1x05, "Ballistic"

[glinda_w]

And now I have an image of Judy Dench in a white corset and garters. I hate you.

Thank you so much for passing that on.

meep.

[MadGastronomer]

Just to throw it out there:
My first impression of the "competent" line was that it was Frost's little reminder to her superiors that she should not ever be allowed to treat living patients.

[MadGastronomer]

I'm pretty jazzed that you guys feel strongly about the stuff in this episode, whether positive or negative. Raincrow's right, not everything is going to work for everyone, but getting to watch smart readers debating the issues certainly works for me. I appreciate the attention you all pay, the thought you put into analyzing what we create, and your willingness to take this as seriously as we do.

So be excellent to each other, and carry on. Your mileage will, in fact, vary. I find it exhilarating.

It occurs to me that internet publishing coupled with forums or open comments brings writing a lot closer to the immediate feedback response of live theater, as opposed to the delayed response of TV or movies, which is usually a closer match.
Having loved the rush of audience response for years, it makes me happy that y'all get something like it for your art, now.

[Bunny M]

Just to throw it out there:
My first impression of the "competent" line was that it was Frost's little reminder to her superiors that she should not ever be allowed to treat living patients.

That's a definite possibility, even a probability, except for the fact that Frost was the one that put herself in that situation in the first place. Let's face it, no-one at the WTF would have taken her to an active crime-scene without her request.

Now whether or not she waited until she had what she thought of as a suitably amenable WTF member to make the request is an interesting question, isn't it?

[MadGastronomer]

I'm not even speculating on why she took the actions she did at the scene.  I'm just saying that, after it all happened, maybe she chose to remind her superiors why they made certain rules, just in case they ever contemplated changing their minds.  Possibly because she recognizes that there's something wrong with her...

[Bunny M]

I'm just saying that, after it all happened, maybe she chose to remind her superiors why they made certain rules, just in case they ever contemplated changing their minds.  Possibly because she recognizes that there's something wrong with her...

That is an interesting angle to look at things from. *ponders*

Maybe she does. I'm still undecided on that, though. 

[jimsmyth]

Lots of thoughts from thsi one (and from the comments)

I think Worth's conversation with Brady was appropriate (though pushy) and fully in synch with what I've seen of her character.  (Trying to understand the team so she can support them properly.)


Lau should have had backup on-site.  Brady missed one, not calling another agent in when he stepped out.  Lau also should have played it more cool all around.  Something here was disturbing her, beyond the obvious.  Not sure what the deal was, but her reaction to the abuse seemed personal. (And, to a lesser extent, the children in general.)

Loved the Ken/Barbie interaction.  These two play well together.


Frost is major creepy, in retrospect.  Everything she did was fine, and I was even thinking "She's not that bad"... then I thought about it some more, and saw the parker possibilities in what she was doing, and realized she was saying-without-saying that those were the right ones.  (shudder)

The "no living patients" rule should be strictly enforced, for the good of us all.


Thanks for another great episode. 

[Alena]

I'd be interested to see what Frost's first experience with a gamma was like.

(Fascinating episode.  I like how it raised way more questions than it answered.)

[Razorsmile]

Is it just me or does Frost have a thing for Brady? Something seemed off about her responses to him; she cracks jokes (with a lepidopterist air to be sure, but still!), there's a kind of anti-emphasis on the way she says his name. Also, it appears the writers may or may not be reinforcing this potential red herring with the whole "making a point of speaking to her like a normal human being thing".

Oh dear god, I think I just committed Brady/Frost! Quick, read this quote and cleanse your palate!

In a case such as this, with the decedent so small and light, she could handle the entire process unassisted, which she found pleasing. Self-sufficiency should be a comfort to any sentient creature.

Ahhhh, much better.

[ebony14]

Just to throw it out there:
My first impression of the "competent" line was that it was Frost's little reminder to her superiors that she should not ever be allowed to treat living patients.

Entirely possible, but I got the feeling that it was more of a smokescreen. She did this thing on purpose, but is using her position as an M.E. (who, despite their medical training, rarely work on living subjects) to cover herself. She's saying, "I'm terribly sorry, but I wasn't skilled enough to help this girl." but what she's actually saying is, "I'm going to say all the right words to a) keep them from looking too closely at my actions and b) to give them an easy out at the inquest." She supposed to be a skilled M.E., so they're not going to fire her out of hand. She knows this, and is using the right responses to evoke the right reactions. I don't think she is actually saying in her subtext, "Look, I'm a sociopath. You know that, and I know that, and this is what happens when you let me off the reservation."

[txanne]

She knows this, and is using the right responses to evoke the right reactions. I don't think she is actually saying in her subtext, "Look, I'm a sociopath. You know that, and I know that, and this is what happens when you let me off the reservation."

Not on purpose, no--but TPTB lurves them some unreliable narrators.

[MadGastronomer]

I don't think she is actually saying in her subtext, "Look, I'm a sociopath. You know that, and I know that, and this is what happens when you let me off the reservation."

I was thinking less, "I'm a sociopath," and more, "Seriously, I can't deal with real people.  Things go wrong."
And, as I said, it was purely my first impression.

[erinya]

Referring back to the question of Lau's response to the Maddie situation--did it occur to no one else that Lau may be an abuse survivor herself?  Might explain why she is a) hypersensitive to the symptoms and b) uncharacteristically unprofessional and emotional when faced with those symptoms.

"It bothers her when it's a child."

Was that what you were referring to, Cal, in your comment here?

training and experience

Oh.  I missed a possibility there, didn't I?  Well, nobody ever accused me of being quick on the uptake.

It would fit with her need to present a perfect surface.

[Bunny M]

Referring back to the question of Lau's response to the Maddie situation--did it occur to no one else that Lau may be an abuse survivor herself?  Might explain why she is a) hypersensitive to the symptoms and b) uncharacteristically unprofessional and emotional when faced with those symptoms.

"It bothers her when it's a child."

Was that what you were referring to, Cal, in your comment here?

training and experience

Oh.  I missed a possibility there, didn't I?  Well, nobody ever accused me of being quick on the uptake.

It would fit with her need to present a perfect surface.

That's the way I read it, certainly. Although I also felt/feel that it was not necessarily Lau herself who was abused, but perhaps someone close to her instead.

Just my $0.05

[erinya]

That's the way I read it, certainly. Although I also felt/feel that it was not necessarily Lau herself who was abused, but perhaps someone close to her instead.

Just my $0.05

Good point.  Something she has personal experience with, at least, because the Lau we saw in that house certainly wasn't the in-control, hyper-professional, smooth-surfaced Lau that we've seen so far, and I think that's what posters here have been reacting to.  An anomalous response.  (But not Anomalous.)  It seems out of character because it comes from a part of her character we hadn't accounted for.

I am tickled by the fact that Lau seems to present an inscrutable face not only to her teammates and colleagues, but on a meta level, to us, the fans.  Even her POV seemed to layer over and conceal her inner workings, to some degree.  Clever writers.

Edited to add:  I still think that Lau herself may be a survivor.

"You okay?" Brady asked.

"Yeah." With enough practice, you got the "Of course, why shouldn't I be?" voice almost every time.