This Friday Marathon

[Kefla (Kefla)]

A reminder: The Sci Fi Channel is airing episodes of The Visitor this Friday, June 22. <BR> <BR>THE DEVIL'S RAINBOW <BR>DREAMS <BR>MIRACLES <BR>THE CHAIN <BR>THE TRIAL <BR> <BR>Searches for The Visitor in July and August (incomplete) turned up nothing . . . So don't miss this one. Enjoy.

[Will Finch (Shetan)]

I've marked my calendar, thanks!

[Emma (Emma)]

What???? No July or August listings? I hope the Sci-fi channel hasn't taken it off their schedule permanently. Sounds like time for another letter to them.

[Kefla (Kefla)]

True Emma. We need to remind Sci Fi how much we appreciate these airings. <BR> <BR>I'm watching the marathon, now. The Chain concluded. The Trial has started. This episode used to be very tough to watch - the sad, premature end to the series to many of us. Just realized that my recreational musing (in the form of episodes 14 and 15) have helped me adopt a more positive perspective toward these last official episodes. <BR> <BR>Try it. Pull out your pens, keyboards. What do *YOU* think happened after the trial?

[Will Finch (Shetan)]

While you're at it, tell them to space them out a bit. They were run all in a row, and some people had to work all day. merde.

[Cynthia Grey (Kim)]

Hi. Watched the marathon today and they were great episodes. I thought the one were Adam was getting overwhelmed psychically by the signals from deep space was interesting, sorry can't remember the name. And the one were Adam goes to Colonel Vise's(sp) hometown was pretty good too. When the series first premiered the only eps I saw was the Pilot and the Halloween eps. But it was enough to capture my interest. It was a really great series with a lot of possibilities and I hope the Sci-Fi channel continues to run it or better yet revive it! greetings, ~Kim

[Agent Pat (Agentpat)]

