3x06, "Uniform"

[Edmund Schweppe]

Seems obvious to me - this episode must be about Celentano and his unfulfilled fantasy of winning "Dancing with the Stars".

After all, what comes between Tango and Victor? Uniform!

[txanne]

/o\

[Edmund Schweppe]

Falkner used to wear a uniform.

As did Danny (ex-Army MP) and Daphne (ex-paramedic). And possibly Sol, depending on which of his tall tales you believe.

Not sure if Madeline Frost wears scrubs or not; if so, they'd probably qualify.

[HebrewRose]

I have been having some frightening "why does it have to be kids" type speculation about school uniforms...

[el_jefe]

How about uniform as in everyone is the same? A gamma that either blends in perfectly with the crowd, or even better, one that can overlay multiple individuals personalities with a duplicate of their own? Or it could be that Jaime Madrox is making an appearance. 

[Lioness]

I'm bettin' we get serious Lau backstory in here. Bettin', hopin'....

[DavidG]

How about uniform as in everyone is the same?

Everyone is uniform in death.

Or it could be a gamma-LEO.

[MadGastronomer]

Knowing our darling PTB, I fully expect that "uniform" will have at least three meanings, one relating to the gamma's ability or person, one to the team's interactions (which I dearly hope indicates a renews uniformity of purpose, but doubt that that will be it, particularly since I think Chaz has a new, private purpose), and one to some team member's or members' personal life/lives (probably either Lau or Falkner). Layered thematic bits is a hallmark of several of our PTB. Possibly there will be a fourth meaning, maybe something like a victim, victim's relative, or person relating to the gamma either idolizing or reviling uniforms or uniformity -- oh, hey, maybe they found some new twist on the irony of the uniformity within a countercultural community. But this last will be, if it exists at all, set up specifically to reinforce one of the other ways in which the title is applicable, and will probably also be a small part of the whole.

[Elizabeth Bear]

(which I dearly hope indicates a renews uniformity of purpose, but doubt that that will be it, particularly since I think Chaz has a new, private purpose),

...what would that be?

[MadGastronomer]

I am not going to put anything well, because I had insomnia and am somewhat incoherent. But I am suspicious of the sneaking about and the way the meeting was set up in Standard of Care. Something about it makes me think he's gotten a bit subversive about his job, and that his goals are not quite the same as the team-in-general's, although Daphne has probably signed on if he's told her. What exactly the new goal is, I have no idea, but while I assume that Reyes knew and approved of that meeting, I feel like there's something else going on behind the mirror.

Just a vague impression, really, at the moment.

[eschatonic]

Really? I totally thought his behavior in Standard of Care was a Not Trusting Reyes issue, at least as far as holding the meeting without him. FWIW, Reyes has demonstrated general untrustworthiness onscreen at least a couple of times, as far as Chaz is counting.

And as for his line at the end about ruthlessness, I think that was a lie. I think he was hiding, or covering up, or both. By his standards, he betrayed Hafidha twice: he helped the team capture her, and he didn't kill her when he knew that was what she wanted. So he felt guilty, and he needs to atone, so if/when she gets better he can still be her brother. Also, you cannot, cannot admit in to a room full of psychiatrists and LEOs that you're not sure not committing a murder/suicide was the right decision or not. And maybe he can't admit it to himself either.

[MadGastronomer]

See, I think Reyes agreed to Chaz holding the meeting without him because Reyes doesn't trust Reyes. That's not the bit I'm referring to as the part of the setup of the meeting that makes me suspicious, though. They kept things shrouded in mystery: who was going to be there, what they were going to talk about, even who was heading the group. I smell a rat. Or a platypus.

[MadGastronomer]

Oh, and I think Reyes had to have agreed to it, or at least not objected to be excluded, because he had to have known it was happening, and certainly could have gotten in there if it had been important to him. He's clearly grooming Chaz as his successor, and he's asked Chaz to keep an eye on him. Plus he's just a suspicious bastard. I think he agrees with Chaz's assessment that he's not the best person to make these decisions about Hafs, and so is letting Chaz take the lead.

[HebrewRose]

See, I think Reyes agreed to Chaz holding the meeting without him because Reyes doesn't trust Reyes. That's not the bit I'm referring to as the part of the setup of the meeting that makes me suspicious, though. They kept things shrouded in mystery: who was going to be there, what they were going to talk about, even who was heading the group. I smell a rat. Or a platypus.

You know, I hadn't thought this before, but your use of the phrase "shrouded in mystery" made me think that a predilection for theatrical/clandestine behavior could be a sign of some Anomaly fueled craziness going on- as in, there was no particular reason to set the stage like he did or to sneak around, but he had some kind of compulsion to be cloak-and-dagger. Only thing is I'd expect Brady (who already thinks of catching bad guys in theatre metaphors) to develop that particular mythology, not Chaz.

[DavidG]

shrouded in mystery" made me think that a predilection for theatrical/clandestine behavior could be a sign of some Anomaly fueled craziness going on

Or it could just be that he feels the need to be manipulative. And from his point of view he absolutely does need to be manipulative, because his soul-sister is refusing to contemplate a potential cure. He needs to either directly manipulate (i.e. browbeat) Hafs into taking it, or manipulate the situation so that she agrees to take it of what she believes is her own free will. Setting the scene with the medical oversight team is just one of the steps to doing precisely that, and if getting the reaction you want from the audience means actively manipulating them, then that's simply what the role calls for.