. Can you tell? ;)
In other news,![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
telaryn made that Mr. and Mrs. Smith crossover challenge a reality. *flails*
And as I was going through the case files on the site, I think I've got it.
I think she's got access to everybody else's powers.
Okay, bear with me here. Here's the complaint has written in TV Tome, which sums up everything she did in the premiere -- What is Isabelle's power? She can give people headaches, make things blow away in wind, give old men heart attacks, control people's minds, and make plants grow. Ever get the feeling the writers haven't made up their minds about this kid?
And let's not forget her empathic communication with Lily and the dream which Richard had, which may have been her fault. (May have been ... give me a minute and I'll get to that.)
Now, think back to what we've seen in the 4400 returnees so far:
Maia sees the future.
Shawn can either drain a person's energy, or heal them.
Orson Bailey could telekinetically shatter or shake things.
Carl Morrissey had enhanced strength and agility.
Oliver Knox can make people do what he wants, as can Tess Doerner.
And that woman with the flowers whose van exploded, according to the website, came back with the ability to make plants grow.
Look familiar, don't they?
Obviously, I don't think she can access more than one at a time, and I'm not even sure how the hell she could do it. But then again, since we still don't know how she was conceived, it's anybody's guess how it works. But it does make sense. Look at what Isabelle did to the shop compared to what Orson did to that guy's house in the pilot. Look what she did to the berries as compared to what the woman with the van did to that flower (which you really had to pay attention to notice) before the van blew up. (Although don't ask me how she can still use the ability if the woman's dead, because that leads to her really having all of those abilities and that just doesn't work in my head.)
Now, here's what I don't think she's doing. I don't think she's communicating with Lily, so much as Lily's communicating with her. There's a passing mention in a future episode, according to one of the spoiler sites, that Jordan thinks that Lily came back empathic, and I really do think that it's true and that's a big part of the reason Isabelle's communicating with Lily and not with Richard -- because it's just easier. With Lily, if Isabelle's "talking" to her, she can have a two-way street. Richard, not so much.
Here's the thing. I think that every single one of those 4400 came back with some kind of new ability, and that includes Richard. That's why the dream gets to me -- because I'm not exactly sure that is his power. It's more likely that it's Isabelle sending him hints about the future, because it didn't seem like it was a regular thing with him. (Then again, controlling the others at the mental institution wasn't par for the course with Tess, either, but still.) I really do believe that Richard is meant to do something that we just haven't seen yet, aside from father Isabelle and protect his family.
********
As for Kyle ... I think he's full of shit.
What I mean is, I think he may remember that night by the lake. I'm not sure if he knows what the hell was going on, but I do have the opinion that either a.) he remembers it, b.) he can still be used as a conduit by the Powers That Will Be, or c.) he's still in communication with them.
Does he show any physical evidence of being affected? No, of course not. That's why they let him out of quarantine in the first place. But remember what Tom said when Tess was examined by NTAC's doctors, about how all of the 4400 were always perfectly healthy when they were tested? I'm starting to believe not only that Kyle was meant to be shoved out of the way by Shawn that night, but that what Shawn did didn't interrupt a damn thing. He was supposed to be a conduit for the Powers That Will Be, and there's a certain spoiler I read (that I won't ruin, 'cause it's really good) that makes me think he'll be used again.
It just seems odd to me that the Powers That Will Be would be able to make a "mistake" that would allow them to communicate with Tom in a way that would encourage him to be very vehement about helping the 4400 AND explain juuuuuuuust enough AND make it seem that the 4400 should just be given free rein. (That seems to be a BIG thing with the Powers That Will Be -- garnering sympathy for the 4400. Hell, the whole Oliver Knox/carbomber plot was specifically to make the 4400 seem more sympathetic to the rest of the human race.)
I firmly believe that Kyle knows more than he's letting on about what happened when it was supposedly not him in his body after Shawn woke him up.
********
And now, onto Shawn and Jordan.