Well, I did it again. I stayed home to watch The Visitor on TV when I have enough copies on tape, my bookshelf is in danger of collapse... <BR> <BR>Pat --> I am fan. LOL <BR> <BR>Anyhoo, what new and interesting things did Pat notice, you ask? Well, not a whole hell of a lot this time around. Most of the following I think I've already brought up before, but it's been a while, so it can't hurt to mention it again. ;o) <BR> <BR>I love Love LOVE the segue from past to present in Charlie's bar at the beginning of "Devil's Rainbow." Constance walks off camera to the right, film stock goes from B&W to color, and Charlie emerges from behind the bar with her cat. Whoever thought that little gem up, give yourself a gold star, you deserve it. <BR> <BR>Charlie says to Adam, "You're spooky." If it wasn't for the fact that Fox Mulder used to be called that, I might have said she was out of line. LOL <BR> <BR>I'm a little confused over something and I might have to rewatch the scene to see what I'm missing. At the beginning of the ep, Charlie tells Adam the base is closed. But why would a closed base be guarded so strongly? You would think the government would have picked up their marbles and locked the doors when they left. I dunno. Like I said, I may need to rewatch those explanatory scenes again. Something's not jiving. <BR> <BR>Anybody notice that the night/day scenes of the Devil's Rainbow arc is flipped? Wonder why they did that? <BR> <BR>General Tainer (Vise's boss) is a Lieutenant General (three stars.) That's one step below four stars, the highest military rank you can attain during peace time. What in the world is Vise doing threatening Tainer with demotion when he says, "I'll have your stars for this?" Now *that* was out of line, especially since it's made very clear in the beginning that Tainer's the one in charge. <BR> <BR>Adam sure has a magnanimous personality, or something... As far as Charlie is concerned, he's an unknown bus driver who's bus just broke down. Yet, the next morning, both she *and* Monroe support his efforts to break into a top security government facility. What *is* he doing to these people? <BR> <BR>I still love Monroe's lines to Charlie "I'm no more insane than you are," followed almost immediately by "Are you insane?!" LMAO! Gotta luv Monroe. <BR> <BR>Interesting to see how the sets get recycled in this show. The grating that Adam falls onto in the Devil's Rainbow bunker is the same as the one he wakes up on in the craft after being re-abducted by his fellow colonists in "The Trial." The manufacturer must have a good marketing staff? LOL <BR> <BR>Man, oh man, Vise needs to send his soldiers back to target practice. They are the WORST shots. Adam wasn't even nicked! <BR> <BR>I chalk the following up to the writers not thinking about character's realistic lines. When Adam returns to the bar, he walks in holding a glowing blue piece of glass. Charlie doesn't say, "OMG, I was worried about you," or "Where have you been," or "What happened," or even "What is that you have there?" No, she says "You stole it?" She didn't even know what "it" was. Why would she assume he stole it? Okay, I'm nit-picking, but I would have preferred to see her more concerned about Adam, who she obviously was growing fond of, rather than accusing him of stealing something. <BR> <BR>Interesting how Wilcox hesitates but still keeps his gun trained on Vise even after he realizes Adam is standing at the door to the bar. For that one moment, Vise was the enemy, not Adam. <BR> <BR>I know "Reunion" wasn't played yesterday, but I can't help but to comment on Charlie's line to Constance in that episode "I met a man who did me no wrong," or something to that effect. No, Adam didn't do Charlie any wrong. He just got her bar blown to smithereens, that's all. LOL <BR> <BR>I was sort of preoccupied yesterday and noticed even less on subsequent episodes that aired. My bad, I know. A few things did pop out though... <BR> <BR>During the dream sequences, one scene shows Vise's looming truck in the review mirror with the words "objects in mirror are closer than they appear" clearly emblazoned on it. Okay, I know Jurassic Park did it first, but it was still funny. <BR> <BR>I like how the colors were muted to an "old movie" sepia tone when Adam saw Jason in the dream. It distinguished his past from Burton's present very dramatically. <BR> <BR>When Adam's surgeons were examining his CAT scan in "Dreams," they were trying to figure out what the mysterious mass was in his brain. One says to the other, "Scar tissue left over from a previous surgery?" This is ruled out however, since no invasive external scars are evident - by our standards of surgical procedures anyway. Hmmmm.... I think Kefla could run with this concept. ;o) <BR> <BR>One major nitpick on Adam's brain mass issue is how the doctor's saw it shrinking before their eyes. I thought they were looking at CAT scan screens? He wasn't in any scanning apparatus when they were viewing the changes. In fact, they were operating on him at the time. They wouldn't have been able to tell anything was changing. <BR> <BR>I love how the writers like to play around with variations on "The Visitor" as a thematic label. In "Fear of Flying," we see Adam walk into a building wearing a "Visitor" tag on his jacket. In "The Chain," Magnolia's doctor tells her about his grandmother and how she claimed to experience psychic events. The grandmother would say, "I had a 'visit,' or I just had a 'visiting.'" Soon afterwards, Magnolia is "visited" by "the Visitor" in her own dreams. <BR> <BR>...Shoot, look at the time... I gotta run. Catch y'all latah! :o) <BR> <BR>Agent Pat

[Agent Pat (Agentpat)]

Man, it's like a Ghost Town in here! <BR> <BR>[slaps head] Oh yeah, that's tonight. Cya gang!

[Emma (Emma)]

Great catches, Pat! Now I have to watch it again! <BR>I just love it when Monroe asks Adam "do you have the right stuff?" The image of astronauts pops into my mind. I hope the Sci-Fi channel doesn't discontinue the re-runs. <BR> <BR>"Ghost Town"? <A HREF="mailto:LMAO@AP">LMAO@AP</A> ;o)

[Kefla (Kefla)]

Hey Will, Kim, Emma and Pat - knowing that I had company watching The Visitor makes it all the more enjoyable. I want to contribute something on this thread (hard to keep up with Agent Pat, LOL). <BR> <BR>In the meantime, GOOD NEWS. I see the beginnings of a listing for another marathon August 3. No titles as yet. <BR> <BR>Be back when I get my suitcase unpacked. ;-)

[Will Finch (Shetan)]

Kefla, I missed it but the resourceful post by the witty AP made me feel as If I'd seen some of it. We'll keep our fingers crossed for Aug. 3.

