4x03 "Hope is Stronger than Love"

[Bradford]

That was pretty wow.

Loved seeing everything from Patty's POV, wanted to slap the parents.  Want to know what happens to Patty after.

What he said.

Really hope that Patty's Aunt is able to look after her - would be nice to find out how her story develops (maybe an extra?).  Plus the team have to investigate the grandmother,  and if there is any possible link to Patty's friend.  Reyes is going to have to recruit more staff!

[Elizabeth Bear]

Did you guys find the extra?

[glinda_w]

Did you guys find the extra?

Yeah.

I seem to have left all of my pens, including the calligraphy pens and the fountain pens, in the bathroom. Again.

[Jane Tweed]

The thing that really came home to me in this episode was that in light of the the dialogue Breathe where Falkner is telling Worth why they haven't and maybe can't go public they must have been expecting this or something like it;

"What happens when the general public looks at any schizophrenic, any shell-shocked homeless vet, any kid with impulse control problems, anyone whose particular variety of strange they don't get, and sees anomaly?"

As people outside of WTF are slowly becoming more aware of the anomaly some of them are going to take one look and go with the devils work, like children in Africa who are killed or thrown out of their homes because they're accused of witchcraft (http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/scandal-of-the-children-killed-for-witchcraft-1003968.html).

[Alena]

H'm.  I wonder if knowing the story of someone with the anomaly counts as exposure to the anomaly.  Todd and Chaz seem to lean toward the "chance brought anomaly to Stephanie, but her knowledge of Patty's grandmother's story may have shaped her mythology", but it seems like an awfully big chance--that is, that the kid who becomes anomalous just happens to have a best friend whose grandmother was plausibly anomalous.

[jeffy]

The secrecy is becoming less and less plausible. I mean I understand the the desire to keep it from getting out, and this episode more than most shows how strangely the message can be twisted. But a whole class of kids killed at once is not a story that's going to disappear without a ripple. That poor town will be crawling with cameras and reporters. All those parents will need to have their child's death explained to them. And what is that explanation going to be?

[jimsmyth]

H'm.  I wonder if knowing the story of someone with the anomaly counts as exposure to the anomaly.  Todd and Chaz seem to lean toward the "chance brought anomaly to Stephanie, but her knowledge of Patty's grandmother's story may have shaped her mythology", but it seems like an awfully big chance--that is, that the kid who becomes anomalous just happens to have a best friend whose grandmother was plausibly anomalous.

I was thinking the trauma of the grandmother's gammaness would have provided the mother with the pre-conception inoculation for Patty.

If I have the theory right, which is not a given.


I was also wondering if there is a snake venom that causes people to bleed from the eyes as they die.  And what other stresses Stephanie was under.  And I'm trying not to think of more.

[glinda_w]

I was thinking the trauma of the grandmother's gammaness would have provided the mother with the pre-conception inoculation for Patty.

Well, yeah, but how did Stephanie end up being the gamma? What was her initial exposure, and what made her crack?

I was also wondering if there is a snake venom that causes people to bleed from the eyes as they die.  And what other stresses Stephanie was under.  And I'm trying not to think of more.

I'm also wondering about Stephanie's other stresses (besides the bullying at school). Her dad had been out of work for over two years; what was going on at home?

[hollyxu]

I was also wondering if there is a snake venom that causes people to bleed from the eyes as they die.  And what other stresses Stephanie was under.  And I'm trying not to think of more.

I think the bleeding is a general function of snake venom being hemolytic? And I think cobras can spit venom so that it gets into a prey/attacker's eyes.

[jimsmyth]

Snakes being cold-blooded, and Maine having a lack of poisonous ones (at least pre-climate change), I am rather ignorant on the subject of snake venoms.  (My brain keeps wanting to latinize that plural.)

We know Stephanie was getting abuse at school.  We know she had a strong interest in snakes.  We know she was interested in Patty's grandmother, and the possibility of witchcraft.  Everything else I'm gonna bring up is pure speculation.

1) What is she were a lesbian?  That gives the "routine" insult extra kick. 

2) What if she believed that said lesbianism were a sin equivalent to Patty's supposed witchcraft?  That could set up a pretty hellish situation right there.

3) What if she had feelings for Patty that went beyond friendship?  It looks like they weren't perceived or returned.  More conflict, more guilt.  More trapped in a hellish situation.

She knows how people die (from snake venom).  She knows there are witches, and how they kill (by looking at people).  It could be that a large chunk of her recent life, squaring the reality of who she was with everything she'd been told (and was constantly reminded of) was the initial stressor, and the hunger/boredom/yet-more-taunting that was the final crack was just the usual stuff, piled higher and deeper when her coping ran out.


...Or I could be projecting.  There was a time when I wanted mystical powers.  (Mostly to fly, though.  Not to stare people dead.)

[Korvar]

...Or I could be projecting.  There was a time when I wanted mystical powers.  (Mostly to fly, though.  Not to stare people dead.)

Of course, had it been The Anomaly, you would have somehow ended up flying people to death.  But still.

[antongarou]

...Or I could be projecting.  There was a time when I wanted mystical powers.  (Mostly to fly, though.  Not to stare people dead.)

Of course, had it been The Anomaly, you would have somehow ended up flying people to death.  But still.

It's all in the landing:)

[Alena]

It could be that a large chunk of her recent life, squaring the reality of who she was with everything she'd been told (and was constantly reminded of) was the initial stressor, and the hunger/boredom/yet-more-taunting that was the final crack was just the usual stuff, piled higher and deeper when her coping ran out.

Huh--I interpreted Stephanie's larger-than-usual hunger on the field trip to mean that she'd already converted.  Which would mean that her final crack was something in the past few days, probably the night before the field trip because Patty didn't mention "oh well Stephanie had been really hungry for the last week".  Although if they usually were eating lunch at school, where Stephanie might have access to vending machines, she maybe could've hid it longer.

[will shetterly]

Hey PTB, so the episodes were all mapped out from the start, yes? Were the extras just ad hoc and y'all just got busy on other stuff? (be perfectly clear that I totally approve of Other Stuff from the PTB)

Just noticed this hadn't been answered. The quick answer is "yep." The broad strokes are mapped out, but we never know when we might find new details.

[Paul Oppenheimer]

I keep wondering whether Stephanie is genetically related.  This is one of those real small places, right?