Jordan doesn't appear to have an extrasensory ability, which makes me wonder since everybody else appears to. There's a comment on TV Tome wondering if the injuries he suffered last season when he placed his hand on Lily's belly were the fault of the baby's powers or his possible abilities. Is it more likely that Isabelle did it in utero? Considering what we've seen of her abilities so far, yes.
But here's the thing that gets me. Shawn said he's had to heal Jordan over and over again for the injuries he suffered that day. Dude, Shawn has shown no evidence that he's ever had to heal someone more than once for the same injury. If he's kept his hands on someone long enough, they come out of the experience completely physically perfect. So why would Jordan require repeated healings from Shawn?
Is he faking it? He doesn't appear to be, and Shawn gives off the impression that he can sense pain in Jordan when he does it, like he honestly has to work to get Jordan to heal. If Isabelle tapped into Shawn's abilities to harm Jordan, it's possible that he's having a hard time because it was his powers that harmed Jordan and it's crossing paths or something, but that's a long shot.
I think that whatever is wrong with Jordan, it's the fault of the Powers That Will Be, intended to keep Shawn under his wing and in the limelight.
Why? Well, he's young, handsome, appears to mean well, not a complete idiot, and has the power to heal as well as harm. There's already been indications that Jordan's slowly building him up to be some sort of "mascot," if you can even call it that when your mascot has this amazing, messianic ability.
From the spoilers I've read, I'm starting to get the impression that one of Jordan's main reasons for being taken and put back is that he has the means and the know-how to get Shawn into a very public, very recognizable role before the kid even knows what's happening. One day, he is going to turn around and realize that Jordan has swept him into a place where everybody knows who he is and what he can do. And that, considering the religious implications that could arise from that development, is probably not something Shawn is going to want to go along with.
********
And finally, my thoughts on the Powers That Will Be.
Those assholes.
They lied. They sooooo lied to Tom on the beach. I was actually willing to believe them (and not think that they were aliens or something toying with people for kicks).
That was, until Kevin.
If the 4400 were sent back to change things because of some sort of apocalypse on the horizon, it would make sense with all of the things that happened last season -- until Kevin.
It goes like this. So Kevin loses his connection with sanity and gets put into a mental institution. We can easily assume that without Tess's influence on the rest of the patients and staff to build the tower, he would have stayed in the hospital. Which makes me wonder -- if he's the father of the 4400 technology, then how would it have come about unless the 4400 had already been sent back during the time of the Powers That Will Be?
The way they made it sound when they spoke through Kyle was that they were living in this apocalyptic future and taking these people, changing them, and seeding them back into the timestream was the only way to change the future and stop it from happening. But if Kevin's research was used to make that happen and he needed to be fixed by Tess for that to work, that indicates the 4400 were already sent back in that particular future. Which poses another question -- were they sent back to ensure a good future, or a bad one?
This, of course, assumes that they weren't lying to Tom about being from the future. Considering that I'm positive they were pretty much feeding him a line about a bleak future to get him to do exactly what they wanted, they were probably lying about that, too.
********
Like I said, I'm bored. Can you tell? ;)
In other news,
telaryn made that Mr. and Mrs. Smith crossover challenge a reality. *flails*
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2005-06-12 03:06 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-06-12 03:18 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-06-12 03:19 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-06-12 03:26 am (UTC)I still need to make an icon. Oh, yes.
no subject
Date: 2005-06-12 03:57 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-06-12 05:31 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-06-12 11:35 am (UTC)I'm not so sure she doesn't have these 'powers' in her own right, I think she has access to her whole brain.
If the 4400 tech is supposed to create very specific and predictable powers in people it might make sense to only 'wake up' that specific part of the brain. Like if the speech centres of your brain is damaged or in accessible, you can't talk or some people with brain damage who can't get sarcasm.
The way they have 'designed' each characters brain feels very specific to each individual.
She wouldn't have the concept of having 'powers' either, they would be just like being able to speak, write, hear or see.
I have a bad feeling that they are lying too. Also setting up Diana to not trust her bosses is very very sneaky too.
I was sure I was going to see a message about "Mummy, I know you're reading this. Put it back." in the diary.
no subject
Date: 2005-06-12 02:43 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-06-12 05:21 pm (UTC)