[Kefla (Kefla)]

Responding to a tiny portion of Pat's message in this thread. <BR>She mentions Adam's magnanimous personality - dictionary definition: "noble of mind and heart, generous in forgiving, unselfish, grateful, above revenge or resentment, gracious" <BR> <BR>That's a fair descriptor for Adam MacArthur - but isn't enough, IMO, to explain the changes made by perfect strangers he encountered. Maybe add "magnetic" or "hypnotic" to the personality, LOL. Charile wasn't the only one who took in Adam, thinking of him a perfect stranger and then suddenly becoming an advocate for his activities. <BR> <BR>Nadine initially saw Adam as a fugitive, hijacker, burglar - but changed to lying to law enforcement officials to protect Adam by the time the show was half over. <BR> <BR>Ruth Burton knew Adam as an imposter, psycho, possible security risk but willingly led him through her home to a computer so he could abort her husband's mission. <BR> <BR>Elaine had even less to go on - knowing Adam as a single glimpse of a stranger's face, yet she was ready to give him the precious crystal off her concert violin. <BR> <BR>Whatever else Adam learned on the Colony, he excelled at rapidly changing people's outlooks. There was a lot more going on than meets the eye in the Visitor's interaction with people. Makes for some fun speculation. ;-)

[Sheri Gordon (Sheri)]

You forgot one... <BR> <BR>He turned an otherwise ordinary hard working Boston gal into a hard working "agent" and web tech for a fansite devoted to him. LOL

[Kefla (Kefla)]

Continuing - <BR>Pat wrote: "At the beginning of the ep, Charlie tells Adam the base is closed. But why would a closed base be guarded so strongly? You would think the government would have picked up their marbles and locked the doors when they left." <BR> <BR>I wondered about the base closure, too. Charlie first says, "The old air base? That closed 20 years ago." Yet she and Munroe seemed familiar enough about the fence and uneasy about the activity going on there. What did the locals think was going on there? <BR> <BR>Maybe Munroe already answered this question: "What I'm about to tell you, either people don't know or they don't wanna know." And Charlie's explanation - "half a brain left and that half is usually pickled". The locals may have had a sense of foreboding but were denying and ignoring.

[Agent Pat (Agentpat)]

Okay, just because I'm in mode (that *other* BBS is a work out!), I need to make an observation about Kefla's 2nd to last post of observations - which is even more meaningful considering Sheri's reply. <BR> <BR>All those examples of folks who've been effected by Adam's "magnanimous personality - or something," are WOMEN! <BR> <BR>Hmmmmmmm....... <BR> <BR>LMAO!!

[Kefla (Kefla)]

Weellll, in choosing examples (**Kefla wipes sweat off brow**) I looked for the most outrageous examples of change. Getting a phobic scientist to climb into a plane and pick up his research, getting an MIT student/cult member to wish he could leave the cult, a psychic to believe she could have an impact on the future . . . those didn't have the right ring to them, LOL. <BR> <BR>On the other hand, maybe you've hit upon something. Maybe that "or something" in MacArthur's personality works best on the ladies?

[Kefla (Kefla)]

Oh, and Sheri, I'm ROTFL. Excellent point about the hard working Boston girl. ;-)

[Agent Pat (Agentpat)]

Kefla wrote: <BR> <BR>> Maybe that "or something" in MacArthur's <BR>> personality works best on the ladies? <BR> <BR>And you're just realizing this now? LOL!! J/K <BR> <BR>(Pat's been spending WAY too much time elsewhere recently.)

[KaMiKaZE muShROom!! (F_U_N_G_U_S)]

So.... what's this "Visitor" thing I keep hearing so much about?

[Emma (Emma)]

LOL! What's next - an Adam/Aidan crossover? <BR> <BR>I spend way too much time on the other bbs!

[Kefla (Kefla)]

Kim wrote: I thought the one were Adam was getting overwhelmed psychically by the signals from deep space was interesting. <BR> <BR>So you liked Dreams? The whole idea that an extraterrestrial signal could disable The Visitor *was* interesting. I also found the doctors' discussion about his immune system fascinating. <BR> <BR>Pat, the type of imaging shown during the surgery resembled a PET (positron emission tomography) scan - those are colorful and show changes in brain function in real time. I agree, we didn't see any scanning equipment - and my guess is that the hospital would have used MRI or CT scans - not PET. But it looked great on TV. ;-) <BR> <BR>Emma, OK, so you and Pat aren't the only ones who got lost over at the *other place*. I'd like to think that The Visitor will outlast the other guy, though.

[Agent Pat (Agentpat)]

Hmmmm... "outlast the other guy?" That's a tough one to reply to Kefla, especially since *this* conference is for The Visitor. [wink] Plus, that other guy has *really* grown on me... <BR> <BR>To get out of this one gracefully, I think what we wish for, and what we believe, are two mutually exclusive things in this situation. ;o)

[Kefla (Kefla)]

Exactly. In fact, I edited the last line before posting, adding the words "like to". I know the other show is plastered everywhere - major hype, big audience. But what endures, what will we remember, say 10 or 20 years from now? <BR> <BR>I suppose you could think backwards - popular shows of the 1970s that still mean something to you now . . . . <BR> <BR>Yes - this is a tough subject to discuss frankly on the Electric BBS. <BR> <BR>Hey Will, any chance you could get the VCR going for the next marathon? <BR> <BR>Am considering preparing the "ABCs of The Visitor" for Fungus now - you know how hard it is to hang on to things under the influence of all those Shrooms. (just kidding) <IMG SRC="http://www.electric-ent.com/bbs/clipart/happy.gif" ALT=":)">

[Agent Pat (Agentpat)]

Okay, just remember Kefla, YOU started this line of questioning LOL. <BR> <BR>For the <I>general public,</I> ie: non-rabid fans like us, I think very few people are going to remember The Visitor 10 or 20 years from now. Having only lasted 13 episodes, it's got a major strike against it compared to other shows that have persevered beyond their pilot seasons. <BR> <BR>I think its second strike was the mixed genre approach. People didn't know what to call it, which makes it difficult to reference and/or pigeon-hole historically. <BR> <BR>Now, that "other" show's producers want it to run for 10 years, so the idea of looking back on it 10 years after it started is a moot point. If it indeed lasts even 7 or 8 years, it will likely go down in television history books, if there's not a place set aside for it there already. "Sex" sells, afterall. ;o)

[Kefla (Kefla)]

That's right, we're non-rabid, or at least I know *I've* had all my shots. <IMG SRC="http://www.electric-ent.com/bbs/clipart/happy.gif" ALT=":)"> <BR> <BR>The general public won't remember The Visitor 20 years down the road. You've made a good case for that. But what about you? What about Visitor fans? (And we know there are many fans still out there.) Twenty years from now, what character/show will survive and make the biggest impression with you, in hindsight?

[Agent Pat (Agentpat)]

AHHHH!! Well, since you put it that way, I guess I'd have to say The Visitor, hands down. It came first for me and started everything. Everybody remembers there "first," right? I have two reference points in my on-line world: pre Visitor and post Visitor. ;o) <BR> <BR>So I guess that answers THAT question, huh? LOL

[Kefla (Kefla)]

Whew! Thank you. Now I can sleep peacefully tonight, LOL. (less fear of the interloper)

[Agent Pat (Agentpat)]

That interloper is lookin' overly HOT though this year... <BR> <BR>[Oooooooo, did she say that?] <BR> <BR>*giggle*

[Sheri Gordon (Sheri)]

Sex sells, sure, but it's cheap and easy and eye candy. A mindless way to relax. No thought processes needed. You watch it and forget it. ;-) <BR> <BR>I love that other show, but I will always remember The Visitor. <IMG SRC="http://www.electric-ent.com/bbs/clipart/happy.gif" ALT=":)">

[Will Finch (Shetan)]

Yes Kefla, I'll do it.